Rajapakse sacks dissenting SLFP ministers

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 15:29 GMT]
Shortly after rumblings of discontent amongst the ranks of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) over the recent admission of opposition MPS into his mammoth cabinet, President Mahinda Rajapakse sacked three of the most vocal dissenters on Friday, Presidential Secretariat officials said. SLFP stalwarts Anura Bandaranaike, Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Suriyarachchi were stripped of their portfolios Friday soon after their criticism of the government become public and vocal.
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No confidence on Police inquiry - SL Minister

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 10:49 GMT]
Anura Bandaranaike, the Sri Lankan Minister of National Heritage, in a Question of Privilege, raised in the Sri Lankan Parliament Thursday, charged that there were "forces within the government," surrounding the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, conspiring against Bandaranaike family. Mr. Bandaranaike, who did not directly point the finger at the Sri Lankan President, said some persons close to Mr. Rajapakse, with "American passports" were behind the death threats issued against him and Mangala Samaraweera, the minister of ports and aviation. He further told the Lankan parliament that he had no confidence that the police would hold proper inquiry into his complaint.
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Anura Bandaranaike receives death threat

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 12:13 GMT]
Anura Bandaranaike, the Sri Lankan minister of National Heritage, and the brother of former SL President Chandrika Kumaratunga, has complained to law enforcement authorities in Colombo that he has received telephone death threats from anonymous callers. The threats are reported amidst speculation that relationship between Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and Anura Bandaranaike has been severely strained since the latest cabinet reshuffle when Mr. Bandaranaike lost his Tourism Ministry portfolio.
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TNA parlimentarians meet Jafna University VC

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 January 2007, 09:28 GMT]
T.Srikantha, the recently appointed Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian together with fellow Member of Parliament Shivajilingam met with the Acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna. Prof.K.Kumaravadivel on Saturday in an attempt to find a solution for the delay in re-opening the University of Jaffna that remains closed for more than five months.


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NorthEast demerger, breach of International Treaty- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 January 2007, 06:53 GMT]
“Not only the Tamil speaking people but also the International Community are unhappy with the de-merger of NorthEastern province. Though the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka told that former President J. R. Jayewardene’s step was defective and invalid, the Sri Lanka's President Mr. Rajapakse who wants to share no powers with Tamils, seized the opportunity quickly and declared the de-merger amidst the opposition from many of his own cabinet ministers and Members of parliament. Mr Rajapakse has not only betrayed the Tamil people, but also breached an international treaty, R. Sampanthan told in the Sri Lankan Parliament Wednesday.
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Four civilians disappear in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2007, 20:14 GMT]
Four civilians including two youths have gone missing within the 48 hour period beginning Sunday, sources in Jaffna peninsula said, quoting complaints lodged with the HumanRights office in Jaffna. Two of the four are alleged to have been forcefully abducted at night by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers traveling in a white van, according to the relatives.
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Mob led by SL Minister attack Journalists at UPM event

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2007, 14:43 GMT]
An armed mob led by Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Labour, Mervin Silva, arrived at the open air stage at Super Market Square in Nugegoda, the site of the first public event organised by the newly established United People's Movement (UPM), and attacked the journalists who were present at the site to cover the event which was about to commence at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday. The UPM is a political platform that seeks to establish consensus among especially the Southern polity on a Federal System of Governance, as against war and any other undemocratic, non-negotiable conclusion to the on going NorthEast conflict.
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Abducted PLOTE members found dead

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 December 2006, 15:48 GMT]
Bodies of two senior members of the Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) who were abducted on Wednesday night around 8 p.m.at Puttalam area by an unknown armed gang were recovered Friday morning along Kurunagala-Medagama road in Galgamuwa police division with gunshot injuries. Their hands were tied behind their back, sources said.
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Two PLOTE operatives disappear in Puttalam

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 December 2006, 10:02 GMT]
Armed men riding in a van have reportedly abducted two Tamil persons, said to be senior operatives of PLOTE, from a house located at Chenaikudiruppu along Puttalam-Anuradhapura Road Wednesday night, ex-militant sources in Colombo said.
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Jaffna security arrangements add to Islets residents woes

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 December 2006, 16:48 GMT]
Recent relocation of Jaffna bus terminal to Pannai by Sri Lanka Army (SLA), and overflow of traffic along outer peripheral roads due to reconfiguration of traffic flow including prohibition of parking, have created additional burdens to families from the islets entering and leaving Jaffna town, civil society leaders said. Restrictions of intra-islet travel, and of transport in interior land routes have added further hardships for the people in these areas.
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Payilvan's remains exhumed, Sufi building demolished

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 December 2006, 04:02 GMT]
The remains of M. S. Abdul Payilvan, a leader of the Suffi sect, which was buried amidst vehement protests by the orthodox Muslims of Kathankudyat Tharikathul Mufliheen Mosque burial grounds, was exhumed Friday around 5:30 p.m, in the presence of Batticaloa Senior Superintendent of Police Maxie Proctor on the orders of Special Judge Mohamed Isardeen from Colombo, Kathankudy sources said. The burial triggered controversy and brought clashes between orthodox Muslims and members of the Sufi sect in Kathankudy for the past 9 days,
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Anton Balasingham - The Times’ Obituary

