NorthEast Bishops appeal for permanent peace

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 December 2004, 06:09 GMT]
Bishops of Jaffna, Trincomalee-Batticaloa and Mannar Dioceses Bishop Thomas Soundaranayagam, Bishop Dr. Kingsely Swampillai and Bishop Rayappu Joseph in their Christmas Messages appealed to all communities, the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers to work hard to sustain the ceasefire agreement and to ensure permanent peace.


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Kodikamam residents hold human chain agitation

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 December 2004, 12:53 GMT]
Several hundreds of Tamil civilians Friday participated in the third phase human chain protest held at Kodikamam junction in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district urging the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to resume peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) without any more delay, sources said.
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LTTE calls for clear, well defined agenda for talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 December 2004, 12:34 GMT]
The LTTE leadership, in an official response to the fresh agenda proposed by the Sri Lanka government, has called for a clear, coherent, well defined agenda for peace talks. The Tamil Tiger leaders have also expressed their disapproval to the structure and content of the government’s agenda because of its vagueness and ambiguity.
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NGOs condemn U.S. military analysts’ visit to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 December 2004, 04:25 GMT]
Several people’s organizations in the Jaffna district have strongly condemned what they said was a secret visit by a group of U.S. military analysts to Jaffna with Sri Lanka's Army to study the security situation of SLA's frontline positions in the district. The organizations have sent letters to register their protest to the U.S. Embassy in Colombo and other international organizations, according to media reports in Sri Lanka and in the North-East.
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New GoSL 'agenda' for talks with LTTE called smokescreen

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 December 2004, 02:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga’s claims of a ‘new agenda’ for the resumption of peace talks with the Liberation Tigers through the Norwegian facilitators must be viewed in the context of the hurdle she faces in winning a two-thirds majority in parliament for the constitutional changes to abolish the executive presidency that she plans to table in January 2005, said the Jaffna-based Tamil language daily, Uthayan, in its editorial Wednesday.
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Muttur flood victims without adequate aid

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 December 2004, 11:23 GMT]
The government in providing immediate flood relief has ignored several hundreds of victims in Muttur-Eachchilampathu division in Trincomalee district where more than three thousand families are displaced and over twenty villages were flooded not by torrential rain but with spill water of Minneriya tank, humanitarian groups in the district complained to civil authorities.
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Dhanapala visits Amparai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 December 2004, 05:33 GMT]
Mr.Jayantha Dhanapala, Secretary General of Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat and Senior Advisor to Sri Lanka's President, visited Ampara on Wednesday "in pursuance of a policy of visiting the six district offices of the SLMM for the purpose of ensuring the smooth implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA)," a media release from the Secretariat said Wednesday.
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"Army harasses LTTE political activists in Trinco" - Elilan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 December 2004, 20:54 GMT]
"Sri Lankan Army soldiers are engaged in a planned way to disrupt our political activities in the Trincomalee district", Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE, Mr. S. Elilan, told TamilNet Wednesday from Eachchilampathu by telephone. He said that he and his group were delayed more than three hours at the Kaddaiparichchan Sri Lankan Army (SLA) checkpoint when they were on their way to LTTE controlled Muttur east Saturday. They were again stopped at Mahinthapura SLA checkpoint Wednesday, he said.
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LTTE cadre killed in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 December 2004, 14:32 GMT]
An LTTE cadre riding in a motorbike was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen at Pioneer Road close to Arasady Junction in Batticaloa Wednesday around 1.00 PM. The gunmen were also riding in a motobike, Police said. The incident took place 50 meters from a high security Police post. LTTE's former Head of Political division in Batticaloa, Mr. Senathy was shot at the same spot in July.


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Jaffna IDPs appeal to LTTE for their resettlement

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 December 2004, 14:25 GMT]
A group of representatives representing hundreds of thousands of internally displaced families (IDP) due to the occupation of their houses and agricultural lands in Jaffna district by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday met with Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Killinochchi and explained their plight for the last fifteen years, sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Human-chain protest held in Kaithady

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 December 2004, 11:17 GMT]
The second phase of the human chain demonstration was held Wednesday morning at Kaithady in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district demanding the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to resume peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the basis of the Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals of the latter. Traffic through A9 highway was not obstructed. Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) who are located in sentries in the vicinity were withdrawn during the period of agitation. Policemen were deployed at the site to maintain law and order.
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PNM wants CFA annulled

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 December 2004, 16:54 GMT]
The Patriotic National Movement (PNM), a sinhala nationalist organization, decided at its 19th annual convention of its branches, to annul the ceasefire agreement (CFA) and to remove Norway from its facilitation role in the peace talks, political sources in Colombo said. PNM further decided that peace talks should not resume on the basis of the Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals of the LTTE. The convention was held Tuesday evening at the Colombo Town hall.
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LTTE leadership studies fresh government agenda for talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 December 2004, 15:41 GMT]
The leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is studying fresh Sri Lankan government agenda for future talks, Mr. Anton Balasingham, the movement’s chief negotiator and political strategist told TamilNet Tuesday.
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Thousands form human chain protest in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 2004, 11:13 GMT]
Thousands of Tamil civilians in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district held a human chain agitation campaign on either side of A-9 highway Monday morning demanding the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to resume peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the basis of Interim Self Governing Authority proposals (ISGA) by the latter. Protestors carried placards and shouted slogans holding hands along the A 9 Jaffna-Kandy road from Kodikamam to Kaithady, sources said. The campaign has been organized by the civil groups federation in Thenmaradchchi.
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Drama spotlights problems of war-widows in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 2004, 03:06 GMT]
A drama program held at the Kailasapathy Auditorium of the University of Jaffna on Sunday at 10:30 am for the plan by the Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Organization (TRRO) to benefit the women widowed by war, sources in Jaffna said.
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LTTE leaders discuss Trinco development with NEPC officials

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 December 2004, 17:08 GMT]
"The utmost goal of our liberation struggle is to free our people from all sufferings and to ensure that they lead a life in their areas with all basic needs are met,"said Mr.S.Elilan, LTTE Trincomalee district political head addressing a one day- discussion with regard to the Trincomalee district development which was attended by top officials of the North-East Provincial Council (NEPC). The discussion was held at Kaddaiparichchan Vipulananda School in the LTTE controlled Muttur east, down south of east port town Sunday.
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CTTU discusses Jaffna HSZ issue with SL President

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 December 2004, 03:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, told a delegation of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) Friday that the Sri Lankan security forces continue to believe that Liberation Tiger cadres would infiltrate into the high security zones if the internally displaced families were allowed to resettle, according to CTTU general secretary Mr.T.Mahasivam.
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Civil groups to hold agitation campaign in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 December 2004, 06:08 GMT]
The first human chain agitation campaign demanding the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to strengthen the peace process and to recommence the stalled negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the basis of Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals is scheduled to be held in Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district on Monday.
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Solheim meets President Chandrika

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 December 2004, 16:19 GMT]
Mr.Erik Solheim, Norwegian special peace envoy Thursday urged the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to exercise the maximum restraint and refrain from actions that could be interpreted as provocations, especially at a time when peace negotiations were not taking place, states a press release issued by the Presidential Secretariat following the talks between the facilitator and President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge.
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"LTTE important component in NE affairs"- Tyronne Fernando

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 December 2004, 15:08 GMT]
"Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is a very important component in the North East affairs. The LTTE is not prohibited in the island. As such there is no reason to oppose for working with that organization" said Mr.Tyronne Fernando, newly appointed Governor of North East Province Thursday when addressing provincial secretaries, heads of provincial departments and other related officials for the first time after he assumed office Wednesday.
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