Sri Lankans Celebrate, Prepare for War
   [ 17:30 GMT, May. 14, 2006 ] [ AP ]

    In this Tamil rebel stronghold, hundreds of people stood in long lines over the weekend, stocking up on food and fuel and preparing for war. Across much of the rest of Sri Lanka, there were long lines too but lines of revelers taking part in celebrations marking one of the year's most important Buddhist festivals. Spiraling violence has rocked a shaky 2002 cease-fire between the Tamil Tigers and the government, sparking fears the island nation could be plunged back into civil war. While leaders on both sides traded accusations and threats of an imminent return to full-scale combat, the atmosphere in the streets of the two areas could not be more different.

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   Execution of 13 civilians, two of them children, by Sri Lankan Navy
   [ 17:21 GMT, May. 14, 2006 ] [ LTTE Peace Secretariat ]

    Thirteen people lay dead on 13th May night following Sri Lankan Navy carnage carried out to cower down civilians to their whims and fancy. The location Off the coast of Jaffna are many heavily populated islets (see map). Even after the ceasefire agreement (CFA), the controls exercised by the Sri Lankan Navy in these islets were quite distinct from what existed in Jaffna. Every person who enters the islet must pass through a military checkpoint. If the residents are hosting a visitor they must register with the Sri Lankan military. If visitors to Jaffna are taken aback by the excessive Sri Lankan military presence, they will find the prevailing conditions in the islets shocking.
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   What is going on in Trincomalee: "Mass Murder" or even "Genocide" ?
   [ 13:18 GMT, May. 14, 2006 ] [ TamilCanadian ]

    What the Sri Lankan Armed Forces are doing in Trincomalee is not “bad”, it is much worse than “bad”. It is not cruelty, it is beyond cruelty and into the realm of barbarism or savagery, take your pick. By extension, those who direct such behavior and/or are in a position to stop such atrocities, are guilty of the same. If the Sinhala South wants to be ruled by a barbaric regime, that is their choice. There is no need for the people in the North and East to be ruled by this same regime. The latter have voted overwhelmingly for a separate Tamil State (at the 1977 Elections). There is no evidence to date that they have changed their mind. The Sinhala Government is too stupid to realise that Eelam is not a creation of the Tamils or even of the LTTE. It is a creation of Sinhala ethno-religious chauvinism and State brutality. The division of the country is not going to come because the Tamils wanted it, but because it was forced on them by the abysmal stupidity of a succession of Sinhala Governments since Independence, especially since 1956. It is too late now to turn the clock back. Indeed, the events now unfolding in Trinco are turning the clock forward at a spectacular rate.

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   9 including a child killed, SL Navy opens fire at civilian house in Jaffna islet
   [ 08:27 GMT, May. 14, 2006 ] [ TamilNet ]

    Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) troopers from Mandaithivu Sri Lanka Navy camp surrounded a civilian house in Allaipiddy around 8:30 p.m. Saturday and opened fire killing 8 civilians, including a child, according to information reaching Jaffna town from civilian sources in the islet west of Jaffna town. Three persons with serious wounds were rushed to Jaffna hospital after Jaffna district magistrate ordered the Police to provide security to an ambulance from Jaffna hospital, medical sources said. One of the wounded succumbed to his wounds at Jaffna hospital. Sri Lanka Navy sources in Mandaithivu claimed that they were attacked with grenades and opened fire at the attackers. Only four have died according to the SLN.

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   Krishanthy murder convict complains of death threat
   [ 20:41 GMT, May. 14, 2005 ] [ TamilNet ]

    Lance Corporal Somaretna Rajapakse of the Sri Lanka Army who is serving death sentence in Krishanthy Cumaraswamy rape and murder case and a key witness in the several habeas Corpus applications currently under inquiry last week complained to the Jaffna Additional Magistrate that his life is in danger in the Bogambara prison, legal sources said. Lance Corporal Rajapakse while giving evidence in a Habeas Corpus application made this allegation before Additional Magistrate Ms Srinithi Nanthasekaran last week. Mr.Rajapakse has volunteered as a witness in several HC applications filed by the relatives of Tamil youths who were reported disappeared after the arrest by SLA soldiers during 1996-1997 period, legal sources said.

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   Japan frustrated by the delay to achieve lasting peace in Sri Lanka, says official
   [ 19:08 GMT, May. 14, 2005 ] [ AP ]

    Japan is frustrated by the delay in forging a permanent peace between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil rebels, and wants the two sides to break their deadlock, a diplomat said Saturday. "We are all frustrated that a real peace is yet to be achieved in this country," said Yasushi Akashi, Japan's special peace envoy to Sri Lanka. "If you are serious enough in peace building you should not easily give up. It is important for us to be persistent," Akashi said addressing a news conference in Colombo. Earlier Saturday, Akashi met the political head of the Tamil Tiger rebels, S.P Thamilselvan, to discuss the future of a stalled Norway-led peace process and ways to share foreign aid for tsunami victims living in government and rebel-controlled areas.
- Delayed Sri Lanka aid deal a handicap -Japan envoy - Reuters


