JVP boycott of APRC helps LTTE- Vitarane

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2007, 00:19 GMT]
Science and Technology Minister Tissa Vitarane, chairman of the All Party Representatives' Committee (APRC) appointed by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse in June 2006 to work out a political package to find a lasting political solution, said Saturday that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is helping the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by not participating and submitting its political proposals to the APRC to solve the ethnic conflict.


Full story >>

Launch all-out war on LTTE, PNM tells Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 March 2007, 02:59 GMT]
The National Patriotic Movement (NPM) urged the President Mahinda Rajapakse to conduct an all-out war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources in Colombo said. before it l "We should attack before the LTTE launches an air strike on Temple Trees residence in Colombo. No country has condemned the air strike by LTTE on country's main military air base in Katunayake," said NPM leader Venerable Dambara Amila Thera addressing a press briefing held Thursday in Sri Lanka Foundation Institute hall.
Full story >>

Tea, Bhagavad-Gita and vadai

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 March 2007, 10:24 GMT]
Dr. Kumar Rupesinghe, the head of the Foundation for Peaceful Coexistence, launched his website (www.kumarrupesinghe.org) Friday with an event at Barefoot Gallery. In a four page card sent as invitations to guests, Dr. Rupesinghe made a call for coexistence amongst Sri Lankans, setting out brief texts describing notions such as ‘Country’, ‘Patriot’, ‘Buddhism’ and ‘Tamils’. In the section on Tamils (‘Demala’) he urged Sinhalese to coexist with Tamils, reminding the former of the latter’s valued qualities, including their lovable food.
Full story >>

HRW slams Sri Lanka’s support for Karuna Group

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 March 2007, 11:38 GMT]
Despite promises to investigate abductions of children by the pro-government Karuna group, Sri Lankan authorities have taken no effective action and abductions continue, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday. “The Karuna group’s use of child soldiers with state complicity is more blatant today than ever before, ” Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW said in a statement. HRW also accused the LTTE of recruiting child soldiers. “The Karuna group is doing the government’s dirty work,” Adams said. “It’s time for authorities in Colombo to stop this group from using children in its forces.”
Full story >>

LTTE Air Strike, no terrorism- SAAG

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 12:16 GMT]
B. Raman, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG) Chennai, says in his analysis: "The TAF's [Tamileelam Air Force's] air strike was well-planned and equally well-executed. It was a night operation taking advantage of the weak capability of the SLAF for night operations. It was a precision attack, which carefully avoided causing any casualty or damage in the international airport, which could have roused international ire. There were no civilian casualties----targeted or collateral. As a result, it would not be possible to characterise the attack as an act of terrorism. It was pure and simple a conventional air strike."
Full story >>

Stop arresting upcountry Tamils without NIC- Trade Union

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 March 2007, 11:41 GMT]
Ceylon National Workers Congress (CNWC), one of the trade unions in the upcountry plantations, has appealed to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse to order the security forces not to arrest plantation Tamils in the central province who do not possess national identity cards (NIC), sources said.


Full story >>

CID to question Samaraweera

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 March 2007, 12:35 GMT]
Media reports in Colombo said Mangala Samaraweera, one of the three-sacked ministers by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse in a major cabinet reshuffle last month, is likely to be taken in for questioning regarding an alleged malpractice during his tenure as minister. Mr. Samaraweera was foreign minister when he was dismissed from the cabinet, sources said.
Full story >>

JVP holds district political conferences

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 March 2007, 11:33 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is to hold a district conference in Trincomalee Town Hall on March 28 evening as part of a series of meetings being held throughout the country educating the public regarding the current political situation. The theme of the conference is "Save the Motherland". One of the senior JVP leaders and a parliamentarian Mr.Wijitha Heart is to address Trincomalee conference, JVP sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Colombo conspires to alter East's demography- NLF

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 March 2007, 11:41 GMT]
Dr.Wickremabahu Karunaratne, leader of the New Left Front (NLF) said at a news conference held Monday at Hotel Nippon in Colombo organized by the National Front Against War (NFAW) that Sri Lanka Government is conspiring to change the demography of the eastern province by forcibly driving out Tamil people and settling members of the majority community, media sources said.
Full story >>

Sooriyarachchi remand extended, attends parliament under escort

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 March 2007, 11:14 GMT]
Kaduwela Magistrate Tuesday ordered further remand for Sripathi Sooriyarachchi, parliamentarian of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government till March 27. The court further said it could consider application by Mr. Sooriyarachchi to attend parliamentary sittings during remand period, legal sources said. Accordingly, Mr Sooriarachchi attended the parliament under escort Tuesday afternoon. Opposition parliamentarians greeted him with applause when he entered the well of the House, sources said.
Full story >>

