Amila Thera further remanded till January 8

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 December 2009, 12:47 GMT]
Horana Magistrate Tuesday ordered further remand for Venerable Dambara Amila Thera, an Executive Member of the National Patriotic Movement (NPM) until January 8 over allegations that he cheated persons, promising them foreign employment. The monk is being held at the Kalutara remand prisons.
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Monks observe Satyagraha in Colombo demanding Amila Thera's release

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 December 2009, 04:12 GMT]
Buddhist monks of National Bhikku Front Monday held a Satyagraha campaign in front of the Bo Tree located in Fort in Colombo demanding the immediate release of Venerable Dambara Amila Thera who is now in remand after the arrest by CID on Sunday.
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Court remands Amila Thera

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 December 2009, 03:46 GMT]
Horana Magistrate Sunday remanded Venerable Dambara Amila Thera till Tuesday when the CID produced the Thera in the Court. Venerable Amila Thera was taken into custody from his Vihare at Talangama by CID officers on a complaint of cheating, following his announcement at a press briefing that his organization Patriotic National Centre (PNC) would extend its full support to the common opposition presidential candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka.
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CID arrests Amila Thera

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 December 2009, 14:02 GMT]
Venerable Dambara Amila Thera, the President of Patriotic National Front (PNF) was taken in for questioning by a team of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sri Lanka Police, according to a complaint by PNC Secretary and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarian Vijitha Herath to the police.
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Diplomatic misstep

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 December 2009, 21:33 GMT]
Professor Rajiva Wijesinha, permanent secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, appears to have received a reprimand from his Department's Minister after making disparaging remarks on Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary execution, and for dismissing as "another nuisance," the letter from Alston requesting explanation to Sarath Fonseka's allegations that Colombo may have committed war-crimes. In an interview, Mr Wijesinha calls Alston "a sad man," "an excitable man," and "a bit of an excitable chap." The Sri Lanka Government announced that it has withdrawn Mr. Wijesinha's self-publicized response to Alston.
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Sinhala ultra-nationalist monk backs Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 December 2009, 18:08 GMT]
The Sinhala Buddhist extreme nationalist organisation, Patriotic National Centre (PNC) led by Buddhist Monk Venerable Dhambara Amila Thero, Thursday said that it has decided to support General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, contesting in the forthcoming Sri Lankan presidential elections. Dhambara Amila Thero has been opposed to outside influence, both the Western and the Indian, since the Norwegian brokered Ceasefire Agreement in 2002 and his movement has been a key opinion maker of the Sinhala nationalism, exercising the pressure on the Sri Lankan state to nullify the Norwegian brokered P-TOMS in 2005 and to unilaterally withdrew from the Ceasefire Agreement in 2008. Ven. Dhambara Amila Thero was formerly the leader of the National Bhikku Front (NBF), an ultra Sinhala nationalist organisation of Buddhist monks.
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GoSL faces serious challenge at Human Rights Council - SL Minister

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 December 2009, 13:25 GMT]
Sri Lankan Minister of Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe on Wednesday admitted that the Government of Sri Lanka finds itself in a situation to face the possibility of another serious challenge in the next meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council as the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Prof Philip Alston is expected to submit a report. He said the International Community is focusing on Sri Lanka after Sarath Fonseka’s ‘erratic’ statement.
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Minister G. L. Pieris in Jaffna canvassing for Mahinda

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 December 2009, 03:23 GMT]
G. L. Pieris, a cabinet minister in the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and a former United National Party (UNP) prominent person, arrived in Jaffna Wednesday to campaign for Mahinda Rajapakse in the presidential election, sources in Jaffna said. G. L. Pieris who visited various places in Jaffna peninsula meeting people is expected spend some more days in Jaffna.
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Fonseka revelations mandate independent probe into UN's role, says Boyle

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 December 2009, 01:11 GMT]
Former Sri Lanka Army Commander, Sarath Fonseka's revelations of Gotabhaya Rajapakse ordering executions of surrendering LTTE leaders and their families, and UN chief of Staff Vijay Nambiar's reported role in the deadly surrenders "require a formal Investigation of the entire role played by the United Nations Organization and its Officials throughout the course of this latest irruption of the GOSL genocide against the Tamils starting in January of 2009 until today," said Professor Francis Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois. "The U.N. Secretary General has the power to order and publish such an investigation," Boyle added.
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Fonseka’s comment could restrict aid to Sri Lanka - Minister Peiris

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 December 2009, 12:36 GMT]
G.L.Peiris, a senior minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, said Monday to Colombo media that the comments made by Sarath Fonseka about the final stages of the war may make it difficult for some officers to travel overseas for training and medical treatment while there could be restrictions on the aid provided to Sri Lanka. Minister G.L.Peiris said that the comments made by Gen (retd) Sarath Fonseka have far reaching consequences including the possibility of some of the military officers being questioned on the events and action being taken against them.
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SL government orders Fonseka to return bullet proof vehicle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 December 2009, 07:19 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government has instructed General (retd) Sarath Fonseka to hand over immediately the bullet proof vehicle supplied to him for his security. Opposition Common candidate Sarath Fonseka Monday evening disclosed this at an election rally held in Anuradhapura.
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Allegations of killing LTTE surrendees under UN probe

