Hakeem suspends SLMC Chairman, General Secretary

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 December 2002, 17:19 GMT]
Rauff Hakeem, Minister in Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and President of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) suspended the party's Chairman A.L.M.Athaullah and the General Secretary Dr.M.Hafrath for allegedly plotting to upstage him in his absence violating the party discipline, SLMC sources in Colombo said.


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Children in Armed Conflict and the United Nations

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 November 2002, 03:21 GMT]
It is estimated that 300,000 children are currently participating in fighting in more than 35 countries. 25 million are uprooted from their homes, while millions more have their lives severely affected by the deprivations of war. Dealing with 'impact of war on children' is high on United Nation's agenda, with an annual Security Council debate, several resolutions addressing the problem and an office of the Secretary General devoted to the topic. Sri Lanka does not figure prominently in the deliberations of the UN, but the outcome of UN decisions has been felt in Sri Lanka.
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Karuna Oslo bound

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 November 2002, 12:14 GMT]
Colonel Karuna, Senior Commander of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) took off from Batticaloa in an Sri Lanka Airforce helicopter to Colombo at 9.30 am today on his way to the next round of peace talks between LTTE and Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to be held in Oslo, Norway 2 December, sources said.
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'Donor community must respond to LTTE, GOSL's pragmatism' - Jan Peterson

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 November 2002, 14:17 GMT]
While announcing increased funding support to assist Sri Lanka's peace process, Norwegian Foreign Minister Mr. Jan Petersen, said "The parties are showing a high degree of pragmatism and innovation in the peace negotiations. They are showing courage and political leadership in taking a gradual approach. It is incumbent upon donor governments to respond likewise," urging the international community to financially support NorthEast development in his Opening speech at Oslo 25 November 2002.
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'Country cannot afford to miss this opportunity for peace'- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 November 2002, 12:54 GMT]
"We must not lose the present opportunity to achieve permanent peace with a just, fair and lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict," said Mr.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader addressing the Annual Parents' Day and Oli Vizha of the Trincomalee St.Mary's College Sunday evening. Hundreds of parents attended the function held at College Thresian Auditorium.
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Joint appeal for funds before Oslo Donor meeting

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 November 2002, 19:16 GMT]
The Sub-Committee for Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs in the North and East (SIHRN) formed after the second round of peace talks in Thailand sent out an appeal to the international community for support to rebuild NorthEast.


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De-escalation, normalisation district committee meets in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 November 2002, 19:27 GMT]
The first meeting of the Trincomalee District Sub Committee on De-escalation and Normalisation (TDCSDN) was held Thursday at the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in the eastern port town. The three hour discussion, observed by the head of the SLMM in Trincomalee, Mr. Jan Ledang, centred on high security zones, resettlement of displaced people and opening of roads now closed for security reasons, sources said.
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‘Col. Karuna’s approach very positive’ -Maj. Gen. Kottegoda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 November 2002, 13:25 GMT]
“I think Col. Karuna’s approach is very positive. If we continue in this manner we should be able to sort out a lot of issues pertaining to de-escalation and normalisation,” said Maj. Gen. Shantha Kottegoda of the Sri Lanka army, speaking to the press Wednesday at the conclusion of the meeting of the Batticaloa District Committee of the Sub-Committee on De-escalation and Normalisation held in Vavunathivu, 5 kilometres southwest of Batticaloa, near the line of control.
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Rebel Muslim MPs cut committee deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 November 2002, 15:08 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka Monday appointed a committee headed by its Interior secretary to look after the interests and concerns of Muslims in the island’s northeast in a bid to retain the crucial support of eight MPs of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the main partner of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ruling coalition, who have been boycotting Parliament amid allegations that the opposition was manipulating them to instigate communal tensions in the east to scuttle the peace talks for ending the island’s conflict and to topple the United National Front government.
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Tigers, GOSL optimistic after first defence meet

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 November 2002, 13:39 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) said they were confident of making further progress in stabilising the island’s peace process on the ground as their high-level defence teams wound up four hours of talks in Omanthai, 18 kilometres north of Vavuniya, on the line of control, Sunday.
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Japanese special envoy’s visit highlights interest

