TNA awaits action despite assurances

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 May 2002, 14:30 GMT]
(News Feature) An alliance of four Tamil parties said Friday that Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, had “responded positively” to the three key issues they had raised: the deproscription of the Liberation Tigers, setting up of an interim administration in the northeast province and the full implementation of the cease-fire agreement before the commencement of the direct peace talks. Despite the Premier’s assurances the Tamil delegation said they remained concerned about his government’s ability to meet the promises.
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Pandemonium in Sri Lanka Parliament over local polls

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 May 2002, 15:51 GMT]
Pandemonium reigned in the Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday when the Speaker refused permission to the leader of the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Mr.Wimal Weerawansa to speak against alleged malpractices in Monday's local elections. The Speaker adjourned the sittings for fifteen minutes as the situation in the house was beyond his control, with MPs of the main opposition Peoples Alliance and the JVP shouting slogans and holding placards in the chamber denouncing the manner in which local elections were conducted Monday.
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'Peace saboteurs must be defeated' - SLMC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 May 2002, 21:53 GMT]
"The Muslims will co-operate with the Liberation Tigers to annihilate the evil forces which are all out to sabotage the peace initiatives mooted by the present government with Norwegian facilitation," declared the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress parliamentarian of the Trincomalee district, Mr.K.M.Thowfeek, addressing the opening event of the Kuchchaveli Political Office of the LTTE at Nilaveli held Thursday evening.
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Proactive TNA role seen essential

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 May 2002, 19:20 GMT]
Nineteen civil society groups in Trincomalee Wednesday urged the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to play a proactive role in bringing to light continuing violations of the ceasefire by the Sri Lankan security forces and to take concerted steps to counter the efforts of Sinhala nationalists to discredit and scuttle the peace talks to end the conflict.
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Sinhala nationalist MPs vow to fight peace deal

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 May 2002, 22:07 GMT]
A large gathering of Sinhala Parliamentarians Tuesday resolved before the statue of King Duttu Gemunu in the island's ancient capital of Anuradhapura to struggle against what they called a conspiracy to divide Sri Lanka through peace talks with the Liberation Tigers. Duttu Gemunu was an ancient warrior extolled in Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition for killing Ellalan, a Tamil king of the island in the 2nd century BC, and for unifying the island under Sinhala rule.
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TNA delegation meet Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 May 2002, 22:07 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Saturday requested the Tamil National Alliance to pressurise the Sri Lankan government for the speedy implementation of the permanent cease-fire which came into effect on February 23.
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TRO office opened in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 May 2002, 07:16 GMT]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) has commenced its activities in the Trincomalee district with the opening of its office in the east port town Friday. Dr.Dedo Geinitz, Team Leader of the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) in Trincomalee declared open the TRO office.
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Tamil fisherman wounded in navy firing

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 May 2002, 17:40 GMT]
A Tamil youth was Friday admitted to the Trincomalee general hospital with gunshot injuries in his stomach. Thirty five year old Vilvarajah Jeyakanthan of Thirukdaloor, a fishing hamlet made a complaint to the local Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission that was shot and wounded by some navy personnel while he was fishing with two of his colleagues Friday morning around 9.30 a.m. in the Trincomalee sea close to Koneswaram temple, sources said.
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Tamil journalists still face danger - RSF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 19:02 GMT]
The Reporters Sans Frontiers, the French media watchdog, said in its annual report on press freedom released Wednesday that working conditions for Tamil journalists remain very dangerous in Sri Lanka, especially when they report on human rights violations. "They are easily accused of supporting the Tamil Tigers guerrilla movement. The 1998 Emergency Law allows security forces to arrest anyone suspected of maintaining relations with this banned separatist organisation. But how can anyone work in the north and east of the country without having contacts with the Tamil Tigers, who are everywhere?" the RSF report said.
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UNP captures power in central province

