LTTE team tours Talawakelle, Hatton, Matara

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 May 2003, 11:14 GMT]
"Ruling parties in Sri Lanka have consistently described us as terrorists to the people of the South. We are only fighting to regain our rights, secession is not our main objective," said Anbarasan, head of political section of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when addressing a meeting held at the Matara district secretariat while handing over the relief supplies brought from Vanni to Minister Mahinda Wijesekera, press reports from Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Peace snag said rooted in Sri Lanka's constitution

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 May 2003, 00:02 GMT]
Norwegian Foreign Minister Mr. Jan Peterson accompanied by his deputy Mr. Vidar Helgessen Wednesday morning arrived in Colombo to hold crucial talks with the leaders of the government and LTTE to in a bid to restart Sri Lanka’s stalled peace talks. Japan and Norway are keen that the LTTE take part in crucial aid conference next month in Tokyo. The Tigers, however, say Colombo should first establish legally operable bodies and procedures to ensure a direct say for Tamils over the utilization of funds pledged by donors for reconstructing the war torn northeast.
Full story >>

Nambiar delivers HSZ report to Lanka's PM

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 May 2003, 02:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament Thursday during the special debate in Sri Lanka parliament that the report submitted by a former Indian army official, Satish Nambiar, on high security zones in the northeast has been forwarded to the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge, parliamentary sources said.


Full story >>

Lanka Parliament debates Wickremesinghe's statement on peace process

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 11:16 GMT]
The special debate on the statement made by Sri Lanka's Prime Minister on the present state of peace process began Thursday morning in Sri Lankn parliament, parliamentary sources said. Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar, foreign minister in the previous Peoples Alliance (PA) government opening the debate said the United National Front (UNF) government has converted the country as a playground for the foreigners by signing the ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, sources added.
Full story >>

‘Sri Lanka subjugated by US new imperialism’ – JVP

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 May 2003, 00:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s opposition Thursday charged that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government was taking away workers’ rights under cover of the peace process. Opposition leader, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksha, addressing the People’s Alliance May Day rally at Campbell Park in Colombo, said hard won rights of workers in Sri Lanka are being sacrificed to a ‘new-imperialism’. The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna’s (JVP) in its May Day rally in another part of Colombo city accused the ruling United National Front (UNF) of surrendering the country to “western imperialism led by the USA”.
Full story >>

Curfew reimposed after grenade attack kills civilian

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 April 2003, 16:06 GMT]
A Tamil civilian was killed and seven others were injured in a grenade attack on Friday afternoon near Kattaiparichchan bridge which separates army controlled and Liberation Tigers controlled area in Muttur east, police sources said. The curfew lifted Friday has been reimposed Friday afternoon immediately after the grenade attack.


Full story >>

Opposition holds peaceful demonstration against peace process

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 March 2003, 11:51 GMT]
The joint opposition demonstration with hundreds of thousands of people wearing red caps, buddhist monks, and front line leaders of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) and the National Unity Alliance (NUA) participating, commenced around two p.m. from Campbell place in Colombo and arrived at the Town Hall by five p.m. without any incidents. The Police provided tight security along the route of the demonstration, sources said.
Full story >>

Opposition parties plan protests against Ceasefire Agreement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2003, 16:57 GMT]
The Opposition Alliance, formed by the main opposition party in Sri Lanka’s parliament, the Sri Lanka Fredom Party (SLFP), in an alliance with the Jantha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), the Mahajana Eaksath Peramuna (MEP), the National Unity Alliance (NUA), and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Paksaya (SLMP), said in a press conference in Colombo Thursday that it wants to “save the country” and has planned to conduct massive protests on March 10 against the UNF Government’s Ceasefire agreement with the LTTE and its economic policies of the past year.
Full story >>

High cost of living brings protesters to Colombo streets

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 February 2003, 13:19 GMT]
Party members and parliamentarians of the main opposition party of Sri Lanka Parliament, People’s Alliance (PA) held a protest demonstration against high of cost of living under United National Front Government (UNF), on Monday afternoon in down town Colombo, sources in the capital city said.


