Sri Lankan soldiers harass ex-president's grandson

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 April 2007, 16:36 GMT]
Ex-Sri Lankan president and late UNP stalwart J. R. Jayawardene's grandson, Amirith Jayawardene, was chased and harassed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers Friday night in Colombo for having attempted to overtake a SLA Jeep.
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Bomb scare halts train service in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 10:59 GMT]
The train service between Dematagoda and Maradana in Colombo came to a halt on Friday morning for about several hours following a tip off to the authorities concerned that an anonymous parcel had been lying on the rail track between these stations, Maligawatte Police said.
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3 Sinhala leftist journalists, activists abducted

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 06:40 GMT]
A former journalist with the leftist Hiru paper, Lalith Seneviratne, was abducted at his home Monday night. Meanwhile, a trade union activist and editor of the monthly Akuna (Thunder), Sisira Priyankara, was reported missing from his work at an electrical workshop and another activist Nihal Serasinghe, who worked with the monthly was also abducted Monday evening. Leftist activists have alleged that the three friends were kidnapped by an abduction squad operated by the Sri Lankan military.
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Thousands pay homage to Raviraj in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 November 2006, 01:58 GMT]
"Raviraj was a leader who fought for Tamils' rights and gave a democratic voice to their struggle. The Sri Lanka Government should hold itself responsible for Ravraj's assassination," said Rajitha Senaratne, United National Party parliamentarian for Colombo, addressing a public meeting organised by the Anti-War Front at Vihara Mahadevi Park in Colombo held Monday evening around 4:20 p.m held to pay homage to the slain Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Raviraj, sources Colombo said.
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Muslim worker shot dead in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 October 2006, 09:56 GMT]
A Muslim worker from Kattankudy in Batticaloa district, employed at the Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) in Colombo, was shot shot dead by unknown gunmen riding in a three-wheeler at 8:45 p.m. Thursday in Maradana, sources in Colombo said.
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Rajapakse wants protests postponed, Tamil doctor abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 September 2006, 01:49 GMT]
A protest shut-down, scheduled to be held Tuesday against the recent abductions of Tamil civilians and businessmen in Colombo, organised by representatives from seven political parties, was called off Monday following Rajapakse government's "requests", during the weekend, urging the organisors to postpone the shut-down, informed political circles in Colomb said. Meanwhile, a Tamil medical doctor and owner of three medical businesses in Colombo, was allegedly abducted in his car in Maradana in Colombo Monday.
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State funeral for Major General Kulatunga

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 June 2006, 03:16 GMT]
The funeral of Major General Parami Kulatunga, is expected to take place with full State honors at 6:00 p.m. at the Borella Kanatte cemetary Wednesday, Sri Lanka Government sources in Colombo said. The funeral cortege will begin its journey from Maj.Gen.Kulatunga's brother's house in Kelany Maithri Mawatte to the Kanatte cemetary, sources said.
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920 Tamils arrested in major cordon, search operation in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 December 2005, 11:01 GMT]
Sri Lankan Military troopers and the Colombo Police have arrested 920 Tamils, including 105 Tamil women, in a joint cordon and search operation in Colombo between Friday midnight and Saturday noon, police said. The arrested were taken in busses to 8 different police stations and were being photographed, finger-printed and videoed by the Sri Lankan Intelligence agencies, informed sources said. The search operation was conducted in Tamil residential areas in Wellawatte, Bambalapitiya, Maradana, Kotahena, Grandpass and Mutuwal. Fifty three Tamils were detained after identity-registration in the operation code named "Strangers Night III," Police said.
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SLFP holds 54th annual conference

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 09:17 GMT]
More than 20,000 participated in the 54th Annual conference of Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP) which was held Tuesday at Colombo Horse Race Square, political sources in Colombo said. The conference rally started at 12 noon from Colombo Campell Park and marched through the baseline road, via Reed Avenue and reached the meeting venue at 6pm. Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumarathunga and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksha joined the rally at Reed Avenue and walked to Horse Race Square, political sources in Colombo said.


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Abandoned ammunition bag found in Maradana

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 June 2005, 11:42 GMT]
A bag containing at two hand grenades, bullets for T-56 rifle and Airforce camouflage uniforms was found abandoned at a bus hault near Maradana Technical College in Colombo Monday morning at 9.45 am, police sources said. Police suspect that the ammunition was taken from Katunayakka Airforce base.


