Official acceptance of 13th election's nominations begins

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 February 2004, 16:03 GMT]
District Government Agents who are ex-offico Returning Officers of the Department of Elections Tuesday started accepting nominations from registered political parties and independent groups to contest the Sri Lanka’s thirteenth parliamentary general elections in all twenty electoral districts of Sri Lanka, election officials said.


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NECORD funded Girls' Hostel opens in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 February 2004, 15:40 GMT]
A two-storied girl hostel constructed in Trincomalee Methodist Girls College at a cost of about 5 million rupees allocated by the North East Community Restoration Development (NECORD) project, which is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was declared open Monday by the Trincomalee district former parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan.
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SLFP-JVP alliance office bearers announced

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 February 2004, 14:09 GMT]
Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge was appointed President of the United Peoples Freedom Front (UPFA) at the first executive committee meeting of the UPFA held Tuesday at the Presidential secretariat. Presidential advisor Mr Anura Bandaranaike and Opposition Leader Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse were appointed national organizers of the UPFA and Mr.Nandana Gunatilake of the JVP was appointed chairman, the State controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation reported in its evening news bulletin Tuesday.


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Tamils should vote only for policy-Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 February 2004, 09:43 GMT]
"We unanimously decided today that the Tamil people should vote only for policies of the Tamil National Alliance. This is the wish of our leader and our leadership. Tamils should unite under one leadership and one policy for this election," said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan speaking to the press at the conclusion of a three hour long meeting with leaders of the Tamil National Alliance at the headquarters of Liberation Tigers’ political division in Kilinochchi Tuesday. "The TNA will definitely field Muslim candidates," he stressed.
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TNA leaders to meet LTTE leadership in Killinochchi

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 February 2004, 18:12 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Mr.R.Sampanthan said Monday that vital decisions would be taken in consultations with the leadership of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on Tuesday in Killinochchi regarding the forthcoming parliamentary general elections.
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"Tamil party support needed for stable govt"-UNF minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 February 2004, 16:38 GMT]
Senior minister in the United National Front (UNF) government, Dr.Rajitha Senaratne, addressing a meeting in Ratnapura Sunday said that no stable government could be formed after the forthcoming general election without the northeast Tamil parliamentarians and that the United National Party (UNP) is prepared to collaborate with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) after the forthcoming general election, political sources said.


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TNA to meet again to decide on election symbol

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 February 2004, 15:36 GMT]
The leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will meet again on February 18th to take a final decision regarding the election symbol to contest the forthcoming parliamentary general election, which is to be held on April 2, party sources said. TNA leaders took the decision to this effect at a discussion held Sunday evening at the headquarters of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), main constituent of the TNA.


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Sri Lanka Elections: News Brief

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 February 2004, 11:51 GMT]
Key members of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) are likely to join the United National Front, Sri Lanka's Police force's leaves have been suspended, Thamilchelvan returns to Vanni from European trip and Anandasangaree continues to scuttle Tamil National Alliance efforts to formulate a coherent election strategy, according to local media reports.
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TNA readies to face poll with ‘house’ or 'lighthouse'

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 February 2004, 09:42 GMT]
General secretary of the Federal Party (FP), Mr. Mavai Senathirajah and general secretary of the TELO, Mr. Indrakumar Prasanna, informed Sri Lanka's Commissioner of Elections their party’s intent to contest following uncertainty over the TULF's legal wrangle, a spokesman for the Tamil National Alliance said Wednesday. If the stand off between the TULF's President and executive central committee is not resolved next week the TNA will have to contest either under the TELO's 'lighthouse' symbol or the FP's 'house' symbol, he said.


