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Tamil Tigers ask Norway to break ice for Sri Lanka talks
Tamil Tiger rebels on Thursday asked peace broker Norway to help end the deadlock in Sri Lanka's peace process amid a renewed outbreak of internecine clashes.
Norway's special peace envoy Trond Furuhovde met with the political wing leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), SP Thamilselvan, in a bid to lift the impasse in the troubled peace process.
"We stand firmly committed to restart talks first on the implementation of the ceasefire and the government must respond to the Norwegian initiative to break the ice," Thamilselvan said in a statement after their talks.
Oslo sent Furuhovde to meet separately with the two sides after failing to arrange face-to-face talks to salvage a truce which came under new pressure when foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was shot dead in August.
Last week, Norway ruled out early direct talks between the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government over the ceasefire which went into effect from February 23, 2002.
Diplomatic sources said fresh clashes between the Tigers and a breakaway faction in the island's troubled eastern regions had added to the tensions.
"We are... concerned about the violence and killings that take place in military occupied areas, meticulously manipulated by elements with a political agenda," Thamilselvan said.
Two school principals were shot dead on Wednesday in what appeared to be tit-for-tat attacks.
Tension has been rising since a split in the LTTE in March last year.
The government has accused the LTTE of killing hundreds of rivals and intelligence operatives despite the 2002 ceasefire agreement arranged by Norway.
The guerrillas for their part have accused the government of supporting their rivals.
NESOHR releases 26 underage youths
Twenty six underage youths who had volunteered to join the Liberation Tigers were released to their parents in the presence of Ian Martin, former President of Amnesty International and Human Rights consultant, by Rev M X Karunaratnam at the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) building in Karadippoku Junction, Kilinochchi Thursday 10.30am, sources said.
Tamil Tiger rebels on Thursday asked peace broker Norway to help end the deadlock in Sri Lanka's peace process amid a renewed outbreak of internecine clashes.
Norway's special peace envoy Trond Furuhovde met with the political wing leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), SP Thamilselvan, in a bid to lift the impasse in the troubled peace process.
"We stand firmly committed to restart talks first on the implementation of the ceasefire and the government must respond to the Norwegian initiative to break the ice," Thamilselvan said in a statement after their talks.
Oslo sent Furuhovde to meet separately with the two sides after failing to arrange face-to-face talks to salvage a truce which came under new pressure when foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was shot dead in August.
Last week, Norway ruled out early direct talks between the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government over the ceasefire which went into effect from February 23, 2002.
Diplomatic sources said fresh clashes between the Tigers and a breakaway faction in the island's troubled eastern regions had added to the tensions.
"We are... concerned about the violence and killings that take place in military occupied areas, meticulously manipulated by elements with a political agenda," Thamilselvan said.
Two school principals were shot dead on Wednesday in what appeared to be tit-for-tat attacks.
Tension has been rising since a split in the LTTE in March last year.
The government has accused the LTTE of killing hundreds of rivals and intelligence operatives despite the 2002 ceasefire agreement arranged by Norway.
The guerrillas for their part have accused the government of supporting their rivals.
NESOHR releases 26 underage youths
Twenty six underage youths who had volunteered to join the Liberation Tigers were released to their parents in the presence of Ian Martin, former President of Amnesty International and Human Rights consultant, by Rev M X Karunaratnam at the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) building in Karadippoku Junction, Kilinochchi Thursday 10.30am, sources said.