Opposition holds rally in Nugegoda

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 October 2002, 01:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and other constituent parties of People Alliance (PA) today held a public rally in the Nugegoda Juntion, protesting against the United National Front Government (UNF) and to celebrate the rejection by the Supreme Court of the 19th Amendement through which the UNF sought to clip the powers of President Chandrika Kumaratunge.
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‘Unmask political forces behind staged abduction’- Nehru

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 16:22 GMT]
The Amparai district Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Mr. A. Chandra Nehru asked the secretary to Sri Lanka’s Interior Ministry to take all possible steps unravel the mystery and identify the political forces behind the alleged ‘abduction’ of the Muslim youth who was found in his home Friday.


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Helgesen to visit Jaffna, Vanni, South

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 11:37 GMT]
A Norwegian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen will visit Sri Lanka next week and holding meetings with the government and the leadership of the Liberation Tigers. In a statement issued Friday, the Norwegian embassy in Colombo said the delegation would also meet President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the Parliamentary opposition, international ceasefire monitors and representatives from the civil society and the business community.
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'Douglas Devananda not questioned over journalist’s murder' - RSF

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 October 2002, 03:50 GMT]
The international media watchdog, Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) Friday slammed Police investigators inquiring into the murder of Jaffna journalist Mayilvaganam Nimalarajan for never questioning persons who might have been behind the murder. Gunmen suspected to be members of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) murdered Nimalarajan at his residence on October 19 2000.
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Sri Lanka heads for elections – reports

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 October 2002, 12:49 GMT]
(News Feature) Sri Lanka’s cabinet Wednesday unanimously endorsed a proposal by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to go for a general election instead of a referendum on the 19th Amendment to the constitution that the Supreme Court is expected to demand, newspapers reported Thursday.
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Sinhala nationalists step up campaign against talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 October 2002, 20:21 GMT]
The Sinhala Nationalist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP, People’s Liberation Front) vowed Tuesday to bring down Prime Minister Ranil Wicremesinghe’s government and defeat its peace negotiations with the Liberation Tigers. The JVP launched a campaign last week to convince Sinhalese that the peace process is a ruse to divide the island.
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JVP denounces US action against Iraq

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 October 2002, 14:25 GMT]
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, the main Sinhala nationalist party in Sri Lanka’s Parliament, demonstrated Monday near the American Embassy in Colombo against US plans to attack Iraq. Police prevented the demonstrators from getting too close to the US Embassy premises. Sinhala and Muslim members of the JVP led by its MPs Mr. Bimal Ratnayaka, Ms. Anjaan Umma and Mr. Vijitha Herath carried placards and shouted slogans denouncing US actions against Iraq. The JVP has been closely linked to President Saddam Hussein’s Baath Socialist Party.
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Islanders' woes addressed in LTTE-SLN discussions

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 October 2002, 11:24 GMT]
A three-hour discussion was held Sunday at Velanai office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission between the Sri Lanka Navy officials and area leaders of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to normalize the situation in Delft, Analaitivu, Nainativu and Eluvaitheivu in Jaffna district, sources said.
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Saddened that he didn’t join LTTE says PA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 October 2002, 15:04 GMT]
Mr. V. Puththirasihamani, a leading Tamil trade union leader and MP of President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s People’s Alliance said Wednesday that he was saddened that hadn’t joined the Liberation Tigers yet after seeing the violence perpetrated on Jaffna. He was addressing a meeting between the parents and relatives of missing persons in the peninsula and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights at the Jaffna District Secretariat, Thursday morning.
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President alleges Premier is corrupt

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 October 2002, 09:31 GMT]
The acrimony between Sri Lanka’s President and Prime Minister, who are bitter political rivals from opposing parties, deepened this week as the former accused the latter of taking bribes when he was education minister. The United National Front (UNF) cabinet is to hold a special meeting to discuss the practicalities of working with her amid repeated accusations against the Premier and several ministers, press reports said.
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LTTE, GOSL exchange detainees of war