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JM failure will boost prospects for direct aid to Tigers- SLFP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 June 2005, 10:31 GMT]
"If we fail to agree on the Joint Mechanism (JM) with the LTTE, it is likely that aid will go directly to the Tigers and LTTE controlled NGOs. The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) will be left out of the decision-making for reconstruction," said a propaganda leaflet circulated by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, Wednesday evening when it launched an awareness campaign in eighteen districts in the south of Sri Lanka to win support for the Joint Mechanism proposal, political sources in Colombo said.
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JVP leads protest march in Colombo against aid deal

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 June 2005, 12:14 GMT]
More than 10,000 supporters of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), extreme nationalist ruling coalition ally, participated in a protest Campaign against the Joint mechanism (JM) proposal today Tuesday at 2.00pm, sources in Colombo said. The march started from Borella Campel Grounds, passed through Maradana and ended near the Colombo Municipal Council offices. The protesters after shouting slogans against the aid deal proposal continued their march to the Lipton round about where they dispersed.


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Monks march against Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 12:38 GMT]
More than 500 monks belonging to extreme nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), party members and JHU parliamentarians held a protest campaign against the Joint Mechanism (JM) Friday evening at 4pm, sources in Colombo said. The protesters started the campaign near the Colombo Viharamahadevi park and marched through Maradana, and Pettah, and stopped in front of Sri Lanka President's house shouting slogans against the Joint Mechanism proposal before continuing their march.
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Monks disrupt Parliament over Trinco statue

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 May 2005, 08:00 GMT]
The hardline monks’ party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Thursday condemned a Magistrate’s judgement ordering police to temporarily remove the controversial Buddha statue erected in Trincomalee town bus stand.
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Heavy security marks May day rallies in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 May 2005, 11:37 GMT]
Thousands of supporters of major political parties in southern Sri Lanka joined the May day rallies being held in capital Colombo, amidst heavy security measures. The ruling United People’s Front Alliance (UPFA) is holding a rally at the Galle Face Green, under the patronage of Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge. Several government Ministers, Parliamentarians and UPFA leaders are taking part in the rally, sources in capital said.
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UNP's protest campaign draws 30 000 protestors in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 December 2004, 16:48 GMT]
Around thirty thousand protestors joined in a big protest rally organized by the main opposition United National Party (UNP) in Colombo Tuesday, demanding the release of Mr.S.B.Dissanayake, a UNP parliamentarian who was sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court recently, on being found guilty on contempt charge.
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UNP activists demonstrate in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 October 2004, 09:21 GMT]
United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians including hundreds of party cadres and activists joined in what is dubbed as “Kitchen Revolution," Tuesday in Kollupitiya junction, Slave Island junction, Hyde Park Corner, Maradana overhead bridge junction, Technical College junction and Kochchikade St Anthony’s Church junction, sources in Colombo said.
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Sri Lanka's railway workers protest in Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 August 2004, 10:02 GMT]
More than three hundred railway workers demonstrated in Colombo Wednesday against moves by the Sri Lankan government to privatise the railway system in Sri Lanka. The Joint Trade Union Front of Railway Services, which comprises 32 unions, wants Colombo to abolish the Railway Authority Act. Unions say the act is designed to facilitate the privatisation of railways in Sri Lanka. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which took up the cause of the railway workers stridently when it was in the opposition, did not take part in the raiway workers' protest Wednesday.
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Major political parties to hold final election rallies Tuesday

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 March 2004, 21:28 GMT]
The final election rallies of major political parties are to be held Tuesday evening in various parts of the country bringing the one and a half months old bitter election campaign to an end two days before the April 2nd poll, political sources said.
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Tamil unity is vital for struggle to succeed - Sivajilingam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 March 2004, 00:11 GMT]
"Tamil people are convinced and firm in their belief that only Tamil unity will propel us to succeed in our struggle. We can see their anguish and despair whenever they sense appearance of divisive tendencies within the Tamil community. We can be certain that Tamil people will reject all elements that can endanger Tamil unity," said Mr.Sivajilingam, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidate in Jaffna, during a radio interview with International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), Thursday.
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