Rights group appeals for accountability for victims of disappearances, detainees

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 September 2009, 12:29 GMT]
The Civil Monitoring Mission in an appeal made after convening a conference on the "Disappeared and the Detained" said Wednesday, "[t]he end of war has not brought any end to our agonies and miseries. We feel more vulnerable today than in the past. National reconciliation and national unity have been reduced to mere rhetoric statements. Instead of bringing change towards constructive hope, the ending of war has brought new miseries to our people. We are today witnessing over two hundred and fifty thousand of our people languishing in military guarded camps...," and appealed to the Sri Lanka Government to account of all detainees in prison, and to "[p]rovide democratic space with legal assurance to human rights organizations tomonitor and evaluate the violations and represent the victims."
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Colombo's paranoid secrecy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 15 September 2009, 16:20 GMT]
"Why must the military be in control of the camps, why not civilian agencies? Why can't visitors enter the camps? Why are journalists barred? Why are international agencies kept out? Why is it taking the courts so long to make a straightforward order to allow members of parliament to visit the camps?" and quoting Mangala Samaraweera, "I can walk into any prison at will and meet any criminal, but I am not allowed to meet these people held in detention for no reason," Prof Kumar David, in an opinion column in Sunday's Lakbima, writes, "[t]he reasons offered for this paranoid secrecy varied from the need to hide human rights violations to calculations relating to the upcoming elections. I think it will be some time before the real reason comes seeping out."
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Emergency extended for another month, JVP walks out

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 September 2009, 05:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s parliament Thursday evening approved the motion to extend the State of Emergency for another year by a majority of eighty-seven votes. One hundred parliamentarians of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and its constituent parties voted for the motion. Thirteen parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) voted against. The main opposition United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians were not present in the house during the debate, parliamentary sources said.
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Sri Lanka blocks TNA from meeting Ban Ki Moon

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 May 2009, 11:36 GMT]
R. Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), in a press release issued today, said that after the Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry had made arrangements for a TNA delegation to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon prior to his departure at the VVIP Lounge of the Bandaranaike International Airport, the Defense Ministry of Sri Lanka refused the delegation entry into the BIA Airport, denying the Tamil representatives from meeting the UN Secretary General. Meanwhile, Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party (UNP), met with the Ban Ki Moon at the Airport.
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UNP also against Tamils: Mano Ganeshan

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 May 2009, 10:43 GMT]
Mano Ganeshan, Colombo district parliamentarian and the leader of Western People’s Front (WPF) condemned United National Party (UNP) Puththa’lam district parliamentarian, Palitharanga Bandara’s statement that heavy weapons should be used on the ‘safe zone’ to destroy the Liberation Tigers, in a media release Wednesday in Colombo. Palitharanga praised the Sri Lankan Armed Forces for their victories against the war on Tamils besides expressing views revealing racism in the press meet held Monday in the official residence of the Opposition Leader and this shows that UNP too is a political party that is against the Tamils,” Mano Ganeshan said in the press release.
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'Vision' of a Sinhala sociologist

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 January 2009, 13:22 GMT]
"This victory should not be lost in the peace. [….] The mono-ethnic nature of the North should be dismantled. [….] 'Defence Colonies' defence settlements should be established all over the North. Retired husband and wife ex-employees of the armed forces should be settled in such strategic settlements. Like in mainland China, and earlier in Korea, Armed Forces owned industries should be established in these areas for both defence and civilian production. Our forces should be further strengthened to deter any future attempts,” writes engineer turned Sinhala sociologist Dr. Susanta Goonatilake in Sunday Times, dated, January 18. His article is a specimen to understand the vision of a section of Sinhala elite on the political process to follow Colombo’s victory.
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Last statement of Muthukumar

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 January 2009, 09:04 GMT]
Journalist Muthukumar distributed a 4-page statement in Tamil before his self-immolation Thursday in Tamil Nadu. TamilNet provides a translation for the English readership to grasp the significance, without taking responsibility for the accuracy of facts. "The sacrifice of young and idealistic Muthukumar is lamentable beyond words and thoughts of re-enactment should never become a necessity to anyone. It is a reminiscence of the Vietnam of 1960's when self-immolation of monks protesting brutal atrocities as a consequence of US military campaign was common. Such acts occur as a last resort of public frustration when governments suppress democratic space and don't respect overwhelming public opinion of emotional importance," said a diaspora Tamil academic.
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Rajapaksa government rejects UNP request to summon parliament

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 December 2008, 05:39 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance government led by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Tuesday rejected an appeal made by the main opposition United National Party (UNP) to summon the parliament immediately before the end of the year which is in recess to hold discussion on the current fuel crisis following the order of the SL Supreme Court.
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UNP urges government to summon parliament immediately

