Jaffna DDC meets under heavy security

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2006, 10:53 GMT]
Mr. Douglas Devananda, Minister in the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, and North East Governor Mohan Wijewickrema, retired Rear Admiral of the Sri Lanka Navy, Thursday morning arrived at the Jaffna District Secretariat in a troop carrier of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for the Jaffna District Development Committee (DDC) meeting held Thursday morning, sources in Jaffna said. The entire surrounding of the secretariat building was fortified with large numbers of troops and armored vehicles, sources added.
Full story >>

TNA to boycott Devananda meeting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 22:54 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians said Wednesday that they will boycott the District Integration Meeting schedueld for Thursday 16th at the Jaffna Secretariat to be chaired by Sri Lanka Cabinet Minister Douglas Devananda, the leader of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party, with the newly appointed Governor for NorthEast, Rear Admiral (Retd) Mohan Wijeyawickrema, and Mavai Senathirajah, TNA parliamentarian as co-chairmen, TNA sources said. The EPDP is a paramilitary group working with Sri Lanka Government and a political party aligned with the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
Full story >>

TNA rejects JVP's claimed right to nominate CC member

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 March 2006, 00:07 GMT]
As the dispute among the 'minority parties,' Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in selecting the sixth member of the Constitutional Council continue to stymie CC from functioning, the Speaker Mr.W.M.J.Lokkubandara has asked the Leader of the House, Mr Sripala de Silva, to speak to the leaders of the three parties to resolve the matter urgently, parliamentary sources said.


Full story >>

UPFA to choose heads of local councils after polls

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 March 2006, 01:31 GMT]
The ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has decided to declare the names of candidates for the posts of Mayor and Chairman of local authorities after UPFA captures power in the forthcoming poll on March 30. However, Mr.Vasudeva Nanayakara, veteran trade unionist and a leading member of the left movement in the island has been named as the Mayoral candidate for the Colombo Municipal Council, UPFA sources said.
Full story >>

UPFA candidates urged not to criticize JHU, JVP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 March 2006, 00:14 GMT]
The ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) leadership has instructed its candidates contesting the forthcoming local council elections not to criticize the policies of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), said Mr.Mathiripala Sirisena, Minister and the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the UPFA addressing a conference held recently in Colombo, sources said. "UPFA candidates should confine their electioneering to unveil their plans to develop their respective local authorities when they win," he added.
Full story >>

Ashraff to brief Muslim leaders on Geneva talks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 March 2006, 10:27 GMT]
Ms Ferial Ashraff, Minister and the leader of the National Unity Alliance (NUA), one of the constituent parties in the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), is to hold a meeting with Muslim leaders this week in Colombo to decide on a plan of action to draw the focus of the Government and LTTE to the problems related to Muslim community and to include a separate delegation in the future peace talks, sources said.
Full story >>

JVP wants Norway out of peace facilitator role

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 21:37 GMT]
"Norway is an accomplice to the Liberation Tigers in the LTTE's Nationalist struggle and fight for secession. We demand the Sri Lanka Government to relieve Norway from facilitator role," said Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) the Sinhala nationalist ally of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, in a memorandum sent to Colombo press Wednesday, sources in Colombo said. The memorandum was written in Sinhala.
Full story >>

Ashraff inclusion in Sri Lanka talks irks Southeastern Muslims

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 February 2006, 16:43 GMT]
The Consortium of South East Muslim Associations has called for a peaceful general shut down Wednesday condemning the Government of Sri Lanka for not allowing a separate Muslim delegation to participate in the two-day peace talk, which is to begin February 22nd in Geneva, Switzerland and for allowing Ms Ferial Ashraff as the sole spokesperson in the talks on behalf of NorthEast Muslims.
Full story >>

UPFA to contest three Jaffna local councils

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 February 2006, 16:26 GMT]
Ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) is contesting three local councils in Jaffna district, Chavakachcheri, Point Pedro and Valvettithurai urban councils, and has submitted nomination papers for these councils, election officials in Jaffna said. For the Jaffna Municipal Council only three political parties Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) and PLOTE-EPRLF (Varathar wing) have submitted nominations.
Full story >>

ITAK uncontested in Verugal local council

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 February 2006, 11:41 GMT]
Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK) was elected uncontested in the Verugal Pradesiya Sabah in the Trincomalee district when submission of nomination lists for the thirteen local authorities closed Thursday at noon. Mr.Bandara Mapa, Assistant Commissioner of Elections said the Commissioner of Elections would take further steps regarding the appointment of chairman and vice chairman for the Verugal PS soon, election department sources said.


