Constitutional crisis bound to disturb peace process-Bishops

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 May 2003, 16:38 GMT]
The Catholic Bishop Conference of Sri Lanka in a statement issued Wednesday expressed “profound disappointment” over the present political situation especially about the current standoff between Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister and President over the latter’s decision to take over a ministry amid objections and protests by the ruling party.
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LTTE,TNA spell out basis for Tokyo meet participation

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 May 2003, 10:55 GMT]
“The LTTE is of the view that before it participates in the Tokyo Aid Conference currently fixed for 9th and 10th June, the administrative, financial and other structures with adequate powers need to be established in order to reconstruct the northeast and to rehabilitate and restore normal civilian life in the northeast province”, said the Tamil National Alliance in a press release issued Wednesday on the outcome of the talks its delegation had with the LTTE political leadership on Tuesday in Killinochchi.
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US diplomat cancels Trincomalee visit

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 May 2003, 14:27 GMT]
The Assistant Secretary of State in the US government Ms Christina Rocca cancelled her visit to Trincomalee due to inclement weather, diplomatic sources said. On her two-day visit to Sri Lanka, Ms. Rocca was scheduled to visit Trincomalee Tuesday to hold talks with Sri Lanka navy officials in the east port town in addition to a luncheon discussion with selected leading citizens of the area at a tourist resort in Nilaveli, sources said.


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DLB controversy sparks constitutional crisis in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 10:52 GMT]
The constitutional crisis between the legislature and the executive branches of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) regarding the take over of the administration of the Development Lottery Board (DLB) took a new turn Monday when Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge issued a directive to the GoSL Printer Mr. Neville Nanayakkara to print the extra ordinary gazette notification sent by her on Thursday, political sources in Colombo said.


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News in brief

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 10:44 GMT]
Officials complain of school books replete with Spelling, Grammar, factual errors, more than 8,000 Sri Lanka Army soldiers desert their posts and Jaffna TRO contemplates filing rights case against Sri Lanka Government and security forces.


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TRO opens first divisional office in Muttur

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 01:40 GMT]
The Trincomalee district branch of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Sunday declared open its first divisional office at Chenaiyoor in the LTTE held Muttur east. On the opening day TRO gave Rs10,000 for relatives of each of the three Tamil youths killed in the recent Muttur riot as compensation, sources said.
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Pirapaharan felicitates Kumar's family

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 00:28 GMT]
Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) , awarded the 'Maamanithar' medal to Yogaluxmi Ponnambalam, wife of late Kumar Ponnambalam, in honor of her husband in a special function held in Kilinochchi, Sunday, sources said. Late Kumar's children, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, a lawyer and Tamil National Alliance (TNA)Parliamentarian, and Mirnalini Ponnambalam, a physician, accompanied their mother to the function.
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Colombo's response will determine Talks' future - Pathuman

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 00:17 GMT]
"We will regain hope for peace if the response from the Sri Lanka government to our letter is positive and constructive," said the Trincomalee district commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Colonel Pathuman, Saturday evening at a passing out event held at LTTE controlled Ralkuli village in Muttur division where certificates were awarded to a group of LTTE cadres who qualified as junior officers after arms training, sources said.


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TNA, LTTE leadership to meet Tuesday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 May 2003, 14:40 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has invited the parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for a meeting at the LTTE's political head quarters in Kilinochchi Tuesday 10am, political sources in Vanni said.
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Balasingham ill, leaves for London - VoT

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 May 2003, 14:16 GMT]
Political advisor and leader of the peace delegation for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr. Anton Balasingham, suddenly fell ill in Kilinochchi and is on his way to London, Voice of Tigers (VoT) reported in its evening broadcast, Sunday.
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LTTE should enhance its military power – MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 May 2003, 00:09 GMT]
“The Liberation Tigers should enhance their military power. This is the only way to ensure our rights in this country. If war is thrust on us again, every Tamil, regardless of any differences, should join the ranks of the LTTE’s armed forces. That is the only way for us to survive as a people," said Mr. Ariyanayaham Chandra Nehru, Tamil National Alliance MP for Amparai, speaking at a seminar on the future of the peace process, organised by the East Lanka Journalists’ Association in Batticaloa town Saturday.


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Akashi expresses confidence in LTTE joining aid talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2003, 01:16 GMT]
Efforts to resolve the technical issues relating to administering North East Reconstruction Fund and to make the Subcommittee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN) more effective are underway to enable resumption of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi Friday in a press conference in Kilinochchi.
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Court orders remand for two LTTE cadres

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2003, 00:27 GMT]
Trincomalee Magistrate Mr.S.Thiagendran Friday ordered remand till May 22 for two Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suspects who were produced on a report under Explosives and Weapons Ordinance by the Trincomalee Harbour Police, legal sources said.


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Nambiar delivers HSZ report to Lanka's PM

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 May 2003, 02:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament Thursday during the special debate in Sri Lanka parliament that the report submitted by a former Indian army official, Satish Nambiar, on high security zones in the northeast has been forwarded to the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge, parliamentary sources said.


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AI slams US State Department rights report on Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 19:04 GMT]
The Amnesty International Thursday criticised the US state department for putting out a biased human rights report on Sri Lanka for 2002. Mr. Jim McDonald, Sri Lanka Country Specialist, Amnesty International, U.S.A said Thursday that the US state department’s human rights report on Sri Lanka for 2002 made serious omissions relating to human rights violations committed by Sri Lankan armed forces.
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Colombo to take positive steps to resume talks with LTTE-Peiris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 16:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesman, Minister G.L.Peiris, said Thursday that the Sri Lanka government is in the process of taking positive steps to accelerate the resettlement of internally displaced and to strengthen the function of the Subcommittee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs(SIHRN) in an attempt to bring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam back to the negotiating table.


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PA-JVP in final round of talks on agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 12:19 GMT]
The final round of talks between the People’s Alliance (PA) and the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) are progressing satisfactorily and the parties expect to sign a memorandum of understanding end of the week, Mr. Wimal Weerawanse, the Propaganda Secretary and spokesman of the JVP said Thursday. The JVP says that Cease Fire Agreement and the basis of the peace talks between the Liberation Tigers and Colombo should be radically altered to nullify what it describes as “US new imperialist designs to destabilise India”.
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Norway delegation meets Balasingham, LTTE commanders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 11:45 GMT]
Norwegian delegation comprising special envoy, Eric Solheim, Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Tryggve Tellefsen, Second Secretary Tomas Stangeland and Advisor in the Foreing Ministry of Norway Ms Lisa Golden met with Mr. Anton Balasingham, Political Advisor and Leader of the Negotiating team of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, S.P. Thamilchelvan, Head of the LTTE political wing, Dr. Jay Maheswaran, LTTE commanders Col. Theepan, Col. Soosai, and Col. Banu this morning at the LTTE political head quarters in Kilinochchi.
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Lanka Parliament debates Wickremesinghe's statement on peace process

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 11:16 GMT]
The special debate on the statement made by Sri Lanka's Prime Minister on the present state of peace process began Thursday morning in Sri Lankn parliament, parliamentary sources said. Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar, foreign minister in the previous Peoples Alliance (PA) government opening the debate said the United National Front (UNF) government has converted the country as a playground for the foreigners by signing the ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, sources added.
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Akashi meets Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 00:02 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Wednesday told the Japanese peace special envoy Mr Yasushi Akashi that they would consider his request to participate at the Aid Donor conference in Japan seriously if the Government of Sri Lanka took positive steps towards implementing decisions taken at six previous rounds of talks, sources in Vanni said.


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