Peace process faces difficult future - paper

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 September 2005, 10:13 GMT]
Reflecting growing anxieties amongst Sri Lanka’s Tamils in the wake of the Sinhala nationalist forces gathering behind Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, the Tamil Guardian newspaper warned this week that the peace process “will face an ever more uncompromising Sinhala bloc.” The island’s political developments, moreover, reflect the polarised sentiments amongst the island’s communities, the English-language paper’s editorial column argued.
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LTTE official journal launched on Internet

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 September 2005, 15:47 GMT]
"Viduthalaipulikal" - the LTTE journal has been made available on the Internet as from Sunday. A complete set of the Tamil journal dating back from 1984 is now accessible on the Internet for readers, according to LTTE sources in Kilinochchi.
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Rajapakse, JVP sign policy deal

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 September 2005, 09:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) presidential candidate Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sinhala extreme nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) secretary Mr. Tilvin Silva signed the 12-point policy agreement Thursday morning at the Prime Minister official residence, Temple Trees in Colombo.


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SLFP holds 54th annual conference

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 09:17 GMT]
More than 20,000 participated in the 54th Annual conference of Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP) which was held Tuesday at Colombo Horse Race Square, political sources in Colombo said. The conference rally started at 12 noon from Colombo Campell Park and marched through the baseline road, via Reed Avenue and reached the meeting venue at 6pm. Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumarathunga and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksha joined the rally at Reed Avenue and walked to Horse Race Square, political sources in Colombo said.


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JVP, SLFP alliance spells disaster for Sri Lanka - Wickremesinghe

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 September 2005, 11:05 GMT]
Leader of Sri Lanka's opposition and the presidential candidate of the United National Party (UNP), Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Tuesday warned that to prevent Sri Lanka plunging into chaos NorthEast crisis need to be addressed and solved urgently. The alliance between the SLFP and the JVP on Sri Lanka's presidency will exacerbate political and economical woes facing Sri Lanka, he said. "This alliance will isolate the country from the International community. The JVP is beating the war drums, and if there is another war it will bring disaster to Sri Lanka," Mr. Wickremesinghe warned.
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JHU to support Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 September 2005, 09:36 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Sinhala extremeist all monks' party said Tuesday it has decided to support Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, Prime Minister in the forthcoming presidential election, sources in Colombo said. The ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has named Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse as its presidential candidate.


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JVP announces conditional support to Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 September 2005, 07:20 GMT]
The Sinhala extreme nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna on Monday announced its conditional support to Sri Lankan PM and the presidential candidate Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse with twelve demands. The main demands put forward by the JVP were: nullify P-TOMS, commitment to unitary state, revise the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and review the Norwegian role in the peace process. The JVP announced its conditional support to Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse Monday morning in a press conference held at National Library in Colombo. According to JVP, a "policy agreement" was already reached between Mr. Rajapakse and the JVP.
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Direct talks with Pirapaharan, a Day Dream- TNA MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 September 2005, 18:58 GMT]
"Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse is `day dreaming' when he says he will speak directly to the LTTE supremo to settle the ethnic issue," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham criticizing the nonchalant attitude of Mr Rajapakse at the beginning of his campaign for Sri Lanka's Presidency.


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CWC to decide its stand on presidential election Monday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 September 2005, 17:23 GMT]
The politburo of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a constituent of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government will meet Monday evening at its headquarters, 'Soumiyamoorthy Bawan' to decide its strategy in the forthcoming presidential election, party sources said.
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Kumaratunge to be made lifetime President of SLFP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 September 2005, 17:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge who arrived Saturday morning after five day official visit to China is to preside over the emergency meeting of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party's (SLFP) policy making central committee Sunday evening amid speculation that she is likely to dissolve parliament and call for general election in addition to presidential election as directed by the Supreme Court, political sources said.
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JVP to contest presidential poll if talks with SLFP fails -Weeravanse

