Election violence on the increase in SPC election

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 September 2009, 07:18 GMT]
The Network for Election Monitoring (NEM) said Saturday that the election related violation and violence is on the increase in the Southern Provincial Council election which is scheduled to be held on October 10. It is high compared to previous PC elections held recently. Assaults on opposition party members and property damage reported in Hambantota and Galle districts were high, NEM said in a statement.
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JTC students to call off boycott of lectures

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 September 2009, 07:35 GMT]
More than a thousand students of Jaffna Technical College (JTC) have been continuously boycotting lectures since 8 August in protest against JTC being used by the administration for political activities in support of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and misappropriation of the funds meant for the college. The protesting students, however, have decided to call off the boycott Monday on the intervention of a key UPFA minister promising that JTC will not be used for political activities in the future and the funds of the college will be properly handled, JTC student union representatives said.
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Emergency extended for another month, JVP walks out

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 September 2009, 05:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s parliament Thursday evening approved the motion to extend the State of Emergency for another year by a majority of eighty-seven votes. One hundred parliamentarians of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and its constituent parties voted for the motion. Thirteen parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) voted against. The main opposition United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians were not present in the house during the debate, parliamentary sources said.
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JVP candidate in SPC election attacked by UPFA supporters

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 September 2009, 17:01 GMT]
A candidate of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Darshana Samantha was assaulted by supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) on Monday night in Hiniduma in Galle district. He is contesting from the Galle district to the Southern Provincial Council. Election to the SPC is scheduled to be held on October 10.
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UPFA supporters attack JVP candidate in Galle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 September 2009, 11:40 GMT]
A candidate of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Darshana Samantha was assaulted by supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Monday night in Hiniduma in Galle district. He has been contesting from the Galle district to the Southern Provincial Council. Election to the SPC is scheduled to be held on October 10.
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JVP to decide on its stand in supporting extending emergency

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 September 2009, 16:48 GMT]
The politburo of the Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is to decide this week whether to support the Extension of Emergency in the country any more in view of the arrest and detention of three journalists working in its official paper “Lanka” under the Emergency Regulations (ER) and Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), JVP parliamentary group leader Mr. Anura Kumara Dissanayake told media in Colombo. Police arrested three journalists of JVP in Deniyaya on 2nd September while they were taking pictures and videoing Bewarali estate bungalow.
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3 JVP journalists to be detained, JVP supporter abducted

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 September 2009, 11:28 GMT]
Journalist Sahlika Wimalasena, Daya Nathasingha, and photo journalist Ravindra Pushpakumara of “Lanka”, the official newspaper of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), are to be served detention order by the defence Ministry for further interrogation, according to Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Anura Senanayake, to the media. Police said they took them into custody when they entered a private land without permission and alleged that they were filming a construction site of a new house of a VIP in the Southern Province.
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Attacks on JVP offices continue in southern province

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 August 2009, 14:01 GMT]
Second political office of the Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in Hungama Police area of the Matara district in southern province was attacked by a group of supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Sunday night since the nominations for the Southern Provincial Council closed on Friday, JVP party spokesman said.
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Ruling party gang attacks JVP members

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 August 2009, 16:49 GMT]
A group of supporters of ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ran amok Friday night and assaulted some members of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) who were parading after the closure of nominations for the Southern Provincial Council Friday. Seven JVP members were injured in the attack. The JVP office in Tissamaharagama was also attacked by the ruling party mob the same night, police sources said.
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Southern Provincial Council polls to be held 10 October

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 August 2009, 04:54 GMT]
Southern Provincial Council elections will be held on October 10 this year, the Department of Elections announced Friday. Ten political parties including ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), main opposition United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and five independent groups handed in their nominations for the Southern Provincial Council elections Thursday.
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900 million rupees allocated for constructing NPC secretariat in Maangku'lam

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 August 2009, 11:01 GMT]
The Cabinet of United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Mahinda Rajapakse Wednesday approved 1525 million rupees to establish the Secretariat of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) in Maangku’lam in Ki’linochchi district. The allocation is also to be utilized to repair destroyed or damaged local government offices in the cleared areas.
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SL government says no salary increase; trade unions prepare for strike

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 August 2009, 16:24 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka said Tuesday that it would immediately suspend salary increase to State sector and semi-government workers. “The decision is taken due to massive war expenditure and difficulties caused largely by global economic crisis,” Power and Energy Minister, Mr. John Seneviratne, disclosed the government decision at a hurriedly summoned press conference.
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JTC students to launch boycott against principal

