Passport fiasco

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 December 2007, 11:58 GMT]
While the Sri Lankan High Commissioner for U.K., Ms. Kshenuka Senewiratne, toils hard to extricate the Government of Sri Lanka from the diplomatic bungle it made in issuing a diplomatic passport under false name to fugitive Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna, Rights organizations accused Karuna of "war crimes," and urged British Government to try him in Britain. Meanwhile, informed sources in Colombo said Canadian Embassy had earlier rejected visa application for "Karuna," before British Embassy was misled by Colombo to issue a visa under the name of "Dushmantha Gunawardene, Director General, Wild Life Conservation."
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Sri Lanka extends State of Emergency

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 December 2007, 19:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Thursday adopted a motion to extend the State of Emergency for another month by a majority of 126 votes. 141 parliamentarians from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and its constituent parties Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) voted for the motion. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) also voted with the government, parliamentary sources said.
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SL Supreme Court fixes inquiry into petitions challenging the CFA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 December 2007, 13:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Friday fixed the inquiry for March 10 next year into the petitions filed by the Sinhala extreme nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and Sinhala Jathika Sangamaya (SJS) challenging the legality of the ceasefire agreement signed by the then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremasinghe and Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 22 February 2002.
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UNP decides to vote against 2008 Budget

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 November 2007, 16:49 GMT]
The parliamentary group of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Wednesday met after the delivery of the 2008 budget by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and unanimously decided to vote against the budget. The crucial vote on the 2008 budget is to take place on November 19 amid claims and counter claims by the ruling party and the main opposition party that cross over of parliamentarians from both sides.
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Emergency extended for another month in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 November 2007, 16:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday adopted a motion moved by the Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wikremanayake on behalf of the government to extend the State of Emergency for another month with a majority of 120 votes. 124 parliamentarians voted for the motion and four against.
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Emergency extended for another month in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2007, 17:39 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday adopted motion to extend the State of Emergency for another month by a majority of 93 votes. All constituent parties of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) including the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) voted for the motion.
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Colombo aims to carve out Sinhala district between North and East - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 September 2007, 19:46 GMT]
The Government of Sri Lanka is giving in for the demands of the extreme nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), with its plans afoot to carve out a Sinhala district between Trincomalee district in the Eastern Province and Mullaiththeevu in the Northern Province, aiming to split the geographical contiguity of the Tamil homeland, charged R. Sampanthan, the senior Tamil parliamentarian and the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), addressing the Sri Lankan parliament Wednesday. The attempt to create a Sinhala district would spoil the chances for a negotiated settlement, Mr. Sampanthan further warned.
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Cultural Triangle project to restore Buddhist shrines in east

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 August 2007, 10:57 GMT]
A cultural triangle project is to be launched to restore all Buddhist shrines in the districts of Ampaa'rai and Trincomalee by the Sri Lanka's Cultural Ministry. According to the proposed project Digavapi in Amparai district, and Thiriyaai Girihandu Seya Vihare in Trincomalee district are to be restored under the first phase, ministry sources said.
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Tamil Literary Festival to be held in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 August 2007, 07:55 GMT]
The Eastern Provincial Council is to hold Tamil Literary Festival in Batticaloa during the last week of October 2007 for the first time after the de-merger of North East Provincial Council (NEPC), civil society sources in Batticaloa said.
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APRC is dead, says UNP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 August 2007, 00:43 GMT]
After the Tuesday meeting of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) on Constitutional Reforms was abruptly halted and adjourned indefinitely due to demands from Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) members, and failed to "finalise a draft report by today to keep to a deadline set by the United National Party UNP," the opposition UNP spokesperson said the "APRC process is dead in the water," the Morning Leader reported in the Wednesday edition.
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SLFP political package, not of APRC - Tissa Vitarane

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 April 2007, 09:45 GMT]
The proposed devolution proposals to be submitted by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) will not be of the United Peoples' Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government or of the All Party Representative Council (APRC). Devolution proposals would be submitted by SLFP, said Tissa Vitarane, Chairman of the APRC. Mr. Vitarane's comment came in the wake of reports that the SLFP, main constituent of the UPFA is to submit its political proposals to the APRC during the first week of May. APRC would formulate a political package based on recommendations submitted by all political parties, he added.
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JVP, JHU, SMS file appeals in SC on CFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 13:10 GMT]
Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Jathika Hela Urumaya, all monks' party and Sinhala Maha Sabha (SMS) have filed appeals in the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court challenging the order made by the Court of Appeal (CA) dismissing their petitions filed against the ceasefire agreement seeking it cancellation.
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HRW urges Pope to discuss human rights with Rajapaksa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 08:48 GMT]
The Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, Brad Adams, Tuesday, urged Pope Benedict XVI, to raise the deteriorating human rights crisis in Sri Lanka with Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is visiting Vatican this week. Sri Lankan military and police forces, as well as proxy armed groups, are engaged in serious violations of the laws of war and human rights, reiterated Human Rights Watch in the letter.
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JVP, JHU to appeal court order on CFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 March 2007, 10:09 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and all monks' party, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Wednesday said they will appeal the order of the Court of Appeal dismissing their petitions seeking the cancellation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed by the then Sri Lanka' Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe with Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), on 22 February 2002, legal sources in Colombo said. Justice S.Sriskandarajah Tuesday said the petitioners have no valid legal reasons to seek the cancellation of the CFA and the court has no jurisdiction to order such act.
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Appeal Court dismisses petitions challenging CFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 March 2007, 10:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Court of Appeal Tuesday rejected three petitions, one by the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the other two by all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), challenging the legal validity of the Ceasefire agreement signed on 22 February 2002 by Ranil Wickremasinghe, then Prime Minister of the United National Party (UNP) government of Sri Lanka and Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), legal sources in Colombo said.
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UNP demands to know JVP, JHU's position on SLFP-LTTE deal

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 March 2007, 21:27 GMT]
The main opposition United national Party (UNP) Monday requested the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party and Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to state their stand on the allegation leveled by ousted ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi that some politicians of ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) had struck a secret deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before the last presidential election.
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JHU decides against submitting proposal to APRC

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 February 2007, 21:25 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party said Monday that it will not table its proposals to the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) to find a political solution to the ethnic conflict, political sources in Colombo said. JHU reasoned that Mahinda Chinthanaya mandates a solution on the basis of unitary concept of constitution and therefore no alternate proposals are necessary.
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JHU tells JVP: CFA already dead, meaningless to demand abrogation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 February 2007, 12:42 GMT]
The ceasefire agreement CFA) signed by Ranil Wickremasinghe, the then Prime Minister and Velupillai Pirapaharan, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) five years ago on 22 February 2002 had already dead with the capture of Mavilaru by the Sri Lankan security forces last year. "Hence there is no point in demanding the government to abrogate the CFA,"said Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera, general secretary of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU).
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SLA moves military hardware to Thenmaradchy FDLs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 February 2007, 03:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were seen moving heavy military hardware, including more than fifteen T-54 type tanks and Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) along Point-Pedro Kodikamam road towards Thenmaradchy Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) Monday night, residents in Varani area said. With the fifth year anniversary of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) approaching on 22 Februrary, the increased military movements have further fuelled speculations of renewed war in Jaffna, civil sources in Jaffna said.
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SL Minister's threats condemned by media associations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 February 2007, 02:44 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Minister of Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Champika Ranawaka's statement in Ravaya "advocating brutal suppression of democratic dissent," and call for the "elimination of those the JHU and NMAT perceive to be aiding and abetting the cause of the LTTE, including all pro-peace civil society activists and media activists," was condemned by a group of media associations in a press release issued Monday.
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