Election photographs

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 December 1999, 00:33 GMT]
Views of some of Sri Lanka's electorate casting their votes in the Presidential elections on December 21.
Full story >>

State radio claims polling very high

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 December 1999, 12:33 GMT]
The state run radio, the Sri Lanka broadcasting Co-operation (SLBC) said in its evening news bulletin that polling was 75 percent today. It said that this was unprecedented in Sri Lanka's election history. The office of the Commissioner of Elections, however, said that it was too early to say anything about the voter turn out today.
Full story >>

Low voter turnout fuels malpractice in East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 December 1999, 12:01 GMT]
Tamil voters living in the LTTE held areas of the eastern province have failed to show much interest in exercising their votes in today's presidential election TamilNet correspondents in the region said. As a result widespread impersonation is taking place in some areas, they say.
Full story >>

PA intimidates opposition, voters in the hills

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 December 1999, 11:36 GMT]
The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), an independent polls observation group said this afternoon that it has received complaints that Lohan Ratwatte, the son of Sri Lanka's deputy minister for defence, General Anuruddha Ratwatte, was involved in intimidating and scaring away voters, threatening the polling agents of the other parties and rigging the polls in Wattegama and surrounding areas in the Patadumabra electorate in the central province.
Full story >>

Batticaloa voters seen favouring UNP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 December 1999, 10:00 GMT]
As voting continues in the eastern Batticaloa district, TamilNet correspondents there say voters' sentiments favour Sri Lanka's opposition United National Party (UNP).
Full story >>

Amnesty condemns rally attacks

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 1999, 20:22 GMT]
Amnesty International, the London based human rights group Monday condemned last Saturday's attacks on two political rallies in and near Colombo in which at least 25 civilians were killed. The attacks, within hours of each other, took place at the rally of the ruling People’s Alliance (PA) and that of the opposition United National Party (UNP).
Full story >>

Prayers for President's recovery

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 1999, 15:55 GMT]
Three Deputy Inspector Generals (DIG) of police were among those wounded in the bomb blast at People's Alliance (PA) rally in Colombo on Saturday night in which 24 people were killed, police sources said. DIG, Colombo District, T.N.de Silva was killed in the blast. Meanwhile prayers were said for the recovery President Chandrika Kumaratunge, who was wounded in the blast.
Full story >>

Separate commissions to investigate blasts

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 1999, 00:18 GMT]
The body of a woman who is believed to have caused the blast at the Peopleís Aliance (PA) rally in Colombo on Saturday has been identified as a junior employee of the Colombo Municipal Council, the police said Sunday.
Full story >>

UNP blames PA for blast

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 December 1999, 13:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party (UNP) today blamed the ruling People's Alliance for the bomb blast which killed Maj.Gen. Lucky Algama (ret) and 11 others at the UNP campaign meeting at Ja-Ela north of Colombo last night.
Full story >>

UNP office smashed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 December 1999, 12:22 GMT]
The UNP office at Eravur, 15 km. north of Batticaloa, was smashed by unidentified men around midnight yesterday said United National Party parliamentarian Alisagir Maulana.
Full story >>

State media's biased role

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 December 1999, 06:04 GMT]
Several Presidential candidates complained to the Commissioner of Elections last week that the People's Alliance (PA) has been misusing the government controlled media during the Presidential elections.
Full story >>

Troops, curfew in Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 December 1999, 18:11 GMT]
Troops of the Sri Lanka Army have been deployed on the streets of the countryÃs capital tonight after twin blasts at the final campaign rallies of the two main parties contesting Tuesday's presidential elections killed 23 people and seriously wounded several others. A curfew has also been imposed in Colombo and Gampaha districts "until further notice," security sources said.
Full story >>

President wounded in Colombo blast

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 December 1999, 16:29 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga was wounded in the blast at Town hall grounds this evening in Colombo initial reports said. She has been taken to Navaloka hospital reports said.
Full story >>

Artistes protest PA assaults

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 December 1999, 19:39 GMT]
A group of Sinhala artistes demonstrated at Lipton Circus in Colombo today around noon, protesting against the alleged assault on some of them by supporters of the ruling People's Alliance, sources said.
Full story >>

SLMC-UNP violence in Kalmunai

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 December 1999, 17:24 GMT]
Violence erupted in Kalmunai town in the Ampara district this evening when a group of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) supporters destroyed the stage erected to hold an election rally of the United National Party. The meeting was scheduled to be held today evening at Kadatkara Pallivasal, Kalmunai.
Full story >>

EPRLF backs Kumaratunge

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 December 1999, 18:45 GMT]
The Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front led by Annamalai Varatharajaperumal, former chief minister of the North East Provincial Council has decided to extend its support to the ruling Peoples Alliance in the forthcoming presidential election, scheduled to be held on December 21.
Full story >>

Ranil says confident, keen on talks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 December 1999, 15:01 GMT]
"Give me chance to talk with the Liberation Tigers" said Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party candidate for next Tuesday's presidential election, Ranil Wickremasinghe. He was addressing the last press conference, before the elections, this morning in Colombo.
Full story >>

EPDP cadres arrested

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 December 1999, 10:30 GMT]
Troops of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna arrested four cadres of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) who were pasting campaign posters of President Chandrika Kumaratunga at Nelliyadi last night.
Full story >>

Petition against Elections Commissioner refused

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 December 1999, 04:18 GMT]
The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, refused an application by a voter from Chunnakam, Jaffna, Balasubramaniam Vasanthan, seeking a declaration directing the Acting Elections Commissioner to conduct the Presidential Polls not prematurely on December 21 but on the due date specified in the Constitution.
Full story >>

Striking doctors not swayed by assurance

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 December 1999, 23:45 GMT]
Thousands of government doctors went on strike for the second day today despite President Chandrika Kumaratunga's assurance that she would bring the medical service under the central government, sources said.
Full story >>