Full story >>

TNA, UPFA, SLMC to contest Mannar local council elections

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 February 2006, 16:27 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Wednesday submitted its nomination list to contest the Musali pradesiya Sabah in the Mannar district. Meanwhile the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has decided to contest all the five local authorities in the Mannar district in the forthcoming local council election, sources said.
Full story >>

Major political parties to file nominations Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 15:59 GMT]
Major political parties, the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), main opposition United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), and Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) are to submit their nomination lists from Wednesday to contest the 330 local authorities, which include 18 municipal councils, 42 urban councils and 270 pradesiya sabahs, election department sources said.
Full story >>

JVP to contest alone in local council elections

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 15:56 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Sinhala Marxist party officially announced Tuesday that it has decided to contest alone in the forthcoming local authorities elections under its symbol 'Bell". The decision to contest alone was taken after the failure of the talks held between the JVP and the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in the allocation of candidates under an election alliance, a JVP official said at a press briefing held Tuesday, sources said.
Full story >>

Political parties prepare strategy for local council elections

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 February 2006, 17:43 GMT]
All main political parties are to submit nominations to contest the forthcoming elections to three hundred and thirty local authorities in the island from Tuesday. The final day to submit nomination lists has been fixed for Thursday February 16. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which worked for the victory of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse at the last year presidential poll is to contest the local council election alone without forming an alliance with the ruling party, political sources said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka Muslims demand separate delegation in peace talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 February 2006, 17:41 GMT]
The Muslim Peace Secretariat (MPS) Tuesday made an appeal that a separate Muslim delegation should be allowed not only to participate in the Geneva peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) scheduled to be held in February 22 and 23 but also in the future talks on resolving the national conflict, media sources said.
Full story >>

TNA MPs walk out of parliament in protest of killings, abduction

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 February 2006, 06:07 GMT]
If Colombo continued to allow provocative incidents take place in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas of the NorthEast, the peace talks planned between the Government and the LTTE would be in jeopardy, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has warned the Sri Lankan Parliament Wednesday. "This is a calculated move to disturb the talks to be held in Geneva between the Government and the LTTE. We demand that the Government to act urgently in this matter and take appropriate action to save the dialogue," Mavai Senathirajah, TNA MP for Jaffna District told a press conference after walking out of the Sri Lankan Parliament.
Full story >>

SL Parliament to hold one-day debate on Govt's policy statement

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 December 2005, 10:04 GMT]
One-day debate on the policy statement of the new Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse is to take place when parliament meets on December 7 on a request made by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) at the leaders of political parties. Mr Rajapakse presented his policy statement in parliament last Friday.
Full story >>

Clinton visits tsunami destroyed Kinniya

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 November 2005, 18:13 GMT]
United Nations Special Envoy, President Bill Clinton, Tuesday visited Kinniya division, which had registered highest number of deaths and displacement due to tsunami disaster in the Trincomalee district last year. During his two hour-stay in Kinniya President Clinton visited tsunami destroyed areas and consoled the victims, sources said.
Full story >>

Mangala Samaraweera appointed new SL Foreign Minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 November 2005, 07:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka's new President Mahinda Rajapakse has demoted former President Chandrika Kumaratunga's brother, Mr. Anura Bandaranaike, by removing the Foreign Ministry portfolio from him and appointing him as the Minister of Tourism in his new 25-member cabinet. Chief coordinator of Mr. Rajapakse's Presidential Campaign, Mangala Samaraweera, a JVP-friendly hardliner, has been appointed as the Foreign Minister, in addition to his portfolios, Ports and Aviation. The twice postponed- swearing in of the new cabinet of ministers took place at the Presidential Secretariat Wednesday. Rajapakse is likely to keep with him the Finance and Defence Ministries.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka, a divided nation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 November 2005, 02:21 GMT]
Predicting that if parliamentary elections were held and the LTTE encouraged Tamils to vote, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will likely lose the elections, and the United National Party (UNP) wll be able to form a coalition government with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Robert C Oberst, Professor of Political Science at Nebraska Wesleyan University says Sri Lanka remains a divided nation, divided, not only between the Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims, but also divided among the Sinhalese. He adds that renegade LTTE commander, Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna), is the biggest loser in the elections.
Full story >>