Civil society role vital to peace- SLMM Trinco Head

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 2004, 13:33 GMT]
Lions Club of Trincomalee Town honoured its past presidents at a special event held Saturday at the Trincomalee New Silver Star Hotel with Mr.Dagffin Aadness, Trincomalee head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) as the chief guest. Mr Aadness speaking at the event said the civil society including Lions Clubs and other organizations could play a vital role in safeguarding the current peace environs, sources attending the event said.


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HR Group meets to finalize Charter

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 2004, 12:49 GMT]
Northeast Secretariat of Human Rights (NESOHR), formed on the 9 July to monitor the human rights violations and implement actions to strengthen the human rights in the NorthEast, held its second meeting Sunday with Head of LTTE Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan attending, to finalize NESOHR' charter, LTTE's Peace Secretariat website said.
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Two Sri Lanka military intelligence operatives arrested says LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 2004, 10:55 GMT]
Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa said that they arrested two persons working with the Sri Lankan military intelligence Sunday morning in Periyapullumalai, on the A-5 highway, close to the Amparai District border.
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Death at noon creates crack in Sri Lanka's defences

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 August 2004, 02:31 GMT]
Mr. Kandaiah Yoharasa alias PLOTE Mohan was the most dreaded Tamil paramilitary operative that ever worked with the Sri Lankan armed forces in their war against the Liberation Tigers. His name once evoked terror among the people of Batticaloa. He was an invaluable if not indispensable part of Sri Lanka's intelligence and counter insurgency operations against the LTTE.
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Sri Lanka in precarious political uncertainty- Uyangoda

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 18:44 GMT]
Warning that extended stalemate between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers may be leading Sri Lanka in a slippery slope towards war, Professor Uyangoda, in a political analysis column in Friday's Daily Mirror, says that "without partnership building premised on mutual trust and respect, there is no way for the UPFA [United Peoples Freedom Alliance] and the LTTE to return to the negotiation table in the foreseeable future."
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"LTTE will emerge victorious if SL Government launches war"- Ilamparithi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 16:59 GMT]
"We are certain of victory if the Sri Lanka Government launches a war to occupy our traditional homeland," said Mr.C.Ilamparithi, Jaffna district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) addressing "Confluence (Sangamam)" event of the Jaffna District Tamil Resurgence Forum (JDTRF) held in Nelliyady, a residential town 25km northwest of Jaffna, Saturday.
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Karuna associate remanded in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 02:17 GMT]
Sri Lanka army in Batticaloa Friday arrested a youth who identified himself as an associate of renegade LTTE commander 'Karuna'. The SLA, which found a 9 mm pistol in the youth's possession, handed him over to the Eravur Police. Batticaloa magistrate remanded him until 13 August later on Friday.
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Anura blames UNP for planting Karuna story

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 00:44 GMT]
Minister and Sri Lanka President’s Advisor Mr.Anura Bandaranaike today castigated former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe for attempting to make him earn the wrath of the Liberation Tigers by planting a concocted story in Colombo media that he transported LTTE renegade leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna) to Singapore.


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Another 'Karuna' associate shot dead in Welikanda

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 July 2004, 17:26 GMT]
A person identified as an associate the renegade LTTE commander V. Muralitharan alias Karuna, was shot dead Friday in the general area of Welikanda, 70 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa.
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UNP to support peace talks based on ISGA proposal

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 July 2004, 00:18 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) said Thursday in a press briefing that it would support the resumption of peace talks by the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the basis of LTTE's Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal.


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Peace process is a rudderless boat - Kousalyan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 17:25 GMT]
''Sri Lanka's peace process is like a rudderless boat. We can achieve our political aspirations only if we have exceptional military power. We had only 17 female fighters in Batticaloa ten years ago. Anbarasi was one of them. Today we have a regiment in her name that fought tough battles to defeat Op. Jeya Sikurui'', said Mr. E. Kousalyan, head of LTTE's political division for Batticaloa, Thursday, addressing a ceremony to mark the 9th death anniversary of Lt. Col. Anbarasi.
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RSF urges Norway to press for journalists' safety in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 11:07 GMT]
Reporters Without Borders Thursday urged Norway to press Sri Lankan authorities to fight impunity with which journalists are attacked in the island, particularly on its east coast. ''Since the killing of a correspondent in Batticaloa region at the end of May, without any condemnation from a single minister, two other journalists have been forced to flee the area and take refuge in the capital'', RSF said.
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SL Government ready to resume peace talks- Cabinet Spokesman

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 10:25 GMT]
The minority United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government said Thursday that it is prepared to commence peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at any time and anywhere. Speaking at the post Cabinet press briefing held Thursday Media Minister Mr. Mangala Samaraweera said that the LTTE should adopt a policy of flexibility in its stand, sources in Colombo said.
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New Killings Threaten Ceasefire- HRW

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 July 2004, 03:01 GMT]
Human Rights Watch, a U.S. based independent nongovernmental organization said in a media release Wednesday, "A spate of killings between factions of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) threatens Sri Lanka’s ceasefire...More than a dozen people have been murdered over the last month in apparently politically motivated killings attributed either to the LTTE or a faction led by the LTTE’s former eastern commander, Colonel Karuna, who broke away from the LTTE in March 2004."
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Norway says peace hopes at new low

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 July 2004, 18:02 GMT]
Hopes that the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers would soon restart peace talks plunged Wednesday after a top Norwegian envoy said there is “little reason for optimism” and warned of a resumption of the protracted ethnic conflict.
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Mannar Thamileelam Court complex opened

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 July 2004, 14:36 GMT]
The court complex of the Thamileelam Mannar District Court was declared open Wednesday morning in Vattakandal in the Liberation Tigers controlled Vanni region by Mr.Pon Thiyagam, Head of the Thamileelam Martyrs Department who cut the ceremonial ribbon at the event, sources said.
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Helgesen meets SLMC leader

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 16:07 GMT]
Mr. Vidar Helgessen, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister is reported to have told Mr.Rauff Hakim, Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Tuesday that renegade Karuna's affair has become a stumbling block in taking forward the stalled peace talks between the Government Of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), according to SLMC sources.


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"LTTE will remain militarily strong"- Semmanan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 00:00 GMT]
"Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will defeat government's hidden agenda to weaken our military and political strength," said Mr.K.Semmannan, Deputy Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Jaffna district said when speaking at a meeting of the Thamileelam Resurgence Forum held in Karainagar Subramaniam Vidiyalayam Monday.
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Helgesen meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 July 2004, 09:47 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Vidar Helgesen, met with LTTE Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, at the LTTE Political Head Quarters in Kilinochchi Monday morning, for discussions on the stand of the LTTE regarding the recommencement of peace negotiations with the Government of Sri Lanka, LTTE's peace secretariat website said.
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Not a principled apology- Elilan

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 July 2004, 01:33 GMT]
"We regard Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge's public apology for the 1983 pogrom against the Tamils as a deceptive attempt, driven by political expediency rather than principles, to placate the Tamils," said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) speaking as the chief guest at a public meeting in Trincomalee Sunday evening held at the Welikada Martyrs Memorial Hall in Trincomalee to remember the 21st anniversary of Black July.
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