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 April 2002, 19:10 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunga's People's Alliance Monday agreed to hand over the administration of the Central Provincial Council (CPC) to the United National Party which defeated the PA's budget in the council and demanded control of the CPC.
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Soldiers-Tamil youths clash in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 April 2002, 21:22 GMT]
A clash between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and Tamil youths in Trincomalee town Sunday evening left three soldiers and a police constable in hospital and four youths under arrest. One of the arrested Tamil youths was later admitted to Trincomalee base hospital, with injuries sustained after a severe assault whilst in police custody according to sources.
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Navy commander declares islands ‘military zones’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 April 2002, 02:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy is defending its denial of access to the Liberation Tigers’ political cadres from the islets around the Jaffna peninsula, press reports said Saturday. In a letter to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), a senior SLN commander declared the islets, which are home to many Tamil civilians, as military zones and hence off limits to the LTTE’s political cadres, the Virakesari newspaper reported.
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'Thanthai Chelva' remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 April 2002, 18:56 GMT]
The twenty fifth-death anniversary of the late Tamil leader 'Thanthai' Chelvanayakam was observed throughout the Northeast province Friday with religious observances and memorial meetings. In Trincomalee, a the statue of 'Thanthai Chelva' at Sivankoviladi veethi was garlanded Friday morning by a leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham. Sivankoviladi Development Association organised the event.
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Jaffna SLMM discusses complaints over military action

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 April 2002, 13:26 GMT]
The head of the international peace-monitoring mission promised Wednesday to bring the tension prevailing in the islets around Jaffna to the attention of the Sri Lankan government, press reports in the northern peninsula said Thursday. Norwegian General (Retd) Trond Fuhrhovde made his comments at a meeting of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials in Jaffna, the Uthayan reported.
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War not over until normalcy returns - JCC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 April 2002, 19:03 GMT]
In the view of the people on the peninsula, the war is not over, the Jaffna Chamber of Commerce (JCC) told a group of Colombo businessmen Tuesday. The JCC stressed that until life returned to normal for Jaffna civilians, entrepreneurs from other parts of the island should not rush to exploit the lack of facilities on the peninsula.
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Peace march to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 April 2002, 23:17 GMT]
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe inaugurated a peace march from Kataragama to Jaffna, which set off Sunday afternoon. The 20-day, 560 km peace march began after religious ceremonies at a Buddhist temple in Kataragama, a pilgrim town in the deep south, about 160 km south-east of Colombo. The twenty-day peace march is taking the pinnacle to the newly built Chaithiya at a Buddhist temple in Jaffna.
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Occupation of schools and temples violates cease-fire agreement -TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 April 2002, 22:37 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday brought to the notice of the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgessen, that the Sri Lanka Army has not vacated temples and schools they occupy in the eastern province and has not completely removed ban on transport of items allowed to LTTE held areas in the eastern province as stipulated in the cease-fire agreement signed between the United National Front Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on February 23.
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Massive 'Pongu Thamil' rally in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 April 2002, 14:55 GMT]
Over sixty thousand people attended 'Pongu Thamil' (Upsurge) rally held at Jaffna University medical faculty grounds Wednesday afternoon, journalists in the northern peninsula said. Processions from Nallur Kandasamy Temple premises, Kokuvil Hindu College premises and Saththiram junction commenced around 2 p.m. and reached the venue of the rally around four p.m. Most of the roads in the Jaffna peninsula were gaily decorated with red and yellow flags.
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SLA urged to reopen Nagarkovil main road

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 April 2002, 19:13 GMT]
The Divisional Secretary (DS) of Point Pedro and education officials in the Vadamaradchi area in Jaffna district have appealed to the Sri Lanka Army to reopen the main road from Point Pedro through Nagar Kovil to Aliyawallai to enable smooth functioning of schools and to allow free movement of resettled families.
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Tamil political prisoners on hunger strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 April 2002, 17:49 GMT]
More detainees held under the Prevention of terrorism Act (PTA) in the Kalutara prison, south of Colombo Monday joined in a hunger strike launched by one hundred forty seven Tamil suspects this weekend. The Tamil detainees begun this hunger strike Sunday demanding that the cases against them should be expedited or they be transferred to prisons closer to their home villages, prison sources said.
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