18th Amendment becomes law in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 September 2010, 03:33 GMT]
Eighteenth Amendment to the Sri Lanka Constitution has become law with effect from Thursday with the certification by the Speaker Chamal Rajapakse, brother of the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse. The amendment removes the two term limit of the Executive Presidency and the appointment of a five-member Parliamentary Council that replaced the seventeenth amendment to the constitution.
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‘Norway wrongs by cooperating with Colombo’

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 September 2010, 11:32 GMT]
The Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is naive if he believes normalisation of relations with Colombo will lay the basis for reconciliation. It is wrong to normalise relations with a regime that uses the army to expel Tamils from their land and settle Sinhalese there. Before normalising diplomatic ties Stoltenberg should demand Rajapaksa to accept UN investigation, said Norwegian Red Party deputy leader Bjørnar Moxnes, Wednesday, responding to media reports that Stoltenberg is the first Western head of government to meet Rajapaksa with a cooperation agenda after the civil war. Meanwhile, Mr. Majoran Vivekananthan, managing editor of Utrop said “it is unwise to let Solheim set the terms for Norway's relationship with Sri Lanka until a thorough evaluation of Norwegian and Solheim's role in the failed peace process is carried out.”
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Speaker to recommend 2 MPs to SL Parliamentary Council

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 September 2010, 03:13 GMT]
Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa is to recommend two names from among Tamil and Muslim parliamentarians for approval to Sri Lanka’s President as nominees to the Parliamentary Council as Prime Minister D. M. Jayaretna and the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe failed to nominate as required by the 18th amendment within the stipulated seven day period, Acting Secretary General of Sri Lanka Parliament Neil Iddawela told media Wednesday.
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Ampaa'rai student tops Tamil scholarship exam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 September 2010, 18:23 GMT]
A girl student of Thampiluvil Kalaimakal Viththiyaalayam in Thirukkoayil Education Zone in Ampaa’rai district secured the first place in Tamil medium Year Five scholarship examination 2010.
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Resettlement possible in Valikaamam North HSZ: Jaffna SLA Commander

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 September 2010, 13:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander Major Gen. Mahinda Kathurusinghe for the first time commented on the issue of resettling families uprooted by SLA in Valikaamam North saying that it is possible to resettle them in areas excluding Palaali High Security Zone (HSZ). The SLA commander admitted this Tuesday in Maanippaay Piratheasa chapai hall while participating as Chief guest in an event for school children organized by SLA. Many similar announcements had been made by Sri Lanka government ministers, officials and politicians during the Presidential and Parliamentary elections and in the following period but around 100,000 uprooted persons still live in camps and with their relatives and friends for the past twenty years, Welfare Organizations for Uprooted Families circles said.
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Sri Lanka’s LLRC, a hoax – Vanni war victims

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 September 2010, 05:36 GMT]
Only fifteen of nearly four hundred persons, most of them women, were allowed to witness before Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) in Mullaiththeevu Government Secretariat Monday while the others were driven away, sources in Mullaiththeevu said. The women had come with the hope of getting information about their husbands, sons and daughters who had disappeared without trace after surrendering themselves to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the final days of the war on Vanni. Denied of the opportunity to witness before the Commission and from futile attempts in the past they said they had no faith in the Commission calling it a hoax staged by Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa to deceive them and the world.
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Aayiththiya-malai Police to cover Karadiyan-aa'ru division

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 September 2010, 01:41 GMT]
Sri Lankan Inspector General of Police Mahinda Balasuriya said in a press release Saturday that the normal functions of the Karadiyan-aa'ru police station were being temporarily handled by the Aayiththiya-malai police station till a suitable place is located.
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Court Martial sentences Fonseka three years in prison

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 September 2010, 08:02 GMT]
The second court marital Friday sentenced Sarath Fonseka, to a prison term not exceeding three years, on being found guilty for violating tender procedure in purchasing arms while being the Commander of Sri Lanka Army. The second court martial further said the sentence is to be served or not is to be decided by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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LLRC member Prof. Jiffry passes away

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 September 2010, 14:49 GMT]
Professor M. T. M. Jiffry, one of the eight member- Lesson and Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) passed away Friday morning after a brief illness in Colombo. His burial took place Friday evening at Dehiwala Jummah Mosque. Born in Matara, Jiffry was the Professor of the Medical Faculty in Sri Jayewardenepura University.
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TNA parliamentarians to visit Valikaamam North HSZ

