TNA urges Colombo to sign aid deal

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 June 2005, 09:06 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Saturday appealed to the Sri Lanka Government to sign the post-Tsunami agreement with the LTTE as agreed between the Government and the LTTE with Norwegian facilitation. Noting that the main barrier to signing the agreement, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), has quit the alliance, the TNA said it would support fully all steps taken in the right direction by the minority Government.
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Aid deal not final, says Kumaratunga

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 10:28 GMT]
Responding to a letter from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) which listed JVP's reasons for quitting the alliance, Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga said Thursday that a final document for the Joint Mechanism has not been formulated. She added that the proposed mechanism does not go beyond the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) signed by Ranil Wickremesinghe and that the mechanism will not in any way jeopardize the sovereignty or integrity of Sri Lanka. Political observers in Colombo noted that as no time frame has been fixed for signing the proposal, more political maneuvering and delay in finalizing the aid deal can be expected.
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JM failure will boost prospects for direct aid to Tigers- SLFP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 June 2005, 10:31 GMT]
"If we fail to agree on the Joint Mechanism (JM) with the LTTE, it is likely that aid will go directly to the Tigers and LTTE controlled NGOs. The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) will be left out of the decision-making for reconstruction," said a propaganda leaflet circulated by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, Wednesday evening when it launched an awareness campaign in eighteen districts in the south of Sri Lanka to win support for the Joint Mechanism proposal, political sources in Colombo said.
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JVP leaves coalition Government

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 June 2005, 05:14 GMT]
Mr. Somawanse Amerasinghe, leader of the marxist extreme Sinhala nationalist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Thursday officially announced that his party has left the Government of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) with effect from Wednesday midnight. "There is no more talk with the Government. We had left from the United People Front Alliance (UPFA) Government", Mr. Amerasinghe underlined. "My party will sit in opposition in the Parliament," he said, addressing a two-hours long press conference at the Colombo National Library Auditorium Thursday morning. The JVP has 39 seats in the 225-seat Parliament of Sri Lanka.
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JVP leaves UPFA, calls press conference on Thursday

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 18:39 GMT]
Mr.Somawanse Amerasinghe, leader of the marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said Wednesday evening in Kandy that the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will not be in power on Thursday if Sri Lanka’s President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge does not revoke her decision to sign the joint mechanism proposal with the LTTE before 11.59 PM Wednesday. Mr.Amarasinghe made this remark when addressing the JVP district conference in Kandy this evening, sources said. In the meantime, JVP minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake told media in Colombo that JVP has dispatched letters informing their decision to leave the UPFA alliance to the President and to the Prime Minister, sources in Colombo said.
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JVP urged to reconsider decision to quit

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 10:55 GMT]
Mr.Susil Premajayanth, General Secretary of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Wednesday sent urgent written messages to Mr.Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to reconsider the decision to leave the UPFA government over the controversial joint mechanism proposal, political sources said.
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New alliance with SLFP dissidents imminent- JVP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 01:29 GMT]
The Marxist coalition partner Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) warned Tuesday that there will not be a United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government in Sri Lanka after Wednesday midnight. "We would be forming a new alliance on Thursday with the support of some UPFA senior ministers opposed to the Joint Mechanism," said Mr.Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the JVP, addressing the public meeting held Tuesday evening in Lipton's Square at the conclusion of the protest march, sources said.
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Jaffna undergrads hold demonstration supporting JM

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 11:36 GMT]
Several hundreds of Jaffna undergraduates Monday held a protest demonstration condemning the opposition by Sinhalese nationalists and Buddhist monks to the establishment of a joint mechanism for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast province, sources said. The demonstration was organized by the Jaffna University Students' Union.
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JVP reiterates threat to quit ruling coalition over aid deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 June 2005, 00:29 GMT]
Leaders of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), marxist coalition partner of the ruling allliance, demanded a written statement from Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge that the Joint Mechanism proposal will not be signed. "If this written assurance is not forthcoming JVP will leave the ruling coalition, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), on 16 June. We will also agitate for the resignation of the President," said JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe at a meeting in Galle Saturday evening.
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JVP issues ultimatum for coalition break-up

