Kumaratunga off to London for New Year holidays

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 April 2005, 10:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga left for London on Saturday night to spend the forthcoming New Year holidays with her children, Yashoda and Vimukthi. According to reports, Ms Kumaratunge before undertaking her private trip to UK has appointed her close confidante, Ratnasiri Wickremenayake, as the Minister of Defence and Dinesh Gunawardene as the Minister of Education until she returns back to Sri Lanka.
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Japanese hazard management team visits Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 March 2005, 18:23 GMT]
Issues related to establishing an Early Warning System (EWS) and Implementing Disaster Management methods in Sri Lanka were discussed when visiting Japanese experts met with Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge and cabinet officials, a press release issued in Colombo Thursday by the Presidential Secretariat said.
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Kumaratunga moves to clip JVP's strong media links

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 March 2005, 13:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga is reported to have taken over the administration of the Media Ministry, held by Minister Mangala Samaraweera, in a move widely seen as intended to limit the strong links the radical Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has with the State media institutions, especially the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Co-operation (SLRC), Independent Television Network (ITN) and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), political sources in Colombo said.
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Red Cross signs MoU to reconstruct tsunami hit medical institutions

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 March 2005, 13:19 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) and the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) have undertaken to reconstruct, renovate, repair and equip General Hospitals, Base Hospitals, District Hospitals, Rural Hospitals, Peripheral Units and Central Dispensaries in the tsunami affected areas throughout the island.
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Arrest rising chauvinism, extremism, TNA tells Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 March 2005, 12:15 GMT]
Accusing Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister of "inciting the forces of chauvinism and extremism" in Sri Lanka by rushing to describe World Bank official Mr Peter Harrold's statements on Liberation Tigers, without checking their veracity, as "provocative," Mr Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in his statement in Sri Lanka's parliament on the current political situation, urged the Sri Lanka Government to speak with one voice regarding taking the peace process forward, parliamentary sources in Colombo said.
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JVP's last card, churning up chauvinist cauldron- DLF

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 March 2005, 12:36 GMT]
"Desperate to retain its portfolios, having nothing to show for what it has so far achieved by being in government, haunted by the nightmare of 1970-1975 coalition politics that nearly destroyed the LSSP and CP, the JVP is now floundering, it is drowning in very shallow water...A democratic solution of the national question terrifies the JVP by cutting off its raison d’être. That’s what happens when you sacrifice your socialist responsibilities for chauvinist pandering," says Vasudeva Nanayakkara, veteran trade unionist and secretary, Democratic Left Front (DLF), in the newsletter issued in Colombo 5 March.
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CFA cannot survive in 'No war No Talks' climate- Elilan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 March 2005, 04:27 GMT]
"It is meaningless to observe a ceasefire in the current situation where there is no peace and no peace talks. The deteriorating security climate in the east, and the chaotic political situation plagued by disunity within the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in the South that shows no signs of improving, can only hasten Tamils march towards the final solution," said Mr.S.Elilan in his address at the International Women's Day celebrations held Tuesday evening at Trincomalee Cultural hall, sources said.
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CTTU protests delay in Tamil text book distribution

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 March 2005, 13:29 GMT]
Twenty thousand member strong Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) has brought to the notice of Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge that Education department officials are discriminating the Tamil medium students in distribution of free text books thereby violating the principle of equal opportunity in education, civil sources said. Ms Kumaratunge also holds the portfolio of Ministry of Education.


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Army desecrates Muslim cemetery, Pulmoddai villagers protest

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 March 2005, 15:41 GMT]
Residents of traditional Muslim village of Pulmoddai closed their shops, set up road blocks, and burnt tyres Saturday protesting against the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) for forcibly digging their cemetery and removing human remains out of the burial sites, sources said. Pulmoddai village is located about 65 km, north of Trincomalee town on the border area close to Mullaitivu district.
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Thousands march in Jaffna, urge talks, condemn attacks on LTTE activists

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 March 2005, 12:39 GMT]
More than twenty thousand people marched in Jaffna Wednesday urging the international community to persuade the Sri Lankan government to restart the long stalled peace talks with the Liberation Tigers. The march condemned the killing and shooting of LTTE political leaders and called on Colombo to set up a joint mechanism with the Tigers for the equitable distribution of Tsunami aid to the northeast. Jaffna peninsula was shut down until the march, which wound through the northern town from morning 10.45, concluded in the afternoon.
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Kumaratunga says no paramilitaries with Sri Lanka army