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 August 2009, 15:51 GMT]
Jaffna Technical College (JTC) students Friday announced that they are to boycott classes protesting against JTC principal alleging him of misappropriation of college funds and using JTC as the office of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a constituent in the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, sources in Jaffna said. JTC students had met Minister Douglas Devananda with their demands and the minister has promised to look into their demands, a press release by the media coordinator of Social Services Ministry informed.
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Patkunam Yogeswary appointed Mayor of JMC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2009, 17:29 GMT]
Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) in Jaffna said in a press release Tuesday that Ms. Patkunam Yogeswary has been appointed as the Mayor of Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC), and its senior member Thurairajah Illango, alias Regan, as Deputy Mayor by Social Service Minister Douglas Devananda. Civil society sources in Jaffna, however, said Ms. Yogeswary was appointed Mayor though Thurairajah Illango had polled more preferential votes than Ms. Yogeswary, mainly to due to pressure from Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), one of the coalition member party in the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
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Tamil voters nullify SL Government’s expectation - TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 August 2009, 15:28 GMT]
“Tamil National Alliance (TNA) winning Vavuniyaa Urban Council (VUC) election and Tamils refraining from voting in large numbers in Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election prove that Sri Lanka Government was not able to achieve the success it planned for and expected. We wish to thank the Tamils for voting for Ilankai Thamizh Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) even amidst intimidation and frustration and despair caused by the war,” TNA said in a press release signed by Jaffna District TNA parliamentarian, Mavai Senathirajah, Sunday.
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Remdiyas gets highest number of preferential votes in JMC election

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 August 2009, 07:50 GMT]
Mudiyappu Remediyas, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) backed chief candidate of Ilankai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK) scored 4223 votes, the highest number of preferential votes, in Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election held Saturday while ITAK second candidate, Ms. Anthonypillai Mariamma, got 1678 votes. United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) chief candidate failed to secure a seat while V. Anandasangaree contesting in Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) ticket secured one seat obtaining 424 votes.
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Elections jeopardize democracy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 August 2009, 00:46 GMT]
With only 20 percent turn out in the municipal elections, the clear verdict of the Eezham Tamils is no confidence in the Sri Lankan state and its institutions, said Tamil circles, commenting further that genocidal war and democratic elections mean the same for Colombo. They were citing the manner in which the elections were conducted denying entry to outside witnesses, while 40 percent of the voters not present, 50 percent of polling cards not delivered, Colombo-sponsored forgery of ID cards accused, people coerced and even the Tamil outfit with the government was forced to drop its identity. Whether war and elections against Tamils mean the same to the international community too is the question now coming from the Tamil circles which pointed out that the armed forces occupying the peninsula were more than double in number than the people voted in the elections.
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UPFA takes Jaffna in 20% voter turnout, ITAK wins Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 August 2009, 21:37 GMT]
With international media reporting that Jaffna voters have rejected the Municipal council elections with less than 20% turnout, the ruling UPFA won 10,602 votes obtaining 10 seats with 2 additional bonus seats, and Ilangkai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK) took 8 seats after polling 8008 votes. In the Vavuniyaa Urban Council elections, ITAK secured 5 seats with Democratic Peoples Liberation Front (DPLF) obtaing 3 seats, UPFA 2 seats, and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress 1 seat.
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TNA leads in postal vote count in JMC election

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 August 2009, 15:16 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has polled 147 postal votes in the Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election held Saturday while the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) polled 140 votes, according to unofficial Jaffna Secretariat sources. Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) led by V. Anandasangaree got 30 votes while United National Party (UNP) received 6 votes and Independent candidate Manickasothy polled 3 votes in the postal vote count, the sources said.
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Around 18,26% votes cast in JMC election

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 August 2009, 13:04 GMT]
Only around 18,26 % percent of eligible voters had cast their votes in Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election held Saturday, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. These votes are the ones cast in the 70 polling centres in Jaffna district leaving out those cast in the polling centres located out of Jaffna. Only nearly 200 votes had been cast in many polling booths where 1300 voters were registered to vote. Comparatively, the voting percentage was higher in the coastal areas. Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Suresh Premachandran, quoting police sources, said that ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) supporters had tried to enter some polling booths showing Sri Lanka Army (SLA) identity documents instead of the officially accepted seven kinds of documents including National Identity Card (NIC) and passport.
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