In brief
Refused
The Colombo High Court denied bail on 23 January to former Deputy Defence minister Anuruddha Ratwatte, his two sons and 12 others. They are accused of the murder of ten Muslims during elections in December 2001.
Petition
The Sri Lanka Campaign Against Landmines handed a petition signed by two million people to the UN at the Asia Pacific Landmine Monitors Conference in Colombo on 27 January, urging the government and LTTE to sign the Ottawa Treaty on landmines.
Children
Head of UNICEF, Carol Bellamy visited Sri Lanka in January for talks with the government and LTTE. UNICEF say 900,000 children were affected in the north-east and 35,000 of the 60,000 killed in the conflict were children.
IDPs
According to Colombo newspaper Sunday Times, the Eastern Sinhala Organisation has urged President Chandrika Kumaratunge to assist in resettling 136,000 Sinhalese people displaced from the north-east.
Impartial
In a 6 January letter to President Chandrika, Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Bondevik said his country had always acted impartially. The President has accused Norway of providing radio equipment to the LTTE and has denounced ambassador Jon Westborg.
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