Norway announces permanent ceasefire in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 February 2002, 10:16 GMT]
The Norwegian government Friday declared the commencement from Saturday of a permanent ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers. In a statement, Jan Petersen, Foreign Minister of Norway, said his government had been asked to make public the agreement signed by LTTE leader Vellupillai Pirapaharan and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
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Amended Local Govt. Ordinance bill passed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 February 2002, 17:40 GMT]
The amended Local Government Ordinance bill was passed by a majority of fifty-four votes in the parliament Thursday night after two days' debate. One hundred and twenty two parliamentarians voted for the bill. Sixty-eight parliamentarians belonged to the main opposition People's Alliance and the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna voted against the amendment.
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AG orders the release of Katunayake attack suspects

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 February 2002, 17:36 GMT]
The Attorney General has directed the Negombo Magistrate to release all the thirty-two Tamils arrested and remanded in connection with the attack on Sri Lanka Air Force head quarters at Katunayake on July 24 last year. All the suspects have been detained at Kalutara prisons under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
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Up-country Tamils support struggle in NE -UNF minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 February 2002, 19:18 GMT]
More than thirty thousand people took part in the 'Pongu Thamil' rally in Batticaloa Wednesday. "The Tamil people are struggling for the right to live. The Tamils are asking for the right to live like the other people of the world. The Tamils of the hill country express their solidarity with the struggle of the Tamils of the north and east," said Mr. P. Chandrasekeran, Minister for Estate Infrastructure, addressing the Pongu Thamil rally Wednesday.
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TNA appeals to PA, JVP to abandon chauvinist stance

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 February 2002, 14:43 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Wednesday made a passionate plea to the Sri Lanka's main opposition party, the People's Alliance (PA) and the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to conduct themselves with the a greater sense of responsibility and look upon peace as some thing very sacred which this country can no longer fail to achieve. "Both PA and JVP should act with a better understanding of the real ground situation in regard to the preservation of democracy and the democratic rights, particularly of Tamil people. Otherwise you would be driving the Tamil people to a position where they would think and come to a conclusion that the parliament in Sri Lanka is not at all concerned about their being afforded the opportunity of exercising their democratic rights," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group leader speaking during the debate on the amended draft bill of Local Government Ordinance.
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'Pongu Thamil' draws thousands in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 February 2002, 01:30 GMT]
(Photos) More than fifteen thousand people from all parts of the Batticaloa and Ampara districts thronged the east coast town for the Pongu Thamil rally and cultural program Wednesday. The main approach roads to the town were clogged with thousands who came for the event from places as far away as Pottuvil, 112 km. south of Batticaloa. The Pongu Thamil upsurge was organised by eastern university students, the local traders associations, teachers unions, trade unions and fishermen's societies and the Tamil National Alliance.
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"Amended Local Govt. Ordinance in order"- Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 February 2002, 19:31 GMT]
The Supreme Court has held that the amended draft Local Government Ordinance bill, which empowers the Commissioner of Elections to postpone elections to local authorities under extra ordinary circumstances in certain areas, is not contrary to the present Constitution.The Speaker Mr.Joseph Michael Perera Tuesday informed the determination of the SC when the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Mr.Alick Aluwihare tabled the amended draft bill in parliament.
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PTA indictments withdrawn for want of evidence

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 February 2002, 18:10 GMT]
The Supreme Court Monday allowed an application by the Attorney General to withdraw indictments against four Tamil civilians under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) for want of evidence. Hence the SC made order discharging the accused.
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A9 opening

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 February 2002, 06:22 GMT]
(Photographs) The TamilNet correspondent for Vavuniya visited the Vanni after the A-9 highway was reopened on Friday, February 15 from Vavuniya up to Killinochchi, as part of ongoing efforts to de-escalate the conflict. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) opened the A9 highway northwards from Omanthai and the Liberation Tigers opened the southern end of the section of the road which falls within their areas.
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JVP criticised for sabotaging peace efforts

