SLA intelligence said bullying Mannar farmers

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 January 2003, 16:16 GMT]
The Mannar Farmers' Federation said Friday that soldiers from the Sri Lanka army's intelligence unit in the district were harassing and threatening local cultivators and agrarian officials to dissuade them from attending public functions in which representatives of the political and development divisions of the Liberation Tigers take part.
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Fifth Session of Talks in Berlin

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 January 2003, 11:02 GMT]
The fifth session of peace negotiations between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will be held on 7 – 8 February at the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin, the Norwegian government said in a statement Friday.
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New SLMM head appointed

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 January 2003, 10:47 GMT]
The head of the international cease-fire monitors in Sri Lanka, Norwegian Army Major General (retired) Trond Furuhovde, will be succeeded by Norwegian Army Major General (retired) Tryggve Tellefsen in late February or March, the Norwegian government said in a statement Friday. Maj. Gen. Furuhovde will hand over leadership of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to Maj. Gen. Tellefsen, and continue as an advisor on cease-fire related matters to the Norwegian government afterwards, the statement said.
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GA requests data on SLA occupied private properties

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 January 2003, 01:33 GMT]
The Government Agent (GA) of Jaffna, Mr. S. Pathmanathan, ordered the Assistant Government Agents (AGAs) in Jaffna district to obtain details on civilian residences and private lands occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the peninsula, sources in the Northern town said.
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GOSL-LTTE leaders brief diplomats in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 January 2003, 19:16 GMT]
Representatives of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) met in Colombo at a well-guarded five star hotel for the first time in twelve years Thursday morning, and briefed the international donor countries on the immediate humanitarian needs.
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Shortened fifth round of talks in Europe

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 January 2003, 11:59 GMT]
The fifth round of direct talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government will be held in Europe on 7-8 February, the Norwegian government said Thursday. The duration of the round has been shortened to enable the LTTE to complete internal consultations before the next stage of the peace process, the statement said. Heavy flooding and the risk of virulent infectious diseases had prevented the LTTE Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, from travelling to the Vanni, it added.
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DRC discusses participation in NE relief efforts

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 January 2003, 02:42 GMT]
Representatives of Danish Refugee Council (DRC), led by Nelson Benderson from the Asia-Africa Head Office, met with Thamilchelvan, Head of the political section of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in Kilinochchi Tuesday, sources in Vanni said.
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Humanitarian issues stressed in Swiss Ambassador meeting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 January 2003, 01:23 GMT]
In a meeting with a Swiss delegation headed by the ambassador for Switzerland in Sri Lanka, Hon. Bernardino Regazzoni today, S.P.Thamilchelvan, the political leader of the LTTE, has stressed that the immediate focus of the peace process should be on the humanitarian needs of the people of the North-East, according to the ambassador.
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Jaffna committee on resettlement to commence work

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 January 2003, 18:48 GMT]
The twenty one-member Jaffna district committee appointed to look into the question of resettling displaced in areas outside high security zones is to commence its work Thursday. This decision was taken at a conference held at the Jaffna district secretariat Wednesday, sources said.
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Downward trend in ceasefire violations seen - SLMM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 January 2003, 13:02 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Commission (SLMM) in a press release issued today observed that the positive and ongoing development in the ceasefire during the last several months has been the decrease in the number of ceasefire violations. Most number of violations occurred in December was in Batticaloa(61) followed by Jaffna(46), Vavuniya(16), Ampara(7) and Trincomalee(1), the release said.
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SLAF unmanned aerial vehicle crashes in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 January 2003, 12:42 GMT]
An Israeli made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) crashed Wednesday morning around eleven into an onion field in Alaveddi, seventeen km from Jaffna town soon after it left the Palaly airbase in the peninsula. No casualties were reported, sources said.


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Families await resettlement in Vavuniya district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 January 2003, 04:35 GMT]
1795 families displaced from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas and Liberation Tigers (LTTE) controlled areas in Vavuniya district have requested assistance to resettle in their villages and details of these families have been collected by the Vavuniya civil authorities, sources in Vavuniya said.


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LTTE returns five Batticaloa youths to their parents

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 January 2003, 03:54 GMT]
Five youths under 16 years who approached the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) political offices in Batticaloa expressing their wish to join the movement were returned to their parents Tuesday in the presence of members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), sources in Batticaloa said.
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SIHRN meets to discuss project implementation strategies

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 January 2003, 04:37 GMT]
Discussions involving several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) functioning in the North East on defining strategies to implement projects to be supported by funds from the Sub Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN), led by the Director of SIHRN secretariat, Selvin Iranius, took place in Kilinochchi, Monday, sources in Vanni said.


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Opposition leader supports UNF-LTTE peace talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 January 2003, 13:29 GMT]
Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, Leader of the Opposition Monday said in Jaffna that he would not oppose the present peace talks now being held between the United National Front government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources in Jaffna said. On his first official visit to Jaffna as the leader of the opposition Mr Mahinda Rajapakse declared open the Hindu Vedic Teaching School constructed by the Ministry of Hindu Cultural Affairs.


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Japanese peace envoy praises LTTE's sincerity

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 January 2003, 18:49 GMT]
Mr.Yasushi Akashi, Japanese special peace envoy said Saturday that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) participates in the peace talks with dedication, sincerity and with open heart.
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'We want our land' - Second Pongu Thamil theme

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 January 2003, 12:25 GMT]
The first year anniversary celebrations of Pongu Thamil (Tamil Resurgence) movement in northeast province which was held at the Jaffna University grounds Friday concluded with the declaration of the theme "We want our land," sources in Jaffna said.


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World Bank vice president visits Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 January 2003, 17:45 GMT]
Ms Mieko Nishimizu, Vice President of the World Bank for South Asia Friday toured the war ravaged Chavakachcheri and other parts of Thenmaradchchi areas in Jaffna district. She earlier held discussion with the Government Agent and other heads of local government departments at Jaffna district secretariat, sources said.


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Pirapaharan welcomes Japanese envoy, President cancels meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 January 2003, 12:07 GMT]
Leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Velupillai Pirapaharan, sent his greetings through LTTE's political head, ThamilChelvan, to the visiting World bank Vice president, Ms Meiko Nishimizu, Special peace envoy of the Government of Japan, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, World Bank Country Director Mr. Peter Harold and other delegates to the meeting of the Sub Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation (SIHRN) which met in Kilinochchi, Voice of Tigers (VoT), reported in its late night broadcast yesterday.


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Colonel Kittu's tenth anniversary commemorated

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 January 2003, 22:54 GMT]
The tenth death anniversary of Colonel Kittu, a senior commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was observed in northeastern province Thursday. Colonel Kittu and nine other LTTE members committed suicide when the Indian Navy cordoned off the boat in which they were sailing to Sri Lanka. Kittu was the head of the LTTE's International Secretariat at the time of his death.
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