Muslim presidential candidate supports TNA, SLMC decision

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 January 2010, 04:50 GMT]
M. S. Iliyas, former Jaffna parliamentarian and one of the presidential candidates, said that he welcomed Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) decision to defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa by supporting Sarath Fonseka in the presidential election, in a press meet held Thursday in Jaffna Veerasingham Hall. Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims and various political parties of the country have decided to bring in a change of government despite their differences, he added.
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Tiran Alles residence comes under grenade attack

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 January 2010, 03:20 GMT]
Unknown attackers lobbed a grenade Friday early morning at the residence of Tiran Alles, a leading businessman currently holding the post of General Secretary of the Mahajana Wing of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Mr. Tiran Alles managed to escape from the attack, but his house and vehicle caught fire during the explosion, Police said. Tiran Alles is one of the campaign managers of the opposition common candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka.
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Rajapaksa, Fonseka fail in articulating political proposals: Friday Forum

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 January 2010, 14:01 GMT]
Friday Forum, a Colombo-based gathering which includes religious dignitaries, senior academics and others on Wednesday expressed concern that the two main presidential candidates Mahinda Rajapaksa and General (retd) Sarath Fonseka have failed to address the crucial issue of peace. "The failure to address this issue of great historical and national importance does not bode well for the future of our country. We may be condemned to the scourge of community tensions and a divided society for many more years to come unless sincere and meaningful political guarantees are made at this moment," the statement signed by Jayantha Dhanapala said.
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SL state media turned into propaganda outlets for Rajapaksa: RSF

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 January 2010, 13:49 GMT]
Reporters Without Borders, on Thursday said it had established that 98.5 per cent of the news and current affairs air-time on Sri Lankan state-owned TV stations Rupavahini and ITN on 18 and 19 January was given over to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his supporters. “The TV propaganda is deafening and the figures we are releasing today are worthy of the Burmese or North Korean regimes," the press freedom organisation said. Control of the state media has become crucial to the election campaign. The Commissioner of Elections has issued several reminders about the rules requiring balanced coverage and tried to introduce a Competent Authority to monitor the TV stations, but the president’s office resisted. The Sri Lankan supreme court’s ruling has also been ignored, the RSF said.
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Government plans election-rigging in Jaffna, say Fonseka supporters

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 January 2010, 03:59 GMT]
Although the delivery of polling cards ended on Monday postmasters in Jaffna have been unofficially instructed to continue to issue the cards by high government authorities, according to postal department officials who wish to remain anonymous. IN addition, Sri Lanka's Minister Douglas Devananda and former Inspector General of Police, Chandra de Silva, are engaged in activities aiming at rigging the votes of people in K’linochchi district which falls under Jaffna electoral division, Sarath Fonseka’s supporters in Jaffna alleged.
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Mahinda inciting racial hatred between Sinhalese and Tamils - Suresh Premachandran

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 January 2010, 14:01 GMT]
“President Mahinda Rajapakse, on learning Tamil National Alliance (TNA) intention of supporting his rival Sarath Fonseka in the presidential election, is actively engaged in whipping up racial animosity between the Sinhalese and the Tamils,” Suresh Premachandran, TNA parliamentarian said in a press briefing held Tuesday in his Jaffna office. “Mahinda, Minister Douglas Devananda and other government supporters are deceiving the Tamils with their false promises,” he further said.
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4th pre-election related killing reported from Kurunagala

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 January 2010, 10:04 GMT]
A 27-year-old person was killed and four others wounded Monday evening in a grenade attack on the residence of a deputy minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government.
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3rd pre-election related murder reported from Wariayapola

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 January 2010, 09:43 GMT]
A group of unidentified persons believed to supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Sunday night killed a person while he was pasting posters in support of common presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka in Ambakawela in Wariayapola area in Kurunagala district.
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Polls predict narrow win for Fonseka

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 January 2010, 02:13 GMT]
"A secret poll taken by parliamentary researchers earlier this month and seen by The Sunday Telegraph forecast 5,373,751 votes for the [Sri Lanka's] president (48.3 per cent) and 5.493,809 for the general [Sarath Fonseka] (49.4 per cent)," the Telegraph said in its Sunday edition, adding that, while the ruling party insists its support is solid in village areas, Sri Lanka's voters are talking of momentum building up for General Fonseka.
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Matale UNP councilor's house comes under gunfire

