Karuna feared expulsion, avoided direct contact - Ramesh

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 21:04 GMT]
In an interview from Vanni to the UK-based International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) Radio, Col.Ramesh, the new Special Commander of the Liberation Tigers for Batticaloa-Ampara, said that Karuna took the unilateral decision to split on his own ignoring the advices of several senior commanders and administrateive heads.
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Karuna’s accusations are cover up for guilt and betrayal - Karikalan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 19:58 GMT]
In a wide ranging interview from Vanni to the London, UK-based International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) Radio, Mr. Karikalan, a senior leader of the Liberation Tigers and former head of the political division in Batticaloa-Ampara, said that Karuna, the renegade former LTTE commander from Batticaloa-Ampara, was spreading false stories to the international media to justify his betrayal and to prevent the international Tamil community from calling Mr. Karuna a “traitor.”
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TNA must capture atleast 21 seats - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 18:29 GMT]
"The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) must capture at least twenty one of the thirty one of parliamentary seats in the forthcoming general election to show the international community that the northeast province is the traditional homeland of Tamil speaking people despite attempts by Sri Lanka governments to tamper with demographic balance with several state aided colonization schemes," said the TNA leader and the lead candidate in the Trincomalee district addressing two election meetings in Trincomalee town Sunday morning.


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Karuna’s supporters protest in Valaichenai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 13:22 GMT]
Supporters of the renegade LTTE commander, Mr. Vinyagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna), Sunday held a protest in Valaichenai, 32 kilometres north of Batticaloa, amidst reports that more troops and military officers who were under his overall command were co-ordinating their operations in the east with Mr. T. Ramesh, the new commander for the Batticaloa-Amparai district. A senior LTTE military officer from the Batticaloa-Amparai district arrived in Kilinochchi Sunday evening to brief the Liberation Tigers’ high command about the latest developments in the eastern region, sources said.


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Karikalan condemns Karuna as Pol Pot

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 06:45 GMT]
"Karuna will be seen as a Pol Pot if he continues to act irresponsibly towards our people", said Mr. Sivagnanam Karikalan, one of the senior leaders in the East to arrive in Kilinochchi Sunday morning for discussions with his leadership about the situation in Batticaloa. Mr. Karikalan is a close confidante of Mr. Karuna, the eastern LTTE leader who was sacked from the Liberation Tigers Saturday on charges of treason.
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"Will handle the problem in Batticaloa with caution"- Ramesh

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 01:45 GMT]
"Our leader has given us strict instructions that no harm should befall our people and our fighters in the Batticaloa- Amparai district in dealing with Karuna’s problem. We have devised plans to do this very carefully and with great caution. We have already started to implement these plans. We intend to go back and begin work soon," Commander Ramesh, the LTTE’s military leader for the Batticaloa-Amparai district told TamilNet Sunday.
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LTTE urges support for TNA in Pt.Pedro election rally

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 March 2004, 01:16 GMT]
"The national leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr.V.Pirapaharan fully supports the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the forthcoming general elections. We appeal to Tamil voters to vote for the TNA for its policy. We will not ask voters to cast their votes for particular individual candidates in the TNA lists," said the LTTE senior activist Mr.Arasanna addressing the first TNA election rally held in Point Pedro.


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Jaffna Bishop urges Tamils to cast their votes without fail

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 March 2004, 13:47 GMT]
The Jaffna Bishop Rt.Rev. Thomas Soundaranayagam Saturday appealed to Tamil people to exercise their franchise without fail to clearly express their desire for permanent peace. "Several Tamil political parties are contesting the forthcoming general election under one wing and it will signify a landmark event to the future of Tamils," said Rt Rev.Thomas Soundaranayagam in a statement issued Saturday.


