Rajapaksa awards defected UNP MPs with ministerial portfolios

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 14:55 GMT]
Two parliamentarians who resigned from the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Wednesday morning were appointed minister and deputy minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the evening.
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2 UNP MPs cross over to UPFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 13:36 GMT]
Two parliamentarians from the main opposition United national Party (UNP) Wednesday extended their support to the ruling Mahinda Rajapaksa government, a day ahead of nominations for the up coming presidential elections to be held on January 26. Krunegala District MPs Johnston Fernando and Indika Bandaranayake made their intentions known at a joint press conference held in Colombo on Wednesday afternoon.
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22 election related violence reported before nomination day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 13:34 GMT]
About twenty two cases of poll-related incidents of violence and intimidation have been reported to independent election observers. Majority of complaints have been made by the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), according to Mr.Keerthi Tennakoon, co-coordinator of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFe).
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22 aspiring for SL Presidency pay their deposits

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 13:21 GMT]
Seventeen political parties and five independent candidates have paid their deposits when the Sri Lankan Elections Department closed its counter to accept the same Wednesday noon. The nominations will be accepted from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon on Thursday. The qualified candidates to contest the forthcoming presidential election, scheduled to be held on January 26, would be announced by the SL Commissioner of Elections after 1:00 p.m. Thursday, spokesman of the department told media.
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Sivajilingam to contest SL presidential polls as independent candidate

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 December 2009, 10:07 GMT]
"There is no point supporting either of the two main candidates, Rajapaksa or Fonseka," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarian K. Sivajilingam Tuesday morning after making his deposit at the Sri Lankan Election Secretariat in Colombo stating that he would contest the presidential polls as an independent candidate.
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Rajapakse brothers, Brigadier Silva, presumptive war criminals, says Boyle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 December 2009, 04:18 GMT]
Former Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander General Sarath Fonseka's statement to the effect that the Rajapaksa Brothers, Gotabhaya Rajapakse and Basil Rajapakse, and Brigadier Shavendra Silva ordered the murder of surrendering LTTE leaders protected by a White Flag pursuant to a prior agreement to surrender that way sets forth a prima facie "war crime" under the customary international laws of war as codified into and exemplified by U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 "The Law of Land Warfare" (1956), paragraph 504, said Professor Francis A. Boyle, University of Illinois College of Law, and an expert in International Law, in a note sent to TamilNet.
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Fear for State armed forces remain among Jaffna residents – Ranil

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 December 2009, 14:19 GMT]
Ranil Wicremasinghe, the leader of the opposition, currently in Jaffna canvassing for Sarath Fonseka in the presidential election, witnessed ordinary people getting down from their vehicles to stand at the edge of the road when they saw the convoy of vehicles he was travelling in happened to pass by. He expressed concern to the journalists travelling with him that the people of Jaffna are still gripped in fear of the armed forces and that he could see how they had been traumatized due to harassment and intimidation by the armed forces during the war.
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Grenade attack on UNP district office in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 December 2009, 11:12 GMT]
Unidentified persons lobbed a hand grenade Sunday around 10:40 p.m on the United National Party (UNP) office located in the residence of UNP Batticaloa district branch president and member of Eastern Provincial Council, Arasaratnam Sasitharan, Batticaloa police said. None was injured in the blast but the office has been damaged a little.
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AG to institute legal action against Fonseka

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 December 2009, 10:45 GMT]
The Attorney General has been directed by the government to investigate and institute legal action against General (retd) Sarath Fonseka for making allegation against the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse that the latter had ordered the Division Commander on the ground to kill LTTE cadres who made an attempt to surrender, according to Human Rights Minister, Mahinda Samarasinghe.
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Family rule or Democratic rule? – Ranil Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 December 2009, 10:22 GMT]
“The time has come for the people to decide whether they want the Rajapakse family rule to continue or democratic rule to be restored in Sri Lanka,” Leader of the opposition and United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremasinghe, who is in Jaffna canvassing support for Sarath Fonseka, the common candidate of the opposition parties in the presidential election, said Saturday speaking among the students of the private College of Education near the Buddhist temple in Jaffna.
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Fonseka’s official residence searched for harbouring army deserters

