Key Karuna Group commander wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 April 2004, 13:48 GMT]
A key commander of the Karuna Group was seriously wounded when troops of the Liberation Tigers advanced on Vakarai, 62 kilometres north of Batticaloa, in the early hours of Friday morning. ‘Barathithaasan’, commander of the Karuna Group’s Vinothan Unit, wounded in the abdomen, was admitted to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. “We will face problems if casualties rise in the coming days because most of our consultants and many medical officers and interns from the north have left”, said a doctor who works there. The Karuna Group forced Tamils of Jaffna to leave Batticaloa last month.
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All 20 TNA Parliamentarians issue joint statement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 April 2004, 04:42 GMT]
"In view of the speculative reports in the media, all Members of Parliament elected from the North-Eastern region in the name of Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi emphatically state that we are unequivocally and irrevocably committed to the political aspirations of the Tamil people for over the past fifty years for self rule in a unified north-eastern region, which has been the acknowledged as the area of historical habitation of the Tamil speaking people," said 20 Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians in a joint statement issued Wednesday night after two days of discussions held in Colombo.
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Western province Tamil leader meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 April 2004, 19:09 GMT]
The leader of the Western Province People’s Front (WPPF), Mr. Mano Ganesan, who has been elected MP in the general elections held on April 2, met with the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam at the latter’s secretariat in Kilinochchi at 5:00 pm on Tuesday and held discussions on wide ranging issues, including the Southern political situation in the aftermath of the elections and on taking forward the peace process, sources said.
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Kilinochchi, Vadamaradchi east voters throng Muhamalai

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 April 2004, 13:56 GMT]
Elections officials in Jaffna said Friday that thousands of voters from Kilinochchi walked a kilometre in scorching sun across the line of control between the areas controlled by the LTTE and the Sri Lanka army in the southern part of peninsula to cast their ballot. Polling was higher than sixty percent in the clustered booths in Sri Lanka army’s clearing zone for commercial vehicles, according to them. People voted with unprecedented enthusiasm in the Sri Lanka military controlled parts of Jaffna.
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High polling in clustered booths for Killinochchi voters

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 April 2004, 11:08 GMT]
High polling was recorded in the clustered polling stations located in the Muhamalai area for voters residing in the LTTE controlled Killinochchi district and villages in the Vadamaradchchi east division in the Jaffna district. Around noon, sixty percent of the voters have voted in the sixty two polling stations, 30 for Killinochchi district voters and 32 for Vadamaradchchi east division voters in the LTTE held areas, election department sources said.
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Pre-school Committees to be elected in the North-East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 April 2004, 23:15 GMT]
Elections of 13-member executive committees of the Pre-school Education Development Centre (PSEDC) are being held throughout North-East, and Committee members will be elected from General Councils comprising parents, administrators, teachers and government officers from Education and Health Departments, Pradeshiya Sabahs (regional councils) and Non-Governmental Organisations, the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) said in a statement Thursday.
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Tigers condemn TNA candidate’s killing

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 March 2004, 07:27 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Tuesday said they strongly condemn the killing of Mr. Rajan Sathiyamoorthy, Tamil National Alliance candidate for Batticaloa. “The people of Batticaloa should not to be perturbed by such incidents of violence in the district that create fear. We call on them to vote for the TNA and show the world the national strength of the Tamil people”, the LTTE said in statement issued in Tamil from their political headquarters in Kilinochchi Tuesday. Mr. Sathiyamoorthy was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at his residence Tuesday morning.


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6151 NorthEast children suffer without psychiatric help

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 March 2004, 11:25 GMT]
6151 children in NorthEast are psychologically affected due to war induced trauma and remain without adequate help, said planning commissioner for Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), Mr.Malaravan in a press briefing in Vavuniya Thursday morning. Lack of funds has denied us from taking forward the medical plans designed to help these children, Malaravan further said.
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TRO gives financial assistance to Trinco pre-school teachers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 March 2004, 01:11 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Tuesday inaugurated a scheme to provide monthly financial assistance to fifty-two pre-school teachers serving in the Trincomalee district, TRO officials said. Pre-schools in the northeast have been administered by the Pre-School Education Development Centre (PSEDC), which has its headquarters in Killinochchi.
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Brattskar, Harrold meet Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 March 2004, 11:10 GMT]
Mr. Peter Harrold, Country Director for World Bank in Sri Lanka and the Ambassador for Norway Mr. Hans Brattskar met with Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan, Head of the LTTE Political Wing in its Head Quarters in Kilinochchi Tuesday. The meeting focussed on issues related to NorthEast development, current political situation and forthcoming general elections, sources said.
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Polling stations in SLA-controlled areas for voters in LTTE-held region

