Thamilchelvan discusses post-tsunami reconstruction with German officials

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 March 2005, 04:25 GMT]
The LTTE delegation which is on an official visit to European countries arrived in Berlin on Wednesday and held talks with German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Ms. Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. The delegation led by Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Head of the Political Section of the LTTE, also met Mr. Bernd Borchardt, South Asia Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Jürgen Weerth, German Ambassador to Sri Lanka. Germany is Sri Lanka's second-largest bilateral donor, next to Japan.
Full story >>

Another youth shot dead in east

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 March 2005, 15:46 GMT]
A youth was shot by unidentified gunmen in Maruthamunai, a Muslim town 35 kilometres south of Batticaloa Wednesday evening around 5. 45. He was rushed to Batticaloa hospital but died soon after admission, Police said. The youth, identified as Mr. Thambirasah Jegan, 22, is from ‘Farm Colony’ in Mankerni, about 50 kilometres north of Batticaloa. He was riding a motorbike when he was shot, according to Police.
Full story >>

Kumaratunga moves to clip JVP's strong media links

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 March 2005, 13:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga is reported to have taken over the administration of the Media Ministry, held by Minister Mangala Samaraweera, in a move widely seen as intended to limit the strong links the radical Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has with the State media institutions, especially the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Co-operation (SLRC), Independent Television Network (ITN) and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), political sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Canadian parliamentarians meet LTTE, promise aid for NorthEast

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 March 2005, 11:41 GMT]
The Candian Government will provide assistance to the people of NorthEast to recover from the tsunami disaster, said Hon Ms Maria Minna, Member of Parliament from Canada, when a delegation of Canadian Parliamentarian met with Liberation Tigers officials led by Deputy Head of LTTE Political Wing, S. Thangan in the Planning and Development Secretariat (PDS) Wednesday 10.30 am, sources from Kilinochchi said.
Full story >>

LTTE showed maximum flexibility in accepting joint mechanism proposal - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 March 2005, 21:56 GMT]
Although the proposed joint mechanism for post-tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction did not fully meet the requirements necessary to facilitate recovery efforts in NorthEast to proceed unhindered, the LTTE accepted the proposal in view of the urgency demanded by the situation in NorthEast, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, LTTE's political head told Swedish Minister for Development Cooperation, Ms. Carin Jamtin, when he met with the Minister in Stockholm Tuesday, sources said.
Full story >>

Norway slams Colombo media report

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 March 2005, 12:00 GMT]
Norway Tuesday slammed a Colombo media report that it has conveyed a warning to the Government of Sri Lanka and international donors that it is considering a suspension of its role as facilitator to the Peace Process. The Norwegian embassy in Colombo categorically denied the report. Daily Mirror published from Colombo in a lead story Tuesday quoting "informed sources" said: "the LTTE may withdraw from the ceasefire agreement and Norway may suspend its role as facilitator if the government fails to set up a joint mechanism with the LTTE before the end of April to handle tsunami rebuilding in the northeast".
Full story >>

LTTE political office in Batticaloa bombed

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 March 2005, 14:28 GMT]
Political office of the Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa town was bombed by unidentified persons around 7.25 Monday night Police said.The office was not damaged. A Sri Lanka Police camp is at the Arasady Junction. This is the fourth attack on the office in six months, Police said. LTTE said paramilitaries working with the Sri Lankan armed forces are behind the attacks on their political office in the eastern town.
Full story >>

Commission on eastern killings to record evidence

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 March 2005, 12:32 GMT]
The commission appointed by Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga to inquire into attacks on the Liberation Tigers in the east will record evidence from 28 March to 8 April 2005, according to a media release by the President’s officer in Colombo Monday. The commission on “alleged attacks on LTTE” will record evidence “to ascertain the circumstances and/or the motive leading to the attacks on those alleged to be LTTE Cadres”, according to the release. Tigers dismissed the commission as “eyewash” last week, pointing to the fate of four Presidential commissions that inquired into massacres of Tamil civilians in the east by Sri Lankan armed forces.
Full story >>

Soldiers harass civilians at Muhamalai army checkpoint

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 March 2005, 20:22 GMT]
Jaffna district Head of LTTE Political Wing, C.Ilamparithi, has complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that harassment and intimidation by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at Muhamalai check point on civilians is on the increase. He requested the SLMM to take immediate steps to stop this trend, sources said.


Full story >>

LTTE delegation meets Norwegian facilitators in Oslo

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 March 2005, 16:45 GMT]
"We told the Norwegians that Sri Lanka Government should without delay extend co-operation to finalize the joint mechanism for aid distribution and should take immediate steps to end the targetting of LTTE political officials and cadres working in the East by paramilitary operatives operating with the backing of the Sri Lanka Army," said Head of LTTE Political Wing, S.P Thamilchelvan in Oslo Friday during a brief press conference held at the Hotel Continental in Norway's capital Oslo at 3 pm.
Full story >>

Arrest rising chauvinism, extremism, TNA tells Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 March 2005, 12:15 GMT]
Accusing Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister of "inciting the forces of chauvinism and extremism" in Sri Lanka by rushing to describe World Bank official Mr Peter Harrold's statements on Liberation Tigers, without checking their veracity, as "provocative," Mr Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in his statement in Sri Lanka's parliament on the current political situation, urged the Sri Lanka Government to speak with one voice regarding taking the peace process forward, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