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2002, 19:44 GMT]
The Colombo based Sinhalese weekly 'Hiru' has criticised the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) for its chauvinistic stance on the current peace initiatives by the United National Front government. "The JVP has violated all socialist norms by keeping silent on the political and economic rights of the Tamils in the Northeast province", the paper said in its political column Sunday.
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'Parthenium' weed destroys agricultural lands in NEP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2002, 19:41 GMT]
The deadly weed of Parthenium is now spreading fast in the Tamil dominated Northeast province in Sri Lanka leading to loss of crop yield up to fifty percent, causing retardation of crop growth and skin disorders to people, provincial agricultural experts said. The first appearance of this weed was noted in 1988 near sites mainly at the School of Agriculture when occupied by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) at Vavuniya in the northern province. The IPKF arrived in Sri Lanka during the latter part of 1987 under the Indo-Sri Lanka peace accord in an attempt to resolve the country's ethnic conflict.
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LTTE denies Maldives venue reports

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2002, 16:24 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Sunday denied news reports in a popular Colombo-based Tamil daily that suggested that negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE would be held in the Maldives on the 16th of April. Mr. Anton Balasingham, the LTTE’s chief negotiator and political advisor, when queried by TamilNet over the report in the Virakesari said that there is no truth to the story.
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Tamil paramilitaries’ extortion under scrutiny

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 February 2002, 20:51 GMT]
The Vavuniya Magistrate, Mr.M.Ilancheliyan, Friday directed police to investigate several complaints made by civilians about cadres of a Tamil paramilitary group, working alongside the Army, which has been extorting money from villagers in suburbs of Vavuniya claiming they were representing Liberation Tigers, court sources said.
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LTTE prepared to open Kilinochchi-Jaffna highway

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 February 2002, 15:37 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Friday that they are willing to open the remaining part of the A-9 highway from Kilinochchi to Jaffna in the near future, if the Sri Lankan Government responded favourably. This was stated by Mr.Thangan (Sutha), Political Administrative Secretary of the organisation when speaking at the ceremonial function of the opening of A-9 highway from Vavuniya to Killinochchi Friday morning.
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A9 highway reopens

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 February 2002, 11:14 GMT]
(News Feature) Sri Lanka's main A9 highway, the target of an abortive and bloody 18-month Army offensive in the mid nineties was reopened Friday morning from Vavuniya up to Killinochchi, as part of ongoing efforts to de-escalate the conflict. The move provides greater access for people and supplies to the Liberation Tigers held Vanni region on which successive government in Colombo clamped an economic embargo for more than a decade. Goods were scheduled to flow into the area Friday, while seven hundred people waiting on either side of the former separating line had been cleared to cross. "Civilians would be allowed to travel to and from LTTE held Vanni region through these roads after their identities are checked and only five days a week between 8 am and 5 pm," authoritative sources told TamilNet.
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AG to withdraw indictments under section 5 of PTA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 February 2002, 17:41 GMT]
The Attorney General has instructed all State Counsels who appear on behalf of the AG's department in High Courts to withdraw two categories of cases filed under Section 5 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Tamil youths who have been indicted for failing to provide information about the LTTE members in their respective areas and those who have been indicted on their own confession purported to have been made due to severe torture after the arrest are to be freed according to AG's instruction, legal sources said.
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Supreme Court scrutinises amended Local Government Act

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2002, 18:46 GMT]
The Supreme Court Wednesday after considering the proposed Local Government Ordinance amendment bill referred to by the Executive Presidency to determine its constitutionality, announced that it would convey its determination to the President and the Speaker of the Parliament in due course. The bill was taken up for scrutiny Wednesday before a three member bench comprising of Justices S.W.B.Wadugodapitiya, D.P.S.Gunasekara and Ameer Ismail.
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Local Govt. Ordinance amendment bill before SC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 February 2002, 15:11 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunge Tuesday made a special request under Section 122 of the Constitution to the Chief Justice to report to her within twenty-four hours whether the proposed amendment to the Local Government Ordinance is consistent with the present Constitution. The President made this request on receipt of the proposed amendment bill from the United National Front (UNF) government.
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Jaffna travel restriction relaxed -MoD

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 February 2002, 20:31 GMT]
The United National Front Government Monday announced that no approval from the Ministry of Defence will be required hereafter by Sri Lankan citizens to travelling to Jaffna. "However their identities should be proved at the point of embarking when they travel by air or ship at security force/check points established by the Government", the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press statement released Monday.
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