'Last chance to find peace' -Chandrasekaran

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 August 2002, 21:18 GMT]
"This is the last opportunity given to a government in the island to find permanent peace with honourable political solution to the Tamils," said Minister and the leader of the Upcountry People's Front Mr. P.Chandrasekaran when addressing as the guest of honour at the fourth day of the five-day 'Yuga Thekma' exhibition in Trincomalee.
Full story >>

SLA hands over two schools in Tellipalai

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 August 2002, 20:13 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Monday (SLA) officially handed over Tellipalai Union College and ‘Thanthai Chelva’ Tamil School to the Department of Education in Jaffna district. The SLA allowed only students and teachers to enter buildings of these two schools.
Full story >>

Jaffna cine film distribution to be streamlined

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 August 2002, 17:55 GMT]
All cine and video films screened in the Jaffna district will be censored and distributed with immediate effect. This responsibility has been entrusted with the Jaffna District Cine Films Distributors' Association (JDCFDA) which was inaugurated Monday.
Full story >>

NE doctors to strike against discrimination

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 August 2002, 17:40 GMT]
Resident medical officers working in the northeast province have decided to strike from Tuesday, demanding that they should also be paid one year special mission allowance now being paid for the non-resident medical officers serving in northeast hospitals.
Full story >>

Peace front to be formed in south

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 August 2002, 16:33 GMT]
The United Socialist Party (USP) Sunday announced that it has already taken steps to form a united front comprising political parties in the south, to canvass support for the current peace process. "We met LTTE Jaffna district political head Mr.Ilamparuthi Saturday and Sunday. We have assured the LTTE that our party will not be an obstacle to the liberation of Tamil people in this country," said Mr. Siritunge Jayasiri, General Secretary of the USP at a press briefing held Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m. in Jaffna Town Hall.
Full story >>

Naval personnel assault Tamil civilians

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 August 2002, 15:56 GMT]
Seven civilians were assaulted severely by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel at Naranthanai, an islet in the Jaffna district Friday afternoon, according to a complaint made by the Kayts Palmyra and Coconut Development Society to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission ( SLMM ) in the peninsula. Six SLN personnel entered a toddy tavern in the area and assaulted the civilians, around 2.30 p.m. Friday, the complaint further states.
Full story >>

Batticaloa fishermen demand equal rights

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 August 2002, 23:30 GMT]
A large number of Tamil fishermen in Batticaloa district Friday held a protest march demanding the government to lift restrictions on fishing and to provide the same privileges now being enjoyed by fishermen in the South. The fishermen also demanded the government to take immediate steps to stop foreign fishing vessels entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.
Full story >>

International welcome for talks announcement

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 August 2002, 12:12 GMT]
(News Feature) The United States, Britain and Japan this week welcomed the announcement that the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers will commence direct talks in Thailand in mid-September. The governments also strongly endorsed the Norwegian facilitated peace process and applauded the efforts by all sides to end Sri Lanka’s protracted conflict.
Full story >>

Ranil hails Oslo agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 August 2002, 18:48 GMT]
"The agreement reached between his government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to fix date for direct talks in September is a watershed in the peace process" said Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Thursday addressing the ruling United National Front parliamentary group.
Full story >>

Peace draws 400,000 to forest shrine festival

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 August 2002, 16:38 GMT]
More than four hundred thousand Sinhala and Tamil devotees from all parts of Sri Lanka thronged the Madhu feast this year, which concluded Thursday. "The number of devotees is unprecedented. After a gap of nineteen years the devotees of the Madhu Maatha (Ave Maria) poured out their suppressed devotion. The hundreds of thousand faithful who flocked to the shrine have expressed their love for peace. Everyone who gathered here have shown that they are against war," Rt. Rev. Rayappu Joseph, the Bishop of Mannar told TamilNet. The forest shrine of Ave Maria is in his diocese.
Full story >>

