Sri Lanka President, Sinhala nationalists strike deal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 January 2004, 12:25 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Sri Lanka Freedom Party will sign the long delayed agreement to form a political alliance on 20 January 2004, spokesmen for the parties announced Wednesday. The JVP has been campaigning for the cancellation of the cease fire agreement between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers.
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"No decision on general election yet"- SL President

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 January 2004, 04:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Monday dismissed media speculation that the current parliament would be dissolved on January 26 in preparation to a fresh general election. "I have not taken any decision regarding holding a general election. However I have been studying several requests for a general election," said Ms.Kumaratunge at a conference held at the President's House Monday evening, according to Colombo sources.
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Defective CFA undermines Peace Process - Prof. Peiris

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 2004, 15:25 GMT]
The Sri Lanka government media spokesperson, Minister Professor G.L.Peiris, said Friday that Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has decided to withdraw from the current peace process as the ceasefire agreement (CFA) has become defective with Ms.Kumaratunge's take over of the defense ministry, political sources in Colombo said.
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JVP calls for Wickremesinghe' s resignation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 January 2004, 13:30 GMT]
The Sinhala Nationalist and Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Thursday called for the resignation of Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe from the post of Prime Minister and from the current parliament if the Prime Minister wanted to withdraw from the two year-old ceasefire agreement (CFA) he signed with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), media sources said.


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Parents of Jaffna Missing to Protest in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 December 2003, 16:13 GMT]
Fifty four mothers and fathers who are Members of Jaffna Missing Persons Guardian Association (MPGA) and Jaffna Mothers Front (JMF) will picket in front of the Justice Ministry and Offices of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission in Colombo on Monday and Tuesday, said Subbu Satkunam, president MPGA.
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Sri Lanka's new IGP sworn in

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 December 2003, 10:25 GMT]
Mr. Indra de Silva was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new Inspector General of Police (IGP) at an official function held at the Police headquarters, Monday. He will function as the IGP till his retirement in February next year, police sources said.
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Sri Lanka’s IGP controversy resolved

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 December 2003, 17:10 GMT]
Mr.Indra de Silva, who has been acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Sri Lanka since the post fell vacant when the previous IGP, Mr.T.E.Anandarajah, retired from the service last month, is to be appointed as the new IGP. The Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka (CCS) that met Thursday afternoon at the parliamentary complex confirmed Mr.Indra de Silva in the IGP post, parliamentary sources said.
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PA media spokesman meets Jaffna journalists

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 December 2003, 16:44 GMT]
The media spokesman of the main opposition People's Alliance, Dr.Sarath Amunugama, Wednesday met with a group of Jaffna-based journalists at the parliamentary complex and answered several questions posed to him on the current political situation.
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Tamils warned to prepare for snap election

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 December 2003, 16:45 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan Sunday said Tamil people should rally round under one banner to increase their parliamentary strength if the current crisis between Sri Lanka's President and the Prime Minister precipitates a snap election. “The LTTE leadership has endorsed this stand,” said Mr.Sampanthan.


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SLMM Chief grounded in Oslo - Paper

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 December 2003, 22:24 GMT]
For the last one and a half months, since he was declared persona non grata by the Sri Lankan President the chief of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Major General (ret.) Tryggve Tellefsen (62), is forced to work from Oslo Norway with remaining members of SLMM in Sri Lanka, using telephone and e-mail, writes the Norwegian daily Aftenposten in its Saturday issue. The paper adds that the situation is unsatisfactory that the likelihood of Tellefsen resigning from his post cannot be ruled out.


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Supreme Court directs AG to enlighten on Jaffna HSZ legality

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 December 2003, 18:20 GMT]
The Supreme Court Thursday directed the Attorney General to take immediate measures to enlighten the court on the legality of the high security zones in the Jaffna peninsula in response to the fundamental rights applications filed by three persons including Jaffna district parliamentarian Mr. Mavai Senathirajah. The inquiry into the applications would be taken up for inquiry on December 19, legal sources said.
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PA lays condition for returning defense ministry

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 December 2003, 15:20 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s main opposition Peoples Alliance Friday called on the ruling United National Front government (UNF) to bring a proposal for the abolition of the executive presidency if the UNF insists on taking control over the defense ministry for taking the peace process forward.


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TNA parliamentarians meet LTTE political leadership

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 December 2003, 09:08 GMT]
Talks between Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians and the political leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) began Tuesday morning around 11 a.m. at the Killinochchi LTTE political secretariat, Vanni sources said.
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SLFP-JVP undecided on political alliance

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 December 2003, 03:53 GMT]
Another round of talks held between the leaders of the Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), chief constituent of the main opposition People's Alliance, and the Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which is the third largest party in the current parliament, Monday night concluded without fixing a date for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to forge a political alliance, political sources said.
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Displaced Kinniya Tamils want permanent solution

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 December 2003, 15:12 GMT]
Hundreds of displaced Tamil families from Kadaloor and Upparu in Kinniya division in Trincomalee district, who have been staying as refugees at the Eechantivu Vipulananda Tamil Vidiyalayam, Sunday complained to the Trincomalee district parliamentarians, Messrs R.Sampanthan and K.Thurairetnasingham, that they should find a permanent solution to their problems as they had been displaced due to threat and violence thrice since 1990.
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SL President-PM talks fail to reach consensus

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 December 2003, 16:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, and Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, held talks on the cohabitation crisis Friday, but did not reach any consensus. They agreed to meet again on December 10 and terminate their talks on or before December 15, ruling United National Front sources said.
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Sri Lanka's President urged to ensure security to Kinniya Muslims

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 December 2003, 16:32 GMT]
A delegation of the North East Muslim Parliamentarians' Forum (NEMPF) Tuesday afternoon met with Sri Lanka’s President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, and discussed in detail the deteriorating security situation in the Trincomalee district, especially the Kinniya division. The delegation urged the President to take immediate steps to bring the situation under control and to help the Muslims there from being killed and wounded, sources said.
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Curfew re-imposed in Trincomalee, Kinniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 December 2003, 18:32 GMT]
A curfew has been reimposed in Trincomalee and Kinniya police divisions in the Trincomalee district with effect from 7 p.m. Monday. It will be lifted at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Trincomalee police said.
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Colombo talks produce no breakthrough

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 December 2003, 11:50 GMT]
Meeting of a four-member committee appointed by Sri Lanka's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge to work out a cohabitation arrangement between them ended Monday without a breakthrough, media sources in Colombo said.


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SL Police beefs up security in Trincomalee district

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 November 2003, 16:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, Saturday instructed the acting Inspector General of Police, Mr.Indra de Silva, to beef up security measures in the Trincomalee district and launch immediate investigation into the killings of three Muslims and other incidents that had taken place recently in the district, police said.
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