Heads of Mission from Europe meet LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 June 2003, 14:22 GMT]
Heads of Mission (HOMs) from The Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, met with Mr S P Tamilselvan, Head of the Political Wing of the LTTE, to reaffirm, as bilateral donors, their strong support for the peace process.
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World Bank teams begin field survey tour in NE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 June 2003, 00:50 GMT]
Two teams of World Bank officials began their four day field survey tour in the districts of Northeast province Monday to assess agricultural development and restoration works on minor irrigation tanks now being carried out by the World Bank funded North East Irrigated Agricultural Project (NEIAP), government officials in Trincomalee said.
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SLA builds camp in Chithampara College Grounds

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 June 2003, 12:01 GMT]
Residents in Valvettiturai (VVT) in the northern shores of Jaffna said that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has begun construction of a camp in the sports grounds belonging to Chithampara College Saturday, according to local press reports.
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SLA occupies resident's land to construct new camp

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 May 2003, 17:22 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army has forcibly occupied the private land of Mr.C.Vaikunthavasan, a resident of Point Pedro in the Vadamarachchi division of the Jaffna district, since May 29, according to a complaint that Mr. Vaikunthavasan made on Friday to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka in Jaffna, sources said.
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Sri Lanka's main opposition lays condition for IA

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 May 2003, 16:29 GMT]
The main opposition Peoples Alliance (PA) Friday said that Tokyo donors' conference should be held as scheduled next month with the participation or non-participation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). It further said that the interim administration should be established to facilitate the implementation of the political solution reached at the peace talks now being held between the GOSL and LTTE and with certain conditions, sources in Colombo said.


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Colombo responds to LTTE's request for IA

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 May 2003, 15:56 GMT]
Sri Lanka's United National Front (UNF) government Monday responded to the request of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that an interim administration (IA) with adequate powers to effectively handle the reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of the war ravaged northeast province should be established before Tokyo aid summit talks begin next month, sources said. The details are being conveyed to the LTTE by Norwegian envoy, Eric Solheim, on Tuesday, sources added.


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EU urges LTTE participation in Tokyo aid talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2003, 16:19 GMT]
European Union (EU) resident representative in Sri Lanka Mr.Wouter Wilton Friday arrived in Jaffna on a two-day fact-finding visit. Addressing a meeting held at the office of the Consortium of the Jaffna District Humanitarian Agencies (CJDHA) Friday afternoon Mr. Wilton said that the EU is of the view that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should participate in the Tokyo aid summit to be held next month, sources said.


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SLN soldier in LTTE custody

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2003, 15:38 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldier who entered the LTTE controlled Kadawanaikulam area in Trincomalee district with arms is now in the custody of Thamileelam Police, LTTE Trincomalee district political head Mr.S.Thilak told media persons in the east port town Friday. Kadawanaikulam is 16 km off west of east port town along the Trincomalee-Kandy highway, sources said


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Colombo’s new proposals said not valid in law

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2003, 06:40 GMT]
Institutional arrangements suggested by Colombo last week in response to concerns raised by the Liberation Tigers about establishing a legally viable and operable system to utilise donor aid for development and reconstruction of the war ravaged northeast are not valid in Sri Lankan law, legal experts said Thursday. “An Interim administrative mechanism similar to the one proposed under the Indo Lanka Agreement can be set up by the President alone; and only while Emergency Regulations are in force”, said Mr. V. T Thamilmaran, senior lecturer in law in the University of Colombo.
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LTTE seeks premier's response on interim administration proposal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 May 2003, 06:53 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) today called upon the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, to formally respond to proposals by its leader, Mr. Vellupillai Pirapaharan, for an interim administrative set-up in the Northeast. The LTTE’s comments were made in a letter by its chief negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, to the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgesen.
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TNA delegation meets LTTE leadership in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2003, 14:30 GMT]
A Tamil National Alliance delegation led by its parliamentary group leader, Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tuesday held discussion with the LTTE’s political head, Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan, regarding the possibility of the resumption of peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE.
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Valikamam north IDPs picket demanding resettlement

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2003, 14:24 GMT]
Hundreds of internally displaced families of Valikamam north Tuesday held a two hour picketing campaign in front of the Jaffna district secretariat, demanding that they should be allowed to resettle in their lands occupied by the Sri Lanka Army.
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Jaffna Protesters demand permission to resettle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2003, 11:08 GMT]
Valikamam North residents should jointly support and participate in the protest to be held today in front of Jaffna secretariat demanding permission to resettle in their homes that lie within the High Security Zone (HSZ) demarcated by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), said Maavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian in an appeal to residents in Jaffna, local press reports said.


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TNA delegation meets Helgessen, Wickremesinghe

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2003, 00:06 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) delegation met with Norwegian deputy foreign minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen and the Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe separately Monday and held discussions regarding resumption of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), political sources in Colombo said.
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SLA bike patrols horrify Vadamaradchy residents

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 May 2003, 00:28 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has resumed its ' field bike group ' patrolling in several parts of the Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district causing fear among Tamil people. The field bike group patrolling of the SLA was stopped with the signing of the ceasefire agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), civil sources said.


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Helgessen on shuttle diplomacy to end talks impasse

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 May 2003, 12:46 GMT]
Norwegian delegation led by deputy foreign minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen held about two hour talks with the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Saturday afternoon at Killinochchi peace secretariat. He briefed the LTTE leaders on the outcome of the talks he had with the government peace negotiators about the requests by the LTTE leader Mr.V.Pirapaharan made during the discussion with the Norwegian foreign minister Mr.Jan Petersen, Vanni sources said.
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US diplomat cancels Trincomalee visit

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 May 2003, 14:27 GMT]
The Assistant Secretary of State in the US government Ms Christina Rocca cancelled her visit to Trincomalee due to inclement weather, diplomatic sources said. On her two-day visit to Sri Lanka, Ms. Rocca was scheduled to visit Trincomalee Tuesday to hold talks with Sri Lanka navy officials in the east port town in addition to a luncheon discussion with selected leading citizens of the area at a tourist resort in Nilaveli, sources said.


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DLB controversy sparks constitutional crisis in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 10:52 GMT]
The constitutional crisis between the legislature and the executive branches of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) regarding the take over of the administration of the Development Lottery Board (DLB) took a new turn Monday when Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge issued a directive to the GoSL Printer Mr. Neville Nanayakkara to print the extra ordinary gazette notification sent by her on Thursday, political sources in Colombo said.


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News in brief

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2003, 10:44 GMT]
Officials complain of school books replete with Spelling, Grammar, factual errors, more than 8,000 Sri Lanka Army soldiers desert their posts and Jaffna TRO contemplates filing rights case against Sri Lanka Government and security forces.


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Akashi expresses confidence in LTTE joining aid talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2003, 01:16 GMT]
Efforts to resolve the technical issues relating to administering North East Reconstruction Fund and to make the Subcommittee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN) more effective are underway to enable resumption of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi Friday in a press conference in Kilinochchi.
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