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 March 2004, 05:38 GMT]
According to decisions made at special meetings at the Secretariats in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa, the polling stations for the voters in the Liberation Tigers-controlled areas are to be constructed in the Sri Lanka Army-controlled areas in clusters, sources said.
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TNA unveils new campaign strategy

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 March 2004, 17:29 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance candidates from Jaffna will canvass support for their colleagues contesting the April polls in the east while TNA candidates from the east will campaign in the north for the victory of the alliance, Mr. Mavai Senathirajah, the general secretary of the Federal Party, said Saturday.
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"We solidly support leader Pirapaharan"- Thilak tells Solheim

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 March 2004, 08:19 GMT]
"We are solidly supporting the leadership of Mr.V.Pirapaharan. We are against dividing Tamils by north and east", Mr.S.Thilak, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Friday categorically told Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim during a discussion held Friday morning at the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission office in Trincomalee town.
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Solheim meets Thilak in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 March 2004, 08:13 GMT]
Norwegian special envoy Mr. Erik Solheim told Mr.S.Thilak, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam at the discussion held Friday morning at the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee that he met Colonel Pathuman, Trincomalee district commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam at Killinochchi Thursday.
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LTTE ready to help facilitate voting - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 March 2004, 00:10 GMT]
"We told the [Norwegian] delegation that we are agreeable to locating the voting booths in the no-man zone, inside our checkpoint area or in the checkpoint area of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), and that we will provide our full support and required assistance to implement voting procedures, and supervise voting," said S.P.Thamilchelvan, leader of the LTTE's political wing, answering questions from the press following his meeting with the Norwegian delegation in Kilinochchi Thursday morning.
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TNA condemns State media for false reporting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 18:19 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Mr.R.Sampanthan Thursday in a statement condemned the officials responsible, including the Minister for Media, Lakshman Kadirgamar, for carrying false news in State media, political sources said.
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Norway will not interfere in LTTE's internal matters

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 08:23 GMT]
Norway will not interfere in the internal matters of the Liberation Tigers said Mr. Erik Soheim speaking to the press at the conclusion of his meeting with Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan Thursday in Kilinochchi. “We did not involve ourselves in the discussion between the President and the Prime Minister and exactly in the same manner we will not take any part in the discussion between the LTTE leadership and Mr. Karuna. The first is an internal matter for the south and the second is an internal matter for the northeast”, Mr. Solheim said.
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German ambassador meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 06:14 GMT]
German ambassador for Sri Lanka, Mr. Jueger Elias met Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, the head of the Liberation Tigers' political divison Thursday in Kilinochchi for discussions on the April general elections, the status of the ceasefire agreement and the possibility of resuming the peace talks between Colombo and LTTE. German funded development programs in the northeast were also reviewed during the discussions, LTTE officials said.
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Solheim to visit Trincomalee Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2004, 15:32 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Eric Solheim is to arrive in Trincomalee Thursday evening from Vanni. He is scheduled to hold talks with the Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr.S.Thilak on Friday morning, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) sources said Wednesday.


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Solheim urged to help ensure fair polls in north

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2004, 14:33 GMT]
Norway’s special peace envoy for Sri Lanka Mr. Erik Solheim met the Bishop of Jaffna, Government Agent, Consortium of NGOs and the head of the LTTE’s political division for Jaffna Wednesday in the northern town for discussions on the current situation and the status of the ceasefire agreement between the Liberation Tigers. The free and fair conduct of the forthcoming general elections in the north and the need to enable people in the LTTE controlled areas to vote without restrictions were the main issues that were discussed at the all the meetings, sources said.
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