Tokyo to host talks, Akashi to meet Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 January 2003, 12:57 GMT]
Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Japan's special envoy for peace building and rehabilitation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka and Mr.Anton Balasingham, the Liberation Tigers’ Chief negotiator and political advisor, met Sunday in Bangkok to discuss the ongoing Norwegian peace initiative in Sri Lanka and Japan’s aid plans for the country.
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Public urged to safeguard Jaffna's antiques

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 December 2002, 16:33 GMT]
The Head of Tamil Department of the Jaffna University, Professor K.Shanmugathas, Saturday made an appeal to all citizens to take immediate measures to safeguard antiques found in Hindu temples and other public places from being smuggled out of Jaffna peninsula, sources in Jaffna said.
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Expatriate co-ordination center opened in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 December 2002, 15:14 GMT]
"We acknowledge the enormous contribution of Tamil expatriates from across the world to the progress of our struggle. On our leader Pirapaharan's directive we are opening co-ordination centers for Tamil expatriate visitors to get any help they need to make their visit an enjoyable and rewarding experience," said Kausalyan, Head of Batticaloa-Ampara political section of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) opening the co-ordination center in Kalladi, Batticaloa, today.
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Maldives keen to host Lanka-LTTE talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 December 2002, 12:27 GMT]
The government of Maldives Monday said it was keen to host the peace talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) during a two-day visit to the atoll nation by Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom wished success for the peace talks to end Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict during official talks with Mr. Wickremesinghe in Male, the main atoll that is the country’s capital.
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SLFP questions UNF approach to peace

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 December 2002, 14:29 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) the main constituent of the Sri Lanka opposition the People's Alliance (PA), demanded in a press release that the ruling United National Front (UNF) government should explain to Sri Lankan people different concepts and terms included in the Oslo statement which embodied the agreement between Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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LTTE denies involvement in abduction

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 December 2002, 17:07 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thursday categorically denied any involvement in the alleged abduction of three members of para military Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) in the Batticaloa district, sources said.
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LTTE police stations 'not a new phenomena' - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 December 2002, 15:26 GMT]
The LTTE's Police and law and order systems would not extend into areas controlled by the Sri Lankan government while continuing to maintain law and order in Tiger-controlled areas, Mr. Anton Balasingham, the movement's Chief Negotiator and political advisor told reporters in Oslo Tuesday. He was speaking at a press conference held during lunch on the second day of the third round of peace talks between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government.
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Karuna joins Tharavai Heroes day event

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 November 2002, 01:01 GMT]
Special commander of Batticaloa-Ampara district Karuna, who is also the co-chair of the sub-committee on De-escalation and Normalization formed at the second meeting of the first round of peace talks in Thailand, lit the sacrificial flame at the Heroes day event at the Maaveer cemetary in Tharavai, 70km Northwest of Batticaloa town, held 27 November afternoon.
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LTTE leader calls for autonomy and self-government for Tamil homeland

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 November 2002, 12:17 GMT]
In a radical move to clarify the policy orientation of his organisation, Mr Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) declared that he would favourably consider a political framework that offers substantial regional autonomy and self-government to the Tamil people on the basis of their right to internal self-determination. The text of Mr. Pirapaharan’s annual Heroes’ Day address was released to the media in an official statement.
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Tamil Eelam Courts opened in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 November 2002, 18:03 GMT]
"We open our police stations and law courts in our areas only and not in areas held by the government to maintain law and order as mandated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leadership," said the head of the Tamil Eelam Judicial Service Mr.Para addressing gathering after he declared open the law courts for the Batticaloa-Ampara district in Arasadithivu Saturday.
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Maveerar Day celebrations for the first time in Batticaloa town

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 November 2002, 16:12 GMT]
The ‘Maveerar Naal’ (Heroes Day) will be observed in Batticaloa town for the first time this year. The Mahajana College, where the LTTE leader V. Pirapaharan had his primary education (1960-63), has been chosen as the venue for the observance, LTTE sources said.
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'Military readiness vital for self defence' - Ramesh

