Tigers, GOSL optimistic after first defence meet

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 November 2002, 13:39 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) said they were confident of making further progress in stabilising the island’s peace process on the ground as their high-level defence teams wound up four hours of talks in Omanthai, 18 kilometres north of Vavuniya, on the line of control, Sunday.
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JVP lambasts peace talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 November 2002, 20:07 GMT]
“It is very foolish to believe that Norway, which is America’s quisling, would bring peace to our country. America is trying to oppress and rule over the people of the world. It is America that has unleashed terror on Iraq, Cuba, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Eritrea,” said the Janata Vimukthi Permamuna (JVP), currently a powerful third force in Sinhala politics, in a pamphlet issued Saturday at the conclusion of a house-to-house campaign against the peace process.
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Tamil member of Kanchirankuda committee dissents

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 November 2002, 17:30 GMT]
The sole Tamil member of the committee appointed by Sri Lanka’s Interior Minister to inquire into the shooting incident at Kanchirankuda on the island’s southeastern coast on October 9, 2002 said Friday that he strongly disagreed with the conclusion of that his colleagues had arrived at.
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LTTE opens Sampoor Police Station

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 November 2002, 17:01 GMT]
The first Tamil Eelam Police Station in the Trincomalee district was declared open Friday morning at Sampoor, a village in Mutur east. The President of the Mutur Mosques Federation, Mr.Alhaj S.M.Javabdeen, unveiled the name board of the Police Station. Mr. Uthayan, Trincomalee District Commander of the LTTE opened the new police station by cutting the ribbon.
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Discussion on core political issues to start

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 November 2002, 21:09 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government said Thursday that it would begin discussions next week with the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) on political issues to find a solution to the ethnic conflict.
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Tigers help IDPs resettle in high security zone

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 November 2002, 18:08 GMT]
(News Feature) In a major gesture to reiterate their commitment to peace in Sri Lanka, the Liberation Tigers Thursday helped displaced civilians settle in a village situated in one of their most heavily defended high security zones in the north. The village of Kudarappu is on Jaffna’s southeastern coast in the Nagar kovil sector where the armed forces of the Liberation Tigers and Sri Lanka face each other across heavily defended and mined Defence Lines.
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Co-ordination of Trinco NGO activities stressed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 November 2002, 07:46 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Wednesday stressed better co-ordination between the local non-governmental organisations in implementing rehabilitation and reconstruction projects in the Trincomalee district." From January next year we will supervise all projects carried out by local NGOs in the district with a view to rectify shortcomings, duplication of works and other discrepancies. However, we will not directly interfere with the administration of the NGOs," said Mr.S.Tilak, LTTE district political head at a discussion held Wednesday at Trincomalee Valluvar Kottam.
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More Tamil Eelam police stations

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 November 2002, 14:50 GMT]
The Tamil Eelam Police serice will open its first police station in Trincomalee district at Sampoor on Thursday, LTTE officials in the eastern port town said. The Sampoor station will be the 19th of the Tamil Eelam police service. The Liberation Tigers Tuesday opened a new police station in Palugamam at a ceremony attended by local government officials and community and religious leaders.
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Negotiators to study ethnic conflict resolution models

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 22:07 GMT]
(News Feature) In a major step forward in the Norwegian peace process, both the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers said Sunday they are to begin exploring longer term solutions to the island's protracted ethnic conflict. In another surprise announcement at the press conference Sunday which concluded the second round of direct talks between the two sides, the chief negotiators of both sides said they would be examining ethnic conflict resolution efforts from around the world.
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Top rights official to join peace process

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 22:06 GMT]
(News Feature) As the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers begin to explore models for a political solution to the island's protracted ethnic conflict, calls for human rights to be given greater prominence in the deliberations look set to receive a fillip with the participation of a senior international human rights official. Responding to reporters' questions, the chief negotiators of both sides announced Sunday that Mr. Ian Martin, who has considerable experience of human rights work in Rwanda, East Timor, Bosnia and Eritrea would join the talks in future.
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LTTE emphasises cordial relations with Muslims

