Vanni ban relaxed, rules limit flow

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 January 2002, 14:47 GMT]
Six hundred civilians would be permitted to travel from the LTTE held Vanni region through the Sri Lanka armyís entry point at Piramanaalankulam from Monday to Friday under new regulations by the Sri Lankan government which came into effect Tuesday as part of a move to ease the 12 year old embargo and travel restrictions in the war torn northern parts of the island.
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PTA detainees complain to HC Judge and MP

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 January 2002, 21:45 GMT]
Tamil detainees held under the Prevent of Terrorism Act (PTA) appealed to the Eastern High Court Judge Mr.J.Visvanathan and Trincomalee district parliamentarian, Mr.R.Sampanthan to take steps not to send them back to prisons at Boosa, Kalutara and Anuradhapura. The detainees were taken to Trincomalee prison to be produced in courts Monday and requested that they not be sent back to prisons in the south of the country.
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Jaffna fishermen urge minister to lift restrictions

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 January 2002, 19:20 GMT]
"Remove the total ban on fishing from Thikkam to Thondamanar and let us fish freely at night. There is no point in granting us a short time concessions and relief", said Mr.S.Thavaratnam, the President of the Federation of Northern Fishermen's Societies, addressing a meeting Monday at Hartley College in Pt. Pedro between the Minister for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, Dr. Jayalath Jayawardana and representatives of fishermen's organisations in Jaffna. The Sri Lankan government announced Friday that it would allow Tamil fishermen two extra hours to fish in the Jaffna lagoon and in the seas off a small part of the peninsula's eastern coastline.
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CTTU urges govt. to improve education in NEP

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 January 2002, 15:28 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) has sent a memorandum to United National Front government urging it to uplift educational standard of the northeast province. "The government should take prompt steps to remove all sentries and camps of State armed forces from schools in the northeast province," said Mr.T.Mahasivam, General Secretary of the CTTU in the memorandum sent to the Minister of Rehabilitations, Reconstruction and Refugees.
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TNA said standing on Thimpu foundation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 January 2002, 20:53 GMT]
“The Thimpu principles were upheld by Kumar Ponnambalam. His stand was called preposterous by some (Tamil politicians) at the time. But the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) now stands on the firm foundation of the Thimpu principles. His struggle was not in vain”, said Mr. Nallaiah Kumarakurparan, the general secretary of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance, addressing a meeting in Trincomalee town Sunday to mark the second death anniversary of Mr. Ponnambalam who was assassinated in Colombo in January 2000. An independent English language paper reproduced a Police report last week alleging that Mr. Ponnambalam was killed on the orders of the former Deputy Defence Minister, Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte’s son.
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Vanni flooding misery continues without relief

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 January 2002, 20:22 GMT]
(News Feature) The effects of heavy flooding two weeks ago in the Mullaitivu and Kilinocchi districts of the Vanni are still being felt across the regions, with roads rendered impassable, schools and settlements flooded out and residents suffering a lack of support from the government and Non Government Organisations (NGOs) based in the area, Tamil press reports this week said. Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected, with many being displaced from their homes and refugee camps as a result of the deluge. Vital supply routes have been cut, aid workers said.
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LTTE refutes reports Nepal is talks venue

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 January 2002, 13:30 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers’ chief negotiator and political advisor, Mr. Anton Balasingham, Saturday dismissed press reports suggesting that the LTTE and the government were looking at Nepal as a suitable venue for negotiations. Contacted by TamilNet over comments attributed by Indian satellite channels to an ‘LTTE spokesman in Paris,’ Mr. Balasingham said the Himalayan kingdom was logistically “completely unsuitable” as a venue for peace talks.
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Norwegian delegation "cautiously optimistic"

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 January 2002, 19:32 GMT]
The Norwegian peace delegation Friday expressed cautious optimism over finding a peaceful solution to the ethnic conflict in the island. The delegation leader Mr.Vidar Helgeson, Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister, said there was increased level of confidence between the parties concerned.
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CJ directs AG to expedite PTA cases

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 January 2002, 11:45 GMT]
More than six hundred Tamil youths arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) are languishing in prisons at Boosa, Kalutara, Welikada, Bogambara and Anuradhapura without being brought to trial. " I direct the Attorney General to take immediate steps to clear this backlog of cases", said the Chief Justice Sarath N.Silva Thursday when a fundamental rights application was taken up for inquiry.
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Picketing at Eastern University for permanent cease-fire