SL government is strong, says Anura Bandaranaike

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 March 2007, 20:48 GMT]
Mahinda Rajapakse's government is in a stronger position after the joining of United National Party (UNP) dissidents, and there is no question about the government's stability within the parliament, National Heritage minister Anura Bandaranaike, said Sunday in Kandy.
Full story >>

Samaraweera vows to continue his political journey

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 March 2007, 17:06 GMT]
Mangala Samaraweera, dissident parliamentarian of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse said no force can stop his political journey, during a meeting held at Navimada in Matara district Saturday evening. He was commenting on a report that he had been removed from Matara district SLFP organizer post by the party central working committee, sources said.
Full story >>

CID arrests Sooriyarachchi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 March 2007, 09:34 GMT]
Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested Sripathy Sooriyarachchi Saturday in Colombo following his summon for investigation into alleged misuse of a government vehicle after his removal from the ministerial portfolio. The arrest comes after Mr. Sooriyarachchi, the former non cabinet minister of port development, who was sacked by the SL President Mahinda Rajapakse, exposed an alleged scandal by Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the brother of Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, involving Rs.600 million in the purchase of Russian-made MIG fighter and weapons.
Full story >>

Rajapakse sibling to be appointed national list MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 March 2007, 23:39 GMT]
Basil Rajapakse, senior advisor to, and brother of, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, is to accept the position as a National List Member of Parliament next Tuesday, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) sources said Friday. Secretary of SLFP and Minister Maithripala Srisena has forwarded a letter to the Secretary General of Sri Lanka Parliament Ms Priyani Wijesekera to appoint Basil Rajapakse as an MP, according to parliamentary sources.
Full story >>

SLFP dissidents removed from party organizer posts

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 March 2007, 11:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Thursday night at its emergency central working committee meeting dismissed the two sacked ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi from party organizers' posts. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse presided the meeting in the capacity of party president, sources said.
Full story >>

UK calls for truce, backs Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 March 2007, 23:13 GMT]
British Prime Minister Tony Blair Wednesday called for the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) to be implemented as a first step towards ending Sri Lanka’s conflict. “The only realistic way to get a solution is to come back to the 2002 agreement and make sure that it is implemented,” Mr. Blair said. Meanwhile British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett told her Sri Lankan counterpart, Rohitha Bogollagama, “there can be no military solution alone to the conflict.” The emphasis on ‘alone’ is seen by some as British preparedness to endorse the Colombo’s war against the Tigers, provided a political solution is offered also.
Full story >>

Peoples' Committee urges opening of western sea-route to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 March 2007, 01:35 GMT]
Rt. Rev. Thomas Savundranayagam, the Bishop of Jaffna, said that he has requested Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse to open a sea route from Kurrikaduvan in the jaffna Islets to Mannar enabling people to travel to and fro from the peninsula, sources said. Closure of A9-highway has seriously affected the lives of the peninsula residents, the Bishop said in a press meet held by the Peoples' Committee for Peace and Goodwill (PCPG) Sunday around 3:00 p.m at the Jaffna Bishop House.
Full story >>

SLFP dissidents ask Rights Commission to guarantee safety

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 March 2007, 00:52 GMT]
Mangala Samaraweera, sacked Foreign Minister Monday said that Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse in his capacity as Defence Minister, and Gothabaya Rajapakse, Defence Secretary, should accept responsibility should anything happen to Sripathi Sooriyarachchi or him. Mr. Samaraweera was speaking to the press after attending the inquiry held by the officials of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) on complaints made by him and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi.
Full story >>

4 disappearances, 4 abductions in 48 hours in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 March 2007, 16:42 GMT]
Human Rights Commission (HRC) offices in Jaffna reported Sunday that four youths have disappeared and four others have been abducted from their houses by armed men wearing black uniforms in the last 48 hours, sources in Jaffna said. Jaffna residents are gripped with fear as abductions by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and SLA-backed paramilitaries under Mahinda Rajapakse Government have exceeded the dangerous levels witnessed during Colombo's 1997 counter-insurgency campaign, civil society sources said.
Full story >>

SLFP dissidents, JVP predict demise of Rajapakse regime

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 March 2007, 17:29 GMT]
Sripathi Sooriyarachchi, sacked minister from the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government said Saturday that a new government will be informed in Sri Lanka shortly, and Mangala Samaraweera, another sacked minister will play a vital role in that government. He didn't reveal any other details. Meanwhile, separately, the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Saturday said the life span of the present United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) agreement will last only for fifteen months.
Full story >>