LTTE: Sri Lanka’s accusations of credit card fraud is ‘attempt to distract from rights abuses’

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 April 2007, 09:08 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, S. P. Thamilchelvan, responding to allegations by the Sri Lankan Embassy in London that the Liberation Tigers were involved in organised crime in Britain involving the cloning of credit cards, dismissed the accusations and slammed them as an attempt by the Colombo government to distract international attention from widespread human rights abuses by its armed forces. Mr. Thamilchelvan said Sri Lanka's accusations which sought to implicate the hardworking and law-abiding Tamil Diaspora, stemmed from the "same chauvinism that caused the island’s protracted ethnic war."
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SLFP political package, not of APRC - Tissa Vitarane

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 April 2007, 09:45 GMT]
The proposed devolution proposals to be submitted by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) will not be of the United Peoples' Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government or of the All Party Representative Council (APRC). Devolution proposals would be submitted by SLFP, said Tissa Vitarane, Chairman of the APRC. Mr. Vitarane's comment came in the wake of reports that the SLFP, main constituent of the UPFA is to submit its political proposals to the APRC during the first week of May. APRC would formulate a political package based on recommendations submitted by all political parties, he added.
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Respect human rights, resume negotiations, Holy See tells Rajapaksa

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 April 2007, 16:27 GMT]
Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State, held a meeting with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Friday, after Pope received Mr. Rajapaksa among the audience. Cardinal Secretary of State, conveying the concerns of the Pope, reiterated to Mr. Rajapaksa, the need to respect human rights and resume the path of dialogue and negotiation as the "only way to put an end to the violence," that is bloodying the island of Sri Lanka.
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SL President pooh-poohs Gothabaya death threat

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 11:05 GMT]
Before leaving for Italy Wednesday, Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa telephoned Ms. Champika Liyanarachchi, editor of the Daily Mirror, in a bid to defuse the controversy that has erupted over the death threats she received Tuesday from Defence Secretary Gotathabaya Rajapaksa. The President had suggested to Ms. Liyanarachchi that she had overreacted to Mr. Gotabhaya’s “expressions of concern for her safety,” Presidential Secretariat sources said.
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SL President leaves for Italy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 09:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa Wednesday morning around 11:00 a.m. left Colombo on a three-day official visit to Italy. Three Catholic ministers in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Messrs: Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Milroy Perera and Felix Perera also accompanied Mr.Rajapaksa, Presidential Secretariat sources said.
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HRW urges Pope to discuss human rights with Rajapaksa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 08:48 GMT]
The Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, Brad Adams, Tuesday, urged Pope Benedict XVI, to raise the deteriorating human rights crisis in Sri Lanka with Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is visiting Vatican this week. Sri Lankan military and police forces, as well as proxy armed groups, are engaged in serious violations of the laws of war and human rights, reiterated Human Rights Watch in the letter.
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Gothabaya threatens Mirror editor over Karuna story

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 03:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa threatened the editor of a leading English daily on Tuesday, saying the paper’s coverage of actions of the Karuna Group had angered the Army-backed paramilitaries, a media watchdog said. Mr. Gothabaya, brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had Tuesday morning telephoned Ms. Champika Liyanarachchi, editor of the Daily Mirror to say she should not be surprised if the Karuna Group turned its violence against her and if so, she shouldn’t expect government protection, the Free Media Movement (FMM) said.
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Rajapakse to meet Pope

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 April 2007, 10:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is to pay a three-day official visit to Italy next week and is scheduled to meet Pope at Vatican on Friday during his stay in Rome, according to information released by the President's office.
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‘There is no ceasefire agreement with LTTE’ - Gothabaya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 April 2007, 17:02 GMT]
There is no ceasefire between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government and the 2002 agreement was only being left in place to satisfy the international community, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said Tuesday. "There is no cease-fire agreement. There is no meaning in that," said Rajapakse, who is the brother and a close-confidant of President Mahinda Rajapakse told the Associated Press. He vowed to attack the LTTE’s northern strongholds, saying “it’s not good for the military to have relaxed periods.”
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UNP Kurunagala MP Fernando complains of death threat

