Govt, LTTE ‘steadfastly preparing for peace’ - SLMM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 July 2002, 15:26 GMT]
(News Feature) International monitors this week hailed the ceasefire agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers and praised both sides for adhering to it. The agreement, which came into effect on February 23 (referred to as D-day in the document), has several deadlines by which specified actions to restore normalcy should be completed. The upbeat statement by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) comes as the last of the listed deadlines (D+160) looms on Friday, August 2.
Full story >>

Moragoda meets Balasingham in London

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 July 2002, 16:16 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Minister Milinda Moragoda met Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator of the Liberation Tigers at the Norwegian ambassadorial residence in London, Saturday. In a statement Saturday, the Norwegian Government hailed the meeting as a "new phase" in its peace initiative in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

Confession based convicted to be released

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 July 2002, 22:08 GMT]
Tamil political prisoners who have been indicted solely on their confessions should be released it was agreed at a top level conference held Thursday evening at Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence. It was also decided that immediate steps should be taken to dispose of all other cases within a month.
Full story >>

SLA trooper dies attacking Tigers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 July 2002, 22:07 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army soldier was killed when he crossed into the zone of separation in Jaffna and opened fire on a group of Liberation Tigers who fired back, international ceasefire monitors said Thursday. LTTE and SLA commanders “showed tremendous responsibility and constraint in a very difficult situation,” Major General Trond Furuhovde, head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said.
Full story >>

LTTE political officials harassed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 July 2002, 03:46 GMT]
A senior political cadre of the Liberation Tigers was assaulted by Sri Lankan troops last week whilst another was arrested and interrogated, Tamil press reports said. Protests were lodged with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), the reports said.
Full story >>

Tigers welcomed on Jaffna island

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 July 2002, 03:08 GMT]
Political cadres of the Liberation Tigers Monday landed in Analaitheevu, one of the islands off the Jaffna peninsula, and received an enthusiastic welcome from the residents, Tamil press reports said Tuesday.
Full story >>

Military blocking Valikamam resettlement - MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 July 2002, 05:51 GMT]
By refusing to allow displaced civilians to resettle in Valikamam north in the Jaffna district, the Sri Lankan military is violating the ceasefire agreement the government signed with the Liberation Tigers, said Jaffna district parliamentarian Mr. G. G. Gajendrakumar, addressing a press conference Monday at the office of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC).
Full story >>

Sri Lanka stands by ceasefire agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 July 2002, 19:07 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government Thursday dismissed calls for its ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers to be revised. “Although several political groups have requested for the revision of the ceasefire agreement the Government considers it a complete document," Minister G.L. Peiris said at a press conference held Thursday to announce the cabinet decisions taken Wednesday.
Full story >>

EU delegation meets LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 July 2002, 10:22 GMT]
Ambassadors and Deputy Heads of Mission of six European Union countries visited the Vanni Wednesday, and held discussions with the head of the Liberation Tigers’ political section, Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan. The delegation was headed by Mr. Salvatore Zotta, Ambassador of Italy and Chairman of the EU Heads of Mission in Colombo.
Full story >>

TNA protests military expansion in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 July 2002, 02:16 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Tuesday requested the Sri Lankan government to halt the establishment of new army camps and the expansion of existing camps in the Thenmaradchi area of the Jaffna peninsula, citing the impossibility of resettling displaced people to their homes under such circumstances.
Full story >>

Charles Anthony remembered

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 July 2002, 18:11 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers are sincerely implementing the ceasefire agreement with the Sri Lanka government, Mr. A. Ruban, the head of the LTTE's political wing in Trincomalee said Tuesday. "We will not allow the Tamils to be blamed for the derailment of peace process,î" he said. Mr. Ruban was speaking at the nineteenth annual commemoration of the death of Lieutenant Seelan (Charles Anthony) held Monday evening in the Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College's grounds.
Full story >>

