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SriLankaTimelineYear2004
January1

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) proposes an interim constitution for the country as a
formulatoreachaconsensusbetween"thedivergentandthepolarisedviewsofthedifferentstake
holders."

January5

Four Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres, between 15 and 17 years of age, who had
trainedattheThoppigalaLTTEcampsurrendertotheKandegamapolice.Theyhadallegedlybeen
kidnappedfromJaffnaandBatticaloain2002.

January7

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe calls on President Kumaratunga to take over the task of handling
the peace process by introducing suitable amendments to the Ceasefire Agreement of February
2001andrenegotiatetheAccordwiththeLTTE.

January8

Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) acting chief Hagrup Haukland says that the Ceasefire
Agreement stands despite the Prime Minister's speech at a public rally on January 7, relieving
himselfoftheresponsibilitiesofthetruce.

January12

LTTEPoliticalWing leaderS.P.ThamilselvansaysthatitdidnotmatterwhotheLTTEnegotiated
with,aslongasthatpersonhadamandatetomakepeace.

January16

Retired Major General Trond Furuhovde will be appointed as the new Head of Mission of the Sri
LankaMonitoringMission(SLMM)replacingTryggveTellefsen, whoisinOsloafterbeingaccused
ofendangeringnationalsecuritybyPresidentKumaratunga.

January23

The LTTE decides not to attend the donor meeting in Colombo, a follow up to the Tokyo Donor
Conference,attributingitsnonattendanceto"politicalinstability"intheSouth.

January23

RepresentativesoftheDonornationswhichmetintheaidgroupmeetinginColombosaidthatthey
werereadytocontinuewithfinancialassistance,whileexpressingconcernthattheongoingpolitical
crisiswillhindertheeffortsforanegotiatedsettlement.

February7

President Kumaratunga dissolves Parliament and calls for elections onApril 2, almost four years
ahead of schedule. The President used her executive powers to dissolve the 225member
ParliamentledbyWickremesinghe.

February10

Speaking in Karadiyanaaru, Colonel Karuna, senior LTTE commander, says that, "we are
prepared to talk to any government that comes to power in Sri Lanka with clear authority and
power."

February18

PresidentKumaratungaopinesthataGovernmentunderherleadershipwouldnotinanyway incite
orprovoketheLTTEtoanotherwar.

February26

PresidentKumaratungastatesthatthefutureAllianceGovernmentwillcommencepeacetalkswith
theLTTEtoreachasolutionwhilealsoensuringtherightsofallcommunities.

February26

S. Elilan, the head of LTTE's political division for Vavuniya, states that "the Liberation Tigers
decidedtodaytocampaignforthevictoryoftheTamilNationalAlliance."

March1

A United National Party (UNP) candidate, S. Sunderampillai, for the Batticaloa District in the
forthcomingGeneralElectionsisshotdeadbysuspectedLTTEcadres.

March1

An activist of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), identified as Ponniah Yogendran, is
shotdeadbysuspectedLTTEcadresatValachchenaiintheBatticaloadistrict.

March3

LTTE's military leader for the East, 'Colonel' Karuna, quits over alleged differences with his leader
Velupillai Prabhakaran and refuses to send 1,000 armed cadres to the North as ordered by
Prabhakaran,theSriLankaBroadcastingCorporationstatedinitsnewsbulletinonMarch3.

March4

ChiefofthepoliticalwingofLTTE,S.P.Thamilchelvan,toldaSLMMdelegationinKilinochchithatthe"crisis
[thereportedsplitinLTTE]isonlyatemporaryoneandaresolutionwillbereachedsoon."
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March5

In a letter published in Thamil Alai, Colonel Karuna, suggests an administration structure for
Batticaloa parallel to the other divisions of the LTTE functioning directly under Prabhakaran's
command.

March5

'Colonel' 'Karuna takes over LTTE apparatus in the Batticaloa and Ampara districts. Ramesh,
Karuna's deputy, is replaced by 'Rabat', while Karikalan sacked by LTTE chief Prabhakaran is
reinstatedbyKarunaasthepoliticalwingleaderofBatticaloa,replacingKausalyan.

March6

LTTE Political Wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan announces at a news briefing in Kilinochchi that 'eastern
commander' V. Muralitharan alias Karuna had been removed from his post. The LTTE high command
appointsT.Rameshasthe'SpecialCommander'oftheBatticaloaAmparairegioninplaceofKaruna,while
KaushalyanwasappointedasthePoliticalWingleader.RamandPrabhawereappointedasthedeputies
ofRameshinthemilitarywing.

