Night curfew imposed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 17:26 GMT]
A night curfew from 10 p.m. Friday till 5 a.m. Saturday has been imposed in Jaffna district, civil sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, Mr.Chandra Fernando, Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police (IGP), is to visit Jaffna Saturday following the Inuvil Thursday where a civilian was shot dead by Sri Lanka Army and a high ranking official was killed in retaliation.
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CFA, P-TOMS discussed in Helgesen, Kumaratunga meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 07:54 GMT]
The Norwegian Depurty Foreign Minister and the facilitator of the peace process Mr. Vidar Helgesen met Sri Lanka's President Ms. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at her official residence Thursday night, Presidential Secretariat sources said. The Norwegian Deputy FM discussed the current state of the peace process with the SL President along with the issues which confront the implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). Mr. Helgesen also discussed the issues related to the scuttled P-TOMS deal, sources added. The meeting which began at 9 p.m. continued till 10.30 p.m. The Norwegian Deputy FM is visiting Kilinochchi Friday to meet the LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan.
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Presidential election controversy goes to court

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 July 2005, 15:46 GMT]
Mr.Dharmadasa Gomes, Attorney-at-Law Friday filed a petition in the Court of Appeal to order the Commissioner of Elections to declare the date of the Sri Lankan Presidential election citing Commissioner of Elections Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake, and Attorney General Mr.K.C.Kamalasbaeyson, as respondents, state run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation reported in its Friday night news bulletin quoting legal sources.
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SLFP names Mahinda Rajapakse Presidential candidate

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 July 2005, 09:32 GMT]
The central committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Thursday endorsed the name of Prime Minister, Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, as its candidate of the Sri Lanka's executive presidency. Mr.Nimal Sripala de Silva, Cabinet spokesman and Minister in the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government announced this at a press briefing held in Prime Minister's official residence 'Temple Trees'.
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Joint appearance of SLFP foes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 18:15 GMT]
Mr.Anura Bandaranaike, a senior minister and the brother of incumbent President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge appeared with Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, Prime Minister on the same platform Wednesday and declared that he would support Mr.Rajapakse in the coming Presidential election as the candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), sources in Colombo said. Both candidates have aspired for the SLFP Presidency and canvassed support separately till Tuesday.


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SLFP to announce candidate for SL Presidency

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 04:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge is likely to announce the names of candidates for President of Sri Lanka and the post of Prime Minister of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) at the central working committee of the SLFP which is scheduled to be held on Thursday or Friday, government sources said.
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SL Parliament approves Terrorist Financing Suppression Bill

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 July 2005, 11:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday adopted the Draft Bill to give effect to the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing with a majority of sixty votes, 81 parliamentarians including ruling party, United peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), main opposition United national Party (UNP), National Unity Alliance (NUA), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the four dissidents of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) voted for the bill. 21 parliamentarians including 20 Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs and one UNP MP Mr.T.Maheswaran voted against the bill. parliamentary sources said.
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Sri Lanka parliament to hold debate on P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 July 2005, 07:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is to hold two-day debate on the P-TOMS signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The dates for the debate will be fixed at the party leaders' meeting to be held later, Speaker Mr. W.M.J.Lokkubandara announced Tuesday in parliament.
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UNP's foot march continues for second day

