"Focus will be on political issues at Tokyo talks"-Peiris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 February 2003, 21:52 GMT]
The ruling United National Front Thursday announced that the devolution of power would be the key issue at the next round of peace talks between the GOSL and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
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Rising from the shambles of a counter insurgency campaign

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 February 2003, 18:01 GMT]
The large Vadamunai-Tharavai region, northwest of Batticaloa, is struggling to rise out of the havoc wreaked by one of the most sustained text book counter insurgency campaigns waged by the Sri Lanka army. A few hundred of the thousands of families which were driven out of their villages by the SLA more than 12 years ago have begun venturing back to their homesteads and lands here. But there are no schools for their children, no medical facilities for the sick, no transport, no sanitation and no basic amenities in any of the villages in the region.
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Sri Lanka military 'jeopardizing' peace talks - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 February 2003, 06:29 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers this week condemned the attack Wednesday on their unarmed female cadres in Manipay by Sri Lankan soldiers and warned that such incidents would "seriously jeopardize" the Norwegian peace process, the London based Tamil Guardian reported.
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TNA parliamentarian cautions Tamils about anti-peace forces

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 23:52 GMT]
Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan said Wednesday that Tamil should be careful about forces that are bent on sabotaging the present peace process. "We should thank the government and the LTTE for strengthening the peace environment that dawned with the ceasefire agreement an year ago", said Mr. Adailakalanathan while speaking at the annual inter house athletic meet of the Vavuniya Pandarikulam Vipulananda College held Wednesday.
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France to send constitutional experts to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 19:00 GMT]
French foreign minister Dr.Renaud Muselier Wednesday said the people of Jaffna expect a political solution to their conflict with internal self-determination. French minister said this at media briefing Wednesday before leaving Colombo after a three-day visit to Sri Lanka.
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'Manipay incident will not be repeated-' Jaffna SLA commander

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 17:41 GMT]
Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Major General Sarath Fonseka assured at the conference summoned by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna Wednesday evening that he would take appropriate steps not to repeat incidents that had taken place at Manipay Wednesday morning in which SLA soldiers assaulted eight LTTE women cadres with knives, sources said.
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LTTE women cadres, civilians injured in SLA assault

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 February 2003, 11:12 GMT]
Four women members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and several Tamil civilians were injured when soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday unleashed violence at Manipay junction, about 13 km off Jaffna town following the refusal by LTTE women cadres to remove their waist-belt, sources said.
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Court issues warrant on LTTE Nilaveli leader

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 February 2003, 00:49 GMT]
Trincomalee Magistrate, Mr.S.Thiagendran, Monday issued warrant on the Nilaveli political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr.Thooyavan, when the Kuchchaveli Police informed the court that they were unable serve the summons on him and moved that a warrant be served on him, legal sources said. The court said the warrant is returnable on March 17, legal sources said.


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Archive to preserve Trincomalee Tamils' historical records

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 February 2003, 21:47 GMT]
At a meeting held at the North-East Provincial Council Education Ministry's Management Centre Monday evening, a decision was taken to establish an archive to collect and preserve historical documents and other valuable pieces of literary and other research works that prove that the Trincomalee district has historically been a land of the Tamil people.
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Music, Dance, Drama festival to be held in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 February 2003, 17:32 GMT]
A five day North East Tamil music, dance and drama festival is to be held in Trincomalee commencing from March 3rd to March 7th to create awareness among Tamils and to promote peace when the next round of talks takes place between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Japan, according to a decision taken at the discussion held Sunday evening at Trincomalee Town Hall under the auspices of Art and Literature Committee, sources said.
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Trawler blown-up while being towed by SLN - SLMM

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 February 2003, 12:15 GMT]
Clarifying the Delft sea incident, where three Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres killed themselves, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in a press release issued from Colombo today, admitted to providing either incomplete or incorrect information during the early stages of the developments, and said that in a second inspection they found a new 23-mm gunbarrel and additional munition in the trawler, and that the trawler was blown up while it was being towed by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) boat towards a port in the SLN controlled area.


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SLA bans LTTE women cadres from using waist-belts

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 February 2003, 14:01 GMT]
Ms Kayalvizhi, the leader of the women wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Jaffna district, lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna, Sunday, against the ban imposed by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on LTTE women cadres from using waist belts when they enter the army controlled areas in Jaffna district, sources said.


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Sea incident, Rights, Resettlement, Children's issues discussed in Berlin talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 February 2003, 16:08 GMT]
At the fifth round of peace talks held in Berlin, the Government of Sri lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) negotiators agreed to work out safeguards to prevent Nedunthivu type sea incidents from happening in the future, agreed to establish three committees in Eastern Province to address local land and other issues, agreed to request Amnesty's Ian Martin to prepare for discussion a roadmap of human rights issues. LTTE also agreed to work with UNICEF on an action plan for children affected by armed conflict, a Norwegian embassy press release said.
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Only peace will permit development - Minister

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 February 2003, 15:33 GMT]
Only because of the prevailing climate of peace and the progress that is being achieved in the on-going talks between the Government of SriLanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that we are able to visit here and actively engage in promoting industrial development, said Industries Minister Rohitha Bogollagama of the ruling United National Front (UNF) government, speaking at Manmuni North regional Secretariat in Batticaloa district, Friday, sources in the east said.


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Swiss organization donates vehicles to Pattipallai health office

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 February 2003, 13:19 GMT]
International voluntary organization, Terre des homme (Tdh) which has its head quarters in Switzerland, Friday, donated a pickup truck and three motorbikes to the Pattipalai Health office in the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) controlled region 15 km southwest of Batticaloa town in eastern province, sources in Batticaloa said.


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SLMM and SLN must bear responsibility for loss of lives - LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 February 2003, 04:18 GMT]
Failure of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to handle the incident in a fair and responsible manner, and the provocative, belligerent conduct of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) have resulted in three of our cadres taking their own lives, said Voice of Tigers (VoT) in its nightly broadcast Friday.
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Jaffna mourns fallen sea tigers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 February 2003, 02:27 GMT]
Preparations are underway to observe today as a day of mourning for the sea tigers who took their lives in the seas near Nedunthivu when the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) tried to forcefully move their disabled trawler to the shore, Uthayan, a Jaffna daily said in its Saturday edition.
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News in brief

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 February 2003, 01:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers continue to collect information on residents in Jaffna peninsula, Mullaitivu administrative secretariat moves to its former home, and Oddusuddan school damages due to war is estimated to be Rs 5 lakhs.
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SLA restricts LTTE movement in Vadamarachchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 February 2003, 18:48 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday ordered the members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who go to villages Amban, Kudathanai and Manalkadu in the Vadamarachchi east division to leave the area by four in the evening daily, civilians sources said.
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Dr Heiberg appointed Advisor for Women Issues

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 February 2003, 11:59 GMT]
Dr. Astrid Heiberg, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Oslo, who has a broad experience in human rights and humanitarian advocacy has been appointed for the sub-committee in gender issues, a Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release said.
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