Government party paramilitary men threaten Tamil daily editors in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 February 2009, 00:06 GMT]
Paramilitary men of a Tamil political party that is a member of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government of Sri Lanka threatened the editorial staff of the two Tamil dailies published in Jaffna for not giving prominence for the news related to their party activities or the reports issued by their party leader, according to the complaint made by the editorial staff to the Joint Media Association in Colombo, sources in Colombo said.
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Sri Lanka bans LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 January 2009, 17:01 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has proscribed the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE), one year after it unilaterally withdrew from the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) with the Tigers. The LTTE was banned in 1998, for the first time before Colombo embarked on the futile military exercise of 'Operation Jayasikurui' (Victory Assured) on Vanni mainland. Colombo had to lift the ban in 2002 before entering into the CFA agreement with the Tigers.
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SL parliament to debate emergency extension motion Tuesday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 January 2009, 16:18 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is to table a motion seeking the extension of the State of Emergency for another month when the Sri Lanka's parliament meets on January 6 Tuesday. Since August 12, 2005 the country is being governed under the State of Emergency extended every month by the parliament, sources said.
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Dissident Karu Jayasuriya appointed UNP deputy leader

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 December 2008, 16:21 GMT]
Karu Jayasuriya was appointed as the deputy leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) by the party executive committee that met Monday evening with Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, the leader of the party in the chair. The appointment was made amid speculation in Colombo political circles that Mr. Karu Jayasuriya is likely to rejoin the UNP with some dissident MPs.
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Sri Lanka's 2009 budget passed

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 December 2008, 10:48 GMT]
The 2009 budget of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa was adopted in the parliament Monday afternoon with a majority of 42 votes. 126 parliamentarian voted for the budget and 84 against. Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa tabled the budget on November 6 in parliament in the capacity of Finance Minister.
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Crucial voting on UPFA budget to be held Monday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 December 2008, 16:44 GMT]
The final voting on the third reading of the Sri Lankan budget for 2009 presented by the government led by Mahinda Rajapakse is to take place Monday amid speculation that some of the UNP dissident parliamentarians led by its leader Karu Jayasuriya would rejoin the UNP. However, the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) said the budget would be passed with a comfortable majority.
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Wickremasinghe appeals to dissidents to rejoin UNP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 December 2008, 19:32 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), Saturday made an appeal to the dissident group of seventeen parliamentarians of the UNP to rejoin the party, political sources in Colombo said. Mr. Wickremasinghe made this appeal when addressing the 58th annual convention of the UNP in Dehiwela.
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Rights watchdog faults Colombo for deteriorating human rights situation in East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 07:52 GMT]
"Killings and abductions are rife and there is total impunity for horrific abuses," in the eastern province, which the Sri Lankan government claims to have 'liberated' as an example of democracy in action, said the New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW). There have been at least 30 extra-judicial killings and 30 abductions in Eastern Province within the last 60 days, the HRW said blaming the Sri Lankan government for providing unqualified support to TMVP paramilitary factions. The attacks and other threats against journalists have caused the media to curtail reporting on the security situation in the East. Members of civil society organizations have also been subjected to threats, according to the HRW.
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130 SLA killed, 450 wounded in 3 days in Mukamaalai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 November 2008, 15:45 GMT]
At least 130 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers lost their lives and more than 450 wounded in the offensive push within the last 3 days in Ki'laali and Mukamaalai fronts, according to a reliable Sri Lankan military source. 29 SLA soldiers lost their lives sustaining sniper fire, the source said and added several soldiers were killed while they were trapped in Tiger minefield. The LTTE is yet to release details on the fighting in Northern Front.
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APRC: how long you tolerate a farce, Suresh asks India and IC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 November 2008, 01:20 GMT]
The All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) is a farce of the Sri Lanka government. It was always used to impress upon India and the International Community. The basic premise of the APRC not to go beyond unitary constitution of Sri Lanka, will not bring in any meaningful result. India and the IC know it well. Yet, if they continue to tolerate the farce, they will only be abetting the genocidal programme of Colombo, says Suresh Premachandran of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).
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Political Prisoners to fast in Colombo, Anuradhapura

