SLA, LTTE agree on establishing security measures in the East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 June 2004, 12:23 GMT]
At a meeting organized by the Sri lanka Monitoring Mission in the Batticaloa district Wednesday, Col. Ramesh, the special commander of the Liberation Tigers for the Batticaloa-Amparai region, pointed out to Major General Shantha Kottegoda, the Overall Operational Commander of the Sri Lanka Army for the Eastern Province, that elements of the SLA were involved in the recent killings in Batticaloa and that the SLA was associating closely with the renegade Karuna group. Col. Ramesh also agreed to immediately establish direct liaison with the SLA and Police, LTTE and SLMM sources said.
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Donors warn Sri Lanka on peace process, economic reforms

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 June 2004, 11:06 GMT]
Following their meeting in Brussels Tuesday, the co-chairs of aid donors to Sri Lanka issued a statement warning the Colombo government that there should be "no drift and no delay in resuming and taking forward the peace process" and pointing out that "the peace process and the development process are mutually reinforcing and interlinked." The co-chairs called for "the establishment of effective delivery mechanisms for donor-financed development activities in the North and East."
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RSF condemns Nadesan's murder

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 2004, 21:57 GMT]
The Paris based world media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres) Tuesday condemned the murder of Tamil journalist Aiyathurai Nadesan in Batticaloa and voiced concern that "dissension within the Tamil separatist movement and existing tensions with the security forces could lead to an escalation of violation against the news media".
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Public to pay last respects to Nadesan in Kilinochchi, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 2004, 18:40 GMT]
The remains of the assassinated Tamil journalist, Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan, will be kept at the Kilinochchi Cultural Hall Wednesday morning from 10 a.m. and in Jaffna at the Veerasingham Hall on Thursday morning for the public to pay last respects before being cremated in Nelliyady in the Vadamaradchi division of Jaffna district Thursday evening, media sources in Jaffna said.
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North-East to shut down over Nadesan's murder

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 2004, 14:47 GMT]
Media associations in the North-East province Tuesday called for a general shut down (Hartal) on Wednesday to condemn the slaying of a leading Tamil journalist, Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Monday in Batticaloa town, sources said.
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Vanni journalists condemn Nadesan’s murder

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 2004, 13:56 GMT]
The Vanni district journalists association Tuesday released a statement expressing its shock and grief at the murder of the Batticaloa-based senior journalist, Mr. Iyathurai Nadesan, Monday. The association strongly condemned the murder and said the journalist's slaying has created a sense of fear and insecurity among Tamil journalists.
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Peter Harrold meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 2004, 10:50 GMT]
Director of World Bank Country Representative for Sri Lanka, Mr. Peter Harrold, met with LTTE's Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan at the Kilinochchi Peace Secretariat today, the peace secretariat website said. The discussions centered on the need of funds to support urgent humanitarian needs in the NorthEast, the website added.
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Killings threaten press freedom- SLTMA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 2004, 02:53 GMT]
"We urge all those who cherish press freedom and democracy to pressure the Sri Lanka Government to take immediate steps to safeguard the journalists from murder and harassment, and to bring to justice those who perpetrate dastardly crimes on Tamil journalists who question oppression and injustice," said members of the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA), in a memorandum released Tuesday.
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LTTE condemns Nadesan's killing, warns SL security forces

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 May 2004, 13:50 GMT]
While expressing sympathy to the members of Mr.Nadesan's family, the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers, in a press release issued today from Kilinochchi, warned the Sri Lanka security forces and the militants assisting them that unless killings stop, people of Sri Lanka have to face a calamitous period.
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SLA, LTTE to discuss Eastern killings

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 May 2004, 06:28 GMT]
Major General Shantha Kottegoda, Sri Lanka Army’s newly appointed Overall Operational Commander (OOC) for the eastern province, is scheduled to lead the SLA team to a meeting with the politico-military leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the east, arranged by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM). The purpose of the meeting is to find ways and means to arrest the continuing killings in the east by unknown gunmen, SLMM sources said.
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IDPs urge re-opening of Vadamarachchi-Nagarkovil road

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 2004, 17:09 GMT]
The Association of Nagarkovil Internally Displaced Families (ANIDF) in Jaffna district Saturday appealed to Sri Lanka's President Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge to take steps to re-open the Vadamarachchi-Nagarkovil main road for civilian movement, sources said.


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Solheim meets Rajapakse, Hakeem

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 May 2004, 16:42 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy, Mr.Erik Solheim, Friday met with the Prime Minister, Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, and the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Mr.Rauff Hakeem, and discussed the latest developments that have arisen in finding a consensus in resuming the stalled peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, political sources said.
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HSZ in Jaffna illegal - JDHAC

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 May 2004, 16:05 GMT]
"The retention of the high security zones in the Jaffna district after the expiry of the State of Emergency in the country is considered illegal," said the Jaffna District Humanitarian Agencies' Consortium (JDHAC) in a memorandum to Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, Friday.
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LTTE, SLA discuss issues affecting Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 May 2004, 14:36 GMT]
Jaffna district political head of LTTE, Mr.C.Ilamparithi, and Jaffna district General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Sri Lanka Army, Major General Susil Chandrapala, held a two-hour long discussion at the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna Friday morning, on problems affecting the normal life of the people of the Jaffna district, sources said.


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Solheim meets Kumaratunge, sides no closer to agreement

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 May 2004, 01:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Thursday evening held two hour long discussion with the visiting Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim on the prospects of holding peace talks. Sri Lanka Government and the Liberation Tigers are not close to an agreement on the time and modality of resuming the peace process, political sources in Colombo said.
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Kalutara Tamil prisoners put off fasting campaign

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 May 2004, 22:04 GMT]
Mr. Sivanathan Kishore, the Tamil National Alliance Member of Parliament from the Vanni, who visited the Kalutara prison Thursday, said that the Tamil youths at the prison have put off their planned fasting campaign, following assurances that the TNA would take up their plight with Sri Lanka’s Attorney General and the Minister of Justice. Arrested under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), many youths have been languishing in jails for several years without their cases being brought to court.
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Harim Peiris holds discussions with TRO officials

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 May 2004, 16:40 GMT]
Mr.Harim Peiris, the spokesman for Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, Thursday visited Liberation Tigers-held Kilinochchi and held discussions with the Government Agent, heads of Sri Lanka government departments and representatives of the Tamils' Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), sources said.
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Thambaiah's funeral held in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 May 2004, 10:42 GMT]
The body of Mr. Kumaravel Thambaiah, a senior lecturer in the Eastern University who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at his home in Batticaloa town around 4.30 p.m. Monday was brought to his home village of Aasikulam in Vavuniya on Tuesday and was cremated on Wednesday, sources in Vavuniya said. Vavuniya North Education Commissioner, S.Pathmanathan, presided over the memorial meeting after the funeral ceremony.


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International community's role in Sri Lanka's peace discussed in Berlin

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 May 2004, 00:05 GMT]
Representatives of the Sri Lankan Government, the Liberation Tigers and the International Donor Community participated in a conference titled, 'New perspectives in the Sri Lankan Peace Process - the current political situation and the role of the International community,' organised by the Berghof Foundation for Conflict Studies and Transformation in Berlin Wednesday, sources said.
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SL President's media spokesman visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 May 2004, 17:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka President's media spokesman and the Director General of the Northern Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Reconciliation Ministry, Mr.Harim Peiris, Wednesday arrived in Jaffna and held discussions with government officials and the Sri Lanka Army Commander in Jaffna, Major General Susil Chandrapala, at the Jaffna district secretariat.
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