Establish ISGA, appeals Jaffna Peoples Forum

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 00:40 GMT]
Tamil Speaking Peoples Forum for Human Rights and Development based in Jaffna Wednesday appealed to the President Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge to initiate bold step of recommencing negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to establish the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) which could handle all development and reconstruction projects in the northeast province.
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Black Sea Tiger Major Puhalini remembered

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 00:10 GMT]
Major Puhalini, member of the Black Sea Tiger wing of the Liberation Tigers, who died on 30 July, 2003 in a boat mishap in international waters, was remembered Sunday evening in Muttur east in Trincomalee district. Her mother Ms Vadivelu unveiled the memorial plaque constructed at Alankulam Heroes Cemetary, sources said.
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Inquiry into Bindunuwewa massacre appeal continues

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 June 2004, 14:27 GMT]
Specially constituted five-member bench of the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court comprising Justices Asoka de Silva, T.B.Weerasuriya, Nihal Jayasinghe, N.E.Dissanayake and Raja Fernando, which began to hear the appeals of the five accused in the Bindunuwewa massacre case last week has fixed the further inquiry for June 22, legal sources said.
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JDMPGA seeks TNA MPs support to trace missing youths

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 June 2004, 18:37 GMT]
The Jaffna District Missing Persons Guardians Association (JDMPGA) Sunday requested Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians to protest in and outside parliament highlighting the issue of disappeared persons in Jaffna peninsula after being arrested by the security forces during the period of 1996-1997, civil sources said.
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‘Viduthalai’ released in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 2004, 22:24 GMT]
‘Viduthalai’ (Liberation), a collection of articles written by Mr. Anton Balasingham, the senior advisor to the Liberation Tigers, was released to the public in Vavuniya at a function on Saturday.


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SL President to give televised address

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 2004, 16:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is to address the people of Sri Lanka on Saturday 8.30 p.m. through state television and electronic media, ruling party sources said Friday evening.
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Two SLA personnel reported missing in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 2004, 16:05 GMT]
Second Lieutenant W.A.S.Wikremaretna and soldier private Mr.Joseph Thomas Peter Karunaratne of the Sri Lanka Army are reported to be missing since June 8 from the 551 Brigade of the SLA which is located in Nagarkovil in Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district, security sources said.
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Legal wrangle over dissident JHU MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 2004, 09:59 GMT]
The Colombo District Court Friday ordered the newly sworn in Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) parliamentarian Venerable Akmeemana Dayaratna Thera to appear in court on July 25 and issued a stay order on him prohibiting him from performing the functions of an elected representative till the legal suit filed against him is finalized, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Sri Lanka President urged to establish ISGA immediately

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 2004, 20:33 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday told Sri Lanka President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge that Tamils couldn't depend any more on the Sinhala political leadership to enjoy their rights. ''The Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) should be established in the northeast without delay so that Tamils could enjoy self rule in their homeland,'' Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the TNA parliamentary group, told the President during a discussion held Thursday night in the Presidential House at the latter's invitation, TNA sources said.
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Speaker urged to safeguard democracy in Parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 2004, 13:25 GMT]
The members of opposition political parties in the Sri Lanka's parliament numbering about 114 Thursday submitted a petition to the Speaker to take steps to safeguard democracy in the parliament. Leaders of the common opposition took this step in a major reaction to the battle in parliament Tuesday and to show that they are in a majority and to assert their authority, political sources said.
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TNA MPs to boycott NE Province Governor's meet

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 2004, 02:20 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians decided to abstain from a meeting called by the Governor of NorthEast Province to discuss development activities for the Province, media sources reported. The decision to boycott the meeting was taken in Colombo Wednesday, according to reports.
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Sri Lanka President invites TNA for discusssion

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 June 2004, 13:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Wednesday invited the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for discussion. The TNA parliamentary group, which met Wednesday afternoon decided to accept the invitation. The discussion between the President and Tamil National Alliance have been fixed for Thursday night 8 p.m., TNA sources said.
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Protest demo held in Colombo condemning Nadesan killing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 June 2004, 10:25 GMT]
The Free Media Movement (FMM) and the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) Wednesday held one hour demonstration in front of the Colombo Fort Railway Station commencing from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. against the killing a senior Tamil journalist Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan. Several senior journalists based in Colombo and outstations, Tamil parliamentarians of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Upcountry Peoples Front and Western Province Peoples Front participated in the demonstration, sources said.
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Sri Lanka's parliament adjourned for July 20 after disruption

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 June 2004, 10:22 GMT]
Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara Tuesday adjourned the Sri Lanka's parliament for July 20 after failing in his attempt to resolve the issue of administering oath to newly nominated parliamentarian JHU parliamentarian Venerable Akmeemana Dayaratna Thera. The Speaker announced his decision to postpone the parliament when it resumed its sitting Tuesday afternoon at about 2.30 p.m, parliamentary sources said.
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Pandemonium in parliament, two monk MPs injured

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 June 2004, 07:46 GMT]
Pandemonium reigned in Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday morning for about an hour when Venerable Akmeemana Thera, the newly nominated parliamentarian of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) was invited by the Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara to take oaths, parliamentary sources said.
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Parliament meets amid confusion over majority to ruling UPFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 June 2004, 04:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is meeting Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. to appoint standing committees and ministerial parliamentary consultative committees. Battle lines are drawn by the minority ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the main opposition United National Front (UNF) to capture control of these committees, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.


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TNA to hold district level ISGA awareness meeting

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 June 2004, 14:26 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is to hold its first district awareness meeting on the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in Trincomalee town this weekend. "Probably it will be held on Friday or Saturday", TNA parliamentary group leader Mr.Sampanthan said.
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Court to hear appeals of Bindunuwewa massacre accused

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 June 2004, 01:44 GMT]
Chief Justice of Colombo Supreme Court, Sarath N.Silva has appointed five High Court justices to hear the appeals of the five accused, including Sri Lanka police officers, Senaka Karunasena and Roger Ratnayake, and three civilians from Bandarawela who were convicted of the massacre of 27 inmates of rehabilitation camp for young Tamil persons in Bindunuwewa on October 2000 and were sentenced to death, legal sources in Colombo said.
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Self Governance, main focus of TNA Thamilchelvan Meet

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 June 2004, 13:56 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians met with Leader of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan Saturday in the LTTE political head quarters in Kilinochchi for a four hour long meeting. The issues and the urgent need for institutionlizing self governance for NorthEast based on LTTE's Interim Self-Governing Authority proposals were discussed in the meeting, , LTTE peace secretariat website said.
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SLA soldier kills superior, commits suicide in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 June 2004, 13:06 GMT]
Mr. Ratnayake Mudiansalagae Seneviratne, a twenty-year-old soldier of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday shot dead his 37-year-old superior Sergeant Mr. Gunaratne Vasantha Liyanage and then committed suicide by shooting himself. He left a letter stating that he had killed his superior, as he was unable to tolerate his punishment, police said.


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