TNA MPs protest, pandemonium in SL Parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 11:24 GMT]
Pandemonium reigned in Sri Lanka Parliament Tuesday morning when Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians protested and shouted slogans against the firing on the Tamil civilians in Jaffna Monday injuring several undergrads and university teachers when they were proceeding in a peaceful march to the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), sources said.
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PAFFREL against early elections

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 December 2005, 17:10 GMT]
Amidst reports that the Sri Lanka government is considering to have parliamentary election or local government elections in March next year, the People's Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL), a leading election monitoring organization, has urged President Mahinda Rajapakse to defer elections by another three months from March until the irregularities in the 2004 voters' register are rectified, sources said.


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UNP meets SL President

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 December 2005, 11:31 GMT]
Senior members of the United National Party (UNP) led by its leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickramesinghe met with Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse at the Temple Trees Thursday, parliamentary sources in Colombo said. Matters related to Peace Process and UNP's stand for future approach to peace were discussed in the meeting, according to sources.
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CWC MP crosses over to SL Government

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 December 2005, 11:24 GMT]
Vadivel Suresh, of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) which is led by former Minister Arumugam Thondaman, has crossed over to the Sri Lanka Government and he has been made the Deputy Minister of Health and Nutrition Wednesday, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.


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Cabinet size, luxury vehicles draw JVP fire

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 December 2005, 11:45 GMT]
The extreme Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Parliamentarian Nandana Gunatillake severely criticised the new Government of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse during the Budget debate Tuesday for appointing a large cabinet thus violating the election pledge. He said the President has appointed all 60 Parliamentarians of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), including their allies, except SLFP Parliamentarian Nirupama Rajapakse, as Ministers and deputy Ministers in the SL Government.
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"STF, SL Ministers complicit in paramilitary operations, Karuna in India"

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 December 2005, 17:12 GMT]
The two paramilitary cadres who surrendered to the Tigers in Amparai disclosed that Karuna operates from India and that Pillayan was leading the Karuna group operating in the east. They also revealed that Sri Lankan Government Ministers A L M Athaullah, Douglas Devananda and Maithripala Sirisena are complicit in helping paramilitaries operating in the east, during a press conference held at Thenakam guest house in LTTE controlled Karadiyanaru Monday. The cadres also said that the paramilitaries were involved in violence against Muslims to create dissension between Tamil and Muslim communities.
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Colombo blocks Akashi from visiting Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 December 2005, 22:04 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government has prevented Japanese Special Peace Envoy, Yasushi Akashi, from visiting Kilinochchi to meet the political wing leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to discuss matters related to peace process. Denying media reports in Colombo that Japan wanted to become partner of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Akashi said Japan has no intention of becoming a partner to the SLMM and applauded the Scandinavian countries for their effective work.
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CFA has to be revived says Lankan Chief of Defence

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 December 2005, 13:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka Chief of Defence Staff, Daya Sandagiri, during a press meet in Colombo Friday ruled out Sri Lanka armed forces going to war but said that they will be prepared to meet any military situation that may arise. He said that the military leadership has submitted a report to SL President Mahinda Rajapakse concluding that the Cease Fire Agreement has to be revived and that Mr Rajapakse will make the final decision on this matter.
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CFA, Muslim Tamil amity, key to peace - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 December 2005, 11:31 GMT]
Pointing out that the recent escalation of violence is due to military aggression and sabotage activities of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) supported paramilitaries, LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan stressed the urgent need for effective implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and the critical need to maintain Muslim, Tamil amity to maintain peace, when he addressed the media following a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar Friday morning. The meeting that began at 9:30 a.m. lasted for one and a half hours at the LTTE's Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi.
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Clause 1.8 key to saving truce - paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 December 2005, 15:34 GMT]
Arguing that “a period of mutual de-escalation and confidence building is a sine quo non if a meaningful peace process is to resume,” the Tamil Guardian newspaper said this week “[this] must begin with an end to the Army’s covert onslaught,” in reference to the ongoing shadow war by Army-backed paramilitaries against LTTE members and supporters. Despite the recent sharp rise in violence, fears of an imminent war are overstated, the Diaspora newspaper argued, noting that this is not the first time incidents involving heavy loss of life have occurred since the February 2002 ceasefire.
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Rajapakse invites Norway to continue as Sri Lanka peace facilitator

