SLMM calls for immediate end to violence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 December 2005, 12:54 GMT]
Pointing to the "countless attacks" in Jaffna peninsula, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) warned that "there is a real danger that these disturbances and hostilities can spread and result in irreparable deterioration of security and prevent any real restoration of normalcy in the affected communities," and said that SLMM "stands ready to assist all the Parties and affected communities in bringing an end to these attacks," in a press release issued in Colombo Sunday,
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Clinton meets TRO Executive Director

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 November 2005, 13:20 GMT]
TRO Executive Director Mr. K P Regi told the United Nations Special Envoy President Bill Clinton the problems that have led to the disappointing progress made thus far in Phase III of the Tsunami recovery programme in the NorthEast when he talked to Mr Clinton during the Sri Lankan Civil Society organization meeting in Colombo Tuesday. President Clinton had mentioned to Mr. Regi that he is aware of the problems facing the NorthEast and that he will endeavour to address these issues.
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Sovereignty fears

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 November 2005, 01:33 GMT]
The definition "supreme authority within a territory," captures the essential notion of sovereignty used to describe political authority of modern nation states. The origins of Sri Lanka’s long festering conflict lie in its unitary constitution which vests the exercise of sovereignty solely in the hands of Sinhala Buddhists. But Colombo wields no sovereign authority over nearly seventy percent of the island’s NorthEast. Radical Sinhala groups view the denial of their state’s sovereignty in areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers with extreme chagrin. Over the years, other events too have challenged Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.
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Don't seek Norwegian assistance, JVP tells Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 November 2005, 16:22 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Sinhala extreme nationalist party, Thursday said it would firmly oppose Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse seeking assistance from the Norwegian Government to facilitate in the peace process between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). Mr. Somawanse Amarasinghe, the leader of the JVP reiterated his party's position at a press briefing held at the National Library auditorium in Colombo.
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European Commission to monitor SL presidential poll

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 October 2005, 17:06 GMT]
Following an invitation from the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) the European Commission is sending a European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EOM) for the presidential election scheduled to take place on November 17th. The EU EOM will be led by Mr.John Cushnahan, member of the European parliament, said a press release of the EU.


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CFA has failed to advance peace-Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 October 2005, 16:30 GMT]
The ceasefire (CFA) agreement signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) in the year 2002 with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam because of the military strength of the LTTE in the battlefield has not helped the Tamil speaking people to achieve their political aspirations even after four years, said Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group leader and Trincomalee district parliamentarians addressing an awareness meeting in regard to the proposed Tamil National Resurgence Convention which is to be held on October 22, sources said.
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Monitors should adopt a pro-active role, says LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 October 2005, 08:53 GMT]
In a letter addressed to the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Mr. Hagrup Haukland on Friday, LTTE's Political Head Mr. Thamilchelvan alluded that the Scandinavian cease fire monitors in the island should adopt a proactive role by intervening in matters that pose serious challenges to the mandate vested with the role of the SLMM. Accusing Colombo and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for operating with a "political agenda" to disrupt the Cease Fire Agreement and the peace process at large, the letter referred to the recent attacks on the LTTE in the east and the spate of killings of Tamil academics in Jaffna.
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Cycle of violence must end, LTTE tells SLMM

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 October 2005, 16:42 GMT]
Pointing out that political killings "meticulously planned to apportion blame on [the LTTE]" in military occupied areas have reached a climax and that this "political vendetta" is claiming lives of innocent people, the Liberation Tigers in a letter to Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission [SLMM] Mr Hagrup Haukland, requested the SLMM to "act resolutely to end this cycle of violence and help save innocent lives and the integrity of the CFA."
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Norwegian Special Representative Furuhovde to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 October 2005, 04:04 GMT]
Major General (ret'd) Trond Furuhovde, former head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, will visit Sri Lanka on Monday as a Special Reprsentative of the Norwegian Government to consult with the parties. As a meeting between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to discuss the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement is not likely to occur in the near future, the visit of the Special Representative would provide an opportunity for both parties to propose measures for strengthening the implementation of the agreement, a press release issued by the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo said Friday.
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Colombo lacks will, ability to address Tamil National question- TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 September 2005, 01:42 GMT]
Tamil people will be forced to urge the International community to "explicitely endorse the Tamil people's struggle for self-determination," if the Sri Lankan State continues to be intransigent in resolving the Tamil National question, warned Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a press release issued in Colombo Thursday.
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Jaffna IDP families seek SLMM intervention for resettlement

