Posters of aspiring Sri Lanka Presidents to be removed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 September 2005, 11:08 GMT]
After the announcement of the date for the Presidential polls on the 17th November, the polls chief has ordered the police Monday to remove all cutouts, and posters which are illegal according to the election laws in Sri Lanka, sources in Colombo said. According to the department of Elections during the period of elections the police force will get the instructions from the polls chief to pave way for a free and fair polls.
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Co-Chairs reiterate commitment, demand action

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 September 2005, 05:39 GMT]
As Sinhala nationalist forces opposed to a negotiated federal solution, Norwegian facilitation and the western influence, were gaining momentum in the South and a shadow war was being waged in the NorthEast, the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference, who met in New York Monday reaffirmed their strong support to Norway as facilitator and a federal solution as a framework. The Co-Chairs called on the Liberation Tigers to end political assassinations, recruitment of under age youth and underlined the responsibility of the Sri Lankan government to "disarm or relocate" paramilitary groups from the NorthEast. They expressed fear that the Cease Fire is facing its "most serious challenge".
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Sri Lanka reduces age of consent to 13 – report

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 September 2005, 15:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s cabinet has decided to reduce the age of consent for sexual encounters to 13 years, Justice Minister John Senevirathne announced Friday. He told the BBC’s Sinhala service the move to reduce it from 16 is a consequence of rising numbers of arrests of men for sexual relations with girls below that age.
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Police say evidence exists to arrest Sivaram killers

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 September 2005, 10:55 GMT]
A Police officer of Colombo Crime Division (CCD) has informed the Kaduwela Magistrate court on Friday 16 September, that all information and location details regarding the killers and gun used in the murder of TamilNet senior editor Mr. Dharmaretnam Sivaram has been found, legal sources said. According to the police officer a suspect held in custody had disclosed details of the killers and gun to the investigating officer following a long period of questioning.


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Remand extended for Sivaram murder suspect

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 September 2005, 10:57 GMT]
The suspect in the slaying of journalist Dharmaratnam Sivaram, Sriskandarajah, was remanded till 27th September by the Kaduwela Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge Champa Janaki Rajaratna on Wednesday, legal sources said.


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Tens of thousands attend resurgence event in Mullaithivu

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 September 2005, 17:11 GMT]
Tens of thousands of people from Mullaitivu district, including the tsunami ravaged coastal areas participated in the Tamil Resurgence event held at Malathi Sports Ground, Puthukudiyiruppu, Wednesday evening at 3:30 p.m. The event was organised by the Tamil National Resurgence Task Force to bolster the Vavuniya Declaration. Red-Yellow bi-colour flags were seen flying in all parts of Mullaithivu.
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Fire at Colombo Police HQ, third floor damaged

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 September 2005, 08:08 GMT]
Fire erupted at the third floor of the Police Headquarters located at Colombo Fort around 11:20 a.m. Wednesday. The third floor which houses offices of eight Deputy Inspector Generals (DIG) sustained major damages, Police said. Noone was injured as the DIGs and officials were attending a meeting in a different floor at the time of the fire, sources added.
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Rajapakse, JHU exchange agreement

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 September 2005, 10:51 GMT]
Prime Minister Rajapakse of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Ellawela Methantha Thera of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) exchanged agreement for the forthcoming Presidential election at Dalada Maligawa, Kandy Tuesday morning at 1130am. The parties agreed in principle to terminate talks on the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) and to find a solution to the ethnic crisis on the basis of a unitary state.


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Mannar town, suburbs under strict SLA surveillance

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 September 2005, 17:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Police instituted strict surveillance of Mannar district by establishing several roadblocks and sentry points in several key roads and junctions. Residents of Mannar town were perturbed Saturday morning when they were subjected to severe body checks passing through newly set up roadblocks and checkpoints, residents said.


