IFJ welcomes LTTE assurances on media freedom

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 May 2006, 10:43 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers were not behind a warning issued to Tamil journalists employed in Sri Lankan state media, Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, told a group of representatives from media watchdogs, trade unions and organisations from South, this week. The meeting was organised after a warning appeared on some Tamil websites in the name of a hitherto unknown group, "Ravana Battalion," after attacks against against Tamil media workers. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said it "welcomes the LTTE assurances on media independence," in a press release issued Friday.
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Youth shot at Valaichenai Church

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2006, 17:06 GMT]
Two motorbike riding gunmen shot and wounded a 25-year-old youth at the entrance of Valaichenai Church Friday at 7:00 p.m., Police said.
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SLMM has no mandate to rule on Tamils sovereign rights - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 May 2006, 09:09 GMT]
"We entered the peace process based on a status-quo achieved in the battlefield in our territory. Nobody has the right to pass judgement on the sovereign rights of our access to the adjacent sea and airspace of our homeland," told LTTE's Political Head S.P.Thamilchelvan after having an urgent meeting with the Head of the Scandinavian truce monitors on Friday. The ceasefire and the entire peace process between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is a process based on parity of status and military power of balance. The SLMM statement issued on Thursday was a serious statement affecting this framework, LTTE's Political Head told media.
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LTTE refutes SLMM's controversial statement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 May 2006, 20:26 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, S. P. Thamilchelvan, in a letter to Major General Henricsson, the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Thursday said that the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission's statement issued earlier Thursday, stating that the Tigers have no rights at sea, was in contradiction to SLMM's earlier stand, as expressed in a Press Release on 25 April 2003. Sea Tigers existed prior to CFA and it contributed to the balance of power that resulted in the CFA. The LTTE statement attached three letters sent to SLMM explicitly asking the SLMM to stop boarding Sri Lankan naval vessels as the Lankan vessels have come very close to the shores of LTTE area firing at their naval bases.
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Direct negotiations necessary to contain violence - Akashi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 15:21 GMT]
"It is important to have direct negotiations to de-escalate violence which have come very far", Japan's peace envoy to Sri Lanka Yasushi Akashi said Wednesday, speaking to journalists in Colombo before leaving to New Delhi. Meanwhile the Liberation Tigers have told the Japanese envoy that Colombo should cease all extra-judicial killings and stop deliberately creating obstacles to conduct a safe travel of their Eastern commanders.
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Sivaram remembered in Batticaloa and Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 April 2006, 07:19 GMT]
The first death anniversary of reputed journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram (Taraki), a Senior Editor of TamilNet, who was assassinated a year ago in Colombo was held in Batticaloa on Thursday and Friday morning in Jaffna. Batticaloa Rural Development Organization in collaboration with Thamileelam Education Development Board organized the event held at Ramakrishna Mission School in Kokkadichcholai. Jaffna District Media Association (JDMA) organized the Jaffna event.
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GoSL duplicity incompatible with peace process - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 April 2006, 07:56 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), which has been inciting violence with it's paramilitaries in total violation to the ceasefire agreement and working hard to sever the relationship between the LTTE and the international community, has shattered all the goodwill gestures, said S.P. Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the Tigers in a letter to the Norwegian Special Envoy Jon Hanssen Bauer on Tuesday. The Political Head of the LTTE also said that the International Community should come forward to pressure the GoSL, to calm the current tense situation and bring to an immediate end to the violence.
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ITAK takes over Trinco Town PS administration

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 April 2006, 01:54 GMT]
Nine members of the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Pradesiya Sabah (PS) took oaths Monday morning at the PS office located in Chelvanayakapuram in Uppuveli police division, about four km off north of port city. Mr.T.Thiruchenthilnathan, President of the Trincomalee Bar Association and Justice of Peace first administered oaths to the Chairman, Mr.Thangavelautham Kantharoopan followed by Mr.Vellaithamby Sureshkumar, Vice Chairman and other seven members.
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Onus on Colombo to create cordial atmosphere - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 April 2006, 12:26 GMT]
Accusing Sri Lanka Government of reneging on providing established modes of travel, and proposing impractical travel procedure that showed scant respect for the security of the Senior commanders of the Liberation Tigers, the Head of LTTE Political Wing, S.P. Thamilchelvan in an interview to TamilNet Thursday said that violence is likely to spiral out of control if Sri Lankan forces do not urgently stop killing Tamil civilians in NorthEast.
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LTTE reiterates stand, says GoSL responsible for stalemate

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 April 2006, 10:04 GMT]
Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), on Thursday reiterated LTTE's stand on safe travel of their eastern special commanders Col. Sornam and Col. Bhanu in preparation to the second session of the talks in Geneva, when he met the Norwegian Special Envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer at LTTE's Political Secretariat in Kilinochchi Thursday. The participation of the Tigers in Geneva Talks is entirely dependent upon GoSL, Thamilchelvan told the Norwegian Envoy, LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Young boy succumbs to Claymore shock wounds