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   Foreign aid is no problem in Sri Lanka for post-tsunami reconstruction _ but domestic politics could be
   [ 19:06 GMT, May. 14, 2005 ] [ AP ]

    Going by official statistics, there is no dearth of foreign funding for post-tsunami reconstruction in Sri Lanka, but analysts warn that domestic political divisions are threatening to delay or frustrate rebuilding. The finance ministry says it has received commitments from foreign donors for US$1.5 billion (€1.15 billion) out of an estimated US$2 billion (€1.53 billion) needed for rebuilding projects over the next three to four years. That amount is enough to rebuild coasts devastated by the December tsunami, which killed more than 31,000 people across Sri Lanka and affected 1 million others, the ministry says.
- Envoy says Sri Lankan peace failures could hit aid - Kyodo


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   FeTNA 2004 THAMIZHAR VIZHAA July 2-5 in Baltimore
   [ 17:42 GMT, May. 14, 2004 ] [ FeTNA ]

    "Top Tamil Scholars, Poets, Orators, Folk Artists, Melodious Singers, Our National Tamil Youth Organization, Tamil Sangams and Great Cine Artists" are waiting for you! To help to ensure a stable Tamil American Community in the future "Matrimonial Forums, CME Program, Entrepreneur Seminar, National Tamil Youth Organization, Women Forums, Tamil Computer Seminars" are planned too. Please inform, invite and bring your friends along with you to share the joy of "July 4th week-end Mega Event in Baltimore"

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   Doctor last to join race
   [ 17:38 GMT, May. 14, 2004 ] [ This Is London ]

    A Sri Lankan-born doctor on a mission to fight litter today became the final candidate to enter the race for London mayor. Tammy Nagalingam of Blackheath stumped up £20,000 of her own savings to stand, and collected 320 nomination signatures by knocking on doors across London. Her policies include restricting the congestion charge to the morning-rush hour and staging free St George's Day concerts in Hyde Park. Dr Nagalingam qualified as a doctor in Sri Lanka before coming to Britain and working as an NHS hospital doctor. She now runs private slimming clinics.

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   India: How Congress beat NDA at its own game
   [ 14:07 GMT, May. 14, 2004 ] [ PTI ]

    Beating the NDA at its own game, Sonia Gandhi cobbled formidable alliances in states that worked magic for the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections to bag 145 seats despite its vote share coming down by 1.5 per cent from the last elections in 1999.The tie-up of the DMK, the MDMK, the PMK-- which were part of the BJP-led alliance in 1999--with the Congress in this election swept Tamil Nadu and the AIADMK-BJP alliance was literally washed away. While the vote percentage of DMK rose by a mere 0.12 per cent from 1.73 per cent to 1.85 per cent, its seats rose from eleven to sixteen. PMK also gained as its seats went up from five to six, though its voteshare was down by 0.08 per cent--from 0.65 to 0.57 per cent. Both MDMK's tally and its vote share remained static at four seats and 0.44 per cent respectively.

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   Sri Lankan Pres Names Ex-UN Official To Lead Peace Effort
   [ 11:39 GMT, May. 14, 2004 ] [ AP ]

    Sri Lanka's president Friday appointed a former senior U.N. official to spearhead her government's efforts to strike a peace deal with Tamil Tiger rebels. Jayantha Dhanapala, who was a U.N. under-secretary-general for disarmament from 1998 to 2003, will take control of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process from June 1, President Chandrika Kumaratunga's office said in a statement. The announcement came a day after the rebels announced that a deal had been reached with the government to restart peace talks that have been stalled for a year. The agreement came amid sporadic violence that has stoked fears a two-year-old truce could collapse, plunging the country back into the civil war that cost about 65,000 lives between 1983 and 2002.

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   Official: Sri Lanka Wants to Resume Talks
   [ 01:21 GMT, May. 14, 2004 ] [ AP ]

    Sri Lanka's new government wants to resume stalled peace talks with Tamil rebels but believes it would not be helpful to set a date now, Foreign Minister Laksman Kadirgamar said Thursday. Setting a specific timeframe for talks, Kadirgamar said, "is very deceptive and tends to raise expectations. We will avoid it." But he said the government wanted to get engaged again with the Tamils and "we have to clear the decks" and work on such details as agenda and venue "calmly and out of the public glare."
- Sri Lanka's New Govt Wants Peace Talks, But No Date Set - AP


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   US Begins Finger Scanning Sri Lankan Visa Applicants
   [ 01:20 GMT, May. 14, 2004 ] [ AP ]

    Sri Lankans seeking to enter the U.S. are required to be finger scanned as part of security measures adopted by the Department of Homeland Security, an embassy official said Thursday. From Wednesday, the visa issuing procedure at the embassy includes collection of two finger prints, said Bruce Lohof, the counselor for public affairs. "We think that the finger scanning will make our borders more secure and traveling more simpler," Lohof said. He said this is part of a security program begun in September last year and U.S. embassies in about 120 countries have already introduced the method.