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Peace Talks, CFA will not be affected - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 March 2004, 11:19 GMT]
Talking to journalists during the press conference at the Peace Secretariat Saturday, LTTE Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan said that LTTE will maintain its firm committment to the peace talks and the Ceasefire Agreement and that LTTE leader Pirapaharan is always ready to provide amnesty to those who realize their mistakes.
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Karuna removed from the LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 March 2004, 05:45 GMT]
Liberation Tigers announced today that their Batticaloa-Amparai district commander Karuna has been discharged from the LTTE and has been relieved of official responsibilities. "The Tamil Eelam National leadership has appointed Mr. T. Ramesh as special commander, Mr. Ram as Commander, Mr. Praba as the deputy commander and Mr. Kousalyan as political head of the Batticaloa-Ampara district," said the LTTE statement issued today.
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UNICEF provides school building for Nochchikulam students

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 16:16 GMT]
About fifty students of resettled families in Nochchikulam village in the Morawewa division in the Trincomalee district Thursday moved into a new building, which has been constructed with the funds provided by the UNICEF. The children of the resettled families studied under tree shades till the completion of the semi-permanent building. UNICEF Trincomalee zone head Ms Gabriela Elroy declared open the building Thursday.


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TNA campaigns, Thiriyai to vote after two decades

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 14:25 GMT]
A group of resettled villagers attended a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) election meeting held Wednesday evening after twenty-one years in Thiriyai, a traditional Tamil village in Trincomalee which was completely destroyed in military operations launched by the Sri Lanka Army, sources said.


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CTTU urges members to work for TNA's victory

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 11:47 GMT]
Twenty thousand members strong Ceylon Tamil Teachers’ Union (CTTU) Friday issued a circular to its zonal and district secretaries to participate in election rallies and seminars in support of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidates contesting the forthcoming general election in the northeast province, which has been fixed for April 02nd.


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Batticaloa military commander says crisis being resolved

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 08:02 GMT]
"We have discussed the situation in Batticaloa with our leader in detail. I am certain that we will resolve the problem smoothly. Our leader will soon clarify the situation to the Tamil people and the world", LTTE's special commander for the Batticaloa-Amparai region, T. Ramesh told TamilNet Friday. Commander Ramesh is Col. Karuna's deputy and commands all the LTTE troops in the Batticaloa-Amparai district.
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Monks' Sinhala Buddhist call will derail Kumaratunge - NSSP Leader

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 04:23 GMT]
Dr. Vickremabahu Karunarathne, the leader of the leftist Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP), when asked if United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has any chance of getting absolute majority in the 2 April elections said that "with Buddhist Monks contesting separately, openly proposing 'Sinhala Buddhist' dictatorship, it is very unlikely that United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) could become first in any of the districts."


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"Let us function directly under your leadership"-Karuna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2004, 03:48 GMT]
"Please let us function independently under your direct leadership. We are not leaving you. We are not opposed to you. I do not want to commit the historical mistake of not pointing out to you the aspirations of our people, disregarding their feelings and those of our fighters here. If you love the people here and if you trust the fighters here please let us function independently and directly under your leadership," said Col. Karuna, senior commander of the Liberation Tigers in a letter addressed to the leader of the LTTE, Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan Friday.
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Amended US court ruling protects WTCC, FeTNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 2004, 17:22 GMT]
Judge Audrey Collins has issued an order dated March 3, 2004 which provides that World Tamil Co-ordinating Committee (WTCC) and Federation of Tamil Organizations of North America (FeTNA), as well as their members, are covered by her January 22, 2004 injunction permitting the provision of "expert advice or assistance" toward the peaceful and lawful ends of the LTTE and the PKK, legal sources in California said.
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Grenade attack on EPDP in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 2004, 12:38 GMT]
An Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP) candidate contesting the General Election in the eastern province was injured in a grenade attack in Kulmunai Thursday afternoon, police said.
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Batticaloa crisis temporary - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 2004, 09:56 GMT]
Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Major General (retd.) Trond Furuhovde and his deputy Hagrup Haughland met Head of the LTTE Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi Thursday morning, LTTE peace secretariat website said. LTTE Batticaloa district Head of the Political Wing, Kousalyan, and Director of LTTE Peace Secretariat Puleedevan also participated in the discussions.
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Batticaloa LTTE reiterates stand

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 2004, 09:32 GMT]
"We are functioning with commitment to our cause under the command of our national leader Veluppillai Pirapaharan and the guidance of commander Col. Karuna" a senior official of the LTTE in Batticaloa was quoted as saying in Thursday's edition of the Thamil Alai, a regional daily published from Kokkaddicholai, a large village controlled by the Tigers 15 kilometres southwest of Batticaloa town.
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