'Need advisors to promote peace, not war' - Wickremesinghe

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 September 2003, 12:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe appealed to his ministerial colleagues during last week's cabinet meeting that he needed persons who could advise him on how to achieve permanent peace and not to launch war again, according to Colombo media sources.
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SLMC, UNP to work out new political arrangement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 September 2003, 16:46 GMT]
The United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), constituents of the ruling United National Front government of Sri Lanka, at a meeting Wednesday decided to explore the possibilities of contesting provincial and general elections under one banner in the future. The meeting was held at the Temple Trees residence of Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, the Prime Minister and leader of the UNP, to thrash out differences between the two UNF partners, political sources said.
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Part time English teachers picket NE provincial education ministry

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 September 2003, 15:49 GMT]
The activities of the North East Provincial Ministry of Education and the Provincial Department of Education located at Orr's Hill in Trincomalee, the administrative capital of the NE Provincial Council, came to a standstill Wednesday due to picketing by hundreds of part time English teachers who launched a fasting campaign on a rotating basis Monday, demanding that they should be granted permanency, sources said.
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Ranil says UNF is committed to ‘peace with security’

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 September 2003, 19:03 GMT]
Responding to a query from Sri Lanka’s President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, on the issue of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s camp at Kurankupanchan in the Trincomalee district, the country’s Prime Minister, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, said Monday that his government was continuing its efforts to resolve the issue peacefully and that Ms. Kumaratunge should not approach the issue on the basis of political expediency, media sources in Colombo said.
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PM, parliamentarians discuss police recruitment issue

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 August 2003, 17:03 GMT]
Several decisions to strengthen the goodwill and security of Tamil and Muslim communities in the eastern province were taken at a conference called by the Prime Minister (PM) Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Wednesday evening which was attended by parliamentarians of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) , Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and National Unity Alliance (NUA), a press release issued by the PM ‘s media unit said.


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2000 appear for police recruitment interviews in the east

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 August 2003, 18:39 GMT]
More than 2000 persons appeared for the two-day interview held by the Police Department Saturday and Sunday at Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Amparai, Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu, Muttur and Pottuvil police stations to recruit 550 new personnel for serving in the eastern province, said the eastern region Deputy Inspector General of Sri Lanka Police, Mr. Neville Wijesinghe. He said that the highest number of the youths attending the interview were from the Sinhalese community, and Muslim youths the second highest.
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Maintaining ethnic ratio in Police recruitment imperative - TNA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 August 2003, 10:40 GMT]
At a conference held Thursday morning between the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) delegation led by its parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan at the parliamentary complex, it was decided to summon all Tamil and Muslim parliamentarians for a conference on Tuesday or Wednesday next week before finalizing the list of new recruits for the police force in the eastern province, political sources in Colombo said.
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Sri Lankan govt. decides to strengthen eastern security

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 August 2003, 18:23 GMT]
AT a conference held at the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry Tuesday, it was decided to strengthen the security in the eastern province by sending additional security forces to the “problem districts.” Mr.Tilak Marapone, the Sri Lankan Defense Minister, presided over the conference, which was attended by the chiefs of three armed forces and the Inspector General of Police, security sources said.
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General shutdown paralyzes Kalmunai, Sammanthurai

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 August 2003, 18:01 GMT]
The towns of Kalmunai and Sammanthurai in the Amparai district were completely paralyzed Monday when residents and businessmen observed a general shut down (hartal) protesting against the killing of two Muslim civilians at Sammanthurai Sunday night, police said.
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Two Muslims shot dead in Sammanthurai

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 August 2003, 05:44 GMT]
Forty-year-old father of four children Mr.A.Ibralebbai and a twenty one old father of two children Mr.K.L.Ismail were shot dead Sunday night by unidentified gunmen at Nelluchchenaivettai in Sammanthurai police division in Amparai district, police sources said. Their bodies were recovered Monday morning at the site, according to police sources.


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Hakeem to meet Sri Lankan PM on Muslims' security

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 August 2003, 01:03 GMT]
Mr.Rauff Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Minister in Sri Lanka’s United National Front government, said Sunday that he would meet the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, Monday, on the question of providing maximum security to Muslims in the eastern province especially in Muttur area.
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'Stop alienation of State land in Trincomalee district' - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 August 2003, 15:51 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance’s parliamentary group leader, Mr.R.Sampanthan, Saturday made an urgent appeal to the United National Front government to stop the alienation of State land in Trincomalee district as it would cause serious harmful impact on the peace process, saying that such alienation of land was one of the main causes that led to the commencement of war and therefore it would be “tantamount to an abuse of the current ceasefire.”
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‘Tamil question is not a minority issue' – Prof. Uyangoda

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 August 2003, 19:09 GMT]
“The challenge for the future is to reform the Sri Lankan state without generating violence in Sinhala society. And that is a tremendous challenge for any ruling elite in Colombo,” said Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda, the well regarded political commentator in the Sinhala and English media in Sri Lanka, in a wide ranging interview with TamilNet this week. He emphasised the need for developing means for greater dialogue and engagement between the Tamils and Singhalese to resolve the conflict.
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SL President says ‘dangerous’ period ahead

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 August 2003, 18:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President, Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, addressing a workshop of members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party women organizations Friday, said that the country was facing the most dangerous period in its history as the United National Front government was preparing to “hand over the power to rule a part of the country to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in the name of taking forward the present peace process."
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LTTE leader served notice through the media in MoU case

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 July 2003, 15:59 GMT]
The Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka Wednesday served notice by newspaper publication on the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr.V.Pirapaharan, the second respondent in cases filed separately by the Sinhala Jathika Sangamaya, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Sihala Urumaya, who challenged the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the LTTE on 22nd February 2002 on the grounds that it was “illegal and unconstitutional,” legal sources said
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SL President appoints committee to report on IA proposals

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 July 2003, 05:04 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President, Chandrika Kumaratunge, has appointed a four member committee to study and report on the interim administrative structure proposals which have been submitted to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by the United National Front government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, political sources said.
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Sinhala nationalists launch de-merger campaign in Trinco

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 July 2003, 19:52 GMT]
The "Sinhala Sanvidhanaya," a Sinhala nationalist movement Monday launched a signature campaign in Trincomalee to urge the de-merging of the North and East. The first signatory of the memorandum was the president of the organization, Venerable Dehiowitte Piyatissa Thera, sources said.
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PA demands parliament, cabinet review of IA proposal

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 July 2003, 17:57 GMT]
Sri Lanka's main opposition Peoples Alliance (PA) Friday demanded that the United National Front (UNF) government should present to the parliament and cabinet, UNF's proposals on the Interim Administrative (IA) structure for the northeast, before the proposal is submitted to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), political sources in Colombo said.


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Veteran trade union leader supports Interim Administration for NE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 July 2003, 17:39 GMT]
Veteran leftist leader and trade unionist Mr.Vasudeva Nanayakara Sunday said that an interim administration for the northeast province is urgently needed to strengthen the environment of democracy. "We support the call by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for an effective interim administrative structure for the northeast province," said Mr.Vasudeva Nanayakkara addressing the twenty-fifth anniversary of the New Democratic Front (NDF) held at Jaffna Multi Purpose Co-operative Society hall Sunday, sources said.


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UNF govt. to submit IA proposals to LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 June 2003, 14:23 GMT]
The United National Front is preparing "a set of proposals reflecting the main features of a provisional administrative structure" for the Northeast, and plans to submit the proposals to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam within two weeks, said the cabinet spokesman and Constitutional Affairs Minister in the UNF government, Mr. G.L.Peiris, addressing a press conference Thursday.
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