TULF calls for cancellation of referendum

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 August 2001, 14:51 GMT]
The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) has appealed to the President Chandrika Kumaratunge to cancel the August 21 referendum and reconvene the prorogued parliament. "In the event of the proclamation calling for the referendum not being revoked the TULF has decided unanimously to vote against the referendum", said in a statement issued Sunday evening by the Secretary General and the Senior Vice President of the party Messrs R.Sampanthan and V.Anandasangaree respectively.
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Sihala Urumaya brokers 'truce' between PA-UNP

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 August 2001, 06:58 GMT]
The Sihala Urumaya (SU), the hardline Sinhala Buddhist nationalist party has appealed to the main opposition, United National Party to drop the no-confidence and impeachment motions against the People's Alliance government to end the present political crisis. The General Secretary of the SU Mr.Tilak Karunaratne made this request to the leader of the UNP when he met the latter Thursday.
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JVP to support PA if referendum is called off

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 August 2001, 15:28 GMT]
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Thursday said that it was prepared to extend conditional support to the People's Alliance (PA) government for one year, if the PA called off the August 21 referendum. Mr.Tilvin Silva, General Secretary of the JVP told a press conference Thursday morning that they would give a year for the PA government to implement democratic reforms.
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Tamil Congress to oppose Chandrika, TULF divided

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 July 2001, 20:50 GMT]
The All Ceylon Tamil Congress Monday rejected the invitation by the Sri Lankan President to discuss the political situation and said that it would categorically oppose the referendum for a new constitution scheduled to be held on 21 August. In a letter to the Sri Lankan President, the party leader Mr. Appappillai Vinyagamoorthy said that changing the constitution is futile when the Parliament has been suspended and democracy has been suppressed.
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S.L President briefs diplomats

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 July 2001, 20:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga met diplomats in Colombo Monday to brief them about the referendum for a new constitution and the security situation following the attack on the island's only international airport by the Liberation Tigers. More than 30 ambassadors took part in the briefing Monday evening in Colombo, Sri Lankan government sources said.
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CWC undecided on Referendum

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 July 2001, 21:42 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC), a constituent party in the ruling People's Alliance is to make a decision on the proposed referendum after meeting President Chandrika Kumaratunge next Monday, a leading member of the CWC said. He made this announcement soon after a delegation from the CWC, headed by Mr. Arumugam Thondaman, met with the President Friday morning.
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President requests opposition support

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 July 2001, 05:43 GMT]
The appeal by President Chandrika Kumaratunge Wednesday night over the state television to opposition parties including United National Party "to put aside all political and other petty differences and join her government to rebuild the nation" has received mixed responses in political circles. UNP sources said, "if the government needs the co-operation of opposition at this critical juncture, it should prove its bona fide by reconvening the prorogued parliament and cancelling the 'mock' referendum".
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Opposition slams government over attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 July 2001, 22:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) and the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have appealed to President Chandrika Kumaratunge to reconvene the prorogued parliament immediately. Both parties made this appeal in the wake of Liberation Tigers’ dawn attack on Katunayake airbase in the early hours of Tuesday morning. " The government is in breach of its duty to protect Katunayake international airport," said the UNP leader, Ranil Wickremasinghe, addressing a press conference Tuesday evening.
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Tension after dawn raid

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 July 2001, 08:47 GMT]
Thirteen air crafts including two Kfir jet fighters, one MI-24 Helicopter gun ship and one MIG-27- jet fighter were destroyed in the predawn attack on the Katunayake air base, about 35 km. north of Colombo, by members of the Liberation Tigers, according to official military sources in Colombo.
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President outlines "Constitutional Revolution"

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 July 2001, 15:34 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunge said Sunday that the present Constitution could be amended even without a two-thirds majority in parliament if the government obtained a clear mandate at next month's referendum. "How this could be done would be revealed in due course," she told activists and representatives of the ruling People's Alliance who attended a special meeting at the racecourse in Colombo.
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Govt. not to re-table last year's draft Constitution -President

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 July 2001, 22:53 GMT]
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge said Friday that the draft Constitution tabled in parliament in August last year and later withdrawn will not be considered in preparing the new constitution. The President told a group of special representatives of the Joint Trade Unions' Federation that the new constitution will be presented within a short period, after seeking opinions of the clergy -including the Mahasangha, minorities, minor political parties and intellectuals.
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Massive opposition protest in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 July 2001, 06:57 GMT]

A Sri Lankan policeman swings his baton at a protester in Colombo, Thursday. Sri Lankan police fired teargas and rubber bullets on Thursday to try to enforce a ban on rallies and force back thousands pouring into the capital for a huge opposition protest against the suspension of parliament.(Photo: Reuters)

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Impeachment of the President considered

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 July 2001, 18:09 GMT]
The opposition parties Monday decided to bring an impeachment motion against President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge. Briefing the press on Monday, Mr. Ranil Wicremasinghe (UNP), the Leader of the Opposition, said that constitutional experts are studying the charges and an impeachment motion will be filed with the Speaker within two weeks.
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No power to summon parliament -speaker

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 July 2001, 15:49 GMT]
The Speaker announced Sunday that he has no power or authority to inquire into the validity of the prorogation of parliament by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge. "There was no sufficient reasons for me to review the decision of the President to prorogue parliament" Speaker Anura Bandaranaike said in a letter to the Leader of the Opposition Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe.
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Kumaratunga seeks 'unequivocal' mandate

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 July 2001, 19:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga Thursday blamed the island's constitution for the ills besetting her country and called for unequivocal mandate for a new constitution in an address to the 'nation' on state run television. The speech focused primarily on the need to do away with the proportional representation system of elections introduced under the 1978 constitution.
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PA to expel SLMC rebel MPs

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 July 2001, 12:36 GMT]
The People's' Alliance (PA) high command has decided to expel rebel Sri Muslim Congress (SLMC) MPs from parliament. Mr.D.M.Jayaratne, Secretary General of the PA Thursday said," I will send show cause notices to rebel SLMC parliamentarians why they should not be removed from parliament."
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PA says cabinet with President amid dispute reports

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 July 2001, 15:45 GMT]
The government Parliamentary group and the cabinet Wednesday unanimously expressed "their fullest support and confidence on President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge and her on-going program in tackling the present political crisis developed following the submission of a no-confidence motion by the opposition against her government," according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Sri Lankan government amid reports that some senior ministers in the cabinet were in disagreement with the President over her decision to prorogue parliament and to hold a referendum on a new constitution in August.
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High security zones declared in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 July 2001, 16:56 GMT]
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge Saturday proclaimed some parts of the Colombo City as high security zones. "This proclamation has been made under Section 27 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act No.48 of 1979" a presidential secretariat release said.
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Opposition conspiracy thwarted -president

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 July 2001, 04:42 GMT]
"The government has been able to abort the conspiracy by the United National Party and Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to get the State of Emergency removed in the bid to serve the needs of the LTTE" claimed President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge in a special statement Thursday evening, which followed her decree extending the proscription of Liberation Tigers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
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Ban on LTTE extended by Presidential decree

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 July 2001, 16:37 GMT]
The proscription of the Liberation Tigers has been further extended according to a new order issued by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge Thursday. "The new order has been issued under Section 27 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act No: 48 in 1979" said the Presidential Secretariat.
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