Kumaratunga moves to clip JVP's strong media links

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 March 2005, 13:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga is reported to have taken over the administration of the Media Ministry, held by Minister Mangala Samaraweera, in a move widely seen as intended to limit the strong links the radical Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has with the State media institutions, especially the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Co-operation (SLRC), Independent Television Network (ITN) and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), political sources in Colombo said.
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HRCSL to monitor post-tsunami Rights violations

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 January 2005, 18:15 GMT]
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has established Disaster Relief Monitoring Unit (DRMU)) to ensure human rights protection during the post-tsunami reconstruction phase with Mr.Lionel Fernando as its chairman, civil rights sources said.


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SL Budget, home grown, people friendly- Amunugama

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 November 2004, 11:39 GMT]
Dr.Sarath Amunugama, Finance Minister of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government which came to power in April 2nd general election this year began his maiden budget speech Thursday around 2.30 p.m. amid expectation in the trade union circles an impressive salary increase for public servants as promised during the hustings, parliamentary sources said.
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JHU protests 'malicious propaganda' by State media

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 May 2004, 17:41 GMT]
The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Friday held a demonstration in Colombo against the State electronic and print media for conducting what it said was "malicious propaganda" against the party. A group of Buddhist monks including JHU parliamentarians went in procession from the Wijerama Mawatha to the State run Rupavahini (Television station) Corporation.
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Competent Authority on State media to continue

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 March 2004, 16:15 GMT]
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court Wednesday refused to issue an interim injunction to suspend the appointment of the Competent Authority for the three State controlled electronic media, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) and Independent Television Network (ITN), legal sources said.
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Election Commissioner brings SLBC, SLRC under Competent Authority

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 March 2004, 12:58 GMT]
The Commissioner of Elections Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake Monday brought the State controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLRC) and the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) under a Competent Authority (CA). Mr.W.D.Lakshman Perera has been appointed as the CA with immediate effect, Election Department press release said.


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Rupavahini blamed for falsifying report

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 March 2004, 11:24 GMT]
Amparai district former Tamil National Alliance (TNA)parliamentarian Mr. A.Chandra Nehru Thursday issued a statement denying a report carried by State controlled Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) saying that he participated in a demonstration burning the effigy of LTTE leader Mr.Pirapaharan, sources in Amparai said.


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SLFP, JVP branches to celebrate MoU signing

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 January 2004, 13:57 GMT]
Elaborate arrangements are being made in several parts of the country by the branches of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna to celebrate the event of signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the two political parties with religious observances and public meetings, political sources said.


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SL President presents proposals for cohabitation

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 November 2003, 17:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga, Friday submitted a set of proposals to the committee that has been attempting to formulate a programme for cohabitation government comprising the two main Sinhala political parties Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP), sources said.
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Governing with PM horrendous says Sri Lanka’s President

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 November 2003, 18:16 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunga said Sri Lanka’s current crisis cannot be solved even if all parties are brought together because "the malaise runs deep in the country’s body politic," in a speech to businesspersons and academics telecast on state run TV Sunday night. Referring to cohabitation government with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, she said: "Governing like this is horrendous. The last two years had been the worst possible years of my life."
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Sri Lanka's President faces Hobson's choice - Sunday Leader

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 November 2003, 13:14 GMT]
In a scathing editorial criticising Sri Lanka's President for endangering the peace process by her "precipitate and stupid" actions of proroguing the parliament and sacking the Defense, Interior and Communication Ministers, the Sunday Leader, a popular weekly published in Colombo said, "Ms. Kumaratunge now faces Hobson's choice: "She cannot preserve the status quo and govern; neither can she call an election and hope to come close to victory.""


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Wickremesinghe returns home from high profile US visit

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 November 2003, 02:56 GMT]
United National Front (UNF) government ministers, parliamentarians and party activists thronged the country's international airport and accorded warm welcome to the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremesinghe when he returned home Friday morning around 8.00am after a high profile official tour to the United States of America (USA) after meeting President George W.Bush, political sources said.


