Fonseka visits Jaffna, daughters arrive for sightseeing tour

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 March 2006, 13:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Army commander, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka arrived at the Palaly airport Friday morning, was taken to Jaffna Thuraiyappah stadium in a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopter and proceeded to meet the commanders at the 51-2 Brigade Head Quarters in Jaffna amid high security, sources in Jaffna said.
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Fonseka claims credit for successful ‘retaliations’

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 March 2006, 01:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Army commander, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, has claimed credit for a number of killings and disappearances of Tamil political activists in during the heightened violence in December and January. The Sunday Times quoted him as telling troops: “we bravely faced the situation and retaliated on those who attacked us. Thereafter we took a proactive role by looking for those who attacked us and retaliated in places like Jaffna and Batticaloa.”
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New SLMM Head meets Elilan in Sampoor

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 March 2006, 17:39 GMT]
Swedish Brigadier, Ulf Henricsson, who is to assume duties on 1st April as the new head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), met with Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head for the first time Saturday evening, sources in Trincomalee said. The discussions centered on the current ceasefire agreement, Geneva peace talks and future activities related to peace process, sources said.
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CFA flawed, allows Tigers access to SLA areas for political work - Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 March 2006, 20:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, at a ceremony held at the Army Headquarters in Colombo Friday said that there are many flaws in the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) signed between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "The LTTE has exploited these flaws to enter the Sri Lanka government controlled areas to carryout political activities," charged the Sri Lankan commander.
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Amnesty fears for safety of disappeared TRO staffers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 March 2006, 12:28 GMT]
Amnesty International in an Urgent Action release issued Friday expressed "grave concern" for the safety of the seven Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) staffers who were abducted on 29-30 January and are still missing. Amnesty urged all concerned to write to the Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence, Inspector General of Police and Sri Lanka's President Mr Mahinda Rajapakse to "undertake and complete as a matter of urgency thorough investigations into the fate and whereabouts of the seven," and to ensure safety of all TRO workers and the families of the missing.
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Harvard experts too pro-Tiger, too liberal, says Govt. paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 February 2006, 20:19 GMT]
"It [Sri Lanka Government Peace Team] learnt that two Harvard specialists who were coaching the peace team on some aspects of conflict resolution, for instance, were thought of as being too liberal and possibly too pro Tiger in their views," said Sri Lanka's state-run paper Sunday Observer in its latest edition. The paper also quoted a source close to the consultation process as saying, "Harvard and other institutions of repute, may wittingly or otherwise place Sri Lankan strategy in channels that could be available to the Tigers."
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Intelligence Chief Zacky in Jaffna to step up campaign

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 January 2006, 12:40 GMT]
Director of Military Intelligence (DMI) Brigadier Rizvy Zacky, a hardliner, has been recently posted as Brigadier General Staff Officer (GSO, Intelligence) at the Sri Lanka Army Head Quarters (SF HQ) Jaffna in a major reshuffle of the SLA and Intelligence apparatus. Execution-style killings of five students in Trincomalee and three women members of a family in Jaffna mark a stark change of pattern in the escalation of intensified serial killings of non-combatant civilians in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas in the NorthEast. The pattern of violence also marks the return of hardliners who seems to prefer terror to subdue a population.
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Retired Navy Chief of Staff appointed NorthEast Governor

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 January 2006, 12:18 GMT]
Retired Rear Admiral Mohan Wijeyawickrema Friday assumed duties as the sixth Governor of the NorthEast Province at the sub-office of the Governor's Secretariat in Colombo. Mr Wijewickrema retired as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) prematurely as his seniority was overlooked when Ms Kumaratunge appointed Rear Admiral Vasantha Karanagoda as the Commander of the SLN in 2005. The new Governor is scheduled to pay his first official visit to the Secretariat located in Trincomalee facing the Trincomalee harbor next week, officials of the Secretariat said.
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SLA attacks on Jaffna protesters justified, says Fonseka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 December 2005, 20:52 GMT]
A "third force" in Jaffna is using peaceful demonstrations to instigate violence and therefore Sri Lanka Army (SLA) had to take defensive action, said Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the Sri Lanka Army commander, justifying the recent attacks by the SLA soldiers on unarmed protesters in Jaffna, during a meeting between SL President Mahinda Rajapakse and TNA parliamentarians Wednesday at Temple trees, TNA sources said. The Vice Chancellor of Jaffna Campus, the Dean of the Arts Faculty and a TNA Member of Parliament were attacked, several students were injured and a lecturer received gunshot wounds when the SLA soldiers violently brokeup a peaceful demonstration near Jaffna campus Monday.
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World concerned over escalation of violence, Solheim calls for urgent talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 18:24 GMT]
The global community is gravely concerned over the rising tide of violence in the Jaffna peninsula and calling for urgent talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers to de-escalate the conflict. This message was conveyed to the LTTE’s Chief Negotiator and theoretician, Mr. Anton Balasingham when a high level Norwegian delegation met him at his London residence Tuesday morning, sources told TamilNet.
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New military top brass responsible for Jaffna attack - Vice Chancellor

