Marxists look for gains from bailout

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 September 2001, 11:38 GMT]
The Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Tuesday announced it would defeat the no-confidence motion against the PA government when it is tabled in parliament.
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PA-JVP talks continue

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 August 2001, 18:22 GMT]
The first round of crucial talks between President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge and senior leaders of the Marxist-Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) which began Friday around 3 p.m. concluded late in the evening. JVP's Propaganda Secretary and Parliamentarian Mr.Wimal Weerawansa said another round of talks between them and the President is now being held at President's House.
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UNP for General Election

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 August 2001, 14:24 GMT]
"Following the failure of talks between PA and UNP, now it seems the only way to get out from the present political crisis is to hold a general election to elect a new parliament," said Sri Lanka's opposition leader Mr.Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing a gathering of business magnates, politicians and academics at Hotel Taj Samudra in Colombo, Wednesday night.
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LTTE rejects government offer as 'calculated ploy'

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 August 2001, 09:06 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Thursday rejected the Sri Lankan government's offer of a "mutually agreed ceasefire" as "a calculated political duplicity to divert the attention of the people and the world from the deepening crisis in Colombo." Mr. Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political advisor of the LTTE told TamilNet Thursday that "the LTTE is not prepared to enter into negotiation with a corrupt, inefficient, unstable government which does not have a majority in Parliament."
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Parliamentarian Challenges expulsion from NUA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 August 2001, 20:49 GMT]
A Muslim Parliamentarian Tuesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging his expulsion from the National Unity Alliance. Mr.Mohideen Abdul Cader said in his petition "NUA leader Ms Ferial Ashraff has no right to expel him from the party."
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UNP digs in over parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 August 2001, 19:36 GMT]
Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, Leader of the Opposition said Thursday that the fate of the present government will be decided on September 7 when parliament is reconvened. Addressing the protest rally organized by the Alliance for Democracy at the Town Hall in Colombo, Mr.Wickremasinghe said, "my party is not prepared to give a new lease of life to the People's Alliance government which is now on the verge of collapse due to its bad governance."
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Anti-government demonstration in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 August 2001, 09:45 GMT]
Thousands of demonstrators Thursday afternoon around 2 p.m. started marching towards Colombo Town Hall to attend a mass rally organised by the People's Alliance for Democracy, demanding President Chandrika Kumaratunge to reconvene the Parliament and cancel the proposed referendum for a new constitution.
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Court stays PA’s expulsion of SLMC MPs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 August 2001, 21:48 GMT]
The Colombo District Judge Wednesday issued an enjoining order restraining the ruling People's Alliance PA) General Secretary and his disciplinary committee from taking steps to expel three Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) MPs from parliament.
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Supreme Court orders student examined

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 August 2001, 21:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Wednesday ordered that Jaffna University Student Krishnasamy Thiviyan should be subjected to medical examination by the Colombo Judicial Medical Officer (JMO). A three member bench presided by Chief Justice Sarath N.Silva and comprising Justice Shiranee A.Bandaranaike and Justice P.Edussuriya issued the order when a fundamental rights application filed on behalf of Thiviyan was taken up for inquiry. Sri Lanka’s Attorney General and the General Officer Commanding of the Sri Lanka Army, Jaffna district have been cited as the respondents in the application.
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"Government has ignored LTTE's Peace efforts" -Thmail Chelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 August 2001, 23:03 GMT]
"The Liberation Tigers observed a four-month ceasefire with the intention of bringing an end to the war, but the Sri Lankan government ignored our ceasefire. It is unfortunate that our efforts to bring peace did not succeed," Mr. S.P.Thamil Chelvan, political wing leader of the LTTE, has told Mr. A.P.Nanayakkara, leader of the Association of Families of Servicemen Missing in Action (AFSMA), who spoke at a news conference in Colombo on Tuesday.
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Senior Minister admits differences with President

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 August 2001, 18:50 GMT]
The General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Mr.S.B.Dissanayake Monday said "difference of opinion has arisen between him and President Chandrika Kumaratunge over fulfilling the aspirations of people". Mr.Dissanayake, the Minister of Samurdhi (Poverty Alleviation), Human Development and Parliamentary Affairs added "however these differences could be sorted out through negotiations." Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge holds the post of President of Sri Lanka Freedom Party. The SLFP is the major constituent party of the ruling People's Alliance.
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Furore over chemical warheads continues