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 September 2010, 05:51 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesman and Jaffna district parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran said that a group of TNA parliamentarians will be visiting Valikaamam North Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupied High Security Zone (HSZ) once they get the permission from Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence. Meanwhile, Basil Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka minister and brother of SL President Mahinda Rjapaksa who is in Jaffna has again said that the families uprooted from Valikaamam North by SLA will be allowed to resettle in their places excluding the surroundings of Palaali Airport, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, SLA authorities have already marked places in Palaali to construct housing schemes for the colonization of Sinhala families in the lands of Tamils evicted by SLA, sources in Palaali said.
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SL government ‘explores’ development of Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2010, 15:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka government which had not contributed to the development of Jaffna district in any significant manner is showing off the development activities in Jaffna peninsula funded by World Bank and Asian Development Bank as if it is spending its own money on them, government officials who participated in SL government’s Jaffna District Development Meeting (DDM) held in Jaffna Secretariat Wednesday said. The meeting was similar to the earlier ones where on going development activities and future plans for development were just ‘explored’ into without any concrete allocation of funds for them. On the whole it was lip service paid to the ‘development of North’ Sri Lanka government claims to be interested in, they added.
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Rajapaksa leaves for US via London

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2010, 13:35 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Wednesday left via London to United States of America (USA). Mr. Rajapaksa left few days in advance for personal reasons, informed sources in Colombo said. He will take part in both the plenary meeting of the General Assembly of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and the sessions of UN General Assembly.
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NP Governor visits restricted areas in Vanni

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2010, 02:21 GMT]
Northern Province Governor Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri accompanied by some Sinhala parliamentarians and Sri Lanka government officials visited Tuesday some places in Vanni where uprooted people have not been allowed to resettle by occupying Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Meanwhile, some influential sections are trying again to shift Northern Provincial Council (NPC) and its offices to Ki’linochchi from Trincomalee, a move which had been suspended by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in August, sources in Trincomalee said.
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Supreme Court begins inquiry into Presidential election petition filed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 September 2010, 19:30 GMT]
Sarath Fonseka, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Tuesday appeared first time in the Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on the second day of inquiry into the presidential election petition filed by him. Fonseka has challenged the election of incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse in the presidential election held in January this year. The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) produced Sarath Fonseka, the petitioner in the case in the court Tuesday on the direction made by the five-member bench of the Supreme Court on Monday. Fonseka is being detained in the Sri Lanka Navy headquarters since he lost in the presidential election to Rajapakse.
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Local government elections to be held in a single day

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 September 2010, 14:39 GMT]
Elections to all local government bodies of Municipal Councils, Urban Councils and Pradesya Sabas in Sri Lanka including North and East provinces will be held in a single day in January 2011 under the amended Local Government Elections Act that is to be tabled in the parliament next month for approval, Sri Lanka Local Government Ministry sources said. Meanwhile, the main opposition United National Party (UNP) is reported to have decided to support the said bill in parliament, sources in Colombo said.
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Alternative Development

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 September 2010, 06:35 GMT]
There is no point in diaspora arguing with officials and politicians over development, because, they ‘do know’ what they are doing. Instead the diaspora should think creatively in identifying overlapping areas of interest in development, without compromising the national aspirations. Human resource development is a potential area, needed both by the ‘developers’ and nationalists. Eezham Tamils have credible institutions at home and grass root organisations in the diaspora to carryout it. Ask the developers whether they are prepared to give direct aid. If they decline and if their interest is only in prodding the diaspora to Rajapaksa and in devising KP-line of politics, then the diaspora need not care for them.
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TNA attends SL District Development meeting in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 September 2010, 04:48 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna district parliamentarians Suresh Premachandran and Sarvanabavan participated in the Sri Lanka government’s Jaffna District Development meeting Sunday in Jaffna. This is the first time TNA parliamentarians are participating in the District Development Meeting in Jaffna district. Suresh Premachandran had issued a message to local media Saturday night that TNA will attend the Sunday meeting. Sri Lanka Minister of Disaster Management A. H. M. Fowzi and SL Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Douglas Devananda jointly chaired the Sunday meeting.
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Gotabaya Rajapaksa in China with military top brass

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 September 2010, 10:12 GMT]
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the brother of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sri Lanka Defence Ministry Secretary, left to China Saturday leading a military delegation consisting of the Chiefs of Staff of Sri Lanka Army, Navy and Airforce. China had been one of the mains suppliers of military hardware and expertise during Sri Lanka’s war on Vanni last year.
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CWC member Radhakrishnan goes independent

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 September 2010, 17:35 GMT]
V.S.Radhakrishnan, Nuwara Eliya district parliamentarian of the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) told Saturday that he leaves his party and will sit as an independent member in parliament and support the government led by Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse. Earlier there was speculation in political circles that he would join the Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) to fill the post of leader of the UPF with the demise of its founder leader Periyasamay Chandrasekaran.
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Samaraweera entangled in poster campaign against Rajapaksa - Dinamina

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 September 2010, 11:09 GMT]
Sri Lankan police have uncovered a 'clandestine' move to print several 'mudslinging' posters targeting Sri Lanka' President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Dinamina newspaper said in its lead story. Quoting police investigators, the article claimed that the group behind this attempt was opposition parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera. The order to print the posters has allegedly being given to a printing press with links to the Janatha Simukthi Peramuna.
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