TNA presents sole opposition to 2007 budget

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 November 2006, 00:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Wednesday adopted the second reading of the 2007 Budget with a majority of 115 votes. 133 members voted for the budget and eighteen voted against, parliamentary sources said. All eighteen Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians opposed the budget.
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TNA calls on Sri Lanka to uphold 1987 merger

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 November 2006, 15:20 GMT]
Saying that the Sri Lankan state’s recognition of the Tamils’ historical existence as a people living in the Northeast of the island was realised in the establishment of the Northeast province in 1987, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), charged Tuesday that it was the duty of President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government to uphold the merger as it constituted a recognition of Tamil grievances. The TNA is expected to pass a resolution as Sri Lankan Prime Minister is reported to have told the Parliament Tuesday that a "future merger" would be dependent on a referendum in the East.
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JVP to meet Rajapakse Tuesday

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 November 2006, 02:17 GMT]
The Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is reported to have agreed to meet Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse on Tuesday to discuss matters related to latest political development in the island, political sources in Colombo said. This will be first the time both party leaders are to meet since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Alliance (UPFA) government, and the main opposition United National Party (UNP).
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Scrap CFA, oust Norway, Weerawanse urges SC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 October 2006, 09:07 GMT]
Wimal Weerawanse, the parliamentarian and propaganda secretary of the Sinhala nationalist Jantha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), welcoming the Monday verdict of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court (SC) ruling that the merged Northeastern province was unconstitutional, invalid and illegal, told the press in Colombo Monday that the SC should declare the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) illegal and oust Norway from its facilitator role.
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NGOs to testify before Select Committee

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 October 2006, 00:46 GMT]
Non-governmental organizations (NGO) identified as potential threats to national security are to be called to testify before the parliamentary select committee appointed to inquire into the activities of NGOs, said Mr.Wijitha Herat, Chairman of the Select Committee. Wijitha Heart is a parliamentarian representing the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).
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SLFP, UNP to sign MoU

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 October 2006, 13:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s two main parties, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the main opposition United National Party (UNP), have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) before 15th of October 2006, SLFP sources said Thursday. The UNP and the SLFP are expected to announce formally agreement in a joint statement later in the day.
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IPU Secretary General to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 October 2006, 03:17 GMT]
A delegation from the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), a worldwide organization of parliamentarians working for peace and co-operation, led by its Secretary General Mr.Anders B.Johnsson, is to arrive Wednesday in Colombo following an invitation by President Mahinda Rajapakse, poitical sources in Colombo said. The IPU delegation will assist in helping to forge national consensus in among political parties in Sri Lanka in resolving the ethnic question, sources said.
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JVP to protest, calls for ouster of Norway

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 October 2006, 03:33 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), marxist coalition partner of ruling alliance, is to hold a protest rally Wednesday 4:00 p.m. calling for the ouster of Norway from Sri Lanka's peace process, and demanding the Government of Sri Lanka to withdraw from the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), political sources from Colombo said.
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Talks between SLFP-JVP held

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 October 2006, 10:07 GMT]
Talks were held Monday morning between the delegations of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government and the Sinhala nationalist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). Talks centred on the twenty point demands put forward by the JVP to join the government. The JVP demands included the cancellation of the ceasefire agreement and the withdrawal of the Norwegian facilitation in the peace process.


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Rajapakse to meet JVP leaders this week

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 October 2006, 11:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is scheduled to meet a delegation of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) members Monday at Temple Trees on the latter's twenty-point demands to join the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government in power. With international pressure mounting on the two warring parties, the Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers, to enter unconditional talks, the JVP demands which include immediate cancellation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), and withdrawal of Norwegian facilitation, are unlikely to receive serious hearing, sources speculated.
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JVP told not to interfere with SLFP-UNP talks

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 September 2006, 14:04 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Saturday appealed to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a Marxist, Sinhala Nationalist party, not to interfere with the progress made by the two main political parties UNP and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), in reaching a consensus in solving the ethnic crisis, sources said.


