Voters from LTTE controlled areas wont be checked - SLA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 13:37 GMT]
The Sri Lankan security forces commander for Jaffna, Maj. Gen. Susil Chandrapala said Tuesday that the military would not check people who come to vote at the 2 April general elections from the LTTE controlled Kilinochchi district. He told a group of academics and civil society leaders whom he met at the Sri Lanka Human Rights Office that if clustered polling stations for voters from Kilinochchi were to be set up inside the Sri Lanka army's entry point zone in Muhamalai in southern Jaffna, the military is ready to pull back its positions 500 metres away from the voting area.
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British envoy meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 11:09 GMT]
The British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Mr. Steven Evans and other British officials met with LTTE's Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi today and discussed matters related to the current situation in Batticaloa, delivery of humanitarian assistance and voting issues in the forthcoming general elections, the LTTE peace secretariat website said.
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Batticaloa Bishop and his team meet LTTE Leaders

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 March 2004, 15:35 GMT]
Bishop Rt. Rev. Kingsley Swampillai and his team from Batticaloa consisting of the eastern university representatives, NGOs and members of the business community, met with LTTE Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Batticaloa-Amparai Special Commander Ramesh, Commander Ram, Mr. Karikalan and the Political Head of Batticaloa-Amparai Mr. Kausalyan today 8th March 2004 in Kilinochchi, sources in Vanni said.
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Karuna’s accusations are cover up for guilt and betrayal - Karikalan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 19:58 GMT]
In a wide ranging interview from Vanni to the London, UK-based International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) Radio, Mr. Karikalan, a senior leader of the Liberation Tigers and former head of the political division in Batticaloa-Ampara, said that Karuna, the renegade former LTTE commander from Batticaloa-Ampara, was spreading false stories to the international media to justify his betrayal and to prevent the international Tamil community from calling Mr. Karuna a “traitor.”
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Karuna’s supporters protest in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 13:22 GMT]
Supporters of the renegade LTTE commander, Mr. Vinyagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna), Sunday held a protest in Valaichenai, 32 kilometres north of Batticaloa, amidst reports that more troops and military officers who were under his overall command were co-ordinating their operations in the east with Mr. T. Ramesh, the new commander for the Batticaloa-Amparai district. A senior LTTE military officer from the Batticaloa-Amparai district arrived in Kilinochchi Sunday evening to brief the Liberation Tigers’ high command about the latest developments in the eastern region, sources said.


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Karikalan condemns Karuna as Pol Pot

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 06:45 GMT]
"Karuna will be seen as a Pol Pot if he continues to act irresponsibly towards our people", said Mr. Sivagnanam Karikalan, one of the senior leaders in the East to arrive in Kilinochchi Sunday morning for discussions with his leadership about the situation in Batticaloa. Mr. Karikalan is a close confidante of Mr. Karuna, the eastern LTTE leader who was sacked from the Liberation Tigers Saturday on charges of treason.
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Karuna removed from the LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 March 2004, 05:45 GMT]
Liberation Tigers announced today that their Batticaloa-Amparai district commander Karuna has been discharged from the LTTE and has been relieved of official responsibilities. "The Tamil Eelam National leadership has appointed Mr. T. Ramesh as special commander, Mr. Ram as Commander, Mr. Praba as the deputy commander and Mr. Kousalyan as political head of the Batticaloa-Ampara district," said the LTTE statement issued today.
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Batticaloa crisis temporary - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 2004, 09:56 GMT]
Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Major General (retd.) Trond Furuhovde and his deputy Hagrup Haughland met Head of the LTTE Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi Thursday morning, LTTE peace secretariat website said. LTTE Batticaloa district Head of the Political Wing, Kousalyan, and Director of LTTE Peace Secretariat Puleedevan also participated in the discussions.
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NECORD capacity building workshop held in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 2004, 03:28 GMT]
North East Community Restoration and Development Project (NECORD) funded capacity building workshop with assistance from German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) for contractors from Vavuniya and Mannar districts was held in Vavuniya Ellapar Maruthankulam Agricultural Training center, sources said. This is the fifth workshop out of the eight planned workshops planned by the NECORD and GTZ.
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Tigers seek truce monitors' role to facilitate poll