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   New Cong govt may raise issue of Prabhakaran's extradition
   [ 01:19 GMT, May. 14, 2004 ] [ PTI ]

    If the new Congress Government raises the question over extradition of Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran, it would have to go through the legal route, visiting Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said today. He, however, did not know whether the Congress would press on the issue. "It's very difficult to say but I dare say that in the coming months, that question might well come up," he told reporters here on the final day of his five-day visit here to meet with US Government officials. He said the Congress had made it clear to Sri Lanka before the general elections that Prabhakaran's extradition "remains on the table and there is no question of it being withdrawn."

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   Political Quarrel Should Not Impede Sri Lanka Peace Effort, Says US Diplomat
   [ 13:58 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ VOA ]

    A senior U.S. diplomat says political infighting in Sri Lanka should not jeopardize the peace process there. The diplomat also says future aid to Sri Lanka will be tied to respect for human rights. Christina Rocca, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian affairs, encouraged Sri Lanka's president and prime minister to end a bitter dispute that threatens the stability of the government. The fight has cast a shadow over efforts to end Sri Lanka's 19-year civil war.

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   Sri Lanka heads for constitutional crisis
   [ 13:57 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ AFP ]

    Sri Lanka headed for a crippling constitutional crisis as President Chandrika Kumaratunga raised the stakes in her confrontation with the cohabitation government, officials said. Kumaratunga rejected calls from the government to open a dialogue and refused to back down from her unilateral move Friday to take over functions of a minister, a presidential spokesman said Wednesday.

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   Power struggle in Sri Lanka overshadows peace process
   [ 13:56 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ ABC Radio Australia ]

    The United States has warned Sri Lanka's deeply divided government not to sabotage the fragile peace bid with Tamil Tiger rebels. The warning came as a political power struggle in Sri Lanka deepened into a constitutional crisis. The US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, Christina Rocca has told reporters in Colombo she raised the latest standoff between the president and prime minister during her four day visit to the embattled nation.

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   Tigers urged to attend funding meeting
   [ 12:07 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ BBC ]

    The United States has urged Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels to attend an important donor conference in Japan next month. US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca said it would help the peace process as a whole if the Tigers were at the meeting. Japan has given the rebels until Wednesday to decide if they will take part in the Tokyo conference.

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   US warns rival Sri Lankan parties not to scuttle peace process
   [ 12:07 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ AFP ]

    The United States Wednesday warned Sri Lanka's deeply-divided cohabitation government that its latest political crisis must not be allowed to undermine the fragile peace process with Tamil rebels. Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca told reporters here that she raised the latest quarrel between the president and prime minister. "I have shared the international community's fervent hope that these quarrels be set aside so that a clear, consistent and united Sri Lankan voice is heard," Rocca said shortly before ending a four-day visit.

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   US links Sri Lanka aid to human rights
   [ 12:04 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ AFP ]

    The United States has linked international aid for Sri Lanka to observing human rights and respect for democracy while renewing a demand that Tamil Tiger rebels give up violence. US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca said Wednesday she expected conditions to be attached to the foreign aid to be pledged next month for Sri Lanka at a donor conference in Japan.

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   US warns Sri Lanka parties not to derail peace bid
   [ 12:03 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ PTI ]

    A top US envoy today warned Sri Lanka's divided cohabitation government not to let the current political crisis jeopardise the island's fragile peace bid with Tamil Tigers. Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca said she had discussed the cohabitation problems during her talks with President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

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   U.S. Urges Tamil Rebels to Attend Donor Meeting
   [ 12:03 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ Reuters ]

    The United States urged Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers on Wednesday to attend a donor conference in Tokyo and called on the island's feuding government and president to speak with one voice on the stalled peace process. The rebels have pulled out of the conference and suspended peace talks to protest against what they say is a lack of progress in rebuilding war-hit Tamil areas and because they were excluded from a planning meeting for the conference.

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   SARS: Change in status of Toronto
   [ 23:17 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ WHO ]

    WHO has today removed Toronto, Canada from the list of areas with recent local transmission. Toronto has also been removed from the list of areas for which WHO has issued recommendations pertaining to international travel. The decision was made following a teleconference between Toronto and Health Canada officials and WHO. The teleconference, which was requested by Health Canada, reviewed the adequacy of data on the SARS situation in Canada and summarized the criteria and procedures used by WHO when making decisions about which areas should be included in the list.

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   LTTE shows no signs of climbdown
   [ 22:19 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ The Hindu ]

    The one-week deadline set for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to convey its participation in next month's Tokyo donors' conference ended today with the rebels showing no signs of a climbdown. The two immediate demands are on creating formal structures for reconstruction and the de-escalation of the northern High Security Zones (HSZs). On May 7, after a failed bid to make the Tigers consent to participate in the Tokyo meeting, the Japanese special envoy, Yasushi Akashi, said the LTTE wanted the Government to meet its basic demands within a week.

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   Sri Lanka heads for constitutional crisis
   [ 22:15 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ AFP ]

    Sri Lanka Wednesday headed for a crippling constitutional crisis as President Chandrika Kumaratunga raised the stakes in her confrontation with the cohabitation government, officials said. Kumaratunga rejected calls from the government to open a dialogue and refused to back down from her unilateral move Friday to take over functions of a minister, a presidential spokesman said. He said Kumaratunga sent a four-page letter to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arguing that her taking the Development Lottery Board (DLB), which was earlier under the Economic Reforms Ministry, was legal and that the premier cannot question it.