Controversy after Navy attacks LTTE trawler

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 July 2002, 01:39 GMT]
(News Feature) Following the Sri Lanka Navy’s (SLN) attack on an LTTE fishing trawler Saturday, the movement registered a strong protest with international monitors Sunday , describing the incident as a ‘serious violation’ of the ceasefire agreement. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) meanwhile protested that two of its monitors who boarded the trawler had not been allowed to embark before the crew took the damaged vessel to shore and said this was a violation of the ceasefire. The LTTE however said the monitors - who had checked and cleared the trawler - had been assured of their safety and that the vessel was being rammed by SLN gunboats during its travel to shore.
Full story >>

STF arrests LTTE cadre

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 July 2002, 03:07 GMT]
Sri Lankan police commandos last Thursday arrested an unarmed member of the Liberation Tigers, Tamil press reports said. The arrest occurred as Sri Lankan government officials assured international monitors and the LTTE that arrests of Tamil Tigers by the security forces - which are violations of the ceasefire agreement between the two sides - would not be permitted.
Full story >>

TNA requests India to release 'VAIKO'

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 July 2002, 17:22 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance has appealed to the Indian government and the Tamil Nadu state government to release Vaiko Y.Gopalasamy, leader of the Makkal DMK and others who have been arrested. "The arrest of 'VAIKO' on the ground that he was supportive of the LTTE and his being remanded causes deep anguish to the Tamil people in Sri Lanka," said in a statement issued by the TNA Friday.
Full story >>

Students' protest in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 July 2002, 19:17 GMT]
More than twenty thousand Tamil and Muslim students Tuesday marched in protest against the continuing occupation of schools by the Sri Lankan army and the general discrimination they are subjected to by Colombo. The students handed over memorandums to the Vavuniya government agent, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, the UNHCR and the UNICEF in the northern border town.
Full story >>

New Army fortifications in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 July 2002, 13:44 GMT]
The Sri Lanka armed forces are hurriedly building fortifications and expanding their bases in the Jaffna peninsula while public buildings vacated by the military remain beyond the public use as the surrounding areas are declared high security zones, Tamil press reports said last week.
Full story >>

SLA permits visit to temple in Palaly

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 July 2002, 02:49 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army Monday permitted devotees to visit and clean the premises of the Sri Rajarajeswari Amman temple near the Palaly military airport. The temple is among more than hundred places of worship occupied by the SLA in Jaffna's Waligamam North division. More than 2000 residents who lived in the temple's neighbourhood were evacuated by the SLA in 1987 and 1990 for expanding the defence perimeter of the Palaly military base and airport.
Full story >>

Local body asks SLA to lift fishing ban

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 July 2002, 06:46 GMT]
The Chairman of the Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabha (local government institution) said Saturday that he has written to the Jaffna Security Forces Commander, Maj. Gen. Sarath Fonseka urging him to immediately lift the ban on fishing in the Jaffna lagoon off Koilakandy and Kilali.
Full story >>

'Military testing our patience' -Trinco LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 July 2002, 12:42 GMT]
"The Sri Lankan security forces test our patience frequently. But we won't violate the cease-fire agreement signed by our leader with the Sri Lankan government. At the same time we will not do anything that will derail the ceasefire agreement," said Ms Krishna, Trincomalee district women wing secretary of the Liberation Tigers presiding over the events to mark Black Tigers Day in Trincomalee town Friday evening.
Full story >>

Trinco arrests violate ceasefire agreement - TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 July 2002, 20:37 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday expressed its strong disapproval of a tendency on the part of some sections of the Armed Forces, to take in custody unarmed members of the Liberation Tigers, who are entitled to freedom of movement in the north and east under the provisions of 1.13 of the cease-fire agreement. "The arrests of five unarmed members of Liberation Tigers Wednesday in Trincomalee by the security forces are a violation of the said provision of the cease-fire agreement," said Mr. Mr.Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the TNA and the Trincomalee district parliamentarian in a statement issued Thursday.
Full story >>