'Military readiness vital for self defence' - Ramesh

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 November 2002, 13:57 GMT]
"Sri Lankan governments of the past, under the cloak of peace talks, have been deceiving the Tamil people. We firmly believe that Sri Lankan politicians in power will not make the same mistake this time. If the State attempts to oppress our people again with the use of military force we will be ready to defend," said Ramesh, head of Liberation Tigers Batticaloa-Ampara military section, at the passing out ceremony of a commando unit in Ampara, Sunday.
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TULF commends Norway, International Community

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 November 2002, 19:21 GMT]
The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), main constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), while commending Norway and International Community for their support to the peace process, made an appeal to Tamils from making statements that will have adverse impact on the peace process. People who have rarely stood up for the human rights or democratic rights of the Tamil people cannot make any honest contribution to the Tamil question, said the Secretary General of the TULF Mr.R.Sampanthan in a press release at the conclusion of the central committee meeting held Sunday in Colombo.
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Military-LTTE commanders meet at Muhamalai second time

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 November 2002, 18:40 GMT]
The delegations of the Sri Lanka armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam met Saturday at Muhamalai and discussed several issues regarding the question of resettling displaced families in high security zones and removal of fishing restriction in the Jaffna peninsula. The discussion, the second of its kind, commenced around ten in the morning, continued till six in the evening, sources said.
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Multi-community sportsmeet in Kalutara

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 November 2002, 14:50 GMT]
Seven hundred sportsmen and women and officials from the North travelled to Kalutara to participate in a sportsmeet for peace being held in Matara starting from today. The participants departed from Vavuniya yesterday by a special train, sources said. Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, will be the chief guest at the prize giving ceremony on the last day of the meet, sources said.


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NorthEast prepares to celebrate Heroes Week

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 November 2002, 13:43 GMT]
Preparations are underway throughout Northeast to mark Heroes week celebrations between 25th and 27th November during which Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) venerates its fighters who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Tamil people.
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PA slams international aid conference

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 November 2002, 12:03 GMT]
(News Feature) As Norway confirmed the participation of US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, British Secretary of State for International Development Claire Short and European Union Commissioner Margot Wallstrom at a high level aid conference for Sri Lanka to be held in Oslo on November 25, the main Sri Lankan opposition party Friday condemned the event as "rewarding terrorism."
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East development review before Sub-Committee meet

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 November 2002, 22:37 GMT]
Three Tamil Parliamentarians and political officials of the Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from the eastern province are meeting in Kilinochchi Saturday to review development needs of the eastern districts in preparation for the forthcoming meeting of the Sub-Committee for Rehabilitation and Resettlement scheduled for Monday, 18 November, sources said.
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LTTE opens political office at Kumburupiddy

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 November 2002, 21:38 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Friday opened a political office at Kumburupiddy, a traditional Tamil village, twenty-two km north of Trincomalee town. "We should work hard to resettle the displaced and rehabilitate their lives," said Mr. Sivakumar, Kumburupiddy LTTE political head addressing a gathering, which followed the ceremonial opening.
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UNF government briefs Chandrika on Thailand peace talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 November 2002, 21:37 GMT]
A senior minister in the United National Front government Friday briefed President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge on the outcome of the second session of the first round of Thailand peace talks. The Presidential Secretariat later confirmed the meeting between President and Minister Milinda Morogoda through a media release.
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Parliament approves President votes without cut

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 November 2002, 21:33 GMT]
The parliament Friday evening approved the votes for the offices of the President and Prime Minister without cut. The committee stage budget debate, which began Friday morning, continued for about five hours. The votes were approved without division.
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LTTE seeks applicants to join Police Force

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 November 2002, 18:25 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has requested men and women who satisfy requirements published by the LTTE Police Personnel department to apply to fill vacant positions in its Police Force, sources said. This request follows the opening of a Police station at Palugamam in Batticaloa district last month.
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Access to quality education is Children's Right - UNICEF

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 November 2002, 22:18 GMT]
"The prolonged conflict has affected the education system badly in the northeast and as a result too many children are still not in school. However getting children back to school is not enough. We also have to remember to look into the environment of the school and quality of the teaching," said Mr.Jean Luc Bories, Chief project Director of the UNICEF in Colombo when he addressed the concluding session of the two-day North East Education Exhibition, "Towards a new Era," at Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College Thursday evening.
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NE Resettlement, Relief Oslo talk focus- Peiris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 November 2002, 19:39 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government Thursday announced that it would submit a white paper regarding the issues that are to be taken up for discussion which is scheduled to be held on November 25 at Oslo, Norway. "Priority will be given to resettlement of displaced and relief to the people in the war torn northeast province in the island at the Oslo aid talks," said Minister G.L.Peiris at the weekly cabinet briefing held Thursday.
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Insurrection fears as JVP commemorates dead

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 November 2002, 22:25 GMT]
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, the third largest party in Sri Lanka’s Parliament, Wednesday commemorated in Colombo its founder leader Mr. Rohana Wijeweera and party cadres who were killed by the Sri Lankan armed forces during two unsuccessful but bloody insurrections in 1971 and 89 to capture state power.
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Exhibition highlights Children's Rights

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 November 2002, 21:45 GMT]
A two-day education exhibition named "Towards a new Era" organized by the North East Provincial Ministry of Education and sponsored by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was inaugurated Wednesday morning in Trincomalee. The main objective of the exhibition is to raise social awareness on the rights of children, said Mr.S. Subramaniam, Additional Provincial Director of Education in charge of the project.
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Sea Tigers, SLN confer on Jaffna issues

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 November 2002, 12:44 GMT]
The Deputy Commander of the Sea Tigers Wednesday urged the Sri Lanka Navy not to engage in any action that would disrupt the peace negotiations to end the island’s conflict at a meeting with a Sri Lankan military delegation in the no man’s land in Muhamalai in southern Jaffna Wednesday.
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Muslim fishermen complain of attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 November 2002, 16:36 GMT]
About seventy five Muslim fishermen entered the conference hall of the Trincomalee district secretariat Monday evening, interrupting the meeting of the District Co-ordinating Committee (DCC) which was in progress, and lodged complaint to the parliamentarians and security officials that they had been assaulted by a group of persons backed by members State armed forces and police personnel in civil uniform, sources said.
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SLA provides escort to LTTE cadres

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 November 2002, 19:47 GMT]
A contingent of 185 members of the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) arrived in Batticaloa from the northern Vanni region Monday evening with special commander for Batticaloa-Ampara, Mr.Robert and commander of women-wing Nilavini, leading the LTTE members who made the journey to Batticaloa to take part in the annual Heroes' Day celebration which falls on 27 November, sources said.
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Rebel Muslim MPs cut committee deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 November 2002, 15:08 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka Monday appointed a committee headed by its Interior secretary to look after the interests and concerns of Muslims in the island’s northeast in a bid to retain the crucial support of eight MPs of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the main partner of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ruling coalition, who have been boycotting Parliament amid allegations that the opposition was manipulating them to instigate communal tensions in the east to scuttle the peace talks for ending the island’s conflict and to topple the United National Front government.
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Kuchchaveli IDPs urge speedy resettlement

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 November 2002, 17:34 GMT]
Hundreds of displaced Tamil families from villages in Kuchchaveli division, 34 km north of the Trincomalee district and now residing in refugee camps elsewhere Sunday said that they should be resettled in their areas without delay and should be provided with necessary facilities. They attended a meeting held Sunday at Kuchchaveli Vivekanandan Maha Vidiyalayam where the resettlement of the displaced and their rehabilitation were discussed.
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