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   Push to save Sri Lanka peace
   [ 20:59 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ BBC ]

    Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen has met Sri Lanka's government and opposition, as part of efforts to revive the stalled peace process with Tamil Tiger rebels. The discussions, in the capital, Colombo, came as a deadline for the rebels to say whether they will attend crucial donor talks next month in Japan expired. The United States says it is in the rebels' best interests to go to Tokyo. But there is no sign from the Tigers that they are ready to re-enter negotiations.

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   Norway FM starts talks to salvage Sri Lanka peace bid
   [ 20:56 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ AFP ]

    Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen Wednesday opened talks with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as part of efforts to salvage the island's troubled peace process, officials said. Petersen went in for talks with the premier shortly after he arrived here at the start of a three-day visit, officials and diplomats said, adding that he also had a meeting with opposition leader Mahinda Rajapakse. Details of the talks were not immediately available. Petersen is expected to travel to the island's rebel-held north Thursday for discussions with Tamil Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran, a government minister said on Tuesday.

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   Getting the Tigers to dine at the peace table
   [ 20:28 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ Haveeru Daily, Maldives ]

    After years of violence and death, hope finally came for peace in Sri Lanka and talks between the government and separatist rebels started. Yet, the peace process is under threat of failure because the two sides are stuck in a stalemate, the Tamils refusing to sit at the peace table. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Patersen is due to visit the country as part of an effort to kick the peace process back into action, and build on the progress that was already made, but so easily lost. The rebels; the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) dropped out of the talks, saying that the government was not doing enough on the “critical issues.” A round of talks was due in April, but is now postponed because of the rebel’s boycott.

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   Japan's deadline for Tamil Tigers ends without breakthrough
   [ 20:08 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ ABC Radio Australia News ]

    A deadline set by Japan for Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, has expired with no sign of the guerrillas confirming their participation at a crucial donor conference in Tokyo. Japan's special peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, gave the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam until Wednesday to say if they would attend a key aid pledging conference in Tokyo to help rebuild Sri Lanka. However, there was no official word from the LTTE about the deadline set by Mr Akashi. The Tigers suspended their participation in Norwegian-brokered peace talks in April to protest what they called slow delivery by the Colombo government on critical issues.

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   WFP to expand projects in Sri Lanka
   [ 19:58 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ Daily News ]

    The United Nations World Food Programme will take part in the donor conference to be held in Japan, June this year and we are very pleased about the transparency in the implementation of WFP projects in Sri Lanka. We will extend and expand our aid programmes in the coming years, said the newly appointed Asia Regional Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, Tony Banbury. He was speaking at a press briefing held at the Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Refugees Ministry, Colombo. Mr. Banbury said that the total value of the assistance provided to Sri Lanka by WFP in last year is about US $ 7 million.

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   LTTE, TNA spell out basis for Tokyo meet participation
   [ 15:34 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ TamilNet ]

    “The LTTE is of the view that before it participates in the Tokyo Aid Conference currently fixed for 9th and 10th June, the administrative, financial and other structures with adequate powers need to be established in order to reconstruct the northeast and to rehabilitate and restore normal civilian life in the northeast province”, said the Tamil National Alliance in a press release issued Wednesday on the outcome of the talks its delegation had with the LTTE political leadership on Tuesday in Killinochchi.

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   Tamil National Alliance MPs meet Mr. Tamilselvan
   [ 04:47 GMT, May. 14, 2003 ] [ LTTE Peace Secretariat ]

    A group of MPs from the Tamil National Alliance met with Mr. S.P. Tamilselvan at the Peace Secretariat in Killinochchi earlier today. The current impasse in the peace process was discussed at length during the meeting. Mr.R. Sambanthan, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Mr. Mavai Senathirajah, Mr. S. Premachandran, Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Mr. Sivajilingam, Mr. Raviraj, Mr. Chandranehru, Mr. Thangavadivel and Mr. Krishnapillai were the TNA members present at the meeting. LTTE was represented by Mr. S.P. Tamilselvan, head of the political wing, Mr. S. Thangan, his deputy, and the regional heads of the political wing.

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   Indian Government extends ban on LTTE for two more years
   [ 15:08 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ Times of India ]

    The government on Tuesday announced continuation of a ban on the LTTE for another two years saying forces are still at work to further the cause of a separate Tamil Nadu by drawing inspiration from the Tamil rebel outfit. The ban was imposed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967 in consultation with the Tamil Nadu government, an official release said here."Sympathy for the Tamil Eelam concept still remains and the forces are still at work to further the cause of separate Tamil Nadu for which they are drawing inspiration and sustenance from LTTE," the official release said.

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   Army refuses to quit Jaffna schools
   [ 15:07 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ TamilNet ]

    Sri Lanka military commanders in Jaffna Monday refused to move troops out of several schools as required under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Tamil press reports said. Civil administration officials who met the military to discuss moving army units out of school premises were told that troops would not be moving out of 32 schools “for the foreseeable future.” Sri Lanka defence officials said that these schools were in ‘high security’ zones and reopening them to the public would pose security risks.

