LTTE's participation in Tokyo meeting crucial for peace process - Solheim

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 May 2003, 12:03 GMT]
“Participation of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the International Aid conference to be held in Tokyo next month is crucial for obtaining much needed funds to develop both LTTE controlled areas in the Northeast and Sri Lanka south. If the LTTE fails to attend, international community will be reluctant to commit funds. Further, it will also be a setback to the peace process,” said Norway’s special emissary Eric Solheim in Vavuniya today.
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Japanese peace envoy in Killinochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 May 2003, 10:59 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi arrived Killinochchi Wednesday morning by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force to meet leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and was received by deputy political secretary of the LTTE Mr.S.Thangan, sources in Vanni said.
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Rehabilitate Northeast before 'Regaining' Sri Lanka - NGOs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 May 2003, 00:05 GMT]
The Chairman of the Consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Trincomalee, Mr.T.Thavasilingam, speaking at a discussion held Tuesday in Trincomalee attended by representatives of provincial trade unions, said that there was an urgent need for rehabilitating all infrastructure destroyed in the twenty-year-old war in the northeast province simultaneously with the resettlement of internally displaced persons.
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Lankan PM's statement on peace process to be debated

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 May 2003, 17:10 GMT]
A full day debate on the Sri Lanka's Prime Minister's statement made Tuesday in parliament regarding the current situation of the peace process will be held Thursday from 10 a.m. till 6.30 p.m. This was decided at a conference held Tuesday at the meeting of the leaders of the political parties which are represented in parliament. Speaker Mr.Joseph Michael Perera presided the meeting, sources said.
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Akashi visits Muttur, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 May 2003, 10:48 GMT]
Japan’s special envoy to Sri Lanka, Mr. Yashushi Akashi held discussions with Tamils and Muslims in Muttur and with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and the Peace Committee in Batticaloa Tuesday. The discussions were largely focussed on recent developments in the east affecting the peace process, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) officials in Batticaloa said. SLMC leader, Mr. Rauff Hakeem, accompanied Mr. Akashi.
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Gopalapuram LTTE war memorial opened

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 May 2003, 03:19 GMT]
The war memorial constructed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Gopalapuram junction in the village of Nilaveli, about sixteen km north of Trincomalee town in memory of LTTE cadres who died in a mid-sea mishap in 1990 was declared open Monday evening, sources said.


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Peace facilitators strive to restart peace talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 May 2003, 02:57 GMT]
The political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Mr.Anton Balasingham arrived Killinochchi Monday via Katunayake international airport after having discussions with Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen in Colombo Monday morning, diplomatic sources said.
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TNA parliamentarians address Muslims in Pulmoddai

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 May 2003, 02:25 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan addressing a meeting at Pulmoddai, a traditional Muslim village about 70km north of Trincomalee district, Saturday said that a lasting political solution could be found for the northeast problem only by ensuring equal rights and privileges to Muslims living in the province.
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TRO donates clothes to Aligambay resettlers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 May 2003, 18:58 GMT]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) on Friday donated clothes to the resettled people in the village of Aligambay, in the Thirukovil secretariat division in the Ampara district, TRO officials said.
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Displaced villagers struggle to revive Thennamaravadi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 May 2003, 11:58 GMT]
A group of displaced Thennamaravadi villagers trekked through jungles Saturday morning to visit their abandoned traditional Tamil village about seventy two km north of Trincomalee district and reported that the entire village had been destroyed and remnants of all civilian homes, school buildings and Pilliayar temple are overgrown with shrub jungles, sources said.


