France to send constitutional experts to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 19:00 GMT]
French foreign minister Dr.Renaud Muselier Wednesday said the people of Jaffna expect a political solution to their conflict with internal self-determination. French minister said this at media briefing Wednesday before leaving Colombo after a three-day visit to Sri Lanka.
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'Manipay incident will not be repeated-' Jaffna SLA commander

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 17:41 GMT]
Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Major General Sarath Fonseka assured at the conference summoned by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna Wednesday evening that he would take appropriate steps not to repeat incidents that had taken place at Manipay Wednesday morning in which SLA soldiers assaulted eight LTTE women cadres with knives, sources said.
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SLTMA Condemns SLA attacks on Tamil journalists

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 16:30 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance has condemned the attack on two Tamil journalists while on duty by the security forces today at Manipay in Jaffna. It has pointed out to the government that the Tamil journalists being attacked by the security forces is on the increase.
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LTTE women cadres, civilians injured in SLA assault

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 11:12 GMT]
Four women members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and several Tamil civilians were injured when soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday unleashed violence at Manipay junction, about 13 km off Jaffna town following the refusal by LTTE women cadres to remove their waist-belt, sources said.
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'Mirusuvil massacre a crime against humanity' -State Counsel

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 February 2003, 19:54 GMT]
The massacre of eight innocent Tamil civilians, including a five-year-old boy, by the accused soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army, was a crime against humanity, said State Counsel Mr.Sarath Jayamanne, in his opening address at the trial-at-bar inquiry into the Mirusuvil massacre case Tuesday afternoon. The three-member bench of the trial-at-bar comprised High Court Judges, Mr.I.M. Imam (Chairman), Mr.Sarath Ambepitya and Mr. Kumar Ekaratna, legal sources said.
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French foreign minister to visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 February 2003, 16:54 GMT]
French Foreign Minister Dr. Renaud Muselier Monday met President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and held a wide ranging discussions on several topics including the present peace process which has completed six rounds of talks towards finding negotiated political settlement for the ethnic conflict, sources said.
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Trawler blown-up while being towed by SLN - SLMM

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 February 2003, 12:15 GMT]
Clarifying the Delft sea incident, where three Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres killed themselves, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in a press release issued from Colombo today, admitted to providing either incomplete or incorrect information during the early stages of the developments, and said that in a second inspection they found a new 23-mm gunbarrel and additional munition in the trawler, and that the trawler was blown up while it was being towed by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) boat towards a port in the SLN controlled area.


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SLA bans LTTE women cadres from using waist-belts

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 February 2003, 14:01 GMT]
Ms Kayalvizhi, the leader of the women wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Jaffna district, lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna, Sunday, against the ban imposed by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on LTTE women cadres from using waist belts when they enter the army controlled areas in Jaffna district, sources said.


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War damage to Vavuniya school estimated at Rs.110 lakhs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 February 2003, 04:15 GMT]
During operation 'Jayasikuru,' a military offensive launched by the Sri Lanka army (SLA) in 13 May 1997 to capture a9 highway and surrounding areas in Vanni, caused damages estimated at Rs 110 lakhs (Rs 11 million) to property and buildings of Nedunkerni Maha Vidyalayam in Vavunia district, principal of the school, Mr. Murugupillai Kugathasan, said.


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High Courts without Judges worsen PTA accused woes

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 February 2003, 17:38 GMT]
The Eastern High Court which has jurisdiction over two districts, Batticaloa and Trincomalee, is without a permanent High Court Judge or an acting judge since second week of December last year holding up bail applications in murder cases and Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) cases forcing accused to be kept on remand and without any relief from high court, legal sources said.
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Sea incident, Rights, Resettlement, Children's issues discussed in Berlin talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 February 2003, 16:08 GMT]
At the fifth round of peace talks held in Berlin, the Government of Sri lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) negotiators agreed to work out safeguards to prevent Nedunthivu type sea incidents from happening in the future, agreed to establish three committees in Eastern Province to address local land and other issues, agreed to request Amnesty's Ian Martin to prepare for discussion a roadmap of human rights issues. LTTE also agreed to work with UNICEF on an action plan for children affected by armed conflict, a Norwegian embassy press release said.
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News in brief

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 February 2003, 01:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers continue to collect information on residents in Jaffna peninsula, Mullaitivu administrative secretariat moves to its former home, and Oddusuddan school damages due to war is estimated to be Rs 5 lakhs.
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SLA restricts LTTE movement in Vadamarachchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 February 2003, 18:48 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday ordered the members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who go to villages Amban, Kudathanai and Manalkadu in the Vadamarachchi east division to leave the area by four in the evening daily, civilians sources said.
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Three sea tigers die in boat blast

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 February 2003, 11:57 GMT]
Three cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Friday afternoon around 12.40 p.m.killed themselves by blowing up their trawler following an inspection by the monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, SLMM sources said.
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Grenades, ammunition recovered from Paranthan well

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 February 2003, 01:10 GMT]
Several hand grenades and different types of ammunition left behind by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were safely removed from a well in the premises of Paranthan Murugan Temple Wednesday by members of the landmine removal task force of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), sources in Vanni said.


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Court begins sessions in Chavakachcheri after three years

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 February 2003, 01:26 GMT]
After a lapse of three years the Chavakachcheri Magistrate Courts Monday resumed its sitting in a rented private building on Kachchai-Chavakachcheri road, legal sources said. The magistrates' court was closed down when the people of Thenamaradchchi fled to other areas following a military operation launched by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in May 2000, civil sources said.


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Court allows eight Tamil civilians on bail

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 February 2003, 17:47 GMT]
The Point Pedro Magistrate Monday allowed all the eight Tamil civilians arrested for detaining two soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at the Kudathanai area on bail and also on condition that they should not enter their village until further notice, legal sources said.
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‘Remove SLA camps from schools’ –CTTU

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 February 2003, 15:37 GMT]
The continued presence of Sri Lankan armed forces’ camps in many schools in the North-East, despite the passing of one year since the signing of the ceasefire agreement, has disrupted the education of students, and the camps should be removed immediately, said Mr. T. Mahasivam, the General Secretary of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers’ Union (CTTU), speaking at a gathering of teachers from the CTTU’s Manmunai North (Batticaloa) branch at the Mahajana college in Batticaloa today.
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SLN stops repairs to LTTE war memorial

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 February 2003, 18:55 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Sunday morning deployed its personnel preventing repairs to a Liberation Tigers war memorial at the Gopalapuram junction, in Nilaveli village, sixteen km off north of Trincomalee town, residents of the area said.
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Women Tigers refused entry to Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 February 2003, 17:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers manning the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) Omanthai check point refused to allow twenty three cadres belonging to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) women's wing to cross over to Vavuniya, objecting to the attire of the women tigers, sources in Vanni said.
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