CWC undecided on Referendum

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 July 2001, 21:42 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC), a constituent party in the ruling People's Alliance is to make a decision on the proposed referendum after meeting President Chandrika Kumaratunge next Monday, a leading member of the CWC said. He made this announcement soon after a delegation from the CWC, headed by Mr. Arumugam Thondaman, met with the President Friday morning.
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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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Opposition slams government over attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 July 2001, 22:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) and the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have appealed to President Chandrika Kumaratunge to reconvene the prorogued parliament immediately. Both parties made this appeal in the wake of Liberation Tigers’ dawn attack on Katunayake airbase in the early hours of Tuesday morning. " The government is in breach of its duty to protect Katunayake international airport," said the UNP leader, Ranil Wickremasinghe, addressing a press conference Tuesday evening.
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Tension after dawn raid

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 July 2001, 08:47 GMT]
Thirteen air crafts including two Kfir jet fighters, one MI-24 Helicopter gun ship and one MIG-27- jet fighter were destroyed in the predawn attack on the Katunayake air base, about 35 km. north of Colombo, by members of the Liberation Tigers, according to official military sources in Colombo.
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President outlines "Constitutional Revolution"

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 July 2001, 15:34 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunge said Sunday that the present Constitution could be amended even without a two-thirds majority in parliament if the government obtained a clear mandate at next month's referendum. "How this could be done would be revealed in due course," she told activists and representatives of the ruling People's Alliance who attended a special meeting at the racecourse in Colombo.
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Govt. not to re-table last year's draft Constitution -President

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 July 2001, 22:53 GMT]
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge said Friday that the draft Constitution tabled in parliament in August last year and later withdrawn will not be considered in preparing the new constitution. The President told a group of special representatives of the Joint Trade Unions' Federation that the new constitution will be presented within a short period, after seeking opinions of the clergy -including the Mahasangha, minorities, minor political parties and intellectuals.
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Massive opposition protest in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 July 2001, 06:57 GMT]

A Sri Lankan policeman swings his baton at a protester in Colombo, Thursday. Sri Lankan police fired teargas and rubber bullets on Thursday to try to enforce a ban on rallies and force back thousands pouring into the capital for a huge opposition protest against the suspension of parliament.(Photo: Reuters)

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Impeachment of the President considered

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 July 2001, 18:09 GMT]
The opposition parties Monday decided to bring an impeachment motion against President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge. Briefing the press on Monday, Mr. Ranil Wicremasinghe (UNP), the Leader of the Opposition, said that constitutional experts are studying the charges and an impeachment motion will be filed with the Speaker within two weeks.
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No power to summon parliament -speaker

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 July 2001, 15:49 GMT]
The Speaker announced Sunday that he has no power or authority to inquire into the validity of the prorogation of parliament by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge. "There was no sufficient reasons for me to review the decision of the President to prorogue parliament" Speaker Anura Bandaranaike said in a letter to the Leader of the Opposition Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe.
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PA to expel SLMC rebel MPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 July 2001, 12:36 GMT]
The People's' Alliance (PA) high command has decided to expel rebel Sri Muslim Congress (SLMC) MPs from parliament. Mr.D.M.Jayaratne, Secretary General of the PA Thursday said," I will send show cause notices to rebel SLMC parliamentarians why they should not be removed from parliament."
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PA says cabinet with President amid dispute reports

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 July 2001, 15:45 GMT]
The government Parliamentary group and the cabinet Wednesday unanimously expressed "their fullest support and confidence on President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge and her on-going program in tackling the present political crisis developed following the submission of a no-confidence motion by the opposition against her government," according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Sri Lankan government amid reports that some senior ministers in the cabinet were in disagreement with the President over her decision to prorogue parliament and to hold a referendum on a new constitution in August.
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High security zones declared in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 July 2001, 16:56 GMT]
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge Saturday proclaimed some parts of the Colombo City as high security zones. "This proclamation has been made under Section 27 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act No.48 of 1979" a presidential secretariat release said.
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Opposition conspiracy thwarted -president

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 July 2001, 04:42 GMT]
"The government has been able to abort the conspiracy by the United National Party and Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to get the State of Emergency removed in the bid to serve the needs of the LTTE" claimed President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge in a special statement Thursday evening, which followed her decree extending the proscription of Liberation Tigers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
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Ban on LTTE extended by Presidential decree

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 July 2001, 16:37 GMT]
The proscription of the Liberation Tigers has been further extended according to a new order issued by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge Thursday. "The new order has been issued under Section 27 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act No: 48 in 1979" said the Presidential Secretariat.
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Damage control as peace process hits the rocks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 June 2001, 05:15 GMT]
(News Feature) The bi-lateral decision by Norway and Sri Lanka last Thursday, at the latter's insistence, to reduce the prominence of Oslo's peace envoy, Erik Solheim, has delivered an unexpected and severe blow to the Liberation TigersÇ confidence in the Norwegian initiative, political analysts said Monday. Sri Lanka's state-media Monday strove to give the impression that the process was still on track, but the LTTE's strongly worded statement Sunday and sentiments being expressed by Tamil politicians and media emphasised the depth of the crisis, they said.
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Lifting censorship said ill timed for SLA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 May 2001, 13:31 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government Wednesday lifted the draconian censorship on reporting the war against the Liberation Tigers. The reason for the move is not clear, military sources in Colombo said. The censorship, imposed in May 1998, banned, among other things, reporting on military operations planned by the Sri Lanka army and on purchases of military hardware. However, the censorship generally inhibited the Sri Lankan press from candidly reporting about the Sri Lanka army and its military activities in the north and east of the island.
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Norway's peace initiative mired in blood

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 April 2001, 03:38 GMT]
(NEWS FEATURE) The Norwegian peace initiative suffered several body blows this week as amid a bloody Sri Lanka Army offensive in the Jaffna peninsula, the government ruled out the possibility of a ceasefire, saying it was Ïirrelevant" to the Norwegian facilitated peace process, and insisted the Liberation Tigers would remain proscribed until they proved they were "sincere and honest" about negotiations, thereby rejecting two issues the LTTE insists are pre-requisites for succesful negotiations to be held.
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Sri Lanka vows to continue war

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 April 2001, 00:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge Tuesday vowed to defeat the Liberation Tigers and safeguard the territorial integrity of the country, the state-owned Daily News reported Wednesday. Describing the LTTE as an "unprincipled terrorist organisation," she saluted Sri Lanka's military for "continuing to fight tooth and nail to wipe out the LTTE from the face of our dear motherland."
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Government attitudes may contribute to rapes -Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 April 2001, 20:39 GMT]
"It would be pertinent to raise the question as to whether pugnacious statements made by persons in high positions and the expressed determination of the Government to continue with the war, contributes towards the unleashing of brutality such as rape and torture on unarmed Tamil civilians particularly Tamil females. It would appear that some service personnel think that if a Tamil is implicated even falsely with the LTTE any crime can be committed against such Tamil person" said the Secretary General of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), Mr.Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, in a letter to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge.
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Prayer meeting held in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 February 2001, 14:15 GMT]
A large number Tamil orphaned children participated in an inter-religious prayer meeting at the Hindu Cultural Hall in Trincomalee Wednesday morning, organised by the Graduates' Union in the eastern town. The meeting was held to urge the Sri Lankan Government to take immediate steps to stop the war and to initiate peace moves to alleviate the sufferings of the people. These children are inmates of 'Anbu Illam', and 'Thapovanam', two main institutions in the eastern town, dedicated to maintaining children who have lost their parents and relatives in the ongoing war.
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