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   Sri Lankan Buddhist priests voice support for peace process
   [ 14:44 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ Kyodo ]

    Six high priests from Sri Lanka's four most influential Buddhist chapters have taken the unusual step of voicing their support for conclusion of a peace deal with the country's Tamil Tiger rebels. The highest priest of the Malwatta Chapter of the Siyamopali Maha Nikaya, Ven. Rambukwella Sri Vipassi Maha Nayake Thera, was quoted as saying he was not against offering autonomy to the Tamils so long as the country's integrity was maintained, the official said. Another Mahanayake, Ven. Madihe Pannaseeha of the Dhammarakshita Nikaya in the Amarapura Nikaya order, was said to have stressed the importance of the Buddhist organizations' participation in any peace talks with the LTTE. Another cleric, Ven. Pandita Kosgoda Dhammawansa, chairman of the Amarapura Nikaya, expressed his readiness to become a member of the team negotiating peace with the LTTE.

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   LTTE To Be De-Proscribed Two Weeks Before Direct Talks
   [ 14:38 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ ViraKesari ]

    It is understood from reliable sources that LTTE would be de-proscribed two weeks before the direct talks begin. It is also understood that foreign VIPs have requested the Tamil parties not to embarrass the government in this regard. On the other hand LTTE political leader SP Thamilchelvan has told the Tamil party alliance, when its member met Chelvan, that LTTTE would not contest any election and that the Tamil alliance must contest the election. He has also told them that LTTE would participate only in the Interim Council.

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   Sri Lankan Opposition Legislators Pledge to Safeguard Sovereignty
   [ 14:34 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ Xinhua ]

    Opposition party legislators representing the majority Sinhala community in Sri Lanka on Tuesday pledged to safeguard the country's sovereignty. The legislators alleged that the national unitary character is being threatened. The legislators, mainly from the main opposition People's Alliance of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and banded together under the title the "Alliance of Sinhalese Parliamentarians" were led by former Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake.

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   Five economic zones in N.E.
   [ 03:20 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ Daily News ]

    The Government has planned to set up five economic zones in the North and East to revitalise the region's economy. "This may be focused on the following special macro regions- Trincomalee, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Vavuniya and Mannar," Minister of Employment and Labour Mahinda Samarasinghe told the 'Daily News'. Trincomalee is perhaps the best endowed of these areas in terms of natural location and features which have been identified by decision makers for a major multi-faceted integrated development project but not acted upon for several decades, he said.

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   SLMM clears Govt-LTTE over Vakarai
   [ 03:13 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ Daily Mirror ]

    Amidst charges and counter charges over the Vakarai incident, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission yesterday ruled out any violation of the Ceasefire Agreement either by the LTTE or the government. The monitoring mission's acting chief Hagrup Haukland said although the incident was of a serious nature no party could be held totally responsible and thus it found no party violating the agreement. "According to Article 1(3) of the Ceasefire Agreement the Sri Lanka Navy executed its legitimate task in intercepting the suspected trawlers and it was proved that one of the trawlers illegally carried mortar shells and RPGs, but no finding linked the trawlers to any of the parties.

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   First Batch of TSVP Volunteers Deployed
   [ 03:01 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ TSVP ]

    It is with great pleasure and pride that the Tamil Students' Volunteer Program (TSVP) officially announces the successful deployment of its first batch of medical and technical volunteers on May 2, 2002. These two teams are to engage in direct rehabilitation and redevelopment work in the Northern and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka, effective immediately. Following the Program's inaugural event on March 20th, one of the main directors of the Program left for Sri Lanka to set up a basic self-sustaining infrastructure that would involve the initial batch, and absorb successive waves, of volunteers. Following constant feedback and other necessary reports from the affected regions, separate medical and volunteers teams were set up, composed of senior undergraduate and graduate Tamil Canadian university students.

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   Jaundiced Eyes
   [ 22:04 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ Tamil Guardian ]

    Apart from the recent incidents of harassment by the Sri Lankan armed forces, life for the Tamil people in the north and east has significantly improved this year in the absence of general conflict. The lifting of the government's decade-long economic embargo and the curtailing of air strikes and shelling through the permanent ceasefire has dramatically reduced the suffering. The international monitoring has also resulted in a general reduction in arrests, torture and extra judicial killings. The ceasefire agreement, while designed to halt the fighting and de-escalate the conflict, includes specific clauses to protect human rights, all of which is under the jurisdiction of the internationally-staffed Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).

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   Fresh Gloom
   [ 21:56 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ Tamil Guardian ]

    Tensions continued to rise this week across the Tamil homeland. In Jaffna, the Sri Lanka Army began extending its security network and imposed new restrictions on the movement of civilians, as did the Special Task Force in the eastern province. The Navy continued to harass fishermen at sea and imposed fresh restrictions on movement. The Air Force began extensive low-level surveillance in the Vanni, spreading panic amongst residents. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) continues to have work pile up amid a host of complaints.

