Political impasse widens in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 November 2003, 11:25 GMT]
The political gap between UNF and PA widened today as Prime Minister earlier today said he is prepared to face an immediate election while the President in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister has demanded to form a "Grand Alliance of all national and patriotic forces" with the objective of forming a "Government of National Reconstruction and Reconciliation".
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UNF prepared to face snap elections - Peiris

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 November 2003, 09:37 GMT]
The UNF spokesman and Minister of Constitutional Affairs Mr. G.L.Peiris said Monday that the Prime Minister Mr. Wickremsinghe and his government are prepared to face a snap election, media sources said. It is logical to assume that we have to resolve the "threshold issue" before anything else, Mr. Peiris is reported to have told the media. The Prime Minister's office denied earlier reports on the talks being postponed. The decision is to be taken after the LTTE's views are received through the Norwegian Foreign Deputy Mr.Helgesen, who is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka today.
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Getting tough on the Tigers

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 November 2003, 00:31 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s strategy for holding fast to the reins of power in Colombo is fundamentally in conflict with sustaining the peace process in Sri Lanka, Tamil politicians and commentators say. The President and her allies assert that the Sri Lankan state should get tough on the Liberation Tigers to safeguard Sinhala national interests. As her standoff with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe took a new turn Sunday, it appeared inevitable that she might match her words with deeds in tune with the sentiments of her increasingly hawkish Sinhala constituency.
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Book on "Ceasefire 2001-Lessons for the present” released

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 November 2003, 17:17 GMT]
"The time has come for all the lovers of peace to engage in a serious dialogue by contributing their share in solving this vexed [ethnic] problem by studying the [LTTE's] proposal and arriving at a consensus to implement it,” said Professor S.K.Sitrampalam, Professor of History and Dean for Graduate Studies at the University of Jaffna, addressing the introductory event of the book “ Ceasefire 2001-Lessons for the present” held at the Colombo Sri Lanka Foundation Institute Friday evening, sources said.
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UNF to bow out of Peace Process?

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 November 2003, 12:53 GMT]
"The government believes it is not possible to deal with the peace process unless only one party is in charge. Full control over the peace process by one party is necessary if the peace process is to be effectively managed," said Prof. G. L. Peiris, the Leader of the Sri Lanka Government delegation to the Peace Negotiations with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in press briefing Sunday.
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Solar power brightens Vanni villages

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 November 2003, 01:24 GMT]
Privately owned small scale diesel generators produce the only electric power available in key towns in the Vanni region. While a new 20MW thermal power plant in Jaffna was recently reactivated by the Sri Lanka Government officials, it is doubtful that Vanni towns and villages will enjoy grid supplied electric power for many years to come. With the region enjoying copious supply of solar energy and buoyed by success of early experiments, planners in Kilinochchi are exploring the use of photo-voltaic systems for domestic applications.
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US official on media familiarization tour to NorthEast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 November 2003, 14:36 GMT]
Cody C.Taylor, Assistant Public Affairs Officer at the American Embassy in Colombo, visited Trincomalee to familiarize herself with media persons in the NorthEast province in Sri Lanka, sources said.


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TNA leaders meet to discuss Sri Lanka crisis

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 November 2003, 14:16 GMT]
The parliamentary group of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) held a meeting Saturday evening at the office of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in Colombo and reviewed the President's address to the nation and the present political situation following the dismissal of three key ministers and the prorogation of the parliament for two weeks, TNA sources said.


