TNA, LTTE urge end to southern instability

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 December 2003, 15:37 GMT]
The political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, responding to a question at the press briefing he held Tuesday afternoon in Kilinochchi, said that if the current political crisis in the South were to continue indefinitely, it would seriously impact the peace process and the LTTE would carefully study its options, the Voice of Tigers radio said Tuesday.
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SLFP-JVP undecided on political alliance

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 December 2003, 03:53 GMT]
Another round of talks held between the leaders of the Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), chief constituent of the main opposition People's Alliance, and the Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which is the third largest party in the current parliament, Monday night concluded without fixing a date for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to forge a political alliance, political sources said.
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Displaced Kinniya Tamils want permanent solution

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 December 2003, 15:12 GMT]
Hundreds of displaced Tamil families from Kadaloor and Upparu in Kinniya division in Trincomalee district, who have been staying as refugees at the Eechantivu Vipulananda Tamil Vidiyalayam, Sunday complained to the Trincomalee district parliamentarians, Messrs R.Sampanthan and K.Thurairetnasingham, that they should find a permanent solution to their problems as they had been displaced due to threat and violence thrice since 1990.
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Better to solve cohabitation crisis through talks - Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 December 2003, 05:35 GMT]
Speaking at a meeting held in Puttalam Saturday, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, said that if the current cohabitation crisis is solved through talks, it would usher in a new political culture, but if the crisis is not resolved, the public would face several difficulties, sources said.
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SL President-PM talks fail to reach consensus

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 December 2003, 16:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, and Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, held talks on the cohabitation crisis Friday, but did not reach any consensus. They agreed to meet again on December 10 and terminate their talks on or before December 15, ruling United National Front sources said.
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“Not all Sinhalese are racists "- Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 November 2003, 17:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, said Saturday evening that all the Sinhalese living in the south are not racists and only a handful of them are opposing the current peace efforts. His comments came when he was addressing a meeting in Mawanella as part of a campaign to create awareness among the masses in the south about the urgent need to recommence the stalled peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, media sources said.
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SL President presents proposals for cohabitation

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 November 2003, 17:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga, Friday submitted a set of proposals to the committee that has been attempting to formulate a programme for cohabitation government comprising the two main Sinhala political parties Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP), sources said.
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Pirapaharan's Heroes' day address

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 November 2003, 12:22 GMT]
Mr Vellupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in his annual statement commemorating the Heroes’ Day rejected accusations made by President Chandrika Kumaratunga that his organisation was strengthening its military power and preparing for war, and pointed to the power struggle between Sri Lanka's President and Prime Minister as historical repetitive pattern of "political drama [which] has been continuing for the last fifty years aggravating the plight of the Tamil people.”
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UNF begins public awareness programme on constitutional crisis

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 November 2003, 18:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Saturday said the current ceasefire agreement with the LTTE should be strengthened to avoid another war. "Negotiated political settlement could be found for the national conflict without war," said Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe addressing the first rally at Padavi-Siripura in Trincomalee district Saturday evening inaugurating an awareness programme island wide, to explain to the public, matters related to constitutional crisis between the Executive and the Legislature.


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Cohabitation talks to end by December 15 - PA

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 November 2003, 11:27 GMT]
The main opposition Peoples Alliance said Friday that the President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremanayake have agreed to conclude the current high level talks now being held between their advisors to end the political uncertainty by 15th of December, media sources said.
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EU external relations commissioner to meet LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 November 2003, 17:01 GMT]
The Commissioner of External Relations of the European Commission, Mr. Chris Patten, will visit Sri Lanka next week and meet the Liberation Tigers, President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, according to a press release issued by the Delegation of the European Commission to Sri Lanka Thursday.
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SL President will not attend opening session of parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 November 2003, 14:07 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is scheduled to meet Wednesday morning at 10.30 a.m. after two weeks' prorogation by the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge. However, the President will not attend parliament and speaker Mr.Joseph Michael Perera will deliver the opening address instead, parliamentary sources said, adding that he will read her inaugural address.


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‘Let SL President resign and call fresh Presidential elections’ –TNA MP

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 November 2003, 16:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, should resign and call fresh Presidential elections as a way out of the current constitutional crisis without derailing the peace process and bringing more hardships on the people, said Mr. Ariyanayagam Chandraneru, the Tamil National Alliance’s Member of Parliament from the Amparai district, speaking to a gathering of fishermen at Alaiyadivembu in his district Monday, sources said.
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SLA refuses permission to TNA MP to visit civil office

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 November 2003, 15:18 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Monday refused permission to the Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Mr. Mavai Senathirajah to pay an official visit to the office of the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) for Jaffna district which is housed in a portion of the Thellipalai Cancer Hospital which is located in the high security zone. The Thellipalai Cancer Hospital has been allowed to function since the signing of the ceasefire agreement by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, civil authorities said.
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Sri Lanka's President and PM to meet again

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 November 2003, 18:22 GMT]
The second round of talks between the President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe are expected to be held Tuesday at the Presidential office for the first time after Norway’s pulling out of the peace process it has brokered twenty two months ago with a ceasefire agreement between the United National Front government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, political sources said.


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PM holds talks with Malwatte Mahanayake

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 November 2003, 19:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasignhe Saturday afternoon called on the Mahanayake of Malwatte Chapter Most Venerable Rambukwelle Vipassi Thera in Kandy, capital of the central province and discussed the current political crisis. Senior minister Mr. G.L.Peiris and the chairman of the United National Party Mr.Malik Samarawickrema accompanied Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe to Kandy, government party sources said.
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SL President requests PM to continue peace talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 November 2003, 13:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, Friday requested the Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, to continue the peace negotiation efforts in the context of recent changes.
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Sri Lanka's PM withdraws from peace process

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 November 2003, 10:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, Friday said that he has informed the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, to take in charge of the peace process, saying he is unable to take forward the process launched two years ago due to the current political crisis.
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SL President, Prime Minister brief their constituent parties

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 November 2003, 10:28 GMT]
President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Thursday began separately briefing their constituent parties in the main opposition People Alliance (PA) and the United National Front (UNF) respectively with regard to the outcome of their talks held Wednesday at the Presidential House on the current political crisis, political sources said.
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TNA urges UNF not to abdicate responsibility

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 November 2003, 17:18 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance Wednesday told Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, that its support to the United National Front government was totally related to the peace process and assured him its continued support to further the peace process. The TNA urged the Prime Minister that the United National Front government should not abdicate its responsibility to meaningfully continue with the peace process.
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