Velanai committee concludes Jaffna hearing

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 July 2002, 16:39 GMT]
The three-member committee of inquiry probing the assault of LTTE political activists at Velanai on June 20 concluded its sittings in Jaffna Friday. The Colombo sitting of the committee of inquiry is to commence at Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall on July 21 and will continue till July 24.
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Sri Lanka stands by ceasefire agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 July 2002, 19:07 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government Thursday dismissed calls for its ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers to be revised. “Although several political groups have requested for the revision of the ceasefire agreement the Government considers it a complete document," Minister G.L. Peiris said at a press conference held Thursday to announce the cabinet decisions taken Wednesday.
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Language barrier to teaching in Kantalai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 July 2002, 17:48 GMT]
Sinhalese teachers who are not proficient in Tamil have been appointed on part time basis to teach English to Tamil students in the Kantalai education zone in the Trincomalee district, parents protested this week.
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LTTE, SLN give evidence on Kayts assault

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 July 2002, 16:42 GMT]
The independent commission inquiring into the alleged assault of a political worker of the Liberation Tigers by Sri Lanka Navy personnel in the island Kayts in Jaffna visited the scene of the incident Thursday. The chairman of the commission, Air Vice Marshall (retd) Harry Gunatillake, urged civilians from the area to come forward without fear to give evidence about the incident.
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EU delegation meets LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 July 2002, 10:22 GMT]
Ambassadors and Deputy Heads of Mission of six European Union countries visited the Vanni Wednesday, and held discussions with the head of the Liberation Tigers’ political section, Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan. The delegation was headed by Mr. Salvatore Zotta, Ambassador of Italy and Chairman of the EU Heads of Mission in Colombo.
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HC discharges accused in PTA cases

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 July 2002, 21:23 GMT]
The Eastern High Court Wednesday discharged the accused in two cases filed under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the Emergency Regulations (ER) when the prosecution brought to the notice that the key police witness who had recorded the confession of the accused was not present in the court for the seventh time.
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TNA protests military expansion in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 July 2002, 02:16 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Tuesday requested the Sri Lankan government to halt the establishment of new army camps and the expansion of existing camps in the Thenmaradchi area of the Jaffna peninsula, citing the impossibility of resettling displaced people to their homes under such circumstances.
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Charles Anthony remembered

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 July 2002, 18:11 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers are sincerely implementing the ceasefire agreement with the Sri Lanka government, Mr. A. Ruban, the head of the LTTE's political wing in Trincomalee said Tuesday. "We will not allow the Tamils to be blamed for the derailment of peace process,î" he said. Mr. Ruban was speaking at the nineteenth annual commemoration of the death of Lieutenant Seelan (Charles Anthony) held Monday evening in the Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College's grounds.
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LTTE express regret over sea incident

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 July 2002, 16:03 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in an official statement issued from its Political Head Quarters in Kilinochchi, northern Sri Lanka, denied categorically that they held two members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) as hostages during a confrontation with the government, last Saturday, in the Mannar seas.
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Velanai committee begins inquiry

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 July 2002, 13:26 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government Committee of Inquiry tasked to investigate the assault on June 20 of two unarmed members of the Liberation Tigers’ political section, allegedly by naval personnel and Tamil paramilitaries, commenced its public sittings Tuesday morning at the Jaffna Secretariat. The committee has been appointed by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence at the behest of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
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Controversy after Navy attacks LTTE trawler

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 July 2002, 01:39 GMT]
(News Feature) Following the Sri Lanka Navy’s (SLN) attack on an LTTE fishing trawler Saturday, the movement registered a strong protest with international monitors Sunday , describing the incident as a ‘serious violation’ of the ceasefire agreement. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) meanwhile protested that two of its monitors who boarded the trawler had not been allowed to embark before the crew took the damaged vessel to shore and said this was a violation of the ceasefire. The LTTE however said the monitors - who had checked and cleared the trawler - had been assured of their safety and that the vessel was being rammed by SLN gunboats during its travel to shore.
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LTTE assures Muslim farmers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 July 2002, 11:47 GMT]
Muslim community welfare organisations have widely welcomed the Liberation Tigers' assurances that their safety in predominantly Tamil areas would be guaranteed and that there would be no restriction placed on their free movement or trade, Tamil press reports said.
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STF arrests LTTE cadre

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 July 2002, 03:07 GMT]
Sri Lankan police commandos last Thursday arrested an unarmed member of the Liberation Tigers, Tamil press reports said. The arrest occurred as Sri Lankan government officials assured international monitors and the LTTE that arrests of Tamil Tigers by the security forces - which are violations of the ceasefire agreement between the two sides - would not be permitted.
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Mosque leaders, Tigers to defuse tensions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 July 2002, 21:09 GMT]
Tamils and Muslims "should not allow the miscreants amongst us" to undermine communal harmony and derail peace efforts, said Mr. Tilak, a senior official of the Liberation Tigers in Trincomalee, when addressing a group of religious leaders and leading citizens of Muslims in the east port town Saturday morning.
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Legal aid plan for internally displaced

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 July 2002, 20:53 GMT]
Over seven hundred thousand people are internally displaced in Sri Lanka as a result of the ethnic conflict and have been deprived of the rights and privileges enjoyed by other citizens, Mr. S. S. Wijeratne, Chairman of the Legal Aid Foundation of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) said in his key note address at the inaugural event of the Free Legal Aid clinic held Saturday morning in Trincomalee.
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TNA requests India to release 'VAIKO'

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 July 2002, 17:22 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance has appealed to the Indian government and the Tamil Nadu state government to release Vaiko Y.Gopalasamy, leader of the Makkal DMK and others who have been arrested. "The arrest of 'VAIKO' on the ground that he was supportive of the LTTE and his being remanded causes deep anguish to the Tamil people in Sri Lanka," said in a statement issued by the TNA Friday.
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Ferial Ashraff demands revision of cease-fire agreement

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 July 2002, 15:36 GMT]
The National Unity Alliance (NUA) Friday demanded a complete revision of the cease-fire agreement that has been signed by the Prime Minister and the LTTE leader. The NUA is one of the constituents of the main opposition People's Alliance (PA). The Executive President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is the leader of the PA.
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Pathuman expresses serious concern to SLMM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 July 2002, 21:11 GMT]
The commander of the Liberation Tigers in Trincomalee, Mr.Pathuman, Thursday expressed his serious concern over the arrests of unarmed members of the organisation by the Sri Lankan security forces, to the Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission. The LTTE commander held discussions, lasting two and half hours, at his office in Sampoor in the Mutur-east with the head of the SLMM head, (retd) Major General Trond Furuhovde Thursday morning.
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Bank workers protest privatisation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 July 2002, 18:20 GMT]
Employees of Sri Lanka's largest banks Thursday launched a major campain against measures stipulated by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to privatise the island's financial giants.
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Karuna reiterates commitment to peace

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 July 2002, 12:35 GMT]
"There were insidious forces behind the recent troubles in the east. These forces should not be allowed to disrupt the peace process," said Col. V.Karuna, the commander of the Liberation Tigers for the districts of Batticaloa and Ampara, during a discussion with the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and representatives of the Sri Lankan government in Kokkaddicholai, southwest of the eastern town Wednesday.
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