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 July 2005, 11:52 GMT]
162 km long foot march organized by the main opposition United National Party (UNP), which began Saturday morning from the Vishnu Shrine, Dondra head in south of Sri Lanka, arrived Koggala Sunday evening. UNP organized the march called "Peoples Power Movement " demanding that Presidential election must be held in 2005. Protesters also demanded that the United Peoples Front Alliance government must reduce the cost of living. The first phase started from Dondra and concluded at Mirrisa from where the second phase started Sunday morning.
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Colombo tense, Norwegian Ambassador to visit Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 June 2005, 02:44 GMT]
Security has been tightened in Colombo as the city remained tensed amidst anticipated signing of aid deal Friday, sources in Colombo said. While Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge kept the details of Friday's planned events private, informed sources said, Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr Hans Brattskar, is expected to travel to Kilinochchi to meet Mr S P Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the Liberation Tigers at 12.45 pm, indicating that signing of the aid deal is imminent. The sources in Colombo added that a "Deputy-level" official in the Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation will sign the agreement on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka.
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JM to be tabled in Parliament on Friday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 June 2005, 07:11 GMT]
"The joint mechanism proposal will be tabled in Parliament Friday. A debate on the JM will be following thereafter. The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) will not sign the Joint Mechanism agreement before tabling it in parliament," said Minister Mr Maithiripala Sirisena, Leader of the House, Thursday in parliament in reply to a point of order raised by Mr Wimal Weeravanse, the JVP parliamentary group leader. Heated argument ensued between the JVP and SLFP parliamentarians.
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Defeat the minority NGO clique, Weerawanse tells SLFP Ministers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 June 2005, 07:23 GMT]
Mr.Wimal Weerawanse, parliamentary group leader of the JVP, in a special statement soon after the parliament reconvened on Wednesday, thanking the Ministers Anura Bandaranaike, Mangala Samaraweera, Lakshman Kadirgamar, Siripala de Silva, Susil Premajayanth, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse for their co-operation, said: "We, on behalf of the inspiration of millions of people, wish that you will be able to defeat the minority NGO clique which has wriggled its way into the Alliance government to destroy it." Mr. Weerawanse added that the JVP will function as an independent group of the opposition as announced earlier.
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Japan to rebuild tsunami destroyed schools in coastal belt

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 01:19 GMT]
Japanese Government will use funds from the $80m grant it provided to the Government of Sri Lanka for post tsunami reconstruction to rebuild fourteen schools destroyed by tsunami along the coastal belt, a press release issued by the Embassy of Japan in Colombo said Wednesday.
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Police move to stop fast to death campaign

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 17:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police moved to disrupt the fast unto death campaign led by Ven Dambara Amila Thera, the president of the extremist National Bhikku Front (NBF) Wednesday afternoon at 6.30 PM, sources in Colombo said. Police with the support of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) carried the monk from his campaign location in front of Colombo Fort Railway station to a waiting ambulance and drove him to Colombo General Hospital for treatment.
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New alliance with SLFP dissidents imminent- JVP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 01:29 GMT]
The Marxist coalition partner Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) warned Tuesday that there will not be a United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government in Sri Lanka after Wednesday midnight. "We would be forming a new alliance on Thursday with the support of some UPFA senior ministers opposed to the Joint Mechanism," said Mr.Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the JVP, addressing the public meeting held Tuesday evening in Lipton's Square at the conclusion of the protest march, sources said.
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Sri Lanka will accept India's Air Defence System- Kadirgamar

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 10:41 GMT]
"[India's Air Defence system] is very much under discussion. We will accept it. We are looking into means how it could be done," said Minister Kadirgamar at the joint press briefing at the Foreign Ministry office in Colombo Friday. Mr Natwar Singh, India's Foreign Minister concurred "Defence cooperation agreement is in the process of being finalised, we are going through some procedures." Senior Foreign Ministry officials of both countries were present at the briefing which was held soon after the 6th session of the Sri Lanka -India Joint Commission in Colombo.
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Indian FM Natwar Singh arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2005, 13:22 GMT]
Mr. K.Natwar Singh, Indian External Affairs Minister, arrived in Colombo Thursday evening to attend the sixth session of the Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Commission scheduled to begin Friday. He told the press at the airport on his arrival that diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka will play a vital role in strengthening regional peace and stability.
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Indian External Affairs Minister to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 13:51 GMT]
Mr. K. Natwar Singh, the External Affairs Minister of India will lead his country's delegation to the 6th session of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission. He will arrive in Colombo on Thursday, 9 June, the Srilankan Government Information Department said in a press release, Wednesday.
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TRO official speaks at Select Committee meeting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 02:59 GMT]
Mr S. Sivasupramanium, Head of the Colombo office of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an NGO registered with the Government of Sri Lanka, addressed the Parliamentary Select Committee meeting of NGOs where views were shared on the role of the NGO sector in post-disaster rehabilitation held at the Sri Lanka parliamentary complex in Colombo, website of the Select Committee reported.


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Muttur residents protest against SLA's embargo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 May 2005, 05:53 GMT]
A large number of Tamil civilians participated in protest marches held Wednesday in areas of LTTE controlled Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division in the sourthern Trincomalee district, demanding the immediate removal of ban on transporting cement, building materials and fuel through Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoints at Kaddaiparichchan and Mahindapura, sources said.
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