"Majority Report" authors commended

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 January 2007, 19:33 GMT]
A group of Sri Lankan academics and civil activists in a letter sent to the members of the Experts Panel on Constitutional Reform Friday, said that the "Majority Report provides a reasonably compromised and remarkably consensual road map for effecting the necessary constitutional changes towards a political resolution," and added that "the onus is now on [Sri Lanka's] President Rajapakse and the leaders of the SLFP and the UNP to take the lead and act on these recommendations."
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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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Wickremesinghe to meet Rajapakse amid speculation of party split

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 January 2007, 19:26 GMT]
Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), is to meet Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse next week amid speculation that a group of UNP parliamentarians are likely to cross over to the government side and will accept new positions as ministers with cabinet rank, political sources in Colombo said.
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Supreme Court setting policy of SL Government- Kiriyella

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 January 2007, 12:02 GMT]
"Tamils did not demand a separate state in 1956. They only demanded their language rights but we denied their rights then. The Sri Lankan governments since independence in 1948 have not seriously attempted to solving this problem," Laxman Kiriyella, the United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian for Kandy district, said in Parliament Wednesday, speaking on the present state of affairs in the Northeast, parliamentary sources from Colombo said. "This government is reluctant to express its stand in important policy matters but uses the supreme court as a cover. Effectively, the Supreme Court is determining the policy of the government," he added.
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Negotiate a new ceasefire, UNP tells Rajapakse government

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 January 2007, 22:43 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Sunday appealed to the government of Mahinda Rajapakse to work out a fresh ceasefire agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake made the request at a press briefing held Sunday.


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UNP in the dark over NorthEast de-merger

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 December 2006, 14:02 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP), which has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) giving top priority to solve the ethnic conflict, is in dark over the actions currently being taken by the Provincial Governor, Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema, to split the administration of the merged North East into two provinces, Colombo media sources said, quoting UNP General Secretary Mr.Tissa Attanayake.
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UNP to attend next APRC-Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 December 2006, 13:14 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) is expected to attend the next meeting of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), which is scheduled to meet in the second week of January, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the UNP, said Friday.


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UNP-SLFP MoU under threat- Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 December 2006, 12:45 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), Thursday said the smooth implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government and the UNP, was under threat by forces opposed to a peaceful resolution to the ethnic conflict.


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Wickremasinghe to brief Rajapakse on US visit

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 December 2006, 07:17 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, the leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), returned to Sri Lanka Sunday after a week's visit to United States of America (USA) at the latter's invitation, sources in Colombo said. During his stay in Washington he held discussions with Political Affairs Secretary, Nicholas Burns, Assistant Secretary of Central and South Asian Affairs of the US government, Richard Boucher, and former US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, regarding the current political and security situation in Sri Lanka.
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Rajapakse, Wickremasinghe meet to discuss MoU

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 December 2006, 01:51 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Tuesday held a lengthy discussion at Temple Trees on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), and UNP on identified issues giving top priority to solve the ethnic conflict, according to news report of the State-run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC).
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Rajapakse, Wickremasinghe to meet Tuesday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 December 2006, 10:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), are expected to hold discussions on Tuesday on deteriorating security situation and the prospect of peace process, political sources in Colombo said.


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Mahinda Rajapakse leaves to India

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 November 2006, 15:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse left Saturday afternoon to India on a four day visit. Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse is scheduled to inaugurate the Asian Mayors Conference in Dehra Dun in Uttaranchal State in North India Sunday. Tamil mayors from Chennnai, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Saleem, Tiruchi and Coimbatore in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu will be boycotting the Asian Mayor's meeting, media reports in Tamil Nadu said.
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UNP national convention held, dissidents boycott

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 November 2006, 13:32 GMT]
The 51st annual national of the convention of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) was held Sunday held in Colombo with Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, party leader in the chair. Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya and seventeen important leaders of the party did not attend the conference following the unsuccessful legal measure to stop the convention failed on Friday, political sources in Colombo said.


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Indian Foreign Secretary to visit Colombo Wednesday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 November 2006, 03:27 GMT]
Mr.Shiv Shankar Menon, India's Foreign Secretary, is scheduled to arrive in Colombo on November 22 to hand over a special message from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse before the latter visits New Delhi, media sources in Colombo said. Mr.Shiv Shankar Menon is to meet Mahinda Rajapakse on 23 November.
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British special envoy arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 November 2006, 17:48 GMT]
Paul Murphy, special envoy of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair Tuesday arrived in Colombo to discuss ways in which the Britain could support the Norwegian peace process. Mr. Paul Murphy is a former Northern Ireland Minister.
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Thousands pay homage to Raviraj in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 November 2006, 01:58 GMT]
"Raviraj was a leader who fought for Tamils' rights and gave a democratic voice to their struggle. The Sri Lanka Government should hold itself responsible for Ravraj's assassination," said Rajitha Senaratne, United National Party parliamentarian for Colombo, addressing a public meeting organised by the Anti-War Front at Vihara Mahadevi Park in Colombo held Monday evening around 4:20 p.m held to pay homage to the slain Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Raviraj, sources Colombo said.
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GoSL should take responsibility for Raviraj's assassination - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 November 2006, 14:03 GMT]
R. Sampanthan, Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said Friday in Colombo to the press, "Raviraj's assassination is a clear attempt by the paramilitary operating with the Sri Lanka Army to stifle the Tamil parliamentarians' voice in and out of the Parliament to inform the International Community of the Sri Lanka Government's genocide against the Tamils." Sampanthan further said, "Almost an year has passed since the assassination of Batticaloa parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingam and the Sri Lanka government is yet to bring the killers to book. This reveals the covert connections the government has with them."
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TNA parliamentarians meet Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 November 2006, 10:54 GMT]
Nineteen of the twenty two Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Tuesday met with Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), at the latter's request and held discussions on the urgency of bringing normalcy in the North East, legalising the merger of the two provinces, and the opening of the land route A9 to Jaffna peninsula, political sources in Colombo said.
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UNP to strengthen rank-and-file voices on MoU

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 November 2006, 10:18 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) is to hold seminars and discussions at district level to educate the rank and file members on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), the main constituent of the ruling United Peoples' Freedom Alliance (UPFA) last month, that gave top priority to solving ethnic conflict, political sources in Colombo said.
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Rajapakse, Wickremesinghe to co-chair MoU monitoring committee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 October 2006, 14:47 GMT]
The high level committee appointed to monitor the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), and the main opposition United National Party (UNP), is to co-chaired by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and the opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe, political sources in Colombo said.


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