LTTE to intensify struggle for self-determination if reasonable political solution is not offered soon

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 November 2005, 12:04 GMT]
The leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in his annual Heroes’ Day statement made an urgent appeal to the new Sri Lanka Government of Mr Mahinda Rajapakse to offer a reasonable political solution to the ethnic conflict without further delay. The Tamil Tiger leader cautioned the government that his liberation organisation would intensify the struggle for self-determination and political independence if the new regime adopts a hard-line position and fails to resolve the problems of his people.
Full story >>

Sovereignty fears

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 November 2005, 01:33 GMT]
The definition "supreme authority within a territory," captures the essential notion of sovereignty used to describe political authority of modern nation states. The origins of Sri Lanka’s long festering conflict lie in its unitary constitution which vests the exercise of sovereignty solely in the hands of Sinhala Buddhists. But Colombo wields no sovereign authority over nearly seventy percent of the island’s NorthEast. Radical Sinhala groups view the denial of their state’s sovereignty in areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers with extreme chagrin. Over the years, other events too have challenged Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.
Full story >>

Military parade for Kumaratunge postponed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 November 2005, 14:32 GMT]
A farewell military parade by all three armed forces to the outgoing Sri Lanka President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge has been postponed indefinitely as heavy rains flooded the main parade field of the army head quarters, military sources said.
Full story >>

Mangala Samaraweera appointed new SL Foreign Minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 November 2005, 07:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka's new President Mahinda Rajapakse has demoted former President Chandrika Kumaratunga's brother, Mr. Anura Bandaranaike, by removing the Foreign Ministry portfolio from him and appointing him as the Minister of Tourism in his new 25-member cabinet. Chief coordinator of Mr. Rajapakse's Presidential Campaign, Mangala Samaraweera, a JVP-friendly hardliner, has been appointed as the Foreign Minister, in addition to his portfolios, Ports and Aviation. The twice postponed- swearing in of the new cabinet of ministers took place at the Presidential Secretariat Wednesday. Rajapakse is likely to keep with him the Finance and Defence Ministries.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka, a divided nation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 November 2005, 02:21 GMT]
Predicting that if parliamentary elections were held and the LTTE encouraged Tamils to vote, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will likely lose the elections, and the United National Party (UNP) wll be able to form a coalition government with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Robert C Oberst, Professor of Political Science at Nebraska Wesleyan University says Sri Lanka remains a divided nation, divided, not only between the Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims, but also divided among the Sinhalese. He adds that renegade LTTE commander, Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna), is the biggest loser in the elections.
Full story >>

Wickremanayake appointed new Lankan PM

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 November 2005, 07:09 GMT]
Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was sworn in as the fourteenth Prime Minister of Sri Lanka before SL President Mahinda Rajapakse Monday. At a ceremony held at the Temple Trees, Mr. Rajapakse sworn in him as the Prime Minister of his would-be appointed cabinet this morning. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense and Minister of Buddhist Affairs till the election of Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse as the 5th executive president of Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

UNP to hold postmortem on presidential poll defeat

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 November 2005, 17:20 GMT]
The working committee and parliamentary group of the main opposition United national Party (UNP) are to meet this week to decide its future course of action following the defeat at the presidential poll held on Thursday, Mr.Tissa Attanayake, UNP Assistant General Secretary said at a press briefing Sunday.
Full story >>

Rajapakse swears in as new President of Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 November 2005, 12:51 GMT]
President Mahinda Rajapakse was sworn in as the fifth executive President of Sri Lanka before the Chief Justice Sarath N Silva at the Presidential Secretariat at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Mahinda Rajapakse, who hails from the southern district of Hambantota, in his first symbolic speech said his priority was to begin talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and strengthen the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA).
Full story >>

SL Presidential Polls: Near Fizzle-Out in North East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 10:14 GMT]
Very low attendance of voters was reported at the cluster-polling booths in the North-East as the voting in Sri Lanka to elect the fifth executive president began at 7:00 a.m Thursday. Situation in Jaffna remained calm in complete contrast to the polls eve marred with grenade attack incidents in the peninsula. At least six grenade incidents were reported in Batticaloa-Amparai. Two Tamil civilians were killed in Kalmunai. The voting continued till 4:00 p.m. Security was tightened throughout the country.


