Floods cause A9 highway closure

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 December 2002, 17:14 GMT]
Torrential rain continued Wednesday in northeast province mainly Killinochchi, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara districts bringing transport through A9 high way to and from Jaffna came to a standstill Wednesday, sources said. The Elephant Pass Bridge, the gateway to northern district is under floodwater, sources in Jaffna said.
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Norwegian envoy encouraged by discussions in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 December 2002, 20:53 GMT]
The Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Jon Westborg, told journalists today that he is encouraged by discussions held in Kilinochchi on matters related to the resettlement of people affected by the war in the North-East.
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Thousands affected by floods in NE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 December 2002, 16:35 GMT]
One hundred thousand families mainly from Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Amparai and Killinochchi, have been badly affected by the flood waters caused by torrential rains in the northeast province since Monday evening, social department officials said Tuesday.
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Jaffna gets first woman de-miner

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 December 2002, 00:13 GMT]
Ms. Niroja Srirajakumar, 19, of Navatkuly east of Jaffna town, became the first woman in Jaffna to join de-mining work in the peninsula, officials at the Jaffna District Secretariat said Sunday. Ms. Niroja was trained in de-mining techniques and safety procedures by a Swiss organisation in Vavuniya.
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Japanese envoy unveils key Secretariat in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 December 2002, 17:58 GMT]
The secretariat of the Sub-Committee for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the Northeast was opened in Kilinochchi Sunday morning, according to the Voice of Tigers radio. Japan’s ambassador for Sri Lanka unveiled the secretariat’s name board while Norway’s ambassador cut the ribbon to ceremonially open the building, according to the VOT.
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LTTE opens first Thamileelam court in Trincomalee district

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 December 2002, 17:17 GMT]
The second Thamileelam law court in the eastern province was opened Monday at Kattaiparichchan village in Muttur east area held by the Liberation Tigers in the Trincomalee district." Our judiciary is eight years old and Thamileelam law courts are established in areas in the northeast controlled by us," said Mr.S.Tilak, LTTE's Trincomalee district political head in a keynote address at the inaugural ceremony of the Thamileelam Courts. The Trincomalee District Superintendent of Thamileelam Police Mr. Avaikumaran lit the traditional oil lamp.
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LTTE leader calls for autonomy and self-government for Tamil homeland

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 November 2002, 12:17 GMT]
In a radical move to clarify the policy orientation of his organisation, Mr Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) declared that he would favourably consider a political framework that offers substantial regional autonomy and self-government to the Tamil people on the basis of their right to internal self-determination. The text of Mr. Pirapaharan’s annual Heroes’ Day address was released to the media in an official statement.
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UNHCR help sought to resettle refugees in TamilNadu

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 November 2002, 02:10 GMT]
When officials of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Commission on Human Security met Mr. S. P. Thamilselvan, head of the Liberation Tiger's (LTTE's) Political wing in Kilinochchi Friday, Thamilselvan requested the UNHCR to take action as soon as possible to resettle Tamil refugees from NorthEast currently living in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu, India, sources said.
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Joint appeal for funds before Oslo Donor meeting

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 November 2002, 19:16 GMT]
The Sub-Committee for Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs in the North and East (SIHRN) formed after the second round of peace talks in Thailand sent out an appeal to the international community for support to rebuild NorthEast.


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Swedish Ambassador meets Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 November 2002, 18:52 GMT]
Ambassador to Sri Lanka from Sweden, Ms. Ann Marie Fallenius, met with Thamilselvan, Head of Political Section of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), on Wednesday morning in Kilinochchi and held discussions regarding rehabilitation and development activities of North East, sources said.


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Secretariat formed to manage NE development

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 November 2002, 17:46 GMT]
Setting up of a Secretariat to manage the rehabilitation and development to start functioning on 15 December was discussed at the first meeting of the Sub-Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs of North East (SIHRN) comprising delegations of the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held Monday, 18 November, at the Killinochchi District Secretariat auditorium.
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Multi-community sportsmeet in Kalutara

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 November 2002, 14:50 GMT]
Seven hundred sportsmen and women and officials from the North travelled to Kalutara to participate in a sportsmeet for peace being held in Matara starting from today. The participants departed from Vavuniya yesterday by a special train, sources said. Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, will be the chief guest at the prize giving ceremony on the last day of the meet, sources said.


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East development review before Sub-Committee meet

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 November 2002, 22:37 GMT]
Three Tamil Parliamentarians and political officials of the Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from the eastern province are meeting in Kilinochchi Saturday to review development needs of the eastern districts in preparation for the forthcoming meeting of the Sub-Committee for Rehabilitation and Resettlement scheduled for Monday, 18 November, sources said.
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Rebel Muslim MPs cut committee deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 November 2002, 15:08 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka Monday appointed a committee headed by its Interior secretary to look after the interests and concerns of Muslims in the island’s northeast in a bid to retain the crucial support of eight MPs of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the main partner of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ruling coalition, who have been boycotting Parliament amid allegations that the opposition was manipulating them to instigate communal tensions in the east to scuttle the peace talks for ending the island’s conflict and to topple the United National Front government.
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Long term political matters on Talks agenda

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 November 2002, 13:58 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), at the conclusion of the second meeting of the first round of peace talks held in Thailand, agreed to set up a joint task force (JTF) to identify immediate humanitarian and rehabilitation needs of north east, work towards military de-escalation and to look at political questions at the heart of two decades of war. The JTF is first tasked to prepare for a political-level meeting of key government s to take place in Norway on 25 November.
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SLN takes into custody six LTTE cadres

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 14:50 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy Friday evening intercepted a boat between Trincomalee and Sampoor in the east coast and took six members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam into custody. Later they were handed over to the Trincomalee Police.
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Norway, LTTE discuss talks agenda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 09:40 GMT]
The Norwegian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen met with the leadership of the Liberation Tigers Wednesday and held two and a half hours of discussions on "crucial issues pertaining to the formation of the joint task force" for economic development and reconstruction of the northeast, sources in Vanni said. Issues underlying the high security zones (HSZ) and the security situation in the northeast were also discussed, they said.
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Diplomatic delegation meets Balasingham

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 October 2002, 19:52 GMT]
An eight-member diplomatic delegation from Denmark, Greece and Italy held discussions with the Mr.Anton Balasingham, LTTE's chief negotiator, in Killinochchi, Wednesday. The diplomats expressed their fullest support to the current peace process and assured their readiness to provide funds for Northeast development and de-mining in the province, LTTE sources in Vanni said.
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Jaffna Media Research Centre opened with Danish aid

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 October 2002, 17:38 GMT]
The High Commissioner of Demark for India who is also accredited to Sri Lanka, Wednesday, declared open the Media Research and Training Centre in the Jaffna University. " Eleven member countries in the European Union (EU) are wholeheartedly supporting the peace process now being taken forward with the sole intention of finding a lasting political solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka," said Mr. Michael Steraberg, High Commissioner of Denmark when addressing a gathering following the opening of the centre.
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Furuhovde calls for ‘patience, justice and courage’

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 October 2002, 11:34 GMT]
Whilst the recent violence in Ampara and Trincomalee has shown how "fragile and sensitive the situation is at this time in the peace process," the leadership of the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers "are are determined to promote the peaceful situation in Sri Lanka so that the peace talks can succeed," the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Major General Trond Furuhovde said Wednesday.
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