"Presidential term will continue till December 2006"- Samaraweera

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 October 2004, 15:27 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Thursday announced that the incumbent Presidency will expire only in December 2006. ''The UPFA government is not keen in holding Sri Lanka's Presidential election in December 2005 or a referendum to extend the current term,'' said Mr.Mangala Samaraweera, Information Minister and Media Spokesman addressing a press briefing Thursday.
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LTTE delegation exchanges views on Peace in Dublin

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 October 2004, 10:16 GMT]
Liberation Tigers delegation lead by Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, met with Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Ireland, led by Mr Connor Lenihan, Minister of State, in Dublin Thursday morning, LTTE sources from Ireland said. Later the delegation met officials at the Glencree Center for Reconciliation in Dublin.
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TNA delegation meets Akashi

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 October 2004, 09:25 GMT]
The release of 4.5 billion dollars aid pledged at the Tokyo conference to Sri Lanka should not take place until the stalled peace talk with the Liberation Tigers resumes on the basis of Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals, delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians told Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi during a discussion in Colombo Thursday, TNA sources said.
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Legal wrangle over appointment of UPFA nationalist MP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 October 2004, 10:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court (SC) granted special leave to Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, incumbent Deputy defence Minister and Buddha Sasana Minister, to proceed with his appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal (CA) that it has jurisdiction to hear the Writ Application challenging his appointment as a MP of the UPFA National List. The SC further issued interim order staying the further proceedings in the Court of Appeal until its concludes the inquiry into the appeal by the aggrieved party, legal sources said.
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Akashi to meet JVP leaders

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 October 2004, 10:37 GMT]
Mr.Yasushi Akashi, Japanese special peace envoy who is scheduled to arrive in Colombo evening has agreed to meet the political leadership of the Sinhala nationalist-Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), major constituent of the United Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, during his seven day stay in Sri Lanka, State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) reported in its news bulletin Wednesday.
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UNP against extension of Presidential term- Prof.Peiris

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 October 2004, 14:41 GMT]
UNP would take every possible step to stop Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumarathunge's move to extend her Presidency through a referendum by extra-constitutional means for another term, said UNP's media spokesman and former Constitutional Affairs Minister Professor G.L. Peiris addressing a press briefing in Colombo Tuesday.
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Over 3000 graduates take part in job training

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 October 2004, 15:47 GMT]
Three thousand two hundred and fifty seven graduates recruited under the job recruitment scheme launched by the United Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government are currently undergoing six months' training in eight administrative districts in the Northeast Province. The training programme commenced on October 21 as scheduled.
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Ministry seeks to retake Estate Housing funds

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 October 2004, 10:43 GMT]
Vice President of the Ceylon Workers United Front, Kanapathy Kanakaraj, condemned the decision of the Estate Infrastructure Ministry of Sri Lanka's United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to retake a sum of Rs. 150 millions that had been placed in deposit by the Sri Lanka Government to put up houses for the benefit of people living in huts in the plantation sector, in a media released issued Sunday, sources in Kandy said.
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Parliament debates JHU motion against Norwegian facilitation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 09:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is to debate the motion tabled by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) demanding the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government to ouster the Norwegian facilitators from the country's peace process. The motion, moved by the Sinhala nationalist party, is to be taken up for debate on November 19th. The motion accuses the presence of the Norwegian facilitators as detrimental to the country.


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Pressing UPFA to start talks, our priority- UNP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 October 2004, 10:51 GMT]
"We are not pressuring the Sri Lanka Government or its President that the ISGA must be granted to the North-East, nor do we impose our stand. Our party's stance is that the ISGA proposals should be used as the basis to start talks and that it is vital that talks start soon", stated Ranil Wickramasinghe at meeting of the UNP Parliamentary group last Tuesday held at the Parliamentary complex, political sources in Colombo said.
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UNP activists demonstrate in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 October 2004, 09:21 GMT]
United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians including hundreds of party cadres and activists joined in what is dubbed as “Kitchen Revolution," Tuesday in Kollupitiya junction, Slave Island junction, Hyde Park Corner, Maradana overhead bridge junction, Technical College junction and Kochchikade St Anthony’s Church junction, sources in Colombo said.
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CTTU, Education Secretary discuss Tamil Education Issues