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 13:43 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse Wednesday invited the Royal Norwegian Government to continue its role as facilitator to the Peace Process in Sri Lanka. Mr. Rajapakse met with the representatives of the four Co-chairs, US, EU, Japan and Norway Wednesday afternoon to discuss the preparatory work required for the continuation of the peace process, according to a media release issued by the Information Department in Colombo.
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SL Military commanders visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 02:24 GMT]
Cheif of Defence Staff Admiral Daya Sandagiri, the newly appointed Commander of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, Commander of the SL Navy Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda and Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force Air Marshal G D Perera visited Palaly Military base Tuesday evening and discussed security situation in Jaffna, sources in Colombo said. Lt Gen Fonseka's Jaffna visit is the first major visit the General has undertaken after he was appointed to the top military job.
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Sinhala-Only for President

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 December 2005, 22:22 GMT]
President Mahinda Rajapakse declared last week that as a matter of policy he will address all important events in Sinhala, the Sunday Times reported this week. He pointed out that “Sinhala was his Mother tongue” the paper said.
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Akashi to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 December 2005, 13:01 GMT]
Embassy of Japan in Colombo said in a press release issued Tuesday that Mr. Yasushi Akashi, representative of the Government of Japan for Peace-building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sri Lanka, will visit Sri Lanka from Wednesday to Sunday to discuss the current situation with the Sri Lankan government and other parties concerned.
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Place Sri Lanka on war alert, JHU tells Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 December 2005, 15:33 GMT]
Ven. Ellawala Medananda Thero, the leader of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the all monks Buddhist nationalist party, Monday demanded the Sri Lankan Government to place the country on war alert. Warning that Colombo urgently needs to go on war footing, the Monk urged the SL government to adopt urgent measures to ensure security in Colombo and in southern Sri Lanka.
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Colombo cancels Muhamalai meet

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 December 2005, 14:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials informed the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) representatives who were present at Muhamalai Monday evening that the Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat in Colombo had declined permission to the SLA Jaffna Commander, Maj. Gen. Sunil Tennakoon, to attend the proposed meeting with the LTTE, sources at the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi told TamilNet.
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India should insist on Federal solution - Indian Tamil Daily

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 December 2005, 03:32 GMT]
"India should not hesitate to impress on Rajapakse Government that resolution to Sri Lanka’s ethnic problem should be based on a Federal solution,” said Tamil daily Dinamani in a recent editorial commenting on Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s meeting with India’s Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. “India should be cognizant that Tamil national question in Sri Lanka determines the human rights, social justice and political destiny of 3 million Tamils, and that more than 60 million Tamils in TamilNadu have an emotional stake in the issue,” said the daily.
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Recognize Tamil need for Self-Government- Boston Globe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 December 2005, 15:18 GMT]
Pointing out Pirapaharan's Heroes Day message that he will intensify struggle for self-determination if no "political framework that will satisfy the political aspirations of Tamils" was forthcoming, the Boston Globe in an editorial appearing on 4 December issue, opined that this "either-or threat, seen alongside Rajapakse's own hard-line stance, presages an imminent renewal of civil war," and said, "India and the United States should bring international pressure to bear on the island's belligerents to sustain the current ceasefire and craft a political resolution that recognizes the Tamil need for self-government."
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Withdraw troops, lift embargo, demands Trinco Civil group

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 December 2005, 12:17 GMT]
Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Consortium (TDTPC) Thursday requested Sri Lanka's President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse to take immediate steps to remove all temporary camps and checkpoints of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) now located in the Trincomalee town following the erection of Buddha statue in the bus stand vicinity on May 15 midnight this year, sources said. The Civil group also demanded that the embargo on essential food and other items to Muttur east be lifted.
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SL Parliament to hold one-day debate on Govt's policy statement

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 December 2005, 10:04 GMT]
One-day debate on the policy statement of the new Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse is to take place when parliament meets on December 7 on a request made by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) at the leaders of political parties. Mr Rajapakse presented his policy statement in parliament last Friday.
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