No official talks to form alliance with JVP - PA

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 January 2003, 17:12 GMT]
The People’s Alliance (PA) General Secretary and a former minister, Mr.D.M.Jayaretna, Monday said no discussion took place between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the main constituent of the PA and the JVP, regarding the formation of a coalition. "There were no official level talks between the leadership of the two political parties regarding forming a political alliance. However, both parties would work against the present government jointly whenever need arises," said M.Jayaratna.
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Minister urges UNP-PA to work together for peace

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 December 2002, 17:36 GMT]
Minister of Fisheries, Mr.Mahinda Wijesekara, addressing a seminar Sunday at Devinuwara, a town in deep South, appealed to the United National Front (UNF) government and the main opposition People's Alliance ( PA ) to bury their differences and work together to find a lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict.
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Parliament approves BOI bill

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 December 2002, 17:28 GMT]
The Board of Investment Bill was passed in parliament Wednesday with a majority of fifty-one votes amidst vehement opposition to create one economic commission for the entire northeast province. An amendment brought by the main opposition People’s Alliance (PA) and Sinhala hardliner Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to have separate economic commission for the north and east was defeated by a majority of forty-nine votes.
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Sri Lanka Opposition decries Government's fiscal policies

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 December 2002, 04:30 GMT]
The second budget of the United National Front (UNF) government passed in parliament Tuesday night with a majority of thirty-six votes with one hundred and twenty one parliamentarians voting for the 2003 budget and ninety one voting against, parliamentary sources said.
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TNA abstains from voting to register protest

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 November 2002, 17:54 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians Monday refrained from voting when the Interior Ministry financial allocation in the 2003 budget was put to vote during the committee stage debate. "The TNA parliamentary group decided not to vote for the Interior Ministry financial allocation to register our dissatisfaction to the government for its inaction regarding Kanchirankuda and Trincomalee incidents in which several Tamils were killed," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, TNA parliamentary group leader.


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Parliament approves President votes without cut

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 November 2002, 21:33 GMT]
The parliament Friday evening approved the votes for the offices of the President and Prime Minister without cut. The committee stage budget debate, which began Friday morning, continued for about five hours. The votes were approved without division.
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Parliament adopts UNF second budget

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 November 2002, 07:49 GMT]
The second budget of the United National Front government was passed Thursday in parliament by a majority of thirty-six votes. One hundred twenty nine parliamentarians voted for the budget and ninety three voted against. Parliamentarians of the main opposition People's Alliance (PA), Sinhala hardliner party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the National Unity Alliance (NUA), the breakaway group of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress voted against the budget.
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Budget fails to recognize needs of NorthEast -Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 November 2002, 21:15 GMT]
"The budget does not provide any relief to the devastated northeast. To treat the northeast in the same way as the rest of the country would tantamount to a refusal to acknowledge the devastation and deprivation suffered by the people of northeast," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) group leader participating in the budget debate Thursday.
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Kanjirankuda inquiry one sided - Chandra Nehru

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 November 2002, 02:40 GMT]
"The Committee appointed to investigate the Kanjirankuda violence has produced a grossly one-sided report. I have no faith in this Committee. I urge the Prime Minister to appoint a new Committee that can maintain its independence and conduct an impartial and thorough investigation of the recent violence," said Chandra Nehru, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ampara district while speaking in the Parliament on 8 October.
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Bribery officials quiz JVP leader

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 November 2002, 14:28 GMT]
The parliamentary group leader of the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Mr.Wimal Weerawanse, Tuesday appeared before the Bribery and Corruption Commission on notice. He was quizzed by a team of bribery officials about a complaint lodged by a person from Piliyandala that he was maintaining a bank account with another person in the name of JVP, sources said.
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Trinco DCC reviews resettling displaced

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 October 2002, 20:54 GMT]
Each displaced family is to be given one hundred thousand rupees as resettlement package under the rehabilitation programme which is to be implemented shortly, it was announced at the meeting of the Trincomalee District Co-ordinating Committee (DCC) held Monday.
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Opposition holds rally in Nugegoda

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 October 2002, 01:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and other constituent parties of People Alliance (PA) today held a public rally in the Nugegoda Juntion, protesting against the United National Front Government (UNF) and to celebrate the rejection by the Supreme Court of the 19th Amendement through which the UNF sought to clip the powers of President Chandrika Kumaratunge.
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JVP debates NE security, TNA stages walkout

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 October 2002, 14:53 GMT]
Members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) staged a walk out in parliament Wednesday evening protesting at not being allocated time to speak on the adjournment motion moved by the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) censuring the United National Front (UNF) government for failing to provide security to the people of eastern province.


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Army strength not reduced – Defence Minister

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 September 2002, 13:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Defence Minister said Tuesday that the Army camps removed from areas in the northeast province under the ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers have been relocated close to their original locations and denied the number of soldiers deployed in Tamil areas had been reduced.
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TNA tells Chandrika to shun JVP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 September 2002, 19:28 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance Thursday said that President Chandrika Kumaratunge should not take any decisions regarding the peace process on the guidance of the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).”Instead it is essential for her to take decisions in the interests of the country and of finding a permanent and just solution to the ethnic conflict,” said Mr.R.Sampanthan, leader of the TNA parliamentary group in a statement issued Thursday, welcoming the de-proscription of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
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UNF said to have power to de-proscribe

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 September 2002, 09:52 GMT]
A leading legal luminary has said that the Defence Minister in the United National Front (UNF) government has the authority to issue gazette notification announcing the de-proscription of the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. "Once the ban on LTTE is lifted the President absolutely has no right to change that decision," said President Counsel Mr. Desmond Fernando referring to the constitutional conflict that has arisen following the President's remarks that she would oppose de-proscription.
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Kumaratunga ally slams PA's chauvinism

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 June 2002, 16:55 GMT]
The Lanka Sama Samaja party (LSSP) Monday accused the main opposition Peoples Alliance (PA) led by President Chandrika Kumaratunge that "it does not maintain a definite position regarding the ongoing peace efforts and the government's economic programme". The general secretary of the LSSP and a former minister in the PA government Mr. Batty Weerakone said the PA has joined the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna to whip up racial hatred in the country, forgetting the economic problems of the masses.
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Support urged for LTTE’s political efforts

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 May 2002, 00:18 GMT]
The leader of Sri Lanka’s largest Muslim party Monday slammed opponents of the Norwegian peace initiative and urged support for the Liberation Tigers’ political efforts, the Thinakkuaral reported Tuesday. Speaking in the parliament, Mr. Rauf Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), urged political parties to support efforts by the LTTE leader, Vellupillai Pirapaharan, to end the island’s ethnic conflict, the Tamil language daily said.
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Ashraff slammed for opposing truce

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 May 2002, 19:27 GMT]
(News Feature) Reflecting increasing irritation amongst Sri Lanka’s Muslim community over ongoing opposition by some Muslim politicians to the permanent ceasefire between the government and the Liberation Tigers, another Muslim organisation this week hailed the truce and condemned those supporting Sinhala nationalist forces opposed to peace.
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SLMC condemns Ashraff over ‘collaboration’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 April 2002, 02:19 GMT]
A section of Sri Lanka’s largest Muslim party Friday condemned the leader of a breakaway faction for siding with Sinhala chauvinists by speaking at an anti-peace rally organised to condemn the indefinite ceasefire between the government and the Liberation Tigers, press reports said. The Eravur sections of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) criticised Mrs Farial Ashraff, the widow of its former leader, for siding with Sinhala chauvinists and addressing the event in Colombo in her capacity as leader of the National United Alliance.
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