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 December 2009, 12:20 GMT]
Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary execution to Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations office at Geneva, in a letter to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, requested explanation for the allegations made by Sarath Fonseka on the extra-judicial executions of of three senior members of Liberation Tigers and their families when they tried surrender to the Sri Lanka military on the night of 17th May, Daily mirror reported. In the letter, Alston quotes Common Article 3 of Geneva Conventions of 1949 which prohibits killing of persons who have laid down their arms. These allegations, if proven, will amount to war-crimes.
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"Tamils should reject Mahinda, Sarath in the presidential poll" - Sivajilingam

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 December 2009, 11:30 GMT]
"I am contesting in the presidential election only to give the Tamils of the North and East to register their unified protest against the presidential candidates Mahinda Rajapakse and Sarath Fonseka who were the key characters in killing our people and subjecting them to untold suffering," Sivajilingam, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian and the Tamil presidential candidate said Friday in a press meet held in Janatha Hotel in Jaffna. Sivajilingam extended a public appeal to TNA to support him in the election in order to show the world that the Tamils of the North and East reject both Mahinda and Sarath.
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"Plans afoot to kill me" - Sivajilingam

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 December 2009, 04:12 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian and independent candidate in presidential election said that efforts are being made to kill him so as to prevent him getting the Tamil votes in North and East in the presidential election, in a press conference held in Jaffna Friday. He further said that he had received certain information from Basil Rajapakse, the brother of President Rajapakse and that pressure was exerted on him to return to India.
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IFJ report adds to Colombo's woes on war-crimes video

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 December 2009, 17:05 GMT]
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in a report released Friday after a fact finding mission to Sri Lanka, notes that the current political rivalry between the two leading presidential contenders is exposing the "abuses suffered by the media during the years of war, especially in its final stages." On possible new flashpoints the report notes the "anxiety in Sri Lanka official circles" when a video footage "purporting to show summary executions by army troops of a group of men described as Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka’s north" was broadcast on Britain’s Channel 4 in August. Despite attempts by Sri Lanka to dismiss the video as fake, a Colorado firm in the U.S, and British Daily Times have independently verified that video is authentic, raising the spectre of renewed calls for charging the presidential contenders of war crimes.
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Zurich, Vienna, war crimes and Tamil polity

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 December 2009, 07:28 GMT]
By concentrating in an undue way on the choice of a president between the two main candidates seen as war criminals, why should Eezham Tamils ultimately uphold the interests of any of the powers either committed or abetted those very war crimes but show no signs of mending their ways on the national question and are now backing those dummy candidates, argues TamilNet political commentator in Colombo. Instead, Tamil politicians and new political aspirants among Tamils should leave the matter to genuine and spontaneous decision of the Tamil people and should make the best use of the time to concentrate more on laying strong foundations to the emerging national polity of Eezham Tamils to face any eventuality that emerges after the presidential elections, he further said.
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Arjuna Ranatunga extends support to Fonseka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 December 2009, 10:14 GMT]
Former Sri Lankan Cricket Captain and Gampaha district SLFP MP Arjuna Ranatunga on Thursday expressed support to president candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka Thursday. Mr. Ranatunge made this announcement at joint press confrence in Colombo along with General Fonseka and UNP Vice President Karu Jayasuriya and JVP parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
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SL ruling party gang attacks JVP activists in Beliatta

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 December 2009, 09:08 GMT]
Sri Lankan ruling party supporters Thursday morning attacked activists of the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) while they were participating in a party propaganda show held in Beliatta town in support of the opposition common candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka.
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No CA to monitor Sri Lankan state media during election campaign

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 December 2009, 07:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Commissioner of Elections Dayananda Dissanayake Thursday rejected the request to appoint a competent authority to monitor state media during the presidential election campaign. ”If the state media is monitored, the private media too should be monitored,” he said addressing Presidential candidates after accepting their nomination papers that were submitted Thursday.
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23 candidates file nominations in Sri Lankan presidential race

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 December 2009, 07:42 GMT]
23 candidates including the incumbent Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (UPFA), retired General Sarath Fonseka (New Democratic Party), Wickramabahu Karunaratne (Left Front), Siritunga Jayasuriya (United Socialist Party), Sarath Manamendra (Nawa Sihala Urumaya), M.B. Thaminimulla (Okkoma Wasiyo, Okkoma Rajawaru) and Battaramulla Seelaratne Thera (Ana Setha Peramuna) will be among the 18 political parties’ candidates that filed the nomination papers Thursday morning at the Sri Lankan Election Secretariat in Rajagiriya. Meanwhile, one person has filed objections against General Fonseka stating that he is a citizen of the United States of America, but it was overruled by the Commissioner.
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