Batticaloa military commander says crisis being resolved

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 08:02 GMT]
"We have discussed the situation in Batticaloa with our leader in detail. I am certain that we will resolve the problem smoothly. Our leader will soon clarify the situation to the Tamil people and the world", LTTE's special commander for the Batticaloa-Amparai region, T. Ramesh told TamilNet Friday. Commander Ramesh is Col. Karuna's deputy and commands all the LTTE troops in the Batticaloa-Amparai district.
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Monks' Sinhala Buddhist call will derail Kumaratunge - NSSP Leader

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 04:23 GMT]
Dr. Vickremabahu Karunarathne, the leader of the leftist Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP), when asked if United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has any chance of getting absolute majority in the 2 April elections said that "with Buddhist Monks contesting separately, openly proposing 'Sinhala Buddhist' dictatorship, it is very unlikely that United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) could become first in any of the districts."


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No regional split - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 March 2004, 18:18 GMT]
A spokesman for Col. Karuna, senior commander of the Liberation Tigers told TamilNet Wednesday night there was no split in the LTTE. ''We will be functioning directly under the command of our leader'', he said referring to reports that there was a major split in the LTTE.
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U.S condemns killing of Batticaloa candidate

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 March 2004, 12:09 GMT]
State Department Spokesperson, Richard Boucher, has condemned the killing of Sinnathamby Sunderampillai, a candidate in Sri Lanka's upcoming parliamentary elections. "Although no one has claimed responsibility for the crime, we note recent statements by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that were clearly intended to discourage Tamil candidates of whom they did not approve," Boucher said in a statement issued March 1 in Washington. Sri Lanka police, however, say the matter is under investigation and declined to blame LTTE.
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Bomb rips through school in Mannar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 March 2004, 11:02 GMT]
A powerful bomb exploded in a school in Mannar Tuesday afternoon, Police in the island town on Sri Lanka's northeastern coast said. The explosion caused severe damage to the school's roof. But no one was hurt as the school had closed for the day, Police said.
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TNA manifesto released in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 March 2004, 10:10 GMT]
A political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka should be based on the recognition of the Tamil speaking people’s homeland, the Tamils’ identity as a distinct nation, and their right to self-determination, according to the manifesto of the Tamil National Alliance, which was released at a press conference in the TNA’s elections office in Jaffna Monday. "The Sinhala nation should come forward soon to resume peace talks with the Liberation Tigers for establishing the Interim Self Governing Authority," the manifesto states.
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Sri Lanka army declines to lend a hand to EPDP

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 March 2004, 06:53 GMT]
Sri Lanka army refused to allow the paramilitary EPDP to take a group of refugees inside the Palaly military base to see their homes during the weekend. “We already had a problem in Chavakachcheri where the group claimed that it was responsible for persuading us to vacate a sector of our high security zone there. We want better relations with the public. But we don’t want politics. Our only duty is to defend our country”, a Sri Lanka army officer in Jaffna told TamilNet.
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TNA submits nomination lists for NE electoral districts

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2004, 08:42 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Monday noon submitted its nominations for the five electoral districts, Jaffna, Vanni, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, in the Tamil dominated northeast province. TNA fielded its candidates in the name of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) and its election symbol "HOUSE". The ITAK last contested in the 1970 elections under the leadership of late Tamil leader Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam ("Thanthai Chelva"), political sources said.
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Law and order said deteriorating in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 February 2004, 11:52 GMT]
''We told Maj. Gen. (ret) Furuhovde that the law and order situation is deteriorating in Jaffna and that steps should be taken to arrest this trend. We did our best to cooperate with the Police to arrest the trend in Jaffna. But Police did little to rectify the situation,'' said Mr. S Ilamparithy, the head of the political division of the Liberation Tigers in the northern peninsula after meeting the chief of Sri Lanka's truce monitoring mission Monday afternoon.
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Maheswaran says won’t contest April polls

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 February 2004, 17:11 GMT]
Mr. T. Maheswaran, who was Minister for Hindu Affairs in Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Front (UNF) government, said Sunday he does not intend to contest elections to the Sri Lankan Parliament in April. Mr. Maheswran was the only Tamil from the UNF to be elected from the island’s northern parts in the Parliamentary polls in December 2001. Speaking at the opening of the renovated Karainagar Multi Purpose Co-operative Society Sunday morning, the ex minister said that he plans to retire from politics.
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TNA readies to face poll with ‘house’ or 'lighthouse'

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 February 2004, 09:42 GMT]
General secretary of the Federal Party (FP), Mr. Mavai Senathirajah and general secretary of the TELO, Mr. Indrakumar Prasanna, informed Sri Lanka's Commissioner of Elections their party’s intent to contest following uncertainty over the TULF's legal wrangle, a spokesman for the Tamil National Alliance said Wednesday. If the stand off between the TULF's President and executive central committee is not resolved next week the TNA will have to contest either under the TELO's 'lighthouse' symbol or the FP's 'house' symbol, he said.