Full story >>

SLA soldiers dishonor GA permits at checkpoint -TNA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 November 2005, 18:08 GMT]
Soldiers manning the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoints at Kaddaiparichchan and Mahindapura in Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division are not honoring permits issued by the Trincomalee Government Agent to non-governmental organizations and other agencies to take building materials to LTTE held areas to implement approved reconstruction and rehabilitation projects, said Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian in a letter faxed to President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Tuesday.
Full story >>

UPFA submits budget

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 November 2005, 13:04 GMT]
Finance Minister of the United Peoples Alliance (UPFA) government, Dr Sarath Amunugama, submitted Tuesday afternoon the second and the last budget under the Presidency of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge in Sri Lanka Parliament, parliamentary sources said. Opposition United National Party (UNP), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) boycotted the event.
Full story >>

SL President to attend Dhaka SAARC summit

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 November 2005, 15:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge will lead the Sri Lanka delegation to the forthcoming thirteenth South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Summit at Dhaka, Bangladesh, scheduled for 12-13 November 2005. The delegation includes Mr.Anura Bandaranaike, Foreign Minister and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Commerce and the Presidential Secretariat, said a press release issued Monday in Colombo.
Full story >>

Infrastructure development discussed in Kilinochchi meet

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 November 2005, 00:02 GMT]
Civil engineers working in the distircts of NorthEast Friday met with the offiicals of the political and economic wings of the Liberation Tigers at the LTTE's Planning and Development Secretariat (PDS) in Kilinochchi to discuss the objectives and guildlines to be adopted for the infrastructure design and construction across NorthEast, sources said. Head of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P Thamilchelvan presided, and Head of Tamil Eelam Economic and Development Organization (TEEDOR), Karikalan, participated in the discussions.
Full story >>

"Birds of a feather"

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 November 2005, 12:53 GMT]
Commenting on the lack of enthusiasm amongst Sri Lanka’s Tamils for the forthcoming Presidential elections, the Tamil Guardian newspaper this week argued that the two leading contenders are, from a Tamil perspective, indistinguishable. “Advocates of peace alarmed by [Mahinda] Rajapakse’s unabashed Sinhala nationalism have rushed to pin their hopes on [Ranil] Wickremesinghe without seriously examining his policies and, above all, the practicality of his strategy,” the Diaspora broadsheet said.
Full story >>

Maharouf appointed NEPC Agriculture Secretary

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 October 2005, 23:33 GMT]
Mr. A.R.M.Maharouf, an experienced agronomist and Director at Socio-Economics and Planning Centre (SEPC), was appointed Secretary to the North East Provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Land with effect from October 26 by North East Provincial Governor Mr.Tyronne Fernando, at an event held at the provincial secretariat in Trincomalee town Wednesday evening.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka Army Commander receives two year extension

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 October 2005, 08:45 GMT]
SL Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shantha Kottegoda has been granted an extension in office till June, 31, 2007 by out going President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Tuesday.
Full story >>

Weerawanse eyes Prime Minister post, says Anura Bandaranaike

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 October 2005, 19:57 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister and the prime ministerial candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Mr. Anura Bandaranaike, has sought help from his sister and the incumbant President of Sri Lanka, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, to thwart an alleged attempt by a section of SLFP to appoint Mr. Wimal Weerawanse as the candidate for the Prime Minister portfolio if Rajapakse is elected as President of Sri Lanka, SLFP sources said. Weerawanse is the propaganda secretary of the Sinhala nationalist extremist Janatha Vimukthi Permuna (JVP).
Full story >>

ACHR exposes Bindunuweva massacre report

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 October 2005, 16:17 GMT]
The New Delhi based Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) released details in a confidential report of Sri Lankan Presidential Commission on the Inquiry into the Bindunuwewa massacre. The organisation released details Tuesday on the fifth anniversary of the massacre of Tamil inmates in the Sri Lankan jail in Bindunuwewa. The ACHR said it had obtained a copy of the confidential report that has not been made public although SL President Kumaratunga's term as President comes to an end. Twenty-eight Tamil youth between the ages of 14-23 years were massacred while 14 other Tamil youths were seriously injured by Sinhala mobs and Sri Lanka police on 25 October 2000.
Full story >>

SL President, Opposition Leader meet

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 October 2005, 17:03 GMT]
"Both agreed on the importance of all major political parties working together in order to resolve the country's most troubled issue, that of war and peace," said a press release issued by the Presidential House after the meeting with Sri lanka's President Ms Kumaratunge and the Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe on Monday.
Full story >>

ITRO warns peace building disrupted by smears, attacks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 October 2005, 11:37 GMT]
The International Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (ITRO) has written to Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga protesting her government’s role in a propaganda campaign against its organisation and physical intimidation of its aid workers.
Full story >>