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 August 2001, 18:30 GMT]
(News Feature) The furore over the Sri Lanka Army's purchase of a thousand units of the RPO-A Shmel infantry flamethrower continued this week as the Sunday Leader published further details of a corruption scandal in which the paper claims Army commander Lt. Gen. Lionel Balagalle is involved. Last week the SLA initially defended its purchase of the chemical warheads which are said to be internationally banned but then reversed its position, asserting that the Shmel was in fact not a chemical weapon and hence was not banned.
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Marxists and Buddhist monks join for protest

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 August 2001, 18:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka's politically powerful Buddhist clergy aligned with the island's radical and 'moderate' Marxists Monday to demand that the Sri Lankan government should reconvene the Parliament and call off the proposed referendum on a referendum for a new constitution. The People's Centre for Democracy and the Freedom of the Country held a demonstration Monday around 2.30 p.m. at the Lipton Circus, a busy intersection in downtown Colombo. Thousands of protestors held placards and shouted slogans against the People's Alliance regime.
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Opposition plans massive rally, urges president's resignation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 August 2001, 19:36 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party has launched a campaign to mobilize support of the people for its massive protest rally scheduled to be held in Colombo on August 23 Thursday, opposition party source said. Senior leaders of the UNP have been attending awareness meetings in several towns in the country to get more people to Colombo to attend the proposed rally, organised by The Alliance for Democracy organizes the rally, the sources said.
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Jaffna students urge Colombo to stop bombing

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 August 2001, 16:11 GMT]
The Jaffna University Students Union (JUSU) appealed to international community "to intervene and safeguard the lives of Tamil students and civilians in the northeastern province from the continuing reprisal aerial attacks by the Sri Lanka Air Force". The JUSU in a statement issued Sunday said "aerial attacks targeting civilian positions such as schools and residential areas in northeast, particularly in Vanni and other Tigers controlled region are taking place almost daily. These indiscriminate aerial attacks have caused deaths and destruction to lives and properties of Tamil civilians".
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No portfolios after handing in resignations -UNP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 August 2001, 16:07 GMT]
The United National Party said Sunday that deputy ministers who have submitted undated resignation letters to President Chandrika Kumaratunga cannot hold on to their portfolios and enjoy privileges and other facilities they enjoyed earlier. A UNP spokesman said that his party is contemplating legal action if the government ministers who submitted undated resignation letters to the President, purportedly as a reiteration of their confidence in her, do not relinquish their portfolios forthwith. "They have no moral right now to stay on," said an opposition spokesman. Government sources, however, dismissed the UNP's call, saying that the letters of resignation are undated.
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UNP calls for dissolution of parliament

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 August 2001, 00:20 GMT]
The United National Party has called for "the immediate dissolution of the parliament and a general election held thereafter if there is no possibility of debating the no-confidence motion". Mr.Gamini Atukorale, Deputy Leader of the main opposition United National Party made this call addressing meeting at Kandy Friday evening.
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SLAF Mig 27 crashes

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 August 2001, 06:30 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Air Force Mig 27 aircraft crashed near the Katunayaka international airport Saturday around 11.18 a.m. The Russian built Mig 27 fell over the town of Seeduwa, two kilometres north of the airport. The aircraft was completely destroyed and the Russian pilot was killed in the crash.
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Controversial weapon meant for genocide alleges MP

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 August 2001, 14:26 GMT]
"The Sri Lankan government is going to deploy chemical weapons against the Tamils in the island's north and east. The aim is to annihilate them totally. The use of this dangerous chemical weapon against the Tamil people should be strongly condemned," said Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Tamil United Liberation Front MP for Batticaloa, addressing legislators who gathered Friday in the Sri Lankan Parliament and decided to press ahead with the no confidence motion against President Kumaratunga's government.
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SL crisis deepens as majority legislators stake claim

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 August 2001, 12:17 GMT]
The majority of the members of the Sri Lankan Parliamentarian met in the legislature Friday and unanimously resolved to go ahead with the no confidence motion against President Chandrika Kumaratunga's government and defy any attempt by her to suspend Parliament again.
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