Voter turn out low for PC polls

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 08:52 GMT]
Voter turn out for elections to six provincial councils in Sri Lanka on Saturday was the lowest in the island's polls history, officials said. ''Only 45 percent of the voters cast their votes today'', a senior election official in Colombo said. "Disgust with the current political confusion appears to be the cause behind this voter apathy", said a columnist for a Sinhala daily in Colombo. TamilNet confirmed with the election officials the final voter turn out for the elections was 45 percent.
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'Denial of rights basis of our struggle'- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 July 2004, 04:43 GMT]
"The denial of our human rights is the basis of our struggle. We have not effectively conveyed this message to the world... We will also bring about greater awareness of human rights and related international conventions among our people," said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the Liberation Tigers' political division, addressing the opening of the LTTE's Human Rights Secretariat Friday in Kilinochchi.
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Navaly massacre of 147 Tamil civilians remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 13:26 GMT]
The ninth death anniversary of 147 Tamil civilians including men, women and children who were killed in the indiscriminate bombing by the Sri Lanka Air Force bombers and artillery attack by the Sri Lanka Army on Navaly St Peters Church and Navaly Murugamoorthy Kovil in the Jaffna district falls Friday. Several commemorative events were held Friday in Navaly by relatives of those dead and other civil groups in these areas, sources said.
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Two Karuna militants executed

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 12:51 GMT]
Two militants belonging to the Karuna group were executed by the Liberation Tigers in Illupadichchenai in Batticaloa, local Tamil media said.


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ISGA critical to peace, Tamil MPs tell US Think Tank

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 02:14 GMT]
In a panel session organized by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., Mr.R.Sampanthan and Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians, told the audience that implementation of Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposed by the LTTE is critical to sustainable peace. Ms.Teresita Schaffer, former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and CSIS Director of South Asia program presided the meeting.
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Bubulla Vihare Chief Incumbent injured in grenade attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2004, 17:12 GMT]
Venerable Lendigele Sudassi, Chief Incumbent of the Bodhirukkaharamaya Temple in Bubulla in Hingurakgoda where last Tuesday midnight the Hingurakgoda Police arrested fourteen suspected Karuna faction Tamil youths with automatic weapons, was seriously injured in a grenade attack that took place Thursday around 7.30 p.m., police said.
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"Stop constructing Buddhist shrines in Tamil villages"-TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2004, 17:06 GMT]
"The construction of Buddhist Vihares on lands in traditional Tamil villages in the Trincomalee district would cause serious impact on the current peace process and would disturb the mutual understanding and co-existence that prevails among various communities in the district," said Trincomalee District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham in a letter to the Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge.
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Tigers deny involvement in suicide attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 July 2004, 05:29 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Thursday denied any involvement in the suicide attack in Colombo on Wednesday in which four Sri Lankan Police were killed. Mr. S. P Thamichelvan, head of the LTTE’s political division told TamilNet Thursday that the Tigers had “absolutely no connection in the suicide bombing in Colombo”.
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Missing fishermen return safe

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 23:20 GMT]
Three fishermen Mr.S.Ruban and Mr.T.Sriskandarajah of Inbaruty and Mr.T.Subramaniam of Viyaparimoolai in Vadamarachchi division who were reported missing since Sunday returned safely Tuesday around midnight, fisheries sources said.
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"LTTE emerged militarily strong because of Black Tigers"- Elilan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 05:08 GMT]
"Because of the sacrifice by the Black Tigers, the LTTE has emerged as a strong liberation force in the world and even now we prepared to face a war if it is thrusted on us. However we do not want to be responsible for the outbreak of the fourth Eelam War," said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE addressing the Black Tigers Day celebrations held in the Trincomalee Sivankoviladi grounds Monday night.
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LTTE releases surrendered SLA soldier in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 03:09 GMT]
A soldier of the Sri Lanka Army who surrendered to the Liberation Tigers in Jaffna on Tuesday was handed back to the SLA by the LTTE through the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and the Human Rights Commission, reports from Jaffna said.
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Opposition leaders to meet Prime Minister

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 20:14 GMT]
Leaders of joint opposition parties are scheduled to meet the Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse of the minority ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Thursday to discuss the possibility of advancing the date of next session of the parliament, which is scheduled for 20 July, political sources said.
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Suspected Karuna cadres released on bail

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 14:27 GMT]
The Hingurakgoda magistrate Tuesday released fourteen Tamil youth who were arrested with assault rifles and bombs by Sri Lanka Police in a village Buddhist temple in Hingurakgoda Monday evening. They were enlarged on personal surety bail, Police said. Possession of illegal weapons is a unbailable offense under Sri Lankan law.
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District Ayurveda Hospital opened in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 03:31 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), speaking after the ceremonial opening Monday of the Trincomalee District Ayurveda Hospital said that he was pleased that the opening was held on Black Tigers Day which he said was an important day for the liberation struggle of Tamil people. The Ayurveda Hospital is located at Kappalthurai, a resettled Tamil village along the Trincomalee-Colombo highway, about eight km off the east port town.
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Norway to discuss Sri Lanka with India

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 00:02 GMT]
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen is on a three-day visit to New Delhi, to discuss the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka with Indian leaders, IANS quoted diplomatic sources as saying Monday.
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Armed Tamil youth arrested in Buddhist temple

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 18:36 GMT]
Hingurakgoda Police said Tuesday morning that the arrested youth had in their possession three T- 56, three T - 84 type assault rifles and a T - 81 special assault rifle. They also had six hand grenades. A van and a car in which they had traveled were also seized from the Bubula temple, Police said.
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First Black Tiger commemorated in Nelliyadi

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 15:38 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Monday observed Black Tigers' Day at the Nelliyadi Central College in Jaffna where on 5 July 1987, Capt. Miller, the first Black Tiger, drove an explosives filled truck on Sri Lanka army troops that were garrisoned in the school. Hundreds of people including parents of Black Tigers killed in the war took part in a procession from Nelliyadi Juntion to the Central College to mark the commemoration.
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Gajendrakumar on U.S. visit

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 04:30 GMT]
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, joined Mr. Sampanthan, Parliamentary Group leader of TNA who arrived in the U.S. a week earlier, to address Tamil audience at the annual convention of the Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) Sunday evening in Baltimore U.S., sources in U.S. said.
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LTTE political official shot in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 July 2004, 04:11 GMT]
An official of the political division of the Liberation Tigers was shot and wounded by unidentified gunmen in Batticaloa town Monday morning around 9.15 a.m. The gunmen shot Mr. ‘Senathy’, LTTE’s political division head for Batticaloa town and its environs at the busy Arasadi Junction while he was riding a motorbike with a colleague who was also injured. Mr. Senathy was rushed to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. Mr.Senathi's condition is serious, hospital sources said.


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Talks prospect dim, sustaining CFA uncertain - Elilan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 July 2004, 15:54 GMT]
Mr.C. Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Saturday that recent talks between Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Norwegian facilitator Mr. Erik Solheim gave no indication that the stalled peace process would resume in the near future. "Instead sustaining the current envioronment of peace is becoming uncertain," said Mr.Elilan addressing the 'Sangamam' event organized by the Thamileelam Resurgence Forum in Nilaveli, about 8 km off north of eastern port town Saturday.
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