PM officially requests Norway's assistance

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 December 2001, 19:53 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe Thursday officially requested the government of Norway to recommence its facilitator role with regards to bringing about negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Mr. Wickremasinghe made his request in a telephone conversation with the Norwegian Prime Minister Thursday morning, a press communiqué released by the Prime Minister's office in Colombo said.
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New parliament convenes on December 17

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 December 2001, 19:42 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunge has decided to convene the 12th parliament on December 17 at 10 a.m., the Presidential Secretariat said in a news release Monday. Earlier, the date of convening the new parliament had been fixed for January 01, 2002. The decision to advance the date of the inaugural session of 12th parliament was taken under article 70 of the Constitution, following representations made by the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, the press release added.
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JVP shows massive increase

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 December 2001, 14:10 GMT]
The final results of the elections to Sri Lanka's 12th Parliament showed an upswing in popularity not only for the United National Party but also most remarkably in favour of the radical Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). The JVP's popularity has shot up by 296579 votes in the course of a year, mostly at the expense of the People's Alliance. Both the JVP and the PA appealed largely to Sinhala Buddhists during the elections, by persistently attempting to stoke nationalist sentiments among them.
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Tamils in Trincomalee score high

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 December 2001, 08:57 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance scored 56119 votes in the Trincomalee district. The Tamil United Liberation Front, Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, the main constituents of the TNA, were able to garner only 19110 votes between them at the general elections in October 2000. Polling was very high in the Tamil strongholds of the eastern district Wednesday. There are four seats in Trincomalee. The UNP, SLMC coalition got two seats by scoring 62, 915 votes here. If the UNP and the SLMC had contested separately them the TNA would have got the bonus seat for the district, officials said. The massive surge in support for the TNA in Trincomalee was largely due to the stand it took on the Liberation Tigers and the war. The EPDP was ignominiously routed despite offering jobs and cash to thousands of voters.
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EPDP fires on women's march, four injured

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 December 2001, 10:51 GMT]
Four supporters of the Tamil National Alliance were wounded when gunmen from the Eelam People's Democratic Party opened fire on a march by more than a thousand women at Vinayagapuram, 78 kilometres south of Batticaloa, on the island's southeastern coast Saturday afternoon. People in the villages of Thirukkovil, Thambiluvil, Vinayagapuram, angered by the attack, burnt tires across the main road and smashed an EPDP campaign auto rickshaw. The wounded persons were admitted to the Thirukkovil hospital. The march was organised by a women's group in support of the TNA.
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Exiled Marxist leader addresses massive rally

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 November 2001, 19:27 GMT]
Mr. Somawansa Amarasingha, the leader Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, who returned from a 12-year exile from the United Kingdom yesterday, addressed a massive public rally Friday evening in Kalutara, a large town south of Colombo. Mr. Amarasingha is the only surviving member of the JVP's politburo that was formed in 1969. In 1971 and 1988, Mr.Amarasingha, along with his comrades Rohana Wijeweera and Upatissa Gamanayaka, led two bloody armed insurrections to capture state power and to establish a communist regime in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka army crushed both rebellions, killing thousands of Sinhala youth.
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Self-exiled JVP leader arrives Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 November 2001, 15:34 GMT]
Mr.Somawanse Amarasinghe, the self-exiled sole surviving member of the 1980s politburo of the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) arrived Colombo Thursday morning by a Sri Lankan Airlines flight from United Kingdom after a 12 year-long absence Mr.Amarasinghe is billed to address an election rally in support of the JVP at Kalutara in western province Friday, party sources said.
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Deputy Minister's detention extended

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 November 2001, 22:42 GMT]
The Gampaha Magistrate Thursday extended the remand order on the Deputy Minister Mr. Reggie Ranatunge till November 20. Mr. Ranatunge is in remand custody at the Colombo National Hospital in connection with the death in Minuwangoda of a supporter of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), Lionel Rodrigo.
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691 incidents of violence so far -Police

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 November 2001, 17:06 GMT]
The incidents of election violence since the nominations were filed on October 27 soared to 691 Wednesday morning, Police Election Secretariat said. Deputy Inspector General of Police Mr.Gamini Navaratne, who is in charge of the Secretariat said his office received 70 complaints during the twenty hours that ended at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.
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Security tightened as violence increases

