Amila Thero released on bail

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 January 2010, 10:58 GMT]
Horana Magistrate Friday released Venerable Dhambara Amila Thero, a Sinhala extremist monk leader, who extended support to General (retd) Sarath Fonseka and later arrested on a fraud charge.
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Sivageetha announces support to Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 January 2010, 10:37 GMT]
Batticaloa Mayor Sivageetha Prabhakaran Friday resigned from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and joined United National Party (UNP) to support General (retd) Fonseka in the upcoming Sri Lankan Presidential elections. Ms. Sivageetha was earlier in the TMVP paramilitary group faction led by Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, the present chief minister in the Eastern Provincial Council. Later she joined the SLFP at the request of Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna, now a minister the Rajapaksa government who is also one of the vice presidents of SLFP.
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Sellasamy backs Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 January 2010, 07:23 GMT]
S. M. Sellasamy, deputy minister of posts and telecommunication and a senior member and former general secretary of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) has expressed his support to General (retd) Sarath Fonseka at the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential elections.
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JVP councilor house attacked, Fonseka party office burnt down

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 January 2010, 13:52 GMT]
Unidentified armed persons believed to be supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Wednesday, in two separate incidents, attacked the residence of a leading activist of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in Minuwangoda and burnt down the party office of the opposition common candidate General Sarath Fonseka located in Divulapitya, media in Colombo reported.
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SLA high commands, government servants in Jaffna caught in dilemma

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 January 2010, 04:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) high officials and government department chiefs in Jaffna being summoned by Basil Rajapakse, the brother and senior advisor to President Mahinda Rajapakse, to participate in election campaign meetings in Jaffna to canvas votes for Mahinda Rajapakse are caught in a tight spot, unable to disregard the call of Basil Rajapakse, sources in Jaffna said. Welfare Union of Public servants in Jaffna expressed its deep concern on its members being called to attend election campaign meetings held in support of Mahinda Rajapakse by his brother Basil Rajapakse, the sources added.
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Basil Rajapakse announces election concessions in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 January 2010, 03:39 GMT]
Basil Rajapakse, the brother and senior advisor of President Mahinda Rajapakse, who arrived in Jaffna Wednesday, announced several concessions in an attempt to get Tamils to vote for Mahinda Rajapakse in the forthcoming presidential election. The concessions are being promised to counter the rising wave of support in the peninsula for the joint opposition candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, political observers in Jaffna said. One of the concessions announced by Basil Rajapakse is the opening of A9 route, 24 hours a day, with effect from Wednesday midnight, sources in Jaffna said.
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Sampanthan: Majority of TNA MPs back Fonseka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 January 2010, 15:27 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentary group leader and Trincomalee district MP Rajavarothayam Sampanthan on Wednesday said majority of 18 members of the alliance who were present at lengthy deliberations were of the view that the "only meaningful way" to thwart the desire of the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to seek a mandate to hold office for a further term would be urging the Tamils to vote for the joint opposition candidate General (retd.) Sarath Fonseka. The announcement by Mr. Sampanthan comes amid strong opposition from the Tamil diaspora against supporting either General Sarath Fonseka or Mahinda Rajapaksa as Tamils believe they are both implicated in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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Basil Rajapakse expected to visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 January 2010, 03:13 GMT]
Basil Rajapakse, the brother and senior advisor to president Mahinda Rajapakse, will be arriving in Jaffna Wednesday to engage in election campaign for Mahinda Rajapakse who is expected to visit Jaffna on 9 January, according to a press notification released by Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) Tuesday. Meanwhile, United National Party will begin its election campaign in Jaffna peninsula from 11 January, sources in Jaffna said.
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Fonseka’s Batticaloa meeting put off due to poor security

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 January 2010, 01:44 GMT]
Gen (retd) Sarath Fonseka, Common opposition candidate postponed his scheduled visit to Batticaloa Tuesday to address an election meeting in Batticaloa. However, he went to Ampaarai and addressed a meeting. Propaganda meeting in Batticaloa would be held on a later date, according to a spokesman of the opposition election campaign.
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SL Parliament extends Emergency

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 January 2010, 13:07 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Parliament on Tuesday extended the state of Emergency in the island with a majority of 79 votes. Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs voted against the motion while most of the parties that back presidential candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka were not present at the time of the voting.
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2 injured in clash between rival political parties in Ea'raavoor

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 January 2010, 02:05 GMT]
A clash erupted Sunday around 9:00 a.m in Ea'raavoor between the supporters of ruling United People's Alliance (UPFA) and opposition party supporters in which a UPFA supporter and the secretary of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) treasurer were injured, sources in Ea'raavoor said.
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Security measures to Sarath Fonseka in Jaffna withdrawn

