UPFA 144, UNP 60, ITAK 14, DNA 7 constitute new Sri Lankan parliament

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 April 2010, 07:56 GMT]
Sri Lankan Elections Secretariat gazetted the names of newly elected members to the seventh parliament which is to meet on Thursday. According to the final results released, the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has won 144 seats including 17 places in the national list. The main opposition United National Party (UNP) bagged 60 seats including nine national list MPs. The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) won 14 seats including one place in the national list. The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) led by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) won seven seats including two places in the national list.
Full story >>

Fonseka likely to attend inaugural session of new parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 April 2010, 09:25 GMT]
General Sarath Fonseka is likely to attend the opening session of the seventh parliament that is fixed for April 22. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse has been asked by the Acting Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Kitulgoda to take necessary steps to allow General Fonseka to attend parliament.
Full story >>

Court Martial to decide Fonseka's attendance to parliament

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 April 2010, 17:30 GMT]
The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Friday said that an attempt is being made by the Government of Sri Lanka to prevent General Sarath Fonseka from attending the parliament by getting a conviction against him at the Court Martial hearing fixed for April 19, three days ahead of the inaugural event of the new parliament which is scheduled to meet on April 22, media sources reported quoting JVP former parliamentarian Anurakumara Dissanayake.
Full story >>

Rajapakse to declare open new parliament on April 22

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 April 2010, 17:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapakse is to officially declare open the first session of the seventh parliament Thursday (April 22) morning. The Secretary General of Sri Lanka's parliament, Dhammika Kitulgoda, has notified that the parliament will meet at 8:45 a.m. All newly elected members should be present at 8:30 a.m. The ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has already won 117 seats in the 225-member Parliament, while the United National Front (UNF) led by the main opposition United National Party (UNP) obtained 46 seats, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) 12 seats and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led Democratic National Alliance (DNA) 5 seats. Twenty-nine members would be appointed through the National List on the votes each political party polled island wide.
Full story >>

Incidents of violence mark Election Day

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 April 2010, 10:15 GMT]
In Vavuniyaa in the North, alleged supporters of former Minister of Resettlement and ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Risard Badudeen harassed private bus owners transporting Vanni uprooted civilians in Vavuniyaa detention centres to the polling stations in Vanni district, according to Advisor to the Elections Commisioner, Bandula Kulathunge. Meanwhile, Executive Director of PAFFREL, Rohana Hettiarachchi said that the Election Day was quite violent with incidents continuing to pour in from all parts of the island.
Full story >>

Buddhist monk begins fast unto death demanding release of Fonseka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 April 2010, 09:06 GMT]
A Buddhist monk affiliated to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) launched a fast unto death campaign Saturday morning opposite Fort railway station in Colombo demanding early release of Retd. Gen. Sarath Fonseka who was taken into custody following the presidential election held on January 26. He was defeated by the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse in the election.
Full story >>

JVP opens office in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 March 2010, 17:15 GMT]
Somawansa Amarasinghe, the leader of Jantha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), opened the JVP office for Jaffna peninsula Sunday afternoon in Uduppiddi-Valveddiththu’rai area on Jaffna-Point Pedro road, sources in Jaffna said. The JVP leader said that while governments of United National Party (UNP), Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) had killed innocent Tamils and subjected them to untold difficulties in the past, JVP had not killed a single Tamil. He further stressed that JVP is not a racist party as some call it. JVP is opening its office in Jaffna after 27 years. Prior to 1983 when Rohana Wijeweera led JVP there were JVP offices in Jaffna, Chu’n’naakam and Ki’linochchi.
Full story >>

Election campaign gains momentum in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 March 2010, 16:28 GMT]
Election campaign activities by contesting political parties and independent groups have gained momentum in Jaffna peninsula and leaders of political parties including President Mahinda Rajapakse of United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), R. Sampanthan of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Ranil Wickremasinghe of United National Party (UNP) and Somaratne Amarasinghe of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) are expected to come to the peninsula to engage in electioneering, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Protest held in Colombo against Sarath Fonseka court martial

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 March 2010, 16:33 GMT]
Hundreds of supporters of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) led by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Monday held a protest in Fort in Colombo demanding the scrap of military tribunal appointed by President Mahinda Rajapakse to charge the defeated common opposition presidential candidate General (retd) Fonseka.
Full story >>

