Dates for parliamentary debate on ISGA to be decided Monday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 July 2004, 11:32 GMT]
The dates for the three-day debate on the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal submitted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) last year, will be decided at the Monay meeting of the leaders of political parties represented in the current Sri Lanka parliament, parliamentary sources said.


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SL Prime Minister leaves for India

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 16:17 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse Saturday night left for India on a two day official visit at the invitation of his counterpart Dr.Manmohan Singh. This is Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse's first official visit abroad after he became the Prime Minister.
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UPFA, UNF draw battle lines to prove Parliamentary majority

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 00:53 GMT]
With three days to go for the next session of parliament, the minority ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the main opposition United National Front (UNF) are making frenzied efforts to prove their majority. The UNF still claims it has 114 members of the 225 member parliament. But the ruling UPFA says that there would be a dramatic turn in the power struggle in favour of the government after its sweeping victory in the six provincial councils' poll last Saturday, political sources said.


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GOSL Peace Secretariat head to visit Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 July 2004, 16:40 GMT]
Mr.Jayantha Dhanapala, Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) is scheduled to visit Batticaloa Friday to hold talks with the local heads of State armed forces and Police and representatives of civil organizations to study the ground situation of the volatile Batticaloa district, sources said.
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EPDP says party paper burnt

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 July 2004, 14:30 GMT]
Copies of a Tamil weekly 'Thinamurasu'', published in Colombo by Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) were burnt in Jaffna by unidentified persons Wednesday evening, EPDP sources said.
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CWC empowers Thondaman to decide on next political move

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 18:22 GMT]
The politburo of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a constituent of the main opposition United National Front (UNF) Tuesday empowered its leader Mr.Arumugam Thondaman to study the current political situation following the defeat of the UNF in the Saturday's provincial council and to take a decision whether to join the minority United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government or not, CWC sources said.
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JVP wants police promotions probed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 July 2004, 16:00 GMT]
The Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Tuesday requested Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge to order a full scale probe into the alleged irregularities in the recent promotion of police officers made by the National Police Commission (NPC), sources said.
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JVP declines to accept post in Provincial Council

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 18:05 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), coalition partner of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government said Monday that it would not accept post of chief minister or minister in the newly elected six provincial councils.
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Deputy Defence Minister visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 16:23 GMT]
Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Deputy Minister for Defence and the Minister of Public Security, Law and Order and Buddha Sasana Monday paid a visit to Jaffna accompanied by the Service Chiefs of three armed forces. He arrived in Palaly by a special aircraft, security sources said.
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CWC leaders meet Tuesday to decide future political strategy

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 16:19 GMT]
Senior leaders of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a constituent of the main opposition United National Front (UNF) are scheduled to meet Tuesday to map out their political strategy following the capture of six provincial councils by the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) at the Saturday polls, political sources said.
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JVP mounts poster campaign against Peace Talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 July 2004, 10:56 GMT]
Jantha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), ultra leftist and Marxist coalition partner of United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government today began a poster campaign in Colombo and suburbs against pursuing peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelalm (LTTE), political sources from Colombo said.
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UPFA sweeps provincial council elections

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 16:19 GMT]
The ruling United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) took control of the administration of all six provincial councils, Central, Western, Southern, Sabragamuwa, Uva and North Central, which went for polls, Saturday, election department sources said.


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"View ISGA as the prelude to reunion"- Uyangoda

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 July 2004, 01:58 GMT]
"Many UPFA critics have argued that the LTTE's ISGA proposals are a stepping-stone to secession. But, a government that is serious about negotiated peace in Sri Lanka should also be able to see a negotiated ISGA as the prelude to reunion after years of a secessionist war," said Professor Jeyadeva Uyangoda in a political analysis column that appeared in Friday's Daily Mirror, a daily broadsheet published in Colombo.
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ISGA critical to peace, Tamil MPs tell US Think Tank

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 July 2004, 02:14 GMT]
In a panel session organized by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., Mr.R.Sampanthan and Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians, told the audience that implementation of Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposed by the LTTE is critical to sustainable peace. Ms.Teresita Schaffer, former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and CSIS Director of South Asia program presided the meeting.
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"Kollupitya bomb blast won't affect peace process"- SLFP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 July 2004, 17:38 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), a major constituent in the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance government said in a statement issued Wednesday evening that the suicide bomb blast in the Kollupitya police station will not cause any adverse impact on the peace process and the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, political sources said.


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Opposition leaders to meet Prime Minister

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 20:14 GMT]
Leaders of joint opposition parties are scheduled to meet the Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse of the minority ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Thursday to discuss the possibility of advancing the date of next session of the parliament, which is scheduled for 20 July, political sources said.
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District Ayurveda Hospital opened in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 July 2004, 03:31 GMT]
Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), speaking after the ceremonial opening Monday of the Trincomalee District Ayurveda Hospital said that he was pleased that the opening was held on Black Tigers Day which he said was an important day for the liberation struggle of Tamil people. The Ayurveda Hospital is located at Kappalthurai, a resettled Tamil village along the Trincomalee-Colombo highway, about eight km off the east port town.
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The cease-fire’s weakest link: Tamil paramilitaries

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 17:50 GMT]
When Norwegian Special Envoy Erik Solheim flew into Sri Lanka this week, he was well aware that the problems that have bedeviled his government’s peace process thus far have now been eclipsed by new and far more severe one: a weak link in the formal ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers has finally snapped.
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UPFA renews attempt to woo CWC support

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 05:30 GMT]
Leaders of the minority United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Tuesday held talks with Mr.Arumugam Thondaman, leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) in a fresh bid to secure majority in parliament when it is scheduled to meet on July 20, political sources said.
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Monks urge Sinhala unity over Karuna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 June 2004, 11:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s hardline monks’ party, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), has called on the Sri Lankan government and opposition to work together in supporting the renegade LTTE commander, Karuna, “in the interests of national security.”
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