March8

Life in Batticaloa,Ampara and Valachchenai in the East, comes to a standstill as shops, schools
andgovernmentofficesareclosedreportedlyinsupportofColonelKaruna

March9

The SLMM ceases patrolling in areas held by 'Colonel' Karuna in Batticaloa and Ampara, as he
reportedlyinsistedonafreshceasefireagreementwiththeGovernment.

March10

Spokesperson for Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's caretaker Government, Prof. G. L Pieris, said
thattheGovernmentwouldnotexploitthecurrentsituationintheeasttogainpoliticalmileage. He
addedthathisGovernmentwouldnotinterfereinKaruna'smatterbecauseitisaninternalaffairof
theLTTE.

March11

'Colonel' Karuna denounces the LTTE leadership, saying they were no longer the sole
representativesoftheTamilpeople.

March13

ColonelKaruna,inaninterviewtoTheHindu statesthatitisimpossibletocreateaseparateTamil
state due to lack of international support. He also terms the assassination of former Indian Prime
MinisterRajivGandhiasthe"gravestmistake"committedbytheLTTEintelligencewing.

March17

The LTTE clandestine radio, 'Voice of Tigers' (VOT) announces that a possible death penalty now
awaits'Colonel'Karunaastheamnestygrantedtohimendedonthesameday.

March21

The LTTE hands over 35 youths, under 18 years of age, to the UNICEF during an event held at
SampurintheTrincomaleedistrict.

March24

Suspected LTTE cadres shot at and injure a university lecturer, Thevanayagam Thiruchelvam,
believedtobesympathetictoColonelKarunaintheeasterndistrictofBatticaloa.

March25

AccordingtoTheHindu,theLTTEsaysthatithad"decidedtogetridofKarunafromoursoil.''The
LTTE political division alleged that Colonel Karuna was attempting to "create regional differences
andfratricidalwar''to"coveruptheoffencescommittedbyhim."

March27

Sri Lanka's former Hindu Affairs Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Jaffna, Thiyagarajah
MaheswaranisshotandseriouslywoundedbyunidentifiedassailantsindowntownColombo.

The Batticaloa government agent, Ratnam Mounagurusamy, is also shot and wounded by
unidentifiedassailantsatPillaiyaradionthenorthernoutskirtsofBatticaloatown.
March30

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidate in Batticaloa, Rajan Sathiyamoorthy, an alleged close
confidanteofColonelKaruna,iskilledbyunidentifiedassailantsathisresidenceonMarch30.

April2

Morethan75percentoftheregistered12.89millionvotersreportedlyexercisetheirfranchiseinthe
nationwideelections.

April4

President Chandrika Kumaratunga's United People's FreedomAlliance (UPFA) polls 4.22 million of
the total votes cast during theApril 2General Election to emerge as the single largest party with
105 seats. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Front (UNF) polled 3.5 million
votestosecure82seats.TheIllankaiTamilArasuKahchchi(TNAtheTamilNational Alliance)was
placed third with 633,654 votes securing 22 seats followed by the Jathika Hela Urumaya who
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obtained552,724votesfornineseats,theSriLankaMuslimCongress(SLMC)186,876(fiveseats)
andtheUpCountryPeople'sFront49,782(oneseat).
April5

TheLTTE,inastatement,threatenstorenewfightingiftheirdemandforasovereignTamilstateis
notmet.

April6

President Chandrika Kumaratunga appoints the former Leader of Opposition, Mahinda Rajapakse,
astheislandnation'snewPrimeMinister.

April7

President Kumaratunga says the new Government would give high priority to restarting the peace
processandbringinginconstitutionalchangestoabolishtheexecutivepresidencyand change the
electoralsystem.

April8

LTTE demands that the new Government headed by Prime Minister Rajapakse open peace talks
basedontheirproposalsforselfrulewhichwasearlierrejectedbyPresidentKumaratunga.

April9

At least 22 people are reported killed as heavy fighting erupted between the LTTE factions of
Velupillai Prabhakaran and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias 'Colonel' Karuna near the Verugal
River,78KilometersfromBatticaloa.

April10

PresidentKumaratungaappointsa31memberCabinetofMinistersandretainsthekeyportfoliosof
Defence,ConstitutionalAffairsandEducation.

April12

The proLTTE website Tamil Net claims that Colonel Karuna has sought refuge in a Sri Lankan
militarycampinthePolonnaruwadistrict.

April13

TheUnitedNationsChildren'sFund(UNICEF)facilitatesreleaseofnearly150childsoldiersbythe
LTTEinSriLankaseasternregion.

