JVP appoints new parliamentary group leader, propaganda secretary

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 May 2008, 17:09 GMT]
The Central Working Committee of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Tuesday appointed parliamentarian Vijitha Herat as the Propaganda Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi and Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the parliamentary group leader of the party. Both positions were earlier held by Wimal Weerawanse before the split of the JVP. The new appointments to the party hierarchy were later ratified by the fifth national convention of the JVP held Tuesday at Sugathathasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo, political sources said.
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Trincomalee put on red alert-EPC to meet on June 4

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 May 2008, 09:30 GMT]
Trincomalee town and its suburb have been put on red alert with the announcement of the augural session of the newly elected East Provincial Council (EPC) which is scheduled to be held on June 4 morning. Police and SLA soldiers in large numbers have been guarding all roads lead to the area surrounding the East Chief Secretariat complex where the Assembly Hall of the EPC is located along the Inner Harbour Road which leads to the Sri Lanka Naval Headquarters, sources from east port town said. The East Chief Secretariat complex was used earlier as the North East Chief Secretariat before the de-merger of two provinces.
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JVP to hold national convention

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 May 2008, 04:17 GMT]
The fifth national convention of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), third largest political party in the current parliament, is to be held Tuesday, May 27, at Sugathathasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo, political sources in Colombo said. This will be the first convention of the JVP after, party propaganda secretary, Wimal Weerawanse, split from the party and formed a new political group called National Freedom Front (NFF).
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JVP trade unions to ignore Rajapakse invitation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 May 2008, 15:49 GMT]
The National Trade Union Centre (NTUC) which has the backing of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the third largest political party in the current parliament decided not to attend the conference of trade unions summoned by President Mahinda Rajapakse on Wednesday to discuss the impact of the price increase of fuel. NTUC claims that 634 JVP backed trade unions in the country are its members, political sources in Colombo said.
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JVP blames Rajapakse for east crisis

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 10:35 GMT]
The government led by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse should be held responsible for the burgeoning rift between communities in the east after the Eastern Provincial Council election, the politburo of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said in a statement on the current situation in the east.
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JVP to take neutral stand in East PC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 07:26 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said that its newly elected councilor to the East Provincial Council would function as a neutral member without supporting the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UNP) or the United National Party-Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (UNP-SLMC) combine, party sources said in Colombo.
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JNP to be inaugurated Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 May 2008, 10:53 GMT]
The inaugural event of the new political party Jathika Nidahas Peramuna (JNP), formed by dissident parliamentarians of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led by Wimal Weerawanse, is to be held in Colombo Wednesday, May 14, at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), party sources in Colombo told the media. The symbol of the new party is "Crown" and its color "Gold."
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JVP dissidents form JNP

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 May 2008, 09:20 GMT]
A dissident Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarian, Nandana Gunatillake, on Monday handed over particulars of a new political party under the name Jathika Nidahas Peramuna (National Freedom Front) to the Sri Lankan Commissioner of Elections. Wimal Weerawansa, the former propaganda secretary of the JVP, who left the party with ten other parliamentarians last month> would be the president of the JNP.
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Wimal Weerawansa decides to form new party

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 May 2008, 08:28 GMT]
The dissident group of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has decided to form a new political party. The decision was taken at a meeting held on May 1st in Colombo with Wimal Weerawansa, dissident group leader in the chair as the current JVP leadership failed to meet the deadline issued by the rebel group to sort out differences among them before May Day. Ten dissident parliamentarians attended the meeting, reports in Colombo said.
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JVP whips up anti-Indian rhetoric

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 May 2008, 10:11 GMT]
Somawansa Amarasinghe, the leader of the extreme Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which recently suffered a split, has whipped up anti-Indian sentiments in his May Day address calling for protests against what he labeled as 'Indian hegemonic foreign policy'. Stating that Sri Lankan forces 'liberated the East' not for the benefit of Indian geo-political and economic interests, but to resettle 'all ethnic communities' there, he said that the JVP would not allow separation of the country in the name of devolution proposals and proclaimed that the renewed JVP would become the locomotive of the future governance of Sri Lanka.
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UPFA observes May Day in east, UNP prayer at Kelaniya Vihare

