Gajendrakumar complains of threat to life

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 May 2006, 10:54 GMT]
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance parlimentarian for Jaffna district, in a letter to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse Tuesday, complained of harassment and death threats to domestic staff at his Jaffna residence. His residence in 3rd Cross street is located close to two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps, one at the 2nd Cross street-Main street junction and the other at the 4th Cross street.
Full story >>

Colombo assails SLMM, accuses media bias in refugee figure dispute

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 April 2006, 16:58 GMT]
While Sri Lanka's President Mr Mahinda Rajapakse drew attention to "propaganda war," Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told the state-run weekly Sunday Observer that the Sri Lanka Government "categorically denies" and dismisses as "outrageous," accusation by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that security forces were involved in extra- judicial killings in the North-East. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, said State's attempt to accuse foreign media of bias is a precursor to enforcing self-censorship. The State wants to deter foreign press from exposing military excesses of Sri Lanka armed forces, he added.
Full story >>

Course correction by International Community urged

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 April 2006, 22:51 GMT]
Blaming the International Community for aiding a State that failed to adopt a political formula embodying shared sovereignty, and which demonstrated its incapacity to persecute a successful war against LTTE, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, in a paper presented at a symposium in Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, USA, Thursday, said, the International Community should make clear to the Sri Lankan State that "its commitment to territorial integrity is conditional on the Tamil Nation’s legitimate aspirations being met."
Full story >>

Positive contribution by International players, key to Peace in Sri Lanka - Senewiratne

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 March 2006, 02:45 GMT]
"Marginalising and excluding the Liberation Tigers, a key player to the peace process in the island, will mean the end of the failed state Sri Lanka," a Sinhala expatriate physician supportive of Tamils right to self-determination told a gathering of EU officials at a symposium organised in the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday. "The EU has essentially opted out of making a meaningful contribution to rescue Sri Lanka," he noted. Tamil, Sinhala and European panelists presented their views in the symposium titled "The EU Contribution to the Peace Process in Sri Lanka."
Full story >>

Sri Lankan State lacks consent of Tamil people - TNA MP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 March 2006, 00:45 GMT]
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, speaking at a symposium in Brussels, Belgium,Tuesday, explained how the Sri Lanka state failed to win the consent of the Tamil people, whom it claimed to govern. "The Tamil Nation is being consistently denied meaningful access to Governance to pursue political, economic, social and cultural development. All three Sri Lanka constitutions entrenched the unitary character of the Sri Lanka State in the face of demand for power sharing arrangement by Tamils asserting their right to self-determination," said Mr Ponnambalam.


Full story >>

Minister assures phased troop reduction near NorthEast schools

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 February 2006, 13:54 GMT]
Mr. Susil Premajayanth, Minister of Education, at a meeting with a Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) delegation held Thursday evening at his ministry office in Colombo, assured the CTTU officials that he would take action to reduce the presence of State armed forces and sentry points from the vicinity of schools in the North East in stages. He said that Sri Lanka government has to implement any changes regarding SLA troops without provoking the extreme elements in the South, CTTU officials attending the meeting said.
Full story >>

TNA MPs meet British Deputy High Commissioner

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 February 2006, 12:06 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Members of Parliament, Mavai Senathirajah, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, S. Jeyanandamoorthy and Sithamparanathan Pathmini met the British deputy high commissioner Lesley Craig, at the British High Commission in Colomobo on Friday at 10:00 a.m. and discussed the current humanitarian situation following the abductions and the escalating number of assassinations in the NorthEast, TNA sources said.
Full story >>

SLN soldiers attack, injure five Karainagar fishermen

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 January 2006, 12:04 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLAN) soldiers who were patrolling the northern seas off Jaffna islets attacked and seriously injured five fishermen from Karainagar at 12 midnight Tuesday, sources from Jaffna said. The injured fishermen with broken limbs have been admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, medical sources said.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka's President meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 January 2006, 05:31 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse and a delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) led by its parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan began Saturday around 11 a.m. at Temple Trees at the invitation of the SL President, parliamentary sources in Colombo said. The discussion currently is in progress, government sources said.
Full story >>

Tamil Americans urge Co-chairs to promote "equal partnership for peace”

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 January 2006, 00:35 GMT]
A group of US organizations representing Tamil Americans, in a letter sent to Co-chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference Monday, welcomed the Co-chairs' call for an immediate meeting of the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers, and urged the Co-chairs to make clear to both sides that attacks on civilians will not be tolerated, ask military to withdraw from civilians homes and public buildings and to threaten SL Government with sanctions if steps are not taken to disarm paramilitaries.
Full story >>