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 January 2010, 03:45 GMT]
Sri Lanka government withdrew Sunday the customary security arrangements to Sarath Fonseka, the common opposition presidential candidate and the opposition political leaders who are presently in Jaffna to campaign for Sarath Fonseka, sources in Jaffna said. Jaffna Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander who was expected to receive Sarath Fonseka who had been the Chief of Sri Lanka Armed Forces did not turn up at Palaali airport while SLA high officials in Palaali military base kept themselves busy in their offices, the sources added. The Chief priest of Nagavikarai Buddhist temple in Jaffna was the only prominent personage present at the airport to receive Sarath Fonseka when he arrived with the opposition parliamentarians Saturday.
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Election clash in Nawalapitiya, 2 JVP activists injured

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 January 2010, 03:42 GMT]
Supporters of the Sri Lanka common opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka and supporters of Sri Lanka government minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage clashed Sunday evening in Warakawa in Nawalapitiya, Colombo media reported. Several activists from all sides were injured, and two Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) supporters were admitted to the Kandy Teaching Hospital.
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SL Police open fire to avert election clash in Kiribathgoda

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 January 2010, 14:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police open fire and exploded tear gas canisters Sunday morning to avert a major clash between supporters of Sri Lanka's common opposition parties and the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) campaign of the non-cabinet rank minister Mervin Silva at Kribathgoda in Colombo district, media in Colombo reported.
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Families of persons gone missing in Jaffna confront Southern political leaders

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 January 2010, 04:39 GMT]
Family members of young men and women, who had gone missing after arrest by Sri Lanka Armed Forces in Jaffna, confronted the political leaders from South who had accompanied Sarath Fonseka when they came to attend an event in Jaffna Veerasingham Hall Saturday. Parliamentarian Mano Ganeshan had arranged a meeting with the persons whose children or relatives had gone missing and the people who had come for this meeting appealed to the Southern political leaders amidst tears to help find their children, sources in Jaffna said. The mental anguish of the people affected was palpable, and the leaders assured the relatives that they will take appropriate action, the sources added.
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"I will not accept partition of the country" - Sarath Fonseka, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 January 2010, 04:25 GMT]
"I am not prepared to allow partitioning the country, be it proposed by the minority or majority community," Sarath Fonseka, the common opposition presidential candidate, said in a press meet held Saturday in Jaffna town. In response to a question Sarath Fonseka took pains to explain the difference between the role he had to play as a military officer in the past and his present role as a politician. He had to give priority to the safety of soldiers as the Military Commander and now as a politician he gives priority to the benefit of people, he added.
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Hambantota political offices of Fonseka campaign burnt down

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 January 2010, 14:28 GMT]
Four political offices of the opposition common presidential candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka) were burnt down by unidentified persons believed to be supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in Hambantota Saturday night, Colombo media reported. The destroyed offices were located in Hunugama, Ranagodamune, Barawakkumbura and Abeysekeragama in the Hambantota district.
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Sarath Fonseka visits Jaffna seeking Tamils' votes

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 January 2010, 10:24 GMT]
Main opposition presidential candidate and former Chief of Sri Lanka Armed Forces and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander, Major General (retd) Sarath Fonseka arrived in Jaffna Saturday morning accompanied by the Leader of Opposition, Ranil Wickremasainghe, Parliamentarians Mano Ganeshan, Jayalath Jayawardene, JVP Samaraweera Amarasinghe, Anurakumara Disanayake, Hakeem and several other political personalities to engage in election campaign in Jaffna peninsula. Sarath Fonseka and his team made it a point to first visit Saiva temples in the peninsula before meeting the public and other important persons. Sarath Fonseka and his associates also visited Jaffna Bishop, Rt. Rev. Thomas Soundaranayagam at his residence where they spoke with the representatives of civil organizations in the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said.
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Tamils, Muslims should reject both Mahinda and Sarath - Wickremabahu Karunaratne

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 January 2010, 04:37 GMT]
Tamils and Muslims should not cast their votes either to Mahinda Rajapakse or Sarath Fonseka in the presidential election so that niether of them poll more than 50% of the votes cast, as a clear message to both, Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne, leader of the New Left Front (NLF), contesting the forthcoming presidential election said in a press meet held Friday in Jaffna Bastian Hotel. The defeat of Liberation Tigers has also affected the lives of the poor among the Sinhalese, he said.
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JVP woman MP waylaid, intimidated by UPFA supporters

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 January 2010, 11:41 GMT]
An unidentified group of persons believed to be supporters of the ruling United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Wednesday night around 11:30 p.m had damaged the vehicle of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarian Ms. Sujatha Alahakoon when she was returning home after attending a election rally in support of General Sarath Fonseka. The incident had taken place at Naula and she had also been intimidated by the gang, according to her complaint to Naula Police.
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