Sri Lanka's President urged not to retake defense ministry

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2003, 15:29 GMT]
The Mahanayake Theras of Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters Sunday appealed to the President of Sri Lanka, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, not to retake the post of defense ministry thus plunging the country into crisis at a time Sri Lanka has joined the global community to establish peace in the country, media sources said.
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Sri Lanka’s Chief Justice to face impeachment motion

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2003, 12:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Chief Justice of the Supreme Court , Mr.Sarath N.Silva, is to face an impeachment motion in parliament shortly, according to a decision taken by the United Front National (UNF) government, ruling party parliamentary group sources said Sunday.


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Navy occupation leaves cattle on the road

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2003, 01:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy has barred cattle from grazing in Attavaniakulam pastureland in Thampalakamam in Trincomalee district as the pastureland falls within the newly expanded High Security Zone (HSZ), security sources said. While the cattle breeders bemoan the loss of prime grazing area, farmers are scrambling to safeguard their paddy crops in more than 5000 acres from wandering cattle.
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Court hears petition against Sri Lanka's president

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 2003, 17:41 GMT]
The Court of Appeal Tuesday decided to inquire into a petition filed by the Public Legal Aid Foundation, challenging the non-establishment of the National Election Commission by President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and seventeen other respondents, under the 17th amendment to the Constitution, legal sources said.
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Sri Lanka power struggle goes to Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 October 2003, 00:01 GMT]
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Sri Lanka Monday decided to appoint a panel comprising five judges to hear the application of President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and to determine whether the Defence Minister of the United National Front government had encroached the power vested with the Executive Presidency of the country under Section 129 of the Constitution, legal sources said.
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SLFP to hold anti-UNF demo on Deepavali day

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 October 2003, 18:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, who is also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), rejected appeals made by Tamil parliamentarians and Hindu organizations against holding the SLFP’s demonstration against the United National Front government in Colombo on the Deepavali day, Friday, sources said.
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Sri Lanka's President wants SLMM head sacked

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 October 2003, 17:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, has requested the Norwegian Prime Minister to remove the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Major General (retd.) Triggve Teleffsen, immediately from his post, saying his actions have caused serious doubts in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, the Presidential Secretariat said Thursday.
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Teachers protest 'Sinhalization' of Tamil schools

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 October 2003, 15:11 GMT]
The Twenty thousand-member strong Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) Monday warned that it would launch a massive agitation campaign in collaboration with Tamil political parties if the Western Provincial Council failed to stop posting Sinhalese teachers to Tamil medium schools. The People's Allaince (PA) controls the Western Provincial Council administration.
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SLFP to mobilize people support against UNF government

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 October 2003, 01:42 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has decided to conduct agitation campaign against the policies of the United National Front (UNF) government in Colombo within the next two weeks, party sources said.


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PNM vows to thwart 'foreign attempt to divide' country

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2003, 17:43 GMT]
The leader of the Patriotic National Movement (PNM), Venerable Elle Gunawanse Thera, addressing the public meeting held at the conclusion of the five-day anti-peace march Wednesday said that the majority Sinhalese people will not allow foreign elements now involved in the peace process to divide the country, sources said.
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JVP awaits invitation to resume talks with SLFP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 October 2003, 14:42 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said Wednesday it has not received official invitation from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), chief constituent of the main opposition Peoples Alliance regarding the resumption of failed talks to form a political alliance to oust the present United National Front government from power, political sources said.
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'GOSL should listen to IDP’s demands' - Ezhilan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 September 2003, 15:11 GMT]
"Those who say that the Ceasefire has brought peace and all problems are solved should go to the refugee camps and see the refugees who cannot return to their homes because of the Sri Lanka Army’s occupation of their lands. Only then they will understand the plight of the internally displaced people (IDP) and the fairness of their demands," said Mr. S. Ezhilan, the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Vavuniya, speaking at the Pongu Thamil event in Vavuniya town Wednesday, sources said.
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Chandrika cancels meeting with Wickremesinghe, Helgesen

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 September 2003, 21:21 GMT]
Meeting between President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe did not take place Thursday as scheduled and Ms. Kumaratunge cancelled her meeting with the Norwegian deputy foreign minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen and special envoy Mr. Erik Solheim which also scheduled for Thursday, Presidential Secretariat said in a press release said. .


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Akashi concludes Lanka visit, leaves to India

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 September 2003, 11:22 GMT]
Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi said that the donor countries are not prepared to spend the funds pledged at the Tokyo aid conference for the reconstruction and development of the northeast province until stalled peace talks resume, media sources said.


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PA, UNF trade charges over claims of new Trinco LTTE camps

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2003, 14:37 GMT]
The main opposition in Sri Lanka's parliament, the People's Alliance, Friday rejected the claim by the ruling United National Front government that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has not constructed any new camp in the government controlled areas in the northeast except the Kurankupanchchan LTTE camp now in dispute, and reiterated its original claim of many new LTTE camps in Trincomalee in areas controlled by the Government of Sri Lanka.
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JVP’s second anti-peace march to commence in Kandy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 September 2003, 16:58 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) announced Thursday that its second five-day march from Kandy to Colombo, protesting against the present peace talks between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers, would commence on September 27.
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'NE conflict cannot be solved through talks' -Sihala Urumaya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 September 2003, 14:53 GMT]
At a press briefing held Thursday in Colombo, Mr.Tilak Karunaratne, the General Secretary of the Sinhala extremist political party, Sihala Urumaya (SU), said that in the SU's view, the northeast conflict could not be solved through negotiations, media sources said.
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Akashi to commence Sri Lanka visit Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 September 2003, 19:09 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, will arrive in Colombo on a six-day visit Thursday. He will stay in Sri Lanka until September 16 and hold discussions with several political leaders regarding the present stalled peace process between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, political sources said.
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'GOSL responsible for disappearance of Trinco youth' - HRC(UN)

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 September 2003, 14:43 GMT]
The Human Rights Committee of the United Nations, established under article 28 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has said in a public statement that the Government of Sri Lanka is under an obligation to make a thorough and effective investigation into the disappearance and fate of J.Thevaraja Sarma, who disappeared after being arrested in Trincomalee by the Sri Lanka Army in 1990.
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SLMC, UNP to work out new political arrangement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 September 2003, 16:46 GMT]
The United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), constituents of the ruling United National Front government of Sri Lanka, at a meeting Wednesday decided to explore the possibilities of contesting provincial and general elections under one banner in the future. The meeting was held at the Temple Trees residence of Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, the Prime Minister and leader of the UNP, to thrash out differences between the two UNF partners, political sources said.
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