SL forces urged to leave public, private property

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 August 2002, 15:15 GMT]
Sri Lankan armed forces occupy 160 public and private buildings and properties in the Mannar district, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission sources said. Following requests made by the SLMM and several civil society groups the Police, army and Navy vacated ten properties in Mannar town in accordance with the terms of the Cease-fire Agreement (CFA) between the government and the Liberation Tigers signed in February. The Police vacated some private homes it was occupying in Murunkan.
Full story >>

Peace talks in September - Norway

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 August 2002, 16:31 GMT]
Direct talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government will commence in Thailand with Norwegian facilitation between 12th and 17th of September, an official statement by the Norwegian government said Wednesday.
Full story >>

Foreign diplomats visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 August 2002, 15:58 GMT]
Netherlands and German diplomats Wednesday visited Jaffna on a fact finding mission to assess the ground situation after the signing of the Cease-fire agreement between the United National Front government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. They met a group of leading representatives of the Jaffna District Humanitarian Agencies Consortium (JDHAC).
Full story >>

Relatives of disappeared persons demonstrate in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 August 2002, 22:09 GMT]
Hundreds of relatives of the disappeared persons in Jaffna district Monday held a demonstration in front of the Jaffna district secretariat, demanding that Colombo investigate the fate of more than 600 youth who went missing after being arrested by the Sri Lanka army in Jaffna in 1997-96. The demonstration was organised by the Missing Person's Guardian Association (MPGA).
Full story >>

SLA opens road following protest

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 August 2002, 14:59 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army opened the main road through Morakkoddanchenai, 26 kilometres north of Batticaloa, after twelve years following a sit in protest by villagers Monday. The protesting crowds surged ahead through soldiers when the SLA commander for Batticaloa, Lt. Col. V. R. L Anthoniz agreed to open an inner road as well.
Full story >>

SLA troops 'provoking' LTTE, monitors told

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 August 2002, 04:51 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Sunday protested to international ceasefire monitors and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) commanders that government troops are engaged in provocative acts such as advances from their lines and the establishment of new positions closer to LTTE lines in Jaffna. Senior military commanders from both sides met under the auspices of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said.
Full story >>

Morogoda visits Valikaamam-north, Thenmaradchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 August 2002, 13:51 GMT]
A senior minister of the United National Front government Saturday evening said in Jaffna that the resettlement of the displaced in Valikaamam north and Nagarkovil area will take place after the commencement of peace talks between the government and the Liberation Tigers (LTTE). Minister of Economic Reforms Mr.Milinda Morogoda told this to Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians during his visit to Jaffna Saturday to look into the prospects of allowing resettlement in high security zones in the peninsula, Tamil sources said.
Full story >>

ACTC urges Tamil - Muslim unity

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 August 2002, 13:37 GMT]
The All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Sunday appealed to Tamils and Muslims not to fall prey to the chauvinist forces that are very active in adopting divide and rule policy to achieve their political ends. A resolution to this effect further stated that Tamils and Muslims should work together with one voice to ensure their rights in the Northeast province.
Full story >>

SLA urged to open road in Jaffna town

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 August 2002, 21:18 GMT]
A large crowd staged a token sit in protest in the heart of Jaffna town Saturday morning, blocking Sri Lanka army vehicles going to the Palaly base for about one and half hours. The protestors demanded that the SLA should open to the public a key road in the northern town's busy centre.
Full story >>

Resettlement to commence after demining Thiriyai village

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 August 2002, 09:20 GMT]
Five hundred and thirteen displaced Tamil families are to be resettled in Thiriyai village in the Trincomalee district in the first stage during September after demining is completed. "The Prime Minister has allocated five million rupees for the resettlement in addition to 3.5 million rupees already allocated," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, Trincomalee district parliamentarian addressing a top level conference held Friday evening at the Trincomalee district secretariat. The Government Agent Mr.N.H.K.Nelumdeniya presided.
Full story >>