President urges unity against terrorism

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 November 2000, 01:17 GMT]
(News Feature) Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunge told Parliament Thursday that she was prepared to talk to the Liberation Tigers about a solution to the island’s conflict within the limits of a united Sri Lanka, but said the war “against terrorism” would continue. Addressing Sri Lanka’s newly formed Parliament, she said that “military action against terrorists”, along with her proposed constitutional reforms and the forming of “national unity” was part of her government’s strategy to solve the island’s ethnic conflict. “It is our expectation to finish this war very soon,” she said.
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State of Emergency extended

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 November 2000, 16:07 GMT]
A motion extending the state of emergency by a further month was approved in Parliament Thursday by a majority of 98 votes. 113 parliamentarians of the ruling Peoples' Alliance voted for the motion. 15 voted against it. MPs of the TULF, JVP, TELO and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress voted against the motion.
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Sri Lanka revives devolution package

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 November 2000, 18:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Monday morning met the leader of the opposition and the United National Party, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe at the Parliamentary Complex and discussed Norway's role in finding a negotiated political solution to the island's protracted ethnic conflict. The talks lasted over ninety minutes, parliamentary sources said.
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LTTE boat destroyed -SLN

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 November 2000, 08:48 GMT]
A sea battle was reported between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lanka Navy off the coast of Trincomalee around 8.30 p.m. Saturday said sources in the eastern town. The Sri Lanka Navy Sunday morning claimed that a LTTE boat laden with explosives was destroyed in the sea battle.
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Solheim briefs Kumaratunga on Prabaharan meet

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 November 2000, 14:40 GMT]
Norway's special envoy Erik Solheim had a two-hour meeting with the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga Friday night to apprise her about the discussion he had with the LTTE leader, V.Pirapaharan at Mallavi in the Vanni on Wednesday.
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JVP slams "secret" talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 November 2000, 13:13 GMT]
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, (JVP) the Marxist party which secured 10 seats at last month's Parliamentary elections, the third largest tally, Friday condemned the "secret" talks between the Norway's special envoy Eric Solheim and the LTTE leader V.Pirapaharan held at Mallavi in the Vanni region on Wednesday.
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Tigers seek "normalcy in Tamil areas"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 November 2000, 17:20 GMT]
Norway's Special envoy Mr.Eric Solheim who returned from Vanni after meeting the leader of the Liberation Tigers, V.Pirapaharan told journalists in Colombo Thursday that the LTTE had not laid down any precondition to begin talks with the Sri Lankan Government. He said the LTTE leader brought to the notice of the Norway's delegation that the Tamil areas the island was suffering under the economic embargo imposed by the Sri Lankan government and that he wanted quick return of normalcy in the northeast, Mr.Solheim said.
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Norway meets LTTE in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 November 2000, 16:32 GMT]
A delegation of the Norwegian government met with the leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr.Velupillai Pirapaharan, and other LTTE officials in the Vanni this week, the organisation said Wednesday in a statement from its London offices. The discussions, described as "cordial and constructive" covered "several pertinent issues" including the issue of political negotiations, statement said.
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ICRC transfers 13 bodies

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 November 2000, 14:50 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army handed over the bodies of 13 Liberation Tigers who were killed on Sunday in the Thenmaradchi sector to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Jaffna Wednesday afternoon.
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Fighting reported in Thenmaradchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 October 2000, 10:44 GMT]
Fighting erupted Sunday between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lanka army in the Thenmaradchi sector on the Jaffna peninsula as government troops launched a limited operation to advance towards Madduvil.
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Trinco hartal over massacre

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 October 2000, 08:29 GMT]
A hartal is being observed in the eastern town of Trincomalee Friday, condemning the massacre Wednesday of Tamil detainees at Bindunuwewa detention centre and the slaying last week of Jaffna based reporter Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, allegedly by pro-government militiamen.
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Tigers blame government for massacre

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 October 2000, 22:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Thursday blamed the Sri Lankan government for the massacre Wednesday of dozens of Tamil youths at a detention centre at Bandarawella by rampaging Sinhala villagers. In a statement from their London offices, the Tigers said they had evidence Sri Lankan security forces were "involved in organising, mobilising and instigating," the mob which attacked the centre. Those held at Bandarawella were neither members of the LTTE or child soldiers as the government had reported, but innocent civilians, the Tigers said. "The government of Sri Lanka should bear total responsibility for the serious consequences that might arise from continuing such genocidal assaults on innocent Tamil detainees," the statement said.
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Journalists protest colleague's slaying

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 October 2000, 14:37 GMT]
Over six hundred Sri Lankan journalists protested Wednesday against the brutal slaying of Jaffna based reporter Mylvaganam Nimalarajan allegedly by pro-government militiamen. The picket, conducted by the Free Media Movement, Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance and other media institutions in Colombo took place opposite Fort Railway Station for about one and a half hours commencing from 12 noon. Meanwhile, other correspondents say they have been threatened in the wake of the killing.
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Massive assault on Trincomalee Harbour -LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2000, 16:38 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Monday that two Sri Lankan naval vessels were destroyed and two passenger ships were badly damaged in a massive assault on the eastern Trincomalee harbour today. They also said that a Russian built MI24 helicopter gunship, which came to assist the ground troops near Marble Beach, was brought down by an anti-aircraft missile.
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ICRC transfers 15 LTTE bodies

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2000, 15:57 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army Monday handed over to the ICRC 15 bodies of the Liberation Tigers killed in the fighting in Nagar Kovil this week. The ICRC took the bodies in fishing boats from the Gurunagar jetty to the Kalmunai Point in the Jaffna lagoon around 4 p.m. where they were handed over to the LTTE.
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Mi24 shot down, fighting on Marble Beach

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2000, 05:45 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers shot down a Mi-24 helicopter gunship that flew into support Sri Lanka army troops and the Navy which attempted to encircle and engage them Monday morning near the Marble beach 16 kilometers southwest of Trincomalee, security sources said.
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Tigers destroy gunboat in Trincomalee SLN Yard

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 October 2000, 02:25 GMT]
A gunboat and a troop carrier were destroyed in a major attack by the Liberation Tigers in the Naval Yard in the Trincomalee harbour Monday morning around 5.45 a.m. At least 25 Sri Lanka Navy personnel were wounded and 2 were killed in the attack initial reports said.
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Fighting starts again for Nagar Kovil MSR

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 October 2000, 11:05 GMT]
Fighting erupted again Sunday on Jaffna's southeastern cost after a brief lull as the Liberation Tigers launched a fresh attack from this morning to recapture a small segment of the Main Supply Route to the Sri Lanka army's Nagar Kovil detachment. The SLA Saturday retook some of its positions ahead of the detachment which the Liberation Tigers overran on 19 October.
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Nagarkovil FDLs destroyed -LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 October 2000, 15:24 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Thursday that they had overrun Sri Lanka Army forward defence lines protecting the key base at Nakarkovil in the heavy fighting which broke out this morning. They also said they shot down a Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter gunship and damaged another.
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Tigers overwhelm satellite camp

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 October 2000, 05:02 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers attacked and broke through a section of the Forward defence Lines of the Sri Lanka army ahead of the Mannar-Vavuniya highway about 30 kilometers west of Vavuniya town, overwhelming a satellite camp in that sector in the early hours of the morning Wednesday.
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