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 January 2010, 13:36 GMT]
A group of unidentified men suspected to be supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) opened fire at the residence of a United National Party (UNP) Municipal Council member in Matale town Saturday night. The UNP member was not in the house at that time. His family members who were inside, escaped without injuries, according to a complaint by the UNP spokesman.
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2nd killing in election violence reported from Puththa'lam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 January 2010, 15:33 GMT]
A United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) supporter was shot and killed and four others injured in a clash between UPFA and United National Party (UNP) supporters Saturday afternoon at Mathurangkuzhi in Puththa'lam North Western Province. Sri Lankan Police said the dead was a supporter of the ruling UPFA. Four others were also injured in the shooting. Several buildings in the area were set on fire. The shops belong to the UNP supporters were set on fire by the UPFA supporters.
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Satellite imagery evidence of Hospital attack recorded in Dublin

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 January 2010, 12:49 GMT]
Do the facts made available to the Dublin war-crimes tribunal on the available direct and circumstantial evidence that between 9 January 2009 and 25 March 2009, in areas in or nearby Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) Hospital, legally establish that the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) committed, purposely, intentionally or knowingly, via act or omission, war crimes against Tamil civilians? - was the legal question presented to the tribunal. "The legal admissibility of evidence, currently available and to be discovered in the future, and the question of culpability of Sri Lanka of war-crimes, are likely to continue well beyond Dublin," said a spokesperson for the US-based pressure group, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), on the attack on the PTK hospital during the early months of 2009.
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Ruling party Matara Mayor extends support to Fonseka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 January 2010, 08:03 GMT]
Mayor of Matara Municipal Council, Upul Nishantha, Saturday crossed over from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and extended support to General (retd) Fonseka. Mr. Upul Nishantha is the Matara district organizer of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the UPFA.
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JHU faction quits party to support Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 January 2010, 12:31 GMT]
Seven leading Buddhist monks holding important posts in the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a constituent of ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse pledged their support to Opposition Common Candidate General Sarath Fonseka in the forthcoming presidential election, reports from Colombo said.
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SL minister joins Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 January 2010, 09:47 GMT]
Cegu Issadeen, a non-cabinet minister in the government led by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and one of the leaders of the National Unity Alliance (NUA) Friday morning rejoined the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, extending his support to retired Sri Lankan General Sarath Fonseka in the upcoming Presidential Elections.
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4 injured in election clash in Polonnaruwa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 January 2010, 12:50 GMT]
Four civilians including two provincial media personnel were injured Wednesday morning in a clash that broke out between supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the supporters of General Sarath Fonseka, common opposition presidential candidate in the Polonnaruwa town bus stand, police media spokesman said.
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Patten: Sri Lanka to choose between two alleged war criminals

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 January 2010, 02:31 GMT]
Chris Patten, currently the co-chairman of the International Crisis Group, notes in a New York Times article that public in Sri Lanka is "faced with a choice between two candidates who openly accuse each other of war crimes," and adds, "[w]hoever wins, the outside world should use all its tools to convince the government to deal properly with those underlying issues to avoid a resurgence of mass violence....In short, this means not giving Colombo any money for reconstruction and development until we know how it will be spent. And if we see funds not being used as promised, it means not being afraid to cut them off until." Patten is a senior international figure and is the last British governor of Hong Kong.
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Shiranthi Rajapakse seeks Jaffna Bishop’s help

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 January 2010, 15:03 GMT]
Shiranthi Rajapakse, wife of President Mahinda Rajapakse, paid a visit to Jaffna Bishop’s House Monday evening where she entreated Jaffna Bishop, Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundaranayagam to help get the people of Jaffna peninsula to vote for her husband in the presidential election, Bishop House sources said. She had also requested him to ask the peninsula residents not to refrain from voting in the forthcoming presidential election, the sources added.
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Gunman opens fire on Fonseka supporters, woman killed, 10 wounded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 January 2010, 14:17 GMT]
A 58-year-old mother of five died on the spot and ten civilians seriously injured when a gunman who arrived in a motor bike fired at a bus transporting supporters of common opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka Tuesday afternoon in Tangalle of the southern province. Tension prevailed in the area following the shooting incident, which the Sri Lankan police described as the first ever election related killing reported from the Southern Sri Lanka.
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“Tamils should vote for one who publicly recognizes their rights, aspirations” - Manickasothy

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 January 2010, 14:53 GMT]
“Tamil speaking people should vote for a person who publicly recognizes their rights and aspirations and openly tell the Sinhalese Nation and the world of his stand,” Mr. Manicaksothy, a prominent person in Jaffna peninsula, said in a report to media Monday, in support of Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne, a contestant in the forthcoming presidential candidate. “Then only the Tamil speaking people will be able to let their principles and stand known,” he further said in the report.
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