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 May 2008, 06:52 GMT]
The May Day of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa is being held at Dehiyatttakandiya in Ampaarai district for the first time outside Colombo. Earlier the UPFA decided to hold its May Day rally at Ampaa'rai town. Later it changed the venue to Dehiyattakandiya sans procession due to security reasons, party sources said. The main opposition United National Party (UNP) first decided to hold its May Day rally in Kurunagala town in the northwestern province without procession. Later it canceled the rally and decided to observe prayer at Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihare.
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Rival party would not hinder JVP-Tilvin Silva

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 April 2008, 17:41 GMT]
Tilvin Silva, general secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said Wednesday the formation of a new political party by dissident group leader, Wimal Weerawanse would not hinder the political programme of the JVP. Tilvin Silva said this at a press briefing in reply to Wimal Weerawanse that he would form a new party after May Day if the current leadership of the JVP fails to sort out intra-party dispute, media sources said.
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Weerawanse threatens to start new political party

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 April 2008, 18:16 GMT]
Wimal Weerawanse, leader of the dissident group of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said at a press briefing held Tuesday that he would start a new political party if the current leadership of the JVP fails to bring an amicable solution to the intra-party crisis, media sources said.
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Internal strife forces JVP to abandon May Day procession

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 April 2008, 17:33 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has decided not to hold May Day procession this year due to prevailing volatile security situation and internal party squabble. JVP high command however decided to hold a public meeting at Colombo municipal grounds, party sources said.
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Feud erupts between JVP and PNM in south

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2008, 08:45 GMT]
A key leader of the extreme Sinhala nationalist Patriotic National Movement (PNM), Sumith Wanniarachchi has been allegedly assaulted by members of the security unit of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Monday for hosting Wimal Weerawanse, dissident JVP group leader with a tea party, according to a complaint lodged with Walapone Police in Kandy district by Dr.Gunadasa Amarasekara, treasurer of the PNM.
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Court releases Trincomalee JVP parliamentarian on bail

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2008, 08:39 GMT]
Jayantha Wijesekara, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Trincomalee district parliamentarian was released on cash and surety bail by the Colombo Chief Magistrate Monday. He surrendered to the Welikada police on April 11 following a complaint that he had been involved in the hijacking of official vehicles belonged to dissident JVP parliamentarians Piyasiri Wijenaike and Achchala Jagoda from parliamentary complex. He was produced in court and remanded, legal sources said.
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JVP dissident parliamentarians meet Buddhist prelates

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 April 2008, 05:05 GMT]
Eleven dissident parliamentarians of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led by Wimal Weerawanse Sunday morning paid homage to the Dalada Maligaawa in Kandy, capital of the central province for the first time after the split in the party. Later they met the Mahanayake Thera of Malwatte Chapter and Asgiriya Mahanayake Thera separately and explained their position in the current politics following the split in the JVP, reports from Kandy said.
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JVP parliamentarian further remanded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 April 2008, 10:41 GMT]
Court ordered Jayantha Wijesekara, Trincomalee district Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarian, for further remand till April 21 when he was produced before Colombo Chief Magistrate Thursday morning in connection with the alleged unlawful removal of official vehicles belongs to two dissident MPs of the JVP from the premises of parliamentary complex, legal sources said.
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Split widens within JVP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 April 2008, 14:35 GMT]
Wimal Weerawansa, propaganda secretary of the extreme Sinhala nationalist Janatha Wimukthi Peramuna (JVP), was conspicuously absent from the Hero’s day celebrations held at the Viharamahadevi open air theatre Saturday evening, indicating a widenening split within the party, political sources in Colombo said. The suspended JVP Parliamentary Group leader was allegedly not invited for the party's 37th Hero's commemoration event.
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1342 to contest in Eastern Provincial Council elections

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2008, 17:25 GMT]
1342 candidates representing political parties and independent groups are to contest in the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) in the districts of Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampaa’rai. Meanwhile, three nominations in Batticaloa, four in Trincolamalee and seven in Ampaa’rai districts were rejected by the Election Officer while 91 were accepted, sources in Batticaloa said.
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