Polling stations for voters in LTTE-held areas still in limbo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 March 2004, 18:46 GMT]
The arrangements for opening and staffing polling stations in the Sri Lanka Army-controlled areas in the Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaithivu districts are complete, but no such arrangements have been made about opening voting booths for the voters in the Liberation Tigers-controlled areas, said the Returning Officer for the Vanni region, Mr. K. Ganesh
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"Denial of franchise will damage peace process"- TNA

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 March 2004, 14:46 GMT]
"Denial of franchise to Tamil voters residing in the Liberation Tigers held areas in the northeast province in the forthcoming general election will have serious impact on the current peace process," Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Secretary General of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) told the Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim during a discussion with the latter at the Norwegian embassy Monday morning, sources said.
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SLA soldier absconds after killing colleague

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 March 2004, 02:08 GMT]
A.K.G.P.Vijitha Bandara (24), an Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier attached to the Jaffna based 512nd Brigade was shot to death by another soldier, Sumantha Kumara from the same camp during an altercation Saturday midnight, Jaffna daily Uthayan reported. Soldier Sumantha Kumara absconded after the incident and Jaffna police assisted by the SLA are searching surrounding areas to apprehend him, according to reports.


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UPFA silent on peace process, CFA - Wickremesinghe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 March 2004, 11:38 GMT]
"Eventhough there is a voice in the south that is calling for the abrogation of the Ceasefire Agreement and to start war, we are determined to pursue the path of peace," said Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe speaking at an election meeting held in Vavuniya Urban Council grounds Saturday.


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Karuna embezzled funds, feared disciplinary action before split - Karikalan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 March 2004, 00:05 GMT]
Mr.Sivagnanam Karikalan, a senior leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam from the East who was close to the renegade former Eastern commander of the LTTE, Mr. Karuna, in an interview with the Australian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation (ATBC) Friday disclosed for the first time that the Batticaloa crisis was precipitated when LTTE leadership summoned Karuna to Vanni after discovering financial irregularities and receiving allegations of questionable conduct. Fearing disciplinary action Karuna defied Vanni command and took unilateral action to split, Karikalan 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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TNA must win all nine seats in Jaffna - Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2004, 11:23 GMT]
"It is the historical duty of Tamil people of Jaffna to elect Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidates in all nine electoral divisions in Jaffna district to send a clear message to the International Community that Liberation Tigers are the sole representatives of the Tamil people," said Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam in an election meeting held in Point-Pedro, daily Uthayan reported.
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SLA returns 11 houses in Maravanpulavu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2004, 11:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) announced that it is returning eleven houses back to their owners in Maranvanpulavu area in Thenmaradchy, Jaffna, local media reported.
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"Vote to express sole representative status of LTTE" - Poet

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 17:18 GMT]
Head of the Arts and Cultural Department of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Poet, Puthuvai Ratnathurai, Tuesday speaking at a film release event said, "The forthcoming general election is a crucial one in the liberation struggle of Tamils. I appeal to Tamils to vote for the Tamil National Alliance. The international community are keen to see if Tamils are fully supporting the LTTE and its interim self governing authority proposals," said Mr.Puthuvai Ratnathurai.
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Colonel Pathuman speaks to TamilNet

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 14:25 GMT]
"I am keeping fine," Colonel Pathuman, Trincomalee district military commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) told TamilNet Tuesday evening by telephone from Vanni. He appealed to Tamil people not to believe in rumours spread through State media. His comment followed the news report of the State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) that he had been killed in Vanni.
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Thilak slams SLBC over Pathuman story

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 09:53 GMT]
The news that LTTE Trincomalee district military commander Colonel Pathuman has been killed in Vanni is a canard to create panic and confusion among Tamil people by some interested parties, LTTE Trincomalee district political head Mr.S.Thilak told TamilNet Tuesday afternoon. The State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) in its noon news broadcast in all three media reported that Trincomalee LTTE military commander Colonel Pathuman had been killed in Vanni.
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Col.Pathuman dismisses Karuna's speculation

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 March 2004, 15:49 GMT]
In an interview with the Associated Press (AP), Col.Pathuman, Liberation Tiger's Trincomalee commander, dismissed speculation by renegade former LTTE commander from Batticaloa-Ampara Karuna that the LTTE leadership is holding Pathuman under house arrest in Vanni.
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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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Peace delegation from Batticaloa to resolve Karuna crisis

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 March 2004, 02:40 GMT]
A delegation of religious and civil society leaders of Batticaloa, led by Bishop Rt. Rev. Kingsley Swampillai and Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University, Dr. S. Raveendranath, will leave for Vanni Monday to hold discussions with the Liberation Tigers' leadership to peacefully handle the problem of renegade LTTE commander, Mr. Karuna, a senior LTTE official in Batticaloa told TamilNet Sunday night.
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Karuna feared expulsion, avoided direct contact - Ramesh

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 21:04 GMT]
In an interview from Vanni to the UK-based International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) Radio, Col.Ramesh, the new Special Commander of the Liberation Tigers for Batticaloa-Ampara, said that Karuna took the unilateral decision to split on his own ignoring the advices of several senior commanders and administrateive heads.
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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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Peace Talks, CFA will not be affected - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 March 2004, 11:19 GMT]
Talking to journalists during the press conference at the Peace Secretariat Saturday, LTTE Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan said that LTTE will maintain its firm committment to the peace talks and the Ceasefire Agreement and that LTTE leader Pirapaharan is always ready to provide amnesty to those who realize their mistakes.
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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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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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