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 November 2002, 17:42 GMT]
‘Tamils and Muslims have lived peacefully for long in the east. Misunderstandings arose between the two communities after the Tamils started the armed struggle for the rights. But we now believe that these can be resolved through dialogue,' a delegation of Muslim religious and civil society leaders in Batticaloa told Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Japan's special envoy for peace building and rehabilitation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka, who visited the eastern district Monday.
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Long term political matters on Talks agenda

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 November 2002, 13:58 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), at the conclusion of the second meeting of the first round of peace talks held in Thailand, agreed to set up a joint task force (JTF) to identify immediate humanitarian and rehabilitation needs of north east, work towards military de-escalation and to look at political questions at the heart of two decades of war. The JTF is first tasked to prepare for a political-level meeting of key government s to take place in Norway on 25 November.
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Karuna and Hakeem to work closely

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 November 2002, 15:27 GMT]
Improving the security situation in the East was a key topic of discussion in the second round of peace talks between the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and the Government of SriLanka which began on the 31 October in Thailand. "Mr. Hakeem and Mr. Karuna agreed to work together in the east to meet with local communities and address their specific concerns and aspirations, including matters relating to the occupation and cultivation of land," a release from the Norwegian Embassy in Thailand said.
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Thirukkovil resentful, STF said concocting evidence

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 October 2002, 13:02 GMT]
“The Special Task Force will pose a dire threat to our lives as long it remains in this region. There is no security now for farmers who have to pass the Kanjirankudah STF camp to cultivate their fields. The sole access to more than twelve thousand acres of our people’s fields is controlled by the STF which has no qualms about killing us like animals,” said Mr. Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru, the sole Tamil MP for the Amparai District, Monday.
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Police blamed for inaction as Trinco protest turns unruly

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 October 2002, 20:27 GMT]
A general shut down ('hartal') organised by a group of Sinhalese youths setting up roadblocks and burning tyres disrupted the normal life in Trincomalee and its suburbs this Friday. The Hartal was held in support of a sit-in-protest campaign started by relatives of the six soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army now in the custody of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
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LTTE, GOSL exchange detainees of war

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 September 2002, 15:46 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Saturday that President Chandrika Kumaratunga's government was responsible for delaying the release of the last batch of Sri Lankan army and Navy personnel in their custody by not acting on the matter with "prudent and humanitarian consideration." The LTTE and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's government exchanged prisoners of war as part of the peace building process to end the island's ethnic conflict Saturday in Omanthai, on the southern border of the Vanni region.
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Navy intransigence, mines plague Muslim resettlers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 September 2002, 14:48 GMT]
(Feature) “Muslims are still unable to resettle in their villages even after six months of a stable ceasefire because of Sri Lanka Navy’s intransigence and land mines,” said Mr. M. M Saburudeen, the representative of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) in the Mannar Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and Chairman of the Mannar Citizen’s Committee. “The premises of the Mosques in Talaimannar Pier and Konar Pannai are full of SLN mines. How can Muslims resettle in a place if they cannot pray in the mosque there for fear of the mines?” he asked.
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Education said central to Tamil cause

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 September 2002, 16:35 GMT]
“The National Institute of Education (NIE) discriminates against Tamil medium education, distorts the island’s history taught in schools and is dominated by Singhalese. We can develop and improve our education system when the interim administration for the Northeast is established,” said Mr. Ilankumaran, head of the Education Division of the Liberation Tigers, addressing the inaugural meeting of the Jaffna Education Development Society (EDS) Sunday.
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Norway hails promising start, practical steps

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 September 2002, 11:33 GMT]
Wrapping up the first round of direct talks between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers in seven years, the Norwegian government, acting as facilitator said Wednesday that three future rounds have been scheduled. In a statement, Norway also said two joint committees comprising LTTE and Sri Lankan officials are to be established – one to entrench the permanent ceasefire signed in February and the other to implement humanitarian and reconstruction activities.
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Stable cease-fire between armies of GOSL, LTTE must for peace- Balasingham

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 September 2002, 09:18 GMT]
Addressing a press conference at the Sattahip naval base in Thailand Wednesday after the conclusion of the three-day peace talks between the government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers, the head of the LTTE’s team, Mr. Anton Balasingham said that a stable cease-fire between the standing armies and naval forces of the LTTE and the GOSL is important for laying a firm foundation for peace. “The LTTE is very happy with the proceedings and we have taken a few decisions,” he said.
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