'Terrorist intentions will totally terminate resettlement' – Maj. Gen. Fonseka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 December 2002, 08:53 GMT]
The furore over the Sri Lanka Army's High Security Zones (HSZs) in Jaffna orginated this week with a letter sent by its Jaffna commander to the Liberation Tigers, demanding the 'total disarmament' of the movement before Tamil civilians would be allowed back into occupied villages. In his hostile and belligerent letter, littered with grammatical and spelling errors, Maj. Gen. Fonseka addressed the Tigers as 'terrorists' and protested that easing the difficulties of the people of Jaffna would enhance the LTTE's image.
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SLMM support for Army over HSZs is 'unacceptable' - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 December 2002, 15:17 GMT]
The LTTE Friday rejected the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission's justification of the Sri Lanka Army's High Security Zones on the grounds of security as "unacceptable," saying "this adjudication simply reinforces the SLA's position on the illegal military occupation of public property." Responding to a letter sent Thursday by SLMM head, Maj. Gen. Tronde Furuhovde, the LTTE's Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, said: "This purely militaristic argument to support your thesis on balance of forces, has completely ignored and trivialised the grave humanitarian issue of the displaced population."
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LTTE rejects army's demand as 'unacceptable and unrealistic'

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 December 2002, 11:30 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in an official statement released from its headquarters in Killinochchi, northern Sri Lanka today, accused the state's military hierarchy of imposing unacceptable and unrealistic conditions for the resettlement of the internally displaced Tamils in their own homes and villages in Jaffna presently under heavy military occupation.
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Nedunthivu residents reject TNA plea to suspend picketing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 December 2002, 18:01 GMT]
Residents of Nedunthivu island in Jaffna district Tuesday rejected a plea made by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians to suspend their month long picketing against the presence of members of the para military group Eelam Peoples Democratic party (EPDP) in their village on the basis of the assurance given by the Prime Minister, TNA sources said.


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SLA ragging kills soldier, 16 remanded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 December 2002, 15:07 GMT]
The Chavakachcheri acting Magistrate Tuesday ordered sixteen soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to be held in remand in connection with the ragging death of a fellow soldier, S.Ratnayake (25) of Balangoda, legal sources in Jaffna said.
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Buddhist monks burn Norwegian flag

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 December 2002, 00:22 GMT]
National Bhikkhu Front (Jathika Sanga Sammelanaya- JSS), a Sinhala nationalist organisation of monks with branches in all the Sinhala majority districts of the island and a close ally of the marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) held a demonstration opposite Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo demanding the expulsion of Oslo's envoy to Sri Lanka, Mr. Jon Westborg, sources in Colombo said.


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SLMM hands over SLA proposals on HSZ to LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2002, 19:15 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Monday handed over a document containing proposals by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) regarding the normalization of High Security Zones (HSZs) in Jaffna peninsula to the representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources in Jaffna said


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PTA, ER, instruments to circumvent Human Rights norms – SC Judge

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 December 2002, 13:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Judge Mr. C.V.Vigneswaran Thursday said, “Laws such as Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations (ER) are not conducive to the creation of an environment for peace. Such laws are devious methods by which conformation to the International Covenants on Human Rights are avoided, ” in his keynote address as the chief guest at the International Human Rights Day event held Thursday at Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall.
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ICRC officials visit Nedunthivu

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 December 2002, 18:12 GMT]
Officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Tuesday visited Nedunthivu Island in Jaffna district and met the residents who were picketing outside the Pradeshya Sabha and divisional secretariat buildings against the presence of members of para military group Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), sources said. EPDP members are staying in the office buildings of the Pradshya Sabha and divisional secretariat since they entered the island with the escort of Sri Lanka Navy and the police.
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Protests continue while EPDP reduces Nedunthivu strength

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 December 2002, 16:39 GMT]
The para military Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) Monday decided to halve its strength in Nedunthivu Island in Jaffna district at the general council meeting of the EPDP held Monday following a month long agitation by the people of Nedunthivu demanding the immediate withdrawal of para military group members.
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Jaffna gets first woman de-miner