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 April 2006, 05:19 GMT]
A 16-year old boy, who was standing outside his house succumbed to his shock wounds, caused by a Claymore mine explosion outside his house in Chavakacheri. A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was wounded in the explosion. Two civilians were wounded when SLA soldiers opened fire after the explosion, civilian sources said. The Claymore explosion took place, 200 meters from the SLA Chavakacheri Command (52 Division) on Post office road in Chavakachcheri, around 9 a.m., Monday.
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Talks possible only after hurdles are cleared - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 April 2006, 16:32 GMT]
LTTE Political Head S.P.Thamilchelvan on Sunday, in a letter to the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar, informed that LTTE will not attend the Geneva Talks until the hurdles in front of the the LTTE to attend Geneva talks were removed and a more conducive enviornment created. He expressed the critical need for the LTTE leadership in Vanni to meet the eastern commanders before any future talks, and accused Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) for "acting in a manner that threatened the safety of LTTE commanders," thereby forcing the LTTE to cancel the sea-transport arrangement.
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"Excessive SLN interference in total contradiction to SLMM arrangement" - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 April 2006, 08:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy imposed two new "rules" when the LTTE Commanders were preparing to board the civilian ferry facilitated by the SLMM, LTTE Political Head S.P.Thamilchelvan writes in an urgent letter to Major General Ulf Henricsson, Head of the scandinavian truce monitors Saturday. The "excessive interference" by the Sri Lankan Navy in the sea transport of LTTE commanders, was in total contradiction to the prior agreement with Maj. Gen. Ulf Henricsson, Mr. Thamilchelvan writes in his letter. The sea travel of the LTTE Commanders scheduled on Saturday was cancelled at the last moment in Mullaithivu.
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Colombo attempts to force LTTE withdrawal from Peace Talks - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 April 2006, 14:08 GMT]
Accusing the Sri Lanka Government of imposing impractical conditions as part of a deliberate attempt to force LTTE to withdraw from talks, Head of LTTE’s Political Division, S.P.Thamilchelvan said that recent one-sided actions by some members of the International community have encouraged Sri Lankan state to adopt a hardline stance and Sinhala extremists to unleash violence against Tamil community.
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Henricsson to facilitate safe travel of Eastern LTTE Commanders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 April 2006, 09:01 GMT]
The stalemate in the preparation to Geneva Talks ended Thursday as the Tiger leadership accepted the latest suggestion submitted by Major General Ulf Henricsson, Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, who assured safe travel of the Eastern LTTE Commanders in a civilian vessel without Sri Lanka Navy involvement. Maj. Gen. Henricsson will be on board the ferry on Saturday when the LTTE will be sending Acting Commanders to Eastern districts and transport Col. Sornam, the Trincomalee Commander of the LTTE and Col. Bhanu, the Batticaloa Commander to Mullaithivu.
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TNA MPs, LTTE leaders pay respect to Vigneswaran in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 April 2006, 00:56 GMT]
"Tamil human rights activist Mr. V. Vigneswaran's assassination and those of 17 other Tamils in the period from November 2005 to January 2006 clearly shows that the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) will never protect the human rights of the Tamils. Therefore we ourselves have to strive to protect our rights," said Rev. Fr. Kanagaratnam, Director North East Human Rights Secretariet (NEOSHR), paying homage to slain Mr. Vigneswaran whose body was kept for viewing at the Cultural Hall in Kilinochchi Monday, said sources.


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Final decision only after meeting LTTE Eastern Commanders - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 April 2006, 09:32 GMT]
A final decision with regards to LTTE's stand on CFA talks in Geneva would be taken only after LTTE commanders from the East attend a crucial central committee meeting with the Tiger leadership, Liberation Tigers Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan told media after a meeting with the representatives of Co-chairs at the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi Monday.
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Colombo's suggestion for sea transport, impractical - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 April 2006, 12:37 GMT]
Liberation Tigers' Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan, rejecting Colombo's offer that suggested the LTTE's eastern commanders to travel unarmed in Sri Lankan vessel from East to North, has informed the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Major General Ulf Henricsson, Sunday, that Tiger Commanders were not prepared to travel in Sri Lankan naval vessels.
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Tamil nation in deep grief over Vigneswaran slaying - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 April 2006, 18:07 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head S.P. Thamilchelvan, in a letter to the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, expressed shock over Trincomalee Tamil activist Vigneswaran's slaying and said that the killing, in the context of what is taking place on the ground, rendered Colombo's pledges in Geneva on curbing paramilitary activities "meaningless." Describing Vigneswaran's slaying as a part of Sri Lankan military's "planned killings of Tamil activists in a systematic manner," Thamilchelvan says that the GoSL and its law enforcing authorities could no longer plead ignorance of Tamil activists killings.
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Colombo's transport refusal to Eastern LTTE commanders jeopardise Geneva preparations

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 April 2006, 16:03 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head S.P. Thamilchelvan Friday requested the Norwegian facilitators to arrange sea transport, with truce monitors on board, to facilitate Eastern field commanders of the LTTE to attend a preparatory central committee meeting before the next session of the Geneva Talks. Blaming Colombo for adopting a hardline stance in providing air transport, a routine arrangement facilitated by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) during the ceasefire, the LTTE Political Head warned that the Tigers would be forced to adopt their own sea transport, aware of the risks involving possible confrontations with the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN).
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