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 16:55 GMT]
Displaced families in Jaffna district have begun submitting individual memoranda to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) seeking its intervention to resettle them in their lands and houses now being occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), civil society sources said. The SLA has declared areas where these houses and agricultural lands of the IDPs are located high security zones. IDP families demand that the SLMM should take steps to vacate the army occupation according to the terms defined in the Ceasefire Agreement signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) about three years ago.
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"Talks venue must be acceptable to both parties"- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 September 2005, 09:46 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, who met with Norwegian delegation in Kilinochchi Thursday morning told reporters that a southern venue, including the Colombo airport, does not provide the necessary conducive environment for direct talks. The venue for direct talks must be acceptable to both parties, he added. Thamilchelvan further said that while the Emergency Regulations is in force and in the prevailing unpredicatable political atmosphere with serious controversies in the South, LTTE finds the airport venue not conducive for serious talks. Colombo had declined to have talks in Kilinochchi.
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Norway wants to hold talks in Colombo Airport

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 13:22 GMT]
A press release issued from the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wednesday said that Norway has determined that the only possible venue to hold talks on improving the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is Colombo International Airport. The Sri Lankan Government has maintained that it wants the meeting to be held in Sri Lanka, while the LTTE has repeated its preference for Kilinochchi or a venue outside Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the Norwegian FM has called an extraordinary meeting of the Sri Lanka co-chairs in New York on 19 September, the press release added.
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GoSL donates USD 25 000 to US hurricane victims

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 September 2005, 06:47 GMT]
United States Charge’ d’Affaires to Sri Lanka and the Maldives James F. Entwistle expressed gratitude to Sri Lanka's President Kumaratunga and the Government of Sri Lanka Friday for their condolences and pledge of assistance to hurricane victims in the U.S. The Government of Sri Lanka will donate $25,000 to the American Red Cross for immediate assistance to those affected by the hurricane, and Sri Lankan Ambassador to the U.S. Bernard Goonetillike will call upon Sri Lankan physicians in the U.S. to volunteer their services to the injured and ill, according to a press release from the Embassy of the United States of America in Colombo.
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Tactical imperatives drive LTTE's responses - Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 September 2005, 02:22 GMT]
"Liberation Tigers' recent responses to emerging political issues are tactical, reflecting the organization's political maturity and the need to further expose to the international community, Government of Sri Lanka's inability to effectively address the Tamil National question," said Mr. K. V. Balakumaran, a senior LTTE member and former EROS leader, when TamilNet asked for his comment on the recent characterization by the Colombo press of LTTE "climbing down" on previously stated positions on issues.
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GoSL peace secretariat officials visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 August 2005, 05:42 GMT]
A team of officials of the Sri Lankan Government's Peace Secretariat Thursday afternoon held a discussion with judicial officers in the Jaffna district regarding the question of maintaining law and order in the district thus enabling to take forward the current peace process.
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JVP demonstrates against direct talks between GoSL and LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 August 2005, 17:18 GMT]
More than five thousand activists of the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna held a two hour demonstration in front of the Fort Railway Station in Colombo Tuesday afternoon opposing the direct talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Mr.Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the JVP, speaking at the conclusion of the demonstration said that the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka is at stake with the continued presence of Norwegian facilitators in the island in the name of monitoring Cease Fire Agreement signed by the then UNP government and the LTTE.
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Direct talks 'pointless' - JHU

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 August 2005, 07:18 GMT]
The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the ultra Sinhala nationalist, all Buddhist monks' party, in a strongly worded statement on Friday opposed the direct and high level talks being scheduled between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE should "lay down its arms" and "denounce" Tamils' right to secede, before holding any direct talks with the GoSL in future, the party said.
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P-TOMS fate confirms Tamils' grave skepticism- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2005, 02:57 GMT]
Mr. R. Sampanthan M.P. Leader Parliamentary Group TNA, speaking during the adjournment debate on the P-TOMS structure Thursday in the Sri Lanka Parliament said that JVP mounted a "high profile challenge levelled against the P-TOMS" because the "agreement was intended to substantially benefit the Tamil speaking people of the Northeast," and that the failure of P-TOMS has confirmed the "grave sense of skepticism amongst the Tamil people."


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SLA collects information on Nedunthivu resettlers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 00:56 GMT]
Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) have started collecting names of displaced persons who are resettled in Nedunthivu, one of the islets in Jaffna peninsula, after the ceasefire agreement came into operation, residents said.
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