38 persons arrested in Hambantota

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 January 2007, 17:34 GMT]
Thirty-eight persons, majority of them natives of North-East, were arrested in a combined cordon and search operation conducted in Hambantota town in the southern province by the three Sri Lanka armed forces and Police, Friday.
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Wickremasinghe leaves for Nepal, India

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 January 2007, 12:36 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), leaves Thursday on a nine-day tour to two countries, Nepal and India amid speculation in Colombo political circles that a group of dissident UNP parliamentarians are expected to be sworn in as ministers in President Mahinda Rajapakse cabinet during the weekend, media sources said.
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Terminate CFA, Buddhist monks demand

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 January 2007, 12:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Buddhist Monks' Front Thursday decided to submit a memorandum to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse demanding termination of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed on 22 February 2002 by then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and V. Pirapaharan, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before it completes five year-term.
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Wickremasinghe to meet Indian leaders next week in New Delhi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 January 2007, 11:51 GMT]
The leader of the Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party, Ranil Wickremasinghe, is scheduled to visit India by the end of this week and to hold talks with Indian government leaders regarding the current political and security situation in Sri Lanka. Wickremasinghe is likely to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Indian Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leader of the main opposition Barathiya Janatha Party (BJP) during his stay in New Delhi, UNP sources said.
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"Anyone can join or leave SLFP"-Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 January 2007, 00:27 GMT]
"Every one has the right to join or leave the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). I will not object to any one leaving the party or joining it," said Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse addressing the meetings of SLFP executive committee and all island working committee held Friday at Temple Trees.
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SLFP agrees to offer cabinet portfolios to UNP dissidents

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 January 2007, 05:56 GMT]
Sixty-one member central working committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UNP) government Wednesday night unanimously decided to accommodate dissident parliamentarians of the main United National Party (UNP) in the cabinet reshuffling expected to take place shortly, party sources said.
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Kohona assumes duties as Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 23:19 GMT]
Dr. Palitha Kohona, the current Secretary General of Sri Lanka Government's Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP), assumed duties as Sri Lanka's new Foreign Ministry Secretary Wednesday. Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, Foreign Minister, did not attend the function held at the Foreign Ministry Wednesday morning.
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SLMC to join UPFA government

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 January 2007, 11:03 GMT]
The leadership of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is completing formalities towards joining the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by President Mahinda Rajapakse, SLMC general secretary, M.T.Hassan Ali told media persons in Colombo Sunday.
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Wickremesinghe to meet Rajapakse amid speculation of party split

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 January 2007, 19:26 GMT]
Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), is to meet Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse next week amid speculation that a group of UNP parliamentarians are likely to cross over to the government side and will accept new positions as ministers with cabinet rank, political sources in Colombo said.
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Northeast, Anuradhapura Bishops meet Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 January 2007, 03:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapksa met with Jaffna Bishop Rev.Thomas Saundranayagam, Mannar Bishop Rev.Rayappu Joseph, and Anuradhapura Bishop Rev.Norbert Andradi at Temple Trees Friday afternoon. The discussions centered on the hardships faced by civilians in the Northeast and steps that can be taken to alleviate the suffering, sources in Colombo said.
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NorthEast demerger, breach of International Treaty- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 January 2007, 06:53 GMT]
“Not only the Tamil speaking people but also the International Community are unhappy with the de-merger of NorthEastern province. Though the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka told that former President J. R. Jayewardene’s step was defective and invalid, the Sri Lanka's President Mr. Rajapakse who wants to share no powers with Tamils, seized the opportunity quickly and declared the de-merger amidst the opposition from many of his own cabinet ministers and Members of parliament. Mr Rajapakse has not only betrayed the Tamil people, but also breached an international treaty, R. Sampanthan told in the Sri Lankan Parliament Wednesday.
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Vaharai tragedy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 January 2007, 02:05 GMT]
Following Sri Lanka's Military Commander Lt.Gen Sarath Fonseka's assertion that Sri Lankan Forces will evict Liberation Tigers from the East withn the next two months, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has intensified shelling and artillery attacks into Vaharai.
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SL President must offer solution, truce - paper

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 January 2007, 12:28 GMT]
Warning Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse that a military solution to the ethnic question, “will be a long and arduous task that will take a long time,” The Morning Leader newspaper urged him instead to “forward [to the LTTE] a viable set of proposals and at least call for a temporary cessation of hostilities.”
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Mob led by SL Minister attack Journalists at UPM event

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2007, 14:43 GMT]
An armed mob led by Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Labour, Mervin Silva, arrived at the open air stage at Super Market Square in Nugegoda, the site of the first public event organised by the newly established United People's Movement (UPM), and attacked the journalists who were present at the site to cover the event which was about to commence at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday. The UPM is a political platform that seeks to establish consensus among especially the Southern polity on a Federal System of Governance, as against war and any other undemocratic, non-negotiable conclusion to the on going NorthEast conflict.
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JVP demands SL government to declare war against the Tigers

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 January 2007, 19:41 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Sunday demanded the Government of Sri Lanka led by President Mahinda Rajapakse to declare full scale war on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) openly after proscribing it. The JVP politburo made the demand in a statement issued Sunday.
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Negotiate a new ceasefire, UNP tells Rajapakse government

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 January 2007, 22:43 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Sunday appealed to the government of Mahinda Rajapakse to work out a fresh ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake made the request at a press briefing held Sunday.


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JVP prepares to face to snap election

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 January 2007, 20:26 GMT]
Somawanse Amerasinghe, leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has alerted the party's politburo to face a snap general election at any time. He cautioned the members of the JVP politburo that the announcement of several popular measures and development projects by the government led by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse should be considered as an indication for a snap parliamentary election, media sources in Colombo said.
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Irresponsible statements jeopardize MoU- UNP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 January 2007, 17:43 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) has appealed to President Mahinda Rajapakse not to jeopardize the smooth implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the UNP and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, by making irresponsible statements, media sources in Colombo said.
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Aerial attack on Padahuthurai, a crime against humanity - Bishop

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 January 2007, 10:22 GMT]
The Bishop of Mannar Diocese, Rt Rev Rayappu Joseph, who visited Padahuthurai hamlet, which was completely destroyed by indiscriminate aerial bombardment by the Sri Lanka Air Force Tuesday morning, has condemned the bombardment and said the attack had destroyed the settlement of the Internally Displaced persons. There was no military installation of the LTTE in the area, the Bishop told media. The Bishop, calling the bombardment "a crime against humanity," urged the International Community to send independent observers to NorthEast. Death toll has risen to 15, including 7 children below age nine , a pregnant woman, her child and husband.
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UNP to submit fifth proposal to APRC

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 January 2007, 17:57 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) is expected to submit its own political proposals to the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) when it meets on January 8 in the parliamentary complex, political source in Colombo said. This is in response to a decision taken by the Experts Committee of the APRC on Thursday to stop all further discussions on its recommendations until all political parties participating in the APRC submit their political proposals to end the ethnic conflict.
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