UPFA candidates urged not to criticize JHU, JVP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 March 2006, 00:14 GMT]
The ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) leadership has instructed its candidates contesting the forthcoming local council elections not to criticize the policies of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), said Mr.Mathiripala Sirisena, Minister and the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the UPFA addressing a conference held recently in Colombo, sources said. "UPFA candidates should confine their electioneering to unveil their plans to develop their respective local authorities when they win," he added.
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Rajapakse to hold All Party Conference

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 March 2006, 11:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is planning to hold the All Party Conference (APC), on March 6 Monday to brief the leaders of all registered political parties represented in the current parliament on the outcome of the Geneva peace talks, political sources in Colombo said. He will also brief the leaders on the matters to be discussed at the next round of talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


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Appeal Court to hear petition against CFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 10:58 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Court of Appeal fixed the inquiry for 29 March into the petition filed by the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) seeking the court to nullify the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) entered into between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The JVP and JHU argue that the CFA is against the Constitution of Sri Lanka and illegal. The GoSL and the LTTE renewed their commitment to respect and uphold the Ceasefire Agreement of February 2002 in Geneva last week.
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SL President to meet JVP, JHU separately before APC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 00:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse is planning to meet the leaders of the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) separately before holding the All Party Conference (APC) to brief the outcome of the Geneva peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), political sources in Colombo said.
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JVP wants to win local councils before national elections

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 February 2006, 10:53 GMT]
"Mahinda Rajapakse Government has deviated from finding a solution to the conflict within the unitary constitution of Sri Lanka and our reasons for defeating the Ranil Wickremesinghe Government are not bearing any results. Mr Rajapakse has failed to fulfil the promises given to us before the Presidential elections," said Propaganda Secretary of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP and parliamentarian Mr Wimal Weerawanse addressing a rally in Kataragama, southern area in Sri Lanka in support of local council candidates of JVP Monday, political sources in Colombo said.
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JVP wants Norway out of peace facilitator role

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 21:37 GMT]
"Norway is an accomplice to the Liberation Tigers in the LTTE's Nationalist struggle and fight for secession. We demand the Sri Lanka Government to relieve Norway from facilitator role," said Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) the Sinhala nationalist ally of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, in a memorandum sent to Colombo press Wednesday, sources in Colombo said. The memorandum was written in Sinhala.
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JVP to contest in 11 local councils in Amparai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 12:58 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the marxist alliance of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, has filed nominations to contest in 11 local councils of Amparai district, political sources in Amparai said. Amparai district has one Municipal council, one Urban council and 16 Pradeshya Sabahs. 396453 voters will use 391 polling booths for voting for during the local council elections.
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Major political parties to file nominations Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 15:59 GMT]
Major political parties, the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), main opposition United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), and Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) are to submit their nomination lists from Wednesday to contest the 330 local authorities, which include 18 municipal councils, 42 urban councils and 270 pradesiya sabahs, election department sources said.
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JVP to contest alone in local council elections

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 15:56 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Sinhala Marxist party officially announced Tuesday that it has decided to contest alone in the forthcoming local authorities elections under its symbol 'Bell". The decision to contest alone was taken after the failure of the talks held between the JVP and the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in the allocation of candidates under an election alliance, a JVP official said at a press briefing held Tuesday, sources said.
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No Tamil Eelam, only devolution within Unitary State- Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 12:57 GMT]
Ruling out demands by the Liberation Tigers for a separate homeland in the NorthEast, Sri Lanka's President Rajapakse in an interview with Reuters ahead of Geneva talks said, "This is a small country, where you can't have two states. I won't allow the country to be divided," he added. "You have to give up the concept of having two nations, or two countries … There is no Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka. There cannot be an Eelam."
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Political parties prepare strategy for local council elections

