SL President threatens to de-merge northeast province

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 August 2003, 15:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, issued a warning through her media spokesman, Mr.Harim Peiris, Wednesday that she would not hesitate to de-merge the northeast province if the United National Front government failed to quell the violence and restore peace in the east, media sources said.
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Gunmen kill EPDP cadre in east

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2003, 10:54 GMT]
A member of a Tamil paramilitary group was shot dead by unidentified persons in Batticaloa town Thursday. The gunmen who came on a bicycle got away, Police sources in the eastern town said.
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‘Colombo cannot disregard our proposal’ – Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2003, 17:50 GMT]
“We would be ready to resume negotiations if the Sinhala nation accepts our proposal for the interim administration and follows the path of peace. The Sri Lankan government cannot disregard our proposal. If it does, then (Colombo) should let the Tamils go their way to determine their own destiny. This is the reality," said Mr. S.P Thamilchelvan, the head of the Liberation Tigers’ political division, addressing more than 3000 delegates from Jaffna taking part in a conference for the National Awakening Movement in Pallai, a town in the peninsula’s southern sector, Sunday.
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‘Tamil question is not a minority issue' – Prof. Uyangoda

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 August 2003, 19:09 GMT]
“The challenge for the future is to reform the Sri Lankan state without generating violence in Sinhala society. And that is a tremendous challenge for any ruling elite in Colombo,” said Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda, the well regarded political commentator in the Sinhala and English media in Sri Lanka, in a wide ranging interview with TamilNet this week. He emphasised the need for developing means for greater dialogue and engagement between the Tamils and Singhalese to resolve the conflict.
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SL President says ‘dangerous’ period ahead

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2003, 18:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President, Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, addressing a workshop of members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party women organizations Friday, said that the country was facing the most dangerous period in its history as the United National Front government was preparing to “hand over the power to rule a part of the country to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in the name of taking forward the present peace process."
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Sri Lanka’s President cancels Trincomalee visit

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 July 2003, 19:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, cancelled her scheduled Trincomalee visit on August 1 to hand over Millennium Scholarship grants to about four thousand poor students in the northeast province on the advice of the provincial governor, North East Provincial Education Ministry sources said.
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‘Federalism is a beguiling serpent’ – H. L de Silva

[TamilNet, Monday, 28 July 2003, 04:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s leading Sinhala constitutional lawyer, Mr. H. L de Silva, addressing a seminar on Indian federalism Sunday in Colombo, described a federal solution to end the island’s ethnic conflict as a snake a drowning man clutches in his desperation to stay afloat. In a cogently argued critique of Colombo’s efforts to formulate a federal concept as the basis for a solution to the conflict, Mr. Silva said, “One wonders whether for Sri Lanka federalism is that beguiling serpent, which by its fatal sting will bring about the death of the Republic”.
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SLMC to talk to SL President on Interim Administration

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 July 2003, 18:10 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress will meet the President of Sri Lanka, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, to discuss the SLMC’s suggestions to safeguard Muslim interests in the proposed Interim Administration, the SLMC said in a press release Saturday.
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SL President appoints committee to report on IA proposals

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 July 2003, 05:04 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President, Chandrika Kumaratunge, has appointed a four member committee to study and report on the interim administrative structure proposals which have been submitted to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by the United National Front government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, political sources said.
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Woman SL soldier suspect in murder case remanded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 July 2003, 16:19 GMT]
The Chavakachcheri Magistrate, Mr.K.Ariyanayagam, Tuesday ordered remand for one of the twelve women soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army who have been charged with the murder of a fellow woman soldier Chandrika while serving in Chavakachcheri in 2001, legal sources said.
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Sinhala nationalists launch de-merger campaign in Trinco

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 July 2003, 19:52 GMT]
The "Sinhala Sanvidhanaya," a Sinhala nationalist movement Monday launched a signature campaign in Trincomalee to urge the de-merging of the North and East. The first signatory of the memorandum was the president of the organization, Venerable Dehiowitte Piyatissa Thera, sources said.
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LTTE's commitment to resolve conflict by peaceful means stands- Thamilselvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 July 2003, 17:15 GMT]
"We are ready to face a war if it is imposed on us with the change of a new government. But we are firm in finding a political solution to the conflict through peaceful means," said the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr.S.P.Thamilselvan to a twelve-member delegation of the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (STMA)Saturday evening, sources said.
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PA demands parliament, cabinet review of IA proposal

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 July 2003, 17:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition Peoples Alliance (PA) Friday demanded that the United National Front (UNF) government should present to the parliament and cabinet, UNF's proposals on the Interim Administrative (IA) structure for the northeast, before the proposal is submitted to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), political sources in Colombo said.


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Final phase talks on SLFP-JVP alliance begin

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 June 2003, 16:31 GMT]
Final phase talks between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) began Friday evening around six at the Presidential Secretariat, political sources in Colombo said.


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SLFP-JVP alliance imminent - Weerawanse

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 June 2003, 17:06 GMT]
The final phase of talks between the main opposition Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP) and Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to forge an alliance in the name of Patriotic Peoples Front will be held Friday at the Presidential Secretariat, JVP propaganda secretary Mr.Vimal Weerawanse said Thursday.
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UNF govt. to submit IA proposals to LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 June 2003, 14:23 GMT]
The United National Front is preparing "a set of proposals reflecting the main features of a provisional administrative structure" for the Northeast, and plans to submit the proposals to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam within two weeks, said the cabinet spokesman and Constitutional Affairs Minister in the UNF government, Mr. G.L.Peiris, addressing a press conference Thursday.
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JVP presses with campaign against peace talks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 June 2003, 18:01 GMT]
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) held another massive demonstration and rally Wednesday near downtown Colombo denouncing peace talks between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers. More than five thousand party activists and members marched through a busy part of the city shouting slogans against the LTTE and Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mr. Minister Ranil Wicremesinghe’s government.
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‘Chandrika spreading war phobia’ -UNF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 June 2003, 13:03 GMT]
As the spokesman for the President of Sri Lanka said Wednesday that the President, Chandrika Kumaratunge, is of the view that the LTTE is preparing for war, the United National Front government responded that a section of the main opposition People’s Alliance led by Ms.Kumaratunge is engaged in spreading war phobia in the country, political sources said
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Economic progress demands commitment from Batti officials - Ramesh

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 June 2003, 04:23 GMT]
"Every official in Batticalo district has a contribution to make in the development of our district. Only genuine commitment from our officials will enable us to improve economic prosperity of our people, said Ramesh, special commander of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the monthly meeting associated with North East Irrigation and Agriculture Project (NIAP) held in Karadyanaru Thenakam Rest House Tuesday moring at 11am, sourcesin Batticaloa said.
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SLFP holds fourteenth party convention

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 June 2003, 01:18 GMT]
"I ordered the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) to destroy the LTTE ship that carried weapons last Saturday to safeguard the country and its people," declared President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge addressing the fourteenth national convention of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the opposition People's Alliance (PA) Saturday evening at Nittambuwa in western province, political sources in Colombo said.
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