ITAK takes over Trinco Town PS administration

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 April 2006, 01:54 GMT]
Nine members of the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Pradesiya Sabah (PS) took oaths Monday morning at the PS office located in Chelvanayakapuram in Uppuveli police division, about four km off north of port city. Mr.T.Thiruchenthilnathan, President of the Trincomalee Bar Association and Justice of Peace first administered oaths to the Chairman, Mr.Thangavelautham Kantharoopan followed by Mr.Vellaithamby Sureshkumar, Vice Chairman and other seven members.
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CFA teaches belated political lesson to UPFA, says UNP MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 April 2006, 21:01 GMT]
United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene, addressing a UNP press conference Wednesday in Colombo said that those in power in Sri Lanka today are facing the political reality and learning a hard lesson that proper implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement is a critical prerequisite if efforts to find solutions to the national problem are to make progress.
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Sammanthurai PS Chairman takes oaths

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 16:07 GMT]
New elected twelve-member Sammanthurai Pradesiya Council (PS) in the Amparai district began functioning from Tuesday with Mr. M.I.M.Mansoor taking oaths as the Chairman and Mr.M.Thambikandu as his deputy. Mr. Hassan Ali, Parliamentarian and the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) administered oaths for the eight members of the SLMC elected to the council in the United National Party ticket. Four members of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) were absent, sources said.
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SL President to address heads, deputies of MC, UC, and PS

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 15:58 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse is to address all heads and deputy heads of 266 local government institutions including Municipal Councils, Urban Councils and Pradesiya Councils elected at March 30 elections on April 21 at Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), sources in Colombo said.
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Kinniya, Muttur Council chairmen take oaths

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 April 2006, 16:28 GMT]
Mr.M.A.M.Salihu, Attorney-at-Law of the United National Party (UNP), took oaths as the Chairman of the newly created Kinniya Urban Council (UC), Mr.K.M.Thowfeek, leader of the Independent Group 1 took as the Chairman of Muttur PS, and Mr.A.C.Kaniyoon of the UNP took oaths as Chairman of Kinniya PS Saturday, sources said.
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Henricsson to facilitate safe travel of Eastern LTTE Commanders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 April 2006, 09:01 GMT]
The stalemate in the preparation to Geneva Talks ended Thursday as the Tiger leadership accepted the latest suggestion submitted by Major General Ulf Henricsson, Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, who assured safe travel of the Eastern LTTE Commanders in a civilian vessel without Sri Lanka Navy involvement. Maj. Gen. Henricsson will be on board the ferry on Saturday when the LTTE will be sending Acting Commanders to Eastern districts and transport Col. Sornam, the Trincomalee Commander of the LTTE and Col. Bhanu, the Batticaloa Commander to Mullaithivu.
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JVP performance has improved, says routed party officials

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 April 2006, 17:29 GMT]
"In relation to past results, we have won more seats in the local authority polls," said Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Marxist Sinhala national party's political wing in a press release issued in Colombo. "Number of our members in the Tisamaharagama pradeshya sabah has increased and this reflects the excellent work we have with our people in that area," the release added.
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JVP Kegalle office attacked, three injured

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 April 2006, 12:24 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramunai (JVP), the marxist Sinhala national party's Kegalle office was attacked and three JVP members injured Saturday evening by a group alleged tobe belonging to United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), said JVP sources.
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ITAK wins 35 Council seats in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 April 2006, 17:26 GMT]
Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK) won one seat each in Kantalai PS, Seruvila PS, Morawewa PS, and Kinniya UC, two in Thamplakamam PS, three in Kuchchaveli PS and 4 in Muttur PS in addition to capturing power in the Trincomalee UC (10 seats), Trincomalee Town and Gravets PS (06) and Verugal PS (07 seats-uncontested).
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Tamil, Muslim candidates elected to Trincomalee UC

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 March 2006, 20:13 GMT]
No Sinhalese has been elected a member to the Trincomalee Urban Council in the election held Thursday. The newly elected council, which is to start functioning from April 15, will have twelve members- 10 from the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) and 2 from the Independent Group. Of the twelve members nine are Tamil members and three are Muslims. The ITAK fielded fourteen Tamils and two Muslims for the Trincomalee UC. Out of them nine Tamils and a Muslim got elected on preferential votes.
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UPFA victory should pave way for progress in peace- TNA

