SLA soldiers threaten LTTE cadre released to parents

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 May 2004, 15:50 GMT]
Parents of Mr.Nadaraja Tharasingham of Point Pedro Wednesday lodged a complaint at the Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) that his son who was handed over to them by the LTTE in the presence of HRCSL officials recently is being intimidated by the soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for being in the LTTE, civil rights sources said.
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"ISGA the base for future peace talks" - Akashi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 May 2004, 15:29 GMT]
"The future peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam will be based on the Interim Self Governing Authority proposals submitted by the LTTE," said the Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, addressing a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Colombo Hilton Hotel concluding his five-day visit to Sri Lanka.
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LTTE team completes assessment of development in East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 May 2004, 15:20 GMT]
The team of political and administrative heads of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, led by the deputy head of the political division, Mr. S. Thangan, which visited the Batticaloa-Amparai district to assess development needs and activities, completed its assessment and returned to the Vanni Wednesday morning, sources said.
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Sinister elements behind killing of police constable - Kausalyan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 May 2004, 14:59 GMT]
Mr. E. Kausalyan, the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Batticaloa, told TamilNet Wednesday that the LTTE has nothing to do with the killing of a police intelligence operative by unidentified gunmen Wednesday morning at a sub-post office in Batticaloa town.
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Akashi meets Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 May 2004, 11:29 GMT]
Japanese special envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi had discussions with Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, head of the LTTE's political divison, on issues related to the planned resumption of the long stalled peace talks between the Tigers and Colombo Tuesday morning in Killinochchi. The hour-long discussion also centred on reconstruction and development in the northeast, LTTE officials said. The meeting took place at the LTTE's peace secretariat in Kilinochchi.
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LTTE team assesses Batticaloa development needs, meets UNICEF

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 May 2004, 10:49 GMT]
A team led by Deputy Leader of Liberation Tigers Political Wing, S. Thangan, is visiting Batticaloa district on a fact finding mission to examine the needs in the district in the areas of rehabilitation, administration and economic development, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Akashi to meet LTTE leadership in Kilinochchi Tuesday

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 May 2004, 14:16 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, is to meet the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Tuesday in Kilinochchi. The Japanese Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Mr.Akio Suda, will accompany Mr. Akashi and two other diplomats to Kilinochchi, sources at the Japanese Embassy in Colombo said.
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Balasingham's book 'Viduthalai' released in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 May 2004, 17:25 GMT]
The launch of 'Viduthalai' (Liberation), collection of articles written by Liberation Tigers' theoretician and political strategist Mr.Anton Balasingham was held in Jaffna University Kailasapathy Auditorium Sunday evening. The book was first released in London six months ago and this was the first time the book was released in the Northeast, sources said.
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Tie aid to ISGA progress, Sampanthan tells Akashi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 May 2004, 12:15 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan Sunday told the Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi that flow of foreign aid to Sri Lanka should depend on the progress made in establishing the Internal Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in northeast province. Mr.Sampanthan met with Mr. Akashi in the Japanese embassy in Colombo Sunday morning and held more than an hour long discussion on the current political situation in Sri Lanka, TNA sources said.


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Akashi arrives in Colombo to continue peace mission

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 May 2004, 16:01 GMT]
Mr Yasushi Akashi, Special Representative of the Government of Japan, arrived in Colombo Saturday evening around 7.30 p.m. to continue his peace mission in Sri Lanka.T his is his 7th visit to Sri Lanka since he was appointed as the Special Representative in October 2002 to contribute to the peace process in Sri Lanka and his first visit after the election of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government at the recently concluded General Elections.


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Rocca: "Ending conflict is the key to prosperity in Sri Lanka"

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 15:43 GMT]
" Peace, prosperity- and, of course, stability are married to each other, here in Sri Lanka no less than elsewhere," said Ms Christina Rocca, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, said Friday in a press release.


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Christina Rocca meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 11:01 GMT]
"The international community should tell publicly to the Sri Lankan government that it would not prevent Tamils going in their own way to achieve their rights if Sinhala leaders fail to political solution to meet their legitimate aspirations. This will contribute to the success of the current peace process in finding a lasting political solution," Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan Friday appealed to Ms Christina Rocca, US State Department Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs Friday, sources said.
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LTTE’s political advisor heads to London

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 07:18 GMT]
Mr. Anton Balasingham, political advisor to the Liberation Tigers, left Kilinochchi Friday morning after concluding extensive consultations with Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan and senior officials of the LTTE regarding the resumption and continuation of peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka. He will leave for London Friday evening, LTTE officials in Kilinochchi said.


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UNP will not support UPFA sham peace effort -Peiris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2004, 15:25 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Thursday announced that it would not support the sham peace efforts of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government ." UPFA leaders make contradicting statements on their peace efforts. It clearly shows that they are insincere in their peace moves. Hence the UNP will not support the sham peace efforts of the UPFA government," said UNP senior leader and a former minister in the then UNF government Professor G.L.Peiris at a press briefing held Thursday in Colombo.
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Japanese peace envoy Akashi to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2004, 07:58 GMT]
Mr.Yasushi Akashi, special envoy of the Government of Japan is to pay a five-day visit to Sri Lanka commencing from Saturday 15th May to follow up his continued peace mission, said the Japanese Embassy in a press release Thursday.
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‘Talks announcement in a day or two’ – Balasingham

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2004, 06:53 GMT]
Mr. Anton Balasingham, political advisor to the Liberation Tigers, said Thursday that the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka have agreed on most of the fundamental issues related to the resumption of peace talks. Speaking to journalists at the conclusion of a two-hour discussion with Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Norway’s deputy foreign minister, Mr. Balasingham said the LTTE and Colombo would reach a decision in “a day or two” on the time and place for restarting the peace talks. He said Norway would make an announcement about the consensus reached by the two parties in “one or two days”.
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Kadirgamar: "ISGA, blue print for a future separate state"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2004, 01:25 GMT]
Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal is a blue print for a future separate State and it will be difficult for a sovereign government to accept the proposal, said Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, during a talk he gave at the Brookings Institute in Washington D.C Wednesday afternoon. Mr.Kadirgamar is on an official visit to the United States where he met with U.S Secretary of State, Colin Powell and other U.S Government officials.
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LTTE's Financial Division announces relief measures

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 16:04 GMT]
The Financial Division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Wednesday announced several measures offering relief to consumers and fishermen in the northeast province. The current 10 percent tax imposed on outboard motor engines and fishing gear brought to Thamileelam has been completely removed as an incentive to the development of the fisheries industry, said Mr. S.Thamilenthi, head of the Financial Division, at a press briefing held Wednesday at the Revenue Secretariat of the LTTE, sources said.
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NECORD funds new school building in Kanniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 10:14 GMT]
Students of resettled families of Kanniya, a traditional Tamil village which is located along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura highway, about eight km off northwest of east port town Tuesday moved into a new school building constructed at a cost of 1.3 million rupees by the North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), sources said.


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Japanese envoy visits Jaffna, Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 18:21 GMT]
Jaffna district intelligentsia Tuesday made an appeal to the Japanese government not to grant any aid to Sri Lankan government until a permanent political solution is found for the Tamil national question. A delegation of academics led by Jaffna University Vice Chancellor, Professor C.Mohanadas, Tuesday told the visiting Japanese ambassador in Sri Lanka, Mr.Akisuda, that Tamils in the northeast province have not been allowed by the government in power to enjoy the benefits of the ceasefire now holding in the country since February 22, 2002.
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