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 January 2002, 22:11 GMT]
Students, academic and non-academic staff of the Eastern University Campus in Batticaloa picketed Thursday noon, urging the government to declare a permanent cease-fire, and to lift restrictions on fishing and agriculture. A large number of demonstrators picketed at the entrance of the campus for one hour from 12.20 p.m., holding placards and shouting slogans, said sources.
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TNA outlines its policy to Norwegian delegation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 January 2002, 13:35 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday reiterated its stand to the Norwegian government delegation that the ban imposed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka should be lifted immediately to facilitate the commencement of peace negotiations. "No parallel talks should take place with any other Tamil political formation when negotiating with the LTTE", stressed the TNA delegation led by its parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan.
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Trinco Tamil detainees' plea rejected

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 January 2002, 21:05 GMT]
The Trincomalee Magistrate Wednesday turned down a plea made on behalf of 22 Tamil youths who have been detained at various detention centres in the country under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) that they should be kept in the Trincomalee prison for a few days, so that their parents and relatives could visit them on 'Pongal' day celebrations, which falls on January 14.
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LTTE suggests India could host talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2002, 12:52 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers have suggested to the Norwegian government that future negotiations with the Sri Lankan government could be held in southern India, press reports said Tuesday. The Hindu and the Tamil Guardian reported Tuesday that the LTTE’s suggestion is being conveyed to the Sri Lankan and Indian governments by a Norwegian delegation expected in South Asia later this week.
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PTA arrests expose covert operation - paper

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2002, 00:49 GMT]
(News Feature) The arrest last week of members of an elite commando unit of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on suspicion they were planning to assassinate the Prime Minister has blown the cover of an important covert operation to assassinate senior members of the Liberation Tigers, the Sunday Time reported this week. The arrests of members of a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) group came despite efforts by the SLA high command to prevent the raid on the soldiers’ safe house, the paper said.
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Nine FR cases against SLA for barring voters

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 January 2002, 19:59 GMT]
Two fundamental rights applications were filed in the Supreme Court Monday praying that the election held on December 5 in the Batticaloa electoral district be annulled and that the court should order the Election Commissioner to conduct re-poll there.
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EPDP MP wanted for murder surrenders

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 January 2002, 19:56 GMT]
Mr. Nadarajah Mathanarajah of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) who was elected as a Member of Parliament for Jaffna at the general elections on 5 December last year surrendered to the Jaffna court Monday. Mr. Mathanarajah, a close confidante of the EPDP leader Mr. Douglas Devananda was wanted by the courts in connection with the attack on Tamil National Alliance candidates and supporters on 28 November in which two were killed. The EPDP is a key coalition partner of President Chandrika Kumaratiunga's People's Alliance. It has two seats in the Sri Lankan Parliament.
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"No solution within unitary constitution" -TULF President

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 January 2002, 18:43 GMT]
"We have clearly told the United National Party (UNP) and the People's Alliance (PA) that no political solution could be found to the Tamil national question within a unitary form of government", said Mr.M.Sivasithambaram, President of the Tamil United Liberation Front and the Tamil National Alliance national list parliamentarian at a press conference held Saturday in Colombo.
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Sri Lanka military step up recruitment

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 January 2002, 03:30 GMT]
(News Feature) Despite ongoing efforts to revive the stalled Norwegian efforts to bring the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government back to the negotiating table, the new United National Front (UNF) administration has authorised its military and police to continue with recruitment drives aimed at strengthening the fighting forces, the Island newspaper reported Saturday. The elite police commando unit, the Special Task Force (STF), Saturday launched a major new recruitment drive to strengthen its forces deployed in the north and east , the paper said quoting authoritative defence sources. The STF’s campaign comes amid a major drive by the Sri Lanka Army’s regular infantry divisions and Special Forces, as well as the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF).
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Vanni voters file FR applications

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2002, 17:13 GMT]
Three Tamil voters from Vanni region held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Wednesday filed fundamental rights applications in the Supreme Court praying to declare that the poll held on December 5 in the Vanni electoral district is null and void, and to order repoll as they with several other voters were prevented from voting by the Sri Lanka Army.
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Batticaloa Tamil voters file FR applications

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 January 2002, 16:54 GMT]
Three Tamil voters residing in areas held by the Liberation Tigers in the Batticaloa district Thursday filed fundamental rights applications in the Supreme Court praying to declare the election held on December 5 for the Batticaloa electoral district null and void and to order re-poll as they and several other electors were prevented from voting by the security forces thereby violating their fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 12 (1) and Articles 14 (1) (a) of the Constitution.
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