UPFA-TMVP councilors take oath in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2008, 15:44 GMT]
The Mayor, Deputy Mayor of Batticaloa Municipal council, chairmen and deputy chairmen of other eight local councils and the members of all nine local councils elected from United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPAF) and the paramilitary-cum-political party, Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), took their oaths in the presence of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the presidential secretariat Tuesday. Key Paramilitary operative, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was present at the presidential secretariat was greeted by Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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UPFA-TMVP secures Mayor post in Batticaloa MC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 March 2008, 16:10 GMT]
Paramilitary TMVP group Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) candidate, who jointly contested in the elections for the Batticaloa Municpal Council with Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), was appointed Mayor of Batticaloa Municipal Council (MC) in the TMVP committee meeting Wednesday, TMVP Secretary, Kailasarasa said. Daughter of Sathiyamoorthy Rajan, the assassinated Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary candidate in 2004 general elections, Pirabakaran Sivakeertha, known as Pathmini, polled 4,722 preferential votes and was appointed Mayor of Batticaloa MC.
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UPFA-TMVP alliance wins Batticaloa local elections

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 March 2008, 00:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) that contested jointly in the elections for the Batticaloa Municipal Council with the paramilitary TMVP group has secured 11 seats with 14,158 votes. The coalition of remaining paramilitary groups has won 6 seats. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF) have both secured one seat each in the Municipal Council. Voter turnout was at 53 percent in Batticaloa city. Around 10% of the voters who turned up for voting have cast invalid votes.
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Emergency extended in Sri Lanka for another month

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2008, 07:26 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's parliament Wednesday adopted the motion extending the State of Emergency for another month by a majority of 88 votes. 102 parliamentarians voted for the motion and 14 against, parliamentary sources said. Parliamentarians of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) were not present in the parliament when the motion was put to vote.
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SL parliament to debate emergency extension

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 March 2008, 12:28 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is to seek the permission of the House to extend the State of Emergency for another month during this session, after Sri Lanka's parliament resumes sitting on Tuesday March 4. parliamentary sources said.
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UPFA, TMVP alliance implicates GoSL complicity, collusion with armed group - CPA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 February 2008, 13:37 GMT]
Centre for Policy Alternatives, a Colombo based think-tank that undertook a fact finding mission to Batticaloa district between February 8 and 11, said Sri Lanka's ruling United Peoples Freedom Allilance (UPFA) government, by opting for the alliance with the armed TMVP group in Batticaloa municipal council election, finds itself in a position where it is increasingly difficult for the GoSL to deny the charges of "complicity and collusion with the TMVP." The CPA's statement has warned that there was a clear sense of inevitability that the elections will result in a TMVP "victory" as it is the only "political actor" allowed to move around in recently resettled areas.
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Election violences escalate in Ea’raavoor

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 February 2008, 13:25 GMT]
Two incidents of election related violence, one involving a hand grenade and the other altercation during an election meeting, occurred Wednesday night 11:00 p.m.in Ea’raavoor within Batticaloa District, Ea’raavoor police said.
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Violence, paramilitary activity on upward trend- CMEV

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 February 2008, 16:54 GMT]
The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) in a report issued Monday on the ground situation in the east in relation to the forthcoming local elections, expressed concerns of "continuing trend of paramilitary activity, reports of abduction, extra-judicial execution, intimidation and extortion attributed to 'unidentified armed men' and the inability of the law enforcement agencies to pursue investigations."
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Police Units established to curb Batticaloa Election violence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2008, 23:52 GMT]
A number of Special units have been established in Batticaloa district to curb election related violence and to enable the affected parties to lodge complaints against such incidences, police sources in Batticaloa said.
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GoSL, TMVP partnership complicates east elections- PAFFREL

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 February 2008, 14:25 GMT]
People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), a citizen-based Election watch organization in Sri Lanka, in a Press Communiqué issued Wednesday said that "[T]here was general agreement that the security situation had improved, particularly with reference to the levels of violence," but added that "[I]t is possible that violence and election malpractices will surface as the election campaign gathers momentum, as the armed groups have not been disarmed. PAFFREL noted that "further complicating factor is that the government has apparently decided that its partner in the east would be the TMVP, which is the breakaway LTTE group in the east and which retains its arms."
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New TNA, UPFA parliamentarians take oaths