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 December 2009, 10:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers numbering about 150 led by the police Friday evening rounded up the official Bullers’ Residence of General(retd) Sarath Fonseka on a complaint that the latter( former SLA commander) had given shelter for a group of army deserters.
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Fonseka names assassins of Nadesan, Puleedevan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 December 2009, 09:01 GMT]
Former Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander and presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka named Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Shavendra Silva, commander of army’s 58th division as directly responsible to the assassination of LTTE’s political leaders B. Nadesan, S. Puleedevan and police chief Ramesh, while naming presidential advisor Basil Rajapaksa, Norwegian minister Erik Solheim and various foreign parties as people involved in the episode, The Sunday Leader reported. While Basil Rajapaksa denied communication with Norway, Sri Lanka defence circles refused to comment. Meanwhile, Tamil circles commenting on Fonseka's 'revelations', said both the SLA Commander Fonseka and Commander-in-Chief Mahinda Rajapaksa cannot explain away their involvement in war crimes and the crimes against humanity.
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Sarath is only a tool to eliminate Mahinda – Ranil, in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 December 2009, 08:18 GMT]
“The opposition intends to use Sarath Fonseka only as a tool to eliminate Mahinda Rajapakse from the presidential post; people should not be afraid of him because he was an army commander,” Ranil Wicremasinghe, the leader of the opposition said Saturday night in Jaffna at a press meet held in ‘Yaa’lpaadi’ guest house, sources in Jaffna said. “The failure of the people in the North and East to vote in the last presidential election enabled Mahinda to become president and the resulting sufferings of the Tamils is now clear to them,” Ranil further said.
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No threat to Fonseka’s life - AG informs court

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 December 2009, 01:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Friday fixed further inquiry into the Fundamental Rights petition filed by General Sarath Fonseka for December 17. The FR petition came up for inquiry Friday before a three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Asoka de Silva, Justices Gamini Amaratunga and P. A. Ratnaike. General Fonseka has been nominated as the common presidential candidate.
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Reveal whereabouts of surrendered, arrested Liberation Tigers – Mano Ganeshan

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 December 2009, 06:35 GMT]
“The government should maintain transparency in matters related to the Liberation Tigers who had surrendered or were arrested at the end of the war,” Mano Ganeshan, Democratic People’s Front (DPF) leader and parliamentarian said, in a special interview to TamilNet Thursday. Mano Ganeshan, presently in Jaffna, also said that Sarath Fonseka, the common opposition presidential candidate, is steadfast in solving the issues related to the reunion of the Liberation Tigers with their families and resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
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JVP supporters attacked while putting up Fonseka’s posters

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 December 2009, 02:45 GMT]
Ruling party supporters Thursday attacked activists of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) while they were putting up posters of General (retd) Sarath Fonseka in three locations in Gampaha district in Western province. Four JVP activists were injured, JVP said in a press release. General Fonseka has been nominated as the common opposition candidate to contest the presidential election.
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SL Armed Forces personnel in Jaffna show keen interest in postal voting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 December 2009, 02:11 GMT]
The personnel of Sri Lanka armed forces stationed in Jaffna and Vanni show keen interest in postal voting in the forthcoming presidential election, Jaffna Election Department sources said. 7 January had been fixed as the last day for postal voting but it had been extended to 19 January.
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SB Dissanayake crosses over to SLFP from UNP

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 December 2009, 08:10 GMT]
S.B. Dissanayake, the national organiser of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and the Opposition Leader in the Central Province broke ranks with his party and crossed over to the ruling Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Monday. The move, which has brought the Sinhala politician with highest number of preferential votes in all the 13 electorates of Kandy in the last provincial elections to the side of Mahinda Rajapaksa, is viewed as a major setback to the UNP in the run up to the presidential elections with the common candidate General (retd.) Sarath Fonseka.
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Mano Ganesan backs Fonseksa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 December 2009, 11:17 GMT]
Democratic People's Front leader Mano Ganesan Thursday announced that his party would support General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, the joint opposition candidate in the forthcoming presidential elections in Sri Lanka. The DPF leader also said that he was presently negotiating with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to win their support to General Fonseka.
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Fonseka visits India

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 December 2009, 09:55 GMT]
General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, former commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Chief of Defence Staff later, is on a surprise visit to India. Close aides of Sarath Fonseka declined to divulge the purpose of visit to India. Fonseka has been nominated as the common opposition candidate at the presidential election that is scheduled to be held on January 26 next year.
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