UNF considers holding referendum on peace process

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2003, 11:16 GMT]
"The government is in the process of seriously considering a proposal to hold a referendum with the objective of seeking public opinion on the peace process," said the Cabinet spokesman and Minister of Constitutional Affairs Mr. G.L.Peiris at a press briefing held Thursday, sources said.


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TNA parliamentarians join teachers' protest

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2003, 00:31 GMT]
Five parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Messrs Selvam Adaikalanathan, Raja Kuhaneswaran, Sivasakthi Anandan, K.Thurairetnasingham and Mavai Senathirajah, joined the sit-in-protest campaign of the volunteer teachers, which entered 31st day Wednesday in front of the offices of the northeast provincial ministry of education and provincial department of education in Trincomalee, sources said.
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IG visits Jaffna, promises to tackle Police graft

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2003, 14:34 GMT]
“There aren’t good relations between the people of Jaffna and the Police as a consequence of twenty years of war”, said Sri Lanka’s Inspector general of Police, Mr. T. E Anandarajah, speaking to presspersons in the northern town Wednesday. He said his visit is part of the effort to rectify the situation while acknowledging that there is a shortage of Tamils in the Police.
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SLA drops garrison move

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2003, 14:17 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday agreed to drop its plans to build a permanent garrison in Jaffna municipal lands close to Jaffna Fort and Library in the face of protests by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and several civil groups in the peninsula, sources said.


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$800m World Bank funding for Sri Lanka Development

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2003, 12:19 GMT]
Under Country Assistance Strategy (CAS), World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) is set to provide US$800 million of new assistance, in the form of grants and interest-free loans over the next four years. This amount is significantly higher than IDA lending to Sri Lanka over the last five years—which averaged about US$60 million per year, World bank sources said.


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Paramilitary leader shot dead

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2003, 10:48 GMT]
An unidentified gunman shot dead the leader of a paramilitary group working with the Sri Lanka army (SLA) and the Special Task Force (STF), Wednesday around 11.15 a.m. in Aariyampathi, 8 kilometres south of Batticaloa, Police said.
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Trinco development projects to cost Rs.359 million

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2003, 00:57 GMT]
The political division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) submitted twenty-four project proposals for the development of Trincomalee district to the Secretariat for Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs in Northeast (SIHRN), sources said. The total cost of the projects is estimated to be 359 million rupees.
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Sri Lanka peace talks a travelling circus says President

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 April 2003, 00:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga said Tuesday that the peace talks between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government and the Liberation Tigers are like a travelling circus (Thaninthana natana circus kandayama). She was addressing a function at the President’s House Tuesday evening to honour and assist disabled soldiers and the families of the war dead and missing of the Sri Lankan armed forces.


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Electricity supply restored to Karadiyanaru region

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2003, 13:43 GMT]
Minister of Power and Energy of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), Karu Jeyasuriya, Sunday declared open electricity supply scheme to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas of Karadiyanaru, Illupadichchenai and Pankudaveli in Batticaloa district, ministry officials said.
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Tamil MPs object to new Jaffna garrison

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2003, 10:31 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) raised strong objections to the construction of a new Sri Lanka Army (SLA) garrison on Jaffna Municipal Council grounds when it met Prime Minister Ranil Wicremesinghe at his office in Parliament Tuesday morning. The 12 TNA MPs who met the Prime Minister told him that the military has begun work on permanent structures for the garrison.


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Civilians injured in grenade attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2003, 10:27 GMT]
K.Velupillai (47) and his wife V. Nagaludchumi (36) in Thimilaithivu, Batticaloa district, were injured in a grenade attack by two unknown assailants at 10.15pm Saturday night and are admitted to the Batticaloa teaching hospital, sources in Batticaloa said.


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Eastern Undergrads criticise TULF vice president

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2003, 02:34 GMT]
The Eastern University Students' Union (EUSU) in a press release issued on Monday publicly condemned the statements made by the TULF leader, Mr. V. Anandasangaree on March 25 that the TULF could not accept the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil people, sources said.


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Vanni MP lends moral support to protesting teachers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2003, 01:52 GMT]
Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian wearing black band participated in the one month old sit-in-protest by the North East Tamil Medium Volunteer Teachers Monday morning now being held in front of the provincial ministry education office in Trincomalee, sources said.


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'Thanthai' Chelva remembered

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2003, 00:43 GMT]
One-hundred and fifth birth day of S.J.V.Chelvanayakam, late Tamil leader who launched Tamils' freedom struggle fifty five years ago, was celebrated in Jaffna Monday morning. Thanthai Chelva Trustee Board Vice Chairman and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr. Mavai Senathirajah opened the ceremony garlanding the statue of Chelvanayagam, sources in Jaffna said.


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Military complex in heart of Jaffna unacceptable - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 March 2003, 16:28 GMT]
"We are totally opposed to the re-occupation of lands in the Jaffna Municipal area and the setting up of a large military complex in the heart of the city," said Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) political head, S.P.Thamilchelvan, in a letter to Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) Minister of Defense Tilak Marapone today, sources in Vanni said.


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HSZs, scant funds slow resettlement in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 March 2003, 15:09 GMT]
The flow of refugees returning from the Vanni to resettle in Jaffna has slowed down because the fate of their villages and towns occupied by the Sri Lanka army (SLA) inside High Security Zones in the northern peninsula still remains uncertain, a senior government official said Monday.


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LTTE political team begins Nordic tour

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2003, 21:37 GMT]
A delegation of the political affairs committee of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) consisting of twenty one members left Killinochchi earlier today to begin its visit to the Nordic countries to study aspects of federalism, constitutional frameworks and administrative structures employed in those countries, the LTTE peace secretariat website said.


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SLA garrison work on track amid Tamil concerns

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2003, 18:39 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) began preparations for building a garrison on the southern sector of the Jaffna town this weekend amid growing concerns in the Tamil press and political circles about its implications for the northern peninsula.
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'LTTE strength vital for success of peace talks'-Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2003, 14:19 GMT]
Tamils should strengthen the hands of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to find a meaningful political resolution to the Tamil national question through the present peace talks, said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan addressing a heavily attended musical event at Sampoor in the LTTE held Muttur east in the Trincomalee district Saturday night organized by the Trincomalee political division of the LTTE, sources said.
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Conference demonstrates Women's strength behind freedom struggle - Karuna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2003, 05:11 GMT]
"National conference on Tamil Eelam Women's development is an appropriate event to awaken Tamil women at this juncture when there is a climate of peace with the cessation of hostilities. The event demonstrates to the International Community the forces behind our military struggle," said Colonel Karuna, Senior commander of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, speaking as a chief guest third day of the conference organized with the support of the Organization for the upliftment of women in Batticaloa.
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