Battle lines drawn to prove parliamentary majority

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 June 2004, 14:49 GMT]
Opposition parliamentarians in the Sri Lanka's thirteenth parliament Monday handed over a memorandum to the Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara to safeguard the parliamentary democracy. 114 parliamentarians from the United National Party (UNP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) signed the memorandum, parliamentary sources said.


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Details of Karuna's whereabouts emerge

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 June 2004, 01:15 GMT]
Revelation by four Senior LTTE women commanders who escaped from Colombo and rejoined the LTTE Friday, that Karuna is working with the Sri Lanka Security Forces in Colombo, is likely to raise serious doubts on the bona fides of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and has introduced a potentially explosive component to prospects for peace, political sources in Colombo said.
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World Refugee Day held in Trincomalee welfare centre

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 June 2004, 00:46 GMT]
The World Refugee Day (WRD) was celebrated in Trincomalee Sunday morning in the welfare centre at Allesgarden, about three km off north of east port town where about 1665 persons of 437 displaced families live since 1993. Trincomalee district head of the UNHCR Ms Brita Helleland made the introductory speech at the event. This year theme of the WRD is "A place to call home: rebuilding lives in safety and dignity," UNHCR sources said.


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SL propaganda aims to create fear psychosis in East- Ramesh

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 June 2004, 15:02 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Special Commander to Batticaloa-Amparai district, Col.Ramesh denied recent reports in Sri Lanka Government media on fighting in Thoppigala jungles in Batticaloa district, and dismissed the reports as propaganda to create a fear psychosis in the minds of eastern Tamils, during an interview with United Kingdom based Vectone Broadcasting network, Sunday.


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Southern intellectuals, artists participate in book release

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 June 2004, 12:54 GMT]
"A letter from Vanni (Vanniye sita liyuma)" and "Voice from the heart of the Silent (Handak Nathiyunge Hathawatha Sakshiye Handa)," two books describing the political and social liberation feelings of the tamil community were launched ceremonially today in Vavuniya with T.Gnanavel, Vavuniya district political head of the LTTE presiding the function at Muthiah Hall, sources in the Northern town said.
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"SL President's duplicitous politics threatens peace"- MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 June 2004, 03:08 GMT]
Delays in resumption of peace talks due to Sri Lanka President Ms Kumaratunge's continually shifting positions on the peace process, and suspected Sri Lanka Government's complicity in destabilizing the Batticaloa district, portend imminent danger to prevailing peace, said Joseph Pararajasingham, Senior Vice President of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Member of Parliament (MP), talking to TamilNet from Colombo, Sunday morning.
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Senior Tamil Journalist talks to German HR Group

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 June 2004, 17:46 GMT]
Dharmaretnam Sivaram, a Senior Tamil Journalist and an editor of TamilNet, spoke to International Human Rights Association in Germany during his recent trip to Europe. One segment of the interview was recorded after his colleague Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan was assassinated in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.
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"SLA is giving shelter to Karuna"- Ramesh

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 June 2004, 14:17 GMT]
"We have confirmed reports that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is giving shelter to Karuna and that the Sri Lanka military is trying to use him against the Liberation Tigers," said Special LTTE Commander for Batticaloa- Ampara, Col.Ramesh speaking to reporters at a press conference held in Thenagam in Kokkadicholai Saturday evening.
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Sinhala books on Tamil struggle to be released

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 June 2004, 13:14 GMT]
Two books written in Sinhalese, "A letter from Vanni (Vanniye sita liyuma)" and "Voice from the heart of the Silent (Handak Nathiyunge Hathawatha Sakshiye Handa)," describing the Tamil liberation struggle for the first time, are to be released in Vavuniya, Sunday, at the Hindu Youth Hall, media sources said.
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150th birthday of Mother Saratha Devi celebrated in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 June 2004, 18:42 GMT]
The Hindu Society of Trincomalee Sri Shanmuga Hindu Girls College Friday morning celebrated 150th birthday of Mother Saratha Devi of Ramakrishna Mission in Trincomalee town. The photograph of Mother Saratha Devi was taken in a procession along several roads in the town with large number of students joining the procession along with teachers and members of public.
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"LTTE losing confidence in peace process"- UNF

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 June 2004, 02:35 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appears to be losing confidence on the peace process because of the contradictory stands taken by President Chandrika Kumaratunge," said the media spokesman of the main opposition, Professor G.L.Peiris, at a press briefing held Friday in Colombo, according to media sources.
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No ISGA outside parliamentary procedure - UPFA govt.

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 16:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Media Minister and United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government's new cabinet spokesman Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, Friday rejected reports in a section of the media that the President was exploring the possibility of establishing Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in the northeast province outside parliamentary procedure as baseless. '' There is absolutely no truth in such reports,'' Mr. Mangala Samaraweera said at the cabinet press briefing.
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Protest rally in Jaffna draws large crowd

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 11:57 GMT]
Around sixty thousand people participated in the protest march and rally held in Jaffna town Thursday putting forward five demands including the restoration of normal life and the establishment of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) put forward by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northeast province. Jaffna District Peoples' Forum organized this demonstration and rally.
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Norway persists as stalemate deepens

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 01:04 GMT]
The stalemate in Sri Lanka’s peace process continued this week, and even as Norwegian diplomats vowed to continue their shuttle diplomacy, President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government hardened its stance on the agenda for talks.


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Establish ISGA, appeals Jaffna Peoples Forum

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 00:40 GMT]
Tamil Speaking Peoples Forum for Human Rights and Development based in Jaffna Wednesday appealed to the President Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge to initiate bold step of recommencing negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to establish the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) which could handle all development and reconstruction projects in the northeast province.
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Tigers slam Sri Lankan state media for vicious propaganda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 June 2004, 10:01 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Wednesday expressed serious concern about ‘malicious and false propaganda’ in Sri Lanka’s state controlled media regarding the situation in the Batticaloa district, during discussions with the Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo. “If the Sri Lankan Government is honest in taking the LTTE as a sincere partner in the peace process, this type of clandestine media activity should stop forthwith”, Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan told the ambassador. There is yet no agreement on restarting the talks the ambassador told the press at the conclusion of the meeting.
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CWDR opens new Secretariat

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 June 2004, 02:17 GMT]
Centre for Women’s Development and Rehabilitation (CWDR) opened its newly constructed Secretariat building in Kilinochchi Tuesday, sources in Vanni said. Director of CWDR, V.Sutharshini presided the opening ceremony.
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"Under God" stays- U.S. Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 June 2004, 00:04 GMT]
Supreme Court of the U.S. Monday unanimously struck down a challenge against the phrase "Under God" in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance filed by Michael Newdow, an atheist father from California. Mr.Newdow claimed that his right to influence his daughter's religious views was infringed by the daily recitations in school of the pledge "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
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Pakistan-based Islamic group eyes eastern Sri Lanka - analyst

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 12:17 GMT]
Pakistan’s plans to appoint a former Director of its Intelligence Bureau (IB) as Ambassador to Sri Lanka "could have serious implications for the national security of India" a senior Indian analyst said this week, citing Colombo's importance as a base for Pakistani agents and a Pakistan backed militant group's increasing activities in Sri Lanka's eastern districts.
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Thamilchelvan meets INGO delegates

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 June 2004, 11:11 GMT]
Head of Liberation Tigers Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan met with United Nations and International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) delegates at the Planning and Development Secretariat of the LTTE in Kilinochchi Tuesday, LTTE's Peace Secretariat website said. Thamilchelvan told the delegates the critical importance of making the "people real stake holders in development."
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