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 November 2002, 13:57 GMT]
"Sri Lankan governments of the past, under the cloak of peace talks, have been deceiving the Tamil people. We firmly believe that Sri Lankan politicians in power will not make the same mistake this time. If the State attempts to oppress our people again with the use of military force we will be ready to defend," said Ramesh, head of Liberation Tigers Batticaloa-Ampara military section, at the passing out ceremony of a commando unit in Ampara, Sunday.
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Rebel Muslim MPs cut committee deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 November 2002, 15:08 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka Monday appointed a committee headed by its Interior secretary to look after the interests and concerns of Muslims in the island’s northeast in a bid to retain the crucial support of eight MPs of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the main partner of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ruling coalition, who have been boycotting Parliament amid allegations that the opposition was manipulating them to instigate communal tensions in the east to scuttle the peace talks for ending the island’s conflict and to topple the United National Front government.
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Karuna and Hakeem to work closely

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 November 2002, 15:27 GMT]
Improving the security situation in the East was a key topic of discussion in the second round of peace talks between the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and the Government of SriLanka which began on the 31 October in Thailand. "Mr. Hakeem and Mr. Karuna agreed to work together in the east to meet with local communities and address their specific concerns and aspirations, including matters relating to the occupation and cultivation of land," a release from the Norwegian Embassy in Thailand said.
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'We are firmly behind peace process' - Kausalyan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 October 2002, 13:46 GMT]
"Several forces are attempting to sabotage the current peace process, assisted by some members of the news media. But we are firmly committed to the peace process as repeatedly articulated and directed by our national leader V. Pirapaharan," said Kausalyan, head of the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) political section, Batticaloa-Ampara district in a press conference held in Kokadichcholai District Secretariat on 30 October morning.
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Left PA government because Kumaratunga was bent on war - Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 17:10 GMT]
“Prof. G.L Pieris, Mr. S. B Dissanayaka and I left People’s Alliance government last year because President Chandrika Kumaratunga was bent on war and detested peace. We could have been ministers in the PA government until 2005. But had we remained in the PA regime for the full term of the Parliament elected in 2000, war would have continued in this country. It is in this context that we left the PA and helped form a new government. The war came to an end because of this government,” said Sri Lanka’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mr. Mahinda Wijesekera.
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Norway, LTTE discuss talks agenda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 09:40 GMT]
The Norwegian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen met with the leadership of the Liberation Tigers Wednesday and held two and a half hours of discussions on "crucial issues pertaining to the formation of the joint task force" for economic development and reconstruction of the northeast, sources in Vanni said. Issues underlying the high security zones (HSZ) and the security situation in the northeast were also discussed, they said.
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Buddhist monk warns of disruptive forces in Trinco

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 13:26 GMT]
Venerable Dodantuwe Thammanatha Thero of Mahamayapura Buddhist temple in Trincomalee town said that miscreants are bent on instigating clashes in the eastern district by portraying the Liberation Tigers as anti- Singhalese. He was addressing a peace conference at the Trincomalee Police Headquarters to promote reconciliation between all communities in the eastern port town Thursday evening. The Buddhist monk showed the audience a leaflet printed in Sinhala stating that LTTE leader Mr. Pirapaharan considers the Singhalese as his enemies.
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Norwegians to meet Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 October 2002, 12:26 GMT]
A Norwegian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgessen will meet the leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, in Vanni, next week, the Voice of Tigers Radio announced Wednesday, quoting Mr. Anton Balasingham, the LTTE’s chief negotiator. Mr.Balasingham arrived in Vanni Tuesday from London.
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Tigers say assaulted in custody

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 October 2002, 13:00 GMT]
Six Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers being held by the Liberation Tigers were Wednesday released to the International Committee of Red Cross in Trincomalee, while two LTTE members arrested by the SLA were released by the Trincomalee magistrate on as ordered by the Court of Appeal on Tuesday. The SLA soldiers said they had been treated well in custody, but the LTTE cadres said they had been beaten and manacled in police custody.
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