SLN acquires decommissioned US Coast Guard vessel

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 June 2004, 04:25 GMT]
Vice Admiral Sandagiri of Sri Lanka Navy is to leave for United States Tuesday to formally sign papers to transfer US Coast Guard (USCG) cutter named "Courageous," a B-Type Reliance Class 210-Foot Cutter, built at the American Shipyards in Lorain, Ohio, launched on 18 March 1967 and decommissioned on 19 September 2001, media reports in Colombo said.
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"SL President's duplicitous politics threatens peace"- MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 June 2004, 03:08 GMT]
Delays in resumption of peace talks due to Sri Lanka President Ms Kumaratunge's continually shifting positions on the peace process, and suspected Sri Lanka Government's complicity in destabilizing the Batticaloa district, portend imminent danger to prevailing peace, said Joseph Pararajasingham, Senior Vice President of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Member of Parliament (MP), talking to TamilNet from Colombo, Sunday morning.
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"SLA is giving shelter to Karuna"- Ramesh

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 June 2004, 14:17 GMT]
"We have confirmed reports that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is giving shelter to Karuna and that the Sri Lanka military is trying to use him against the Liberation Tigers," said Special LTTE Commander for Batticaloa- Ampara, Col.Ramesh speaking to reporters at a press conference held in Thenagam in Kokkadicholai Saturday evening.
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Sinhala books on Tamil struggle to be released

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 June 2004, 13:14 GMT]
Two books written in Sinhalese, "A letter from Vanni (Vanniye sita liyuma)" and "Voice from the heart of the Silent (Handak Nathiyunge Hathawatha Sakshiye Handa)," describing the Tamil liberation struggle for the first time, are to be released in Vavuniya, Sunday, at the Hindu Youth Hall, media sources said.
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"LTTE losing confidence in peace process"- UNF

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 June 2004, 02:35 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appears to be losing confidence on the peace process because of the contradictory stands taken by President Chandrika Kumaratunge," said the media spokesman of the main opposition, Professor G.L.Peiris, at a press briefing held Friday in Colombo, according to media sources.
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No ISGA outside parliamentary procedure - UPFA govt.

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 16:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Media Minister and United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government's new cabinet spokesman Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, Friday rejected reports in a section of the media that the President was exploring the possibility of establishing Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in the northeast province outside parliamentary procedure as baseless. '' There is absolutely no truth in such reports,'' Mr. Mangala Samaraweera said at the cabinet press briefing.
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Protest rally in Jaffna draws large crowd

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 11:57 GMT]
Around sixty thousand people participated in the protest march and rally held in Jaffna town Thursday putting forward five demands including the restoration of normal life and the establishment of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) put forward by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northeast province. Jaffna District Peoples' Forum organized this demonstration and rally.
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Norway persists as stalemate deepens

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 01:04 GMT]
The stalemate in Sri Lanka’s peace process continued this week, and even as Norwegian diplomats vowed to continue their shuttle diplomacy, President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government hardened its stance on the agenda for talks.


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Establish ISGA, appeals Jaffna Peoples Forum

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 00:40 GMT]
Tamil Speaking Peoples Forum for Human Rights and Development based in Jaffna Wednesday appealed to the President Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge to initiate bold step of recommencing negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to establish the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) which could handle all development and reconstruction projects in the northeast province.
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Tigers slam Sri Lankan state media for vicious propaganda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 June 2004, 10:01 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Wednesday expressed serious concern about ‘malicious and false propaganda’ in Sri Lanka’s state controlled media regarding the situation in the Batticaloa district, during discussions with the Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo. “If the Sri Lankan Government is honest in taking the LTTE as a sincere partner in the peace process, this type of clandestine media activity should stop forthwith”, Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan told the ambassador. There is yet no agreement on restarting the talks the ambassador told the press at the conclusion of the meeting.
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CWDR opens new Secretariat

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 June 2004, 02:17 GMT]
Centre for Women’s Development and Rehabilitation (CWDR) opened its newly constructed Secretariat building in Kilinochchi Tuesday, sources in Vanni said. Director of CWDR, V.Sutharshini presided the opening ceremony.
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Pirapaharan felicitates artists in Medical corps

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 June 2004, 01:45 GMT]
Leader of Liberation Tigers, V.Pirapaharan, received the first Compact Disc "Empowering our struggle" containing songs composed and sung by members of the LTTE medical corps, in a ceremony held in Kilinochchi Monday, sources from Vanni said. The audio CD encapsulated the inner feelings, thoughts and experiences of the members of the LTTE medical unit while serving in the battle field, organizers of the event said.
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Thamilchelvan meets INGO delegates

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 11:11 GMT]
Head of Liberation Tigers Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan met with United Nations and International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) delegates at the Planning and Development Secretariat of the LTTE in Kilinochchi Tuesday, LTTE's Peace Secretariat website said. Thamilchelvan told the delegates the critical importance of making the "people real stake holders in development."
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Black Sea Tiger Lt.Col. Hillary remembered

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 04:57 GMT]
Lt.Colonel Hillary alias Murugesan (Ganeshan Sivagurunathan) of Anaicoddai, a member of the Black Sea Tiger who died on 30 July, 2003 in the international water in a boat mishap was remembered Monday evening, at Kopay Heros Cemetery in Jaffna district.
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Mannar town paralyzed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 04:54 GMT]
Normal life of Mannar town was completely paralyzed Tuesday when civil groups launched one day general shut down (hartal) protesting against the assault on civilians by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Monday evening.
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Black Sea Tiger Major Puhalini remembered

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 00:10 GMT]
Major Puhalini, member of the Black Sea Tiger wing of the Liberation Tigers, who died on 30 July, 2003 in a boat mishap in international waters, was remembered Sunday evening in Muttur east in Trincomalee district. Her mother Ms Vadivelu unveiled the memorial plaque constructed at Alankulam Heroes Cemetary, sources said.
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Mannar tense following SLA interrogation of LTTE activists

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 June 2004, 13:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers manning the checkpoint at the entrance to the Mannar town Monday afternoon at about 1.30 p.m. stopped two leading political activists of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Ms V.Nilavarasi, Mannar District Political Head of Women's wing and her deputy Ms Kavimani and subjected them to severe interrogation when they arrived from LTTE controlled Vattakandal area.
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Tigers lambast Kumaratunge's political duplicity

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 June 2004, 02:56 GMT]
Blaming Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge for "linking ISGA with permanent poltical solution," as a "manipulative strategy to take forward the peace process for a while and then to abort it," the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam called upon the International community to recognize Ms.Kumaratunge's political duplicity and to "bring pressure on her government to be principled and honest in political negotiations," in a statement published in the Peace Secretariat website.
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‘Viduthalai’ released in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 2004, 22:24 GMT]
‘Viduthalai’ (Liberation), a collection of articles written by Mr. Anton Balasingham, the senior advisor to the Liberation Tigers, was released to the public in Vavuniya at a function on Saturday.


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Kumaratunga hints at "an effective compromise" with the LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 2004, 15:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga, in a prime-time TV address, has indicated that she is "seeking an effective compromise" to overcome the dragging differences with the LTTE that delay peace talks. The LTTE has been insisting on negotiating its interim administration proposals first, while the government wanted to have parallel talks on the final solution to the conflict. In her nation-wide telecast Saturday night Kumaratunga hinted at her readiness to "prioritise" the LTTE demand while not openly abandoning the government's position to have parallel talks on the final settlement.
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