April15

During a meeting between Sri Lankan Armys General Officer Commanding Vajira
Wijeyagoonewardena and Thambirajah Ramesh of the LTTE in Vavunathivu, both sides agree to
upholdtheFebruary2002ceasefireagreement.

April17

TheproLTTETamilNetwebsitequotingUNICEF sources says that 40 child soldiers were handed


overtoUNICEFauthoritiesattheLTTEpoliticalofficeinSampoor,Trincomalee.

April20

LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran holds a meeting with the 22 newlyelected Members of
Parliament belonging to the Tamil NationalAlliance, a front supported by the LTTE in the recently
heldnationalelections.

April23

NorwegianPrimeMinisterKjellMagneBondevikagreestoarequestmadebySriLankanPresident
Chandrika Kumaratunga for Oslo to resume its facilitator role in the peace process between the
GovernmentandLTTE.

April26

LTTEallegesthatsevenofitscadreswerekilledonApril25inBatticaloadistrictbycadresloyalto
therenegadefactionheadedbyVinayagamoorthyMuralitharanaliasColonel Karuna.Accordingto
theLTTE,itscadreswereshotdeadinsideanareaundertheircontrol,fourkilometersnorthwestof
Batticaloatown.

May3

TheLTTEsaysitisreadytoresumepeacetalkswiththeGovernmentofSriLanka.

May4

NorwayannouncesthatitsForeignMinister,JanPetersen,willvisitSriLankaonMay10and11to
explorepossibilitiesforholdingtalksbetweentheLTTEandSriLankanGovernment.

May6

TheLTTEhasrecruitedchildreninthepastfewdays,saidUnitedNationsChildrenFund(UNICEF)
officials."We have verified four children have been recruited and we've taken in up with the LTTE,
whosaytheyareinvestigating,"saidUNICEFspokespersonGeoffreyKeele.

May9

ALanceCorporalattachedtotheSriLankaArmy IntelligenceUnitisshotdeadbysuspectedLTTE
cadresatThandamveliintheBatticaloadistrict.

May11

InameetingheldintheBatticaloadistrict,anagreementwasreachedbetweentheSriLankanArmy
and LTTE to develop mechanisms to ensure information sharing and to prevent serious crimes.
Both sides also agree to continue to uphold and respect the Ceasefire Agreement signed on
February22,2002.
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May12

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar is reported to have said during a lecture in the
UnitedStatesthat "LiberationTigers ofTami Eelams proposal for Interim SelfGoverning Authority
(ISGA)isablueprintforafutureseparateStateitwillbedifficultforasovereigngovernmentto
accept."

May14

TheUnitedStatesAssistantSecretaryofStateforSouthAsianAffairs,ChristinaB.Rocca,saysin
Colombothatthe LTTE "will remain'' in Washington's list as a "foreign terrorist organisation'' until it
renouncesviolenceandterrorismin"wordanddeed.''

May15

President Chandrika Kumaratunga appoints Jayantha Dhanapala as SecretaryGeneral of the


SecretariatforCoordinatingthePeaceProcessandasSeniorAdvisertothePresidentfromJune 1.

May18

JapaneseSpecialEnvoy,YasushiAkashi,holdsdiscussionsatKilinochchiwithThamilselvan,head
oftheLTTEpoliticaldivision,onissuesrelatedtotheproposedresumptionofpeacetalksbetween
the outfit and the Sri Lankan Government. Discussions also focused on reconstruction and
developmentinthenortheast,saidLTTEofficials.

May20

An LTTE cadre is killed during an explosion in the outfitcontrolled area of Aalankerni in the
Batticaloadistrict.

May24

An Eastern University lecturer, K. Tambiah, is shot dead at his residence in Batticaloa town by
unidentifiedgunmen.

May25

The Indian envoy to Sri Lanka, Nirupam Sen, states that India was willing to carry out
reconstructionworkinthe"unclearedareas"ofSriLanka,whichareunderthecontroloftheLTTE.
However,headdedthatitwouldnothaveanyengagementwiththeoutfit.

May26

The LTTE demands "institutionalising'' of an Interim SelfGoverningAuthority (ISGA) for the North
East before it discusses the core issues of the conflict with the Sri Lankan Government. The
demand was made by LTTE 'political wing' leader, S.P. Thamilselvan, to the visiting Norwegian
SpecialEnvoy,ErikSolheim.

May30

The Indian Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, dismisses demands for a review of the ban on the LTTE
andstatesthattheproscriptionwouldcontinue.

May31

Aseniorjournalist,G.Nadeshan,isshotdead bysuspectedLTTEcadresatManmunaijunctionin
theBatticaloadistrict.

