Tamil journalists still face danger - RSF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 19:02 GMT]
The Reporters Sans Frontiers, the French media watchdog, said in its annual report on press freedom released Wednesday that working conditions for Tamil journalists remain very dangerous in Sri Lanka, especially when they report on human rights violations. "They are easily accused of supporting the Tamil Tigers guerrilla movement. The 1998 Emergency Law allows security forces to arrest anyone suspected of maintaining relations with this banned separatist organisation. But how can anyone work in the north and east of the country without having contacts with the Tamil Tigers, who are everywhere?" the RSF report said.
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Tigers object to COMNORTH declaration

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 April 2002, 05:45 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have objected to the Northern Navy Commander declaring the islands off the Jaffna peninsula as military zones. The LTTE has sent its objection in writing to the Sri Lanka Peace Monitoring Mission's (SLMM) office in Kilinochchi, sources in the Vanni said Tuesday.
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Tigers open political office in VVT

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 April 2002, 18:40 GMT]
"The interim administration is a necessary condition for restoring normal life in our homeland that has been destroyed by more than eighteen years of war waged on us by the Sri Lankan state. Therefore it is also an absolutely necessary condition for sustaining our people's faith in this peace process, said Mr. M. K Sivajilingam, Tamil National Alliance MP for Jaffna, addressing the function at the opening of the political office of the Liberation Tigers for the Vadamaradchi division of the northern peninsula Monday morning.
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Soldiers-Tamil youths clash in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 April 2002, 21:22 GMT]
A clash between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and Tamil youths in Trincomalee town Sunday evening left three soldiers and a police constable in hospital and four youths under arrest. One of the arrested Tamil youths was later admitted to Trincomalee base hospital, with injuries sustained after a severe assault whilst in police custody according to sources.
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SLA re-imposes fishing restriction in Manalkadu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 April 2002, 11:33 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army Sunday barred fifty fishermen of Manalkaadu, on the southeastern coast of Jaffna, from setting out to sea for fishing in the early hours of the morning. The fishermen's national identity cards were sized by the military. They were then taken to the SLA camp at Kudathanai.
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SLMC condemns Ashraff over ‘collaboration’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 April 2002, 02:19 GMT]
A section of Sri Lanka’s largest Muslim party Friday condemned the leader of a breakaway faction for siding with Sinhala chauvinists by speaking at an anti-peace rally organised to condemn the indefinite ceasefire between the government and the Liberation Tigers, press reports said. The Eravur sections of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) criticised Mrs Farial Ashraff, the widow of its former leader, for siding with Sinhala chauvinists and addressing the event in Colombo in her capacity as leader of the National United Alliance.
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Navy commander declares islands ‘military zones’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 April 2002, 02:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy is defending its denial of access to the Liberation Tigers’ political cadres from the islets around the Jaffna peninsula, press reports said Saturday. In a letter to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), a senior SLN commander declared the islets, which are home to many Tamil civilians, as military zones and hence off limits to the LTTE’s political cadres, the Virakesari newspaper reported.
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Sinhala nationalists plan more protests

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 April 2002, 14:21 GMT]
(News Feature) Efforts by Sinhala nationalists to mobilise public opposition to the Norwegian peace initiative are continuing with three opposition parties planning a joint protest campaign against Oslo's efforts and the division of the country, press reports said Thursday.
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Jaffna SLMM discusses complaints over military action