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   Traders warned against dealing with Tigers
   [ 16:50 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ TamilNet ]

    Sri Lankan military officers have warned traders in Kaluvanchikudy against doing business with Liberation Tigers as they would suffer the consequences when the war resumes, the Thinakural newspaper reported Tuesday. “No one should think the ethnic troubles are over. We are neighbours. we deal goods with each other, therefore should be loyal to each other,” security officials told traders at a recent meeting, the paper said.

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   Canada: Lack of evidence frees man in attempted hit
   [ 15:33 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ The Toronto Sun ]

    A Toronto man was acquitted in the shooting of a prominent Tamil gang member outside a Mimico jail after a judge ruled there wasn't sufficient evidence to convict the accused shooter. Justice John Hamilton exonerated Suseenthiran Tharmaratnam, 24, of attempted murder and other gun-related charges in the attack on Panchan "The Cat" Naglingam, 27, in March of last year.

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   Are suicide belt-bombers America’s next threat?
   [ 15:27 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ The Washington Post ]

    This lesson was first demonstrated thousands of miles from Israel, on the island of Sri Lanka, off the coast of India. There, beginning in the late 1980s, Tamil nationalists adopted suicide bombing on a large scale, though they did not generally use it indiscriminately against civilians. From a Tamil population of roughly 2.5 million, the guerrillas mounted about 250 suicide missions, and some of their most audacious attacks were carried out by women, including the belt-bomb assassination of India's prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1991.

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   Sri Lankan Opposition Legislators Pledge to Safeguard Sovereignty
   [ 15:23 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ Beijing Time ]

    Opposition party legislators representing the majority Sinhala community in Sri Lanka on Tuesday pledged to safeguard the country's sovereignty. The legislators alleged that the national unitary character is being threatened. The legislators, mainly from the main opposition People's Alliance of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and banded together under the title the "Alliance of Sinhalese Parliamentarians" were led by former Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake.

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   Sri Lankan Govt, Tamil Rebels Solve Road Dispute
   [ 15:22 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ Beijing Time ]

    A dispute between the Sri Lankan government and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels over the commercial transport on a main highway appeared to have been resolved on Monday. Gemunu Wijeratne, president of the Private Bus Owners' Association, said that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels have approved 10 buses from the private association to have a direct bus service in rebel-held area in the north of the country. "We will be travelling to Kilinochchi (rebel-held area) tomorrow to finalize the matter," Wijeratne said.

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   India Extends Ban on Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger Rebels by 2 Years
   [ 15:20 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ Bloomberg ]

    India extended its ban on the Sri Lankan Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam separatist group by two years, saying its ``unlawful'' local activities were a ``matter of concern,'' a government statement said. The government said the organization sought to foster a breakaway movement in India as well. ``Sympathy for Tamil Eelam still remains and forces are still at work to further the cause of a separate Tamil Nadu,'' a southern Indian province, the government statement said.

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   Civilians complain STF harassment
   [ 01:18 GMT, May. 14, 2002 ] [ TamilNet ]

    Civilians in the eastern province are complaining of increased harassment by the elite Special Task Force (STF), Tamil press reports said this week. Protests have been lodged with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) over the incidents, the reports said.

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   Lanka-LTTE talks by May-end
   [ 19:35 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ Deccan Herald ]

    Talks between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE might take place in the last week of this month, a press report said today. A five-member Sri Lankan delegation would kickstart direct negotiations with the rebel group from May 28 to May 31 either in Oslo or in Amsterdam, The Island newspaper said, quoting government sources. Spokespersons of the government and the Norwegian embassy declined to comment on the report. Norway is making efforts to facilitate commencement of direct talks between the parties to the conflict.

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   Canada: Ontario Tories seek support for controversial private school measures
   [ 13:18 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ Vancouver Sun ]

    "The government's commitment to public education remains," the minister said late last week. "We have increased spending above and beyond enrolment and as the budget made very clear, we will continue to make new investments in public education." The audience of about 60 business people and members from Portuguese, Tamil, Greek and South Asian communities offered applause and no criticism following the speech. It was in stark contrast to the largely negative, and very vocal, fallout that's met the plan from opposition critics, parents groups and public school supporters.

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   Govt-LTTE talks by month end: Report
   [ 13:14 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ Times of India ]

    Talks between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE might take place in the last week of this month, a press report said on Monday. A five-member Sri Lankan delegation would kick start direct negotiations with the rebel group from May 28 to May 31 either in Oslo or in Amsterdam, the island newspaper said, quoting government sources. Spokespersons of the government and the Norwegian embassy declined to comment on the report.

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   Sri Lankan war mothers call for prisoner exchange
   [ 13:11 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ Reuters ]

    Hundreds of mothers of missing Sri Lankan soldiers held a demonstration to mark Mother's Day on Monday and urged the government and Tamil Tiger guerrillas to free prisoners taken in the country's 18-year ethnic war. Hundreds of white-clad women staged a silent sit-down protest in the heart of the capital Colombo and a spokesman said they hoped Mother's Day -- celebrated around the world on Sunday -- would help draw attention to their plight. "A prisoner exchange is the best way to start a peace process and end the pain of these women," said E.P. Nanayakkara, head of the Association of the Relatives Serviceman Missing in Action.