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 December 2005, 13:19 GMT]
Jaffna University Vice Chancellor Professor C. Mohanadas charged the newly sworn-in top brass of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for unleashing troopers on a peaceful demonstration. "This is a worst form of politically motivated military tactic," he said addressing a press meet held at the Jaffna Campus Student Union offices at 5 p.m. Monday. Professor Mohanadas condemned the attacks by the SLA on peaceful demonstrators including the attack on him Monday morning at Parameswara junction in Jaffna.
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Indian Naval Commander in Chief in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 December 2005, 11:32 GMT]
Vice Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Commander in Chief of the Indian Navys Eastern Naval Command is on a visit to Sri Lanka between 12 Dec to 16 Dec 05, a press release by the Indian Embassy in Colombo said Wednesday. Vice Admiral Mehta met with Sri Lankan Government President and Commanders of Security forces, the release added.
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SL Military commanders visit Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 02:24 GMT]
Cheif of Defence Staff Admiral Daya Sandagiri, the newly appointed Commander of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, Commander of the SL Navy Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda and Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force Air Marshal G D Perera visited Palaly Military base Tuesday evening and discussed security situation in Jaffna, sources in Colombo said. Lt Gen Fonseka's Jaffna visit is the first major visit the General has undertaken after he was appointed to the top military job.
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Colombo cancels Muhamalai meet

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 December 2005, 14:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials informed the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) representatives who were present at Muhamalai Monday evening that the Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat in Colombo had declined permission to the SLA Jaffna Commander, Maj. Gen. Sunil Tennakoon, to attend the proposed meeting with the LTTE, sources at the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi told TamilNet.
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Indian Commander visits Vavuniya SLA frontlines

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 December 2005, 12:26 GMT]
General Officer Commander-in-Chief of Southern Command Lt. Gen. B.S. Thakker Thursday visited the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) front lines in Vavuniya and discussed with SLA Commanders matters related to security, sources in Vavuniya said.
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Fonseka is new Army Commander

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 November 2005, 20:39 GMT]
Major General Sarath Fonseka, to be promoted Lieutenant General, will be Sri Lanka's new Commander of the Army, The Sunday Times reported this week. Lt. Gen. Foneseka will become the 17th Commander of the Army and will succeed Lt. Gen. Shantha Kottegoda, against whom he had unsuccessfully competed for the post in 2003.
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Rajapakse to deliver vital policy speech Friday

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 November 2005, 17:03 GMT]
Newly elected Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse is set to deliver his first speech at the Lankan Parliament Friday where he is also expected to express his stand on the ethnic crisis, the Norwegian facilitation, economic policy and his foreign policy. A motion on re-imposing Emergency Regulations is also expected to be tabled in the Parliament Friday.
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SLA assures protection to Jaffna journalists

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 March 2005, 17:41 GMT]
Major General Sunil Tennekon, Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army Sunday assured the Jaffna media personnel that his command is prepared to provide security to them and their equipments when they discharge their duties on the ground. He held a wide-ranging discussion, which lasted for about an hour with a delegation of Jaffna District Media Association (JDMA) at the office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) following allegations that soldiers had attacked journalists in Jaffna in recent times when they were performing their duties.
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Tyronne Fernando assumes duties as NE Governor

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 December 2004, 17:22 GMT]
Mr.Tyronne Fernando, newly appointed Governor for the North East Province Wednesday assumed duties in the Governor's Secretariat which is located at Orr's Hill, a suburb in Trincomalee. Dignitaries of all faiths blessed him before he started his duties in his office. The Governor spoke in Sinhala first and then in English. His speech was not translated into Tamil language, sources said.
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Veteran Sinhala actor Gamini Fonseka dies

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 September 2004, 14:19 GMT]
Mr.Gamini Fonseka, the well known Sinhala cinema actor turned politician died Thursday. He was 68. Mr. Fonseka played the leading role Gamperaliya, the first Sinhala film to win an international award. His film on the 1958 anti Tamil pogrom, Sarungalay, was well acclaimed. Mr. Fonseka was elected as an MP of the United National Party and served as the Governor of the Northeastern Province (1995 - 1998). His stardom and his fame remain unmatched in Sinhala cinema.
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