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 April 2002, 13:26 GMT]
The head of the international peace-monitoring mission promised Wednesday to bring the tension prevailing in the islets around Jaffna to the attention of the Sri Lankan government, press reports in the northern peninsula said Thursday. Norwegian General (Retd) Trond Fuhrhovde made his comments at a meeting of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials in Jaffna, the Uthayan reported.
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War not over until normalcy returns - JCC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 April 2002, 19:03 GMT]
In the view of the people on the peninsula, the war is not over, the Jaffna Chamber of Commerce (JCC) told a group of Colombo businessmen Tuesday. The JCC stressed that until life returned to normal for Jaffna civilians, entrepreneurs from other parts of the island should not rush to exploit the lack of facilities on the peninsula.
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Monks protest against peace deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 April 2002, 19:29 GMT]
Hundreds of Buddhist monks protested against peace talks between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's government and the Liberation Tigers in downtown Colombo Monday. "The interim administration is a ploy to hand over the northeast to the Tigers. The United National Front government is betraying the Sinhalese", said a spokes person for the protesting monks.
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Nainativu residents protest military restrictions

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 April 2002, 22:57 GMT]
Residents of Nainativu, an islet in the Jaffna peninsula, are struggling without a bus service as the Sri Lanka Navy has banned any vehicle movement along the main road where the Naga Vihare Buddhist temple is situated. A bus delivered to Nainativu has been parked unused for over a month due to this ban, residents said.
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Troops bar MPs from village

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 April 2002, 22:55 GMT]
Two Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians, Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan and Mr.M.K.Sivajilingam were refused permission by the Sri Lanka Army Thursday evening to enter Kudathanai village in Vadamarachchi East area in Jaffna district.
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Occupation of schools and temples violates cease-fire agreement -TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 April 2002, 22:37 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday brought to the notice of the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgessen, that the Sri Lanka Army has not vacated temples and schools they occupy in the eastern province and has not completely removed ban on transport of items allowed to LTTE held areas in the eastern province as stipulated in the cease-fire agreement signed between the United National Front Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on February 23.
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Muslims hail SLMC-LTTE agreement

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 April 2002, 22:31 GMT]
(News Feature) Sri Lanka’s Muslim community this week welcomed the landmark agreement signed between the largest Muslim party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Liberation Tigers. Mr Vellupillai Pirapaharan, leader of the LTTE, met with Mr Rauf Hakeem, leader of the SLMC last weekend and the two leaders agreed to cooperate closely on affairs related to Sri Lanka's Muslim community.
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Koneswaram boat festival held after twenty years

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 April 2002, 14:20 GMT]
After a period of twenty years, the annual festival of historic Trincomalee Koneswaram Temple concluded Tuesday night with a 'Theppathiruvilzah' (boat festival). The ceremonies were witnessed by more than twenty thousand devotees from all over the eastern district. The 'Theppathiruvilzah' has not been held since the anti-Tamil riots in Colombo and other parts of the island in 1983 July.
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SLA urged to reopen Nagarkovil main road

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 April 2002, 19:13 GMT]
The Divisional Secretary (DS) of Point Pedro and education officials in the Vadamaradchi area in Jaffna district have appealed to the Sri Lanka Army to reopen the main road from Point Pedro through Nagar Kovil to Aliyawallai to enable smooth functioning of schools and to allow free movement of resettled families.
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Thenmaradchi residents demand SLA vacate their houses

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 April 2002, 22:03 GMT]
Hundreds of residents of Thenmaradchi area in Jaffna district demonstrated Monday morning, demanding the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to vacate all houses they use as camps and checkpoints in the area. Several people who returned to their own villages to resettle following the cease-fire have found their houses are still being occupied by the SLA.
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A-9 barred for PTA suspects' transport

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 April 2002, 22:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army and the Police have refused permission for the Prison officials to transport suspects who are detained under the Prevention of terrorism Act (PTA) to Vavuniya High Court through A-9 highway from Jaffna.
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Large crowd at Koneswaram temple water-cutting festival

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 April 2002, 14:13 GMT]
The water-cutting ('Theertha Thiruvilah') festival of the historic Koneswaram Temple in the eastern port town of Trincomalee was held Sunday - the Tamil new year day- at the holy well 'Papanasachunai' (spring of evil destruction) which is in the custody of the Sri Lanka Army's Gajaba Regiment stationed in the Fort Frederick. The Sri Lanka Army, however, allowed devotees to use the holy well Sunday.
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