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Troops deployed in city, Sri Lankan Parliament prorogued

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 November 2003, 09:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, prorogued the sittings of the Parliament until 19 November as Sri Lanka army took position at the state radio and TV stations and at Sri Lanka Telecom, the island’s telecommunications nerve centre. Security has been tightened at the government printing press where the gazette notification of the President's proclamations is to be published and made law.
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Tamil journalists still face danger - RSF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 19:02 GMT]
The Reporters Sans Frontiers, the French media watchdog, said in its annual report on press freedom released Wednesday that working conditions for Tamil journalists remain very dangerous in Sri Lanka, especially when they report on human rights violations. "They are easily accused of supporting the Tamil Tigers guerrilla movement. The 1998 Emergency Law allows security forces to arrest anyone suspected of maintaining relations with this banned separatist organisation. But how can anyone work in the north and east of the country without having contacts with the Tamil Tigers, who are everywhere?" the RSF report said.
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Tamil festival spurs war ravaged district

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 February 2002, 22:46 GMT]

The festival's cultural programs began with traditional Naathaswaram music. (Please click on the image for larger photo)

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Petition against Rupavahini filed in SC

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 November 2001, 15:33 GMT]
A petition seeking interim injunction order against the State owned television station- Rupavahini prohibiting it from telecasting programmes in support of the ruling People's Alliance, seventy two hours before the date of poll has been filed in the Supreme Court Thursday. Mr. Srinath Perera, President Counsel and a UNP candidate contesting the forthcoming general election from Colombo district has filed the petition.
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Kumaratunga places anti-LTTE record as poll case

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 November 2001, 02:49 GMT]
(News Feature) Sri Lanka's President Kumaratunga Thursday placed her government's hardline approach towards fighting the Liberation Tigers and defending the unity of the country as the central plank of the ruling People's Alliance (PA) election strategy for the forthcoming polls in December. In a lengthy interview in Sinhala to state-owned media on Thursday, translated into English by the official Daily News newspaper on Friday, Kumaratunga also reiterated her accusations that the main opposition United National Party (UNP) was in collusion with the Tamils and the LTTE to dismember the country and vowed to prevent this at any cost. The President slammed critics of her governance as "barking dogs," defectors from her party as "rats," and insisted Sri Lanka's economy was healthy, citing as evidence figures that showed more taxis were on the roads since 1994 and that people were eating more chicken now.
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President requests opposition support

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 July 2001, 05:43 GMT]
The appeal by President Chandrika Kumaratunge Wednesday night over the state television to opposition parties including United National Party "to put aside all political and other petty differences and join her government to rebuild the nation" has received mixed responses in political circles. UNP sources said, "if the government needs the co-operation of opposition at this critical juncture, it should prove its bona fide by reconvening the prorogued parliament and cancelling the 'mock' referendum".
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Jaffna Undergrads burn government magazine

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 April 2001, 15:11 GMT]
The students of the Jaffna University burnt copies of the 'Amuthu', a Tamil magazine published by the state run Lake House news papers Thursday evening as a mark of protest against its anti-Tamil stance, sources said. The 'Amuthu' is dedicated to propaganda aimed at subtly or balatantly promoting the policies of the People's Alliance regime and the activities of the Sri Lanka army. The magazine is edited by Mr. Manoranjan who is a close confidante of the Sri Lankan President and is a director of Rupavahini, the state run TV station.
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PA propaganda through state media challenged

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 September 2000, 21:22 GMT]
The Court of Appeal Friday refused to issue interim injunction to prevent the People's Alliance from using state controlled TV and radio for election propaganda. The General Secretary of the United National Party Mr.Gamini Atukorale filed a petition seeking the Court of Appeal to issue interim injunction preventing the ruling People's Alliance from using the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) and the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) for its election propaganda. This petition came up for inquiry before Mr.Upali de Z Gunawardane, Appeal Court Judge today.
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