Buried mines prevent rehabilitation of Mulliaitivu hospital

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2003, 11:50 GMT]
Uncleared landmines surrounding the Mullaitivu district hospital are preventing rehabilitation work on the destroyed buildings from proceeding, said health officials in Mullaitivu.
Full story >>

Helgesen, Solheim to hold discussions on peace talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2003, 11:28 GMT]
Deputy Minister Vidar Helgesen and Special Adviser Erik Solheim are to visit Sri Lanka during 17-19 September 2003, to have discussions with different parties on the current state of the peace process, said the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo in a press released issued Tuesday.
Full story >>

Eravur muslim traders and LTTE meet in Karadiyanaaru

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2003, 11:02 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Special Commander Ramesh met with muslim traders from Eravur at the 'Thenaham' Guest House in Karadiyanaaru Monday at 5 pm, civil sources said.
Full story >>

De-mined Mannar village ready for resettlement

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2003, 19:00 GMT]
The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) said Monday that the Mallavarayankattu Adampan village in the Mannar district had been cleared of mines and is fit for resettlement of the displaced persons, and it ceremoniallly handed over the village to the Mannar Government Agent, Mr.V. Visuvalingam, Monday evening at a function held at the Adampan Matha Church, district secretariat sources said.
Full story >>

LTTE-SLA meeting held in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2003, 18:43 GMT]
A conference was held between the Jaffna district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr.C.Ilamparuthi, and the northern commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Major General Sarath Fonseka, around noon Monday at the Jaffna office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, sources said.
Full story >>

Thileepan’s 16th year commemoration begins in NE

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2003, 17:10 GMT]
The Tamil people in the Northeast Monday began observing the sixteenth death anniversary of Lt. Col. Thileepan, a senior leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who died after twelve days’ fasting unto death due to the failure of the Indian government in fulfilling five demands put forward by him to meet the aspirations of the Tamil people soon after the signing of the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement, sources said.
Full story >>

LTTE's polythene ban in Vanni earns plaudits

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2003, 16:07 GMT]
The ban on Polythene use in the Vanni by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has heartened the Environmental movement in Sri Lanka, said Dr. (Ms.) Ajantha Perera, the head of the project for solid waste recycling in Sri Lanka, in a press statement, the Jaffna-based Tamil language daily, Uthayan, reported Monday.
Full story >>

Thanthonreeswarar chariot festival draws thousands

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2003, 03:16 GMT]
The chariot ('Ther') festival at the Thanthonreeswarar Sivan temple in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled area of Kokkadicholai in Batticaloa district took place between 4pm and 6pm Sunday, sources in Batticaloa said.
Full story >>

CWC requests Japan to abandon funding Kotmale project

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 September 2003, 03:01 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a key constituent of the United National Front (UNF) government Sunday made an appeal to the Japanese peace special envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi to withdraw funding for the controversial Upper Kotmale electricity project to which the Cabinet had given approval despite opposition by the CWC, media sources said.
Full story >>

Thileepan's 16th death anniversary to be commemorated

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2003, 17:31 GMT]
Northeast province is preparing to observe the sixteenth death anniversary of late senior leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Lt Colonel Thileepan Monday, September 15, the day he began his fast unto death when the Indian Government refused to meet the demands he made on behalf of Tamils. He passed away on 26th September 1987, on the twelvth day after he began his fast, sources said.


Full story >>

Akashi holds talks with Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2003, 12:05 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi Sunday morning arrived at Killinochchi grounds by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) accompanied by HE.Mr. Soiiehiro Otsuka, Japanese ambassador in Colombo, and met the Head of the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) S.P. Thamilselvan at the LTTE's Peace Secretariat building, Vanni sources said.
Full story >>

'HSZ prevents resettlement of 80,408 Jaffna families'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2003, 03:33 GMT]
In the Jaffna district, 80,408 families have been unable to resettle in their own lands for the last 13 years as the Sri Lanka Army has been occupying their lands in areas it has declared as High Security Zones, said the Consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations in Jaffna in a statement Saturday.
Full story >>

Thondaman to meet Akashi on Kotmale dam issue

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 September 2003, 00:14 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a key constituent of the United National Front government, is to hold talks with the Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, on Monday regarding the proposed construction of the Kotmale Dam Electricity Project in the hill country with Japanese aid, sources said.
Full story >>

Tamils' history to be taught to Jaffna students

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 September 2003, 20:09 GMT]
The Thamileelam Education Development Board (TEDB) is to introduce a new textbook to teach the history of Tamils in Sri Lanka to students in the Jaffna district from January next year, and in preparation to the implementation of the project, the TEDB is now engaged in holding a workshop on "Thamileelam social education and history" for teachers who teach Grade 6 and Grade 7 students in the peninsula, Jaffna education sources said.
Full story >>

'Japan will stand by Sri Lanka in restoring peace' -Akashi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 September 2003, 14:16 GMT]
Japan will stand by Sri Lanka to restore peace in gratitude to what Sri Lanka had done for Japan during the second world war, said the Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, addressing journalists at Kalmunai in the eastern province Saturday, media sources said.
Full story >>

Akashi confers with Amparai Muslim, Tamil leaders

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 September 2003, 14:10 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, Saturday held talks with Muslim and Tamil delegations separately and jointly at Kalmunai in the eastern province. Mr. Akashi arrived at Kalmunai Saturday morning by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force, accompanied by Minister and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Mr.Rauff Hakeem and SLMC parliamentarians Mr. H.M.M.Harris and Mr.Anwer Ismail, sources said.


Full story >>

LTTE hands over underage youths to parents in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 September 2003, 03:41 GMT]
Two underage Tamil youths from the Periya Neelavanai area of Amparai district who wanted to join the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were handed over to their parents by the LTTE in the presence of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials Friday, sources in Amparai said.
Full story >>

'Funds to NE only after resumption of peace talks'-Akashi

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2003, 18:05 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, said Friday that the funds pledged at the Tokyo donor conference will be channeled for the reconstruction of the northeast only after the resumption of stalled peace talks. The international aid community and the World Bank are also of the same view, he said at the end of the discussion held at Colombo Hilton Hotel Friday to find ways and means to release the funds pledged to the national development of Sri Lanka, sources said.
Full story >>

TNA briefs Akashi on urgent need for IA in NE

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2003, 16:45 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), led by its parliamentary group leader, Mr.R.Sampanthan, Friday told the Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, that an interim administrative structure with adequate powers is urgently needed to rebuild the war ravaged northeastern province as the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has no political power to implement a permanent political solution to the ethnic conflict immediately, sources said.
Full story >>

STF-LTTE meet in Akkaraipattu

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2003, 16:22 GMT]
A high-level meeting to improve relations between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Batticaloa-Amparai and Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force was held Thursday at the Akkaraipattu office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, sources in Batticaloa said.
Full story >>