June2

The Sri Lankan Government and LTTE agree to strengthen cooperation between the Security
Forces, Police and the outfit to identify and arrest criminal elements responsible for the recent
killingsinBatticaloadistrict.

June4

Governing ally, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), urges the international community to exert
pressure on the LTTE to give up the "precondition'' linking its proposal for interim selfrule in the
northeasttoresumptionofthestalledpeacetalks.

June13

LTTE accuses President Kumaratunga with resorting to "political duplicity'' and warned donor
nations that the country would return to a "bloodbath,"' if the international community did not exert
pressureontheGovernment.InarejectionofwhatittermedanewconditionbythePresidentthat
"discussions on core issues should go parallel to interim administration,'' the LTTE said it was
impractical to do so as Sinhala regime was not prepared to meet its demand for an interim
administration,norwasthePresident'sGovernmentnumericallystrong.

June18

AfootpatrolpartyoftheSriLankaPolicerecoversasuicidejacketandsomeexplosivesconcealed
inabagnearGrandpassareainColombocity.

June22

TheUSAssistantSecretaryforSouthAsia,Christina Rocca,saysthatthedesignationofLTTEas
aterroristorganisationwillremainandWashingtonislookingforwardtothedaywhentheoutfitwill
takethe"necessarysteps"togetoffthelist.

June24

The Sri Lankan Government concedes that some individuals in the military supported the former
LTTE'commander',V.MuralitharanaliasColonelKaruna,butmaintainedthatthere was"noofficial
involvement, directly or indirectly with the breakaway group.'' "Obviously there have been military
personnel involved. We are not denying it," but "the Government is not officially involved,"
GovernmentspokespersonMangalaSamaraweerasaidatapressconference.
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June27

TheLTTEhassteppedupconscriptionofchildrentoitsranks,disclosesUNICEF.TheUNagency
confirmedthattheoutfithasacceleratedtherecruitmentofunderagecombatantsinApril and May
2004,especiallyintheNorth.

June30

Speaking to the press after meeting Norways special peace envoy Erik Solheim in Kilinochchi,
LTTEpoliticalwingleaderThamilselvansaysthattheoutfitiscommittedto resumingpeacetalks.
He,however,addedthattheGovernmentshouldtaketheinitiativeinthisregard.

July1

President Chandrika Kumaratunga rejects publicly aired allegations by the LTTE that the
Government had authorised Sri Lankan military activities in the Eastern Province in support of the
'Colonel'Karunafaction.

July5

AnLTTEcadreisshotdeadandthreeothers,includingaseniorpoliticalfunctionary,werewounded
in two separate incidents in the Batticaloa district of eastern Sri Lanka. The shootings, carried out
byunidentifiedgunmen,occurredonthedaywhentheLTTEhelditsannualcommemorationforits
BlackTigersuicidecadresthroughoutthenorthernandeasternprovinces.

July6

TheIndianHighCommissioninColombosaysthat"Withregardtoapressreporttoday...Thatthe
newIndiangovernmenthasmadearequesttotheSriLankangovernmenttohandoverLTTEleader
PrabhakaranandPottuAmman,theHighCommissionofIndiaherebydeniesthatanyfreshrequest
hasbeenmadebythenewgovernmentofIndiainthisconnection."

July7

AsuspectedwomanLTTEsuicidebomberblows herselfupattheKollupitiyaPolicestationnextto
the Sri Lankan Prime Minister's official residence in Colombo killing herself and four police
personnelandinjuringninepersons.

July8

The LTTE denies involvement in the suicide attack in Colombo a day earlier in which four police
personnel and the woman suicide bomber were killed. Thamichelvan, head of the LTTE political
division, told TamilNet that the outfit had "absolutely no connection in the suicide bombing in
Colombo."Accordingto him,"Thisisanacttodestabilizethepeaceprocess.Wesuspectthis has
beencarriedoutbyelementsthatwanttodisruptthepeaceprocess."

July11

The former Special Commander of LTTE, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Colonel Karuna,
saysinaninterviewtotheBBCthathewouldlaunchapoliticalparty"withinamonth"andalleged
hisformerleader,VelupillaiPrabhakaran,waspursuingawarstrategy.

July15

AlongwithSatchiMaster,anotherkeyassociateof'Colonel'Karuna,SarvanamuttuShanthakumar,
is killed when Mahendran Puvidaran, a known LTTE supporter, attacked them in the Batticaloa
prison.

July16

TwoMuslimtradersintheMutturdivisionofTrincomaleeareshotdeadbyunidentifiedgunmen.The
incidentreportedlyoccurredintheGovernmentcontrolledShafieNagarvillageinMutturdivision.

