Monks call for political opposition to devolution package

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 June 2000, 18:52 GMT]
A leading Buddhist monk, Venerable Maduluwe Sobitha Thera, appealed on Thursday to members of Parliament belonging to the two major Sinhala dominated political parties not to become traitors to their own community by supporting the devolution package prepared by their leaders.
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CTTU appeals to boycott Flag Week

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 June 2000, 05:16 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) has appealed to Tamil students and teachers not to contribute to the Flag Week scheduled to be held on June 26 by the National Youth Services Council throughout the island. The General Secretary of the CTTU, Mr.T.Mahasivam, in his appeal has pointed out that fifty percent of the money collected by the Flag Week is to be donated to the National Defense Fund of the Sri Lankan Government.
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LTTE not included - President

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 June 2000, 10:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge Friday re-iterated her government's position that the Liberation Tigers would not be included in the proposed interim administration for the North and East. A press release by the government's Special Media Information Center said no decision had been made to include the LTTE "which is a terrorist organization" and blamed media reports for the confusion.
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CTTU will not support Defence Fund

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 June 2000, 19:22 GMT]
The twenty-thousand member strong Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union has informed the President of Sri Lanka that its members would not contribute two-day salary each month as requested, to the Defence Fund as they consider the present war executed by the government is against the Tamil community. The Union has also threatened to strike if certain demands, including payment of arrears and distribution of textbooks, is not done by July 7.
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PA planning for elections

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 June 2000, 08:28 GMT]
The ruling People's Alliance (PA) is getting ready to face the forthcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled to be held between August and October this year, political sources said. The President, Ms.Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge, alerted the constituent political parties of the PA to be prepared for the general election on Tuesday. She made this announcement when she met the leaders of the ruling PA.
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Sri Lanka marks War Heroes Day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 June 2000, 08:16 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government observed Wednesday as Ranaviru Day ('War Heroes' Day) in several parts of the island. A two-minute silence was observed at 9.30 a.m. Addressing the ceremony at her offices in downtown Colombo, President Chandrika Kumaratunge said the event was initiated by her government "to salute members of the Sri Lanka Armed Services and the Police who are dead, missing in action, disabled and those who are fighting a valiant battle on our behalf to keep the nation together".
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UNP protest blocked

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2000, 18:16 GMT]
A group of about thirty United National Party MPs were blocked by the Sri Lankan Police from staging a protest this morning at Independent Square near down town Colombo against the promulgation of the draconian regulations under the Public Security Ordinance.
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Indian assistance not possible - President

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 May 2000, 11:14 GMT]
The Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunge, said today that she did not think that it was possible to obtain military assistance from India to alleviate the military situation in the northern Jaffna peninsula, according to an MP of the ruling People's Alliance who attended a meeting of the party's Parliamentary Group Wednesday between 10 and 12.30pm.
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Leave temple sacred - TULF request

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 March 2000, 20:13 GMT]
Tamil United Liberation Front General Secretary R. Sampanthan has requested President Chandrika Kumaratunge to preserve the Thiruketheeswaram temple and its environs as a neutral peace Zone.
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Youth missing since Salli rampage

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 March 2000, 23:28 GMT]
A Tamil youth, Vairamuthu Jayakili, who was arrested by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel on 25 February has been reported missing since February 24. He was arrested at Pigeon island at Salli village in Trincomalee district.
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UNP, PA press release

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2000, 12:24 GMT]
A joint communique was issued after the second round of talks held on Thursday between the delegations from the People's Alliance (PA) and the United National Party (UNP). President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge chaired the discussion.
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Appeal against Batticaloa pass

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2000, 20:33 GMT]
An urgent appeal has been made to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge not to implement the proposed unpopular pass system in the Batticaloa district.
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Norway "did not seek permission"

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 March 2000, 17:43 GMT]
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry today confirmed that Anton Balasingham, the Liberation Tigers' theoretician and political advisor had undergone treatment in Oslo and refuted comments by Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge that Norway had sought her permission first.
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'Keep us informed on the peace talks' - UNP

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 March 2000, 00:22 GMT]
"We have also been informed by the Government of Norway that the Government of Sri Lanka asked for discussions with the LTTE and we are also being informed of certain other developments and I thought I should be briefed on that matter before we start talks," said Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the Sri Lankan opposition, United National Party, according to the communique» on today's meeting between the Government and UNP, issued jointly by both parties this evening.
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UNP gearing up to meet President

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 March 2000, 18:08 GMT]
The Executive Committee and the Parliamentary Group of the United National Party (UNP) will meet on March 6 to decide on final preparations for discussions with President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge on March 9.
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Opposition leader declines President's invitation

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2000, 14:56 GMT]
Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, Leader of the United National Party has declined to participate at tomorrow's discussions with President Chandrika Kumaratunge, on the proposed constitutional reforms. He has informed President Chandrika today by a letter that the best possible course of action open to her is to immediately present in Parliament the proposals tabled in October 1997.
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President, Opposition meet next week

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 February 2000, 16:47 GMT]
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge has invited the leader of the Opposition, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe for discussions on constitutional reforms scheduled to be presented to the Parliament by her government.
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Norwegian Foreign Minister to visit Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 February 2000, 16:17 GMT]
Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek is set to visit Sri Lanka on February 16. He will arrive in the capital Colombo early on the 16th morning and leave late the same night, Ingvard Havnen, spokesman for the Norwegian Foreign Ministry told TamilNet.
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Details of talk between PA and Tamil parties

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 February 2000, 16:26 GMT]
The Government has agreed to vest all state lands to regional councils in the respective regions including forest reserves and excluding tea, rubber, coconut and teak plantations, research farms and national parks, according to Tamil party sources.
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Opposition demands devolution draft

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 February 2000, 10:40 GMT]
The Leader of the Opposition and United National Party Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe has asked the President to table the draft constitutional reforms already made public three years ago, in Parliament immediately. "We are amazed that instead of finalizing and tabling the draft constitutional reforms made public in October 1997 in Parliament, your government is now engaged in an exercise preparing new draft" said Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe in a letter sent to the President today.
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