Full story >>

'Mirusuvil massacre a crime against humanity' -State Counsel

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 February 2003, 19:54 GMT]
The massacre of eight innocent Tamil civilians, including a five-year-old boy, by the accused soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army, was a crime against humanity, said State Counsel Mr.Sarath Jayamanne, in his opening address at the trial-at-bar inquiry into the Mirusuvil massacre case Tuesday afternoon. The three-member bench of the trial-at-bar comprised High Court Judges, Mr.I.M. Imam (Chairman), Mr.Sarath Ambepitya and Mr. Kumar Ekaratna, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Opposition leader supports UNF-LTTE peace talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 January 2003, 13:29 GMT]
Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, Leader of the Opposition Monday said in Jaffna that he would not oppose the present peace talks now being held between the United National Front government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sources in Jaffna said. On his first official visit to Jaffna as the leader of the opposition Mr Mahinda Rajapakse declared open the Hindu Vedic Teaching School constructed by the Ministry of Hindu Cultural Affairs.


Full story >>

Sinhala opposition to Sri Lanka peace effort mounts

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 January 2003, 15:32 GMT]
Opposition to Sri Lanka’s peace process gathered further momentum as a new Sinhala nationalist organisation comprising powerful opposition politicians and Buddhist monks wowed Wednesday to agitate for separating the northeast into two provinces. Agitation by Sinhala nationalists to de-merge the northeast would be another spanner in the works for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s effort to negotiate peace with the Liberation Tigers to end two decades of armed conflict that has ravaged the island.


Full story >>

Akashi in Sri Lanka to promote peace building

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 January 2003, 11:52 GMT]
Mr. Yasuka Akashi, the Representative of the Government of Japan, is in Sri Lanka from the 15th to 19th to continue his mission of peace building, rehabilitation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka, a press release from the Embassy of Japan said. Mr. Akashi will visit Kilinochi, Matara and Hambantota during his visit and will attend the meeting of Sub-Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN)
Full story >>

PTA to stay - Defence Minister

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 15:35 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Defence Minister, Mr. Tilak Marapone, said in parliament Friday that a decision on abolishing the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary provisions) Act would be made only after considering all future repercussions of such a removal. The present situation is "not conducive to doing away with the PTA," said Mr. Marapone.


Full story >>

Parliament adopts Industrial Disputes Amendment Law

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 January 2003, 06:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday night adopted the Industrial Disputes (Amendment) Bill, one of the four draft labour bills with a majority of thirty-four votes.
Full story >>

Parliament debates labour bills amidst opposition protests

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 January 2003, 16:32 GMT]
The parliament began Tuesday debating the four controversial labour bills amidst several protest meetings held in Colombo and several other places in the south organized by trade unions affiliated to opposition parties and independent trade unions. The main protest campaign held Tuesday in front of the People’s Bank Headquarters in Colombo.
Full story >>

Labour bills provoke general strike threat

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 January 2003, 23:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s opposition trade unions and several powerful independent unions said Monday they will start general agitations and strikes to compel the United National Front government to abandon the tough labour laws it intends to introduce soon. Trade union leaders speaking at a press conference Monday in Colombo, said there will be a one day token strike in all parts of the island except the northeast and if it does not change the government’s mind on the new laws then they would call for a general strike.
Full story >>

Parliamentary debate on Oslo talks scheduled

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 December 2002, 17:20 GMT]
The parliamentarians of the ruling United National Front (UNF) government in a meeting held today agreed to a demand by the opposition leader Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse to hold a parliamentary debate on the peace talks held in Oslo between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), and the debate will be held on January 14 at 9 pm, UNF sources said.
Full story >>

Minister urges UNP-PA to work together for peace

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 December 2002, 17:36 GMT]
Minister of Fisheries, Mr.Mahinda Wijesekara, addressing a seminar Sunday at Devinuwara, a town in deep South, appealed to the United National Front (UNF) government and the main opposition People's Alliance ( PA ) to bury their differences and work together to find a lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict.
Full story >>

PA allies support UNF government's peace efforts

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 December 2002, 04:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Communist party, one of the constituents of the main opposition Peoples Alliance (PA) Friday pledged its full support to the peace efforts now being taken forward by the United National Front (UNF), sources in Colombo said.


Full story >>