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 December 2008, 16:29 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, the leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), in a letter sent to the SL Prime Minister Ratnasri Wickremanayake has urged him to take immediate steps to summon the Sri Lankan parliament under Section 16 of the Standing Order immediately before the end of the year to discuss the critical situation that prevails in the country following the government's failure to obey the order of the Supreme Court in fuel sale.
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Dissident Karu Jayasuriya appointed UNP deputy leader

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 December 2008, 16:21 GMT]
Karu Jayasuriya was appointed as the deputy leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) by the party executive committee that met Monday evening with Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, the leader of the party in the chair. The appointment was made amid speculation in Colombo political circles that Mr. Karu Jayasuriya is likely to rejoin the UNP with some dissident MPs.
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Wickremasinghe appeals to dissidents to rejoin UNP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 December 2008, 19:32 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), Saturday made an appeal to the dissident group of seventeen parliamentarians of the UNP to rejoin the party, political sources in Colombo said. Mr. Wickremasinghe made this appeal when addressing the 58th annual convention of the UNP in Dehiwela.
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UNP not opposed to ceasefire talks - Wickramasinghe

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 December 2008, 18:15 GMT]
The UNP would not oppose a ceasefire if it is mooted by the Government of India, said Ranil Wickremasinghe, the leader of the main Sri Lankan opposition party, said Friday at a press briefing in the Jayawardhanapura parliamentary complex.
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‘No ceasefire’ - UNP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 December 2008, 20:05 GMT]
Military offensives aimed at curbing the LTTE should be continued and a ceasefire won't be necessary until the offensives come to an end, Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party (UNP) said Thursday. The UNP’s Badulla District MP Laksman Seneviratne told Parliament during a debate on the defence budget that this was the stance of his party, the website lankadissent.com reported. The vote was passed by 114 to 14, reports said.
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Seeking solutions in horror-scope

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, 20:19 GMT]
Ever since the Sri Lankan polity has become violent and belligerent, the top Sinhala politicians have abandoned the rational Heenayaana Buddhism to become Tantrics or perhaps Vajrayaana Buddhists. It has now become a routine for them to consult astrologers, seek propitiation or instigation from Malayala Tantrics and to undertake pilgrimages to temples and establishments of god-men in India just like visiting Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and M.K. Narayanan. They leave no stone unturned in winning the war with Tamils, writes Opinion Columnist Ampalam.
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Rajapaksa's three-pronged strategy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 November 2008, 01:47 GMT]
While celebrating its military achievements, Colombo is secretly prodded on an alternative game. Mahinda Rajapaksa is upto a three-pronged strategy now: limiting LTTE's jurisdiction with a low-profiled war, coercing Tamil political circles for his plans and conducting snap polls. A superficial solution is on the cards through Mahinda-Manmohan protocol. Unity and vigilance of Tamil Nadu are the need of the hour for countering any sabotage of the national cause of Eezham Tamils, writes TamilNet's Special Correspondent in a Situation Report.
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Wickremasinghe leaves to New Delhi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 November 2008, 17:03 GMT]
Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and the Leader of the Opposition in the current Sri Lanka parliament, is scheduled to leave Colombo Sunday night to New Delhi. He is to meet the Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherji first and discuss the Sri Lanka's conflict with Indian foreign ministry officials of the South Block, media sources said in Colombo.
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Dismissive to Sunday Times, acceptable to Hindu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2008, 16:20 GMT]
Sunday Times of Sri Lanka rejected an award bestowed on a newspaper of its group by a Sri Lanka government-backed NGO, last Tuesday, saying it does not recognize the NGO or its ‘spurious’ awards. However, the editor-in-chief of the Chennai-based The Hindu, Mr. N. Ram received the ‘Best Journalist of Asia award’ given to him by the NGO in person and delivered a speech on ‘the media's social responsibility to promote peace processes’.
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TID questioned Ganesan on his visits to Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2008, 14:08 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) on Tuesday questioned Civil Monitoring Commission Convener and Western Peoples Front Leader Mano Ganesan for six hours from 11:00 a.m. The questions were based on his peace delegation visits to Ki'linochchi during the CFA period between 2002 and 2004. The TID wanted to know if he had developed any 'special relationship' with the LTTE during the these visits. Mano Ganesan has vehemently refused any 'special relationship' with LTTE and any link with any arrested 'terrorist suspects', according to a statement released Wednesday by his office in Colombo.
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TID interrogates Mano Ganesan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 August 2008, 08:02 GMT]
The leader of the Western Province People's Front (WPPF) and a Member of Sri Lankan Parliament Mano Ganesan is being questioned by the Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) Tuesday morning, informed sources in Colombo told TamilNet.
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UNP chief ministerial candidate injured in attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2008, 05:51 GMT]
Film actor cum politician Ranjan Ramanayake, United National Party (UNP) chief ministerial candidate in Sabragamuwa Provincial Council election, was injured Wednesday night when persons alleged to be supporters of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) attacked the convoy of UNP vehicles in Gal-Ela area in Ratnapura district, in Sabaragamuwa province. Two police officers of the police security team accompanying the convoy were also injured, sources in Colombo said.
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