SL communities at brink of tragedy- Schaffer

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 December 2005, 00:34 GMT]
"The international friends of the SriLankan peace process need to proceed with bracing realism and appeal to the most urgent self-interest on both sides. Without a new commitment to a real cease-fire and a serious dialogue, all of Sri Lanka’s communities stand at the brink of tragedy. The inclusiveness Rajapakse has promised could stand him in good stead, but the key quality he will need is leadership," says former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Teresita Schaffer.
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LTTE to intensify struggle for self-determination if reasonable political solution is not offered soon

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 November 2005, 12:04 GMT]
The leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in his annual Heroes’ Day statement made an urgent appeal to the new Sri Lanka Government of Mr Mahinda Rajapakse to offer a reasonable political solution to the ethnic conflict without further delay. The Tamil Tiger leader cautioned the government that his liberation organisation would intensify the struggle for self-determination and political independence if the new regime adopts a hard-line position and fails to resolve the problems of his people.
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Wickremasinghe expresses desire to lead UNP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 November 2005, 17:41 GMT]
Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, Leader of the Opposition and the President of the United National Party (UNP) is reported to have told a group of UNP parliamentarians about his intention of continuing to remain as UNP's leader. He expressed his desire following appeals made by majority parliamentarians, political sources said.
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Wickremanayake appointed new Lankan PM

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 November 2005, 07:09 GMT]
Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was sworn in as the fourteenth Prime Minister of Sri Lanka before SL President Mahinda Rajapakse Monday. At a ceremony held at the Temple Trees, Mr. Rajapakse sworn in him as the Prime Minister of his would-be appointed cabinet this morning. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense and Minister of Buddhist Affairs till the election of Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse as the 5th executive president of Sri Lanka.
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UNP to hold postmortem on presidential poll defeat

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 November 2005, 17:20 GMT]
The working committee and parliamentary group of the main opposition United national Party (UNP) are to meet this week to decide its future course of action following the defeat at the presidential poll held on Thursday, Mr.Tissa Attanayake, UNP Assistant General Secretary said at a press briefing Sunday.
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UNP files petition for re-poll in NorthEast

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 November 2005, 12:24 GMT]
Opposition leader and United National Party (UNP) Presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing a press conference in Colombo Friday said UNP has requested the Election Commissioner to conduct re-polls in Northeast districts where, the UNP said, conditions were created to prevent people from freely exercising their franchise.
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Rajapakse wins Sri Lankan Presidency

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 November 2005, 07:56 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s hardline Prime Minister has been elected as country’s fifth President. Results released Friday by the election commission indicated Premier Mahinda Rajapakse had received almost 50.3% of the vote, with his main rival, opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, taking 48.4% in a hard fought race that has long been described as too close to call.
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Jaffna postal votes: Wickremesinghe comes up ahead

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 16:25 GMT]
Of the 2326 postal votes in Jaffna district Ranil Wickremesinghe obtained 1405, Mahinda Rajapakse got 327, and total rejected votes were 441, election officials reported.


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SL Presidential Polls: Near Fizzle-Out in North East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 November 2005, 10:14 GMT]
Very low attendance of voters was reported at the cluster-polling booths in the North-East as the voting in Sri Lanka to elect the fifth executive president began at 7:00 a.m Thursday. Situation in Jaffna remained calm in complete contrast to the polls eve marred with grenade attack incidents in the peninsula. At least six grenade incidents were reported in Batticaloa-Amparai. Two Tamil civilians were killed in Kalmunai. The voting continued till 4:00 p.m. Security was tightened throughout the country.


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Grenade explosions, tension mark election eve in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 22:49 GMT]
Tension prevailed in Jaffna, and streets were deserted at 7.00 p.m. as several grenade explosions marked the election eve. Unidentified assailants lobbed grenades at the offices of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) offices in Chavakacheri, Manipay, Achchuveli, Point Pedro and Mallakam where the EPDP intelligence operatives and supporters were reportedly co-ordinating plans for vote-rigging. EPDP has campaigned in favour of presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse.
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Jaffna election irregularities on voting eve