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 February 2008, 12:38 GMT]
Mr.Raseen Mohamed Imam,60, was sworn in as the new national list parliamentarian of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) by the Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara in the parliament when it resumed its sittings Tuesday, A lawyer by profession 60 year-old Mr. Imam filled the vacancy created by the continuous absence of the Mr.M.K.Eelavventhan for more than three months, parliamentary sources said.
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Batticaloa candidates to be provided police protection

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 January 2008, 13:14 GMT]
At a conference held Monday at Batticaloa district secretariat chaired by Mr.Sunderam Arumainayagam, the Government Agent(GA), the officals decided to provide protection to the candidates contesting in the March 10 local council election. Two policemen will be assigned for each candidate.
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Abducted UPFA candidate released, in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 January 2008, 10:30 GMT]
A United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) candidate abducted Friday from his house by unidentified armed men in a white van was released Saturday around 9:30 p.m after being severely assaulted, in a coconut plantation area in Mayilaampaavea’li in Ea’raavoor police division in Batticaloa district, sources said.
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UPFA candidate attacked in Ea’raavoor

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 January 2008, 09:58 GMT]
Unidentified armed men attacked and injured the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) contestant, Mohamed Halitheen, in Batticaloa local government elections Saturday around 7:30 p.m in Sadam Hussein village in Ea’ravoor police division in Batticaloa district, according to a complaint lodged with E’raavoor police. Two youths, dressed in black, attacked the contestant as he was returning from a campaign meeting Saturday in Hithayath Nakar in Ea’raavoor, sources in Batticaloa said. The youths who attacked the candidate are alleged to be supporters of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC).
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Armed men abduct paramilitary UPFA candidate in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 January 2008, 08:05 GMT]
A man appointed by the TMVP paramilitary group to contest in Batticaloa Municipal Council Elections under the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ticket was abducted by unidentified armed men, around 10 p.m., Friday, Kaaththaankudi police said.
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APRC proposals postponed again

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 January 2008, 13:47 GMT]
Rajitha Senaratne, the Sri Lankan minister of construction and engineering services, on Tuesday said that the proposal by the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC), scheduled to be handed over to Sri Lankan president on Wednesday, would be delayed as the People's United Front (Mahajana Eksath Peramuna—MEP) and the extremist all monks Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) have demanded to reduce the level of devolution of provincial power in the draft proposal.
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Sri Lankan minister killed in Claymore blast in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 January 2008, 05:52 GMT]
Sri Lankan Minister of Nation Building D. M. Dassanayaka, seriously injured in a Claymore blast near Ja-Ela junction, 18 km northeast of Colombo city, Tuesday around 10:35 a.m., succumbed to his wounds at Ragama teaching hospital, Police said. The driver of his pajero vehicle and a security guard also succumbed to their wounds while 8 others were wounded in the attack. Mr. Dassayanaka was on his way to the Sri Lankan parliament to take part in the first day of 2008 parliament session. Meanwhile, pandemonium reigned at the first meeting of the Sri Lankan parliament as main opposition UNP protested over the assassination of Tamil parliamentarian T. Maheswaran who was slain on New Year's Day.
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91 civilians still held in Boosa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 January 2008, 12:22 GMT]
Ninety one civilians including eighty nine Tamils and two Sinhalese are still being detained in Boosa detention camp located in Galle, south of Colombo, without any charges. Eight of them are Tamil women, and most of them are residents of Nugegoda, a suburb in Colombo.
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SLMC suspends two dissident deputy ministers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 17:27 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Saturday decided to suspend the membership of Messrs K.Faiz and S.Nijamudeen, both deputy ministers in the the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, for voting in support of the budget, violating the party decision. The politburo of the SLMC met Saturday morning and took this decision, SLMC general secretary Hassan Ali said.
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SLMC decides to withdraw support for UPFA in provincial councils

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 December 2007, 12:41 GMT]
The high command of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has decided to withdraw its support to the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) administrations in the provincial councils. The decision was taken at its politburo meeting held following the cross over SLMC parliamentarians to the opposition side in the parliament Tuesday, SLMC sources said.
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