Consultation with GOSL, LTTE to continue - Norway

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 14:32 GMT]
“The Government of Norway will continue to consult with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the coming weeks as some issues need to be discussed further before negotiations can start,” said the Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lanka in a press release issued Tuesday evening.


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‘Let’s discuss ISGA first’, LTTE tells Kumaratunga

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 13:12 GMT]
Mr. Anton Balasingham, political advisor to the Liberation Tigers said Tuesday that the LTTE have suggested that their proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority should be taken up for negotiations first, responding to a suggestion by the Sri Lankan President conveyed through the Norwegian foreign minister to the LTTE leadership Tuesday that there should be parallel talks towards a permanent settlement to the island’s ethnic conflict. He said that President Kumaratunga has accepted the LTTE as the sole representatives of the Tamil people.
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SLA, LTTE agree to develop procedures to prevent killings in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 10:30 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army and the Liberation Tigers Tuesday agreed in Batticaloa to “develop mechanisms to ensure information sharing and quick reaction procedures to prevent serious crimes and to ensure proper procedures to apprehend individuals perpetrating serious crimes”. The meeting was arranged amidst killings that threatened to jeopardize the cease-fire agreement between LTTE and Colombo. Col. Thambirajah Ramesh, led the LTTE delegation to the meeting with the SLA at the Vavunathivu divisional secretariat, 5 kilometres, northwest of Batticaloa town.
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Norwegian foreign minister meets Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 07:32 GMT]
Norway’s Foreign Minister Jan Petersen met Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers and his political advisor, Mr. Anton Balasingham in Kilinochchi Tuesday to discuss issues relating to the resumption of peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka. The Norwegian foreign minister was accompanied by his deputy Mr. Vidar Helgesen and Norway’s ambassador for Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar.


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Petersen to meet Pirapaharan in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 02:47 GMT]
The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Mr.Jan Petersen, and his deputy, Mr. Vidar Helgesen, are scheduled to leave Colombo for Kilinochchi Tuesday morning to meet the LTTE leadership for discussions on issues related to resuming the suspended peace talks, Presidential secretariat sources said.


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Balasingham's book to be released in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2004, 17:18 GMT]
"Viduthalai (Liberation)," a collection of articles authored by the theoretician and political strategist of the Liberation Tigers, Mr.Anton Balasingham, is to be released at an event scheduled to be held on May 16 at the Jaffna University Kailasapathy Auditorium, sources said.
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JVP opposed to UPFA’s decision to talk only with LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2004, 16:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s United People’s Freedom Alliance, led by President Chandrika Kumaratunge, in a statement Sunday said that the UPFA government would hold peace talks only with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, thus conceding the LTTE’s demand to be recognized as the ‘sole representatives’ of the Tamil people, according to wire reports. The Marxist and ultra-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, one of the main constituents of the UPFA, has however announced it is opposed to the decision, Tamil press reports said.
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Norwegian Foreign Minister arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2004, 14:51 GMT]
Norwegian Foreign Minister Mr.Jan Peterson with his deputy Mr. Vidar Helgessen arrived in Colombo Monday afternoon to hold discussions with Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to work out modalities to resume the stalled peace talks, political sources said.
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Gnanavel appointed Head of LTTE's Vavuniya Political Wing

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2004, 10:38 GMT]
Liberation Tigers appointed Gnanavel as their new Head of Polltical section for Vavuniya district, sources in Vavuniya said. Outgoing Vavuniya head, Elilan, introduced Gnanavel to the security forces commanders and to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) at the Vavuniya SLMM's office Monday.
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"ISGA needed as confidence building measure for final solution" - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 May 2004, 17:09 GMT]
"The establishment of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in the northeast province is urgently needed as a confidence building measure to take forward the peace process to achieve a final and lasting political solution to the Tamil national question," said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader and Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan addressing a public meeting attended by Tamil people of Kanthalai.
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Elilan meets Sri Lanka Security Forces Commanders

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 May 2004, 14:43 GMT]
Mr.C. Elilan, new Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Sunday morning held discussion with the Trincomalee heads of Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Police in the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee, security sources said.


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LTTE Trincomalee new political head assumes duties

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 May 2004, 17:26 GMT]
Mr.C. Elilan, new Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Saturday night met with the Tamil media personnel in the Trincomalee district, sources in Trincomalee said. Elilan was introduced to media persons by the outgoing district political head Mr.S.Thilak.


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Peace Process, MoU at grave risk- LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 May 2004, 13:00 GMT]
"It is apparent that the killers have all the assistance from the SLA and we request of you to advise the [Sri Lanka] government that if the SLA continues to act in this manner the entire peace process and the cease fire agreement are being placed in heavy risk and dire consequence have to be faced," said Leader of the Political Wing of the LTTE in a letter to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), pointing out to the recent murders of two LTTE cadres in Batticaloa district.
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India should lift ban on LTTE-TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 13:39 GMT]
"The Indian government should lift the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a first step to win the hearts of Tamils in northeast province and to facilitate the peace process brokered by Norway," the Tamil National Alliance Jaffna district parliamentarian, Mr.N.Raviraj, told TamilNet Friday
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Balasingham arrives in Kilinochchi, meets Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 05:45 GMT]
Mr. Anton Balasingham, political advisor to the Liberation Tigers, arrived in Kilinochchi Friday morning around 8 a.m. for consultations with Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan on resuming peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka. He was received by the head of the LTTE’s political division, Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, Mr. B. Nadesan, chief of the Tamil Eelam Police Service and head of the Thamil Eelam Judiciary, Mr. E. Pararajasingham.
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Anton Balasingham arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 04:07 GMT]
Mr.Anton Balasingham, The Liberation Tigers' theoretician and political strategist, arrived in Colombo Friday morning around 5.30 a.m. and he was received by the Sri Lanka's Norwegian ambassador, Mr. Hans Brattskar, at the Katunayake international airport, Colombo media sources said.
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Eastern public complain of wood smuggling

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 May 2004, 16:48 GMT]
A large number of valuable trees in Vakaneri, Poththanai, Poonaakaadu and Kaaradipaththy areas of the Batticaloa district are being felled and smuggled out illegally during the past few weeks, thus robbing valuable forest resources, residents complained to TamilNet Thursday.
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Two LTTE activists shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 May 2004, 13:48 GMT]
Mr.Sivanathan Murali alias Pahalavan and Mr.Vathanan, two unarmed political activists of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), were shot dead Thursday afternoon around 2 p.m. at Thannamunai, located 9 kilometers northwest of Batticaloa town in the Sri Lanka Army-controlled area. At the time of the incident the Sri Lanka Army was patrolling the area, sources said.
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LTTE appoints new political heads for Trinco, Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 May 2004, 17:58 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has made changes in its district administrative structure in the Trincomalee and Vavuniya districts. Mr.S.Thilak, currently the Trincomalee district political head, has been transferred to Kilinochchi, and Mr.S. Elilan, the current Vavuniya district political head, will be the new political head in Trincomalee, LTTE sources in Trincomalee said.
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Solheim briefs Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 May 2004, 14:13 GMT]
Mr. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian peace envoy, Wednesday met with the Leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka's parliament, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, and briefed him on the outcome of the talks he has had with the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, political leadership of the Liberation Tigers, leaders of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Tamil National Alliance since he arrived in Colombo Saturday, political sources said.
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