SLA soldier killed in Trinco settlement

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 November 2001, 16:57 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed and another was wounded in an ambush by the Liberation Tigers in the Left Bank- 3 (LB-3) Channel area in the Serunuwara division of the Trincomalee district Tuesday morning, security sources said. A four year old Tamil girl was seriously wounded in retaliatory fire by the army. The injured child was immediately taken to Trincomalee hospital from Mutur, medical sources said. LB3 is one of several state sponsored Sinhala land encroachments in the Allai irrigation project in the Mutur region which were legalised and protected by Colombo despite protests by Tamil politicians.
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PA rejects concept of Tamil homeland

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 November 2001, 01:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickremenayake, reiterated his People's Alliance (PA) government's opposition to the concept of a Tamil homeland, the state press reported Friday. "The PA Government has directly and indirectly opposed to accept the concept of Tamil homeland. Therefore our stand is clear," the Daily News quoted Wickremenayake as saying while addressing a meeting in Kalutara town hall.
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Sri Lanka rules out lifting LTTE ban

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 November 2001, 02:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga Tuesday categorically ruled out the possibility of lifting her government’s ban on the Liberation Tigers. Speaking at the presentation of her ruling People’s Alliance (PA) manifesto at her official residence, President Kumaratunga ruled out any truck with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the Island newspaper reported Wednesday. Commenting on reports of eroding support for the PA amongst the Tamil community, President Kumaratunga said the people of Jaffna were with her and the people under LTTE control were supporting the main opposition United National Party (UNP). "As for the Tamils in Colombo they are really not part of the Tamil community as a whole. They promote what is best for business," she said in derision, the Island reported.
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'Colombo's largesse stained with Tamil blood' -Selvam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 November 2001, 21:35 GMT]
"Every rupee that the Sri Lankan government gives you through its quisling to buy your vote is stained with the blood of our people who were killed in places of refuge and worship, the tears of our women who were gang raped here in Mannar and in every part of the north and east. The Chandrika regime is liberally spending money through its Tamil lackey to bribe our people, to pacify them and thereby show the world that our struggle for justice is a terrorist problem. The people of Mannar have always been patriotic.
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Presidential guard organised Ponnambalam murder - paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 November 2001, 23:21 GMT]
A former member of Sri Lanka's Presidential Security Division found shot dead earlier this month was involved in orchestrating the assassination of former Tamil politician, Kumar Ponnambalam, the Sunday Leader newspaper reported this week. The paper also named the assassin, said to be a former Police constable.
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Embargo, war caused 13, 379 civilian deaths - report

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 November 2001, 03:05 GMT]
Thirteen thousand three hundred and seventy nine civilians died in the Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu districts due to the war and the economic embargo imposed by the Sri Lankan government from 1990 to 1999, according to a press report in the Vanni published this weekend. Most of the deaths, destruction of civilian property and mass displacement tool place after the People's Alliance came to power in 1994, the report said. Four thousand eight hundred and seventy nine civilians died in the Mullaithivu district between 1994 and 1999 due to the direct impact of the economic embargo on the Vanni, particularly due to the severe restrictions on medical supplies.
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'Our land's freedom is our birthright' - Selvam

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 November 2001, 18:48 GMT]
"The Tamils of Ampara have had to face the brunt of both Sinhala chauvinism and Muslim intimidation. But they have refused to submit or yield their national pride as Tamils. We have to show the world that we will never sell our dignity for a mess of pottage, that we will not be intimidated by the terror that the Sri Lankan state has unleashed on us.
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Lies, fronts and ruins

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 November 2001, 11:24 GMT]
((News Feature) Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga Tuesday accused Human Rights Watch, which has criticised excesses by the Sri Lankan security forces, of “telling lies” and dismissed the largest human rights organization based in the United States as a front for the Liberation Tigers. President Kumaratunga however praised the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) as “totally independent” and whom she said were “very appreciative” of her government. Kumaratunga’s comments were made in an interview to CNN conducted by Zain Verjee during which the President continued her bitter attack on her main opposition, denied she had conducted a ‘war for peace’ (“we called it a battle for peace. we wanted peace through peace”), and denied there was an economic embargo on Tamil areas – even though Verjee didn’t actually raise the matter.
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Tough time on Hard Talk

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 November 2001, 15:06 GMT]
(News Feature) Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga's public relations blitz in the Western media unexpectedly ran into difficulties Tuesday on the BBC's Hard Talk program hosted by Tim Sebastian. Faced with several embarrassing questions about the human rights situation in the island and the lack of progress in the peace process, President Kumaratunga, struggling to respond, became increasingly defensive and irritated. During the course of the half-hour interview, Kumaratunga said the US State Department's 2001 report on human rights contained "lies," claimed there had been "only one rape in Jaffna" since she came to power, flatly denied there was an economic embargo on Tamil areas ("that is nonsense!"), and blamed rights violations on "mad" policemen. Amid Sebastian's, trademark rapid-fire questions, some exchanges with the President bordered on the farcical.
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IMF displeasure threatens loans - paper

