Negotiators to study ethnic conflict resolution models

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 22:07 GMT]
(News Feature) In a major step forward in the Norwegian peace process, both the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers said Sunday they are to begin exploring longer term solutions to the island's protracted ethnic conflict. In another surprise announcement at the press conference Sunday which concluded the second round of direct talks between the two sides, the chief negotiators of both sides said they would be examining ethnic conflict resolution efforts from around the world.
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Top rights official to join peace process

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 22:06 GMT]
(News Feature) As the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers begin to explore models for a political solution to the island's protracted ethnic conflict, calls for human rights to be given greater prominence in the deliberations look set to receive a fillip with the participation of a senior international human rights official. Responding to reporters' questions, the chief negotiators of both sides announced Sunday that Mr. Ian Martin, who has considerable experience of human rights work in Rwanda, East Timor, Bosnia and Eritrea would join the talks in future.
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Mylanthanai massacre accused make statements from dock

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 18:20 GMT]
All eighteen accused soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Tuesday made statements from the dock in the Colombo High Court (HC) in the Mylanthanai massacre case denying their involvement in the crime. The case is being heard daly from 2nd October before a Sinhala speaking Jury at the request of the accused, who are also Sinhalese.
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Proper burial rites requested for bodies left in bunker

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 18:19 GMT]
A bizarre application was made by a son Tuesday before the Chavakachcheri Magistrate seeking permission to exhume the bodies of his dead father and mother which have been left inside the bunker in his house at Nunavil two years ago before he left the area at the height of large military operation launched by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
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Police arrests student in Point Pedro

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 16:28 GMT]
The Point Pedro Police Sunday arrested a Tamil student for causing damage to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) property in the high security zone on 2 September during an agitation by residents and students demanding the removal of SLA camps and sentries located in the vicinity of Hartley College and Methodist Girls High School.
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Japanese special envoy’s visit highlights interest

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 November 2002, 17:42 GMT]
‘Tamils and Muslims have lived peacefully for long in the east. Misunderstandings arose between the two communities after the Tamils started the armed struggle for the rights. But we now believe that these can be resolved through dialogue,' a delegation of Muslim religious and civil society leaders in Batticaloa told Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Japan's special envoy for peace building and rehabilitation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka, who visited the eastern district Monday.
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Assessing progress of Chemmani investigations

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 18:42 GMT]
Amnesty International said in 1997 that as many as 600 people who "disappeared" in the Jaffna peninsula after the Sri Lankan Army moved into the area in 1996, "died under torture or been deliberately killed." A soldier involved in the crimes alleged that Chemmani was where bodies of those disappeared were clandestinely buried. However, the Chemmani mass grave investigation has become a victim of the judicial limbo common in Sri Lanka when powerful interests are implicated. Ethnic politics and the fallout of an active war have also contributed to the lack of forward movement in the case.
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Colombo’s CFA obligations list remains long

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 15:04 GMT]
The Sri Lankan military occupies 216 temples and churches and at least 45 schools in Jaffna. In scores of other schools and places of worship in the northern peninsula the Sri Lankan armed forces have vacated only buildings but are camped in or around the same locations. The Sri Lankan government agreed to pull out its armed forces from schools and places of worship in the island’s Northeastern province when it signed a ceasefire agreement (CFA) with the Liberation Tigers in February 2002.
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Thenmaradchi displaced sit-in-protest continues

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 02:17 GMT]
Hundreds of displaced people Friday continued their sit-in-protest for the second day in front of the Chavakachcheri Divisional Secretariat demanding the immediate removal of the Sri Lanka Army located in more than fifty houses in Meesalai and Manthuvil in Thenmaradchchi area, sources said. The protest launched by the consortium of welfare organization forced closure of DS office on Friday.
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Protest against rape, murder of Tamil woman

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 01:12 GMT]
Hundreds of people Friday held a protest march in Vavuniya town demanding immediate inquiry into the mysterious killing of Lucia Aurampillai, 42, after sexual assault by unidentified persons. The protest march commenced Friday morning from Sivan temple at Kovilkulam and arrived at the Vavuniya district secretariat. Women organizations, non-governmental institutions and the people of the area organized the protest campaign.
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Protesters demand removal of SLA camps

