TNA condemns State media for false reporting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 18:19 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Mr.R.Sampanthan Thursday in a statement condemned the officials responsible, including the Minister for Media, Lakshman Kadirgamar, for carrying false news in State media, political sources said.
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Karuna cadres burn Tamil dailies

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 12:34 GMT]
A group of youths believed to be cadres working for the renegade LTTE commander Karuna Thursday morning seized and burnt about four thousand copies of Thursday edition of a Tamil daily THINAKKURAL and about one thousand copies of another daily VIRAKESARI when they were transported to Batticaloa for sale, police said.


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Rupavahini blamed for falsifying report

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 11:24 GMT]
Amparai district former Tamil National Alliance (TNA)parliamentarian Mr. A.Chandra Nehru Thursday issued a statement denying a report carried by State controlled Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) saying that he participated in a demonstration burning the effigy of LTTE leader Mr.Pirapaharan, sources in Amparai said.


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"Election is a referendum on ISGA" - Thilak

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 10:58 GMT]
Mr.S.Thilak, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Wednesday that Tamils of the northeast province should consider the April 2 general election as a referendum on the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals and a democratic recognition for the liberation struggle, sources in Trincomalee said.


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Norway will not interfere in LTTE's internal matters

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 08:23 GMT]
Norway will not interfere in the internal matters of the Liberation Tigers said Mr. Erik Soheim speaking to the press at the conclusion of his meeting with Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan Thursday in Kilinochchi. “We did not involve ourselves in the discussion between the President and the Prime Minister and exactly in the same manner we will not take any part in the discussion between the LTTE leadership and Mr. Karuna. The first is an internal matter for the south and the second is an internal matter for the northeast”, Mr. Solheim said.
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German ambassador meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 06:14 GMT]
German ambassador for Sri Lanka, Mr. Jueger Elias met Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, the head of the Liberation Tigers' political divison Thursday in Kilinochchi for discussions on the April general elections, the status of the ceasefire agreement and the possibility of resuming the peace talks between Colombo and LTTE. German funded development programs in the northeast were also reviewed during the discussions, LTTE officials said.
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Colombo won't interfere in Karuna split - spokesman

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2004, 17:50 GMT]
Colombo will not exploit the current situation in the east to gain political milage, the spokesman for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's care taker government, Prof. G. L Pieris said Wednesday. He said that his government will not interfere in Karuna's matter because it is an internal affair of the LTTE.
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Academics condemn SL State media for irresponsible reporting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2004, 17:42 GMT]
The North East Educationists' Forum (NEEF) Wednesday appealed to Sri Lanka's state media to act with a sense of responsibility and to avoid false news items that would disturb the peace now prevailing in Trincomalee district where all three communities live in harmony.
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Solheim to visit Trincomalee Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2004, 15:32 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Eric Solheim is to arrive in Trincomalee Thursday evening from Vanni. He is scheduled to hold talks with the Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr.S.Thilak on Friday morning, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) sources said Wednesday.


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Solheim urged to help ensure fair polls in north

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2004, 14:33 GMT]
Norway’s special peace envoy for Sri Lanka Mr. Erik Solheim met the Bishop of Jaffna, Government Agent, Consortium of NGOs and the head of the LTTE’s political division for Jaffna Wednesday in the northern town for discussions on the current situation and the status of the ceasefire agreement between the Liberation Tigers. The free and fair conduct of the forthcoming general elections in the north and the need to enable people in the LTTE controlled areas to vote without restrictions were the main issues that were discussed at the all the meetings, sources said.
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"Vote to express sole representative status of LTTE" - Poet

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 17:18 GMT]
Head of the Arts and Cultural Department of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Poet, Puthuvai Ratnathurai, Tuesday speaking at a film release event said, "The forthcoming general election is a crucial one in the liberation struggle of Tamils. I appeal to Tamils to vote for the Tamil National Alliance. The international community are keen to see if Tamils are fully supporting the LTTE and its interim self governing authority proposals," said Mr.Puthuvai Ratnathurai.
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Colonel Pathuman speaks to TamilNet

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 14:25 GMT]
"I am keeping fine," Colonel Pathuman, Trincomalee district military commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) told TamilNet Tuesday evening by telephone from Vanni. He appealed to Tamil people not to believe in rumours spread through State media. His comment followed the news report of the State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) that he had been killed in Vanni.
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Voters from LTTE controlled areas wont be checked - SLA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 13:37 GMT]
The Sri Lankan security forces commander for Jaffna, Maj. Gen. Susil Chandrapala said Tuesday that the military would not check people who come to vote at the 2 April general elections from the LTTE controlled Kilinochchi district. He told a group of academics and civil society leaders whom he met at the Sri Lanka Human Rights Office that if clustered polling stations for voters from Kilinochchi were to be set up inside the Sri Lanka army's entry point zone in Muhamalai in southern Jaffna, the military is ready to pull back its positions 500 metres away from the voting area.
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Civilian interests must be upheld - NPC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 11:35 GMT]
"It is incumbent on the LTTE, government, political party leaders and civil society groups, and international ceasefire monitors to ensure that the ceasefire agreement is not violated by any party. In particular, we call on the government not to abdicate its responsibilities by the civilian population," said the National Peace Council (NPC), in a media release issued in Colombo today.
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British envoy meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 11:09 GMT]
The British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Mr. Steven Evans and other British officials met with LTTE's Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi today and discussed matters related to the current situation in Batticaloa, delivery of humanitarian assistance and voting issues in the forthcoming general elections, the LTTE peace secretariat website said.
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Thilak slams SLBC over Pathuman story

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2004, 09:53 GMT]
The news that LTTE Trincomalee district military commander Colonel Pathuman has been killed in Vanni is a canard to create panic and confusion among Tamil people by some interested parties, LTTE Trincomalee district political head Mr.S.Thilak told TamilNet Tuesday afternoon. The State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) in its noon news broadcast in all three media reported that Trincomalee LTTE military commander Colonel Pathuman had been killed in Vanni.
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Jaffna celebrates International Women's day

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 March 2004, 21:15 GMT]
The International Women's Day was celebrated in the Jaffna district Monday on the theme "We want our land." The Jaffna District Forum against Sexual and other Violence on Women organized awareness processions and other cultural events related to women liberation programme in the district, sources said.


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Col.Pathuman dismisses Karuna's speculation

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 March 2004, 15:49 GMT]
In an interview with the Associated Press (AP), Col.Pathuman, Liberation Tiger's Trincomalee commander, dismissed speculation by renegade former LTTE commander from Batticaloa-Ampara Karuna that the LTTE leadership is holding Pathuman under house arrest in Vanni.
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Batticaloa Bishop and his team meet LTTE Leaders

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 March 2004, 15:35 GMT]
Bishop Rt. Rev. Kingsley Swampillai and his team from Batticaloa consisting of the eastern university representatives, NGOs and members of the business community, met with LTTE Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Batticaloa-Amparai Special Commander Ramesh, Commander Ram, Mr. Karikalan and the Political Head of Batticaloa-Amparai Mr. Kausalyan today 8th March 2004 in Kilinochchi, sources in Vanni said.
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Peace delegation from Batticaloa to resolve Karuna crisis

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 March 2004, 02:40 GMT]
A delegation of religious and civil society leaders of Batticaloa, led by Bishop Rt. Rev. Kingsley Swampillai and Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University, Dr. S. Raveendranath, will leave for Vanni Monday to hold discussions with the Liberation Tigers' leadership to peacefully handle the problem of renegade LTTE commander, Mr. Karuna, a senior LTTE official in Batticaloa told TamilNet Sunday night.
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