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"Peace Process absolutely irreversible" - British Don

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 November 2003, 12:58 GMT]
"Tamil issue has always been a political football in the grounds of the Southern political discourse, but this time around the situation is entirely different. Transparency of talks and the high level of international engagement make the current Peace Process absolutely irreversible," said Sri Lanka expert Prof. Chris Smith, Director of Center for South Asia studies at the International Policy Institute, King's College, London when TamilNet asked him to comment on the recent constitutional crisis, precipitated by Sri Lanka's President Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge.
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ISGA proposals discussed at Colombo seminar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 November 2003, 00:02 GMT]
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) in Colombo held a one-day seminar on the “Interim Self Governing Authority “ (ISGA) proposals submitted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as its response to the government of Sri Lanka’s interim administrative structure proposals for the NorthEast, Friday afternoon at the Colombo Jai Hilton Hotel, sources said
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JVP, SLFP march in support of SL President

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 November 2003, 18:24 GMT]
Leaders of the Marxist and Sinhala Nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Buddhist monks and thousands of party activists and supporters Friday held a demonstration march in downtown Colombo under the Patriotic National Movement (PNM) banner, supporting President Chadrika Kumaratunga’s decision to take over key ministries of the United National Front government in the wake of the submission of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, sources said.
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Committee for advancement of education formed in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 November 2003, 16:23 GMT]
The importance of forming a committee for the advancement of education in the Vanni district was stressed by the Liberation Tigers’ educational and political divisions' leaders, at a meeting of education officials held at the Saiva Prakasa Ladies College in Vavuniya Thursday, sources said.
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Sri Lanka's PM stresses priority attention to peace process

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 November 2003, 10:16 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe said Friday that the continuation of peace process should receive priority attention. " I would meet all the political parties soon to take forward the peace process," he told journalists on his arrival in Colombo, media sources said
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Emergency Regulations not gazetted

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 November 2003, 09:32 GMT]
"The recent changes effected to cabinet portfolios necessitated the formality of certain gazette notifications. The emergency regulations were also re-examined and revised," said a press statement from the Presidential Secretariat . The statement said further that "a state of emergency becomes law only after the President signs a proclamation. The President did not sign such a proclamation."
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Wickremesinghe returns home from high profile US visit

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 November 2003, 02:56 GMT]
United National Front (UNF) government ministers, parliamentarians and party activists thronged the country's international airport and accorded warm welcome to the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremesinghe when he returned home Friday morning around 8.00am after a high profile official tour to the United States of America (USA) after meeting President George W.Bush, political sources said.


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"We are strong, we will be patient" – Col. Karuna

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 November 2003, 02:23 GMT]
“We have to observe the political turmoil in Colombo quite soberly. As you all know our leader has made no comment on the situation– he remains judiciously silent. We can remain patient as long as we are strong. Selfish gain and self-aggrandizement motivate and guide the politics of Sri Lankan leaders. Sri Lanka’s President has scuttled the peace process at a time when things were headed in the right direction," said Col. V. Karuna, addressing a function in Batticaloa Thursday night to release a music CD created by two military formations under his command.
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"No solution other than the devolution of power is possible" - Batty Weerakoon

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 November 2003, 00:01 GMT]
"LSSP shares the realist approach that given the nature of constitutional amendment no solution other than the devolution of power is possible. As to how comprehensive it can be is subject to negotiation," said Batty Weerakoon, General Secretary of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), in a wide ranging interview with TamilNet when TamilNet caught up with him on his private visit to the United States before the LTTE submitted its proposals for the Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) for the NorthEast.
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Kumaratunga presides over first NSC meeting

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 November 2003, 16:04 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, Thursday presided over the first meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) after she dismissed the defense minister of the United National Front (UNF) government, Mr.Tilak Marapone, Presidential secretariat sources said.


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New chairman assumes duties at ANCL

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 November 2003, 12:44 GMT]
New chairman of Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd ( ANCL), Mr. Kesaralal Gunasekara, appointed by President Chandrika Kumaratunge, took over his duties Wednesday night visiting the news paper company with army and police security, sources in Colombo said.
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UNF urges SL President to reconvene parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 November 2003, 11:49 GMT]
United National Front(UNF) government spokesman and Minister of Constitutional Affairs Mr. G.L.Peiris said Thursday that the President should summon the parliament immediately and to restore the three ministries to Ministers Mr.Tilak Marapone, Mr.John Amaratunge and Mr.Imtiaz Bakir Markar. "The government would decide on the future course of action once the Prime Minister returns home," said Mr.Peiris at the press briefing held Thursday afternoon, media sources said


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