LTTE denies SLBC report on Kurankupanchan camp

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 July 2003, 18:25 GMT]
Refuting a news report carried by the State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) on its Tuesday night news broadcast, which said that the head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan, had arrived at Sampur in the LTTE held Muttur east and was holding discussions with his cadres about dismantling the Kurankupanchan camp, the Trincomalee district political office of the LTTE told TamilNet that its Kurankupanchan camp is still located at the same place without any change, and the report was completely false.
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Thamilchelvan meets eastern NGOs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 July 2003, 10:00 GMT]
Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, the head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who is on a visit to the eastern Batticaloa district held discussions with representatives of various civilian organisations, Tuesday morning.
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Thamilchelvan says doors to peace wide open

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 July 2003, 06:42 GMT]
“The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are keenly studying the proposal for an interim administrative structure sent by the Sri Lankan government although it fails to meet the expectations of the Tamil people”, said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan addressing more than five thousand troops of the LTTE’s southern front forces on the grounds of ‘Meenaham’, a sprawling military base complex in Tharavai, about 40 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa, late Sunday night.
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‘Federalism is a beguiling serpent’ – H. L de Silva

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 July 2003, 04:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s leading Sinhala constitutional lawyer, Mr. H. L de Silva, addressing a seminar on Indian federalism Sunday in Colombo, described a federal solution to end the island’s ethnic conflict as a snake a drowning man clutches in his desperation to stay afloat. In a cogently argued critique of Colombo’s efforts to formulate a federal concept as the basis for a solution to the conflict, Mr. Silva said, “One wonders whether for Sri Lanka federalism is that beguiling serpent, which by its fatal sting will bring about the death of the Republic”.
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SLA increases motorbike patrols in Vadamarachchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 July 2003, 10:49 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has increased its field motorbike group patrols in Vadamarachchi division from Thursday, escalating tension and fear among the residents of the area, civil sources said.
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Lt. Seelan commemoration held in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 July 2003, 18:07 GMT]
The twentieth death anniversary of Lieutanant.Seelan (Charles Antony), the first attack commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was observed in Trincomalee, his birthplace, at an event held at the LTTE political office in Eastern port town Tuesday, sources said.
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LTTE's commitment to resolve conflict by peaceful means stands- Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 July 2003, 17:15 GMT]
"We are ready to face a war if it is imposed on us with the change of a new government. But we are firm in finding a political solution to the conflict through peaceful means," said the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan to a twelve-member delegation of the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (STMA)Saturday evening, sources said.
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Colombo-Vavuniya express train service suspended

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 July 2003, 05:17 GMT]
Intercity express train service between Vavuniya and Colombo is to be suspended from July 14 said Commissioner of Sri Lanka Department of Railways in a notice sent to the Railway station officials in Vavuniya, according to transportation sources.
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Black Tigers day celebrated in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 July 2003, 09:40 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Head of Vavuniya Political Wing, S, Elilan, garlanded and placed flowers to the memorial stone of Lt.Colonel Bork who died in the 1990 attack on Mankulam Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp, during the Black Tigers day celebrations in Vavuniya, Saturday, Vavuniya residents attending the celebrations said.
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Two Jaffna journalists honoured

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 June 2003, 17:54 GMT]
Two Jaffna based journalists Mr.V. Thavachelvam and Mr.M.K.Jeevagathas were honoured Sunday by the Kaddaiveli-Nelliyady Cultural Federation in Jaffna district in an event held at Nellai Thiru Murugan Hall where Jaffna district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr. S.Ilamparithi was the chief guest, sources in Jaffna said.
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Negotiating Tamil sovereignty

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 June 2003, 00:52 GMT]
“Tamils have only had very compelling political and moral reasons for not acceding their sovereignty to the Sri Lankan state since Britain gave independence to this island. Therefore no road map to peace in Sri Lanka should be allowed to compromise the Tamil people’s sovereign and inalienable right to decide their political status in the land of their forebears," said Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance MP for Vanni, reacting Friday to suggestions that the Liberation Tigers should agree to a peace road map in return for workable interim administration for the northeast.
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Three injured in Trinco grenade attack, firing incident

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 June 2003, 17:15 GMT]
Unidentified men Thursday night lobbed grenades at a house in Orr's Hill area and fired at a person in Chelvanayakapuram area, suburbs in the Trincomalee town causing injuries to three persons including a woman, Trincomalee police said.