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 12:55 GMT]
Reports from Jaffna reveal intimidating and underhand activities of the Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP) cadres in organising vote-rigging in Sri Lanka Presidential election. Groups of armed EPDP cadres were seen visiting house to house forcibly collecting the 'ballot-tokens' from residents in islets off Jaffna peninsula, TamilNet learns. With armed protection from the State armed forces, Douglas Devananda's EPDP is holding unannounced short-meetings at market places and actively campaigning for Mahinda Rajapakse, the candidate of the ruling party.
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UNP accuses SL Government of plans to sabotage Jaffna poll

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 November 2005, 17:55 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Monday charged Sri Lanka government of trying to disrupt a just and fair presidential poll in Jaffna district by sending nearly three hundred Sri Lanka Army (SLA) deserters to the district. Brigadier Sarath Munasinghe, former spokesperson for the SLA, addressing a press briefing Monday, said that the government has obtained the support of a paramilitary Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) activist to sabotage the poll.


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"SL Government's speak soft, hit hard policy" - Taraki, 1992

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 November 2005, 03:33 GMT]
In the 10th June 1992 issue of Sri Lanka's English daily, Island International, late Dharmeratnam Sivaram, popular journalist and Senior editor at TamilNet, sheds light into the then Sri Lanka's President Premadasa and Leader of the House, Ranil Wickremesinghe's strategy of dealing with Tamil national question, a strategy of wooing Tamil votes with political rhetoric and to inflict military defeat on LTTE by planning to allow Sri Lanka forces to "smash their way into Jaffna."
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Vadamaradchy East, Kilinochchi voters can exercise franchise freely- GA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 November 2005, 12:42 GMT]
"We have made elaborate arrangements to ensure that voters residing in Liberation Tigers' controlled areas of Vadamaradchy east and Kilinochchi district can exercise their franchise with complete freedom without any requirement to produce identity cards," said Jaffna Government Agent and Jaffna District Election Returning Officer, K Ganesh, during a press meet held at the Jaffna Secretariat offices Sunday afternoon.
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SL Presidential candidates' asset details to remain private

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 November 2005, 14:31 GMT]
Free Media Movement expressed its "grave concern" on the decision made by the Election Commissioner to refuse to make public the assets, liabilities declarations of Sri Lanka's presidential candidates, in a press release issued in Colombo Tuesday.
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We trapped and split LTTE, sank their ships, says UNP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 November 2005, 00:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s opposition United National Party this week claimed credit for engineering a split within the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) through the peace process whilst at the same time keeping the movement locked in via an international security net. The UNP also claimed credit for the sinking of LTTE vessels during the peace talks.
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Jaffna postal votes cast, said historic low

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 November 2005, 11:46 GMT]
Election officials at the Jaffna Secretariat said that less than 10% of those applied for postal voting cast their votes when the first day of postal voting completed on Monday. Although there is expected to be voting in some centers tomorrow, the election officials added that the numbers voted present a historic low for the district.
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Explain clandestine acts against Tamils, UPF asks UNP

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 November 2005, 11:04 GMT]
"If the United National Party (UNP) has plans to undermine the NorthEast struggle by using paramilitaries or by inviting foreign military forces, then Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) will not only withdraw its support to the UNP but will work against its candidate in the forthcoming presidential elections," said Periyasamy Chandrasekaran, leader of UPF, in a media release issued in Colombo Monday.
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"Birds of a feather"

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 November 2005, 12:53 GMT]
Commenting on the lack of enthusiasm amongst Sri Lanka’s Tamils for the forthcoming Presidential elections, the Tamil Guardian newspaper this week argued that the two leading contenders are, from a Tamil perspective, indistinguishable. “Advocates of peace alarmed by [Mahinda] Rajapakse’s unabashed Sinhala nationalism have rushed to pin their hopes on [Ranil] Wickremesinghe without seriously examining his policies and, above all, the practicality of his strategy,” the Diaspora broadsheet said.
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Wickremasinghe meets military officials, troops in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 November 2005, 10:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka's presidential candidate and leader of opposition, Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe, arrived in special Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aircraft at Palaly military camp Thursday 7.45 a.m. morning and met with Jaffna Military Commander Major General Sunil Tennekoon and other high level military officials. The discussions centered on matters related to security situation in Jaffna and forthcoming elections.
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