Picketing campaign in Tellipalai called off

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 15:33 GMT]
As a result of the understanding reached between the Government of Sri LAnka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the fourth round of peace talk in Thailand related to the settling of displaced in Jaffna, the one week old picketing and fasting campaign of the displaced people in Jaffna district in front of the office of the Tellipalai Additional Government Agent was called off Friday afternoon, sources said.
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Parliamentary debate on Oslo talks scheduled

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 December 2002, 17:20 GMT]
The parliamentarians of the ruling United National Front (UNF) government in a meeting held today agreed to a demand by the opposition leader Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse to hold a parliamentary debate on the peace talks held in Oslo between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), and the debate will be held on January 14 at 9 pm, UNF sources said.
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LTTE rejects army's demand as 'unacceptable and unrealistic'

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 December 2002, 11:30 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in an official statement released from its headquarters in Killinochchi, northern Sri Lanka today, accused the state's military hierarchy of imposing unacceptable and unrealistic conditions for the resettlement of the internally displaced Tamils in their own homes and villages in Jaffna presently under heavy military occupation.
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Hakim to represent Muslims at peace talks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 December 2002, 19:07 GMT]
Minister and the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Mr.Rauff Hakim said Wednesday that he has been given permission by the party's supreme council and politburo to attend peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers (LTTE) as the sole representative of the Muslims.


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“Intelligentsia must represent Muslims at peace talks”- Athaullah faction

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 December 2002, 13:06 GMT]
Athaullah faction of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) held its eighteenth annual convention Wednesday at Akkaraipattu where delegates unanimously adopted a resolution that expressed the need for sending a group of independent Muslim intelligentsia to represent Muslims in the peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said sources.
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Report soon on LTTE's broadcast equipment - G.L. Pieris

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2002, 17:03 GMT]
The United National Front Government will soon release a report giving details of the broadcasting equipment given to the LTTE and this will clarify the misleading information spread to the public by some interested parties, said G. L. Pieris, minister of Constitutional Affairs and the leader of Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) negotiating team, speaking to journalists at a press conference in Colombo today.
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Agreement to rebuild A9 signed

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2002, 15:06 GMT]
Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an agreement Monday morning at the Kilinochchi political head quarters to provide a Rs.600m loan to rebuild 103km segment of Jaffna-Kandy road (A9) beginning from Vilakuvaithakulam in Omanthai to Jaffna Town, sources in Kilinochchi said.


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Minister urges UNP-PA to work together for peace

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 December 2002, 17:36 GMT]
Minister of Fisheries, Mr.Mahinda Wijesekara, addressing a seminar Sunday at Devinuwara, a town in deep South, appealed to the United National Front (UNF) government and the main opposition People's Alliance ( PA ) to bury their differences and work together to find a lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict.
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Rehabilitation, Development discussed in Trinco conference

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 December 2002, 05:27 GMT]
The political section of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organized a conference Sunday to discuss proposed development and rehabilitation work in Trincomalee district and to establish a framework for the Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that promotes close coordination to avoid duplication of effort while facilitating the NGOs to function without any obstacles, sources in Trincomalee said.
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Military enclaves in civilian areas, a Rights violation - Judge

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 December 2002, 12:51 GMT]
Military camps in heavily civilian populated areas is a form of human rights violation, said M. Sittampalam, President of Vavuniya Attorneys Union and District Court Judge, in a meeting at Vavuniya Suthananda Hindu Youth Association building, celebrating the Human Rights Day.
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Maldives keen to host Lanka-LTTE talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 December 2002, 12:27 GMT]
The government of Maldives Monday said it was keen to host the peace talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) during a two-day visit to the atoll nation by Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom wished success for the peace talks to end Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict during official talks with Mr. Wickremesinghe in Male, the main atoll that is the country’s capital.
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Japanese envoy unveils key Secretariat in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 December 2002, 17:58 GMT]
The secretariat of the Sub-Committee for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the Northeast was opened in Kilinochchi Sunday morning, according to the Voice of Tigers radio. Japan’s ambassador for Sri Lanka unveiled the secretariat’s name board while Norway’s ambassador cut the ribbon to ceremonially open the building, according to the VOT.
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Muslims rights will be safeguarded - Prime Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 December 2002, 17:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Sunday assured the Muslim community that his government would do everything in its power to safeguard the rights of Muslims in the eastern province when finding a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in the peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and would never let down Muslims at any stage of the peace talks, when he addressed the gathering in Madwela, Kandy, sources said.
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Bomb blast damages Batticaloa TRO Office

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 December 2002, 14:18 GMT]
Investigations are in progress on the bomb blast that damaged the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) building in Batticaloa town Thursday alleged to have been carried out by groups opposed to Liberation Tigers (LTTE) operating in Batticaloa area, sources from the Eastern town said.
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SLFP questions UNF approach to peace

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 December 2002, 14:29 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) the main constituent of the Sri Lanka opposition the People's Alliance (PA), demanded in a press release that the ruling United National Front (UNF) government should explain to Sri Lankan people different concepts and terms included in the Oslo statement which embodied the agreement between Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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CTTU leads Rights Conference in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 December 2002, 17:51 GMT]
"Human rights abuses in Sri Lanka abound because people refuse to accept other people's views. If every community develops the mindset to listen and understand views of others, there would be no war and destruction," said Mr. K. Velayutham, the Badulla district member of parliament (MP), speaking at a conference on "Human Rights and Democracy" in Batticaloa today.
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LTTE, GOSL reach exploratory agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 December 2002, 12:04 GMT]
The government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam reached an exploratory agreement Thursday to “explore a solution to end the island’s conflict founded on the principle of internal self determination in areas of historical habitation of the Tamil speaking peoples, based on a federal structure within a united Sri Lanka”. “Sri Lanka needs a new constitution that would radically transform its polity," said Chief negotiator of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Anton Balasingham, addressing a joint press conference Thursday morning at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Oslo.
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LTTE, GOSL discuss framework for political solution

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 December 2002, 15:01 GMT]
The negotiating teams of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) continued discussions on a framework for a political solution in Oslo Wednesday.
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Govt. agrees for parliamentary debate on Oslo peace talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 December 2002, 15:07 GMT]
The ruling United National Front (UNF) Tuesday agreed for a two-day debate on the peace talks now being held abroad between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This decision was taken at a meeting of the leaders of political parties represented in Sri Lanka parliament presided by the Speaker Mr.Joseph Michael Perera, sources said.
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Third round of peace talks open in Oslo

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 December 2002, 16:32 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) began the third round of peace talks to end Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict at the Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel in downtown Oslo Monday afternoon.
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