'De-merger of NE a calamity to Sri Lanka' - TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 August 2003, 09:01 GMT]
"The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) desires to place on record that the de-merger of the northeast province which has existed for the past fifteen years by the President would be a calamity to the whole Sri Lanka, and urges the President to desist from taking this perilous course," TNA said in a press statement issued Thursday in Colombo.
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Solheim, Canadians join as LTTE's Paris meet concludes

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 August 2003, 01:47 GMT]
Eric Solheim, Norwegian special peace envoy, Lisa Gold of the Royal Norwegian Government, Hon. Bob Rae, former premier Ontario Canada and Prof. David Cameron of Canadian Forum of Federations joined the final day yesterday morning session of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam discussions in Paris, sources close to the LTTE delegation said. The LTTE's Constitutional Affairs Committee is currently meeting in Paris to prepare LTTE's response to the Government of Sri Lanka's (GOSL's) proposal for an Interim Administration for the Northeast.


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Vadamaradchy woman foils rape attempt by SLA soldier

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2003, 17:43 GMT]
Three soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were questioned by their superiors Wednesday on a complaint that one soldier had molested a tamil woman who is a mother of two Tuesday night when she was alone while her husband was away. This incident took place Tuesday night at Inbaruty, a fishing hamlet in Vadamarachchi north in Jaffna district, police said.
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PM, parliamentarians discuss police recruitment issue

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2003, 17:03 GMT]
Several decisions to strengthen the goodwill and security of Tamil and Muslim communities in the eastern province were taken at a conference called by the Prime Minister (PM) Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Wednesday evening which was attended by parliamentarians of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) , Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and National Unity Alliance (NUA), a press release issued by the PM ‘s media unit said.


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SLA says students cannot attend Pongu Thamil in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2003, 14:21 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army has ordered that the students in Vavuniya schools should not be allowed to attend the Pongu Thamil (‘Tamil Upsurge’) event to be held on September 15 in the district as the SLA sees the event as a political event organized by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Hartal in Amparai town

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2003, 13:32 GMT]
General shutdown was observed in Amparai today and an organization called 'Committee to Safeguard East' led a protest march through Amparai town, sources in the eastern province said. Several hundred Muslims and Sinhalese participated in the march that started at Brown Road junction and proceeded to the clock tower, the sources added.
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German officials meet LTTE leaders in the East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 August 2003, 19:16 GMT]
Officials of the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in Sri Lanka met with the leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the East at the ‘Thenaham’ Guest House in Karadiyanaru, in the LTTE-controlled area of Batticaloa district, Tuesday morning, LTTE sources said.
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SLMM head to visit Batticaloa Thursday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 August 2003, 17:19 GMT]
The Norwegian head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (retd) Major General Triggve Teleffsen is scheduled to visit Batticaloa Thursday to hold discussion with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) military and political leaders, SLMM sources said.
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Bhikku Front holds national convention in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 August 2003, 16:40 GMT]
The second national convention of the the National Bhikku Front (NBF) was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo today. The NBF is opposed to the establishment of an Interim Adminstration (IA) for the northeast province and had threatened to campaign in Colombo and 50 other cities in the South through the nearly 1500 Buddhist Vihares in the island.
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SLMM head meets LTTE, SLA officials in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 August 2003, 19:10 GMT]
The Norwegian head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Major General (Retd.) Triggve Tellefsen, Monday held discussions with leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the Trincomalee district, military commander Colonel Pathuman and district political head Mr.Thilak, at Sampur in the LTTE held Muttur east, south of Trincomalee town, SLMM sources said.
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Two Muslim men arrested over Sainthamaruthu abduction

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 August 2003, 18:37 GMT]
Two Muslim arms traders have been arrested and remanded in connection with the disappearance of two other Muslim youths in the south-eastern district of Ampara on August 18. The Kalmunai Magistrate, Mr.M.P.Mohideen, remanded the two suspects, Mr. Mohamed Aliyar Fowzie, a Samurdhi officer, and Mr. Mohideen Bawa Hussein, a cattle trader, till September 8, when the police produced them in court Monday.
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Lt. Col. Thileepan memorial re-opened in Nallur

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 August 2003, 17:53 GMT]
The reconstructed memorial of the late senior leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Lt.Col. Thileepan, was declared open Monday evening in Nallur, Jaffna town. The memorial was destroyed by Sri Lanka Army troops in 1996 when the SLA captured the peninsula.
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General shutdown paralyzes Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 August 2003, 11:51 GMT]
A general shutdown (hartal) Monday completely disrupted normal life in the Trincomalee district, especially in the Trincomalee town. The general shut down was called by the Trincomalee Resurgence Tamil Community (TRTC) to show its opposition to the 'opportunist' elements that are "bent on derailing the peace process," organizers said.


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JVP begins protest march against IA

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 August 2003, 11:33 GMT]
The Marxist Sinhala Nationalist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Monday morning started a four day 116 Kilometres demonstration march against handing over the Northeast Interim Administration (IA) to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The march that took off in front of Galle fort was also a protest against what the JVP said were attempts by the United National Front (UNF) government to bring foreign forces into the country, JVP sources said.
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GOSL proposal falls way short of aspirations of Tamil people - Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 August 2003, 11:10 GMT]
"This Paris conference is a victory for our liberation struggle. The GOSL proposal [for an Interim Administration for the Northeast] falls way short of the aspirations of Tamil people. This conference will define a response that reflects the just aspirations of our people," said Mr. S.P. Thamilselvan, head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, delivering the opening address at the LTTE's conference in Paris which began on the 23rd August.


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Tamil-Muslim peace committee formed in Ampara

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 August 2003, 03:51 GMT]
A Tamil-Muslim peace committee has commenced operating in the Ampara district, based in Kalumanai, on Sunday, with the goal of addressing problems and apprehensions between the two communities and preventing violence in the future, sources in Ampara said.
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‘LTTE not involved in Ampara violence’ - Alisahir Moulana

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2003, 21:46 GMT]
Mr. Alisahir Moulana, a former United National Party parliamentarian from Batticaloa and currently an advisor to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Policy Planning and Implementation, said Sunday that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are not in any way involved in the incidents of violence in the Ampara district where two Muslim youths were killed and another two Muslims have disappeared, sources said.
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2000 appear for police recruitment interviews in the east

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2003, 18:39 GMT]
More than 2000 persons appeared for the two-day interview held by the Police Department Saturday and Sunday at Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Amparai, Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu, Muttur and Pottuvil police stations to recruit 550 new personnel for serving in the eastern province, said the eastern region Deputy Inspector General of Sri Lanka Police, Mr. Neville Wijesinghe. He said that the highest number of the youths attending the interview were from the Sinhalese community, and Muslim youths the second highest.
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JVP anti-peace Foot March from Galle to Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2003, 17:52 GMT]
The four-day "Foot March " (Pada Yatra) by the Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will commence Monday from Galle, deep south of the country, Monday in protest to the present peace initiative of the United National Front (UNF) government. The protest march is organized to highlight the danger to the territorial integrety of Sri Lanka, and to safeguard the country from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the foreign imperialists, JVP sources said.


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36 Indian fishermen still held in Jaffna prison

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2003, 12:09 GMT]
Of the thirty six Indian fishermen now being detained at the Jaffna prisons on the orders of the law courts, cases have been filed only against four in the Jaffna High Court. No cases have been filed against the other thirty-two Indian fishermen, legal sources said.


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