JHU opposes SL President's proposed talks with LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 April 2004, 15:58 GMT]
The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), which has emerged as the third force in Sri Lanka's southern politics by winning nine parliamentary seats in the last week's general election, Thursday said it would oppose any move to hold direct talks only with the LTTE to come to an agreement to find a political solution to the ethnic crisis.
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Sri Lanka’s PM says executive presidency will be abolished

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 April 2004, 21:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, said Wednesday that he would work to change the constitution and abolish the executive presidency within four months as promised in his party’s election manifesto, and that he would bring the President under parliament, sources in Colombo said.
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Sri Lanka's President meets outgoing PM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 April 2004, 16:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, and former Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, held talks Wednesday that lasted for about two hours at the President's House. The talks centred on various subjects including the resumption of peace talks with the Liberation Tigers (LTTE), informed sources said.


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‘TNA should speak up for upcountry Tamils’ – UPF

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 April 2004, 19:49 GMT]
The leader of the Upcountry People’s Front (UPF), Mr. Periyannan Chandrasekaran, speaking to the Press after he met with the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, on Tuesday, said that on behalf of the UPF, he would request the 22 Tamil National Alliance MPs to speak up about the problems of the Upcountry Tamil people, and that he would come to an understanding with the TNA in Sri Lanka's parliament without supporting any Southern parties, sources said.
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Sri Lanka's 14th Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 April 2004, 05:20 GMT]
Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse Tuesday morning was sworn in as the Sri Lanka's fourteenth Prime Minister. President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge administered the oath of secrecy to the new Prime Minister at an event held in the Presidential Secretariat, Presidential secretariat sources said.
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UPFA said divided over selection of new Prime Minister

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 April 2004, 16:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Monday put off the naming of a new Prime Minister of the thirteenth parliament for Tuesday due to the differences of opinion prevailing among the leaders of constituent parties of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA). The meeting of the UPFA leaders held Monday concluded without coming to a unanimous decision on the Prime Minister nominee, political sources said. Wire reports said later, however, that Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, the opposition leader in the previous parliament, had been chosen as the new PM.
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Pongu Thamil calls on UN to recognize Tamil aspirations

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 April 2004, 15:27 GMT]
At the Pongu Thamil event held Monday in front of the United Nations' Offices in Geneva, Switzerland, the participants from the Tamil Diaspora pointed out the Tamil aspirations endorsed by the Tamil people in the General Elections on April 2 by an overwhelming majority, and called on the U.N. and the international community to recognize the aspirations in finding a lastintg solution to the Tamil question in Sri Lanka.
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Geneva Pongu Thamil expects more than 10,000 participants

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 April 2004, 11:08 GMT]
In a press conference held at Hotel Warwich in Geneva at 11.15am today, the organizers of Pongu Thamil (Tamil uprising) said that they expect around 12000 participants in the rally set towards UN Buildings in Geneva from the Railway station of Geneva. Because of the tightened security due to the recent terror-attacks in Europe, the organizers expect delays for participants from various parts of Europe arriving at the venue, sources in Geneva said.
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Wickremesinghe says minority government danger to peace process

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 April 2004, 10:57 GMT]
The outgoing Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday told a news conference in Colombo that the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) appears to be trying to form a minority government and such a minority government will be a danger to the continuity of the peace process with the LTTE.


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Sri Lanka’s new PM, Cabinet to be appointed Monday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 April 2004, 17:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister of the thirteenth parliament is to be sworn in on Monday. The new cabinet of ministers is also expected to take oaths on the same day. Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is expected to invite the leader of the political party that has got highest number of seats in the Friday poll, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), to form the government, Presidential secretariat sources said.


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Election Commissioner brings SLBC, SLRC under Competent Authority

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 March 2004, 12:58 GMT]
The Commissioner of Elections Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake Monday brought the State controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLRC) and the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) under a Competent Authority (CA). Mr.W.D.Lakshman Perera has been appointed as the CA with immediate effect, Election Department press release said.


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Grenade attack on media CEO's residence

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 March 2004, 03:45 GMT]
Unidentified assailants hurled a grenade on the residence of Mr. Raynor Silva, chief executive of the Asian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Sunday night in Colombo. The ABC runs five popular FM radio stations in Sinhala, Tamil and English.
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"Election will be a turning point in Tamil struggle"- LTTE official

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 March 2004, 00:51 GMT]
Kumburupiddy area political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr.M.Sivakumar, Sunday addressing an election seminar in support of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the Trincomalee district said that the forthcoming general election would be a turning point in the Tamil freedom struggle.


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Final week takes political leaders to many electorates

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 March 2004, 03:56 GMT]
With five days to go for the Sri Lanka’s thirteen parliamentary election leaders of major political parties are conducting whirlwind tour of electorates to beat the deadline for ending their election campaign on midnight March 30th. Meanwhile the Election Commissioner has instructed heads of electronic media to stop all election advertisements and political interviews and other election related programmes from midnight of March 29, seventy two hours prior to the polling day.
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Rejection of ISGA will lead to separation - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 March 2004, 16:53 GMT]
"The international community should come forward to recognize Tamils right to consider secession if the future Sinhala government refuses to negotiate on the basis of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader and the lead candidate of the TNA contesting in the Trincomalee district addressing an election rally in Sambaltivu and Salli, Tamil villages in the north of Trincomalee Friday evening.
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"Sri Lanka's President sabotaged the Peace Process" - Selvam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 March 2004, 16:23 GMT]
"The take over of the defense ministry by the President had been well planned to sabotage the peace talks between the UNF government and LTTE," said Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, former Member of Parliament and the lead candidate of the Tamil National Alliance in the Vavuniya electoral district addressing an election rally at Orr's Hill in Trincomalee Friday.
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Sangaree denies he is financed by Southern forces

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 March 2004, 15:26 GMT]
Mr. V.Anandasangaree, the President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) and the lead candidate of an Independent Group contesting the Jaffna electoral district in the forthcoming general election, addressing a press conference in Jaffna Friday, denied the charges made some Tamil National Alliance members and the public that he was being financed by forces in the South.
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Presidential Millennium Scholarships awarded to NE students

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 13:53 GMT]
"We are for peace .We are definitely against war. Some politicians have been agitating for a war to meet their own ends. President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge has been committed to bring permanent peace to the country," said Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and a leader of the newly formed United Peoples' Freedom Alliance (UPFA) addressing an event held Wednesday morning at Trincomalee St Mary's Girls College auditorium in connection with the presentation of Presidential Millennium Scholarship awards to students in the northeast province.
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UNP denies printing UPFA's second manifesto

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 11:23 GMT]
The United National Party (UNP) has called the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to investigate an allegation by President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) that the UNP was responsible for printing a second UPFA's manifesto which is currently in circulation, political sources in Colombo said.


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Millennium scholarships awards ceremony to be held in Trinco

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 March 2004, 15:44 GMT]
Twice postponed Millennium Presidential special scholarship awards ceremony for students in the NorthEast province is to take place on March 24th morning at Trincomalee St.Mary’s Girls College auditorium. Provincial Education Ministry is organizing the event, sources said.


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