Civilians complain STF harassment

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 May 2002, 01:14 GMT]
Civilians in the eastern province are complaining of increased harassment by the elite Special Task Force (STF), Tamil press reports said this week. Protests have been lodged with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) over the incidents, the reports said.
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Truce poses threat to country, President tells Maha Sangha

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 May 2002, 10:55 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunga this week swore to Sri Lanka's powerful Buddhist clergy that she would protect the country’s unity and territorial integrity. In a letter responding to the Maha Sangha's concerns about matters related to the Norwegian peace initiative, Kumaratunga said terms of the indefinite ceasefire signed in February posed a threat to Sri Lanka’s security. She also accused the Sri Lankan government of conspiring to suppress opposition to the peace process.
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SLMM rules Sea Tiger convoy did not breach truce

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 May 2002, 17:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has informed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leadership that it does not consider the sailing of a Sea Tiger convoy which was intercepted and challenged by Sri Lankan navy gunboats near Trincomalee seas Wednesday last week as a breach of the indefinite ceasefire agreement.
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"Settlement sans traditional homeland concept" - PM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 20:04 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe said that a system of devolution of power must be found at the negotiating table without dividing the country and without accepting the concept of a traditional Tamil homeland. He was addressing the first May Day rally of the United National Front (UNF) government held Wednesday at Colombo Municipal Council grounds.
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Thousands at May Day rallies in Northeastern province

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 19:05 GMT]
More than ten thousand people took part in the May Day rally in Kumarapuram in southern Trincomalee Wednesday afternoon. Thousands also gathered for May Day rallies in Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaithivu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna. Mr. Karikalan hoisted the flag of the Liberation Tigers at the rally of more than fifteen thousand in Palugamam, 30 kilometres southwest of Batticaloa.
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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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UNP captures power in central province

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 April 2002, 19:10 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunga's People's Alliance Monday agreed to hand over the administration of the Central Provincial Council (CPC) to the United National Party which defeated the PA's budget in the council and demanded control of the CPC.
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PM meets prelates

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 April 2002, 16:02 GMT]
The Prime Minister Saturday told the prelates of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters in Kandy that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cannot open political offices outside the North-east province. "It will be a violation of the cease-fire agreement signed by the government and the LTTE if the latter decided to open its offices in other parts of the country," Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe said in reply to Mahanayake Theras when they questioned him about the news reports that LTTE is to open its office in Wellawatte, Colombo on Monday.
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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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Norwegians discuss LTTE ban with Kumaratunga

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 April 2002, 23:43 GMT]
(News Feature) The Norwegian peace delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgessen, Friday met Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga and discussed at length matters related to Oslo's peace initiative, including the ban on the Liberation Tigers. President Kumaratunga, an opponent of lifting the proscription of the LTTE appeared to soften her stance earlier this week, but insisted on a time frame for talks in exchange, which the Tigers have in the past refused to accept.
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Kumaratunga softens opposition to lifting ban

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 April 2002, 14:26 GMT]
Bowing to international pressure not to impede the Norwegian peace initiative in Sri Lanka, President Chandrika Kumaratunga Wednesday tempered her long-standing opposition to the de-proscription of the Liberation Tigers, saying careful consideration should be given to it.
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"LTTE-TNA decide to work united"-Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 April 2002, 18:47 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) have accepted the need to work unitedly,"said Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the TNA parliamentary group Saturday evening in a statement on his return to Colombo from Vanni. Mr.Sampanthan told Tamilnet that the three and a half hour meeting with the LTTE leader was a historic event.
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Best hope for permanent peace ever -Ranil

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 April 2002, 18:19 GMT]
The chances for peace are better than ever, said Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Friday. "The hope for permanent peace has been built which is not witnessed before in this country," said the Prime Minister, addressing a conference at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall designed to educate the newly elected heads of local government institutions in the south.
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Pirapaharan commits to peace, self determination

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 April 2002, 09:30 GMT]
(News Feature) It was reportedly the largest media event ever held in the island. The scale of the international and local media interest reflected the impact Mr. Vellupillai Pirapaharan has on Sri Lanka’s politics. His first press conference in over a decade - announced just a week in advance - drew almost six hundred reporters, photographers and cameramen from around the world to the war devastated town of Kilinochchi.
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Tumultuous welcome in Jaffna for Tigers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 April 2002, 11:58 GMT]
(News Feature) Residents in Jaffna gave the Liberation Tigers who entered the northern town Monday a tumultuous welcome, press reports in the northern peninsula said Tuesday. Over fifty thousand people thronged the Sri Lanka Army held northern side of the Muhamalai crossing point to meet the fifteen cadres from the LTTE’s political section, the Uthayan reported. Violence broke out as troops blocked the crowds from reaching the crossing point, the paper, Jaffna’s largest circulating daily said in a front page report Tuesday.
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President's security chief arrested

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 April 2002, 10:41 GMT]
President's security division chief Mr.Nihal Karunaratne was arrested Tuesday evening at Colombo's leading private hospital, Navaloka by a team of criminal investigation department officials (CID) amidst tight security. Mr.Karunaratne is to be produced in Kandy magistrate's court Wednesday, CID sources said.
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CPJ criticizes tardy investigation of journalist's murder

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 March 2002, 22:36 GMT]
The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report on 'Attacks on the Press 2001' released Tuesday that Sri Lanka Police ignored evidence suggesting that militias backed by a pro-government party may have murdered Nimalarajan in retaliation for his reporting on vote rigging and intimidation during the 2000 parliamentary elections in Jaffna.
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Paramilitaries handover weapons partly

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 March 2002, 20:50 GMT]
Tamil paramilitary groups operating with the Sri Lanka army began handing over a section of the weapons in their possession from Sunday in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa. The EPDP, a close ally of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, turned in the largest number of weapons to the SLA on Sunday, including mortars and Rocket Propelled Grenades. Addressing the function to mark the handing over of weapons by the EPDP Sunday, Sri Lanka's Security Forces Commander for Jaffna said that the group had rendered yeoman service to the army to fight the war in the north.
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Kumaratunga rails at UNF government

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 March 2002, 08:13 GMT]
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's efforts to promote amicable cohabitation between his United National Front (UNF) dominated Parliament and President Chandrika Kumaratunga of the main opposition People's Alliance (PA) suffered a setback this week when the latter launched a bitter attack on the government's conduct of the local council elections in which the UNF crushed the PA.
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PM says polls vote for peace

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 March 2002, 21:19 GMT]
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Thursday said that the majority of the people in the south have accepted the government's peace efforts and have given their consent to make it a success. Meanwhile the veteran trade unionist and the national organiser of the Democratic Left Front, Mr.Vasudeva Nanayakara said, "local government elections have greatly undermined the leadership of President Chandrika Kumaratunge."
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