July21

AseniorEelamPeople'sDemocraticParty(EPDP)cadre,VelayuthamRaveendran,isshotdeadby
suspected LTTE cadres in Akkaraipattu town, 64 kilometers south of Batticaloa, on Sri Lanka's
southeasterncoast.

July23

ALiberationTigersofTamilEelam( LTTE)cadre,SeenithambyMahalingam,isshotdeadbyunidentified
assailantsatKandaladi,nearVakarai,64kilometersnorthofBatticaloa.

SriLankanPresidentChandrikaKumaratungasaysinKandythatallthoseresponsiblefortheJuly
1983ethnicriotsthatsparkedoffacivilwarinthecountrymustapologiseifthecountryistomove
forward.
July25

Seven suspected cadres of the LTTE faction led by 'Colonel' Karuna and a Sinhalese person are
shotdeadatahouseinKottawa,15kmsfromtheSriLankancapitalColombo.

July28

The visiting Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Vidar Helgesen, states that the two parties, the
GovernmentandLTTE,werecommittedtopeacealthoughtherewasnoprogresstoreportinterms
ofanearlyresumptionofpeacetalks.

July30

Thirtyfour child soldiers are released to the UNICEFsupported transit centre in Kilinochchi by the
LiberationTigersofTamilEelam.

July31

AnantiLiberationTigersofTamilEelamintelligence operative, KandiahYogarasa (better known as


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`PLOTEMohan')isshotdeadonDuplicationRoadinColombocitybysuspectedLTTEgunmen.
August2

During a meeting of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Executive Council, President
ChandrikaKumaratungaemphasizedthattheGovernmentisnotreadyforpeacetalksonthe basis
ofLTTEsInterimSelfGoverningAuthorityproposals.

August3

Five persons, including one police personnel, are wounded in a rifle grenade attack on an Eelam
People'sDemocraticParty(EPDP)campinValaichenai,32kilometresnorthofBatticaloa.Thelocal
EPDPleaderAnpunanKandasamywasalsowoundedwhenariflelaunchedgrenadehitthecamp.

August5

CabinetspokespersonMangalaSamaraweerastatesthattheGovernmentisdevelopingafreshset
ofproposalsonaninterimadministrationforthecountry'snorthernandeasterndistricts that would
formColombo'spositionwhenevertalksrecommencewiththeLTTE.

August10

AnunidentifiedgunmanshotdeadanEPDPcadreintheTrincomaleetown.

Inanotherincident,inBatticaloadistrict,aTamilyouthwasshotdeadbyunidentifiedassailantsina
boutiqueontheBatticaloaKalmunaihighway.
August11

Unidentified gunmen kill Sivrajah Sivaseelan, suspected to be linked to rebel LTTE 'commander'
Karuna at Kiran, 27 kilometers north of Batticaloa.Another person, Seniththamby Yogarajan, also
linked to the Karuna group, was shot dead onAugust 10night in Kaluwaanchikudy, 24 kilometers
southofBatticaloa.

August16

SriLankanPresident,ChandrikaKumaratunga,offerstomeettheLTTEchief,VelupillaiPrabhakaran,ifthe
stalledpeacenegotiationsresumedandprogresswasmade.However,shealsocautionedtheLTTEthat
shewouldordertroopstomarchintorebelheldSriLankaiftheLTTEsinternecinewarendangeredthe
country.
The European Union criticises the LTTE for continuing to engage in political killings, abductions and
recruitmentofchildrenforitsranks.

EPDP leader and Minister Douglas Devananda's Media Secretary, K. Balanadarajah, is shot dead
bytwounidentifiedgunmenatWellawatteinthecapitalColombo.
August20

TwoLTTEleadersareshotdeadandtwocadressustaininjuriesintheeasternBatticaloadistrictduringan
ambush by unidentified gunmen, allegedly supporters of the expelled military 'commander' of the outfit,
ColonelKaruna.

A Sri Lanka Police sergeant, identified as G. L Jayaratna, is shot dead by unidentified gunmen in
Kalmunaitown,40kilometressouthofBatticaloa.
August23

A former LTTE cadre, identified as R. Kugananthan, is shot dead by unidentified gunmen at


Wellawatte,alargelyTamilsuburbofColombo.

August24

An associate of the rebel LTTE 'commander' Karuna is shot dead inside the Akkaraipattu court
premises,64kilometerssouthofBatticaloa.

August27

FollowingmediareportsreferringtostatementsthatweremadeataseminarinOslolastweek,the
Royal Norwegian Embassy stated that the Government of Norway has never provided any military
trainingtotheLTTEorotherarmedmovements.