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Norwegian, Japanese peace facilitators arrive in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 May 2003, 11:50 GMT]
Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen with his special emissary Mr. Erik Solheim and Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi arrived Colombo Sunday early morning separately to initiate talks with the leadership of the United National Front (UNF) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the resumption of temporarily stalled peace process, political sources said.
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SLMM head meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2003, 19:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) head Major General (retired) Tryggve Tellefsen met with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) head of the political section Thamilchelvan saturday afternoon at 2.45pm for three hours on issues related to avoiding future incidents at sea, locating High Security Zones (HSZ) within population centers in Jaffna and other matters, said sources in Vanni.
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Meeting resolves to prevent communal unease in Musali

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2003, 13:07 GMT]
Representatives of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the Catholic Church, the Liberation Tigers, Sri Lanka Police, several civil society groups and local community leaders met Saturday in Murunkan in the Mannar District to discuss measures to promote and cement Tamil, Muslim amity in the Musali region. Tension prevailed in the area last month following the murder of a Tamil farmer allegedly by a Muslim believed to be an ex home guard. Musali is in the southwestern part of mainland Mannar where Muslim refugees have been resettling and cultivating their lands since last year.
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Large peace demo in Mannar town

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2003, 09:40 GMT]
More than 3000 people demonstrated in support of peace in Mannar Saturday, demanding full implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers. At the conclusion of the meeting, a memorandum was submitted to the additional government agent of Mannar. The memorandum states, among other things, that the Tamils and the LTTE have bitter experiences of being “deceived and hoodwinked in many previous peace talks” and that “in the circumstances it is not unreasonable on their part to adopt a policy of caution."
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Few in Jaffna get resettlement aid

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2003, 04:58 GMT]
Forty thousand families in the Jaffna have applied to the Government Agent for assistance to resettle in their homes in the war ravaged northern peninsula, a senior official said. “Although eight percent of the Jaffna district population is in dire need of material and financial support to rebuild their homes destroyed or damaged in the war, we got funds to make part payments to only to 4112 families after January this year," he said.
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Mannar farmers said facing ruin

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2003, 00:10 GMT]
“Mannar rice farmers are facing ruin for they cannot market their produce. Each farmer will have to lose more than 9000 rupees per acre (92 USD) of paddy if they do not find means to market their rice at reasonable prices”, Mr. Seemanpillai Soundiranayagam, President of the Federation of Farmers’ Associations of Mannar told Tamilnet Friday. The district saw its first good harvest in 13 years this season following the lifting of draconian Sri Lanka army restrictions on fuel, fertilisers, irrigation and transport of rice last year.
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MP denies embezzling legal aid, wants museum in Jaffna Fort

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 May 2003, 11:40 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) take steps to transform the Jaffna fort into a museum, said northern Parliamentarian Mr. M. K Sivajilingam, speaking to the press Friday. He said the TNA will strongly oppose any move by the SLA to build a camp in the Jaffna fort. Mr. Sivajilingam denied reports that he had misused assistance sent by well wishers in England to needy families of Tamil political prisoners in Sri Lanka’s Kalutara prison. Controversy surrounds allegations in the Tamil press that lawyers had embezzled monies collected and sent from UK for the welfare of Kalutara prisoners.
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Balasingham denies ‘irresponsible’ reports on Premier’s letter

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 May 2003, 10:54 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers’ Chief Negotiator and Political Advisor, Mr. Anton Balasingham, Friday flatly denied press reports that he had dismissed Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s response to the LTTE’s letter outlining its reasons for suspending Norwegian facilitated peace talks. Speaking to TamilNet on Friday, Mr. Balasingham described the reports in the Daily Mirror and Gulf News as “irresponsible journalism” based on “pure conjecture.”
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Appointing Sinhala staff to Tamil schools must stop-CTTU

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 May 2003, 03:05 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) Thursday appealed to the government not to post Sinhala principals, teachers and non-academic staff to Tamil medium schools outside the northeast province. A resolution to this effect was adopted at the May Day meeting held Thursday in Trincomalee by the CTTU, sources said.


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North East celebrates May Day

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 May 2003, 01:05 GMT]
A four page joint statement declaring that a political solution should be found on the basis of a self-rule with self-determination to the Tamil national question was released at the combined May Day rally organized by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU), and several civil organizations held in Jaffna Central College grounds Thursday evening, sources in Jaffna said.


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