Police attack injures fifteen anti-EPDP picketers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 December 2002, 11:56 GMT]
At least fifteen civilians were injured Tuesday afternoon in Nelliady, 30km northeast of Jaffna, when Police used tear gas and opened fire with rubber bullets on the picketers in front of the local office of Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP). In a subsequent grenade attack eight persons, were seriously wounded including journalist Mr.V.Thavachelvan. All have been warded in the Point Pedro base hospital, medical sources said.


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EPDP, PLOTE, EPRLF meet SLA officers in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 December 2002, 20:38 GMT]
The paramilitary EPDP, PLOTE and EPRLF(V) groups met with officers of the Sri Lanka armed forces at the headquarters of the 23-3 brigade of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Batticaloa today to discuss their own security, sources said.
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SLAF occupation adds to Muthalikulam farmers' woes

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 December 2002, 16:43 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) occupies twelve buildings of the Irrigation Department located at Pankulam and Muthalikulam, 24 km west of Trincomalee town blocking the Engineers from providing water to resettled farmers engaged in paddy cultivation causing severe hardship, rehabilitation agency sources said.
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Nedunthivu mother of four sexually assaulted

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 December 2002, 17:23 GMT]
A Tamil young mother of four children is alleged to have been sexually assaulted by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel at Nedunthivu (Delft island) in the Jaffna district Saturday afternoon around 3 p.m.while she was praying in a church, according to a complaint lodged at the Police Station in the islet, sources in the island said.


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Jeevan memorial unveiled in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 December 2002, 15:10 GMT]
Memorial for Lt.Colonel Jeevan and seven LTTE cadres who died in a confrontation with Sri Lanka Army (SLA) last year was ceremoniously opened in Illuppadichenai juntion today at 10.30 am on the day of the first anniversary of their death, sources in Batticaloa said.
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People of Vaakarai demand basic telephone facilities

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 December 2002, 16:25 GMT]
Government employees and residents of Vaakarai, located 64 km north of Batticaloa, have demanded that the SL Telecom should provide basic telephone facilities to the area.
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LTTE, GOSL reach exploratory agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 December 2002, 12:04 GMT]
The government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam reached an exploratory agreement Thursday to “explore a solution to end the island’s conflict founded on the principle of internal self determination in areas of historical habitation of the Tamil speaking peoples, based on a federal structure within a united Sri Lanka”. “Sri Lanka needs a new constitution that would radically transform its polity," said Chief negotiator of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Anton Balasingham, addressing a joint press conference Thursday morning at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Oslo.
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Picketing in Nedunthivu enters nineteenth day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 December 2002, 16:26 GMT]
The picketing campaign by the villagers against the presence of para military members of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) in Nedunthivu (Delft Island) in Jaffna entered nineteenth day Wednesday. The protesters demand immediate withdrawal of armed EPDP members from their village, sources said.
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LTTE police stations 'not a new phenomena' - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 December 2002, 15:26 GMT]
The LTTE's Police and law and order systems would not extend into areas controlled by the Sri Lankan government while continuing to maintain law and order in Tiger-controlled areas, Mr. Anton Balasingham, the movement's Chief Negotiator and political advisor told reporters in Oslo Tuesday. He was speaking at a press conference held during lunch on the second day of the third round of peace talks between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government.
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Former Intelligence Operative shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 December 2002, 03:41 GMT]
M. Abdul Azeez, 25, who had previously worked closely with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) intelligence division, was shot dead and another youth Meerasahib Mohammed Buhari (20) seriously injured by unknown group of gunmen in the Muslim village of Kavathamunai 34km north west of Batticaloa district at 10.30 pm Monday, said sources in Batticaloa.