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 05:53 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the main political ally of ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government, informed on Friday at a press conference in Colombo that it will leave the UPFA coalition on 16th of June unless President Chandrika Kumaratunga gives up the idea of signing a Joint Mechanism with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before June 15th midnight. The announcement was made by the JVP leader, Mr Somavanse Amarasinghe at Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo. The JVP has 39 seats in the 225-seat Parliament of Sri Lanka.
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JVP warns Kumaratunga not to be the last of Bandaranaikes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 June 2005, 07:46 GMT]
Mounting a scathing attack on President Chandrika Kumaratunga and her family, Mr.Somawanse Amarasinghe, leader of the marxist extreme Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the main political ally of ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government, warned on Tuesday that if Kumarathunga went ahead and signed the proposed joint-mechanism with the LTTE, she would be the "last of the Bandaranaikes".
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Samaraweera resigns from Media Minister post

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 14:46 GMT]
Mr.Mangala Samaraweera Tuesday gave up his Media Ministry portfolio, but continued to remain as Minister of Ports and Aviation, political sources in Colombo said. Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge has accepted Mr.Samaraweera's resignation sent on Tuesday, ruling party sources said.
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Thousands march in Pottuvil against buffer zone

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 16:16 GMT]
Around ten thousand protesters from all three communities from Pottuvil to Panama, jointly marched Monday morning from 8.00 AM to 12.00 AM demanding the removal of the 200 meter buffer zone. Demonstrators shouted slogans against the different restrictions, 38 meter buffer zone in Hambantota in the South as opposed to the 200 meter buffer zone imposed in NorthEast. The protest march organised by Pottuvil All Community Forum was backed up by a widely observed hartal. All shops in Pottuvil remained closed. Residents setup road blocks and burnt tires across major roads. Security was beefed up in Pottuvil by the Police, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Special Task Force (STF) soldiers.
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EPDP cadre shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 June 2005, 10:28 GMT]
A resident of Naranthanai village in Kayts division in Jaffna district, Mr.Baskaran Preman Ashok (25), believed to be a paramilitary cadre of Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), was shot dead Sunday morning around 10.45 a.m. by unidentified gunmen near Moothavinayagar Kovil in Anaikoddai in the Jaffna district. The deceased was riding a motorbike at that time of incident. Gunmen, who came in a motorbike, according to reports received by the Jaffna Police, stopped him behind the Kovil and shot him.
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UNP in major drive for activists - paper

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 May 2005, 02:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP), which is gradually building up its campaign for the next presidential election, has launched a major campaign to mobilize a 150,000 strong activist force to bolster its vote base, Sunday Times reported this week.
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"Horrendous consequences if peace process collapses"- TNA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 May 2005, 10:39 GMT]
"The forces who opposed negotiations with the LTTE are forces committed tocontinuing the present structure of governance in this country, who want a unitary structure of government to continue, who want majority hegemony to continue. If these forces succeed, the peace process must inevitably collapse with all its horrendous consequences," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), in a recent one-day debate on the current state of the peace process, parliamentary sources said.
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Five member SC bench to hear dissident SLMC MPs' petitions

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 May 2005, 17:23 GMT]
Five-member bench of the Supreme Court will hear the petitions filed by dissident Sri Lankan Muslim Congress (SLMC) parliamentarians Mr.Ameer Ali, Mr.Rishard Badiudin, Mr.Najeeb Abdul Majeed and Mr.Mohamed Hussein Baila against their expulsion from the SLMC. The inquiry into these petitions has been fixed for May 30th and 31st, legal sources said.


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JVP in Japan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 May 2005, 11:52 GMT]
Leaders of the ultra-nationalist-cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) have arrived in Tokyo at the invitation of the Japanese government to study its economic and local governance policies, press reports said. It is the JVP’s first official visit abroad. But the party is expected to consolidate its support amongst the Sinhala community at the same time.
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JVP again blasts joint mechanism, JHU warns - paper

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 May 2005, 14:55 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) strongly and totally rejected the joint mechanism between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE - charging it would be unconstitutional, undemocratic and create chaos not only in the country but in the whole South Asian region, the Daily Mirror reported. The hardline monks party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), has “vowed to do everything possible to stop the government from signing the joint mechanism,” the paper said.
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Sri Lanka's President invites JVP, CWC for talks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 May 2005, 12:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga has invited two members of her ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) - the Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) and Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) - for talks at her official residence Thursday, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported. The meeting comes as the JVP seemed to back away from its confrontationist course with President Kumaratunga on thedonor-backed notion of sharing aid with the LTTE and amid speculation the matter had created a rift within the Marxist-cum-ultranationalist party.
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