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 April 2007, 00:03 GMT]
The United National Party parliamentarian for Kurunagala district, Johnston Fernando, who has recently criticized Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary and the brother of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, Wednesday complained to the Police and to the Speaker of Sri Lankan Parliament W.J.M Lokubandara that he has received death threats over telephone for having criticized Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapakse.
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Basil Rajapakse excludes TNA MPs from development conference on East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 April 2007, 11:53 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's brother and his senior political advisor, Basil Rajapakse, excluded Eastern province Tamil National parliamentarians representing the districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai, from a development conference held in the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat to discuss the development activities in the East. Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Trincomalee district Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarian Jayantha Wijesekara were invited to the conference attended by Eastern Provincial Governor and district government officials.
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More dissidents to rejoin UNP, says party secretary

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 April 2007, 10:05 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) said more dissidents who joined Mahinda Rajapakse's ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) are to lend their support to UNP at "an appropriate time," according to UNP general secretary Tissa Attanayake who spoke at a meeting held Friday evening at Minuwangoda in the western province. One of the eighteen dissidents parliamentarians Edward Gunasekara last week returned to the fold of the UNP after relinquishing the Deputy Minister post for Railways.
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Sinhalese appointed East's Chief Secretary

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 April 2007, 02:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed Mr.Herat Abeyeweera as the Chief Secretary of the de-merged Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) on the recommendation of Provincial Governor Rear Admiral (retired) Mohan Wijayawickrema. The new appointment has come into effect from April 1 Sunday to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Mr.R.Thiakalingam who held the post for two months since the de-merger of the North East Provincial Council (NEPC).
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‘Mahinda Chinthana’ to be basis for government’s proposal

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 April 2007, 23:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s government will present its devolution proposals on May 1, the ruling SLFP’s General Secretary and Agriculture Minister, Maithripala Sirisena, was quoted by state media as saying Friday. The government’s proposals will be based on Mahinda Chinthana, the hardline Sinhala nationalist manifesto on which President Mahinda Rajapakse was elected in November 2005, the Daily News quoted him as saying. “Mahinda Chinthana accepts the devolution of power within one country and the proposals will be entirely based on Mahinda Chinthana and formulated within Mahinda Chinthana,” Mr. Sirisena said.


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UNP slams Rajapakse ‘single currency’ proposal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 April 2007, 23:55 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s main opposition party Wednesday attacked President Mahinda Rajapakse’s proposal this week for a common currency for South Asia as not only a breach of Parliamentary privilege but, ironically for a self-described defender of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, a surrender of the independence of the country’s economic policymaking.


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Amnesty’s Sri Lanka campaign on a sticky wicket

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 April 2007, 01:04 GMT]
Amnesty International’s efforts to build support for international monitoring of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka using the topical theme of cricket drew the fury of the Colombo government this week and, in a rare moment of southern solidarity, the main opposition UNP party joined the Sinhala hardline JVP and the ruling SLFP in denouncing the group’s move.
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Panchayat Raj brought back in Rajapakse deliberations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 16:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, while on his visit to the 14th SAARC Summit being held at New Delhi had discussions with Mr. Mani Shanakar Ayyar, Indian Central Government Minister on Panchayat Raj system Sunday at the Maurya Sheraton Hotel in New Delhi, a press release from the Presidential office said. In October 2006, when the inclusion of the Indian third tier administrative model was first brought up and touted as “ray of hope” to solve Sri Lanka’s “domestic problems,” Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian dismissed the concept saying "It is foolish to think Panchayat scheme will satisfy Tamil people."
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Dissident MP rejoins UNP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 April 2007, 10:47 GMT]
Mr.Edward Gunasekara, one of eighteen dissidents of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) tendered his resignation from the post of Deputy Minister of Railways to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse. Mr.Gunasekara crossed over to the opposition side and took a seat along with UNP loyalist parliamentarians when the parliament resumed Tuesday morning, parliamentary sources said.
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SL President leaves to attend SAARC Summit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2007, 16:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse left Colombo Sunday evening to India to attend the fourteenth SAARC summit to be held on April 3, and 4 in New Delhi, sources in Colombo said. Afghanistan is to be given official recognition as the eighth member of the SAARC at this summit. Other seven member-states are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
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Rajapakse wants referendum on abolishing CFA – state media

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2007, 13:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse plans to hold a referendum to decide whether the Sri Lankan government should continue to abide by the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), state media reported Sunday, quoting “a high ranking official of the Presidential Secretariat.” The official was quoted by the Sunday Observer as saying “President Rajapaksa is keen to obtain a fresh mandate from the people on the CFA. The President is interested in looking at the proposed abolition of the CFA in a 'democratic manner', enabling the voters to decide on the fate of the CFA.”
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