UPFA's May Day rally in Ampaarai

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 April 2008, 13:25 GMT]
The ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has decided to hold its May Day rally at Mahaweli Grounds in Dehiyatttakandiya in Ampaarai district. ": We have accepted the challenge to hold the rally outside Colombo for the first time," Minister Dallas Alahaperuma said at a press briefing held in Colombo Thursday, media sources said.
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Independent candidate assaulted at Vaalaichchenai

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 April 2008, 16:19 GMT]
A Muslim candidate of an independent group, an ally of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) was waylaid and assaulted by supporters of another political party close to Ootamawadi Girls Maha Vidiyalayam when he was returning home after attending an election meeting at Ootamawadi Tuesday night around 8:00 p.m.. A.B.Abdul Hameed, 29, father two children is a resident of Koolikadai Road in Vaalaichchenai and is the main candidate of the independent group for Kalkudah electorate. He has been warded in the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital with severe injuries.
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Ferial Ashraff dismayed over appointment of Sinhala Education Secretary

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 April 2008, 01:10 GMT]
Ms Ferial Ashraff, a minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, is alleged to have expressed dissatisfaction over the appointment of a Sinhalese officer as the Secretary to the East Provincial Education Ministry at a time when the east provincial council election is to take place, political sources in Colombo said.
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Tamil woman arrested at politico's funeral in Ratnapura

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 April 2008, 05:15 GMT]
Ratnapura police Thursday arrested a Tamil woman attending a funeral event of a leading member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Police said she was taken in for questioning on suspicion that she being a member of the LTTE, reports from Ratnapura said.
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International Community should learn from experience, Vaiko tells Norway

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 April 2008, 23:03 GMT]
Expressing that the lack of implementation by the Government of Sri Lanka on the agreed principles of the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), especially disarming of army backed paramilitary groups, led to the ultimate breakdown of the peace process, Vaiko, the General Secretary of Marumalarchchi Dravida Munneatta Kazhakam (MDMK), told Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim and Jon Hanssen-Bauer, the Norwegian Special Envoy, that the International Community should prevail upon the GoSL to reinstate the ceasefire in order to engage in a meaningful process for a negotiated settlement.
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Wijesekara to succeed Jeyaraj in parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 April 2008, 14:24 GMT]
Ganepola Arachchige Bandula Perera Wijesekara, a member of the Western Provincial Council, is to succeed Jeyaraj Fernandopulle in the Sri Lanka parliament, reports from Colombo said. Wijesekara was next in line in the Colombo district list of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
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Jeyaraj Fernandopulle killed in bomb blast

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 April 2008, 03:14 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Minister of Highways & Road Development, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, was killed in a bomb blast at the public playground in Weliweraya, located in the Gampaha district of Western Province, around 8:00 a.m. Sunday. 13 persons were killed and 60 wounded in the attack that took place while the minister was waving a flag to start off a marathon race in connection with the Tamil and Sinhala New Year celebrations. 16 of the wounded have sustained serious injuries, Police said.
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Weerawansa suspended from JVP politburo

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 April 2008, 14:40 GMT]
Wimal Weerawansa, the propaganda secretary of the extreme Sinhala nationalist Jantha Wimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was suspended from the politburo of the JVP. The decision was made at a JVP politburo meeting, chaired by party leader Somawansa Amarasinghe. It is widely suspected that stand related to India, the question of disarming a paramilitary group and how to work with the ruling UPFA government, were reasons for the rift between two factions within the JVP.
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1342 to contest in Eastern Provincial Council elections

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2008, 17:25 GMT]
1342 candidates representing political parties and independent groups are to contest in the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) in the districts of Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampaa’rai. Meanwhile, three nominations in Batticaloa, four in Trincolamalee and seven in Ampaa’rai districts were rejected by the Election Officer while 91 were accepted, sources in Batticaloa said.
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Hizbullah: Rajapaksa never promised CM post to Pillaiyan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 April 2008, 08:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa never promised Chief Minister post to Pillaiyan of the TMVP after the Eastern Provincial Council elections, said M.L.A.M.Hizbullah at a press briefing held Wednesday at Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. Mr. Hizbullah said Mr. Rajapaksa had promised that the appointment of the CM post would go to 'the one who secures largest number of votes.'
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Hizbullah crosses over to UPFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2008, 16:20 GMT]
M.L.A.M Hizbullah, an executive committee member of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), on Tuesday, crossed over to Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) strengthening Rajapaksa's alliance in the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council elections. Meanwhile, informed sources in Colombo said that TMVP, the paramilitary-cum-political party, which had invited all its nominees in Eastern Provincial elections to hotels in Colombo was disappointed as Rajapaksa's promise on Chief Minister post and allocation of number of seats in Trincomalee district as it had demanded, faded away with Hizbullah's cross over.
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Independent groups file nomination lists to contest Eastern PC elections

