Rajapakse sacks dissenting SLFP ministers

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 15:29 GMT]
Shortly after rumblings of discontent amongst the ranks of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) over the recent admission of opposition MPS into his mammoth cabinet, President Mahinda Rajapakse sacked three of the most vocal dissenters on Friday, Presidential Secretariat officials said. SLFP stalwarts Anura Bandaranaike, Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Suriyarachchi were stripped of their portfolios Friday soon after their criticism of the government become public and vocal.
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Emergency extended for another month in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 17:48 GMT]
Sri Lankan parliament Wednesday adopted motion to extend the State of Emergency for another month with a majority of 105 votes. 122 parliamentarians voted for the motion and 17 voted against.
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Commotion over seat allocation in SL Parliament

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 09:50 GMT]
Commotion prevailed in the Sri Lankan parliament when it resumed its sittings on Tuesday morning over the allocation of seats to ministers after the major reshuffle following new political alignment with dissident group of parliamentarians, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' political party. "Those who worked hard for the victory of President Mahinda Rajapakse in the last presidential election are allocated seats in the back rows and those worked against him are given seats in the first row," charged Wimal Weerawanse, the Propaganda Secretary of the JVP.
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JHU minister takes oath

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 February 2007, 17:47 GMT]
Patali Champika Ranawake, political advisor of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party, Thursday took oaths as Minister for Environment in the presence of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse. With him the number of cabinet rank ministers in the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has swelled to 53.
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SL parliament to meet on February 6 after new political alignment

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 January 2007, 11:31 GMT]
Secretary of the Sri Lankan Parliament is in a dilemma to find office accommodation to 52 ministers in the parliamentary complex. Earlier 24 ministers were provided with office facilities in the parliament complex. Late the number was increased to 38. Now the Sri Lankan authorities have been forced to find office accommodation to cabinet rank 53 ministers. Sri Lanka's parliament is to meet on February 6 after the major cabinet reshuffle carried out last Sunday by SL President Mahinda Rajapakse.
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JHU appoints militant leader as parliamentarian

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 January 2007, 06:29 GMT]
Sinhala Ultra Nationalist All Monks party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), which is opposed to power-sharing and Norwegian facilitation, Wednesday replaced their National List parliamentarian monk Ven. Omalpe Sobhita Thero with a prominent militant leader of the National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT), Patali Champika Ranawaka, paving way for him to assume a cabinet post this week, when the party with 9 parliamentary seats, is expected to join Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's UPFA alliance.
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Monks' party to join UPFA government

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 10:36 GMT]
The parliamentary group of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), all monks' party in Sri Lanka parliament is to take a decision late Tuesday on a proposal to join the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UNP) government and accept minister post.
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Number of Cabinet rank ministers swells to 52

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 January 2007, 17:19 GMT]
The number of cabinet rank ministers in United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government of Sri Lanka rose to fifty-two with the swearing in of Amarasiri Dodangoda who took oaths as Minister of Justice before Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse Sunday afternoon, political sources in Colombo said. Fifty-one cabinet rank ministers took oaths Sunday morning in the Presidential Secretariat. 38 parliamentarians have been appointed non-cabinet ministers and 16 deputy ministers. Including the cabinet rank ministers, total number of ministers and deputies in the UPFA government is 103.
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SL Appeal Court to decide on CFA inquiry

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 17:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Court of Appeal Wednesday fixed the inquiry for 06 March into the petitions by the Sinhala extreme nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party and the Buddhist nationalist all monks Jathika Hela Urumaya seeking the Sri Lanka judiciary to declare that the Ceasefire Agreement, signed on 22 February 2002, is null and void on the basis that it contravened the constitution of the country.
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Leaked Expert panel's reports trigger controversy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 December 2006, 13:19 GMT]
The 17-member panel of "Legal/Constitutional Experts" tasked by Sri Lanka' president Mahinda Rajapakse to aid the sub committee on Constitutional Reforms to formulate proposals for constitutional changes, in June 2006, failed to agree to produce a single set of recommendations, and instead produced four separate, competing reports which were leaked to the media. The exercise widely believed by the Tamils and noted Think-tanks in Colombo, as a project by Colombo to buy time while engaginng in military offensives in the East, has triggered controversy in ruling circles, as Colombo attempted to distance itself from recommendations in the main reports.
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TNA presents sole opposition to 2007 budget

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 November 2006, 00:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Wednesday adopted the second reading of the 2007 Budget with a majority of 115 votes. 133 members voted for the budget and eighteen voted against, parliamentary sources said. All eighteen Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians opposed the budget.
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Rajapakse briefs JHU, UPFA allies on MoU

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 October 2006, 16:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse in the capacity of the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) briefed the constituent parties of his United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and all monks party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) in two separate discussions held Saturday on the details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the SLFP and the main opposition United National Party (UNP), political sources in Colombo said.