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 November 2001, 21:12 GMT]
The Inspector General of Police Monday instructed all officers-in-charge of police stations through out the island to tighten security in their areas to curb election violence. The I.G.P.'s instruction has come in the wake of increasing incidence of election violence, police sources said. Meanwhile fifty-one complaints of election violence have been reported during the last twenty fours, the Police Election Secretariat said Monday.
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Police impose curfew to curb election violence

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 November 2001, 15:43 GMT]
The Police Sunday imposed dusk to dawn curfew in Nattandiya area in the Western province following a clash between supporters of ruling People's Alliance and the main opposition United National Party. The curfew will be lifted Monday morning at 6 a.m., police sources said.
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401 poll violence reported in 17 days

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 November 2001, 22:10 GMT]
The Police Election Secretariat said Thursday that it has received 401 complaints of violence related to forthcoming general election since the nominations were filed on 27 October. "We have received thirty one complaints of election violence during the last twenty four hours" a police official said.
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311 poll violence reported

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 November 2001, 16:54 GMT]
Three-hundred-eleven incidents of violence relating to parliamentary election have been reported to the Police Election Secretariat since the nominations were filed on 27 October. Seven people have been killed during this period, and a minimum of ten complaints are received daily, Police Election Secretariat said Monday.
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4160 candidates contest parliamentary elections

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 October 2001, 10:08 GMT]
4610 candidates are contesting the forthcoming general elections scheduled to be held on 5 December to elect Sri Lanka's 12th parliament. Of them 3196 candidates have been fielded by registered political parties in the twenty-two electoral districts in the country. The rest are candidates nominated by independent groups, the Election Secretariat said Sunday.
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Fifteen parties, 6 independent groups contest Trincomalee district

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 October 2001, 22:18 GMT]
Fifteen registered political parties including People's Alliance, United National Party, Tamil United Liberation Front, Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, Eelam Peoples Democratic Party, Sihala Urumaya, Sinhala Nationalist Party, Sri Lanka Muslim United Liberation Party, Sri Lanka Muslim 'Kadchchi' (party) and six independent groups Saturday submitted nominations at the Trincomalee district secretariat to contest the forthcoming general election in the Trincomalee district.
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Major parties start submitting nomination lists

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 October 2001, 21:42 GMT]
Major political parties have started submitting their lists of candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary elections from Thursday. The ruling People's Alliance Thursday submitted its list of candidates contesting the Hambantota electoral district. The main opposition United National Party submitted its lists of candidates for the Gampaha and Moneragala electoral districts.
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UNP to contest as UNF with elephant symbol

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 October 2001, 21:51 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) will contest the forthcoming general election scheduled to be held on 5 December under the name of the United National Front (UNF). However the election symbol will be 'elephant'. A motion to this effect was unanimously approved at the special convention of the UNP held Sunday at Colombo Town Hall.
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Parties seek allies for December polls

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 October 2001, 19:58 GMT]
Main political parties in Sri Lanka are having talks to form alliances to contest the December 5 general election. The group of ruling People's Alliance dissidents who crossed over to the opposition has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the main opposition United National Party to contest the forthcoming general election.
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Government MP crosses over to opposition

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2001, 06:33 GMT]
A coalition MP of the Sri Lankan government Tuesday crossed over to the opposition in the Parliament. Mr. Bandula Gunawardena, MP, is a member of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP), a Sinhala nationalist party, charged that the President is surrounded by a coterie of ministers who are misguiding her. In an address to the house Tuesday morning, Mr. Gunawardena said that the PA is conspiring with the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna to destabilise the country. The MP is the brother of the Mr. Dinesh Gunawardena, the leader of the MEP, is a senior cabinet minister.
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PA strongman removed amid cross over fears

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 October 2001, 08:15 GMT]
Mr. S. B. Dissanayake, a former cabinet minister and one time close confidante of the Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge was removed from his powerful post of General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), which is the major constituent of the ruling Peoples' Alliance. The executive committee of the SLFP unanimously resolved Monday morning amid strong speculation that Mr. Dissanayake would cross over to the opposition with several ruling party parliamentarians when the no confidence motion of the United National Party against the government is taken up for debate on Thursday. Mr. Maithiripala Herath, the Mahaweli Development Minister has been appointed the acting general secretary of the SLFP with immediate effect.
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