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 18:21 GMT]
"The Tamil Eelam Police force will function without discriminating against anyone on grounds of religion, ethnicity or creed. Our leadership is firm that there should be cordial relations with the Muslim people in this region. Col. Karuna has sent us specific instructions in this regard from Thailand," said T. Ramesh, the Liberation Tigers‚ special commander for the Batticaloa-Amparai region, addressing the opening ceremony of the Tamil Eelam Police station in Palugamam, 30 kilometres southwest of Batticaloa, Tuesday.
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Mylanthanai massacre accused make statements from dock

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 18:20 GMT]
All eighteen accused soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Tuesday made statements from the dock in the Colombo High Court (HC) in the Mylanthanai massacre case denying their involvement in the crime. The case is being heard daly from 2nd October before a Sinhala speaking Jury at the request of the accused, who are also Sinhalese.
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Trinco observes Major Ganesh's sixteenth death anniversary

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 14:58 GMT]
The sixteenth death anniversary of Major Ganesh, a commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was observed in Trincomalee district Tuesday. Major Ganesh hailed from Kantalai, a traditional Tamil village that has now become a Sinhala dominated town in the Trincomalee district following systematic state aided colonization schemes under successive governments.
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Government briefs Buddhist prelates on Thailand talks.

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 12:47 GMT]
The Constitutional Affairs Minister Monday briefed the Mahanayake Theras of Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters the outcome of the second round of peace talks held between the United National Front government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Thailand last week.
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Japanese special envoy’s visit highlights interest

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 November 2002, 17:42 GMT]
‘Tamils and Muslims have lived peacefully for long in the east. Misunderstandings arose between the two communities after the Tamils started the armed struggle for the rights. But we now believe that these can be resolved through dialogue,' a delegation of Muslim religious and civil society leaders in Batticaloa told Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Japan's special envoy for peace building and rehabilitation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka, who visited the eastern district Monday.
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Long term political matters on Talks agenda

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 November 2002, 13:58 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), at the conclusion of the second meeting of the first round of peace talks held in Thailand, agreed to set up a joint task force (JTF) to identify immediate humanitarian and rehabilitation needs of north east, work towards military de-escalation and to look at political questions at the heart of two decades of war. The JTF is first tasked to prepare for a political-level meeting of key government s to take place in Norway on 25 November.
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SLN takes into custody six LTTE cadres

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 14:50 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy Friday evening intercepted a boat between Trincomalee and Sampoor in the east coast and took six members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam into custody. Later they were handed over to the Trincomalee Police.
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Abandoned villages in Trinco to be revived

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 November 2002, 02:34 GMT]
The Trincomalee District Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Committee (DRRC) met Friday and decided to take immediate steps to provide drinking water, electricity supply, education and other basic facilities to villages abandoned due to displacement following war. "We cannot allow our people to stay in refugee camps and welfare centres indefinitely after the ceasefire agreement came into force. We must see that they are resettled in their villages," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr. R. Sampanthan speaking at the meeting.
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Karuna and Hakeem to work closely

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 November 2002, 15:27 GMT]
Improving the security situation in the East was a key topic of discussion in the second round of peace talks between the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and the Government of SriLanka which began on the 31 October in Thailand. "Mr. Hakeem and Mr. Karuna agreed to work together in the east to meet with local communities and address their specific concerns and aspirations, including matters relating to the occupation and cultivation of land," a release from the Norwegian Embassy in Thailand said.
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Alleged abductors in Akkaraipattu allowed bail

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 October 2002, 20:35 GMT]
Akkaraipattu magistrate M.I.M. Issadeen, released on bail, two suspects arrested for abducting a Muslim youth, S.M.Abdul Wajeed (24), from his home on 15 October. The youth was later found at his home three days after he disappeared. The alleged abduction, initially blamed on Liberation Tigers, provoked widespread protests and hartal in Trincomalee town and nearly precipitated Tamil Muslim clashes in the eastern province.
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