Large peace demo in Mannar town

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2003, 09:40 GMT]
More than 3000 people demonstrated in support of peace in Mannar Saturday, demanding full implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers. At the conclusion of the meeting, a memorandum was submitted to the additional government agent of Mannar. The memorandum states, among other things, that the Tamils and the LTTE have bitter experiences of being “deceived and hoodwinked in many previous peace talks” and that “in the circumstances it is not unreasonable on their part to adopt a policy of caution."
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MP denies embezzling legal aid, wants museum in Jaffna Fort

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 May 2003, 11:40 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) take steps to transform the Jaffna fort into a museum, said northern Parliamentarian Mr. M. K Sivajilingam, speaking to the press Friday. He said the TNA will strongly oppose any move by the SLA to build a camp in the Jaffna fort. Mr. Sivajilingam denied reports that he had misused assistance sent by well wishers in England to needy families of Tamil political prisoners in Sri Lanka’s Kalutara prison. Controversy surrounds allegations in the Tamil press that lawyers had embezzled monies collected and sent from UK for the welfare of Kalutara prisoners.
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'Hinduism Sri Lanka’s oldest religion' – Ranil

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 May 2003, 08:24 GMT]
Inaugurating the Second World Hindu Conference in Colombo Friday, Prime Minister (PM) Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe said that Hinduism is the oldest religion practiced in Sri Lanka and that it played a great role developing the island’s culture. Hundreds of Hindu and other religious scholars and clergy gathered under the aegis of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Hindu Affairs for a five day conference on Hinduism.
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Security tightened for May Day in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 April 2003, 01:13 GMT]
More than five thousand Police personnel will be deployed to maintain law and order in Colombo when several political parties hold May Day rallies, processions in Colombo on May 1st Thursday, Deputy Inspector General of Police Mr.Bodhi Liyanage said Tuesday.


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Opposition parties should not disrupt peace process - LSSP

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 April 2003, 16:06 GMT]
The opposition parties in Sri Lanka should not derail or be hostile to the peace process for their own political gain, said the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) in a statement to the public on Monday.
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Sri Lanka's joint opposition wants India as sea monitor

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 April 2003, 18:01 GMT]
Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka's former foreign Minister and advisor to President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, presiding over a press conference held Friday said that India and two other countries should be included as Naval monitors under the present ceasefire agreement. The joint opposition leaders also warned that the United States and United Kingdom are conspiring to destabilize India, political sources in Colombo said.


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JVP demands debate on SLMM, Muttur violence

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2003, 19:04 GMT]
The Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) demanded in a letter to the Speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament that a special meeting of the parliament to discuss the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission’s 'Initial discussion paper' of April 03 to the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) on recognizing Sea Tigers as a de facto naval unit, and the recent incidents of violence in Muttur, Mr. Wimal Weerawansa, the parliamentary group leader of the JVP and its propaganda secretary, said at a press conference held Tuesday at the Nippon hotel in downtown Colombo.
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Mosques step in to keep peace in Batti-Amparai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 April 2003, 12:50 GMT]
Mosque trustee board officials Sunday foiled attempts to spread unrest in several Muslim towns in the Batticaloa and Amparai districts. Anonymous Islamic groups issued inflammatory leaflets Saturday in the two districts urging Muslims to protest against recent incidents in Mutur. “It caused concern that attempts were afoot to instigate violence in these parts too”, a Mosque official said.
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EPDP cadre shot dead in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 April 2003, 08:49 GMT]
An unidentified gunman shot dead a prominent member of the EPDP in Akkaraipattu, 64 kilometres south of Batticaloa, Friday around 11.45 a.m. Sri Lankan Police sources in the southeastern coastal town said. The EPDP cadre, Mr. Marimuthtu Rajalingam, 42, was the chairman of the Aalaiyadivembu Pradheshiya Sabha.
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TELO holds annual conference

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 April 2003, 12:00 GMT]
Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), held its 3-day sixth annual national conference in its Mannar office starting from Saturday, sources said.


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Sri Lanka peace talks a travelling circus says President

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2003, 00:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga said Tuesday that the peace talks between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government and the Liberation Tigers are like a travelling circus (Thaninthana natana circus kandayama). She was addressing a function at the President’s House Tuesday evening to honour and assist disabled soldiers and the families of the war dead and missing of the Sri Lankan armed forces.


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'Tamil voters' fundamental rights violated' -- Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 March 2003, 20:15 GMT]
The Supreme Court Tuesday held that the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and the Commissioner of Elections had violated the fundamental rights of the voters in the LTTE held areas of the North-East province by preventing them from casting their votes at the last general elections held in December 2001, legal sources said.
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Japan deepens Sri Lanka peace role

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 March 2003, 11:55 GMT]
Along with hosting the sixth round of direct talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government, Japan this week signaled its determination to play a leading role in bringing peace to the strife-torn island when one of its top diplomats joined Norwegian officials at the negotiating table. Japan’s deepening involvement in the peace process was this week welcomed by the Liberation Tigers.
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Chandrika Kumaratunge meets Muslim delegation

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 11:28 GMT]
The President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge held a two-hour discussion Thursday afternoon at presidential Secretariat with a delegation of Muslim parliamentarians on representation to Muslims in the peace talks now in progress between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The talks were conducted in a cordial atmosphere, Muslim sources said.
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Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister holds talks with LTTE leaders

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 03:13 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen met with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political head, S.P. Thamilchelvan, and Anton Balasingham, LTTE theoretician and leader of LTTE peace delegation, Thursday afternoon at Killinochchi, sources said.


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Norway's Deputy FM holds talks with LTTE leaders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 March 2003, 12:10 GMT]
Talks between the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen and the leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam began Thursday afternoon at Killinochchi, sources said.


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Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister visits Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 March 2003, 09:06 GMT]
The Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgesen, is visiting Sri Lanka today to hold meetings with the Presidient, Prime Minister and the LTTE leadership. Mr. Vidar Helgesen will after his visit to Sri Lanka travel to Japan to take part in the next session of Peace Talks in Hakone 18-21 March.
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Japanese IDI team to assess urgent needs of the North-East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 February 2003, 16:26 GMT]
A nine-member delegation of the Infrastructure Development Institute (IDI) of Japan will visit Sri Lanka on a fact-finding mission to assess the conditions of roads, water supply and sanitation, and flood control in the North-East province from February 28 to March 6. The delegation will comprise Messrs. M.Yabe, T.Matsunaga, H.Sadamura, K.Hasegawa, T.Sakai, Yamana, R.Lizuka, I.I.Seto and A.Morikawa, sources said.
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Protesters in Jaffna burn effigies, condemn Manipay attack

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 February 2003, 17:24 GMT]
Protest demonstrations were held Friday condemning the attack on LTTE women cadres, members of public and journalists at Manipay by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA), aided by members of the paramilitary Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP). Effigies of President Chandrika Kumaratunge and the Jaffna area commander of the SLA, Major General Sarath Fonseka, were taken in processions and burnt down in Jaffna town, Udupiddy junction, Malisanthai junction and Methaikadai junction, sources said.
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Japanese special peace envoy meets Buddhist prelates

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 February 2003, 06:50 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy Mr. Yasusi Akashi arrived Colombo Wednesday early morning on a four-day visit. He immediately rushed to Kandy, capital of the central province and held vital discussions with the Mahanayake Theras of Malwatte Chapter Venerable Vipassi and Venerable Palipane Buddharakita Thera, sources said.
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