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   Convicted star to lead Tamil Nadu
   [ 13:09 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ BBC ]

    Controversial film-star-turned-politician Jayalalitha Jayaram is to lead the government in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu following her poll victory. Jayalalitha has been convicted of corruption and was barred from contesting the elections herself.

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   Tiger ambush kills three soldiers in Sri Lanka
   [ 13:07 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ AFP ]

    Tamil Tiger guerrillas ambushed a military truck in northeastern Sri Lanka Monday, killing three soldiers and wounding another, the defence ministry said. Gunmen of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) attacked the truck at Aluthnuwara in the district of Trincomalee along the main highway to the sea port of Trincomalee, ministry spokesman Sanath Karunaratne said. "The report we have is that the army truck had been ambushed and that three soldiers have been killed and another wounded," Karunaratne said. The ambush came as Norway tried to broker a ceasefire between government forces and the separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas before arranging face-to-face peace negotiations.

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   Lanka conveys time-bound ceasefire proposal to LTTE
   [ 13:06 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ The Hindustan Times ]

    THE SRI Lankan government has conveyed to the LTTE its readiness to have a time bound ceasefire to enable the two parties to engage in structured and constructive direct peace talks. The time bound ceasefire could be a formally declared one. Reporting this, The Sunday Times said today that President Chandrika Kumaratunga had obtained the unanimous support of the National Security Council for such a proposal when it met on May 4. The top military brass present also gave her the nod. Sources told Hindustan Times that the President's view was that during the time bound ceasefire, talks should begin and make a definite progress towards a solution. She was against an open ended ceasefire, which as past experience showed, would not only give room for dilatory tactics by the LTTE but give it ample time to stockpile weapons and train for a resumption of hostilities.

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   Solheim to defuse tension in Lanka
   [ 11:02 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ IANS ]

    N ORWAY'S special envoy Erik Solheim is due to meet Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga this week in a bid to defuse the charged atmosphere between the government and Tiger rebels. His move comes as a bid by Norway to open peace talks between Colombo and the Tamil Tigers ran into heavy weather. The situation between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) became tense after Colombo said last week that an agreement had been reached with the rebels. The state-run Sunday Observer newspaper said Solheim is expected to brief government and opposition leaders on the Tigers' position on a pre-talks memorandum of understanding.

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   Sporadic Confrontations In Sri Lanka Kill One,Wound Three
   [ 22:10 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ AP ]

    Tamil separatists gunned down a policeman, and three soldiers were wounded in a gunbattle with Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka's north, a government spokesman said Monday. The policeman was shot dead Monday in Muttur, about 220 kilometers northeast of the national capital, Colombo, said government spokesman Ariya Rubasinghe. One civilian was hurt in the cross fire. Three soldiers were wounded over the weekend when rebels fired mortars close to the army's defense lines in northern Jaffna Peninsula, he said. There was no comment from the rebels on their Web site.

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   3 SLA soldiers killed in claymore blast
   [ 21:17 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ TamilNet ]

    Three Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and four others were wounded when the Liberation Tigers set off a powerful claymore mine at Aluthnuwara in the east of the island around 4.30 p.m. Monday, army sources said. The soldiers were travelling in a truck from Trincomalee to Minneriya, the sources said.

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   TN results: Lankans no longer bothered
   [ 20:57 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ Times of India ]

    The dramatic changes in Tamil Nadu politics have had little or no impact on Sri Lanka due to the LTTE's reduced dependence on India as a result of the globalisation of its operations, analysts said Monday. ``There has been a tremendous maturity among the Sri Lankan people who know that the LTTE is not primarily backed by Tamil Nadu, but it's a far more global organisation today,'' said political analyst Dayan Jayatillake. Tamil political leaders said even though she is known for her anti-LTTE stance there will still be little impact because the Tamil Tiger rebels did not have much connections in Tamil Nadu as in the past.

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   TN Elections: Jayalalitha sworn in CM
   [ 20:24 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ The Hindu ]

    In what she described as a ``smooth transition'', the AIADMK general secretary, Ms. Jayalalitha, was today sworn in Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu ending all controversy over her eligibility to hold public office following the electoral disqualification. Immediately after Ms. Jayalalitha handed over a letter conveying her election as leader of the AIADMK Legislature Party, the Governor, Ms. Fathima Beevi, invited her to form the Government. Within a few hours, Ms. Jayalalitha was back at the Raj Bhavan, and took oath as Chief Minister in the name of God.
Also:

Day one in office

Why not Laloo also become CM, asks Karunanidhi

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   "ER and PTA can only create a closed society"
   [ 10:53 GMT, May. 14, 2001 ] [ TamilNet ]

    "There is a great divide between the Sinhala and Tamil media today. Both are totally alienated from each other. The government is confused about public information and official information. The state run media give only official information. This is one of the main reasons for the polarisation of the Sri Lankan media along ethnic lines. This polarisation is so strong that it is well nigh impossible when the need arises suddenly to promote ethnic harmony through the media in Sri Lanka today. The Mawanella incident is a case in point", said Mr.V.T Thamilmaran, senior lecturer in law at the University of Colombo, addressing a meeting organised by the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance in Colombo Sunday.

