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| Sunday, 18 July 2004 |
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CWC in talks to join Govt. From the Tamil press by S.Selvakumar The LTTE complaints on the Karuna issue along with Thamilselvan's talks with the Norwegian Ambassador received much prominence in Tamil dailies in the early part of the week and mid week saw talks between the government and CWC. On Friday it was all about the shooting of Sachin Master, a Karuna faction spokesman in the Battiacloa prisons. The Thinakkural on Monday in a front page story said that the very day after the Provincial Council elections were over Police and Army were engaged in a combined operation searching vehicles and buses in the city and security has also been tightened in all police stations. Head of the SLMM Trond Furuhovde had an urgent meeting with Thamilselvan in Kilinochchi on Sunday where the unrest in Batticaloa and the Kollupitiya police station bomb blast were discussed in detail. BBC Tamil Service broadcast an interview by LTTE renegade leader Karuna and said that this interview was arranged by Minister Douglas Devananda, the Sudaroli said. BBC also said though Karuna claimed that he is talking to the BBC from Batticaloa there was no independent confirmation on this claim, the paper further said. The Virakesari said that buses plying to Colombo from the Upcountry are subjected to strict checks and searches by the police. This follows the arrest of seven Tamil youth with weapons in a bus coming from Hatton to Colombo last Friday. The Sudaroli on Tuesday reported that the CWC meets today to decide whether to join the government or not and quoted the JVP as saying that it was opposed to the CWC joining the government on conditions. The Thinakkural highlighted the visit of Deputy Defence Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake to the North along with the commanders of the three services and said the minister inspected several security establishments in the North. The President and the government must avoid activities leading to confusion that could stall the recommencement of peace talks and the ceasefire agreement Thamilselvan has said after meeting Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar in Kilinochchi on Tuesday, the Virakesari reported on Wednesday. He further said that attempts to restart the talks has run into a crisis situation and that was the reason for Norwegian Ambassador's frequent meetings with the government and the LTTE. The paper also reported the death of LTTE Batticaloa town political leader Senathirajah who was injured in an attack on him a few days ago. Deputy Defence Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake in an address to soldiers in Jaffna on Monday has advised them to be on alert and undergo training, the Thinakkural reported. Batticaloa - Ampara LTTE political wing leader Kausalyan in an interview to Sudaroli has said that soon a situation will arise where LTTE cadres will have to carry arms when visiting government held areas and cited the deteriorating situation in East as the would be cause for this. The Thinakaran said that Norwegian Ambassador who met the LTTE in Kilinochchi on Monday is scheduled to meet the President on Wednesday. On Thursday the Thinakaran quoted Minister Douglas Devananda as saying that the EPDP was not instrumental for the split between Prabhakaran and Karuna and added that his party will welcome any organisation that will embrace mainstream democratic politics. The Thinakkural on Thursday said that CWC will join the government after the Tamil calendar month of Aadi. This month commences on Friday July 16 and will end on August 16. The month of Aadi is also considered bad for launching new ventures. The paper quoting reliable presidential secretariat sources said the Prime Minister had a lengthy discussion with Minister Thondaman on Tuesday on the instructions of the President and this was the reason for Thondaman's change of mind. The Sudaroli said that Basheer Segudawood, Treasurer of the SLMC will take his oaths as national list MP when Parliament meets on July 20 but will submit his resignation on the very same day since a majority of SLMC heavyweights are opposed to leader Rauf Hakeem's decision to give him a national list slot. Norwegian Ambassador Brattskar briefed head of the government peace secretariat Jayantha Dhanapala on his talks with Thamilselvan, the Virakesari reported. On Friday all Tamil dailies gave prominence to the shooting incident in the Batticaloa prisons and according to the Sudaroli a statement to police will be recorded from the suspect in the presence of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The paper quoted CWC Deputy President M.S. Sellasamy as having said that his party will not support a JVP move to remove the Speaker from his post and dismissed press reports that the CWC Would join the government in a month's time. The Virakesari reported an incident where ten bodies buried in the Tanamalvila cemetery had been dug out and their heads removed. Police received complaints that there were several headless bodies in the cemetery. Investigations revealed the heads had been removed by a sorcerer for performing certain rites to remove treasures from ancient viharas. Four people including the sorcerer have been arrested. The Thinakkural reported that CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman is scheduled to meet with the President on Friday to discuss the conditions to render support to the government. |
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