SLN withdraws passes from Punguduthivu fishermen

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 December 2005, 14:55 GMT]
Angered by the damages to the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) building caused by the residents of Punguduthivu when they protested against the rape of Tharsini (20), the SLN command has withdrawn fishing passes from Punguduthivu fishermen, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian said Friday. Mr Ponnambalam has written a letter to Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, Deputy Minister of Defence, requesting him to direct the SLN to immediately reissue the passes.
Full story >>

Colombo's bona fides for peace, suspect- TNA

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 December 2005, 17:11 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a press release issued Monday said the assassination of Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham raises serious doubts in regard to the genuineness of the Government's commitment to the honest and purposeful pursuit of the peace process. "We consider it our duty to point out that the assassination of Mr. Pararajasingham, a Tamil leader unequivocally committed to the resolution of the Tamil question by peaceful means is a serious blow to the credibility of the peace process," the statement said.


Full story >>

Indian High Commissioner meets TNA delegation

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 December 2005, 16:51 GMT]
A delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Friday met with the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ms Nirupama Rao and discussed at length the current situation, concerns on potential breakdown of CeaseFire Agreement (CFA), and the urgent need to restart the peace process. The TNA delegation impressed upon the High Commissioner the need for peace talks to commence without further delay, Mr.R.Sampanthan, TNA parliamentary group leader said in a press release Friday.
Full story >>

Maintaining symmetry of power, key to meaningful peace talks- Adaikalanathan

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 December 2005, 20:34 GMT]
“Instead of choosing a constructive political path setting incremental milestones to monitor progress in addressing the national crisis, various Sri Lanka governments in power, were preoccupied with an "oppressive mindset" and have attempted to weaken the Tamil struggle by purposely dragging out peace processes,” said TNA parliamentarian Selvam Adaikalanathan, speaking to TamilNet Friday. He said that a meaningful peace process is possible only if the prevailing strategic symmetry of power is maintained between the two parties.
Full story >>

LTTE-TNA conference concludes: "Tamil people have no interest in SL Presidential elections"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 November 2005, 11:56 GMT]
Emerging from the three and a half hour meeting with the Political Wing of the LTTE, Wednesday, R.Sampanthan, Leader of the TNA Parliamentarians, categorically declared to the media, "Nothing worthwhile would be achieved by supporting either of the two leading candidates in the Sri Lankan Presidential election." Mr Sampanthan, following discussions presided by S.P.Thamilchelvan, leader of the Political Wing of the LTTE, assured the press in Kilinochchi, that Tamil People are "not at all interested in the forthcoming Presidential election."
Full story >>

Realignment of Sinhala Nationalist forces spells trouble for SL Peace- Gajendrakumar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 November 2005, 00:05 GMT]
"Radicalisation of Sri Lanka polity resulting in the realignment of Sinhala Nationalist forces as witnessed by the new coalitions formed for Sri Lanka's presidential elections, raises the spectre of nationlist politics of the 50s and is leading towards imminent collapse of the peace process," said Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, addressing a forum on Sri Lanka's Peace prospects, held in Washington D.C Friday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Full story >>

Doyen of FP, uncompromising on Tamil National question

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 October 2005, 00:16 GMT]
Are leaders of Sinhala community prepared to share state power with Tamils? Mr. V. Navaratnam, the only surviving founder member of the Federal Party that provided political leadership to Tamils for more than three decades since it was formed in 1949, and described as the brain behind FP, shared with TamilNet his views on Tamil National struggle. The doyen of Tamil politics who negotiated with the father of the incumbent President Chandrika Kumaratunge and other Sri Lanka leaders for sharing state power within a federal framework for almost three decades turns 96-years this month in Montreal, Canada. He also inked the Bandaranaiyake Chelvanayagam pact.
Full story >>

Trincomalee community leaders felicitated

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 October 2005, 03:47 GMT]
Four leading citizens of Trincomalee town, three of them octogenarians who have rendered selfless services to their language, religion and community were felicitated at the 2005-Literary Festival of the Trincomalee Divisional Secretariat held Friday evening at Trincomalee Town Hall.
Full story >>

TNA representatives meet UN envoy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 September 2005, 04:23 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians, Mr. R. Sampanthan, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Mr. Gajendran Ponnambalam and Mr. M. K. Sivajilingam on Tuesday met Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan, in Colombo.
Full story >>

TNA to move motion in parliament condemning Tamil journalist attack

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 August 2005, 05:41 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has decided to move an adjournment motion in parliament Friday condemning the attack on Mr.Yathurshan Premachchandran, a trainee photo-journalist of a Colombo Tamil daily Sudar Oli when he was covering the JVP demonstration held in front of the Fort railway Station Tuesday afternoon. TNA parliamentary group has given notice to this effect to the Speaker Wednesday. The Speaker has agreed for a debate on this issue, TNA sources said.
Full story >>