Akashi meets Pirapaharan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 00:02 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Wednesday told the Japanese peace special envoy Mr Yasushi Akashi that they would consider his request to participate at the Aid Donor conference in Japan seriously if the Government of Sri Lanka took positive steps towards implementing decisions taken at six previous rounds of talks, sources in Vanni said.


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LTTE's participation in Tokyo meeting crucial for peace process - Solheim

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 May 2003, 12:03 GMT]
“Participation of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the International Aid conference to be held in Tokyo next month is crucial for obtaining much needed funds to develop both LTTE controlled areas in the Northeast and Sri Lanka south. If the LTTE fails to attend, international community will be reluctant to commit funds. Further, it will also be a setback to the peace process,” said Norway’s special emissary Eric Solheim in Vavuniya today.
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Norwegian, Japanese peace facilitators arrive in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 May 2003, 11:50 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen with his special emissary Mr. Erik Solheim and Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi arrived Colombo Sunday early morning separately to initiate talks with the leadership of the United National Front (UNF) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the resumption of temporarily stalled peace process, political sources said.
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Colombo optimistic of LTTE participation in peace talks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 May 2003, 00:10 GMT]
The United National Front government of Sri Lanka Wednesday expressed optimism that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam would participate in the Aid Donors' Summit, which is scheduled to be held in the first week of June in Tokyo, Japan.
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Sri Lanka appeals to LTTE to resume talks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 April 2003, 10:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister this week admitted that efforts to restore normalcy to the Tamil areas had not taken place “at the pace which we might have desired” and vowing matters would improve, appealed to the Liberation Tigers to nevertheless resume peace talks which the LTTE had put on hold two weeks ago.
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PM's advisor in Jaffna to see ground situation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2003, 12:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka Prime Minister's senior advisor Mr.Bradman Weerakone at the end of his two-day visit to Jaffna Sunday said at a conference held at Jaffna District Secretariat that the reply to be sent shortly to the LTTE political advisor Mr Anton Balasingham would contain assurances that will help the resumption of the peace talks. Meanwhile Mr.Weerakone Saturday instructed the Government Agent to hand back the municipal lands to the Jaffna municipal council, sources said
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Clergy appeal for resumption of peace talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2003, 01:49 GMT]
Leading members of the clergy Friday appealed to the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) not to go back to war and to resume peace talks immediately to find a negotiated political settlement to the ethnic conflict.
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No threat of resumption of war - Minister Peiris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 April 2003, 18:58 GMT]
The ceasefire agreement signed last year by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is still in force and there is no threat of resumption of war following the pull out by the LTTE from peace talks, said Minister G.L. Peiris, addressing the weekly cabinet press briefing Thursday.
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Speedy relief essential for success of talks - TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 April 2003, 11:26 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Wednesday requested the United National Front (UNF) government to formulate and implement a new approach that could provide speedy relief to the grievances of several thousands displaced Tamils without further delay fulfilling the justifiable expectations of Tamils since the signing of the ceasefire agreement, sources said.


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JVP demands debate on SLMM, Muttur violence

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2003, 19:04 GMT]
The Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) demanded in a letter to the Speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament that a special meeting of the parliament to discuss the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission’s 'Initial discussion paper' of April 03 to the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) on recognizing Sea Tigers as a de facto naval unit, and the recent incidents of violence in Muttur, Mr. Wimal Weerawansa, the parliamentary group leader of the JVP and its propaganda secretary, said at a press conference held Tuesday at the Nippon hotel in downtown Colombo.
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Trains to Batticaloa back on track

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 April 2003, 13:20 GMT]
Minister of Transportation of Government of Sri Lanka, Minister Upali Piyasoma ceremonially inaugurated the Polannaruwa to Batticaloa train service Saturday morning easing transportation to and from Batticaloa town, sources in Batticaloa said. Recent completion to repairs of the final stretch of the track from Valaichenai to Batticaloa paved the way for the opening of the Polannaruwa to Batticaloa service.


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TELO holds annual conference

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 April 2003, 12:00 GMT]
Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), held its 3-day sixth annual national conference in its Mannar office starting from Saturday, sources said.


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Second SGI meeting held in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 April 2003, 00:05 GMT]
The Sub-Committee on Gender Issues (SGI), established during the third round of negotiations between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka in December 2002, held its second meeting in Kilinochchi on April 4 and 5. The delegates decided to work towards achieving equal representation of women in politics, eliminate gender biases in education, and to take up issues related to violence and sexual harassment of women, said a press release by the Sub-Committee.
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Colombo wants to create illusion of a political settlement– Karuna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 April 2003, 16:29 GMT]
“We should be mindful that we are living in the information age. Information technology has grown tremendously. Our information skills should be on par with this growth. The information revolution can be put to wrong uses too. It can be used to wage psychological warfare against us subtly through TV and other popular media,” said Col. Karuna, senior commander of the Liberation Tigers, addressing the opening of the offices and press of the ‘Thamil Alai’ (Tamil Wave) newspaper in Kokkaddicholai, 12 kilometres southwest of Batticaloa, Saturday.
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IOM opens branch in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 April 2003, 12:20 GMT]
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) opened a branch office in Jaffna Friday. The IOM is involved in research and prevention of migrant trafficking, assists voluntary return of rejected asylum seekers, trafficked migrants, stranded students and refugees referred by the UNHCR.
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Exclusion from donor conference undermines peace process - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 April 2003, 10:08 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Friday protested its exclusion from an international donor conference to be hosted by the United States in Washington on April 14 to back reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the Tamil north and east of Sri Lanka. In a press release issued from its Political Headquarters in Kilinochchi, the LTTE expressed its ‘disappointment’ at the move, saying this would undermine confidence in the ongoing peace process.
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$800m World Bank funding for Sri Lanka Development

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2003, 12:19 GMT]
Under Country Assistance Strategy (CAS), World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) is set to provide US$800 million of new assistance, in the form of grants and interest-free loans over the next four years. This amount is significantly higher than IDA lending to Sri Lanka over the last five years—which averaged about US$60 million per year, World bank sources said.


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Electricity supply restored to Karadiyanaru region

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2003, 13:43 GMT]
Minister of Power and Energy of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), Karu Jeyasuriya, Sunday declared open electricity supply scheme to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas of Karadiyanaru, Illupadichchenai and Pankudaveli in Batticaloa district, ministry officials said.
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Military complex in heart of Jaffna unacceptable - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 March 2003, 16:28 GMT]
"We are totally opposed to the re-occupation of lands in the Jaffna Municipal area and the setting up of a large military complex in the heart of the city," said Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) political head, S.P.Thamilchelvan, in a letter to Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) Minister of Defense Tilak Marapone today, sources in Vanni said.


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'LTTE strength vital for success of peace talks'-Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2003, 14:19 GMT]
Tamils should strengthen the hands of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to find a meaningful political resolution to the Tamil national question through the present peace talks, said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan addressing a heavily attended musical event at Sampoor in the LTTE held Muttur east in the Trincomalee district Saturday night organized by the Trincomalee political division of the LTTE, sources said.
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