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Road blocks remain in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 December 2002, 21:32 GMT]
Speed barriers and road blocks in Batticaloa district roads are still obstructing traffic in many roads in Batticaloa causing severe hardship to residents in several areas of Batticaloa, sources in the east said. Assurance given by the Sri Lanka military chiefs during the meeting of the Sub-Committee on De-escalation and Normalization held in Vavunathivi 20 October that efforts will be taken to remove these barriers still remains to be fulfilled, sources said.
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Devanesan Nesiah appointed to inquire Jaffna disappearances

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 November 2002, 15:20 GMT]
The Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka Saturday appointed a one-man committee, Mr.Devanesan Nesiah, a retired civil servant and the government agent of Jaffna, to probe into complaints of disappearances of persons arrested by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) during 1996-1997 military operations in Jaffna district. A leading human rights activist Mr.M.C.M.Iqbal will function as the Committee's secretary, sources said.
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Children in Armed Conflict and the United Nations

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 November 2002, 03:21 GMT]
It is estimated that 300,000 children are currently participating in fighting in more than 35 countries. 25 million are uprooted from their homes, while millions more have their lives severely affected by the deprivations of war. Dealing with 'impact of war on children' is high on United Nation's agenda, with an annual Security Council debate, several resolutions addressing the problem and an office of the Secretary General devoted to the topic. Sri Lanka does not figure prominently in the deliberations of the UN, but the outcome of UN decisions has been felt in Sri Lanka.
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Minister, journalists meet Nedunthivu residents

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 November 2002, 07:43 GMT]
Hundreds of residents of Nedunthivu (Delft island) in Jaffna district fasting for the thirteenth day against the presence of para military Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) told a group of visiting journalists Thursday that they would continue their campaign until the EPDP cadres left their village.
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LTTE leader calls for autonomy and self-government for Tamil homeland

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 November 2002, 12:17 GMT]
In a radical move to clarify the policy orientation of his organisation, Mr Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) declared that he would favourably consider a political framework that offers substantial regional autonomy and self-government to the Tamil people on the basis of their right to internal self-determination. The text of Mr. Pirapaharan’s annual Heroes’ Day address was released to the media in an official statement.
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CID submits confidential report on Chemmani mass graves

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 November 2002, 10:43 GMT]
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted its confidential report on the Chemmani mass graves' exhumation to the Colombo Chief Magistrate Tuesday afternoon, legal sources said. Further inquiry in regard to the Chemmani mass grave continues, CID officials told the Chief Magistrate.
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SLA dismantles Maveerar Naal decorations in Point Pedro

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 November 2002, 16:23 GMT]
Students of Hartley College, Point Pedro, in the Jaffna district Tuesday boycotted classes in protest of the removal by the Sri Lankan Army of cutouts and other decorations made in celebration of the Maveerar Naal (Heros' Day).
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Countries in Oslo Meet declare support to Sri Lanka peace

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 November 2002, 13:13 GMT]
"The Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have already taken resolute steps towards peace. They face many challenges in seeking a lasting political settlement, acceptable to all communities living in the island. We therefore pledge to support their efforts with financial assistance to the people of Sri Lanka and continued encouragement to the parties in their search for a lasting peace through a negotiated final resolution of the conflict," said a communique issued by the countries in Asia-Pacific region, North America and Europe which met in Oslo 25, November.


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Batticaloa Chapel Road opens after 12 years

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 November 2002, 05:31 GMT]
Chapel Road in Batticaloa district which was closed for traffic last twelve years was opened yesterday morning by soldiers from the SriLanka Army (SLA), sources said.
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'We are sincerely and firmly committed to peace' - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 November 2002, 18:26 GMT]
"We urge the international governments to offer substantial financial assistance for the resettlement and rehabilitation of the war affected people in the northeast..On our part, we can assure the international community that our organisation is sincerely and firmly committed to peace and negotiated political settlement..we will not resort to war or violence. We fervently hope that the Sri Lankan armed forces will also abide by that commitment," said Mr. Anton Balasingham, the advisor and theoretician to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in his address to the Oslo aid conference 25 November.
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