SLFP seeks Court to fix SL Presidential election in 2006

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 16:58 GMT]
Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, Tuesday filed a petition with the Supreme Court to order the Commissioner of Elections to hold the next Sri Lanka Presidential election in 2006, legal sources said.


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Commissioner to meet leaders before fixing poll date

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 11:01 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Commissioner of Election Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake is reported to have decided to meet the leaders of all main political parties during the next two weeks before taking a decision to fix the date for the next presidential election. The leader of ruling United Freedom Peoples Alliance (UPFA) government and incumbent President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge insists that the next presidential election should be held in December 2006. However the main opposition United National Party (UNP) demands that the election should be held before December this year, sources said.


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Five-member SC bench to hear election case

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2005, 01:19 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's Supreme Court (SC) Friday allowed the petition filed by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party, in the Sri Lanka Presidential election date controversy to be heard before a five-member bench on August 22. JHU has sought the Supreme Court to order the Commissioner of Elections to hold the Presidential election before the end of this year, legal sources said.
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SL President denounces Jaffna killings

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 10:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Friday directed the relevant authorities to investigate Inuvil incident in Jaffna district where a Tamil civilian Mr.Santharoopan was shot dead by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army and Jaffna Police Superintendent Mr. Charles Wijewardene by a crowd in retaliation. Kumaratunga has directed to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay, according to a media release issued by the Presidential Media Unit.
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SL Presidential election case to be taken up for inquiry

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 August 2005, 01:34 GMT]
Three-member bench of the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court is to commence its inquiry Friday into the petition filed by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) regarding the date of Sri Lanka Presidential election. JHU has sought the Supreme Court to order the Election Commissioner to hold the Presidential election before the end of this year, legal sources said.
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JHU to protest against P-TOMS

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 04:58 GMT]
"We have decided to hold island-wide protests against the Post-Tsunami Operations Structure (P-TOMS), we demand holding of elections for Sri Lanka's presidency in 2005, and want immediate suspension of all talks with International community regarding P-TOMS," said Omalpe Sobitha Thera, parliamentarian from the extremist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) , an all monks party, to media persons Wednesday.
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Leader of the House of Sri Lanka parliament resigns

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 August 2005, 02:56 GMT]
The General Secretary of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Senior Minister Mr. Maithiripala Sirisena resigned from his position as Leader of the House Wednesday night, Sri Lanka Government sources said. Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena, an SLFP stalwart and a parliamentarian from the Eastern Polannaruwa district, is one of the confidants of SL President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge.
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Recourse to Court action on election date challenged

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 17:11 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Wednesday announced that incumbent President has no authority to seek the Supreme Court its determination on fixing the date for the next Presidential election, political sources in Colombo said.
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Kumaratunge seeks SC's decision on poll date

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2005, 07:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge on Tuesday sought the Supreme Court's determination on the controversial issue of the date of the conduct of the next Presidential election in Sri Lanka, according to a news release issued by Sri Lanka's Presidential Office Wednesday. Ms. Kumaratunge has earlier said that the election will be held in December 2006 arguing that her term of office will come to an end in 2006 as she was sworn in second time in 2000, one year after she was re-elected for a second term.
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SLFP names Mahinda Rajapakse Presidential candidate

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 July 2005, 09:32 GMT]
The central committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Thursday endorsed the name of Prime Minister, Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, as its candidate of the Sri Lanka's executive presidency. Mr.Nimal Sripala de Silva, Cabinet spokesman and Minister in the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government announced this at a press briefing held in Prime Minister's official residence 'Temple Trees'.
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US should facilitate equitable, expeditious aid distribution- Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 July 2005, 00:39 GMT]
Speaking at a Members' briefing organized by the Congressional Human Rights Caucus Wednesday at the Rayburn building of the Capitol Hill Washington D.C on "Sri-Lanka: Challenges and Efforts to Effectively Deliver Humanitarian Relief in the Wake of the Tsunami," Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Gajendrakumar urged the United States Government to "resolve any legal issues that prevent the US government from directly, equitably and expeditiously providing all forms of assistance to all parts of the Northeast," sources in Washington said.