September2

The LTTE cadres, managing the Sinnakkadai Northern Province Fisheries Society, released the
fishermen and fishing boats they had reportedly taken into custody on August 30 and 31 after
opening small arms fire on three fishing trawlers for entering their self proclaimed 'High Security
Zone'intheseaofPalaitivu.

September3

PresidentKumaratungarulesoutareturntowardespitefactionalkillingsandexpressedhopesofa
peacedealwiththeLTTE.ThePresidentsaidshebelievedneithersidewantedtoreturntofighting
althoughtheLTTEhadrefusedtoresumefacetofacenegotiationswithherGovernment

September8

The United States Coordinator for Counter Terrorism, Cofer Black, says in Colombo that the LTTE must
negotiatewiththeGovernmentofSriLankaingoodfaithandalsorenounceterrorisminwordandindeed.

The LTTE alleges that on September 7, a group of Sri Lankan Army commandos attacked the
outfitsborderpostatPullumalai,65kilometersfromBatticaloa.

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September11

An Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) activist, Maivan Chandramohan, who was the
chairmanoftheAchchuweliPradeshiya Sabha,wasshotdeadbyanunidentifiedassailantwhenhe
wasparticipatinginaweddingreceptionofhisfriendatKaramppanareaintheKaytsIsland.

September15

LTTE political wing leader Thamilselvam states that its Interim SelfGoverning Authority (ISGA)
proposalswerenotrigidorfinalanditwasreadytonegotiatetheissue.

September18

AseniormemberoftheEelamPeople'sDemocraticParty(EPDP),ThambithuraiSivakumar,isshot
deadbyanunidentifiedassailantinPuttalam,125kilometresnorthofColombo

September21

LTTEbringsintoplevelchangesinthetwoeasterndistrictsofBatticaloaandAmparaibyreplacing
itsSpecialCommanderRameshwiththegroup'schiefofheavymortardivision,Bhanu.

September22

Sri LankanArmy (SLA) officials, led by General Officer Commanding Vajira Wijegunawardena, and
the LTTE political team members led by E. Kousalyan meet in Batticaloa to discuss ceasefire
relatedissuesintheeasterndistrict.

September23

LTTE cadres kill Reggie, elder brother of its former eastern Commander, Colonel Karuna, at the
IlluppadichchenaiareainBatticaloadistrict.Atleasttwoofhisaideswerealsokilledintheattack.
SomasundaramVarnakulasingham,acentralcommitteememberoftheEPDP,isshotdeadatViharaLane,
Wellawatte,apredominantlyTamilsuburbofthecapitalColombobysuspectedLTTEcadres

A former LTTE cadre, Rajathurai Sivagnanam, was shot dead in Mannampity, 72 kilometres
northwestofBatticaloabysuspectedLTTEcadres.
September27

SuspectedLTTEcadresshotdeadamemberoftheEelamPeople'sRevolutionaryLiberationFront
(EPRLFVarathar faction), Valli Sundaram, on KKS Road between Maruthanamadam and Inuvil in
theJaffnadistrict.

September29

Five LTTE cadres and a civilian are killed in clashes between the warring factions of the outfit in the
Batticaloadistrict.

PresidentChandrikaKumaratungastatesthattheGovernmentcannolongerignoretheactofkilling
membersofdisarmedTamilpartiescommittedbytheLTTE.
September30

Several hundred Muslim civilians in Mannar set ablaze two LTTE political offices at Pesalai and
MannarfollowingthemurderofaMuslimcivilian.

October1

A close associate of 'Colonel' Karuna, identified as Ruben, is shot dead by a LTTE 'special jungle
warfareunit'operatinginKulaththuMadunearVakaneri,40kilometresnorthofBatticaloa.

October2

LTTE cadres of the 'Jeyanthan Regiment' attack a group of heavily armed paramilitary cadres
belonging to the 'Colonel' Karuna faction at Omadiyamadu, northwest of Batticaloa, killing two and
woundingthreeothers.

October4

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the National Advisory Council for Peace and Reconciliation
(NACPR)inColombo,PresidentKumaratungaseeksacommitmentfromtheLTTEthattheInterim
AdministrationaswellasthefinalsolutionshouldbebasedontheOsloDeclaration.

October5

Two suspected members of the LTTE pistol gang kill two Muslim civilians in Welikanda, 65 kilometers
northwestofBatticaloa.

At a meeting with a LTTE delegation visiting Geneva, representatives of Amnesty International,


HumanRightsWatchandtheInternationalCommissionofJuristscalledontheoutfittoendpolitical
killingsandrecruitmentofchildsoldiers.
October5

AtameetingwithaLTTEdelegationvisitingGeneva,theAmnestyInternational,theHumanRights
Watchandthe International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) urge the outfit to end political killings and
therecruitmentofchildsoldiers.