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JHU demands GoSL to stick to 'Mahinda Chinthanaya'

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 October 2006, 08:25 GMT]
Ellavala Methanatha Thera, leader of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the all monk Sinhala national party, speaking on the Emergency extension bill debate in the Sri Lanka Parliament Thursday, said the Sinhalese people made Mahinda Rajapakse the Sri Lanka's President only on the basis of 'Mahinda Chinthanaya' which categorically rejects a Tamil Homeland, a Tamil Nation and the Tamils' right to self-determination, and the peace talks should be held on this basis, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.
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Emergency extended for another month in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 September 2006, 21:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Tuesday adopted a motion of extending the State of Emergency for another month by a majority of 99 votes. 108 members including the ruling United peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), main opposition United National Party (UNP), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and other constituent parties of the government voted for the motion. Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians voted against.
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Rajapakse invites UNP as Norway, India meet Wickremesinghe

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 August 2006, 06:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday invited the main opposition United National Party (UNP) to join his government, press reports said Sunday. In a letter to the UNP leadership, President Rajapakse had called on the opposition to join his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led government so as to resolve the ‘crisis’ in Sri Lanka, The Sunday Leader broadsheet said. Days after two up-country Tamil parties joined the government, President Rajapakse is also courting the main Muslim party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), the paper added.
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Pandemonium at Colombo peace rally

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 12:18 GMT]
There was pandemonium in the peace rally organized by the National Anti-War Front (NAWF) held Thursday evening at Viharamahadevi Park when a group of members of the Sinhala extreme National Bhikku Front (NBF) arrived at the site carrying a banner asking the organizers of the NAWF to proceed to Killinochchi to preach peace.
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UNP accuses Rajapakse Govt for acting on JHU, JVP advice

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 August 2006, 17:38 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) in a statement issued Friday accused the Rajapakse government in Colombo for acting on the advice of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in ordering a military operation to capture LTTE controlled Maavil Aaru area "within 24 hours," disregarding the views of veteran military officers. After six days of fighting and suffering heavy casualties, the army has not yet reached the area, the UNP said. The UNP did not participate in the 6th All Parties Conference (APC) held Friday evening. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse also holds the military portfolio as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Sri Lanka.
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SLA artillery attacks on Eachchilampattu villages continue

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 July 2006, 16:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Chief of Staff Major General Nanda Mallawarachchi, remains at Kallaru army camp in the Serunuwara police division directing the military operation to capture Mavilaru area amid announcement by SL Defence Ministry spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella in Colombo Sunday that Sri Lankan troops are now about one km away from Mavilaru. Sources in Serunuwara said that there is a likelihood of troop movement from Kallaru to Mavilaru area early Monday morning.
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Sri Lanka masses troops, bombardment continues

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 July 2006, 16:50 GMT]
As thousands of Sri Lankan troops were moved to Kallaru junction ahead of a threatened offensive, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir jets Saturday flew three bombing sorties over the Mavilaru area in Eachchilampathu division south of Trincomalee district. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued shelling of the area as Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, Major General Nanda Mallawarachchi, visited Kallaru area.
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SLA refuses permission for JHU parliamentarians to go to Mavilaru

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 July 2006, 12:12 GMT]
Venerable Athureliya Ratana Thera, parliamentary group leader of the all monks' party, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) along with a fellow parliamentarian Venerable Akmeemana Dayaratna Thera began a hunger strike at Kallaru junction on Allai-Kantalai road Friday morning around 9.30 a.m. when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) refused permission for them to go to the controversial Mavilaru area to reopen the closed sluice gate. About a hundred Sinhalese civilians with two more Buddhist months have also joined the fasting, civil sources said.
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