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PLOTE cadre shot dead in Vavuniya, bystander injured

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 September 2005, 09:19 GMT]
Vilvarasa Gopal (47), a member of Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at 11.40 am Friday in Thirunavatkulam in Vavuniya district, police in Vavuniya said. Gopal was working inside his residence when he was killed. Selvarajah Parthipan, a teacher at a Vavuniya Private Educational Institute was seriously injured during the incident.
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"Talks venue must be acceptable to both parties"- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 September 2005, 09:46 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, who met with Norwegian delegation in Kilinochchi Thursday morning told reporters that a southern venue, including the Colombo airport, does not provide the necessary conducive environment for direct talks. The venue for direct talks must be acceptable to both parties, he added. Thamilchelvan further said that while the Emergency Regulations is in force and in the prevailing unpredicatable political atmosphere with serious controversies in the South, LTTE finds the airport venue not conducive for serious talks. Colombo had declined to have talks in Kilinochchi.
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Rajapakse, JVP sign policy deal

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 September 2005, 09:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) presidential candidate Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sinhala extreme nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) secretary Mr. Tilvin Silva signed the 12-point policy agreement Thursday morning at the Prime Minister official residence, Temple Trees in Colombo.


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Norway wants to hold talks in Colombo Airport

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 13:22 GMT]
A press release issued from the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wednesday said that Norway has determined that the only possible venue to hold talks on improving the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is Colombo International Airport. The Sri Lankan Government has maintained that it wants the meeting to be held in Sri Lanka, while the LTTE has repeated its preference for Kilinochchi or a venue outside Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the Norwegian FM has called an extraordinary meeting of the Sri Lanka co-chairs in New York on 19 September, the press release added.
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SLFP holds 54th annual conference

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 09:17 GMT]
More than 20,000 participated in the 54th Annual conference of Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP) which was held Tuesday at Colombo Horse Race Square, political sources in Colombo said. The conference rally started at 12 noon from Colombo Campell Park and marched through the baseline road, via Reed Avenue and reached the meeting venue at 6pm. Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumarathunga and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksha joined the rally at Reed Avenue and walked to Horse Race Square, political sources in Colombo said.


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TNA representatives meet UN envoy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 04:23 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians, Mr. R. Sampanthan, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Mr. Gajendran Ponnambalam and Mr. M. K. Sivajilingam on Tuesday met Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan, in Colombo.
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Bullet riddled bodies of Tamil youths recovered in Ragama

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 September 2005, 17:07 GMT]
The bodies of two Tamil youths Mr. Kirupairasa Rupanraj, 23, and Mr. Muthuvel Jegatheeswaran, 19, natives of Almkerny, Kinniya division in Trincomalee district were recovered with gunshot injuries Tuesday morning by Ragama Police in Western Province. The two youths were abducted Monday night around 10 p.m. from Ragama, northeast of Colombo.
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JVP, SLFP alliance spells disaster for Sri Lanka - Wickremesinghe

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 September 2005, 11:05 GMT]
Leader of Sri Lanka's opposition and the presidential candidate of the United National Party (UNP), Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Tuesday warned that to prevent Sri Lanka plunging into chaos NorthEast crisis need to be addressed and solved urgently. The alliance between the SLFP and the JVP on Sri Lanka's presidency will exacerbate political and economical woes facing Sri Lanka, he said. "This alliance will isolate the country from the International community. The JVP is beating the war drums, and if there is another war it will bring disaster to Sri Lanka," Mr. Wickremesinghe warned.
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JHU to support Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 September 2005, 09:36 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Sinhala extremeist all monks' party said Tuesday it has decided to support Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, Prime Minister in the forthcoming presidential election, sources in Colombo said. The ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has named Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse as its presidential candidate.


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Three LTTE cadres killed, five injured in Vaharai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 September 2005, 09:29 GMT]
Three Liberation Tigers cadres were killed when a group of armed men wearing military fatigues raided a sentry post at Kattumurivu inside Liberation Tigers controlled Vaharai area Tuesday morning around 8:45 a.m. Five cadres were injured in the raid, according to LTTE officials in Sampoor. Meanwhile, SLA sources in Welikanda told local reporters that a 40 mm grenade launcher, four T-56 rifles, ten grenades, two claymore mines and three LTTE uniform kits were captured by the attackers, claiming that the raid was carried out by "Mangalan Master", a Karuna loyalist.
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JVP announces conditional support to Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 September 2005, 07:20 GMT]
The Sinhala extreme nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna on Monday announced its conditional support to Sri Lankan PM and the presidential candidate Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse with twelve demands. The main demands put forward by the JVP were: nullify P-TOMS, commitment to unitary state, revise the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and review the Norwegian role in the peace process. The JVP announced its conditional support to Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse Monday morning in a press conference held at National Library in Colombo. According to JVP, a "policy agreement" was already reached between Mr. Rajapakse and the JVP.
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