First Aid book will help reduce rural deaths- Health officials

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 August 2005, 01:42 GMT]
A book on First Aid written by V Sreetharan and published jointly by the Vanni district St.Johns Ambulance First Aid Brigade and Kilinochchi district Malaria Prevention Movement was officially released Wednesday 3.30 pm at an event held at the Kilinochchi Cultural Hall, sources in Kilinochchi said. Regional Malaraia Prevention official Dr K Sujanthan presided the event.
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SLFP seeks Court to fix SL Presidential election in 2006

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 16:58 GMT]
Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, Tuesday filed a petition with the Supreme Court to order the Commissioner of Elections to hold the next Sri Lanka Presidential election in 2006, legal sources said.


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Up-Country Tamils protest against Sri Lankan Minister

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 13:43 GMT]
More than five-thousand protesters demonstrated Monday in front of Colombo Fort Railway station from 3:00 p.m till 4:30 p.m. against the Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Labour Relations and Foreign Employment, Mr. Mervyn Silva, over his recent racial slurs directed at the Up-Country Tamils of Indian origin. Mr. Silva, while verbally abusing journalists who went to cover a court case where his son was involved, also insulted the Up-Country Tamils, according to journalists in Colombo.
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Private bus owner abducted in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2005, 11:30 GMT]
Unidentified men abducted a private bus owner, Mr. Balachandran Karikaran, 40, at gun point on Goodshed Road, 1.5 km. west of Vavuniya town Sunday around 8:30 p.m., sources in Vavuniya said.
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Commissioner to meet leaders before fixing poll date

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 11:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Commissioner of Election Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake is reported to have decided to meet the leaders of all main political parties during the next two weeks before taking a decision to fix the date for the next presidential election. The leader of ruling United Freedom Peoples Alliance (UPFA) government and incumbent President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge insists that the next presidential election should be held in December 2006. However the main opposition United National Party (UNP) demands that the election should be held before December this year, sources said.


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Five-member SC bench to hear election case

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2005, 01:19 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's Supreme Court (SC) Friday allowed the petition filed by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party, in the Sri Lanka Presidential election date controversy to be heard before a five-member bench on August 22. JHU has sought the Supreme Court to order the Commissioner of Elections to hold the Presidential election before the end of this year, legal sources said.
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SL President denounces Jaffna killings

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 10:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Friday directed the relevant authorities to investigate Inuvil incident in Jaffna district where a Tamil civilian Mr.Santharoopan was shot dead by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army and Jaffna Police Superintendent Mr. Charles Wijewardene by a crowd in retaliation. Kumaratunga has directed to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay, according to a media release issued by the Presidential Media Unit.
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CFA, P-TOMS discussed in Helgesen, Kumaratunga meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 07:54 GMT]
The Norwegian Depurty Foreign Minister and the facilitator of the peace process Mr. Vidar Helgesen met Sri Lanka's President Ms. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at her official residence Thursday night, Presidential Secretariat sources said. The Norwegian Deputy FM discussed the current state of the peace process with the SL President along with the issues which confront the implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). Mr. Helgesen also discussed the issues related to the scuttled P-TOMS deal, sources added. The meeting which began at 9 p.m. continued till 10.30 p.m. The Norwegian Deputy FM is visiting Kilinochchi Friday to meet the LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan.
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Grenade lobbed at EPDP office in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 04:06 GMT]
The office of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) leader Mr. Douglas Devananda came under a grenade attack around 11:40 p.m. Thursday, Police sources said. There were no casualities reported but a big noise due to the explosion echoed throughout the highly residential Park road, Colombo 5, the area where the EPDP office is located. Mr. Douglas Devananda, MP, leader of EPDP and a close ally of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, is the Minister for Vocational Education. The heavily guarded EPDP office houses the EPDP paramilitary cadres who operate along with the armed forces in the NorthEast.
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SL Presidential election case to be taken up for inquiry