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Polling stations considered in no-man zones

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 February 2004, 00:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Commissioner of Elections, Mr.Dayananda Dissanayake, has summoned all District Returning Officers and District Assistant Commissioners of Elections for a top level conference on Saturday at his office in Colombo to finalize locating polling booths for voters in Liberation Tigers-held areas in the Northeast province and also other related matters, authoritative sources said.
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TNA discussions on election strategy to continue

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 February 2004, 00:02 GMT]
The second round of discussions among the leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to map out their election strategy concluded Wednesday night with a decision to meet again for the third round of talks on Sunday evening in Colombo. TNA parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan presided. The first round of talks was held Tuesday evening, TNA sources said.
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Court extends enjoining order on TULF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 February 2004, 08:51 GMT]
The Colombo district court Wednesday extended the enjoining order preventing the Secretary General and Senior Vice President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) from convening party meetings without the written permission of TULF President Anandasangaree to 16 March 2004. The extension of the enjoining order would stymie plans by the Tamil National Alliance to contest elections to Sri Lanka’s Parliament on the TULF’s ‘rising sun’ symbol, Tamil legal sources said.
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Chandrasekaran briefs TNA leaders on alliance

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 February 2004, 18:24 GMT]
Leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) held extensive discussion Tuesday to map out their election strategy to contest the forthcoming general election. The discussion commenced at about 5 p.m. at the Colombo headquarters of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), and was concluded at 10 p.m with a decision to meet again on Wednesday evening to finalize electoral arrangements, TNA sources said.
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Batticaloa organizations appeal for Tamil unity

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 February 2004, 15:16 GMT]
A consortium of civil organizations in Batticaloa, including Tamil renaissance association and Batticaloa People's Forum, made a public appeal yesterday calling upon the tamil people to demonstrate their unity and strength to the international community and others by voting to the 'Rising Sun' symbol in the general elections scheduled to be held on 2 February, civil society sources said.
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ACTC rejects voting for policy, symbol

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 February 2004, 12:40 GMT]
Mr. Appathurai Vinayagamoorthy, the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance, told TamilNet Tuesday that his party will not agree to contest the forthcoming general elections on the basis of symbol and policy. He said his party will decide whether to join the TNA or not only after Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, MP who is currently abroad, returns to Colombo later this week.
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Sports activities in Muttur given a boost

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 February 2004, 02:31 GMT]
One hundred and fifty thousand worth of sports gear and other related equipment were distributed to forty one youth service and sports clubs in the Liberation Tigers-held villages in the Muttur east in Trincomalee district during the past weekend. "The supply of sports gear would certainly give a boost to the development of sports activities in rural areas in the Trincomalee and to produce sport persons achieving national level," a sports official said.
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TNA leaders to meet in Colombo over election strategy

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 February 2004, 18:30 GMT]
Leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) are scheduled to meet Tuesday evening at the Colombo office of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) to work out a common election agenda to field candidates at the forthcoming general election.
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Votes only for policies and symbol - TNA

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 February 2004, 15:00 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance leaders in Trincomalee resolved unanimously on Monday to contest the general elections on 2 April 2004, only on the basis of their coalition and its policies instead of their candidates.
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Muttur remote schools get computers, band equipment

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 February 2004, 00:08 GMT]
Four computers with accessories at a cost of about 300,000 rupees were handed over to four schools in Muttur east, Pallikudiruppu Kalaimagal Hindu College, Killiveddy Maha Vidiyalayam, Kattaiparichchan Vipulananda Vidiyalayam and Sampoor Maha Vidiyalayam, at an event held at Pallikudiruppu Kalaimagal Hindu College in the Liberation Tigers-held Muttur east Saturday afternoon. A set of band music equipment valued at about 150,000 rupees was handed over to Kanguveli Agathiyar Vidiyalayam.
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General elections would create more confusion - TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 February 2004, 04:27 GMT]
Commenting on the dissolution of parliament and the scheduled general elections in April, the parliamentary leader of the Tamil National Alliance, Mr. R. Sampanthan, said Sunday that the general elections would lead to more confusion in the country as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which clamored for the elections "to salvage the country from the current political uncertainty," have no clear-cut policies to solve the Tamil national question.
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