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Joint appearance of SLFP foes

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 18:15 GMT]
Mr.Anura Bandaranaike, a senior minister and the brother of incumbent President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge appeared with Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, Prime Minister on the same platform Wednesday and declared that he would support Mr.Rajapakse in the coming Presidential election as the candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), sources in Colombo said. Both candidates have aspired for the SLFP Presidency and canvassed support separately till Tuesday.


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SLFP to announce candidate for SL Presidency

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 04:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge is likely to announce the names of candidates for President of Sri Lanka and the post of Prime Minister of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) at the central working committee of the SLFP which is scheduled to be held on Thursday or Friday, government sources said.
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SL President convenes meeting of top military brass

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 July 2005, 15:59 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Ms. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga convened a meeting of senior officers of all three armed forces in Colombo at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) Tuesday, and spoke on the current political trends, sources in Colombo said.
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"Sri Lanka's Judiciary consistently denied justice to Tamils" - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 July 2005, 15:21 GMT]
"We have seen how the Judiciary of Sri Lanka aided the oppression of Tamil people during the period of war, and we have recently witnessed how Colombo's Supreme Court crippled the Agreement on Joint Mechanism accepted by the President of Sri Lanka," LTTE's Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan said in his key note address delivered in Kilinochchi at the ceremony to mark the opening of the new building for Legislation Secretariat of the Judicial Administrative Unit of the Tamil Eelam on Tuesday. "The Sinhala Nation has failed to seize the opportunity during this three and a half year period of absence of war to resolve the Tamil national question," LTTE's Political Head said.
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JVP launches campaign against CFA in south

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 July 2005, 15:58 GMT]
More than 1500 cadres and supporters of Marxist Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) staged a protest demonstration against the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) demanding Colombo to make the CFA null and void. The main protest was held in front of the Colombo Fort Railway Station Monday evening from 4:30 p.m to 5:30 p.m. Similar protests were also held in Kalutura, Puttalam, Kandy, Matala, Monaragala, Ratnapura and Anurathapura on Monday.


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Kumaratunge meets Tokyo co-chairs

[TamilNet, Monday, 25 July 2005, 15:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga met with diplomatic representatives of the four Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference Monday to discuss the current state of the peace process and the status of the CeaseFire Agreement (CFA), a media release issued by SL President's Office said. On 15 July the co-chairs issued a statement expressing alarm at the escalating violence, and called on the LTTE to stop killings, and the Government of Sri Lanka to disarm all paramilitaries and to guarantee security to unarmed LTTE cadres.
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Armed forces chiefs visit Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 July 2005, 16:29 GMT]
High-level defence team headed by Rear Admiral Daya Sandagiri, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and the Joint Chief of Staff of three armed forces Friday evening visited Trincomalee on the instruction of President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and held discussions with top officials of the Army, Navy and Air Force and Police based in the east port town to bring the tense situation under control. Defence team comprised Commanders of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Air Force the Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police, security sources said. Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge briefed the high level defence team Friday morning before it left Colombo to Trincomalee, Colombo sources said.
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More than 200 000 participate in UNP march, Colombo at standstill

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 July 2005, 08:20 GMT]
The final lap of the protest march organised by the opposition United National Party (UNP) drew around two hundred thousand anti-government protesters in Colombo on Tuesday as it reached the final destination. The protest demanding the UPFA Government and President Chandrika Kumaratunge to hold the Presidential polls this year crippled the traffic in Colombo city. The march commenced at 9 am in Dehiwala along the main Galle road was led towards Lipton's circle in the heart of Colombo. Armed forces and the Police were deployed to guard Government institutions and departments which remained closed. Routes leading to the President's residence were shut down.
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Sri Lanka sends condolence message to Londoners

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 July 2005, 01:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Thursday sent a condolence message to the British Government expressing her and Sri Lanka's citizens' grief over the death and destruction caused by bomb blasts, sources in Colombo said.
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