UNP to hold 140 presidential election rallies

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 September 2005, 17:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition, the United National Party (UNP) is to hold one hundred election rallies in support of its presidential candidate Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe. Twenty of the rallies will be held before the nomination date, party sources said.
Full story >>

UN special envoy arrives in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 September 2005, 16:37 GMT]
United Nations special envoy Mr.Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Colombo Friday night on a five-day visit. During his stay he is scheduled to meet Sri Lanka's President, Prime Minister, opposition leader and leaders of political parties, sources said.
Full story >>

JHU to announce candidate after call for nominations

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 September 2005, 13:51 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the Sinhala extremist all Buddhist monks party, at a Worship meeting held a the Viharamaha Devi Park Saturday evening, said that they will announce their Sri Lanka presidential candidate after the election date is announced and the nominations are called by the election commissioner, political sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

GoSL donates USD 25 000 to US hurricane victims

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 September 2005, 06:47 GMT]
United States Charge’ d’Affaires to Sri Lanka and the Maldives James F. Entwistle expressed gratitude to Sri Lanka's President Kumaratunga and the Government of Sri Lanka Friday for their condolences and pledge of assistance to hurricane victims in the U.S. The Government of Sri Lanka will donate $25,000 to the American Red Cross for immediate assistance to those affected by the hurricane, and Sri Lankan Ambassador to the U.S. Bernard Goonetillike will call upon Sri Lankan physicians in the U.S. to volunteer their services to the injured and ill, according to a press release from the Embassy of the United States of America in Colombo.
Full story >>

Tactical imperatives drive LTTE's responses - Balakumaran

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 September 2005, 02:22 GMT]
"Liberation Tigers' recent responses to emerging political issues are tactical, reflecting the organization's political maturity and the need to further expose to the international community, Government of Sri Lanka's inability to effectively address the Tamil National question," said Mr. K. V. Balakumaran, a senior LTTE member and former EROS leader, when TamilNet asked for his comment on the recent characterization by the Colombo press of LTTE "climbing down" on previously stated positions on issues.
Full story >>

Jaffna journalists hold demonstration against attack on Tamil media

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 September 2005, 14:17 GMT]
Large number of journalists based in Jaffna district Thursday morning held a one-hour demonstration in the Jaffna central bus stand condemning the assault on journalists of Sudar Oli, Colombo Tamil daily and its offices at Wellawatte and Grandpass. The shouted slogans, carrying placards protesting against the government for not taking prompt action to safeguard the Tamil media in Colombo, sources said.
Full story >>

Tens of thousands attend Tamil resurgence event in Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 September 2005, 12:11 GMT]
Around one hundred thousand people from various parts of Vanni mainland took part in the Tamil national resurgence event held in Kilinochchi on Thursday. The event was held in support of the July 27 Vavuniya Convention and was organised by the Tamil Resurgence Task Force. The entire township was decorated with felicitation arches and yellow and red bi-colour flags with a festive appearance. "This event would inform the world that time is ripe for us to decide our own destiny," Mr. M. Sivabalan, president of the Task Force told TamilNet. The event ceremonially began at 4:00 p.m. in Kilinochchi common playground.
Full story >>

US hands over sniffer dogs to SLA de-mining unit in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 August 2005, 18:21 GMT]
The USA government Tuesday handed 7 trained sniffer dogs to the De-Mining Unit of the Sri Lanka Army, which is stationed in the Palaly military base in Jaffna district. SLA troops Wednesday morning deployed these sniffer dogs to detect mines in the Avarankal east area.
Full story >>

JVP to contest presidential poll if talks with SLFP fails -Weeravanse

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 August 2005, 18:57 GMT]
Parliamentary group leader of the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Permuna (JVP), Mr.Wimal Weeravanse said Monday that his party would support the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) presidential candidate Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, if he agrees to the conditions put forward by the JVP. "JVP would field its own candidate if the talks with Mr.Rajapakse fails to reach a consensus on our conditions," Mr.Weeravanse said, addressing a press conference in Colombo.
Full story >>

Colombo Tamil daily bombed, one dead, three injured

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 August 2005, 13:22 GMT]
Unidentified attackers lobbed two grenades into the printing office of the Colombo Tamil daily Sudar Oli around 6:15 p.m. Monday. A security guard, Mr. David Selvaratnam,50, who was injured in the attack, succumbed to his woundsd at Colombo Hospital. A proof reader, a computer operator and a visitor from Deepam TV were also injured in the attack. The attackers sped away soon after they lobbed the grenades into the Sudaroli printing office located on Madampitiya Road at. Grandpass in Colombo.
Full story >>