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 December 2006, 06:52 GMT]
In an obituary Friday, The Times of London described Mr. Anton Balasingham, the theoretician and chief negotiator of the LTTE who passed away Thursday, as “the one man the Tigers could trust with their destiny in what looked like being a breakthrough in talks.” At one stage in the Norwegian peace process, the British broadsheet noted, Mr. Balasingham had steered the Tigers away from their demand for independence. However, it said, “everybody underestimated the determination of hardcore Sinhalese organisations like the JVP and hardline Buddhist clergy to scuttle any deal that gave the Tamils even a hint of autonomy.”
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Police Inspector injured in Kattankudy

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 December 2006, 01:10 GMT]
A Police Sub Inspector was injured when unidentified persons hurled hand grenades on a Buffel Armed Personnel Carrier (APC) taking the Police officials from Batticaloa Police Head Quarters, to a conference with Kattankudy Ulamas (Muslim religious hierarchy) at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, Police sources said. The meeting was aimed at exploring ways to diffuse the escalating tension among orthodox Muslims, members of Islamic Sufi sect, and the police in Kattankudy area in Batticaloa district.
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Police, orthodox Muslims clash in Kathankudy, 1 killed, 8 wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 December 2006, 11:21 GMT]
A Muslim protestor was killed and 8 wounded when Police fired at the protestors Thrusday in Kathankuddy town, in Batticaloa district, which continues to be in turmoil for the eighth consecutive day as police open fire and teargas Thursday to control crowds which have set fire to a police sentry post, four auto rickshaws, four shops and four banks in Kathankudyy town. The orthodox Muslims, engaged in a spate of anger against the Islamic sect Sufi, demand the remains of M. S. Abdul Payilvan, one of the leaders of Sufi sect and the President of All Island Tharikathul Mufliheen, to be removed from Katthankudy soil and buried elsewhere. A police curfew has been imposed in Kathankudy Thursday.


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Payilvan dies, sectarian violence flares up in Kattankudy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 22:50 GMT]
Sectarian violence between orthodox Muslims against the Islamic sect, Sufi, that preaches pantheism, resurfaced in Muslim town of Kattankudy in Batticaloa district Thursday following the death of M. S. Abdul Payilvan, one of the leaders of Sufi sect and the President of All Island Tharikathul Mufliheen, and his burial in Kattankudy. The orthodox Muslims observed a Hartal demanding the removal of the body from the burial grounds. Three houses belonging to the followers of Payilvan were set ablaze on Thursday night, Police sources said.
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Mahinda tells Sri Lankans: "choose your side in the war"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 December 2006, 11:53 GMT]
Announcing tough new powers for the Sri Lankan military and the police, SL President Mahinda Rajapakse last issued a warning for citizens: “I ask this of all political parties, all media, and all people’s organizations,” he said Wednesday in a countrywide television broadcast asking the viewers to choose their side in the war between "terrorism" and "democracy" in a 'you're either with us, or against us,' patterned speech.
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Plantation workers continue agitation for wage increase

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 December 2006, 11:55 GMT]
Hill country workers as part of their on going agitation for reasonable increase in daily wages began striking since Tuesday morning . Thousands of workers from tea estates in Norwood, Puliyawatte, Dickoya, Bogawantalawa, Saami Malai, Maskeliya, Norton Bridge, Wattawala,Kottagala, and Talawakelle, belonging to various trade unions, setting aside policy differences, joined hands to voice their protest, paralyzing tea production in the island
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Mahinda Rajapakse leaves to India

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 November 2006, 15:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse left Saturday afternoon to India on a four day visit. Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse is scheduled to inaugurate the Asian Mayors Conference in Dehra Dun in Uttaranchal State in North India Sunday. Tamil mayors from Chennnai, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Saleem, Tiruchi and Coimbatore in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu will be boycotting the Asian Mayor's meeting, media reports in Tamil Nadu said.
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SC's NorthEast merger verdict stands- SL Prime Minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 November 2006, 11:09 GMT]
The Government will never act, and has no power to act against the ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) that the merger of North and East Provinces was illegal, Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, the Sri Lankan Premier and Deputy Minister of Defense announced in the Parliament Tuesday while submitting a special report explaining Sri Lankan Government's stand on the issue, parliamentary sources said.
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GoSL urged to ensure legal basis for merged NE before November 7

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 October 2006, 14:05 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance Parliamentary Group on Thursday in the Sri Lankan Parliament, urged the Government of Sri Lanka to immediately take the necessary action to validly restore the Status Quo Ante pertaining to the constitution of the North-East as one Unit. "Failure to take immediate steps to validly merge the Northern and Eastern Provinces as one Unit, will permanently shut the door on the possibilities of finding a solution within one country." The TNA has urged the Sri Lankan Government to respond favorably by the 7th of November 2006 the latest.


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