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JVP launches new front to defeat LTTE, stop foreign intervention

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 September 2006, 09:34 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sinhala national Marxist political party Wednesday launched a new organization "Joint Front to Protect the Nation" (JFPN) to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and to work for the abrogation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed with the LTTE in the year 2002
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India opposes NE de-merger, wants truce, talks - report

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 September 2006, 21:21 GMT]
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday told Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse that only negotiations can resolve the island dragging ethnic conflict. “A political, and not military, solution is what Sri Lanka should aim at - this was India's message,” IANS reported from the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Cuba. The Indian leadership had also pressed that the island's Tamil-majority Northeastern province should not be de-merged without a referendum and that such a referendum would only be possible when there was a 'conducive atmosphere,' IANS reported.
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JVP meets SLFP to decide on joining UPFA government

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 September 2006, 17:35 GMT]
Final phase of talks between Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the Sinhala ultra nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), aimed at finding ways to join JVP with the ruling government, took place Friday evening in Colombo.
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Emergency extended for another month in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 September 2006, 21:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday adopted a motion of extending the State of Emergency for another month by a majority of 99 votes. 108 members including the ruling United peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), main opposition United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and other constituent parties of the government voted for the motion. Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians voted against.
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Tamil News Manager abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 August 2006, 02:50 GMT]
Nadarajah Kuruparan, News Manager of Sooriyan FM Radio broadcast from Colombo and the programme leader of popular weekly programme, Viluthukal, in Sooriyan FM, is reported missing since Tuesday morning around 4:30 a.m., Dehiwale Police said. Mr. Nadarajah Kuruparan, a senior Tamil news editor, was on his way to work in his car, when he was reported missing 300 meters away from his house, on Pinthali Road. Journalist associations and Free Media Movement in Colombo held an urgent protest calling for the release of Kuruparan in front of Colombo Fort Tuesday from 12:30 p.m. till 13:30 p.m.
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Rajapakse invites UNP as Norway, India meet Wickremesinghe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 August 2006, 06:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday invited the main opposition United National Party (UNP) to join his government, press reports said Sunday. In a letter to the UNP leadership, President Rajapakse had called on the opposition to join his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led government so as to resolve the ‘crisis’ in Sri Lanka, The Sunday Leader broadsheet said. Days after two up-country Tamil parties joined the government, President Rajapakse is also courting the main Muslim party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), the paper added.
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Sri Lankan C-in-C, Rajapakse or Weerawanse, asks UNP MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 August 2006, 11:26 GMT]
UNP Puttalam District parliamentarian Johnston Fernando Thursday told reporters recent developments aimed at motivating armed forces of Sri Lanka had cast doubts on whether the Commander in Chief (C-in-C) of Sri Lanka was Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawanse or Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse. Wimal Weerawanse's demeanor during his address to the Sri Lankan soldiers in the recent "Manel Mal" (Water Lily) ceremonies was more like a C-in-C than a party secretary, the UNP MP said.
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Abrogate CFA, ally with Asia to defeat LTTE, JVP tells Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 August 2006, 11:31 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Sinhala extremist party and a political ally of Sri Lanka's President Rajapakse, said at a press conference Sunday that as conditions for the JVP to formally join the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, the Government should ally with Asian countries, abrogate the Norwegian facilitated Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), and strengthen Sri Lankan military to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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UNP accuses Rajapakse Govt for acting on JHU, JVP advice

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 August 2006, 17:38 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) in a statement issued Friday accused the Rajapakse government in Colombo for acting on the advice of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in ordering a military operation to capture LTTE controlled Maavil Aaru area "within 24 hours," disregarding the views of veteran military officers. After six days of fighting and suffering heavy casualties, the army has not yet reached the area, the UNP said. The UNP did not participate in the 6th All Parties Conference (APC) held Friday evening. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse also holds the military portfolio as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Sri Lanka.
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