Military intimidation threatens Jaffna student rally

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 January 2001, 20:43 GMT]
"The attempts of the Sri Lankan government to suppress the peaceful 'Pongu Thamil' (Tamil Upsurge) rally in the University of Jaffna shows that the people of the north are living in the grip of military rule" Jaffna university students' union representatives said Tuesday.
Full story >>

14 Tamils arrested in hill country

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 January 2001, 17:26 GMT]
Fourteen Tamil youths were arrested on suspicion by Sri Lankan police during a search operation in the hill town of Bandarawela on Monday. Five of the arrested are young women, sources said.
Full story >>

Arrest of journalist raises doubts - SLTMA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 January 2001, 15:44 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Police refused to let relatives visit the Jaffna journalist, Nadarajah Thiruchelvam, who was arrested and detained on 2 January in Colombo. The journalist is being held by the Terrorism Investigation Unit (TID) of the Sri Lankan Police. The Sri Lanka Tamil Journalists’ Association in a statement issued Sunday questioned the real motive behind the indefinite detention of Mr.Thiruchelvam.
Full story >>

RSF protests journalist's arrest

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 January 2001, 16:04 GMT]
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Post, Telecommunications and Media, Mangala Samaraweera, on Friday, Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders - RSF) protested against the detention since 2 January 2001 of Subramaniam Thiruchelvan, a journalist from Jaffna, by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID). RSF asked the Minister to inform it of the reasons for this detention.
Full story >>

Army planning 'all-out' offensive - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 January 2001, 07:33 GMT]
Exploiting the Liberation Tigers' unilateral ceasefire, the Sri Lanka Army is inducting fresh troops, armour and artillery into the Jaffna offensive in preparation for an "all-out" offensive in the Kilali-Nagerkoil, the LTTE said Friday. In an interview with the London-based Tamil Guardian, the LTTE's chief negotiator warned that the Army's "strategy will result in a major escalation of the war."
Full story >>

Urge President too, suggests British HC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 January 2001, 22:11 GMT]
Britain welcomes the unilateral cease-fire by the Liberation Tigers as a positive move in the right direction towards finding a negotiated political solution to Sri Lanka's ethnic problem, the British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Ms Linda Duffield, told a delegation of Tamil political parties that met her Wednesday in Colombo. The Tamil parties urged the British HC to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan Government to positively respond to the cease-fire unilaterally declared by the Liberation Tigers as a goodwill measure last month.
Full story >>

Tamil detainees appeal for safety guarantees

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 January 2001, 13:00 GMT]
Tamil Political detainees held at Kalutara prison have appealed to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to take measures to guarantee their security in the prison. The detainees have also complained about quality of food, medical facilities and prolonged detention.
Full story >>

"Stop war, start talks" - TULF

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2001, 21:49 GMT]
The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Tuesday demanded the Sri Lankan Government immediately stop the war and commence negotiations with the Liberation Tigers so as to find a political solution to the island's protracted ethnic conflict. Mr. V. Anandasangari, Vice President of the TULF was speaking at the swearing in of Nadarajah Raviraj as the new Mayor of Jaffna Municipal Council.
Full story >>

Tamil parties seek Dutch pressure

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2001, 21:48 GMT]
A deputation comprising representatives of several Tamil political parties met the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Colombo Tuesday morning and appealed to him to use his good offices to exert pressure on the Sri Lanka government to reciprocate the unilateral cease-fire offered by the LTTE, Tamil party sources said.
Full story >>

President rejects LTTE ceasefire

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2001, 00:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga Monday rejected Liberation Tigers' month-long unilateral cease-fire during a televised speech to people in the northern Jaffna peninsula, in her first public response to the LTTE "goodwill" offer last month.
Full story >>

Norway "committed" to peace process

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 January 2001, 11:55 GMT]
Norwegian officials Monday denied reports that Oslo would withdraw from efforts to bring about peace talks to end the Sri Lankan conflict. The officials were responding to reports in the Jaffna-based Tamil daily, Uthayan.
Full story >>

Colombo categorically rejects Tiger cease-fire

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 January 2001, 15:29 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government will not in anyway respond to the cease-fire unilaterally declared by the Liberation Tigers last month said Sri Lanka's Minister for Media, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, addressing a press conference in Colombo Friday to announce this week's cabinet decisions.
Full story >>

"No cease-fire, Tigers will be eliminated" - Army

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 January 2001, 13:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army announced over loud-hailers in Batticaloa town on Friday that severe action would be taken against those who organise or take part in hunger-strikes, march, picketing or other forms of protest urging the Sri Lankan government to declare a cease-fire or to begin negotiations with the Liberation Tigers.
Full story >>

Tamil parties urge US pressure

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 January 2001, 12:59 GMT]
The United States should exert pressure on the Sri Lankan Government to respond positively to the month-long unilateral cease-fire declared by the Liberation Tigers on 24 December, so as to create a climate conducive for negotiations, representatives of several Tamil parties appealed to the US Ambassador in Colombo during a meeting Friday.
Full story >>

People, NGOs join Jaffna University demo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 January 2001, 21:00 GMT]
The demonstration by students and staff of the Jaffna University asserting that the political aspiration of the Tamil people is self determination and urging the government to start peace talks with the Liberation Tigers continued for the seventh day on the campus Thursday. Students visited towns and villages in the peninsula Thursday to muster support among the people for their campaign.
Full story >>

20 thousand homes shattered, relief tardy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 January 2001, 18:55 GMT]
Over 20 thousand houses were damaged or destroyed in Trincomalee by the cyclone that ravaged the eastern district on 26 December, officials said. About forty fishing boats were destroyed or are reported missing, according to officials at the Trincomalee District Secretariat.
Full story >>

Grenade lobbed at Batticaloa shop

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 January 2001, 16:49 GMT]
Armed men, suspected to be Sri Lanka army soldiers and Policemen, lobbed a grenade at a grocery store in Sinna Uppodai, a suburb of Batticaloa town around 9p.m. Wednesday, injuring a 19-year old employee of the shop. Neighbours alleged that the attack was in retaliation to the shop owner’s refusal to pay up protection money (‘kappam’) to the assailants.
Full story >>

University students assault 'Uthayan' journalist

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 January 2001, 15:30 GMT]
A journalist working for a Tamil daily in Jaffna, the 'Uthayan', was assaulted by Jaffna University students Thursday morning when he went to the campus to gather information about the ragging of new students at the Science Faculty. The paper published a news report on Thursday about students boycotting lectures protesting against the one-year suspension of four senior students involved in ragging.
Full story >>

Two more suspects identified in Mirusivil

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 January 2001, 12:27 GMT]
Two more Sri Lanka Army soldiers (SLA) accused of murdering eight Tamil civilians, including a 5-year old boy, at Mirusuvil on 19 December were identified by the prime witness, Ponnuthurai Maheswaran, during an identification parade held Thursday. Three SLA soldiers, including an officer, were identified by the witness on Wednesday.
Full story >>

Tamil political prisoner murdered

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 January 2001, 12:26 GMT]
A Tamil political prisoner held at Kalutara prison was found stabbed to death on Thursday morning local police said. His body was found in a section of the prison where nearly 600 Tamil political detainees are held.
Full story >>