Sarath Fonseka charged for harboring army deserters

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 August 2010, 17:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Attorney General Monday filed indictment in the Colombo Chief Magistrate court charging Sarath Fonseka on forty-one counts that include employing deserters of the Sri Lanka Army, paying salaries and providing lodging facilities. Sarath Fonseka, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army was last week sentenced by the 1st Court Martial being found guilty for the involvement in politics while in service.
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25 District Government Agents to meet in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 2010, 09:24 GMT]
Sri Lankan Government has decided to hold the conference of the District Government Agents of the country in Jaffna in the first week of September this year. This will be the first time such a conference to be held in the history of the country. The date of the conference has been tentatively fixed for September 6 and 7, Public Administration Ministry sources said.
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SL government delegation visit to New Delhi postponed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 2010, 09:21 GMT]
An official visit of a three–member top level delegation of the Government of Sri Lanka to India is scheduled to leave Colombo on August 25 for high level talks and not on August 15 Sunday as earlier fixed. Basil Rajapakse, Economic Development Minister and a brother of Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse is to lead the delegation.
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Rajapaksa authorizes Court Martial sentence on Fonseka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 2010, 09:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa Saturday authorized the sentence imposed by the 1st Court Martial on the former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Sarath Fonseka. The first Court Martial Friday sentenced Sarath Fonseka which strips him of all military ranks, being found him guilty of involvement in political activity while in service. Rajapaksa has now authorized the sentence to be carried out with immediate effect, acting Military spokesman Colonel Duminda Gamage told media.
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UNP asks LLRC to summon Peiris, Moragoda, Karuna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 2010, 08:47 GMT]
Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission appointed by the Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been asked by the main opposition United National Party (UNP) to summon G.L.Peiris, Milinda Moragoda and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman to get a balanced view of the peace process during the 2002 cease fire period under the then UNP government.
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2 JVP parliamentarians remanded in Galle

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 2010, 12:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka police in Galle arrested and detained parliamentarians Vijitha Heart and Ajith Kumara, of Democratic National Alliance (DNA) led by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Thursday evening. They were arrested when they went to Galle police staion to secure the release of four men who had participated in the protest march held in Galle town demanding the release of Sarath Fonseka, former Sri Lanka Army Commander who had contested against President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the last presidential election and lost.
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SL president suspends plans to relocate NPC offices to Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 2010, 05:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa has directly intervened to immediately suspend the plans of Northern Province Governor, Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri to relocate the offices of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) functioning in Trincomalee to Ki'linochchi, NPC sources said. The president had called Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri to his official residence and issued the order. Moreover, President's brother and Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Gothabaya Rajapaka had severely warned the officials of NPC 'not to even think' of relocating the offices, they added.
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Namal Rajapakse follows father to Nalloor Koayil

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 August 2010, 01:00 GMT]
A delegation of government ministers including, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s eldest son, Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, have offered gratitude to the Saiva gods at the Nalloor koayil in Jaffna for 'helping' Mahinda Rajapaksa to complete the Hambantota Port project on schedule, the state owned Dinamina newspaper said in a front page article. The article pointed out that soon after the LTTE was defeated, the Sri Lanka's President, along with members of his government, had visited the Nalloor koayil seeking blessings to help 'develop' Sri Lanka following the defeat of the "terrorists."
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Malaysian Tamil leader hard on Sri Lanka’s abetters, urges boycott

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 2010, 17:12 GMT]
Malaysian Tamil leader and Deputy Chief Minister of the Penang State Prof P. Ramasamy came hard on some industrial circles of Ceylonese in Malaysia buttressing Colombo in the name of ‘development. Speaking to media Thursday he urged global Tamils to boycott commercial pursuits of Karunanidhi family. Party decisions announced by him urged Malaysian government to take a serious view of the situation in the island and wanted war crimes investigation to cover the roles played by Indian Prime Minister, Home Minister, Congress Party leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. His party plans tabling resolution on war crimes investigation in the Penang State Assembly and internationally working for solutions to the national question of Eezham Tamils.
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Resolutions passed against governments of India, Tamil Nadu for disregarding Eezham Tamils, Tamil Nadu fishermen