JVP's last card, churning up chauvinist cauldron- DLF

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 March 2005, 12:36 GMT]
"Desperate to retain its portfolios, having nothing to show for what it has so far achieved by being in government, haunted by the nightmare of 1970-1975 coalition politics that nearly destroyed the LSSP and CP, the JVP is now floundering, it is drowning in very shallow water...A democratic solution of the national question terrifies the JVP by cutting off its raison d’être. That’s what happens when you sacrifice your socialist responsibilities for chauvinist pandering," says Vasudeva Nanayakkara, veteran trade unionist and secretary, Democratic Left Front (DLF), in the newsletter issued in Colombo 5 March.
Full story >>

Sinhala nationalists burn World Bank official’s effigy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 March 2005, 10:58 GMT]
More than three thousand slogan chanting Sinhala nationalists Thursday burnt the effigy of World Bank’s resident representative for Sri Lanka, Mr. Peter Harrold in downtown Colombo, demanding that he be sent out for saying that there is an unofficial state in the island’s northeast. The demonstration against the World Bank was organized by the Patriotic National Movement, an alliance of Sinhala nationalists backed by Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s powerful coalition partner, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).


Full story >>

SLMM, LTTE find 'murdered Muslims' alive

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 March 2005, 07:42 GMT]
Tension in Oddamavadi, 34 kilometres north of Batticaloa, Thursday morning over reports that three men who had gone from the Muslim town to chop firewood in the jungles two days ago were found murdered was resolved after Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and the Liberation Tigers who searched for their bodies found them staying in a village in the interior to ply their trade. Tension ran high in Oddamavadi, which shut down in protest against the murder of an auto rickshaw driver Wednesday, when Sri Lanka Police in Valaichenai told media Thursday morning that the three men were found murdered by the LTTE in the jungle near Omadiyamadhu, a village on the Batticaloa-Polannaruwa border.


Full story >>

Norway ‘optimistic on joint mechanism’

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 March 2005, 15:38 GMT]
Norwegian Peace Envoy, Mr. Erik Solheim, told the Liberation Tigers’ Political Strategist and Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, whom he met Wednesday that Oslo was optimistic that a joint mechanism for aid distribution could be agreed “soon” between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. Mr. Solheim also conveyed Colombo’s concerns over the LTTE’s airstrip in Vanni to Mr. Balasingham.
Full story >>

Thamilchelvan, Nadesan bound for Europe

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 March 2005, 13:52 GMT]
A high level delegation of Liberation Tigers will begin an official visit to several European capitals from Friday. “Our meetings will focus on delivering aid to Tsunami affected people in northeast directly and efficiently”, Mr. S. Puleedevan, Secretary General of the LTTE peace secretariat in Kilinochchi, told TamilNet. The delegation led by Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of LTTE’s political division, leaves Colombo Thursday and will travel to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Switzerland. The Tigers will also visit the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Puleedevan said.


Full story >>

International Women's Day celebrated across NorthEast

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 March 2005, 12:16 GMT]
Events celebrating International Women's day were held across the NorthEast including Thambiluvil Madhya Maha Vidyalayam in Thirukovil, Cultural Hall in Trincomalee, Town Hall in Vavuniya and in Jaffna district Tuesday, sources said. In Trincomalee Ms Kaaronja, LTTE Trincomalee district women political wing head hoisted the Thamileelam National Flag at the Trincomalee Cultural Hall at the commencement of the International Women's Day event amid protest by a member of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).
Full story >>

Muslim abducted, killed in Batticaloa north

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 March 2005, 07:29 GMT]
A Muslim auto rickshaw driver who was abducted Tuesday evening by unidentified gunmen in the in the general area of Kadjuwatte, about 55 kilometres north of Batticaloa, was found shot dead Wednesday morning, Sri Lanka army (SLA) spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayaka said. He blamed the Liberation Tigers for the abduction and killing. "This is a foul murder carried out by the Sri Lanka army and its lackeys calculated to destroy cordial relations between Muslims and Tamils in the east. We will not rise to the bait", said Mr. P. Thayamohan, a senior LTTE political official in Batticaloa. A member of the Liberation Tigers was shot dead in this area in an ambush on Monday.


Full story >>

Funeral of LTTE cadre held in Vakarai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 March 2005, 00:31 GMT]
"We strongly condemn the killing of our cadres in the east. These killings do not detract us from our main goals, instead they strengthen our will to continue our struggle with greater determination," said Colonel Balraj, senior commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) speaking at the funeral of Second Lieutenant Pushparajan (Robert Kanthamarajah Uthayakumar) who was killed in an ambush on Saturday at LTTE controlled Kirimichchai area in Vakarai division by unidentified gunmen, sources said.


Full story >>

LTTE, Sri Lanka joint mechanism urgent need - EU

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 March 2005, 15:20 GMT]
The European Union's Commissioner for External Relations, Ms.Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Tuesday called for the speedy establishment of a joint mechanism between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to distribute Tsunami aid. Addressing a news conference in Colombo Tuesday she emphasized that the joint mechanism was an ‘urgent need’.
Full story >>