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 March 2006, 12:33 GMT]
"Local electoral rout of Sinhala extremist parties, the marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), and Buddhist monks party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is a clear mandate to Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse to take immediate steps to move peace process forward. Urgently, the Unitary Constitution and rejection of concepts of Tamil Homeland should be removed from "Mahinda Chintanaya," and replaced with concepts supporting Tamils right to self-determination," said Sivajilingam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian commenting on the unfolding local election results giving UPFA huge victory and ITAK demonstrating its support base in the East.
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Two killed in Sri Lanka election violence

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 March 2006, 02:33 GMT]
One person was knifed to death in Weligama at 7.30 p.m., and another was shot to death in Belliatte in Sri Lanka's south at 9.30 p.m., Thursday in election related violence between supporters of ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and opposition United National Party (UNP), sources in Colombo said.
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ITAK wins Trincomalee UC, PS, Thirukkovil PS, Alaiyadivembu PS

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 March 2006, 20:24 GMT]
Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK), the Tamil National Alliance party contesting in the local authorities elections, has won all the 9 seats in Thirukkovil and Alaiadivembu Pradeshiya Sabahs and won Karaithivu with 4 seats in Amparai district. The ITAK also won after a long time, both the Trincomalee Urban Council with 10 seats, and Trincomalee Town & Gravets PS with 6 seats. UPFA got 2 seats and UNP 1 seat in Trinco Town & Gravets PS. In the local elections results released at 2 p.m. Friday, the ruling UPFA alliance has won 116 PSs, 7 Municipal Councils (MCs) and 12 Urban Councils (UCs). The JVP has captured only Tissamaharagama, and JHU has only secured a few seats.
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Rajapakse casts vote, turnout less than 60%

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 March 2006, 12:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa cast his vote at the local Government polls at the polling centre in Medamulana D.A. Rajapaksa Maha Vidyalaya in Hambantota where his name is registered.
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JVP accuses UPFA of attack on party members

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 March 2006, 00:12 GMT]
Mr.Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Sinhala extremist party accused the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) as the force behind the attacks on its party members, in a press conference in Colombo Tuesday, political sources in Colombo said.


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Local election opens fault lines in ruling alliance

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 March 2006, 05:20 GMT]
The ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and its key constituent, Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), are engaged in battle of words to assert electoral dominance in the forthcoming local council elections, and this combined with the recent escalation in attacks against JVP members by UPFA supporters portend dangers of creating permanent fissures in the alliance, political sources in Colombo said.
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UPFA supporters attack JVP MP in Mapalagama

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 March 2006, 15:43 GMT]
Ruling United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) supporters attacked a JVP rally wounding a JVP parliamentarian, Mr. Thillakaratne Vidanarachchi, around 2:00 p.m. Sunday in Mapalagama in Southern Province, Galle office of the JVP said. The JVP MP was attacked while he was taking part in a rally against earlier attacks on JVP members by UPFA supporters in the run-up to the local elections in the South. Vidanarachi was rushed to Karapitiya hospital. Mapalagama is located 24 km northeast of Galle in the Southern Province.
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SL Government needs support of JVP, JHU- Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 March 2006, 02:08 GMT]
Support of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is vital for continued smooth functioning of the Sri Lanka Government, said Sri Lanka's President, Mahinda Rajapakse, speaking at the Gampaha district Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) meeting held in Viyangoda Wednesday afternoon, SLFP sources from Colombo said.
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Rajapakse mulls ditching JVP for UNP - paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 March 2006, 07:48 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse is considering a national government or a snap general election to move the peace process forward, The Sunday Leader newspaper reported this week, adding a final decision on the two options is to be taken by Rajapakse after the local authority polls on March 30. This entails a tieup between Rajapakse’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the main opposition United National Party (UNP).
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Sri Lanka Bus, Railway employees threaten strike action

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 March 2006, 12:50 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government said Saturday that it will not allow the private sector bus to increase the fare by twenty percent. "A conference to decide on the demand of the private sector bus owners will be held on Monday with the participations of officials of finance and transport ministries. Private bus owners have no right to revise the fare unilaterally," said Mr.A.H.M.Fowzie, Railway and Transport Minister said.
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