EPDP blocks Norway embassy with coffin

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 September 2004, 13:29 GMT]
A large group of EPDP cadres blocked the main entrance of the Norwegian embassy in Colombo Monday for more than two hours with the coffin of one of their colleagues who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Puttalam two days ago. The EPDP protested in front of the Norwegian mission from against the killing of its cadres, urging Oslo to take concrete action to stop the assasinations. EPDP cadres burnt the effigies of LTTE leaders, accusing them for the killings. EPDP is a key paramilitary in Sri Lanka. It is also a close ally of President Kumaratunga.
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Canadian Ambassador meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 September 2004, 10:43 GMT]
Ambassador of Canada in Colombo, Valerie Raymond met with Head of the LTTE Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan in the LTTE Peace Secretariat building in Kilinochchi Monday, sources from Vanni said. The discussions centered on the peace process and the urgency of both parties, the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to show flexibility to resume the stalled peace talks.
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President's intentions not translated into action - LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 September 2004, 12:45 GMT]
LTTE Political Wing in a press release Sunday accused the President Chandrika Kumaratunga of being responsible for the delay in restarting the peace process. The intentions of the President who "expressed her interest in restarting the peace process", were "not translated into action" said the Press Release. The recent statement of the President is "far from the truth and is totally disappointing" said the Press Release.
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Carpentry-training centre opened in Kandawalai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 September 2004, 05:21 GMT]
Killinochchi Technical College with the support of World University Service of Canada (WUSC) recently opened a carpentry-training centre in Kandavwalai, in Vanni region. Project Co-ordinator WUSC Mr.S. Jeyarajasingham, ceremoniously inaugurated the training programme at the newly opened centre.
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Solheim meets Sri Lanka's Opposition Leader

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 September 2004, 03:10 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim met with the Opposition Leader and former Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremesinghe, at the latter's official residence Friday evening, on the eve of his departure after a five day stay in Sri Lanka, sources said.
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UNDP officials review Jaffna projects

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 September 2004, 16:53 GMT]
A team of officials of the UNDP Friday held a review in Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) on progress made in implementing several development projects in the Jaffna district, sources said.
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Sinhala journalists visit Jaffna IDP families

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 September 2004, 15:27 GMT]
A group of Sinhala journalists Friday visited several welfare centres in the Jaffna district where large number of internally displaced families (IDP) are given shelter and inquired from them their difficulties living as refugees, civil group sources said.
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Tigers to meet SLA in Batticaloa Wednesday

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 September 2004, 14:18 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa will meet Sri Lankan armed forces on Wednesday, 22 September, informed sources in the eastern district said. The meeting was postponed twice since last month. Tigers indicated the new date following the return of Mr. E. Kousalyan, head of LTTE's political division for Batticaloa-Amparai District on Thursday.
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Solheim discusses peace impasse with editors

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 September 2004, 10:59 GMT]
Norway's special peace envoy Mr. Eric Solheim Friday had discussions with editors of the Sinhala dailies Lankadeepa and and Lakbima and the Tamil dailies Thinakkural and Sudar Oli about the current peace impasse in Sri Lanka. He said that he was unable to meet the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), President Kumaratunga's main coalition partner that is stridently opposing peace talks with the Liberation Tigers.
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Sri Lanka President welcomes Norway's role

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 September 2004, 17:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge welcomed Norway's role in the peace process and accused the LTTE of ''indecision over commencement of talks,'' in a press release issued today after discussions with Norwegian Peace Envoy, Eric Solheim at the President's House in Colombo.
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ISGA must form basis for talks- UNP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 September 2004, 14:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) Thursday reiterated its stand that the future talks between the United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should commence on the basis of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA), said UNP's media spokesman and former minister Professor G.L.Peiris addressing a press briefing in Colombo.
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Sri Lanka to buy second Indian OPV

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 September 2004, 08:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s navy is to buy a second Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) from India, press reports said Thursday, quoting newly-appointed Sri Lankan Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri.
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LTTE says ISGA proposals not final, open to discussion

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 September 2004, 00:28 GMT]
The LTTE said its interim administration proposals were not rigid or final and it was ready to negotiate the issue but it saw the lack of clarity on the part of the government as the main stumbling block, for the resumption of peace talks, the Daily Mirror reported Wednesday, quoting LTTE political wing leader, Mr S. P. Thamilchelvan.
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Solheim to meet Thamilchelvan Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2004, 17:52 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim is scheduled to meet Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, Political Head of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Thursday morning at 10 a.m. in the Killinochchi Peace Secretariat, sources said
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Pre-school opened in Nedunkerni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2004, 16:08 GMT]
A pre-school constructed by the Nedunkerny Development Rehabilitation Organization (NDRO) with the financial assistance provided by the Siththi Vinayagar Kovil Society in Kerning, Denmark and sponsored by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization and Pre-school Development Organization was declared open Wednesday morning.
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Thileepan death anniversary observance begins in NE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2004, 10:34 GMT]
The Tamil people in the North-East Wednesday began observing the seventeenth death anniversary of Lt. Col. Thileepan, a senior leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who died after twelve days' fasting unto death due to the failure of the Indian government in fulfilling five demands put forward by him to meet the aspirations of the Tamil people soon after the signing of the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement.
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Jaffna civil groups brief Norwegian peace envoy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2004, 10:21 GMT]
Jaffna civil groups and non-governmental organizations Wednesday handed over memoranda to the Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Eric Solheim detailing the sufferings of Tamil people, especially hundreds of thousands of internally displaced families now staying in welfare centres unable to return to their houses and agricultural lands which are currently occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the SLA demarked high security zones, sources said.
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Solheim arrives in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2004, 06:50 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim Wednesday morning arrived in Palaly by a special aircraft. Mr. Solheim met with the Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Major General Sunil Tennekon who briefed him of the ground situation prevailing in the peninsula. Talks between LTTE district political head Mr.C.Ilamparithi, deputy head Mr.Semmanan and district women political head Ms Kalaivilzi and the Norwegian team led by Mr.Solheim began around noon, sources said.
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Buddhist monks meet Jaffna LTTE political leaders

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2004, 01:28 GMT]
A group of forty six Buddhist monks from the South of Sri Lanka Tuesday told the Jaffna political leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that not all Buddhist priests are against the peace process and only a few leading prelates in the south are espousing racism.
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Solheim meets Hakim, Devananda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2004, 01:13 GMT]
Norwegian special envoy Eric Solheim Tuesday evening met with Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Rauff Hakim, and Secretary General of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), Douglas Devananda, and discussed in detail about the resumption of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suspended from April last year, political sources in Colombo said.
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