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 October 2004, 00:55 GMT]
A delegation of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) Thursday led by its general secretary Mr.T.Mahasivam held discussions with Secretary of the Minister of Education in the United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government, Dr Tara de Mel, Thursday at the latter's invitation regarding the problems confronting the development of Tamil medium education, sources said.
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"SL Govt ready with alternate peace proposals"- Samaraweera

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 October 2004, 00:20 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Thursday announced that it is ready with its alternative proposals to the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "However, we do not know whether the LTTE would accept the government alternate proposals," said Media Minister Mr.Mangala Samaraweera at a press briefing held Thursday in Colombo, sources said.
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Peace trapped in political chess game- paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 October 2004, 10:50 GMT]
"Leader of Opposition, Ranil Wickremasinghe, has told the Indian leaders that that United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA). should start talks with the LTTE. In earlier times, it was left to the Tamil leaders to undertake missions to bring pressure to bear on the Sri Lanka Governments. Tables have now turned, giving way to the scenario of one main southern Sri Lanka political camp persuading NewDelhi to pressure the other southern camp to start peace negotiations immediately," said Thinakkural, a popular Tamil daily in its editorial Thursday.
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JVP supporters hold demo in Trinco

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 October 2004, 08:02 GMT]
A group of supporters of the Sinhala Nationalist cum Marist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), major constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) held a demonstration in front of the Trincomalee office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Commission (SLMM) Thursday around noon demanding the release of two Sinhala home guards who are in remand in Thamileelam prison on the orders of Thamileelam courts. The LTTE cadres arrested both home guards when they infiltrated into the LTTE controlled areas in the north of Trincomalee district on September 27, sources said.
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Trinco in high alert following fuel blockade threat

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 October 2004, 00:31 GMT]
Trincomalee town has been put on security alert from Tuesday evening following the announcement by the North East Sinhala Association (NESA) to launch 24 hour-road blockades from Trincomalee to other parts of the country transporting fuel and flour until the two Sinhala home guards arrested and remanded by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are released, security sources said. NESA is a front of the Sinhala nationalist Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a major constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
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Education Ministry invites CTTU for talks to avert strike

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 October 2004, 14:31 GMT]
Ms Tara de Mel, Secretary to the Ministry Education in the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has invited the Ceylon Tamil Teachers’ Union (CTTU) for talks on 13 October at her office in Colombo to resolve problems confronting the Tamil medium education and Tamil medium teachers and students in the northeast and in other provinces. President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is also holding the portfolio of Minister of Education. Her deputy Minister for Education is Mr.Mangala Samaraweera who is also the Minister for Media.
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Peace Council will exacerbate contradictions- paper

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 October 2004, 11:04 GMT]
"Sri Lanka President Ms Kumaratunge's tactic to show that the peace process is being continued, while avoiding talks with the LTTE will only exacerbate contradictions among the southern political parties and will not create consensus," said Thinakkural, a popular Tamil daily published in Colombo in its editorial today.
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UNF, TNA, JHU boycott SL President's Council on Peace

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 October 2004, 01:58 GMT]
United National Front (UNF), Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) boycotted the event as Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga inaugurated the National Advisory Council on Peace and Reconciliation (NACPR) Monday afternoon in Colombo. NAC has been publicized by the Sri Lanka Government as a mechanism to seek "wide spectrum of views" to resolve the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka.
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Estate workers demand wage increase

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 October 2004, 14:24 GMT]
Over thousands of Upcountry workers staged a protest campaign at Hatton main market, today afternoon, demanding increase in salary for estate workers and demanding that Collective Agreement (CA) should include other trade unions and should not be exclusive to Ceylon workers congress (CWC), sources in Hatton said.
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