October9

SecurityforcesbasedatAkkaraipattuinAmparai districtkillanunidentifiedgunmansuspectedtobefrom
the'Colonel'KarunafactionoftheLTTE.

A spokesperson of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) states that the LTTE has recruited
1,424 children, out of which 45 have been abducted during the last 28month truce period ending
August31,while359adultswereabductedduringthesameperiod.
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October11

Twoassociatesof'Colonel'KarunawerekilledandsixothersinjuredinanattackbyaLTTEspecial
forcesgroupinavillageneartheborderbetweenBatticaloaandPolannaruwadistricts.

October12

Announcing the launch of a political party,Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), the former
LTTE military 'commander' 'Colonel' Karuna, tenders his apologies to the Tamil people for past
killingsandassertsthathewouldneverleavetheliberationstruggle.

October14

Cabinet spokesman, Mangala Samaraweera says that the Governments counterproposals were
readyandwaitingtobesubmittedtotheLTTE.

October15

LTTE media coordinator Daya Master states that the LTTE is willing to discuss the counter
proposals prepared by the Government at the negotiation table once peace talks between the two
partiesresume.

October16

LTTEreleasesthetwoSinhalesehomeguards,ChandanaPiyasiriandSarathBandaraheldintheir
detentionforovertwomonths.

October17

AnexLTTEcadre,SinnavanMaheswarankilledinagrenadeattackcarriedoutbysuspectedLTTEcadres
inahighsecuritysuburbofBatticaloatown.
Sunday Observer reports that that the stalled peace talks between Colombo and the LTTE are likely to
recommenceinearlyNovember.

The Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, the political party launched by Colonel' Karuna and the
EelamNationalDemocraticLiberationFront(ENDLF),jointoformanewfrontTamileela Iykkiya
ViduthalaiMunnani(TIVM).
October19

Suspected LTTE cadres kill former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Member of Parliament, Kingsley
RajanayagamatKalviyankaduareainBatticaloatown.

ALTTEsupporter,KathirgamathambyGaneshamoorthy killedbycadresofColonelKarunafaction
atIyankernyvillageinEravurdivisionofBatticaloadistrict.
October20

LTTE's political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan rejects the Sri Lankan government's latest proposals to
resumepeacetalks.

LTTE cadres kill a suspected member of the Colonel Karuna faction at Anpuvallipuram, a Tamil
settlement,threekilometeroffTrincomalee.
October23

Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), in their report submitted to the Government, rules out the
reportsofanLTTEmilitarybuilduparoundTrincomaleeharbour.

October25

A suspected cadre of the Colonel Karuna faction killed and two others injured as unidentified
gunmenopenfireinthepredominantlyTamilsuburbofWellawatteinColombo.

October27

Anton Balasingham, LTTE ideologue and chief negotiator, says that Tamil Tigers have not abandoned
theirrighttosecededespiteagreeingtoexploreafederalsolution.

Japanese Special Peace Envoy to Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi commences discussions with the
Government on the current position of the peace process after meeting Prime Minister Mahinda
Rajapakse.
October29

Japanese special peace envoyYasushiAkashi emphasizes the importance of early resumption of


peace talks between the government and the LTTE during his discussions with President
Kumaratunga.

October30

Sri Lankan Navy personnel inspect the Palampatar Santhiri jungles in Trincomalee and recover a
LTTEflag,twohandgrenades,aVHFsignalingantenna,a30metreantennacable,notebookswith
personaldetailsandsomeweapons.

November1

PresidentKumaratungaemphasizesthatthefinalsolutiontotheethnicquestionbasedonanyform
of power sharing should be through a constitutional amendment and fall within the framework of a
sovereign,undividedandunitedSriLanka.

November3

AntonBalasingham,chiefnegotiatoroftheLTTEinastatementstates"Thedonorconferencesheld
inOsloon25November2002andinTokyoon10June2003andtheresolutions adopted at these
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meetings cannot bind our liberation organisation to a particular framework of a final political
settlement."
November4

A former member of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Velayutham
DayalakumarkilledbysuspectedLTTEcadresataColombosuburb.

November5

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Petersen stated in Colombo that he has no high
expectationsfortheresumptionofpeacetalksbetweentheSriLankangovernmentandtheLTTE.

