EU Election Observation Mission chief visits Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 March 2006, 06:33 GMT]
John Cushnahan, the chief of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Sri Lanka will arrive in Colombo on Monday to present the full and final report on the 2005 Presidential election. A press release issued by the EU organisation said "the report will make a number of major recommendations for strengthening the electoral process in Sri Lanka." Mr. Cushnahan will meet President Mahinda Rajapakse, the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the leaders of Sri Lanka’s other main political parties.
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Peace Process stabilizes after Geneva- Bogollagama

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 March 2006, 20:22 GMT]
Geneva peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held on 22-23rd February have stabilized the peace process, and strengthened the trust between the Sri Lanka government and the LTTE, said Sri Lanka's Minister of Industries, Investment and Promotion, Mr.Rohitha Bogollagama addressing members of the Trincomalee District Chamber of Commerce held Saturday evening in the conference hall of the Trincomalee district secretariat, sources said.


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Sri Lanka peace delegation head meets JHU leadership

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 March 2006, 00:39 GMT]
Mr.Nimal Sripala de Silva, senior minister and the leader of the Sri Lanka Government peace delegation Thursday evening met with Mr.Champika Ranawake, Secretary of the Policy Formulation of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) to clarify the outcome of the Geneva peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held last month and also to urge JHU to soften the criticism against the government for accepting the ceasefire agreement, political sources said.
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SL President urged to write off agricultural loans

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 March 2006, 00:01 GMT]
Amparai District Mosques Federation (ADMF) has appealed to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse to write off all agricultural loans given by state sector banks to farmers who were affected by tsunami and flood. The memorandum reminded the President that according to his policy statement "Mahinda Vision" agricultural loans to affected farmers would be written off once he assumed power, sources said
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Rajapakse to hold All Party Conference

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 March 2006, 11:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is planning to hold the All Party Conference (APC), on March 6 Monday to brief the leaders of all registered political parties represented in the current parliament on the outcome of the Geneva peace talks, political sources in Colombo said. He will also brief the leaders on the matters to be discussed at the next round of talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


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New Ambassadors present credentials to SL President

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 12:29 GMT]
New Ambassadors from Colombia, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, State of Palestine and Panama presented their credentials to Sri Lanka's President Mr.Mahinda Rajapaksa at Presidential Secretariat Wednesday morning, diplomatic sources in Colombo said.


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Appeal Court to hear petition against CFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 10:58 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Court of Appeal fixed the inquiry for 29 March into the petition filed by the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) seeking the court to nullify the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) entered into between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The JVP and JHU argue that the CFA is against the Constitution of Sri Lanka and illegal. The GoSL and the LTTE renewed their commitment to respect and uphold the Ceasefire Agreement of February 2002 in Geneva last week.
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Kalmunai refugees call off protest

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 07:48 GMT]
The sit-in-protest of tsunami-affected families in front of the office of the Kalmunai Divisional Secretariat (Muslim) division, which began on 22 February, came to an end after Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse Wednesday morning assured the refugees through a specially set up satellite link that they would be provided with permanant houses within 3 months.
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Sri Lanka should ignore Geneva Agreement- JHU

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 01:30 GMT]
"Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) has to be amended urgently. Sri Lanka Government delegation to the next round of talks in Geneva should strictly adhere to the principles promulgated in Mahinda Chintanaya," said Ven. Ellawala Medananda Thero, the leader of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the all monks Buddhist nationalist party, in a press meet held at the Buddhist Centre in Colombo Tuesday afternoon, sources said.
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SL President to meet JVP, JHU separately before APC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 00:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse is planning to meet the leaders of the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) separately before holding the All Party Conference (APC) to brief the outcome of the Geneva peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), political sources in Colombo said.
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JVP wants to win local councils before national elections

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 February 2006, 10:53 GMT]
"Mahinda Rajapakse Government has deviated from finding a solution to the conflict within the unitary constitution of Sri Lanka and our reasons for defeating the Ranil Wickremesinghe Government are not bearing any results. Mr Rajapakse has failed to fulfil the promises given to us before the Presidential elections," said Propaganda Secretary of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP and parliamentarian Mr Wimal Weerawanse addressing a rally in Kataragama, southern area in Sri Lanka in support of local council candidates of JVP Monday, political sources in Colombo said.
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Diaspora Tamil Organizations welcome Geneva Joint Statement

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 February 2006, 12:21 GMT]
The International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a Geneva based consortium of Tamil diaspora organisations, in a press release issued Monday commended the facilitators Norway, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Liberation Tigers for bringing "relief to all peace loving people in the island." The press release also urged Mr Rajapakse to "use his power, influence and goodwill to prevail on those paramilitary cadres and get the seven TRO volunteers released immediately."
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SL President expresses satisfaction over Geneva peace talks

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 February 2006, 12:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse Sunday met with the government delegation, which attended the Geneva peace talks with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Temple Trees in Colombo and discussed the outcome of talks in Geneva. Mr Rajapakse was satisfied with the decisions reached at the talks, Presidential Secretariat sources said, according government controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) in its Sunday evening news bulletin.
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Colombo accepts CFA in toto, Balasingham tells Sunday Leader

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 February 2006, 21:39 GMT]
LTTE's Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist, Anton Balasingham, in an exclusive interview with Sunday Leader, said that although the talks were difficult and tough, the Sri Lanka Government has "accepted the meaning and content of this document [Cease Fire Agreement]," and on the issue of paramilitaries he said: "we have told the government, you better start disarming these groups and put an end to their armed military operations so that we could send our cadres to the north and east.We are ready to do that.And if anything happens to them, it will constitue a very very serious violation of the joint statement issued by both the parties."
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JVP wants Norway out of peace facilitator role

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 21:37 GMT]
"Norway is an accomplice to the Liberation Tigers in the LTTE's Nationalist struggle and fight for secession. We demand the Sri Lanka Government to relieve Norway from facilitator role," said Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) the Sinhala nationalist ally of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, in a memorandum sent to Colombo press Wednesday, sources in Colombo said. The memorandum was written in Sinhala.
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Sri Lanka Government's opening statement at Geneva

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 12:21 GMT]
"Ceasefire Agreement entered into between the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mr. V. Prabhakaran, the leader of the LTTE on the 22nd February 2002 is contrary to our Constitution and law," declared Nimal Sripala De Silva, Head of the Sri Lankan delegation at the opening session of the talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka.
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Mannar fishermen woes spotlighted

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 11:15 GMT]
In a memorandum issued to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Wednesday, the Mannar District Fisheries Community highlighted the deprivation of their livelihood due to the ban and restriction imposed by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) on fishing, and urged human rights organizations to take efforts to improve the livelihood of fisher families, sources from Mannar said.
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Local councils to be dissolved before polls

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 February 2006, 11:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse is expected to issue a gazette notification Monday midnight to dissolve all elected local authorities currently in power, political sources in Colombo said. This move will promote a fair and free election on March 30 when 329 local authorities including municipal councils and urban councils and pradesiya sabahs are scheduled to go to poll, election department sources said.
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Dissanayake released

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 18:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, Wednesday, ordered the release of S.B.Dissanayake, a senior politician from United National Party (UNP), who was serving a two year jail term for his criticisms of Sri Lanka's Supreme Court, a media release from the President's office said.
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JVP to contest in 11 local councils in Amparai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 12:58 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the marxist alliance of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, has filed nominations to contest in 11 local councils of Amparai district, political sources in Amparai said. Amparai district has one Municipal council, one Urban council and 16 Pradeshya Sabahs. 396453 voters will use 391 polling booths for voting for during the local council elections.
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