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Cushnahan clarifies discussion with Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 February 2004, 00:01 GMT]
Mr. John Walls Cushnahan, Member of the European Parliament, clarified to TamilNet Wednesday details regarding his discussion with Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, political leader of the Liberation Tigers, when he met him on February 6, 2004. “I said that I fully understood the dangers of their [LTTE’s] supporters becoming disillusioned with the peace process if it was not perceived to be delivering improvements to the quality of life in the North East and in this regard I appreciated the difficulties caused by the current political stalemate [in Colombo],” Mr. Cushnahan said in his clarification.
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Tigers hand over underage members to UNICEF

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 February 2004, 13:49 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Thursday handed over to the UNICEF in Kilinochchi 15 youth from their ranks who were found to be under eighteen. The youth, all males, were among those listed as underage members of the Tigers by UNICEF.
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Protest stops SLA from putting back Chavakachcheri FDL

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 February 2004, 00:55 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army stopped efforts Wednesday to put its forward defence line (FDL) back in its original place in the Chavakachcheri high security zone following protests by families that got back their garrisoned homes from the military last weekend. The SLA pulled back the defence perimeter of its high security zone in two places on the outskirts of Chavakachcheri during the weekend to release about 79 war damaged and destroyed homes, including urban council quarters, to families that were displaced when the military garrisoned the area more than three years ago.
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Court extends enjoining order on TULF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 February 2004, 08:51 GMT]
The Colombo district court Wednesday extended the enjoining order preventing the Secretary General and Senior Vice President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) from convening party meetings without the written permission of TULF President Anandasangaree to 16 March 2004. The extension of the enjoining order would stymie plans by the Tamil National Alliance to contest elections to Sri Lanka’s Parliament on the TULF’s ‘rising sun’ symbol, Tamil legal sources said.
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ACTC rejects voting for policy, symbol

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 February 2004, 12:40 GMT]
Mr. Appathurai Vinayagamoorthy, the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance, told TamilNet Tuesday that his party will not agree to contest the forthcoming general elections on the basis of symbol and policy. He said his party will decide whether to join the TNA or not only after Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, MP who is currently abroad, returns to Colombo later this week.
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Protest, shut down in Jaffna on Sri Lanka's Independence Day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 February 2004, 09:21 GMT]
Jaffna town was deserted Wednesday while Sri Lankan armed forces hoisted lion flags and observed Independence Day amid tight security in many parts of the peninsula. Several civil society groups and public organisations urged the people of Jaffna last week to observe Sri Lanka's Independence Day as a black day. Jaffna University students flew black flags and decorated the campus' main entrance with curry plantain trees. Jaffna Mothers' Front protested in front of the District Secretariat as Police in riot gear stood guard.
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LTTE medical corps' feats unparalleled - Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 February 2004, 12:42 GMT]
"Committment of cadres of LTTE's medical corps and the ingenious medical evacuation strategies used, paved the way for some of our biggest military successes against the Sri Lanka Army (SLA)," said V.Balakumaran, a senior member of the LTTE speaking at an event commemorating the sixth anniversary of the death of nine members of the LTTE medical division, sources from Vanni said.
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NECORD funds new school buildings for Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 February 2004, 17:13 GMT]
Asian Development Bank funded North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) project has selected 15 schools from the most backward areas in Batticaloa district for further development, sources said. New buildings to house several additional class rooms are to be built and the required class room equipment and supplies are to be provided under NECORD funding.
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Pirate power supply for army kills elephant

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 2004, 04:37 GMT]
A wild elephant was electrocuted by an illegal power supply line to the Kayankerni Sri Lanka army camp, 36 kilometres north of Batticaloa, residents told TamilNet Sunday. Three elephants in a herd were electrocuted by the Kayankerni SLA pirate power line last year, they said.


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