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 March 2008, 17:52 GMT]
Five independent groups submitted their nomination lists to contest the Eastern Provincial council election on Monday. Two groups submitted their lists to contest the Trincomalee district and three in Ampaa'rai district, according to the sources at the Sri Lankan election department. Major political parties are yet to file their nomination lists. The deadline for filing nominations falls on Thursday.
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Pillaiyan, UPFA's principal candidate in Eastern PC election

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 March 2008, 15:39 GMT]
Key paramilitary operative and vice president of Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal TMVP group, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan, has been selected by ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to be its principal candidate in the list of contestants in the forthcoming Eastern Province Council election, Education Minister, Susil Prem Jeyanth said.
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KMF rejects ruling party’s request for support in East elections

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 March 2008, 15:17 GMT]
Representatives of Kaaththaankudi Mosques Federation (KMF) rejected the request by the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ruling party ministers to support the ruling party in the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council election when the parties met Monday around 11:00 a.m at KMF's office in Kaathaankudy, KMF Secretary, Asheik S. H. Sabeel said.
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Left parties in UPFA join TNDA to contest east elections

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 March 2008, 14:28 GMT]
Communist Party (CP) of Sri Lanka and Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), constituents of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Mahinda Rajapakse, and three more political parties in the south, Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya, Democratic Left Front and Desha Vimukthi Janatha Pakshaya have decided to contest the East Provincial Council election in alliance with the recently formed Tamil National Democratic Alliance (TNDA), media sources said. TNDA comprises Peoples Liberation Front of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) and Padmanaba wing of the Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF).
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Moneragala Tamil councilor shot dead

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 14:18 GMT]
Unidentified men who arrived in a white van opened fire on the Deputy Chairman of the Moneragala Piratheasa Chapai (Pradeshiya Sabha), Annamalai Narayanan Mutthulingam, 61, an Up-Country Tamil representative around 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Police said. He succumbed to injuries at Moneragala hospital. A fellow Up-Country Tamil politician described the slaying as part of a prolonged and 'camouflaged campaign of communal violence' against Tamils.
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PLOTE, EPRLF, TULF to contest under one wing

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 March 2008, 11:54 GMT]
People Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) led by D.Siththarathan, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) led by V.Anandasangaree, and Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (Padmanaba wing) are to contest the Eastern Provincial Council election under the banner Tamil Democratic National Front (TDNF), media reported quoting PLOTE leader Siththarthan.
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Grenade attack on UPFA supporter in Ea’raavoor

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 March 2008, 03:24 GMT]
Two unidentified youths on motor cycle lobbed a hand grenade Wednesday around 9:15 p.m on the house of a supporter on the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) at Ea’raavoor Mosque Street in Batticaloa district causing damage to the house, Ea’raavoor police said. The owner of the house had been a supporter of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) party before switching on to UPFA, sources in Ea’ravoor said.
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4 Tamil women arrested in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 March 2008, 10:01 GMT]
Three Tamil women who arrived in Colombo from Vavuniyaa accompanying another woman to go to Kuwait were arrested by the Kotahena Police. They were later ordered remand by the Colombo Magistrate. They are being detained in Welikada prison. They have been identified as Kumariah Mallika, 35, of Thonikal, Thushanthini Wijekumar, 23, of Manipuram, Ganeshan Indrani, 32, and Sivasubramaniam Sthreethevi, 25, of Anuradhapura, media sources said.
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JHU allies with ruling UPFA to contest Eastern PC election

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 March 2008, 16:38 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks political party has decided to contest the forthcoming East Provincial Council election as an ally of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance, the government controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) reported in its night news bulletin Wednesday night.
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