CID commences inquiry into alleged plot to kill President

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 December 2002, 18:20 GMT]
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Wednesday launched a full probe into a news report carried by a Sinhala weekly that a leading politician of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the main opposition People’s Alliance is behind a plot to assassinate President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Parliament approves BOI bill

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 December 2002, 17:28 GMT]
The Board of Investment Bill was passed in parliament Wednesday with a majority of fifty-one votes amidst vehement opposition to create one economic commission for the entire northeast province. An amendment brought by the main opposition People’s Alliance (PA) and Sinhala hardliner Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to have separate economic commission for the north and east was defeated by a majority of forty-nine votes.
Full story >>

Picketing in Nedunthivu enters nineteenth day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 December 2002, 16:26 GMT]
The picketing campaign by the villagers against the presence of para military members of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) in Nedunthivu (Delft Island) in Jaffna entered nineteenth day Wednesday. The protesters demand immediate withdrawal of armed EPDP members from their village, sources said.
Full story >>

Govt. agrees for parliamentary debate on Oslo peace talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 December 2002, 15:07 GMT]
The ruling United National Front (UNF) Tuesday agreed for a two-day debate on the peace talks now being held abroad between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This decision was taken at a meeting of the leaders of political parties represented in Sri Lanka parliament presided by the Speaker Mr.Joseph Michael Perera, sources said.
Full story >>

Insurrection fears as JVP commemorates dead

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 November 2002, 22:25 GMT]
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, the third largest party in Sri Lanka’s Parliament, Wednesday commemorated in Colombo its founder leader Mr. Rohana Wijeweera and party cadres who were killed by the Sri Lankan armed forces during two unsuccessful but bloody insurrections in 1971 and 89 to capture state power.
Full story >>

Left PA government because Kumaratunga was bent on war - Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 October 2002, 17:10 GMT]
“Prof. G.L Pieris, Mr. S. B Dissanayaka and I left People’s Alliance government last year because President Chandrika Kumaratunga was bent on war and detested peace. We could have been ministers in the PA government until 2005. But had we remained in the PA regime for the full term of the Parliament elected in 2000, war would have continued in this country. It is in this context that we left the PA and helped form a new government. The war came to an end because of this government,” said Sri Lanka’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mr. Mahinda Wijesekera.
Full story >>

Opposition holds rally in Nugegoda

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 October 2002, 01:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and other constituent parties of People Alliance (PA) today held a public rally in the Nugegoda Juntion, protesting against the United National Front Government (UNF) and to celebrate the rejection by the Supreme Court of the 19th Amendement through which the UNF sought to clip the powers of President Chandrika Kumaratunge.
Full story >>

JVP debates NE security, TNA stages walkout

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 14:53 GMT]
Members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) staged a walk out in parliament Wednesday evening protesting at not being allocated time to speak on the adjournment motion moved by the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) censuring the United National Front (UNF) government for failing to provide security to the people of eastern province.


Full story >>

Norwegian government team meets Opposition leader

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 October 2002, 16:51 GMT]
The Norwegian government delegation Monday morning held wide ranging discussions with the Leader of the Opposition Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse regarding the second round of peace talks between the United National Front (UNF) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which is scheduled to commence on October 31 at Sattahip in Thailand. In the afternoon the Norwegian team met with the leader of government's peace delegation, Professor G.L. Peiris, ruling party sources said.


Full story >>

Saddened that he didn’t join LTTE says PA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 October 2002, 15:04 GMT]
Mr. V. Puththirasihamani, a leading Tamil trade union leader and MP of President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s People’s Alliance said Wednesday that he was saddened that hadn’t joined the Liberation Tigers yet after seeing the violence perpetrated on Jaffna. He was addressing a meeting between the parents and relatives of missing persons in the peninsula and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights at the Jaffna District Secretariat, Thursday morning.
Full story >>

Govt. to announce de-proscription

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 September 2002, 16:23 GMT]
A Gazette notification regarding removal of ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka will be issued tonight, government sources said. The de-proscription comes 10 days ahead of the commencement of peace talks between the government and the LTTE in Thailand.
Full story >>

PA opposes 19th amendment, demands talks agenda

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 September 2002, 15:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s main opposition People's Alliance Tuesday demanded that the agenda of the proposed direct talks between the government and the Liberation Tigers should be made public before the commencement of such talks in Thailand. Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, Leader of the Opposition told a press conference that the PA had already decided to oppose the proposed 19th amendment to the constitution restricting Presidential powers related to dissolving parliament.
Full story >>

Chandrika slams UNF government 'without vision'

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 September 2002, 18:32 GMT]
"The United National Front government has no vision nor ability to rule the country," said President Chandrika Kumaratunge Sunday evening at Bogambara grounds, Kandy in the Central province. The President was addressing a large gathering at the fifty first convention of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which was founded by her father, late Premier S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike in 1951.
Full story >>

SLFP opposes 19th amendment

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 September 2002, 12:16 GMT]
The central working committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the main opposition People's Alliance (PA) Saturday night decided to oppose the proposed nineteenth constitutional amendment restricting the Presidential powers to dissolve parliament.
Full story >>

Opposition split as confidence vote postponed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 August 2002, 19:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka's opposition parties were divided Thursday on the postponement of the debate on the vote of confidence in the United National Front government. The Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna protested the decision while the main opposition Peoples Alliance (PA) had requested the delay, to enable twenty more PA parliamentarians to attend.
Full story >>

Cabinet approves move to curb President

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 August 2002, 08:13 GMT]
(News Feature) The constitutional standoff between Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe deepened this week as state media reported that the cabinet Wednesday adopted the 18th amendment which seeks to curb the powers of the President to dissolve parliament whilst also precluding action against members who vote for same.
Full story >>

US Deputy Secretary of State visits Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 August 2002, 11:36 GMT]
The United States Deputy Secretary of State, Mr. Richard Armitage, visited Chavakachcheri Urban Council grounds Thursday morning accompanied by Sri Lanka’s Economic Reforms Minister Mr. Milinda Morogoda, Defence Ministry Secretary Mr. Austin Fernando, US Ambassador in Colombo Mr. Ashely Wills and the three heads of the armed forces. While touring the Chavakachcheri area, the visiting US diplomat said, "It reminds me of Vietnam where I served for six years. This shows the urgent need of finding a political solution to Sri Lanka's crisis."
Full story >>

UNF to move confidence vote in parliament

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 August 2002, 15:42 GMT]
The United National Front Wednesday decided to move a vote of confidence on the government led by Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe in parliament next week. The motion will be taken up for debate on August 29. A decision to this effect was taken at the meeting of leaders of all political parties represented in parliament, Minister W.M.J. Lokubandara, leader of the House said Wednesday.
Full story >>

'Last chance to find peace' -Chandrasekaran

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 August 2002, 21:18 GMT]
"This is the last opportunity given to a government in the island to find permanent peace with honourable political solution to the Tamils," said Minister and the leader of the Upcountry People's Front Mr. P.Chandrasekaran when addressing as the guest of honour at the fourth day of the five-day 'Yuga Thekma' exhibition in Trincomalee.
Full story >>

Peiris to lead Sri Lanka delegation to Thailand

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 August 2002, 18:25 GMT]
"The Thailand peace talks will pave way for permanent peace in Sri Lanka. I will be leading country's delegation to the peace talks scheduled to be held in mid September," said Constitutional Affairs Minister, Professor G.L.Peiris, Sunday. The Minister was addressing after opening the third day of ‘Yuga Thekma’ industrial exhibition in Trincomalee Sunday evening.
Full story >>