Bodies with gunshot injuries recovered in Kalutara

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 August 2005, 05:14 GMT]
Bodies of two youths with gunshot injuries were found in the shrub jungle close to Arupola Kanda in Thepuwana in Kalutara district, south of Colombo. The victims were about five feet and six inches in height and were wearing denim trousers and colored shirts, Thepuwana Police said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka Navy to get new Commander

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 August 2005, 11:28 GMT]
Rear Admiral Wasantha Karanagoda, Eastern Commander is to be promoted as Vice Admiral and appointed as the Commander of Sri Lanka Navy Monday at a ceremony to be held in the President's House. The outgoing SLN Chief Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri is to be promoted full-fledged Admiral on September 01 and is to continue as the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) in charge of Sri Lanka's defenses and the security establishment, according to defence sources in Colombo.
Full story >>

Two children, woman injured in Grenade attack

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 August 2005, 04:03 GMT]
Two children, a six year-old-boy, a nine-year-old girl and a 28 year old woman were injured when unidentified attackers lobbed a grenade into a house in Thimilathivu, a suburb of Batticaloa, Saturday night around 8:30 p.m. The six-year-old boy, Navaratnarajah Jegatheeswaran (Vinoth) is transferred to Colombo Hospital in serious condition from Batticaloa Hospital, sources said.
Full story >>

Election Commissioner, IGP to ensure violent free, fair presidential election

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 August 2005, 18:06 GMT]
Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake, Commissioner of Elections has summoned Returning Officers and Assistant Commissioners of Elections of twenty-five electoral districts for a conference on August 30 Tuesday morning at his office in Colombo to finalize arrangements to hold the presidential election. Government Agents are designated as Returning Officers of their districts for election purposes in addition to Assistant Commissioner of Elections, sources said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka's business sector organizes seminar on SSCP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 August 2005, 14:58 GMT]
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) has organized a one-day seminar to raise concerns over the Sethusamudram Canal Project (SSCP) creating much discussion and debate among environmental groups, buisness community, government officials and the general public. Environmental groups held two demonstrations in Colombo last week against the implementation of the SSCP arguing that it would cause serious damage to the fishing industry in the northern region and environmental damage to the island.
Full story >>

JVP, JHU to outline their strategy for Presidential election next week

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 August 2005, 14:51 GMT]
The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party, and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sinhala nationalist-cum-Marxist party, are to announce their decision during the first week of September whether to field their own candidates or to support one of the two main political parties in the forthcoming presidential election widely expected to be held in November second week, political sources said.
Full story >>

Two men from Batticaloa kidnapped in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 August 2005, 21:58 GMT]
Unidentified persons riding a white van without number-plate kidnapped two civilians from Batticaloa in Colombo Thursday night around 11:00 p.m. The victims, Mr. Kandiah Sasikumar, 22 and Mr. Kathamuthu Nallathamby, 40, were kidnapped on Colombo-Negombo road when they were on their way from Banadaranaike International Airport with their relatives who had come from abroad, sources said.
Full story >>

TNA to move motion in parliament condemning Tamil journalist attack

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 August 2005, 05:41 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has decided to move an adjournment motion in parliament Friday condemning the attack on Mr.Yathurshan Premachchandran, a trainee photo-journalist of a Colombo Tamil daily Sudar Oli when he was covering the JVP demonstration held in front of the Fort railway Station Tuesday afternoon. TNA parliamentary group has given notice to this effect to the Speaker Wednesday. The Speaker has agreed for a debate on this issue, TNA sources said.
Full story >>

UNP meets Election Commissioner with one million signatures

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 August 2005, 06:14 GMT]
Mr.Karu Jayasuriya, Deputy Leader of the Sri Lanka's main oppostion United National Party, handed over a memorandum to Sri Lanka's Commissioner of Elections Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake Wednesday evening with more than one million signatures demanding that the next presidential election should be held before the end of this year. Election Commissioner has told the UNP deputy that he would inform his decision on the date of the next presidential election at the appropriate time after the five member bench of the Supreme Court deliver its order on the controversy which has been fixed for Friday.
Full story >>

TNA delegation meets UK envoy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 August 2005, 15:48 GMT]
A Tamil National Alliance parliamentary delegation Wednesday morning met with Mr. Stephen Evans, British High Commissioner in Colombo and exchanged views on the proposed talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) regarding the implementation of the ceasefire agreement to its word, current position of the P-TOMS following the Supreme Court's interim order, the urgency of establishing the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) and the future political scenario in the south which is expected to be followed with the order of the Supreme Court on the presidential election date controversy on Friday, TNA sources said.
Full story >>