NIE discriminates Tamil medium education -CTTU

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 March 2003, 18:59 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) has requested the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to take up the problems confronting Tamil medium education in the Northeast province at the next round of peace talks which is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Japan this week.
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LTTE peace secretariat launches official website

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 March 2003, 15:57 GMT]
The peace secretariat of the LTTE has launched its official website from its headquarters in the Vanni, and the website, www.lttepeacesecretariat.com, will regularly carry the official press releases, current updates, events and photographs of the peace process, LTTE sources at the peace secretariat in Kilinochchi said.
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Film on Women's struggle released in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 March 2003, 21:47 GMT]
Commemorating International Women Day, the Nitharsanam women film unit of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) released a full feature film, “Uppil Uraintha Uthirangal” (Blood stained sea), in Kaluthavalai Maha Vidyalayam, Batticaloa, Sunday sources said.


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SLA imposes 6 pm curfew around Weber stadium

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 March 2003, 18:39 GMT]
The 23-3 Brigade of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) which is located in close proximity to the Weber stadium in Batticaloa, has prohibited the use of the Weber stadium sports facilities after 6 p.m, sources said. Youths and other users of the playing fields are also being subjected to severe body search, added sources.


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LTTE to attend Japan peace talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 March 2003, 17:38 GMT]
The delegation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will leave Colombo on Sunday night to attend peace talks in Hakone, Japan, scheduled to commence on March 18, said Mr.Anton Balasingham, LTTE theoretician, Saturday, addressing a press conference held at Killinochchi Peace Secretariat, sources said.
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'Minister’s argument feeble' - Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 March 2003, 17:27 GMT]
“We wish to express our great displeasure and dispute the feeble argument you advanced to justify and legitimize the unwarranted and impulsive action taken by the Sri Lanka Navy in attacking and destroying our merchant vessel on the international waters,” said Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan, political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in a letter to the Defence Minister Mr.Tilak Marapane Saturday.


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Bank of Tamil Eelam opens branch in Pallai

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 23:50 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) declared open a branch of Bank of Tamil Eelam today in Pallai, a town that lies between Elephant Pass and Jaffna on A9.
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Hartal cripples Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 16:39 GMT]
Normal life in Trincomalee district was disrupted Friday due to the general shut down (hartal) and the resulting closure of all Tamil medium schools, offices of provincial and local institutions, shops, non-governmental organizations, state and private sector banks, sources said. The transport services were curtailed to minimum and almost all the roads in the east port town were deserted.


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Unmanned Vehicle seen in Killinochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 12:06 GMT]
An Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) was seen in skies above Kilinochchi and Mankulam, circling and flying in different directions around 10 am for half an hour Friday, sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Chandrika Kumaratunge meets Muslim delegation

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 11:28 GMT]
The President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge held a two-hour discussion Thursday afternoon at presidential Secretariat with a delegation of Muslim parliamentarians on representation to Muslims in the peace talks now in progress between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The talks were conducted in a cordial atmosphere, Muslim sources said.
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Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister holds talks with LTTE leaders

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 03:13 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen met with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Political head, S.P. Thamilchelvan, and Anton Balasingham, LTTE theoretician and leader of LTTE peace delegation, Thursday afternoon at Killinochchi, sources said.


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Vanni TNA MPs fast, demanding Tamil detainees' release

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 02:19 GMT]
Three Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Messrs Selvam Adaikalanathan, Raja Kuhaneswaran and Sivasakthi Anandan with hundreds of Tamil residents Thursday held a fasting campaign in front of the S.J.V.Chelvanayakam statue in Mannar town Thursday from morning till evening demanding the immediate release of all Tamil political prisoners from prisons at Kalutara and elsewhere in the south, sources said.
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LTTE officers graduate from Karadiyanaru Training school

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 March 2003, 01:29 GMT]
A graduation ceremony to award certificates and confer honor badges on 89 LTTE fighters (49 of them women fighters) trained at the Lt. Col. Balendra Officer Training College in the second lieutenant grade, took place Thursday in Karadiyanaru, in the LTTE controlled area of the Batticaloa district, sources said.
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‘Peace talks to go on despite challenges’ – PM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 March 2003, 13:46 GMT]
"The ethnic problem in this country can be solved only by talks, and there is no other way; hence, whatever the challenges and road blocks the peace talks will face, we cannot abandon the talks," said Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, addressing the general meeting of the United National Party (UNP) held in Kandy Wednesday evening.
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Vavuniya hartal condemns SLA sinking of merchant vessel

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 March 2003, 12:44 GMT]
Shops were closed, transportation came to a stand still and black flags were seen flying across the town as Vavuniya district observed hartal (general shut down) Thursday to mourn the eleven cadres of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who died when a merchant vessel belonging to LTTE was sunk by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and to express protest against the SLN's action, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Norway's Deputy FM holds talks with LTTE leaders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 March 2003, 12:10 GMT]
Talks between the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen and the leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam began Thursday afternoon at Killinochchi, sources said.


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Ian Martin holds meetings, workshop for LTTE judges

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 March 2003, 04:00 GMT]
The former Secretary General of the Amnesty International, Mr. Ian Martin, visited Kilinochchi Wednesday and had a meeting with Mr. Anton Balasingham and S.P. Thamilselvan of the LTTE, where the discussions focused on human rights and the rights of children on women, sources said.
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'Destruction of LTTE ship is a grave ceasefire violation' - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 March 2003, 19:40 GMT]
The interception and destruction of the Liberation Tigers' merchant cargo vessel in international waters by the Sri Lankan Navy is a grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and contravenes international law, Mr. Anton Balasingham, the LTTE's political advisor and chief negotiator, told a delegation of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Kilinochchi on Wednesday, according to Mr. Balasingham, who spoke to journalists after the meeting.
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SLMM head holds talks with senior LTTE leaders

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 March 2003, 17:35 GMT]
The new head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Mr.Triggve Teleffsen Wednesday arrived in Killinochchi to hold discussions with senior leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) regarding the attack by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) on a LTTE merchant vessel off Mullaitivu Monday, sources in Vanni said. The LTTE had earlier condemned the attack as "a grave violation of the ceasefire agreement,” and warned that “this grave incident will have far reaching implications for the peace process.”


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Jaffna mourns death of eleven LTTE cadres

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 March 2003, 17:29 GMT]
Black flags were hoisted on public buildings, business houses and educational institutions and a day of mourning was observed in Jaffna district Wednesday for the death of eleven senior cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), civil sources said.


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