5 Provincial Councils in south to be dissolved

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2008, 00:31 GMT]
The Sri Lanka government is likely to dissolve Western Provincial Council (WPC), Southern Provincial Council (SPC), Central Provincial Council (CPC), North Western Provincial Council (NWPC) and Uva Provincial Council (UPC) after the elections to the North Central Provincial Council (NCPC) and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council (SPC) scheduled to be held on August 23, informed political sources in Colombo said.
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Sri Lanka parliament extends Emergency

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 August 2008, 05:41 GMT]
The State of Emergency imposed in Sri Lanka on 12th August 2005 was extended by another month Wednesday by Sri Lanka's parliament by a majority of seventy two votes. Eighty four parliamentarians voted in support of the extension, and twelve voted against, parliamentary sources said.
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Postal voting begins amid reports of increased violence

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 August 2008, 03:43 GMT]
Two-day postal voting began Thursday in the North Central Province (NCP) and Sabragamuwa Province (SP) for the two provincial council elections scheduled to be held on August 23, amid reports of the increase of election related violence, sources said. Sri Lanka Police is providing tight security to all government offices in the two provinces. The postal voting will continue till Friday.
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Rival supporters damage UPFA, UNP Anuradhapura election offices

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 August 2008, 01:39 GMT]
Election offices of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and main opposition United National Party (UNP) located in Anuradhapura town and Thambuthugama in the Anuradhapura district were damaged by supporters of rival parties Sunday night, police sources said.
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Rajapaksa 'pardons' Arumugam Thondaman

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 August 2008, 06:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has pardoned Minister Arumugam Thondaman, from the suspended jail sentence and fine imposed by Nuwara Eliya Magistrate Tuesday for the contempt of court. The Nuwara Eliya Magistrate sentenced Thondaman Arumugam with two others on Tuesday morning and the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa pardoned only Mr. Thondaman on Tuesday evening, media sources said.
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967 graduates get appointments in Batticaloa, Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 July 2008, 13:29 GMT]
485 graduates in Batticaloa district and 482 in Ampaa'rai district received appointments for jobs in two separate events on Monday. The appointments for the first batch of 1225 graduates who were already promised come in the wake of protests by more than 2,500 unemployed in the Eastern Province. Sri Lankan Education Minister Susil Premajayantha was the chief guest for the events on Monday. Security was beefed up in the nearby streets 24-hours in advance to the events amid a new wave of protest by voluntary teachers who were yet to receive permanent appointments.
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Basil Rajapaksa visits Batticaloa to discuss ADB allocation of funds

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 July 2008, 17:04 GMT]
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated 4,015 million rupees for the development of agriculture and irrigation tanks in Batticaloa district and a conference presided by Basil Rajapakse, the brother and Senior Advisor to SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa and member of parliament, was held Sunday in Batticaloa District Secretariat to discuss ways of making use of the ADB funds, sources in Batticaloa said. Sri Lankan ministers and heads of local and provincial governments of the ruling UPFA, TMVP alliance attended the conference. Members of parliament from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Batticaloa district were not invited.
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Ki'linochchi, Mullaiththeevu, not far away, says Rajapaksa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 July 2008, 09:40 GMT]
It is "not too far away," to "liberate the people of Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu" and make them live under a "democratic set up" now being "enjoyed by the people of the eastern province," declared Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, addressing a provincial election campaign meeting in Anuradhapura on Saturday. The statement comes after Sri Lanka Army officials in Colombo told media that their forces were making "rapid progress" in Vanni claiming that the SLA recovered 37 dead bodies of LTTE fighters together with arms as the Sri Lankan forces were engaged in consolidating an offensive line south of Mallaavi.
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JVP parliamentarian accuses government of 'white van culture'

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 July 2008, 06:38 GMT]
Parliamentarian Mr.Wijitha Heart, Propaganda, propaganda secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), told media Friday that abductions are now being carried out in the country with the blessing of the government. The excavation of a corpse of a Tamil person who is alleged to have been abducted and later found to be dumped in the premises of the office of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) in Batticaloa, clearly points complicity of Colombo in the abduction-murder, the JVP MP added. EPDP is a constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, and the leader of EPDP is a cabinet minister.
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JHU accuses five UPFA ministers supporting devolution