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 16:23 GMT]
Karuththurimaikk Kazhakam (Union for Freedom of Expression), an umbrella organization consisting of several poltical and humanitarian organizations in Tamil Nadu passed resolutions condemning the Central Government of India and the State Government of Tamil Nadu for willingly maintaining silence over for Sri Lanka's Mahinda Rajapaksa regime's blatant violation of democracy related to its war crimes committed during the war on Vanni and the frequent killings of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), in a public meeting held 06 August in Chennai Purasavaakkam Thaa'naa Street, sources in Chennai said. The meeting was presided by Comrade Nallakannu of the Communist Party of India. Vaiko, the leader of Marumalarchi Dravida Munetra Kalazham (MDMK) proposed the resolutions that were passed unanimously.
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Sri Lanka’s Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission begins sitting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 15:16 GMT]
The Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), consisting of eight members, chaired by the former Attorney General C. R. de Silva, commenced its sittings Wednesday morning at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute in Colombo 7, according to Commission’s Secretary S. M. Samarakoon. Bernard Goonatillake, former head of Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat that was operational during the period of the conflict,is scheduled to give evidence on the opening day. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is to give evidence before the Commission 17 August. The Commission is to meet from August 11 till the 25th. Sessions on August 14th and 15th are to be held in Vavuniyaa.
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Rajapakse suspends Mervin Silva from SLFP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 10:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa finally Wednesday took a stern disciplinary action to control displeasure brewing in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) over the failure of taking tough stand against Mervin Silva for tying a Samurdhi official to a tree last week. Mervin Silva Tuesday evening was removed from the post of Deputy Minister and also suspended from the membership of the SLFP for taking law into his own hands, Presidential sources said.
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Sri Lanka's Commission convenes as US calls for independent investigations

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 01:52 GMT]
As the Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation appointed by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa commenced its inaugural sittings on Wednesday morning at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies, No 24, Horton place, Colombo, 58 law makers of United States Congress urged the Obama administration to push for an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes that occurred during Sri Lanka's civil war. "The letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the members of Congress called for such a probe saying panels set up by the Sri Lankan government to probe the allegations "lacked the needed credibility,"" AFP reported.
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Media consortium demands return of disappeared journalist Ekneligoda

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 00:12 GMT]
A consortium of foreign media organizations led by Reporters Without Borders has demanded the Sri Lankan government to return Sri Lankan journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda who disappeared two hundred days earlier. The consortium includes, Cartoonists Rights Network International, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), International Media Support, Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, Media Legal Defence Initiative, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
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Rajapakse, Wickremesinghe meet, discuss proposed constitutional reforms

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 August 2010, 18:04 GMT]
Talks between Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse and Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) resumed Tuesday morning unexpectedly. Both met at the Presidential Secretariat and discussed about the proposed constitutional reforms, informed sources said.
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3 more UNP parliamentarians likely to join UPFA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 August 2010, 15:33 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) issued an ultimatum Sunday to Sri Lanka government to release the proposals on constitutional reforms and the 17th amendment and to reconsider its decision to abandon further talks with Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse, amid Colombo media reports that three more UNP parliamentarians are likely to join the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) soon. They are discussing with ruling party hierarchy to join the government, media reports added.
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US demining aid to alleviate Jaffna mine woes, says Jaffna SLA commander

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 August 2010, 04:16 GMT]
With the United States announcing a fresh aid amounting to US$ 5.4 million to assist the demining activities in the northern province, steps have been taken to expedite demining and make the Jaffna peninsula an area free of demining by September this year, Jaffna Commanding Officer Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe is reported to have said. Nearly one-third of the aid will bolster equipment capability of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA's) "Humanitarian Mining Unit," according to figures released by the US embassy in Colombo.
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SL Prime Minister admitted to hospital

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 2010, 16:50 GMT]
Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne (79) has been admitted to a private hospital in Colombo Friday afternoon suffering from high blood pressure and sugar, the relatives of the Prime Minister told media.
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Talks between Rajapakse and Wickremesinghe to be abandoned

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 2010, 12:55 GMT]
The future of talks between the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse and the main opposition United National Party (UNP) led by Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe is bleak, according to Jayawickrema Perera, a senior UNP parliamentarian and the Chairman of UNP. Commenting on the cross over of opposition parliamentarians Praba Ganeasan and Digambaram he said that further talks between the two leaders are to be abandoned.
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2 Tamil opposition MPs join SL government

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 2010, 20:29 GMT]
Praba Ganeshan, Colombo district parliamentarian of the Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) and P.Digambaram, parliamentarian of Workers National Congress representing Nuwareliya district Thursday joined the ruling United Peoples Front Alliance (UPFA) after meeting Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse at Temple Trees, according to President’s media unit. Praba Ganesan and P. Digambaram later crossed over to the government side in Parliament Thursday afternoon.
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