SLA role in renegade affair said scuttling peace effort

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 June 2004, 18:24 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers will take up the question of the Sri Lanka army backing renegade commander ‘Karuna’ with the Norwegian facilitators when they meet them next, LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said Saturday. “The Sri Lankan government should come clean on this matter if it wants to preserve the bona fide on which the peace talks are based," they said.
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Opposition leaders to meet Speaker Monday

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 June 2004, 20:17 GMT]
Leaders of opposition parties, United National Party (UNP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) are to meet the Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara Monday before discussing the strategy to adopt to present a co-ordinated front to the actions of the ruling minority UPFA government when the parliament meets on July 20, sources said.


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SL Government admits SLA complicity in Karuna affair

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 June 2004, 10:39 GMT]
Contradicting Defense Secretary Cyril Herath who denied Monday that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) gave shelter to renegade commander Muralitharan (alias Karuna), Information Minister of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, Mangala Samaraweera, admitted to the press today that the SLA helped Karuna "escape and wage a covert war of attrition against the Tamil Tigers" according to a BBC report from Colombo today.
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Opposition to urge reconvening parliament before PC elections

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 June 2004, 03:59 GMT]
Leaders of opposition parties are scheduled to meet Wednesday in the parliamentary complex to decide on the next course of action taken in regard to safeguard the parliamentary democracy. The Leader of the Opposition and main opposition United National Party (UNP) Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe is to preside over the meet, political sources in Colombo said.
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SLMC reiterates conditional support to UPFA government

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 June 2004, 17:05 GMT]
Mr.Rauff Hakim, Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) told media persons in Kandy Monday that his party is prepared to consider supporting the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government if it decided to abandon its attempt to revert the parliament into a constituent assembly and accommodate a separate Muslim delegation in the future peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
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"UPFA government will prove parliamentary majority"- PM

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 June 2004, 05:55 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse Monday declared that his United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government would prove its majority in parliament when it meets on July 20 after elections to six-provicincial councils, scheduled to be held on July 10. "UPFA is prepared to face the challenge of the common opposition if it claimed to have a majority in parliament," said Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse addressing the first election rally in support of UPFA candidates contesting the North Central Provincial Council.
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Battle lines drawn to prove parliamentary majority

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 June 2004, 14:49 GMT]
Opposition parliamentarians in the Sri Lanka's thirteenth parliament Monday handed over a memorandum to the Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara to safeguard the parliamentary democracy. 114 parliamentarians from the United National Party (UNP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) signed the memorandum, parliamentary sources said.


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"SL President's duplicitous politics threatens peace"- MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 June 2004, 03:08 GMT]
Delays in resumption of peace talks due to Sri Lanka President Ms Kumaratunge's continually shifting positions on the peace process, and suspected Sri Lanka Government's complicity in destabilizing the Batticaloa district, portend imminent danger to prevailing peace, said Joseph Pararajasingham, Senior Vice President of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Member of Parliament (MP), talking to TamilNet from Colombo, Sunday morning.
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"LTTE losing confidence in peace process"- UNF

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 June 2004, 02:35 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appears to be losing confidence on the peace process because of the contradictory stands taken by President Chandrika Kumaratunge," said the media spokesman of the main opposition, Professor G.L.Peiris, at a press briefing held Friday in Colombo, according to media sources.
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Anti-Conversion Bill to be tabled in Sri Lanka Parliament

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 June 2004, 00:36 GMT]
Based on a proposal submitted by Buddha Sasana Minister Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Friday decided to table a draft bill in Sri Lanka Parliament prohibiting forcible conversion of religion, UPFA spokesman Mr. Mangala Samaraweera said at a press briefing.
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Colombo security tightened

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 16:42 GMT]
State armed forces tightened the security of Colombo city following the discovery of a suicide jacket and a bag of explosives Friday early morning by a foot-patrol party of the Police amid allegations by the main opposition United National Front (UNF) Friday evening that the security of Colombo has been weakened, sources said.
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No ISGA outside parliamentary procedure - UPFA govt.

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 16:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Media Minister and United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government's new cabinet spokesman Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, Friday rejected reports in a section of the media that the President was exploring the possibility of establishing Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in the northeast province outside parliamentary procedure as baseless. '' There is absolutely no truth in such reports,'' Mr. Mangala Samaraweera said at the cabinet press briefing.
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Sri Lanka Prime Minister to visit India after poll

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 01:39 GMT]
Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, Prime Minister (PM) of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government is to lead a high-level delegation to India next month after the provincial council elections, which are scheduled to be held on July 10, PM’s office spokesman said Friday.


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Norway persists as stalemate deepens

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 June 2004, 01:04 GMT]
The stalemate in Sri Lanka’s peace process continued this week, and even as Norwegian diplomats vowed to continue their shuttle diplomacy, President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government hardened its stance on the agenda for talks.


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Tigers lambast Kumaratunge's political duplicity

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 June 2004, 02:56 GMT]
Blaming Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge for "linking ISGA with permanent poltical solution," as a "manipulative strategy to take forward the peace process for a while and then to abort it," the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam called upon the International community to recognize Ms.Kumaratunge's political duplicity and to "bring pressure on her government to be principled and honest in political negotiations," in a statement published in the Peace Secretariat website.
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Kumaratunga hints at "an effective compromise" with the LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 2004, 15:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga, in a prime-time TV address, has indicated that she is "seeking an effective compromise" to overcome the dragging differences with the LTTE that delay peace talks. The LTTE has been insisting on negotiating its interim administration proposals first, while the government wanted to have parallel talks on the final solution to the conflict. In her nation-wide telecast Saturday night Kumaratunga hinted at her readiness to "prioritise" the LTTE demand while not openly abandoning the government's position to have parallel talks on the final settlement.
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SL President to give televised address

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 2004, 16:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is to address the people of Sri Lanka on Saturday 8.30 p.m. through state television and electronic media, ruling party sources said Friday evening.
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Speaker urged to safeguard democracy in Parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 June 2004, 13:25 GMT]
The members of opposition political parties in the Sri Lanka's parliament numbering about 114 Thursday submitted a petition to the Speaker to take steps to safeguard democracy in the parliament. Leaders of the common opposition took this step in a major reaction to the battle in parliament Tuesday and to show that they are in a majority and to assert their authority, political sources said.
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Protest demo held in Colombo condemning Nadesan killing

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 June 2004, 10:25 GMT]
The Free Media Movement (FMM) and the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) Wednesday held one hour demonstration in front of the Colombo Fort Railway Station commencing from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. against the killing a senior Tamil journalist Mr. Aiyathurai Nadesan. Several senior journalists based in Colombo and outstations, Tamil parliamentarians of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Upcountry Peoples Front and Western Province Peoples Front participated in the demonstration, sources said.
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Sri Lanka's parliament adjourned for July 20 after disruption

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 June 2004, 10:22 GMT]
Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara Tuesday adjourned the Sri Lanka's parliament for July 20 after failing in his attempt to resolve the issue of administering oath to newly nominated parliamentarian JHU parliamentarian Venerable Akmeemana Dayaratna Thera. The Speaker announced his decision to postpone the parliament when it resumed its sitting Tuesday afternoon at about 2.30 p.m, parliamentary sources said.
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