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 August 2005, 18:57 GMT]
Parliamentary group leader of the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Permuna (JVP), Mr.Wimal Weeravanse said Monday that his party would support the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) presidential candidate Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, if he agrees to the conditions put forward by the JVP. "JVP would field its own candidate if the talks with Mr.Rajapakse fails to reach a consensus on our conditions," Mr.Weeravanse said, addressing a press conference in Colombo.
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JHU holds talks with Rajapakse on presidential poll

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 August 2005, 16:44 GMT]
A delegation of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party Monday held talks with Prime Minister and the presidential candidate of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, in an attempt to reach a consensus on its five-point formula to support him in the presidential poll. The talks centered on reaching consensus with Mr.Rajapakse on two main demands that he should accept unitary constitution to continue and not to hold peace talks with the LTTE, Venerable Athuraliya Ratana Thera of the JHU said.
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JVP to lay demands for their support in presidential poll

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 August 2005, 12:13 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sinhala nationalist-cum-Marxist party is to lay twelve demands to reach a consensus with Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, presidential candidate of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP) in turn of its support at the presidential poll. The JVP would announce its demands at news briefing scheduled to be held Monday, party sources said.
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JVP, JHU to outline their strategy for Presidential election next week

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 August 2005, 14:51 GMT]
The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party, and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sinhala nationalist-cum-Marxist party, are to announce their decision during the first week of September whether to field their own candidates or to support one of the two main political parties in the forthcoming presidential election widely expected to be held in November second week, political sources said.
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SC begins inquiry into presidential controversy

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 August 2005, 06:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka's two main political parties, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the main opposition United National Party (UNP) are scheduled to inaugurate their presidential election campaigns this week in Colombo, expecting that the 5-member bench of the Supreme Court would decide in favor of such election should be held this year.
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SLA blocks civilian movement, LTTE tells SLMM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 16:29 GMT]
Mr.Semmanan, Trincomalee District Deputy Political Head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Tuesday urged the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to take immediate steps to provide relief to thousands of residents who are prevented from traveling to and from the LTTE controlled areas in the district by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) since the declaration of State of Emergency Saturday, LTTE sources said.


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Buddhist rituals mark Kadirgamar's State Funeral

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 15:55 GMT]
The funeral of slain Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was held with full state honours at the Independence Square at 6 p.m. Monday. Late Kadirgamer's son Ravi lit the funeral pyre after sunset according to Buddhist tradition. Several thousand people paid their last respects as the remains of kadirgamar was taken in procession to the Independence Square from his official residence at the Wijerama Mawatha. From the beginning of the drive of the Independence square to the venue where the funeral orations were made by the religious leaders and the Prime minister on behalf of the Sri Lanka government, the military parade accompanied the cortage.
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Blockade to LTTE held areas in Trinco - MP complains

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2005, 07:17 GMT]
Security forces are still enforcing the ban on the movement of people and vehicles to and from the LTTE controlled areas in Muttur east division and Eachchilampathu division in the Trincomalee district causing untold suffering since Saturday morning, said Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian in a letter to Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga.
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UNP, JVP react to Kadirgamar slaying

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 20:44 GMT]
In the wake of the assassination Friday of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party, whilst condemning the killing, accused the government of being lax in providing him with security, particularly amid reports he was close to the renegade LTTE commander who defected to the Army, Karuna. And in its vehement reaction, the ultra-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) mourned Mr. Kadirgamar as one of their own and launched a bitter tirade against the LTTE.
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Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2005, 00:29 GMT]
Mr Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs and a close confidante of Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, was shot Friday night by a sniper near his residence and later succumbed to his injuries. During his 1994-2001 tenure as foreign minister in People's Alliance (PA) government, he was widely credited for his relentless campaign in foreign capitals to brand the Liberation Tigers as a terrorist organization and to ban the LTTE. Mr Kadirgamar was held in high esteem by most of the South for his vehement opposition to separatism and for his passionate defense of the sovereignty of Sri Lanka. Mr Kadirgamar never held an elected office.
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