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 September 2002, 15:46 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Saturday that President Chandrika Kumaratunga's government was responsible for delaying the release of the last batch of Sri Lankan army and Navy personnel in their custody by not acting on the matter with "prudent and humanitarian consideration." The LTTE and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's government exchanged prisoners of war as part of the peace building process to end the island's ethnic conflict Saturday in Omanthai, on the southern border of the Vanni region.
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Premier returns after US visit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 September 2002, 18:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, returned to Colombo Sunday after a ten-day high profile visit to United States of America. The Prime Minister undertook the tour while the historic peace talks between his government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam commenced in Sattahip, a port town in Thailand last week.
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Ratwatte assets to be scrutinised

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 September 2002, 16:35 GMT]
The Presidential Secretariat has forwarded a detailed report to the Commission for Bribery and Corruption detailing the assets of General Anurudha Ratwatte acquired during the period from 1997 to 2001 while he was a Minister in the then People’s Alliance (PA) government.
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SLA restores Anagarika’s propaganda vehicle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 September 2002, 15:02 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army said Tuesday that soldiers of its Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Regiment (SLEME) restored the propaganda vehicle used by the Sinhala Buddhist revivalist and nationalist, Anagarika Dharmapala, to “its pristine glory” upon a request by Buddhist clergy. Many Sri Lankan social historians say that Anagarika Dharmapala was the main architect of militant Sinhala Buddhism in Sri Lanka, of the idea that the Singhalese are the only rightful owners of the whole island.
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People's predicament first says LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 September 2002, 22:19 GMT]
(Feature) The first round of formal peace talks between the Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) began Monday in the Sattahip Thai Naval base on a positive note though the head of Colombo’s negotiating team laid down in his opening speech non-negotiable elements which, according to him, should be constant in “determining the parameters of the negotiations." The Liberation Tigers, however, desisted from any reference to ‘irreducible principles.’
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SLFP to oppose nineteenth amendment

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 September 2002, 22:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the chief opposition People’s Alliance (PA) Monday decided to oppose the nineteenth constitutional amendment brought by the United National Front (UNF) government to restrict the presidential powers in dissolving the parliament. "Disciplinary action will be taken against SLFP parliamentarians who speak in favour of nineteenth amendment to the constitution," said former Minister Mangala Samaraweera, parliamentary whip of the SLFP Monday in a press release.
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Can't wish away suspicion, antipathy overnight - G. L

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 September 2002, 06:46 GMT]
"A reservoir of suspicion and antipathy, which has filled to the brim over extended periods, can scarcely be wished away overnight," said Prof G. L Peiris, head of the Sri Lankan government delegation, addressing the inaugural session of the peace talks between the Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka in the Thai naval base Sattahip Monday.
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Constitutional amendment in parliament on September 19

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 September 2002, 20:46 GMT]
The United National Front government Friday said it would table the nineteenth constitutional amendment bill in parliament on September 19. "The debate on the bill which was gazetted last Wednesday midnight will take place in parliament during the second week of October," Constitutional Affairs Minister Professor G.L.Peiris said Friday at a press briefing.
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19th constitutional amendment gazetted

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 September 2002, 05:22 GMT]
The United National Front government Wednesday midnight gazetted its nineteenth constitutional amendment, restricting the powers of the Executive President in dissolving parliament after the completion of one year of its existence. The gazette notification was issued after Cabinet approved the draft bill of the 19th amendment last night, ruling party sources said.
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19th amendment will strengthen parliament- PM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 September 2002, 15:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Wednesday said that the nineteenth constitutional amendment has the sole objective of strengthening parliament and not to curtail powers of any individual. "The nineteenth amendment will be passed in parliament before the presentation of 2003 budget," said Mr.Wickremasinghe addressing the government parliamentary group meeting Wednesday at the parliamentary complex.
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