HR cases put off for want of competent translator

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 17:26 GMT]
The Chavakachcheri Magistrate Friday informed the Attorney General that he was not in a position to hold preliminary inquiries into twenty-two Habeas Corpus applications referred to him by the Jaffna High Court due to want of permanent competent translators, legal sources said.
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More vacancies in NEPC administration - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 16:34 GMT]
The Trincomalee district parliamentarian, Mr.R.Sampanthan, has brought to the notice of the North-East Provincial Governor that several vacancies exist in the permanent cadre of the North East Provincial Council (NEPC) administration. Meanwhile several workers have been employed in the council on casual and adhoc basis without any prospect for claiming permanency.
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Rocca: "Ending conflict is the key to prosperity in Sri Lanka"

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 15:43 GMT]
" Peace, prosperity- and, of course, stability are married to each other, here in Sri Lanka no less than elsewhere," said Ms Christina Rocca, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, said Friday in a press release.


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Speaker summons first party leaders’ meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 12:03 GMT]
The new Speaker of the Sri Lanka Parliament Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara has officially summoned the first meeting of leaders of political parties represented in the parliament Monday 17th noon, political sources in Colombo said.
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Christina Rocca meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 11:01 GMT]
"The international community should tell publicly to the Sri Lankan government that it would not prevent Tamils going in their own way to achieve their rights if Sinhala leaders fail to political solution to meet their legitimate aspirations. This will contribute to the success of the current peace process in finding a lasting political solution," Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan Friday appealed to Ms Christina Rocca, US State Department Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs Friday, sources said.
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UNP will not support UPFA sham peace effort -Peiris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2004, 15:25 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Thursday announced that it would not support the sham peace efforts of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government ." UPFA leaders make contradicting statements on their peace efforts. It clearly shows that they are insincere in their peace moves. Hence the UNP will not support the sham peace efforts of the UPFA government," said UNP senior leader and a former minister in the then UNF government Professor G.L.Peiris at a press briefing held Thursday in Colombo.
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Kadirgamar: "ISGA, blue print for a future separate state"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2004, 01:25 GMT]
Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal is a blue print for a future separate State and it will be difficult for a sovereign government to accept the proposal, said Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, during a talk he gave at the Brookings Institute in Washington D.C Wednesday afternoon. Mr.Kadirgamar is on an official visit to the United States where he met with U.S Secretary of State, Colin Powell and other U.S Government officials.
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Action demanded on shortage of teachers in North-East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 18:05 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) Wednesday urged the North East Provincial Governor, Major General Asoka Jayawardene, to take immediate steps to appoint three thousand Tamil medium teachers to northeast schools which have been affected by acute teacher shortage. Currently about 6000 vacancies for Tamil medium teachers in the northeast schools are not filled. Mr.T.Mahasivam, General Secretary of the CTTU, told the Governor at a discussion held Wednesday at the latter's office Wednesday, sources said.
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US diplomat Rocca to visit Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 17:27 GMT]
Ms. Christina Rocca, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, is scheduled to arrive in Colombo on a four-day visit Thursday. A visit to Trincomalee is also included in her itinerary, sources at the US Embassy in Colombo said Wednesday.
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LTTE's Financial Division announces relief measures

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 16:04 GMT]
The Financial Division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Wednesday announced several measures offering relief to consumers and fishermen in the northeast province. The current 10 percent tax imposed on outboard motor engines and fishing gear brought to Thamileelam has been completely removed as an incentive to the development of the fisheries industry, said Mr. S.Thamilenthi, head of the Financial Division, at a press briefing held Wednesday at the Revenue Secretariat of the LTTE, sources said.
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Snag over TNA MP's resignation removed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 15:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Parliament Secretary General, Ms Priyani Wijesekara, said Wednesday she had forwarded the resignation letter of Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Mr. Kingsely Rasanayakam, to the Commissioner of Elections for necessary action, after Mr. Rasanayakam tendered his resignation letter direct to her, parliamentary sources said.
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NECORD funds new school building in Kanniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 10:14 GMT]
Students of resettled families of Kanniya, a traditional Tamil village which is located along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura highway, about eight km off northwest of east port town Tuesday moved into a new school building constructed at a cost of 1.3 million rupees by the North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), sources said.


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Japanese envoy visits Jaffna, Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 18:21 GMT]
Jaffna district intelligentsia Tuesday made an appeal to the Japanese government not to grant any aid to Sri Lankan government until a permanent political solution is found for the Tamil national question. A delegation of academics led by Jaffna University Vice Chancellor, Professor C.Mohanadas, Tuesday told the visiting Japanese ambassador in Sri Lanka, Mr.Akisuda, that Tamils in the northeast province have not been allowed by the government in power to enjoy the benefits of the ceasefire now holding in the country since February 22, 2002.
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Consultation with GOSL, LTTE to continue - Norway

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 14:32 GMT]
“The Government of Norway will continue to consult with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the coming weeks as some issues need to be discussed further before negotiations can start,” said the Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lanka in a press release issued Tuesday evening.


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‘Let’s discuss ISGA first’, LTTE tells Kumaratunga

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 13:12 GMT]
Mr. Anton Balasingham, political advisor to the Liberation Tigers said Tuesday that the LTTE have suggested that their proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority should be taken up for negotiations first, responding to a suggestion by the Sri Lankan President conveyed through the Norwegian foreign minister to the LTTE leadership Tuesday that there should be parallel talks towards a permanent settlement to the island’s ethnic conflict. He said that President Kumaratunga has accepted the LTTE as the sole representatives of the Tamil people.
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Mullaitivu fishermen struggle without a lighthouse

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 11:05 GMT]
Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance MP for Vanni, has written a letter to Sri Lanka's President Ms.Kumaratunge, explaining the plight of Mullaitivu fishermen and the urgent need for a lighthouse to facilitate fishermen returning to shore during times of bad weather and bad visibility, said sources.
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SLA, LTTE agree to develop procedures to prevent killings in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 10:30 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army and the Liberation Tigers Tuesday agreed in Batticaloa to “develop mechanisms to ensure information sharing and quick reaction procedures to prevent serious crimes and to ensure proper procedures to apprehend individuals perpetrating serious crimes”. The meeting was arranged amidst killings that threatened to jeopardize the cease-fire agreement between LTTE and Colombo. Col. Thambirajah Ramesh, led the LTTE delegation to the meeting with the SLA at the Vavunathivu divisional secretariat, 5 kilometres, northwest of Batticaloa town.
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JVP opposed to UPFA’s decision to talk only with LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2004, 16:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s United People’s Freedom Alliance, led by President Chandrika Kumaratunge, in a statement Sunday said that the UPFA government would hold peace talks only with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, thus conceding the LTTE’s demand to be recognized as the ‘sole representatives’ of the Tamil people, according to wire reports. The Marxist and ultra-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, one of the main constituents of the UPFA, has however announced it is opposed to the decision, Tamil press reports said.
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Norwegian Foreign Minister arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 May 2004, 14:51 GMT]
Norwegian Foreign Minister Mr.Jan Peterson with his deputy Mr. Vidar Helgessen arrived in Colombo Monday afternoon to hold discussions with Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to work out modalities to resume the stalled peace talks, political sources said.
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"ISGA needed as confidence building measure for final solution" - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 May 2004, 17:09 GMT]
"The establishment of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in the northeast province is urgently needed as a confidence building measure to take forward the peace process to achieve a final and lasting political solution to the Tamil national question," said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader and Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan addressing a public meeting attended by Tamil people of Kanthalai.
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