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 December 2002, 00:13 GMT]
Ms. Niroja Srirajakumar, 19, of Navatkuly east of Jaffna town, became the first woman in Jaffna to join de-mining work in the peninsula, officials at the Jaffna District Secretariat said Sunday. Ms. Niroja was trained in de-mining techniques and safety procedures by a Swiss organisation in Vavuniya.
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Muslims rights will be safeguarded - Prime Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 December 2002, 17:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Sunday assured the Muslim community that his government would do everything in its power to safeguard the rights of Muslims in the eastern province when finding a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in the peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and would never let down Muslims at any stage of the peace talks, when he addressed the gathering in Madwela, Kandy, sources said.
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'EPDP is being used to derail peace process'- Karuna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 December 2002, 16:51 GMT]
"Some elements are using the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) to derail the peace process. The return of EPDP members to Nedunthivu and recent incidents in Nelliady have clearly demonstrated the motives of such elements," Colonel Karuna, Special Commander of the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) in Batticaloa-Ampara district said Saturday.
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Phased approach agreed to address Jaffna HSZ resettlement

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 December 2002, 13:54 GMT]
At the second meeting of the Sub Committee on De-escalation and Normalization (SDN) held Saturday at Muhamalai it was agreed that a solution to the resettlement of internally displaced people in High Security Zones (HSZ) and other areas presently perceived as inaccessible to the public could be only solved through integrated plans of action agreed upon by the two parties, said a press release issued by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lanka.
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AG urged to file appeal against Mylanthanai acquittal

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 December 2002, 13:05 GMT]
A delegation of leading human rights lawyers led by President Counsel Mr.Desmond Fernando requested the Attorney General (AG) to consider filing appeal against the acquittal order by the Colombo High Court in the Mylanthanai massacre case in which eighteen soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army were charged with murder, attempted murder of thirty five Tamils including men, women and fourteen children under twelve years, legal sources in Colombo said.
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'Eschew communal politics'- UNF minister

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 December 2002, 17:16 GMT]
"Peaceful environment has dawned in the island after a brutal war for over a period of twenty years. To consolidate the present peace process all should work together irrespective of party politics and other differences. This is not the time for singing old communal songs," said the United National Front (UNF) Minister of School Education Development Mr.Suranimala Rajapakse, addressing a conference held Friday at the Trincomalee district secretariat.
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Resettlers protest planned colonization of Tamil Village

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 December 2002, 17:01 GMT]
A group of Sinhalese led by a Buddhist priest, assisted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) are constructing a Buddhist Vihare in a traditional Tamil village Vilankulam, 11 km off west of east port town on the Trincomalee-Kandy road, the East Lanka Peoples' Development Center (ELPDC) Friday said in a memorandum sent to the Minister of Hindu Cultural Affairs Mr. T.Maheswaran, sources said.
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Fishermen demand removal of Kaluwankerni SLA camp

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 December 2002, 17:52 GMT]
The Fishermen's union of Kaluwankerni, a village located 24 km northeast of Batticaloa town, has demanded that the Sri Lankan Army encamped at the ice production factory at the village be withdrawn, in a letter to the Sri Lankan Armed Forces officers, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Jaffna high security zones to continue - SLA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 December 2002, 13:46 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday said the High Security Zones (HSZ) in Jaffna peninsula would not be removed. Major General Sarath Fonseka, Jaffna area commander, told a delegation of the Movement for Goodwill, Peace and Justice (MGPJ) at a discussion held at the Jaffna Bishop’s House Wednesday that the army has taken steps to re-open the Clock Tower Road, Power House Road in Jaffna town for the public and also will vacate Gnanams Hotel.


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Vadamaradchy observes hartal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 December 2002, 13:18 GMT]
All business activities in Nelliady, Puloly, Udupiddy, Valvettiturai and Manthikai areas in Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district Wednesday came to a standstill as hartal (general shut down) was observed in protest against the Police attack on civilians who picketed the office of the para military Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) Tuesday afternoon, sources said. Picketing was held against the presence of EPDP cadres in Nedunthivu island others areas in the peninsula.
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