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 11:43 GMT]
''The question of people from areas held by us voting in the elections involves arrangements by the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan armed forces. This is a ceasefire related matter. Therefore we feel that the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has a role in working out modalities to help people in our areas vote at the general elections'' said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the LTTE's political division speaking to journalists Saturday after meeting with the head of Sri Lanka truce monitoring mission in Kilinochchi.
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Vavuniya refugee camp on fire

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 08:31 GMT]
One of the main refugee camps in Vavuniya caught fire and is burning, Police in the northern border town said Saturday afternoon. The camp in the outer suburb of Poonthottam houses more than five hundred families that were displaced from villages north of Vavuniya due to Sri Lanka army operations.
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UNICEF's Chaiban opens Paediatric ward in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2004, 21:44 GMT]
Country Director for UNICEF in Sri Lanka, Mr.Ted Chaiban, Friday opened the Isolation Unit of the Paediatric Ward in Vavuniya Hospital, health officials in Vavuniya said.
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SLMM head to meet LTTE leadership Saturday

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2004, 18:11 GMT]
The head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Major General (retd.) Trond Furuhovde, is to visit Kilinochchi Saturday to meet the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan. This will be his first visit to Kilinochchi after he assumed office for the second time on February 1, SLMM sources said.
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TNA, LTTE begin deliberations on manifesto

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 February 2004, 12:00 GMT]
Party leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Liberation Tigers began deliberations on drafting the election manifesto of the TNA in Kilinochchi Tuesday. The meeting was adjourned in the afternoon for lunch. LTTE and TNA leaders said that the deliberation would continue later in the day and on Thursday.


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"Sinhala Only" election materials irk NorthEast officials

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 February 2004, 17:54 GMT]
NorthEast officials responsible for conducting the forthcoming elections are irked at their Colombo counterparts for sending instructions and other election materials in "Sinhala only," thereby causing procedural snarl at the NorthEast election offices, officials in Jaffna said. Neither English copies nor Tamil translations accompany the received election material, according the same sources.
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Thousands of Killinochchi IDPs not paid resettlement assistance

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 February 2004, 15:44 GMT]
About 6,596 resettled families in the Killinochchi district have not been paid any resettlement allowances since the signing of the ceasefire agreement by the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Killinochchi district secretariat sources said.


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Thamil Eelam sports festival begins in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 February 2004, 09:19 GMT]
The third annual Thamil Eelam national sports festival commenced in Kilinochchi Friday, organizers said. Commander of the Eastern Front Forces of the Liberation Tigers, Col. Soosai, was the chief guest at the inauguration of the festival on the Kilinochchi playground Friday morning. Several senior officials of the LTTE, including the head of the Sports Division, Mr. S. Paappa were present at the inauguration, sources said.


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Elections commissioner says no to polling stations in LTTE areas

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 February 2004, 15:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Commissioner of Elections said Thursday he won’t allow polling booths in areas held by the Liberation Tigers where more than two hundred thousand Tamil voters live. The polling stations would instead be clustered in places controlled by the Sri Lankan armed forces he said. Addressing a press conference at his office in Colombo Thursday at his office he said that he decided to do so for reasons of security, transport problems and land mines.
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Mano Ganeshan meets with Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 February 2004, 14:18 GMT]
Western Province People's Front (WPPF) leader, Mano Ganeshan, met with Head of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, in Kilinochchi Wednesday morning sources in Kilinochchi said. "The critical importance of the forthcoming elections lies in the fact the Tamil Nation will use this democratic medium to unequivocally express its aspirations," Mr.Ganeshan told the reporters after his meeting.
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Chandrasekaran meets Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 February 2004, 12:53 GMT]
Upcountry People's Front (UPF) leader and Minister in the United National Front (UNF) government, Mr.P.Chandrasekaran, met with Head of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, in Kilinochchi Wednesday morning and had discussions on ways UPF can forge a common agenda with the NorthEast Tamil parties at the forthcoming elections, sources in Kilinochchi said.


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