Solheim meets Government Peace Secretariat Head

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 September 2004, 16:18 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Eric Solheim Tuesday held wide range of discussion with Dr.Jayantha Dhanapala, Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat of the Government of Sri Lanka regarding the prospects of resuming peace talks between the GOSL and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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Tamil Students condemn foreign military assistance

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 September 2004, 15:26 GMT]
The International Students' Association of Thamileelam (ISAT), in a press release issued Tuesday, said that the military and financial assistance of United States to the Government of Sri Lanka and the visit of Indian Navy Commander to Sri Lanka would not help in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict but would lead to renewed hostilities.
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Southern Journalists meet with Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 September 2004, 13:08 GMT]
Director of National Peace Council, Dr. Jehan Perera, and a group of about forty journalists from South met with Head of LTTE Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, at LTTE Planning and Development Secretariat in Kilinochchi Tuesday, sources from Vanni said. The objective of the meeting was to explore ways to strengthen and promote cordial relationship between the North and the South, the delegation members said. Liberation Tigers arranged for the group to tour war affected areas and, to witness progress of humanitarian projects in Vanni. The group left for Jaffna in the afternoon, sources said.
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Monks demand SL Govt to declare Buddhism as 'state religion'

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 September 2004, 06:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s hardline monks took another step towards creating their ideal of a Buddhist state this week with their parliamentary party calling for a Constitutional change to make Buddhism the state religion.
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Norwegian peace envoy arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 September 2004, 04:45 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Eric Solheim arrived in Colombo Monday evening on a five-day visit to hold talks with the leaders of Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with the aim to a make a headway in the resumption of stalled peace talks, political sources said.
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Kumaratunga confidante promises better deal in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 September 2004, 17:09 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunga's spokesman and advisor on rehabilitation and reconstruction, Mr. Harim Pieris told jounalists in Jaffna Monday that her government does not discriminate between areas held by the Liberation Tigers and Sri Lankan armed forces in providing aid unlike the previous regime in Colombo. He pointed out that President Chandrika's government had repaired bridges on the A9 road first in the LTTE held parts of the north.
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English Language College opened in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 September 2004, 12:03 GMT]
The opening ceremony of an English Language College run by Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) was held on the new College premises at Jeyanthynagar, Kilinochchi, Monday. Twenty five students who currently are working for TRO projects have completed the English courses. Twenty student teachers will commence training at the College on Monday 20 September and a new term of classes at Beginner, Elementary and Intermediate level will commence in October, according to TRO officials in Kilinochchi.
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U.S. urged to adopt balanced approach to peace

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 September 2004, 10:17 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader and the Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan in a press release issued Monday in Trincomalee said that a meeting Ambassador J.Cofer Black, had with a group of Sri Lankan media representatives in Colombo, has "caused much concern to wide sections of the Tamil people," and cautioned that "failure to adopt an even handed approach could cause immense harm to the peace process." Ambassador Black is U.S. State Department's Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism.
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Bodies of two believed killed in Pullumalai attack found

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 September 2004, 16:41 GMT]
The bodies of two men believed to be those of paramilitary cadres who were killed during an attack on an LTTE border post in Pullumalai, 65 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa, last Tuesday were found in the jungle, Police said. Villagers found the bodies half buried in Tempitiya, 9 kilometres from Pullumalai, last evening, the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Maha Oya Police station said. Tigers charge that the attack on their border post in Pullumalai was led by Sri Lanka army commandos. Sri Lankan armed forces have a camp in Tempitiya.
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LTTE's Batticaloa commander returns