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 February 2006, 17:43 GMT]
All main political parties are to submit nominations to contest the forthcoming elections to three hundred and thirty local authorities in the island from Tuesday. The final day to submit nomination lists has been fixed for Thursday February 16. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which worked for the victory of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse at the last year presidential poll is to contest the local council election alone without forming an alliance with the ruling party, political sources said.
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Tamil educators honored in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 February 2006, 16:33 GMT]
Mr.E.J.Satkunarajah, former Secretary to the North East Provincial Education Ministry and who rendered valuable service for the development of the science education in the province and Mr.S.Kathirgamathamby, retired Principal of Chenaiyoor Central College in Muttur east who contributed his teaching career for the education development of rural students were honored at an event held Sunday evening at Trincomalee Vikneswara Maha Vidiyalayam. Trincomalee District Student Examination Centre organized the event, sources said.
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Batticaloa local elections to select 128 councilors

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 February 2006, 13:25 GMT]
318,728 registered voters in twelve local authorities will go to polls to elect 128 councilors in the forthcoming election in the Batticaloa district, said Mr.T.Krishnandalingam, Batticaloa District Returning Officer and District Assistant Commissioner of Elections. One municipal council and one urban council are among the twelve local authorities, election department sources said.


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NCP Chief Minister appointed to lead Trincomalee development

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 February 2006, 16:43 GMT]
The President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed Mr.Bertilal Dissanayake, Chief Minister of the North Central Province in charge of the development activities in the Trincomalee district. Mr.Dissanayake Monday presided over the conference held in Trincomalee district secretariat pertaining to the development of the district, district secretariat sources said.
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Political parties finalize nomination lists for local polls

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 February 2006, 11:51 GMT]
The Writ Application filed by the Peoples Action for the Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL), a poll monitoring body in Sri Lanka, seeking the Court of Appeal to postpone the scheduled local government election for a period of six months is to be taken up for inquiry Monday (February 6) while the leaders of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the ruling party and its allies, Sri Lanka Communist Party, Lanka Sama Samaja Party and few small parties are to finalize their deal at a meeting scheduled to be held on the same day at Temple Trees presided by President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, political sources said.
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Anbu Illam student wins poetry prize

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 February 2006, 01:27 GMT]
A student from Anbu Illam, a children's home in Trincomalee, won the first prize of ten thousand rupees in an island wide-open poetry competition conducted by a Norway Tamil group. Miss Pakiyaluxmy, an GCE A/L Bio-Science student, received her prize money and savings book from Mr.S.Kumaraguruparan, Trincomalee District Deputy Director of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization. in a ceremony held at the children's home Thursday.
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UNP opposes parliament adjournment

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 February 2006, 19:50 GMT]
No bomb was recovered in the chamber of the parliament and the bomb scare was a ploy of the government to adjourn the parliament with a hidden agenda, said Mr.Tissa Attanayake, Deputy General Secretary of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) at a press briefing held Thursday evening.
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TNA MPs walk out of parliament in protest of killings, abduction

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 06:07 GMT]
If Colombo continued to allow provocative incidents take place in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas of the NorthEast, the peace talks planned between the Government and the LTTE would be in jeopardy, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has warned the Sri Lankan Parliament Wednesday. "This is a calculated move to disturb the talks to be held in Geneva between the Government and the LTTE. We demand that the Government to act urgently in this matter and take appropriate action to save the dialogue," Mavai Senathirajah, TNA MP for Jaffna District told a press conference after walking out of the Sri Lankan Parliament.
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State terrorism rising in NorthEast, say Tamil MPs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 15:31 GMT]
"Violence and terror unleashed by the State armed forces is on the increase in the North East province. Fifty Tamil civilians have been abducted in the Jaffna district within few months. From December 1 to January 12 the State armed forces and para military groups in Jaffna have killed thirty-one Tamil civilians. Forty-two Tamils have been killed in other districts of the province," said leaders of Tamil political parties addressing a press briefing after their protest in parliament Tuesday morning.


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Speaker to rule on Dissanayake's future

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 January 2006, 13:19 GMT]
Speaker Mr.W.M.J.Lokkubandara is to officially inform the leaders of all political parties represented in the current parliament whether the jailed Mr.S.B.Dissanayake is still a parliamentarian or he has lost his post. Mr.Dissanayake is the National Organizer of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and was jailed for defaming the Supreme Court, parliamentary sources said.


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