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 October 2001, 19:54 GMT]
Concern expressed by the International Monetary Fund over the 'election handouts' by the Sri Lankan government has resulted in $800 million of pledged loans being withheld, the Island newspaper said Tuesday, quoting IMF sources. As a result of the freezing of these foreign loans and the unlikelihood of the government being able to raise the full amount of the required money locally, a situation would result of rising interest rates and the printing of money, thereby fuelling inflation, the paper said.
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Tamil Alliance files nominations in East and Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 October 2001, 16:42 GMT]
The Tamil national alliance filed nominations for the electoral districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara and the Vanni Friday. The Alliance could not file nominations in Jaffna because its list of candidates for the northern electorate has not been finalised, Tamil party sources said.
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Eastern PA strongman joins UNP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 October 2001, 18:45 GMT]
The People's Alliance strong man in the east, Mr.Somasundaram Ganeshamoorthy, joined the United National Party (UNP) Wednesday. He said that the PA had cheated the Tamil people by not doing anything to solve the Tamil problem. Earlier in the day the state run Tamil daily denied speculation that he was about to cross over.
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Jaffna journalist's murder investigation said abandoned

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 October 2001, 04:45 GMT]
In an open letter Friday to Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga, drafted by the Free Media Movement, the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance and the international press freedom watchdog Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), more than 200 journalists, media workers, media organisations, trade unions, international and local NGOs, academics, protested at the lack of progress in the inquiry of the brutal murder of Jaffna journalist Mylvaganam Nimalarajan on 19 October last year.
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Tamil parties form alliance

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 October 2001, 20:37 GMT]
The main opposition Tamil parties in Sri Lanka agreed Wednesday to form a Tamil nationalist alliance to contest the general elections on 5 December 2001. The agreement was reached late Wednesday night following protracted negotiations over the week. The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) decided to cement the alliance by signing a memorandum of understanding on Friday.
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SLMC with UNP, NUA with PA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 October 2001, 20:02 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) led by former Kandy district parliamentarian Mr.Rauff Hakeem has decided to contest the forthcoming general election alone in some districts and in alliance with the main opposition United National Party (UNP) in other districts under the symbol 'Elephant', party sources said. Ms Ferial Ashraff's National Unity Alliance (NUA) has decided to contest the forthcoming general election under the People's Alliance banner.
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CWC leaves, govt. fumbling for survival options

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 October 2001, 08:45 GMT]
A senior cabinet minister of Sri Lanka's People's Alliance government, Mr.Arumugam Thondaman resigned from his ministerial post Wednesday. MPs of the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) also resigned from their positions in the government. The CWC, a major coalition partner of the PA regime has four members in the house including Mr.Thondaman.
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S.L govt. faces collapse as more desert

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 October 2001, 06:19 GMT]
The Peopleís Alliance regime was plunged into crisis as eight government MPs crossed over to the opposition in the Sri Lankan parliament Wednesday morning. The government may not have the required number of votes to defeat the no confidence motion against it by the opposition Thursday, sources said. The government members who crossed over today are: former cabinet ministers Prof. G.L Pieris, Mr. Mahinda Wijesekera and S. B Dissanayaka and Wijepala Mendis, Ananda Munasingha, Ediriweera Premaratna, Jeyasundara Wijekon and Bandula Nanayakkara. The desertion has reduced the PA-JVP alliance to 111 in the 225 member Parliament. A ruling party MP crossed over Tuesday.
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Parliament will not be dissolved says SLFP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2001, 17:30 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the main constituent of the Sri Lanka's ruling People's Alliance has categorically declared that parliament would not be dissolved before the no-confidence submitted by the main opposition United National Party against the government is taken up for debate on Thursday as scheduled.
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Sinhalese appointed to deceased SLMC MP’s position

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2001, 17:21 GMT]
The Sri Lanka's ruling People's Alliance has nominated a Sinhalese to the vacancy created by the death of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) parliamentarian, Mr.Risvie Sinnalebbe. Former assistant secretary of the Presidential Secretariat S.Rampukala was sworn in as the new parliamentarian before the Speaker Mr.Anura Bandaranaike, Tuesday morning.
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PA strongman removed amid cross over fears

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 October 2001, 08:15 GMT]
Mr. S. B. Dissanayake, a former cabinet minister and one time close confidante of the Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge was removed from his powerful post of General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), which is the major constituent of the ruling Peoples' Alliance. The executive committee of the SLFP unanimously resolved Monday morning amid strong speculation that Mr. Dissanayake would cross over to the opposition with several ruling party parliamentarians when the no confidence motion of the United National Party against the government is taken up for debate on Thursday. Mr. Maithiripala Herath, the Mahaweli Development Minister has been appointed the acting general secretary of the SLFP with immediate effect.
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