Tigers seek truce monitors' role to facilitate poll

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 11:43 GMT]
''The question of people from areas held by us voting in the elections involves arrangements by the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan armed forces. This is a ceasefire related matter. Therefore we feel that the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has a role in working out modalities to help people in our areas vote at the general elections'' said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the LTTE's political division speaking to journalists Saturday after meeting with the head of Sri Lanka truce monitoring mission in Kilinochchi.
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Vavuniya refugee camp on fire

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 08:31 GMT]
One of the main refugee camps in Vavuniya caught fire and is burning, Police in the northern border town said Saturday afternoon. The camp in the outer suburb of Poonthottam houses more than five hundred families that were displaced from villages north of Vavuniya due to Sri Lanka army operations.
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Vanni franchise issue awaits resolution

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 02:20 GMT]
91,864 Tamil voters residing in Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu adminstrative divisions comprising the Vanni electoral district live in areas controlled by Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and face the prospect of being denied their franchise if the Election Commisioner fails to provide a suitable arrangement to locate the polling booths in accessible areas, political sources said.
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SLMM head to meet LTTE leadership Saturday

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2004, 18:11 GMT]
The head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Major General (retd.) Trond Furuhovde, is to visit Kilinochchi Saturday to meet the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan. This will be his first visit to Kilinochchi after he assumed office for the second time on February 1, SLMM sources said.
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Sri Lanka army donates wheelchairs to Jaffna disabled

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2004, 11:40 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army’s 52-4 Brigade in Pt. Pedro Friday donated eleven wheelchairs to disabled persons in Jaffna. The SLA held a special function at the Vallipuram Temple near Pt. Pedro on Friday morning to mark the occasion. Addressing the function after donating the wheelchairs, Commander of the SLA’s 52-4 Brigade, Col. K. S Ratnayaka, said it was a goodwill gesture by the Sri Lankan military to foster better relations with the Tamil people.


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Tigers will campaign for TNA- Elilan

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2004, 00:02 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers decided today to campaign for the victory of the Tamil National Alliance. We felt that the 2004 election is a unique opportunity for the Tamil speaking people to express their political aspirations," said Mr. S. Elilan, the head of LTTE's political divison for Vavuniya, addressing the first campaign meeting of the TNA in the northern border town Thursday.
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Jaffna Muslims express solidarity with LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 February 2004, 15:48 GMT]
"We accept the leader of Libertion Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Pirapaharan, as our leader. We are not in a position to accept the leadership of Rauf Hakeem from the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress," said Al Aleem Marleen, President of the Jaffna Muslims Peace Consortium speaking to reporters in Jaffna.
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UPFA prepared to talk to LTTE - Kumaratunge

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 February 2004, 13:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Thursday afternoon launching the election campaign of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) at Anuradhapura said she is prepared to commence peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), according to an evening news bulletin of the State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). She, however, added that such talks should be held in an open manner, the news bulletin said.


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International community should protect Tamils right to vote - TNA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 February 2004, 15:36 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will appeal to the international community to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan government to ensure voters in the Liberation Tigers controlled areas in the northeast province to exercise their franchise in the forthcoming general election without any interruption, TNA's leader and former parliamentarian Mr. R.Sampanthan said in a meeting of TNA candidates in Trincomalee, sources said. Mr.Tilak, LTTE Trincomalee district political head also participated in the meeting.
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Protest continues, SLN to help locate missing fisherman

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 February 2004, 15:01 GMT]
Hundreds of Vadamarachchi fishermen did not go fishing for the third day and participated in a protest meeting held in the premises of Sakkottai St. Francis Xavier Church Wednesday morning condemning the recent attack on local fishermen by Indian poachers in the northern waters, fisheries sources said.


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TNA, LTTE begin deliberations on manifesto

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 February 2004, 12:00 GMT]
Party leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Liberation Tigers began deliberations on drafting the election manifesto of the TNA in Kilinochchi Tuesday. The meeting was adjourned in the afternoon for lunch. LTTE and TNA leaders said that the deliberation would continue later in the day and on Thursday.


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Serious consequences if Tamil voters’ rights are denied – Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 February 2004, 07:28 GMT]
"The consequences will be serious if the rights and wishes of our people are denied," said Mr. S.P Thamilchelvan, the head of the political division of the Liberation Tigers, responding to reports Wednesday that the Sri Lanka army will not allow the free movement of voters from areas held by the LTTE for polling on 2 April. "We discussed the matter with the Ambassador of Norway today. And we plan to take up the matter with the European Union too," Mr. Thamilchelvan said, speaking to journalists after meeting Norwegian Ambassador for Sri Lanka, Mr. Hans Brattskar, Wednesday.
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UNP, UPFA avoid Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 February 2004, 12:27 GMT]
The Returning Officer of the Jaffna electoral district Mr.S.Pathmanathan Tuesday accepted nomination lists from eight political parties and two independent groups to Contest the forthcoming general election fixed for 2 April, election department sources said.


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171 candidates vie for six Vanni seats

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 February 2004, 11:28 GMT]
Ten different registered parties and nine independent groups are presenting 171 candidates for the forthcoming elections in the Vanni district for six seats. In the last elections held in 2001, 207 candidates from 23 groups competed in Vanni, according to Vanni election offiicials.
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"Elections will strengthen LTTE's position" - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2004, 21:55 GMT]
"We openly state that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is contesting the forthcoming general election on behalf of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)," said Tamil National Alliance lead candidate in Trincomalee district, Mr.R.Sampanthan, Monday evening when he addressed the first election seminar held at Hindu Cultural hall in the east port town, sources in Trincomalee said.


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Ten groups compete in elections for Vanni district

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2004, 10:26 GMT]
Vavuniya Government Agent (GA) and Vavuniya election officer, K.Ganesh, accepted nominations papers from three independent groups and seven different political parties for the Vanni electoral district comprising Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu districts, sources in Vavuniya said.
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TNA submits nomination lists for NE electoral districts

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2004, 08:42 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Monday noon submitted its nominations for the five electoral districts, Jaffna, Vanni, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, in the Tamil dominated northeast province. TNA fielded its candidates in the name of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) and its election symbol "HOUSE". The ITAK last contested in the 1970 elections under the leadership of late Tamil leader Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam ("Thanthai Chelva"), political sources said.
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"Ceasefire has failed to bring normalcy to Jaffna residents"

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 February 2004, 19:22 GMT]
The Jaffna District Humanitarian Agencies Consortium (JDHAC) Sunday handed over a memorandum to the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna stating that normalcy has not returned to the lives of several thousand Tamil people including internally displaced in the peninsula even after two years of ceasefire, civil society sources said.
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Sri Lanka Elections: News Brief

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 February 2004, 12:06 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) plans to submit nomination papers in the districts of NorthEast at the same time Monday noon, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is to compete in Jaffna alone, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission is exploring ways to help people in LTTE controlled areas to exercise their right to vote, EPDP and EPRLF (Varather faction) to contest jointly in Jaffna, and in Nuwara Eliya district Hill country Tamils to fight the elections in four fronts, popular Jaffna dailies Uthayan and Veerakesari reported in their Sunday Edition.
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Call for united vote to TNA in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 February 2004, 00:05 GMT]
The Federation of People’s Organizations (FPO) in Vavuniya, in a statement last week, has asked the public to vote for the policies of the Tamil National Alliance in order to gain maximum parliamentary representation for the Tamil people, to show the international community that the people are behind the TNA’s policies, and ultimately to find a lasting solution to the Tamil national question.
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