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 November 2008, 15:27 GMT]
Tamil political prisoners in Colombo Remand Prison and Anuradhapura Prison have announced a one-day fast on Monday, urging the authorities to expedite their cases. The prisoners, who alleged that the authorities were conveniently availing themselves of the PTV (Prevention of Terrorism Act) provision that allows for indefinite inquiry, said even the cases that have come to the courts were being delayed. The prisoners have warned that they would launch fast-unto-death campaign if there was no positive response to their one-day fast on Monday.
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UPFA MPs instructed not to leave country during budget debate

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2008, 11:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his capacity of Minister of Finance, is to present his fourth budget for the year 2009 in parliament on Thursday November 6th.  Meanwhile, the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has notified all government parliamentarians not to leave the country till the Budge-2009 is passed in parliament, parliamentary sources said. Mr. Rajapaksa assumed executive presidency in December 2005.
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Committee appointed to investigate Minister Chandrasekaran

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 October 2008, 19:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed a three-member special committee chaired by the Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake to investigate the conduct of Minister Periyasamy Chandrasekaran over his support to Tamilnadu political leaders in support of the LTTE and Sri Lankan Tamils while holding a cabinet minister post in the Sri Lanka government. The other members of the Committee are Nimal Sripala de Silva, Leader of the House and Minister of Health and Nutrition, and Dinesh Gunawardene, Chief Whip of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and Minister of Urban Development.
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Colombo to avoid reporting casualty figures on Vanni fighting

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 October 2008, 22:36 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Friday continued in its attempt to advance further into southern Ki'linochchi facing stiff resistance from the Tigers, according to the officials of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in Vanni. Fighting intensified as SLA attempted to advance towards Naachchikkudaa on Friday, they said adding that the SLA has suffered heavy casualties. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Defence Ministry officials said they have suspended reporting casualty figures of their side in the offensive that has been stepped up in Vanni.
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Sinhala woman arrested over Borelesgammuwa attack

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 October 2008, 16:35 GMT]
A Sinhalese woman was arrested by the police Sunday in connection with suicide bomb attack on the convoy of Minister Maithiripala Sirisena, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Thursday afternoon at Borelesgammuwa. She is being held in detention and is being interrogated by the Terrorist Intelligence Division, media sources said.
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Second Rights petition filed against Karuna's appointment as MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 October 2008, 19:35 GMT]
A second Fundamental Rights violation petition was filed in the Supreme Court Thursday against the appointment of Muralitharan Vinayagamoorthy, alias Karuna, a renegade of the LTTE and currently the President of TMVP, as national list parliamentarian from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), legal sources said.
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JVP files court action against Karuna's nomination as UPFA MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 October 2008, 19:32 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sinhala nationalist party, Tuesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking annulment of the gazette notification issued by the Commissioner of Elections nominating Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna, a renegade Tiger commander who turned leader of a paramilitary group operated by the Sri Lanka Army in Batticaloa and Ampaa'rai as a nationalist parliamentarian from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to the seat that fell vacant due to the resignation of a JVP parliamentarian Vasantha Samarasinghe, legal sources said.
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Parliament approves emergency extension

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 October 2008, 19:25 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday by a majority of 84 votes adopted the motion moved by the government to extend the State of Emergency by one month, parliamentary sources said. 98 parliamentarians of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) including the newly appointed Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna voted for the motion. Fourteen parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) voted against the motion.
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UPFA to appoint Karuna as national list parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 October 2008, 11:21 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, following the advice by his brother and SL Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has approved a suggestion to appoint Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna, a renegade Tiger commander who turned leader of a paramilitary group operated by the Sri Lanka Army in Batticaloa and Ampaa'rai, as national list parliamentarian of the UPFA, informed sources in Colombo said.
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Janaka Perera assassinated, blast kills 28 in Anuradhapura

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 October 2008, 03:58 GMT]
Opposition Leader of the United National Party in North Central Province, Maj. Gen (retd.) Janaka Perera and his wife, a former Sri Lanka Army officer, were killed in a bomb blast in Anuradhapura Monday morning around 8:45. Around 28 persons were killed and 80 wounded in the blast, Police said. An attacker, strapped with hidden explosives, embraced the former commander killing himself and several others, initial reports said. Janaka Perera was the UNP candidate for the Chief Minister post in 2008 Provincial Elections in North Central Province, which was marred by violence.
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