CWC said mulling support to UPFA

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 16:40 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), one of the constituents of the main opposition United National Front (UNF), is expected to make a final decision on the question of extending its support to the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government on or before Sri Lanka's parliament meets on May 18, reliable CWC sources said Friday.
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Anton Balasingham arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 04:07 GMT]
Mr.Anton Balasingham, The Liberation Tigers' theoretician and political strategist, arrived in Colombo Friday morning around 5.30 a.m. and he was received by the Sri Lanka's Norwegian ambassador, Mr. Hans Brattskar, at the Katunayake international airport, Colombo media sources said.
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Norwegian peace envoy meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 May 2004, 20:05 GMT]
"Peace talks between the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should be held on the basis of the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal. The UPFA government should not use the opportunity of holding peace talks as a device to strengthen its position in the parliament and to obtain foreign aid," the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) delegation told the visiting Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim during a discussion held Tuesday evening at the Norwegian embassy in Colombo, TNA sources said.


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Norwegian facilitators meet Sri Lanka's President

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 May 2004, 17:13 GMT]
Norwegian peace delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen Sunday morning met with Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge at the President House in Nuwara Eliya in the Central Province on the latter's invitation. Special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim and Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo Mr. Hans Brattskar also participated in the talks, Sri Lanka government sources said.


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Ex-PM tipped to be Deputy Defense Minister

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 May 2004, 11:25 GMT]
A former Prime Minister and a Sinhala hardliner in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake is tipped to be appointed as Minister for Buddhasasana Affairs and the Deputy Minister for Defense next week, government sources said.
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Norwegian peace delegation arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 May 2004, 10:38 GMT]
A high level Norwegian peace delegation led by Norways's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Vidar Helgessen, arrived in Colombo Saturday early morning in a bid to resume the peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on an invitation extended by Sri Lanka’s President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, sources said.


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Security strengthened in Colombo for May Day

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 April 2004, 19:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka's capital Colombo has been put on red alert and more police and army personnel have been deployed at strategic places to ensure a violence-free May Day celebrations Saturday. Several roads have been prohibited for traffic within certain periods on the May Day to avoid traffic jam and to ensure security for processions and rallies, police said
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Kandapola killings create suspicions on UPFA’s complicity - EPRLF

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 April 2004, 15:48 GMT]
“The ethnic violence directed against the Tamil people in Kandapola, in the Nuwara Eliya district, by thugs and Sri Lanka Police resulting in the killing of Tamils, has created suspicions in the minds of the Tamil people that the violence was instigated and by the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government of Sri Lanka, in retaliation for its failure to win the support of the major Tamil parties in the election of the Speaker," charged Mr. S. Premachandran, the Secretary General of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF-Suresh Wing) Thursday.
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UPFA will not accept JHU as an ally - Anura Bandaranaike

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 April 2004, 18:23 GMT]
Mr.Anura Bandaranaike, Minister of Investment Promotion and Tourism in the United People's Freedom Alliance government of Sri Lanka, said Thursday that the UPFA would not form a coalition with the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), saying that his party could not accept the JHU's policies, according to media sources.
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JVP ministers sworn in, attend first cabinet meeting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 April 2004, 10:46 GMT]
Eight parliamentarians of the Sinhala nationalist, Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), one of the two major constituents of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) were sworn in before Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge as cabinet rank ministers and deputy ministers Wednesday morning around 9.30. Later they attended their first cabinet meeting at about 10 .30 a.m, political sources said.


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JVP ministers, deputies to take oaths Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 18:06 GMT]
Four cabinet rank ministers and four deputy ministers of the Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), one of the two major constituents of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), are to be sworn-in by Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, Wednesday morning at the President's House, government sources said.
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Tyronne Fernando resigns from UNP to join UPFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 16:35 GMT]
Mr.Tyronne Fernando, who was a parliamentarian of the United National Party from the Moratuwa electorate and Foreign Minister in the former United National Front government, Tuesday sent in his resignation letter to the leader of the UNP, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe. Leaders of United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) are reported to have approached Mr. Fernando to nominate him for the post of Chief Minister of the Western Provincial Council, political sources said.
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SLFP-JVP ministerial dispute resolved

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 03:28 GMT]
The politburo of the Sinhala nationalist cum Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), one of the major constituents of the ruling United Peoples' Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Monday night decided to accept one of the two proposals submitted by Sri Lanka's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, and to bring the three week old dispute over ministerial and deputy ministerial posts to an end, political sources said.
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Tamil youth killed in explosion in Kurunagala

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 April 2004, 15:49 GMT]
Mr. Kanagasabai Thurairajasingham was killed in an explosion early morning at about 3 a.m. Monday at Polathapitiya near Kurunagala town in the northwestern province. He was later identified as a member of a Tamil group, probably a supporter of the renegade Karuna group, police said Monday.
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UPFA wins NWPC as Central, Uva PCs await elections

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 April 2004, 03:15 GMT]
The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won the provincial elections held Saturday for the North West Provincial Council. According to the Elections Department, the UPFA obtained 59.10% of the votes cast, winning 31 seats, and the United National Party (UNP) won 19 seats, obtaining 37.53% of the votes.
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Violence against JHU monks increases

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 April 2004, 18:25 GMT]
The attack on Buddhist shrines and intimidation against monks of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is on the increase in the southern part of the country since the election of new Speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament. JHU leadership has accused the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) activists are encouraging such incidents for voting for the opposition candidate in the Speaker's election, sources said.


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UPFA minister visits Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 April 2004, 18:23 GMT]
Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Mr. Janaka Bandara Tennekon Sunday paid a visit to Jaffna district. He was the first minister of the newly formed United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government to visit Jaffna, sources said.
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LTTE to await official word from Norway on peace process

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 April 2004, 03:37 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers will inform their stand on resuming the peace process if the Norwegian government officially informs the LTTE about the Sri Lankan government's stand, Mr. Daya Master, the media coordinator of the LTTE, told the Tamil media on Saturday. Meanwhile, sources quoting the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo say a high level delegation of the Norwegian government will visit Colombo in the first week of May to hold discussions with the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE.
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SLFP, JVP to meet Sunday over ministerial dispute

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 April 2004, 17:10 GMT]
Senior leaders of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), two major constituents of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) are scheduled to meet Sunday in the President's House to take a final decision on the dispute over the allocation of ministries to the JVP, government sources said. The dispute marked a tumultous beginning to UPFA government and has raised questions on the ability of the Alliance to focus on governance.
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Conference against war held in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 April 2004, 14:20 GMT]
Members of National Anti-War Front, a coalition of more than one hundred Sinhala peace movements across Sri Lanka, in a conference held in Colombo yesterday, expressed their opposition to war and resolved to raise public awareness against a return to a state of war, a popular Canadian radio broadcast said.


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