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Committee probing attack on NE journalists concludes inquiry

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 June 2003, 14:52 GMT]
The two-member committee of inquiry headed by the retired High Court Judge Mr. Oliver Weerasena concluded its three-day inquiry into assaults of journalists in the Northeast Friday evening at the Jaffna district secretariat, sources in Jaffna said.
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Committee to investigate into attack on Batticaloa journalist

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 June 2003, 02:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed a committee headed by retired Judge Oliver Weerasinghe to investigate into the grenade attack on Batticaloa district journalist S. Jeyananthamoorthy who escaped injury in January when unknown assailants hurled a grenade into the journalist’s home, sources in Batticaloa said.


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Trinco Vipulananda holds first prize giving in 56 years

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 May 2003, 19:33 GMT]
Trincomalee Vipulananda College located in the outskirts of east port town held its fifty sixth anniversary and first annual prize giving celebrations Thursday. The school was founded on 7th May 1947 in an abandoned military building left by the Britishers to provide education to the poor children living outside the Trincomalee town, sources said.
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Committee to hold inquiry into assault on Jaffna journalists

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 May 2003, 00:15 GMT]
The United National Front (UNF) government has appointed a committee to conduct inquiry into the alleged assaults in the past few months on three Tamil journalists by the Police and Security Forces in the Jaffna district, media sources said Tuesday.


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‘Border pioneers’ face uphill task

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 May 2003, 12:44 GMT]
“We settled here in 1954 to safeguard our homeland. Today there is nobody to save us”, says Mr. Kanapathipillai Poopalapillai, 79, former President of the Rural Development Society of Sinnawaththai, a destroyed border Tamil village in the east coast’s interior. The Special Task Force and Sri Lanka Police built their camps in the Sinhala sector of this border zone with bricks and wood from the Tamil homes they dismantled or demolished in Sinnawaththai.
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Canadian High Commissioner concludes Trincomalee visit

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 May 2003, 06:39 GMT]
The Canadian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Ms Valerie Raymond Monday commenced her Batticaloa tour, concluding her two-day visit to Trincomalee district Tuesday. She met Tamil and Muslim representatives in Trincomalee at the conclusion of her visit to east port town Tuesday evening held at the office of the Trincomalee District Development Association (TDDA). TDDA organised the discussion.
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Tigers say Colombo should implement talks’ decisions

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 May 2003, 11:12 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers will not participate in peace negotiations with the Sri Lankan government until Colombo implements decisions taken at six rounds of talks since last year, Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the LTTE told Norway’s Foreign Minister Mr. Jan Peterson during a crucial meeting in Kilinochchi Thursday. Col. Karuna and Col. Pathuman, the commanders of the LTTE’s Southern Front Forces and the head of the political division Mr. S. P Thamilselvan were associated with Mr. Pirapaharan at the discussion with the Norwegian FM.
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Norway delegation meets Balasingham, LTTE commanders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 11:45 GMT]
Norwegian delegation comprising special envoy, Eric Solheim, Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar, Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Tryggve Tellefsen, Second Secretary Tomas Stangeland and Advisor in the Foreing Ministry of Norway Ms Lisa Golden met with Mr. Anton Balasingham, Political Advisor and Leader of the Negotiating team of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, S.P. Thamilchelvan, Head of the LTTE political wing, Dr. Jay Maheswaran, LTTE commanders Col. Theepan, Col. Soosai, and Col. Banu this morning at the LTTE political head quarters in Kilinochchi.
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