November8

November10

November11

November14

November15

A civilian is injured in a grenade attack by suspected LTTE cadres on two Eelam Peoples
DemocraticParty(EPDP)cadresinValaichenai,32kilometresnorthofBatticaloa.
The New Yorkbased Human Rights Watch in its report accuses the LTTE of continuing to enlist
boysandgirlsbelowtheageof18yearssincetheOslobrokeredtrucewentintoeffectinFebruary
2002.
President Kumaratunga met the Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen and assured the
Government's total commitment for the early recommencement of talks with the LTTE within an
agreedframework.
The LTTE political wing leader, SP Tamilselvan, in the Virakesari Illustrated Weekly, stated that
Indiashouldconsulttheoutfitbeforeundertakingstrategicallyimportantinfrastructureprojectsinthe
NorthEasternProvince(NEP)ofSriLanka.
Defence Ministry informed the SLMM to inquire further into the LTTE military build up around
Trincomalee harbour since the Ministry cannot agree with the report submitted by them in this
regard.

November16

President Kumaratunga called on the LTTE to inform the Government whether it was prepared to
resumepeacetalkswithinthismonth.

November17

ApoliticalworkeroftheLTTEwasshotdead byunidentifiedgunmenatValaichenai,32kilometres
northofBatticaloa.

November18

SuspectedLTTEcadresshotdeadanarmyintelligenceofficerandaTamilcivilianinPolonnaruwa,
85kilometresnorthwestofBatticaloa.

November23

PoliceinColomboarrestedthreesuspectedLTTEcadresneartheParliamentbuilding.

November25

LTTE political activist, identified as Umakanth killed by suspected paramilitary personnel in


AkkaraipattutownnearBatticaloa.

November26

TwoSriLankanArmysoldiersattackedandseverelyinjuredbyLTTEcadres.

November27

The 'Leader' of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhaharan in a statement issued on the occasion of Heroes'
Day, made an urgent appeal to the Government to resume peace negotiations based on the ISGA
proposals.Healsowarnedthegovernmentitwouldbe compelled to advance the freedom struggle
oftheirpeople,ifthegovernmentdelaysnegotiations.

November29

Curfew imposed in the Trincomalee district until November 30 morning following the killing of a
civilian,allegedlybytheLTTEcadres.

December2

Representatives of the Sri LankanArmy, Sri Lanka Police and the LTTE meet inTrincomalee and
agree, at a discussion held in the presence of SLMM monitors, to take steps to diffuse tension in
theeastporttownanditssuburbstorestorenormalcy.

December5

At the 50th year annual convention of the opposition United National Party held at the Colombo
Municipal grounds, former Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, says that "the United Peoples
FreedomAlliance(UPFA)Governmenthasnottakenanyforwardlookingstepstowardspeacetalks
ortofindingasolutiontoourpressingnationalquestion.SriLankaisinexorablydriftingtowardswar
withthecontinuedstalemateinpeacetalks."

December7

TheproLTTEwebsite,TamilNet,reportsthatunidentifiedpersonsthrewfourhandgrenadesatthe
Batticaloa town political office of the LTTE. However, no casualties were reported in the incident
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andtheattackersmanagedtoescape.
December8

Unidentified persons threw two grenades at the Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam
(PLOTE)officebuildinglocatedinfrontofJaffnaTeachingHospitalinsidetheHighSecurityZonein
thecenterofJaffnatown.However,nocasualtiesarereported.

December11

At least two persons are killed and 15 others sustain injuries during a bomb blast at the end of a
concertbyShahrukhKhan,anIndianfilmactor,inthecapitalColombo.

December12

Chandrakumar Rajan, an alleged LTTE supporter, is wounded when unidentified persons threw a
grenadeinsideabakeryinBatticaloa.

December15

S. P. Thamilselvan, chief of the Political Wing of the LTTE, tells Norwegian facilitators in
Kilinochchi that "the responsibility of resurrecting the stalled peace process is entirely with the
government in ensuring that its coalition partners reflect the thinking of the president, if she is in
factreallysincere,andhermilitaryrefrainsfromcoerciveandprovocativeactions."

December20

TalkingtotheBBC,Norwayspecialpeaceenvoy,ErikSolheim,saysthatrevivingthestalledpeace
talksis"difficultatthemoment".

December21

TheSriLankanGovernmentreportedlymakesanewproposaltorevivepeacetalkswiththeLTTE
amidintensepressurefromforeignaiddonors.

December22

A LTTE cadre is killed by unidentified gunmen at Pioneer Road, close to theArasady Junction in
Batticaloa.

December23

The LTTE rejects President Kumaratunga's new proposal, conveyed through Norway, to revive
peacenegotiations.

December29

LTTE chief, Velupillai Prabhakaran, appeals to the international community and the United Nations
togenerouslyassistthepeopleofthenortheastaffectedbytheTsunamidisaster.

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