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 01:34 GMT]
Three-member bench of the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court is to commence its inquiry Friday into the petition filed by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) regarding the date of Sri Lanka Presidential election. JHU has sought the Supreme Court to order the Election Commissioner to hold the Presidential election before the end of this year, legal sources said.
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JHU to protest against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 04:58 GMT]
"We have decided to hold island-wide protests against the Post-Tsunami Operations Structure (P-TOMS), we demand holding of elections for Sri Lanka's presidency in 2005, and want immediate suspension of all talks with International community regarding P-TOMS," said Omalpe Sobitha Thera, parliamentarian from the extremist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) , an all monks party, to media persons Wednesday.
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Leader of the House of Sri Lanka parliament resigns

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 02:56 GMT]
The General Secretary of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Senior Minister Mr. Maithiripala Sirisena resigned from his position as Leader of the House Wednesday night, Sri Lanka Government sources said. Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena, an SLFP stalwart and a parliamentarian from the Eastern Polannaruwa district, is one of the confidants of SL President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge.
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Recourse to Court action on election date challenged

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 17:11 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Wednesday announced that incumbent President has no authority to seek the Supreme Court its determination on fixing the date for the next Presidential election, political sources in Colombo said.
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Kumaratunge seeks SC's decision on poll date

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 07:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge on Tuesday sought the Supreme Court's determination on the controversial issue of the date of the conduct of the next Presidential election in Sri Lanka, according to a news release issued by Sri Lanka's Presidential Office Wednesday. Ms. Kumaratunge has earlier said that the election will be held in December 2006 arguing that her term of office will come to an end in 2006 as she was sworn in second time in 2000, one year after she was re-elected for a second term.
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Helgesen, Solheim to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 July 2005, 15:59 GMT]
The Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgesen and the Norwegian Special Envoy Mr. Erik Solheim are expected to visit Sri Lanka next week, Minister Mr. Nimal Sripala De Silva, said in a press conference at the Government Information Department in Colombo Friday.
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Presidential election controversy goes to court

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 July 2005, 15:46 GMT]
Mr.Dharmadasa Gomes, Attorney-at-Law Friday filed a petition in the Court of Appeal to order the Commissioner of Elections to declare the date of the Sri Lankan Presidential election citing Commissioner of Elections Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake, and Attorney General Mr.K.C.Kamalasbaeyson, as respondents, state run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation reported in its Friday night news bulletin quoting legal sources.
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Kalmunai Muslims protest against SL Minister Athaulla

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 July 2005, 12:30 GMT]
More than one thousand Muslims from three different mosques in Kalmunai town marched Friday in protest against the Minister of Infrastructure Development in the Eastern Province, Mr. A.L.M Athaulla, a leader of one of the breakaway factions of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), accusing the lankan minister of "betraying Muslims in Kalmunai" and favouring his native town of Akkaraipattu in securing governmental facilities. Demonstrators also carried placards supporing Tamil - Muslim relations in Kalmunai.
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SLFP names Mahinda Rajapakse Presidential candidate

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 July 2005, 09:32 GMT]
The central committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Thursday endorsed the name of Prime Minister, Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, as its candidate of the Sri Lanka's executive presidency. Mr.Nimal Sripala de Silva, Cabinet spokesman and Minister in the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government announced this at a press briefing held in Prime Minister's official residence 'Temple Trees'.
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US should facilitate equitable, expeditious aid distribution- Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 July 2005, 00:39 GMT]
Speaking at a Members' briefing organized by the Congressional Human Rights Caucus Wednesday at the Rayburn building of the Capitol Hill Washington D.C on "Sri-Lanka: Challenges and Efforts to Effectively Deliver Humanitarian Relief in the Wake of the Tsunami," Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Gajendrakumar urged the United States Government to "resolve any legal issues that prevent the US government from directly, equitably and expeditiously providing all forms of assistance to all parts of the Northeast," sources in Washington said.


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LTTE: "no need to renegotiate ceasefire"

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 19:06 GMT]
Rejecting a call by the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga inviting the Liberation Tigers for top-level talks to review and restructure the February 2002 ceasefire agreement, the Tigers this week urged the Sri Lankan government to implement the clauses and obligations of the truce without delay, so as to "consolidate the conditions of peace and normalcy in the Tamil homeland."
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