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 July 2008, 10:54 GMT]
The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party condemned a group of ministers who have been supporting devolution of police and land powers to provincial councils according to the 13th amendment to the constitution. JHU leaders at a press briefing held Thursday said ministers in the UPFA government have formed a movement to urge the government to devolve police and land powers to provincial councils. JHU media spokesman Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe said the JHU would oppose such move and would take stern steps to crush the movement.
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JVP trying to launch another insurgency- SLFP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 July 2008, 12:47 GMT]
The Sinhala Nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), has been on its way to the jungle once again after its internal split, said the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and a senior minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena, addressing a press briefing held in the auditorium of the Mahaweli Centre in Colombo Friday.
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Trincomalee fishermen protest against restriction on fishing

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 July 2008, 16:20 GMT]
A demonstration led by Sinhala nationalist JVP's Trincomalee district parliamentatrian Jayantha Wijesekare demanded Friday the Sri Lankan government to relax the restriction on fishing imposed in Trincomalee or to compensate Rs. 20,000 per fishing family. The JVP, which is opposed to Rajapaksa government's move to hand over lands in Moothoor to India's infrastructure investment of Coal-Fired Power Plant, said it would launch a massive protest campaign against the government if the UPFA government failed to satisfy the demands immediately.
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Court seeks explanation from AG for video taping Tamil residents

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 July 2008, 00:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court, in response to a complaint filed by the petitioner in a fundamental rights violation case, Monday, directed the Attorney General to appear on Tuesday and submit his explanation for video taping a group of Tamil civilians in Muhathuwaaram in Colombo on July 2 after they were taken to an open space following a cordon and search operation, legal sources said.
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British Foreign Minister to meet Pillayan - reports

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 July 2008, 19:40 GMT]
Britain’s Foreign Minister, Lord Malloch-Brown, is to meet Pillayan (Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan), Chief Minister of the Eastern Province and leader of the Army-backed paramilitary group, the TMVP, Sri Lankan press reports said. Lord Malloch-Brown is on a four day visit to Sri Lanka this week, The Island newspaper said.
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JVP urges removal of restrictions on Trinco coastal villages

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 July 2008, 12:35 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which is opposed to Rajapaksa government's move to hand over lands in Moothoor to India's infrastructure investment of Coal-Fired Power Plant, warned Friday that it would launch a protest campaign against the ruling UPFA government if it fails to meet the requirements of the fishermen along four coastal divisions including Moothoor. The government should lift the restrictions on fishing and extend the duration allowed for fishing in Trincomalee's coastal areas or pay monthly 20,000 rupees per family as relief for their livelihood until normalcy returns.
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War of words on opposition's strike

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 July 2008, 18:21 GMT]
While Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said that the token strike it launched with the support of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Thursday was a success, the Sri Lanka Government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed in the parliament that the strike ended in 'utter failure' due to lack of support from the working class, political sources in Colombo said. The workers were pressurised in all provinces to be present at the work by the government officials and the police.
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State of Emergency extended in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 July 2008, 18:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday after a full day debate adopted the motion to extend the State of Emergency for another by a majority of 97 votes. 111 parliamentarians voted for the motion and 11 against. The ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and Jathika Nidahas Peramuna (JNP), splinter group of the JVP supported. Eleven parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) voted against the motion, parliamentary sources said.
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UPFA government disregards SL Parliament - Wickramasinghe

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 July 2008, 11:12 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, the leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), has stated that Sri Lanka was being ruled by a government that disregards the sovereignty of the parliament. The parliament should be used as a platform to fight for the basic fundamental rights of the people, Ranil Wickremasinghe has said.
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Paramilitary 'safe houses' hinder peaceful PC election -JVP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 July 2008, 11:06 GMT]
Candidates contesting on behalf of opposition parties in the North Central Provincial Council election are reported to have expressed fear that 'safe houses' used by the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) paramilitary in villages Thiruchcheanai, Muthgala, Madurangala, Thuruvilla, and Mannampiddi where about 5,800 Tamils are living, would hinder peaceful election, media reports said quoting M.Palitha Upul Kumara, a former councillor of the NCPC. Mr. Upul Kumara, a resident of Mannampiddi, is contesting the election on the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) ticket.
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SL parliament elects new Deputy Speaker uncontested

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 July 2008, 08:58 GMT]
Priyankara Jayaratne was elected unopposed as Deputy Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Tuesday. SL Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake proposed and Nimal Sripala de Silva, Leader of the House seconded the name of Priyankara Jayaratne for the post of Deputy Speaker that fell vacant with the resignation of Geethanjana Gunawardene on July 4, parliamentary sources said.
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