Fonseka will not attend court martial, lawyers to challenge its legality

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 March 2010, 07:21 GMT]
General (retd) Sarath Fonseka will not appear before the Court Martial that is to begin March 16. Instead a team of lawyers will attend on behalf General Fonseka and would challenge the legality of the composition of the Court Martial. They would argue that there is no provision in the Army Act to court martial Fonseka and such ‘trial’ is illegal, according to Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarian Anura Dissanayake to media.
Full story >>

JVP will oppose any power devolution to North, East provinces

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2010, 09:28 GMT]
The Sinhala Marxist party Jantha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) former parliamentarian, Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that JVP will oppose if a new political constitution devolving powers to the Northern and Eastern provinces is to be created, in a press briefing held in Colombo Tuesday. “Minister G. L. Peiris recently said that the government intends implementing its newly drafted political constitution following the parliamentary elections and I call upon the government to make public this new political constitution,” Anura Kumar Dissanayake said adding that JVP will never permit the country to be divided.
Full story >>

Emergency extended in Sri Lanka by another month

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 March 2010, 10:56 GMT]
The State of Emergency was extended by another month by the Sri Lanka’s parliament Tuesday. Ninety three parliamentarians of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and its constituent parties voted for the extension and twenty parliamentarians from the main opposition United National Party (UNP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) voted against. The dissolved parliament was summoned by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse to ratify his gazette notification issued last week to extend the emergency. According to the Constitution, the gazette notification should be ratified within ten days.
Full story >>

Wickramasinghe to contest under UNP led UNF, Fonseka under JVP led DNA

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 February 2010, 15:06 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Sunday night decided to contest the forthcoming general election set for April 8 under its Elephant symbol, rejecting the last minute appeal by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to contest under the Democratic National Alliance (DNA). JVP led DNA is contesting under the symbol Champion Trophy.
Full story >>

JVP forms new political alliance to contest general election

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 February 2010, 14:11 GMT]
The controversy over the election symbol among the joint opposition parties has escalated with the formation of a new political front by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). JVP has named the new front as the Democratic National Alliance (DNA). The election symbol of the DNA is trophy, political sources said.
Full story >>

Court discharges pro-JVP weekly editor

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 February 2010, 13:11 GMT]
Gangodawila Magistrate Tuesday discharged the editor of pro Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Sinhala weekly “Lanka”, Chandana Sirimalwatte as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that took him into custody on January 29 failed to file any charges against him, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Police use tear gas, water cannons to break up protests

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 February 2010, 02:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police Thursday used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protests launched by opposition parties demanding the unconditional release of General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, in Maharagama, Kandy and other parts of the south, according to media reports.
Full story >>

Opposition parties to stage protest against Fonseka's arrest

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 February 2010, 18:16 GMT]
United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP-M-wing), Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) are to stage protests in key towns in the country Wednesday against the arrest of General (retd) Sarath Fonseka.
Full story >>

Pro-JVP Sinhala weekly recommences publication

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 February 2010, 14:25 GMT]
Pro-Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Sinhala language weekly “Lanka” appeared on the news stands Saturday in Colombo and several parts of the south after publication ceased earlier due to the arrest of the paper's editor and threat to the printing establishment. The newspaper office was sealed by the police after the presidential election, but later, due to lack of evidence, Gangodawila Magistrate revoked police action, legal sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

SL parliament extends emergency another month

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 February 2010, 16:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s parliament Friday adopted a motion by a majority of eighty seven votes to extend the State of Emergency for another month. One hundred and two MPs of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) voted for the motion and fifteen from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the main opposition United National Party (UNP) voted against. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) parliamentarians did not participate in the voting.
Full story >>

Joint opposition to hold demonstration against presidential election malpractice

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 February 2010, 13:38 GMT]
The joint opposition United National Alliance (UNA) comprising United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and Mahajana wing of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has decided to hold a demonstration Wednesday in Colombo to protest against the alleged manipulation of presidential poll results, UNP media spokesman and Puththa’lam district parliamentarian Palitha Range Bandara said in a media conference held Sunday.
Full story >>