Pandemonium in parliament, two monk MPs injured

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 June 2004, 07:46 GMT]
Pandemonium reigned in Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday morning for about an hour when Venerable Akmeemana Thera, the newly nominated parliamentarian of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) was invited by the Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara to take oaths, parliamentary sources said.
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Parliament meets amid confusion over majority to ruling UPFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 June 2004, 04:42 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is meeting Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. to appoint standing committees and ministerial parliamentary consultative committees. Battle lines are drawn by the minority ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the main opposition United National Front (UNF) to capture control of these committees, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.


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Foreign envoys to be briefed on JVP's stand on ISGA

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 June 2004, 21:00 GMT]
The Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Monday said that it would brief Colombo based foreign envoys the reasons for opposing the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal submitted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the northeast province, media sources in Colombo said.


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Gunmen storm Deputy Minister's office, kill two

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 June 2004, 13:45 GMT]
Gunmen Saturday afternoon attacked the political office of Mr.Sripathy Sooriyarachchi, a Deputy Minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in Kelaniya in the western province and killed two persons. One of them is said to be a bodyguard of Mr.Sripathy Sooriyarachchi and the other a supporter. Another supporter sustained injuries, police said.


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TNA MPs to meet LTTE political leadership Saturday

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 June 2004, 00:40 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians are scheduled to the meet Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Saturday to discuss the current political situation in the south and the latest developments in reviving the peace talks through Norwegian facilitation, sources said.
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CWC said still undecided on support to UPFA

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 June 2004, 14:57 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a constituent of the main opposition United National Front (UNF), is still undecided on extending support to the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance, sources in Colombo said. Meanwhile, the Presidential Secretariat Friday denied media reports that talks were held Thursday between the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, and CWC leader Mr. Arumugam Thondaman. The media reports said that the talks had ended in failure.
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'Committee to sort out differences in UPFA'

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 2004, 18:31 GMT]
The leaders of Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the two major constituents of ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Tuesday night agreed at a discussion to appoint a committee to sort out the differences that have arisen in implementing the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two parties, sources said.
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Ruling Alliance facing crisis?

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 May 2004, 03:14 GMT]
Media reports from Colombo indicated cracks appearing within the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), as the marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), one of the mainconstituents of UPFA, sent a written communique to Sri Lanka's President Ms Kumaratunge accusing her of violating the MoU signed between the JVP and SLFP.


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CWC to join ruling UPFA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 May 2004, 17:46 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a constituent of the main opposition United national Front (UNF), is likely to join the ruling minority United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA). The party high command is waiting for the arrival of its President Mr.Arumugan Thondaman Wednesday who is now India to finalize the talks between the CWC and UPFA, CWC sources said.


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Six provincial councils go for poll, JHU stays out

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 2004, 12:14 GMT]
Elections to six Sinhalese dominated provincial councils, Southern, Western, Sabragamuwa, Uva, Central and North Central will be held on July 10th Saturday. About 3200 candidates are in the fray, Elections Commissioner Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake said.


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Kandapola affected to get compensation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 May 2004, 10:50 GMT]
Sixty five persons from Kandapola who were injured or whose properties suffered damages during the ethnic violence in Kandapola, Nuwara Eliya district on the 28 August 2004, when Sri Lanka police opened fire, are to be compensated by the Sri Lanka Government, local media reported.
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SL President appoints deputy ministers for foreign affairs, defense

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 May 2004, 08:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge in a surprise move Wednesday appointed Professor Visva Warnapala Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was also given the additional post as the Deputy Minister of Defense as already speculated in the political circles, sources in Colombo said.
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"Institutionalize ISGA, core issues can be discussed later " - LTTE

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 May 2004, 08:28 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Wednesday categorically told the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government through Norwegian facilitators that the institutionalization of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) in the northeast province should take place first and that the core issues can be discussed later.
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Solheim's meeting with SL President rescheduled

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 May 2004, 18:49 GMT]
The Norwegian special peace envoy, Mr. Erik Solheim, is to meet Sri Lanka's President, Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, after holding talks with the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Kilinochchi Wednesday, State controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) reported in its night news broadcast Tuesday.
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Solheim arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 May 2004, 03:11 GMT]
Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim arrived in Colombo Monday night on a five-day visit. He is scheduled to meet Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge and Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse Tuesday before leaving to Kilinochchi Wednesday to meet the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), political sources said.
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Divided Sinhala leadership poses danger to peace process- TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 May 2004, 23:25 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Sunday expressed pessimism that it would be difficult to find a lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict through negotiations as the Sinhala political leadership is sharply divided on the question of resuming peace talks on the basis of Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) put forward by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


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JVP holds discussions on peace process with allies

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 May 2004, 18:10 GMT]
The leadership of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), has been holding intensive discussions with the other constituent political parties of the UPFA on the current position of the peace process, as a prelude to announcing its final stand on the Norwegian brokered peace talks between the UPFA government and the LTTE, JVP sources said Friday.


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JHU protests 'malicious propaganda' by State media

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 May 2004, 17:41 GMT]
The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Friday held a demonstration in Colombo against the State electronic and print media for conducting what it said was "malicious propaganda" against the party. A group of Buddhist monks including JHU parliamentarians went in procession from the Wijerama Mawatha to the State run Rupavahini (Television station) Corporation.
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'UPFA’s peace talk plans do not violate SLFP-JVP agreement' - JVP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 May 2004, 19:39 GMT]
The peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, being considered by the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), do not violate the agreement reached by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna before the two parties joined to form the UPFA, said Mr. Wimal Weerawansa, the propaganda secretary of the JVP, speaking to journalists Thursday evening in Colombo.
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SLMC suspends three MPs over opposition to Hakeem

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 May 2004, 18:55 GMT]
The rank and file of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is in disarray following the decision of its politburo Wednesday to suspend three of its parliamentatarians and a member of the party for opposing the leadership of Mr.Rauff Hakeem, sources said.
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