Tamil shops close to STF camp burnt down

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 October 2002, 18:47 GMT]
Two shops owned by Tamils at Pottuvil, about five hundred meters from Kanchirankuda Special Task Force camp in Ampara district, were burnt down by unidentified persons, around 12.30 a.m. Wednesday morning, sources in Ampara said.
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'We are firmly behind peace process' - Kausalyan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 October 2002, 13:46 GMT]
"Several forces are attempting to sabotage the current peace process, assisted by some members of the news media. But we are firmly committed to the peace process as repeatedly articulated and directed by our national leader V. Pirapaharan," said Kausalyan, head of the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) political section, Batticaloa-Ampara district in a press conference held in Kokadichcholai District Secretariat on 30 October morning.
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LTTE, government delegations in Thailand

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 October 2002, 10:35 GMT]
The delegations of the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Wednesday flew in the same plane from Colombo to Thailand to attend the second round of four day peace talks scheduled to commence on October 31, airport sources said.
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Negotiators depart for Thailand Peace Talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 October 2002, 11:12 GMT]
Representatives of the Sri Lankan Government, Director of Peace Secretariat Bernard Gunatillake, Major General Shantha Kotegoda, John Gunaratne and Janaka Jeyasekara of the Peace Secrtariat, departed Katunayake airport today, 29 October morning to participate in the second round of peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to be held on the 31st in the city of Nakhon Pathom, 35 miles west of Bangkok, sources said.
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Left PA government because Kumaratunga was bent on war - Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 17:10 GMT]
“Prof. G.L Pieris, Mr. S. B Dissanayaka and I left People’s Alliance government last year because President Chandrika Kumaratunga was bent on war and detested peace. We could have been ministers in the PA government until 2005. But had we remained in the PA regime for the full term of the Parliament elected in 2000, war would have continued in this country. It is in this context that we left the PA and helped form a new government. The war came to an end because of this government,” said Sri Lanka’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mr. Mahinda Wijesekera.
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JVP leader to appear before Bribery Commission

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 16:11 GMT]
The parliamentary group leader of the Sinhala nationalist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (Peoples Liberation Front-JVP) Mr.Wimal Weerawanse has been ordered to appear before the Bribery and Corruption Commission of Sri Lanka Monday. Commission officials are to question Mr.Wimal Weerawanse regarding the bank account maintained by the JVP, sources in Colombo said Sunday.
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SLA requested to vacate Hospital, Cultural Center

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 15:31 GMT]
The Head of Vavuniya branch political section of Liberation Tigers (LTTE),C. Elilan, andthe District Secretary of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Moorthy, have requested the Head of Security forces that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police vacate the Cultural Center in Vavuniya settlement and the Neriyakulam-Mankulum hospital for use of these facilities by the area residents.


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75 PTA Detainees to be released

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 October 2002, 17:02 GMT]
Tamil detainees arrested under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) languishing in jails, some for several years, are to be released gradually said Attorney General (AG), K.C. Kanagasabeyson. The Government will soon drop the charges on seventy five of the detainees and release them, the Attorney General added.
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'Absence of war is not peace'- Chandrika

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 October 2002, 10:32 GMT]
President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Thursday in her televised speech said that the country is in turmoil although the government is doing maximum possible to implement its part of the ceasefire agreement signed by the Prime Minister and the LTTE leader. She reminded that the absence of war is not peace. She said one party is violating the agreement and that addressing the core issues to the conflict must be made part of the agenda for talks.
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Karuna, Thamilselvan in LTTE team for Thailand - paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 October 2002, 01:41 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have finalised their negotiating team for the second round of direct talks between the movement and the Sri Lankan government scheduled to be held in Thailand next week, the Tamil Guardian newspaper reported this week.
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JVP debates NE security, TNA stages walkout

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 14:53 GMT]
Members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) staged a walk out in parliament Wednesday evening protesting at not being allocated time to speak on the adjournment motion moved by the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) censuring the United National Front (UNF) government for failing to provide security to the people of eastern province.


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Death anniversary of Lt. Col Santhosham observed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 10:55 GMT]
The fifteenth death anniversary of Lt.Colonel Santhosham, one of the senior commanders of the Liberation Tigers who was killed on 21st October, 1987 at Kondavil in Jaffna in a battle with the Indian army, was observed at Santhosapuram at Sampoor in Muttur east area and Trincomalee town Monday.
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Norway, LTTE discuss talks agenda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 09:40 GMT]
The Norwegian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen met with the leadership of the Liberation Tigers Wednesday and held two and a half hours of discussions on "crucial issues pertaining to the formation of the joint task force" for economic development and reconstruction of the northeast, sources in Vanni said. Issues underlying the high security zones (HSZ) and the security situation in the northeast were also discussed, they said.
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Norwegian government team meets Opposition leader

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 October 2002, 16:51 GMT]
The Norwegian government delegation Monday morning held wide ranging discussions with the Leader of the Opposition Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse regarding the second round of peace talks between the United National Front (UNF) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which is scheduled to commence on October 31 at Sattahip in Thailand. In the afternoon the Norwegian team met with the leader of government's peace delegation, Professor G.L. Peiris, ruling party sources said.


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Pulithevan spells out realities of a solution

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 October 2002, 18:13 GMT]
“Any solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka has to be based on the reality that we have an army, navy and police and an administrative and judicial system,” said S. Pulithevan, an official from the headquarters of the political division of the Liberation Tigers, addressing the second day sessions of the conference organised by the Arts and Culture Division of the LTTE in Jaffna Sunday.
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STF refuses to vacate homes

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 October 2002, 18:06 GMT]
Five Tamil refugee families of Kittanki at Kalmunai in the southeastern Amparai district have appealed to the authorities to return their houses now being occupied by the Commandos of the Special Task Force. The STF earlier promised to leave these houses on 16 October. The STA now has gone back on its promise, said refugees in a complaint to the district parliamentarian.
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Morogoda visits Akkaraipattu, confers with local leaders

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 October 2002, 16:19 GMT]
Minister of Science, Technology and Economic Reforms Mr.Milinda Morogoda Saturday visited Akkaraipattu in the southeast and conferred with local community leaders the future course of action to be taken to maintain peace in the area. It was decided at a conference held at Akkaraipattu cultural hall Saturday to form a peace committee, which would facilitate reconciliation between communities whenever problems arise.
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Arts, literature conference opens in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 October 2002, 14:30 GMT]
“The Tamil language is now in the process of renewing itself for the 21st century. What we need today is Tamil for the Internet age. We need rational Tamil, not emotive Tamil,” said Mr. Nilanthan, a well known writer and poet from the Vanni in a special speech on the opening of the four day conference organized by the Arts and Culture Division of the Liberation Tigers in Jaffna Saturday. Hundreds of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim writers, poets, artists and journalists from all parts of the island and from south India are taking part in the event.
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Tigers escorted SLA troops

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 October 2002, 08:55 GMT]
(News Feature) In a reciprocal gesture to earlier actions by the Sri Lanka Army, cadres of the Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa last Sunday escorted SLA soldiers through areas in which angry Tamil demonstrators had set up road blocks protesting the earlier killings of several civilians by Special Task Force (STF) commandos.
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‘Unmask political forces behind staged abduction’- Nehru

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 16:22 GMT]
The Amparai district Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Mr. A. Chandra Nehru asked the secretary to Sri Lanka’s Interior Ministry to take all possible steps unravel the mystery and identify the political forces behind the alleged ‘abduction’ of the Muslim youth who was found in his home Friday.


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