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 February 2005, 07:17 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga told Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Eric Solheim that there aren’t any paramilitaries working with the Sri Lankan armed forces, according to a press release by the Presidential Secretariat Friday. The Liberation Tigers say that Colombo had committed to disarm paramilitaries working with the Sri Lankan armed forces in the island’s northeast under the terms of the cease fire agreement (CFA) it signed with them three years ago. The statement said that Mr. Solheim conveyed to Ms Kumaratunge LTTE’s concern regarding the implementation of Article 1.8 of the CFA in relation to disarming of paramilitary groups when he met her Thursday in Colombo.
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No Tamil Unit in Central Education Ministry

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 February 2005, 03:59 GMT]
Tamil and Muslim educationists have expressed serious concern that despite assurances given by Education Ministry Secretary, Dr.Tara de Mel, a separate Tamil Administration Unit has not been established in the Central Ministry of Education. Development of Tamil medium education has been severely hampered by the absence of this unit, the educationists complained.
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Civil groups demand action against sex assaults

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 February 2005, 15:16 GMT]
Citizens Committee, Justice and Peace Commission, Peoples Forum and Traders Association of Mannar district Monday appealed to Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge to take stern action against errand policemen who are involved in sexual assaults on students and women in Mannar, sources said.


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SL President declares State of Emergency again

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 February 2005, 11:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka Government has declared a State of Emergency in Tsunami affected Districts again, political sources in Colombo said. Sri Lanka Parliament was informed that Ms Kumaratunge had by Gazette notification published on 3rd February re-declared the State of Emergency for a period of 1 month. The Parliament is scheduled to debate the Emergency declaration on Friday, 11 February, sources said.


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TNA boycotts Tsunami reconstruction meeting

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 February 2005, 11:09 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) boycotted a meeting convened by Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge to discuss the question oTsunami reconstruction, held at 11 a.m. today at the Presidential Secretariat, political sources in Colombo said.
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"Peace for War"- paper

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 February 2005, 15:23 GMT]
Pointing out the recent efforts by the Sri Lanka Government to strengthen its military apparatus, and the failure to demonstrate political will and capacity to setup a joint institutional mechanism with the Liberation Tigers to obtain aid to assist the tsunami devastated people, the popular daily Uthayan in Saturday's editiorial said, Sri Lanka's President is making use of Peace to prepare for war.
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CNO function to be taken over by new body

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 February 2005, 11:13 GMT]
The operation of the Centre for National Operations (CNO) established by Sri Lanka President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge following December 26 tsunami devastation brought to an end Thursday and its functions have been handed over to Line Ministries and provincial authorities, said Mr.Dhammika Hewapathirana, Manager of the CNO at a press briefing.
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Japanese, Dutch Foreign Ministers to visit Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 January 2005, 20:10 GMT]
Mr. Shuzen Tanigawa, Senior Vice Foreign Affairs Minister of the Government of Japan is to arrive in Colombo Saturday evening on a three-day visit and Mr.Bernard Bot, Netherlands Foreign Affairs Minister will arrive in Colombo February 3rd, diplomatic sources said.
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"Colombo bent on blocking aid reaching NorthEast"- Balasingham

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 January 2005, 10:43 GMT]
"The Sinhala government is bent on diverting foreign aid, meant for the tsunami affected people, to strengthen its military apparatus and also to stabilize its political power. Our leadership is taking all possible efforts at international level and with the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure an equitable distribution of funds to the affected people in all areas. The funds for NorthEast will be immmediately used for rehabilitation and and to improve the living standard of our people," said Mr. Balasingham speaking to a group of tsunami victims in Mullaithivu Thursday.
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"Colombo will mislead the world on aid distribution"- Kilinochchi paper

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 January 2005, 15:11 GMT]
The Tamil daily Eelanatham, published in Killinochchi, warned in its Sunday editorial that Chandrika Kumaratunge's government will again mislead the world on distribution of the aid received for tsunami relief. The paper called on the donors to also set up mechanisms and procedures to ensure an equitable distribution of aid to all those affected, among them two thirds are from the NorthEast of Sri Lanka.
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