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   Jaffna: the pride, prestige and prejudice
   [ 04:41 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ AFP ]

    For the Sri Lankan government it is the fountain head of Tamil separatism. Tamil Tigers consider it their cultural capital. For both, the town of Jaffna is a prestigious place to die for.

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   Sri Lanka army 'forced back'
   [ 04:40 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ BBC ]

    The Sri Lankan Government has admitted that its troops have been forced back by Tamil Tiger rebels on the outskirts of the key northern town of Jaffna.

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   Sri Lanka's Rebels Claim They're Set To Reclaim Jaffna
   [ 04:38 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ AP ]

    Tamil Tiger rebels said Friday they were just one kilometer from Jaffna town and were set to recapture their former capital from government control at any moment. There was no independent confirmation of the rebel claim, announced over their Voice of Tigers radio, but the Sri Lankan government in Colombo hasn't denied the rebel statement.

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   New Delhi offers to mediate in Sri Lanka
   [ 04:36 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ WSWS ]

    After equivocating for several days, the Indian government announced over the weekend that it was prepared to act as mediator in the deepening military conflict in Sri Lanka as long as this was agreed by both sides—the Colombo government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). At the same time, however, India has firmly turned down Sri Lankan requests for military assistance in fighting the LTTE or help in evacuating its 35,000 to 40,000 troops from the north of the Jaffna peninsula in the event of fresh military defeats.

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   'No militant among Lankan refugees'
   [ 04:34 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ Deccan Herald ]

    The Tamil Nadu police today clarified that there were no LTTE militants among the 12 Lankan Tamil refugees who were rescued off an islet by fishermen a few days ago and brought to Rameswaram.

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   Lanka buying arms from Israel, Pak
   [ 04:31 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ The Hindustan Times ]

    SRI LANKA has embarked on massive arms buying spree in a bid to steel its forces fighting a last-ditch battle to save Jaffna from falling into the hands of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

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   Tamil Tigers pound Sri Lankan troops in final push for Jaffna
   [ 04:29 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ CNN ]

    Rebel shells began falling Thursday on the northern city of Jaffna as Tamil Tiger rebels moved to within a few kilometers (miles) of the city. Between 35,000 and 40,000 government troops in Jaffna prepared to defend the city from a rebel assault Thursday as Tamil rebel radio warned them to surrender. The shelling signaled a further rebel advance against the city as the 17-year-civil war appeared to be entering a decisive phase.

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   Indian fisherman injured in firing
   [ 04:25 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ The Hindu ]

    An Indian fisherman was seriously injured when Sri Lankan Navy personnel opened fire at him when he was fishing near Rameswaram on Wednesday night.

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   Stormy history behind Tamil rebels' cultural haven
   [ 05:03 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ Reuters ]

    The war-ravaged city of Jaffna is the ultimate symbol of the separate state for which Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have been fighting since 1983.

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   Stormy history behind Tamil rebels' cultural haven
   [ 05:03 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ Reuters ]

    The war-ravaged city of Jaffna is the ultimate symbol of the separate state for which Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have been fighting since 1983.

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   New Delhi offers to mediate in Sri Lanka
   [ 05:00 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ WSWS ]

    After equivocating for several days, the Indian government announced over the weekend that it was prepared to act as mediator in the deepening military conflict in Sri Lanka as long as this was agreed by both sides—the Colombo government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). At the same time, however, India has firmly turned down Sri Lankan requests for military assistance in fighting the LTTE or help in evacuating its 35,000 to 40,000 troops from the north of the Jaffna peninsula in the event of fresh military defeats.

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   Sri Lankan Tamil rebels draw ring around Jaffna
   [ 04:56 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ AP ]

    Tamil Tiger rebels said they were closing in on Jaffna city yesterday, while Sri Lankan jets stepped up bombing sorties on rebel positions.

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   Indian role in Lanka vital: Norway
   [ 04:55 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ Times of India ]

    Norwegian member of Parliament and chief negotiator on Sri Lanka, Eric Solheim, on Thursday held discussions with external affairs minister Jaswant Singh on the situation in the island and later said no solution to the ethnic conflict was possible without India's "positive role".

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   Tamil rebels push to regain stronghold
   [ 04:52 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ The Boston Globe ]

    Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels closed in on the heart of Jaffna, their former stronghold, yesterday after a lightning strike against government troops, the rebels said.

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   Tipnis impressed by Lanka's air power
   [ 04:51 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ Rediff ]

    Air Chief Marshal A Y Tipnis today rounded off his five-day official visit to Sri Lanka which he described as 'successful', saying he was impressed with the island's growing air power.

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   Political tensions are a legacy of British colonialism
   [ 04:46 GMT, May. 14, 2000 ] [ The Boston Globe ]

    Sri Lanka, where at least 60,000 people, perhaps more than 100,000, have been killed in fighting between Buddhist Sinhalese and largely Hindu Tamils over the past 16 years, is a land of many surprises.

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