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 October 2002, 16:32 GMT]
Hundreds of displaced Tamil civilians Thursday morning around 7.30 launched a sit-in-protest in front of the Chavakacheri Divisional Secretary (DS) office, demanding the immediate removal of the Sri Lanka Army camp located between Puttur junction and Kanaganpuliyadi junction in Thenmaradchi area in Jaffna district.
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SLN, SLA reject requests to fish, resettle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 October 2002, 17:41 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army and Navy Tuesday refused to open the main road along the peninsula’s southeastern coast, refused to allow free access to the lagoon within the limits of the Jaffna town and rejected a request by an MP to relocate defence positions at the Tellipalai Junction to facilitate refugee resettlement.
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Left PA government because Kumaratunga was bent on war - Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 17:10 GMT]
“Prof. G.L Pieris, Mr. S. B Dissanayaka and I left People’s Alliance government last year because President Chandrika Kumaratunga was bent on war and detested peace. We could have been ministers in the PA government until 2005. But had we remained in the PA regime for the full term of the Parliament elected in 2000, war would have continued in this country. It is in this context that we left the PA and helped form a new government. The war came to an end because of this government,” said Sri Lanka’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mr. Mahinda Wijesekera.
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SLA requested to vacate Hospital, Cultural Center

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 15:31 GMT]
The Head of Vavuniya branch political section of Liberation Tigers (LTTE),C. Elilan, andthe District Secretary of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Moorthy, have requested the Head of Security forces that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police vacate the Cultural Center in Vavuniya settlement and the Neriyakulam-Mankulum hospital for use of these facilities by the area residents.


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'Second round peace talks on firm foundation'- Peiris

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 October 2002, 14:33 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government Friday said a firm foundation has been laid for the second round of peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. A Sri Lanka Army Major General will be among the three advisors to the government delegation for the talks scheduled to commence on October 31 at Thailand.
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Karuna, Thamilselvan in LTTE team for Thailand - paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 October 2002, 01:41 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have finalised their negotiating team for the second round of direct talks between the movement and the Sri Lankan government scheduled to be held in Thailand next week, the Tamil Guardian newspaper reported this week.
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State power said necessary for uplifting Tamil

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 17:20 GMT]
"Tamil language and culture can never prosper as long as Tamils do not have state power. The Tamil language is demeaned by Tamils themselves in Tamilnadu. One cannot even engage in peaceful protest for Tamil rights in Tamilnadu. Tamilians and the Tamil language cannot survive until the Hindutva ideology is extirpated from Tamil society," said Mr. R. Thirumavalavan, member of the Tamilnadu legislative assembly, addressing a meeting in the University of Jaffna Wednesday.
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Norway, LTTE discuss talks agenda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 09:40 GMT]
The Norwegian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen met with the leadership of the Liberation Tigers Wednesday and held two and a half hours of discussions on "crucial issues pertaining to the formation of the joint task force" for economic development and reconstruction of the northeast, sources in Vanni said. Issues underlying the high security zones (HSZ) and the security situation in the northeast were also discussed, they said.
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All island karate contest-2002 concludes in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 October 2002, 19:27 GMT]
The all island martial arts -karate tournament-2002 was held Saturday and Sunday at St Joseph’s College auditorium in Trincomalee, organised by the district branch of the Sri Lanka Martial Arts-Do-Association and sponsored by the UNICEF.
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Arts, literature conference opens in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 October 2002, 14:30 GMT]
“The Tamil language is now in the process of renewing itself for the 21st century. What we need today is Tamil for the Internet age. We need rational Tamil, not emotive Tamil,” said Mr. Nilanthan, a well known writer and poet from the Vanni in a special speech on the opening of the four day conference organized by the Arts and Culture Division of the Liberation Tigers in Jaffna Saturday. Hundreds of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim writers, poets, artists and journalists from all parts of the island and from south India are taking part in the event.
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