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 September 2004, 15:18 GMT]
Special Commander of the Liberation Tigers' forces in the Batticaloa-Amparai, Col. Thambirajah Ramesh returned to the eastern district Sunday, LTTE officials said. He was accompanied by Col. Bhanu, commander of LTTE's Mortar Regiment and 'Jehaaththan', commander of Jeyanthan Regiment, an elite infantry formation of the Tigers' armed forces.
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"Weakening LTTE, main aim of SL Govt"- Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 September 2004, 13:57 GMT]
"Absolutely nothing fundamental has changed on the ground. There can be absence of war, there can be prospects of peace talks, or involvement of the International community, or there can be press releases issued by Chandrika Kumaratunge. But, precious little has changed in the feelings or nationalistic thinking of our people. War has not ended yet," said K.V.Balakumaran, a Senior Leader of the Liberation Tigers, in an interview with the Sydney Tamil Radio Thamil Muzhakkam's "Mannin Mainthargal" program during his recent visit to European countries.
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'Chauvinists see LTTE's development offices as camps' -TNA MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 September 2004, 02:39 GMT]
Chauvinist forces in the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government of Sri Lanka are saying that the offices the Liberation Tigers have constructed for rehabilitation and development efforts in Trincomalee are military camps in proximity to the government security installations, said Mr.Thurairatnesingham, the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian from Trincomalee, addressing a meeting following the opening of the Trincomalee district office of The Economic Consultancy House (TECH) Friday.


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SLA involvement in Pullumalai attack aimed at provocating LTTE - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 September 2004, 11:58 GMT]
Noting that the "evidence of MAG personnel, proximity of the Tampaddi SLA camp vis-à-vis the LTTE point and the fact that the attackers alighted from the MAG vehicle and carried the dead into the SLA camp are clear indicators of SLA complicity in the attack", the LTTE Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, accused Friday that the "SLA is engaged in ceasefire violations with a view to provocate the LTTE and thereby leading to disruption of the entire peace process" in a letter to the SLMM Head.
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TNA MPs meet Canadian Ambassador

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 September 2004, 10:44 GMT]
Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Senior parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Kajendran, Ms.Pathmini Sithamparanathan and Selvam Adaikalanathan met with Candian Ambassador Valerie Raymond at the Canadian High Commission in Colombo Friday morning to discuss matters related to Interim Administration Authority Proposals (ISGA), diplomatic sources in Colombo said.
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Solheim to visit Sri Lanka next week

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 September 2004, 09:37 GMT]
The Norwegian Special Envoy, Mr. Erik Solheim, will on Monday 13 September arrive in Sri Lanka on a routine visit and have meetings with President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, members of the Government of Sri Lanka, representatives for the opposition as well as with civil society. Mr. Solheim and the Norwegian ambassador Mr. Hans Brattskar will on Thursday 16 September have consultations in Kilinochchi with the LTTE Political Head Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan, according to a press release from the Royal Norwegian Embassy Friday.
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UNP urges UPFA government to commence peace talks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 September 2004, 19:52 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Thursday appealed to the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government to commence peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as it has gained majority in the parliament.
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Sinhala nationalists burn Norway's national flag

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 September 2004, 12:03 GMT]
Hundreds of Buddhist monks and Sinhala nationalist activists burnt Norway's national flag in front of the Norwegian embassy in Colombo Thursday, demanding that the scandinavian country should stop facilitating talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers. Sinhala nationalist protestors carrying placards and shouting slogans against Norway and the LTTE marched from the Viharamahadevi Park in central Colombo to the Norwegian embassy. "This country belongs to Sinhala Buddhists", "Kill LTTE leader Prabhaharan", the protestors shouted.
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Peace key to assisting children affected by war- UNICEF

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 September 2004, 11:23 GMT]
Under the Action Plan, the only signed human rights agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, "close to 7,000 children enrolled back to school and more than 43,000 children received catch-up-education classes in the first half of the 2004 alone. 241 school buildings damaged or destroyed in the war were repaired or reconstructed, and 580 child soldiers and their families received social work assessments," the UNICEF said in a press release issued in Colombo today.
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JVP bent on inflaming the South against ISGA- paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 September 2004, 10:41 GMT]
"Even though Sri Lanka's President Ms. Kumaratunge has cautioned the UPFA Ministers and parliamentarians not to air any views on the question of Interim Administration in public, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a minority partner in the UPFA government, is openly defying the request. JVP MP and General Secretary, Wimal Weerawansa, stated the very next day that the JVP would continue to oppose any discussions with the LTTE based on the latter's ISGA proposals," said Thinakural, a popular Tamil daily, in its editorial Wednesday.
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TNA meets new Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 September 2004, 06:49 GMT]
A Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary delegation Thursday morning met with the new Indian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Ms Nirupama Rao at the Indian High Commission office. The discussion centred on the current situation of the peace process since the signing of the ceasefire agreement by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), TNA parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan told TamilNet.
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