UNP Muslims threaten to quit over 'SLMC deal'

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 October 2001, 18:18 GMT]
United National Party organisers in the Muslim dominated coastal electorates of the Ampara district Friday decided to contest as an independent group if their leadership in Colombo were to go ahead with its seat sharing arrangement with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. “Under the agreement that our party appears to have tacitly reached the only Muslims candidates on the UNP list in the Ampara (Digamadulla) Electorate would be members of the SLMC. We fought against great odds at the last elections to keep the UNP flag flying in the Muslim electorates of the Ampara district. But now our party is ready to jettison us to accommodate the SLMC candidates on its list here,” one of the chief Muslim organisers of the UNP told Tamilnet in Kalmunai Friday.
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Sellasamy goes back to CWC

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 October 2001, 14:13 GMT]
Mr. M.S Sellasamy, a veteran trade unionist joined the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) Friday amid moves to bring the main Tamil parties and unions in the island’s plantation sector under one umbrella to contest the general elections on 5 December. The CWC and the Upcountry People’s Front (UPF) are holding talks on forming a broad front to contest in districts outside the island’s northeast, particularly in the central province where there are substantial numbers of Tamils. “We are exploring the possibility of strengthening our position in the hill country by coming to an arrangement with the United National Party,” a CWC leader said.
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Jaffna journalist's murder investigation said abandoned

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 October 2001, 04:45 GMT]
In an open letter Friday to Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga, drafted by the Free Media Movement, the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance and the international press freedom watchdog Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), more than 200 journalists, media workers, media organisations, trade unions, international and local NGOs, academics, protested at the lack of progress in the inquiry of the brutal murder of Jaffna journalist Mylvaganam Nimalarajan on 19 October last year.
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Sampanthan leads Tamil parties' alliance in Trinco

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 October 2001, 19:11 GMT]
The Trincomalee branch of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Thursday unanimously decided to nominate Mr.R.Sampanthan, Secretary General of the party as the lead candidate of Tamil parties' alliance for the Trincomalee district at the forthcoming general election.
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Jaffna NGOs call for common election programme

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 October 2001, 16:54 GMT]
Non-governmental organisations in Jaffna Thursday called on all politicians and parties intending to contest the general elections in the northern peninsula to come under one umbrella based on a common programme. The statement issued jointly by 47 NGOs operating in Jaffna, urged political parties to formulate the common agenda on the basis of the Tamil people’s right of self determination, the lifting of the ban on the Liberation Tigers and the resumption of the peace talks with third party mediation.
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Six wounded in Trinco attack

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 October 2001, 02:58 GMT]
Four military trained police personnel and two Sri Lankan army soldiers were seriously injured around midnight Wednesday in a attack by the Liberation Tigers on the combined security post at Neduntheevu in the Kinniya division, about eighteen kilometres southwest of Trincomalee town, defense sources said. One of the injured policemen is reported to be in critical condition.
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Tamil parties form alliance

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 October 2001, 20:37 GMT]
The main opposition Tamil parties in Sri Lanka agreed Wednesday to form a Tamil nationalist alliance to contest the general elections on 5 December 2001. The agreement was reached late Wednesday night following protracted negotiations over the week. The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) decided to cement the alliance by signing a memorandum of understanding on Friday.
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Vanni farmers file FR case in Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 October 2001, 15:45 GMT]
The Supreme Court Wednesday entertained a fundamental rights violation application filed by six Tamils against the imposition of control in transporting kerosene and fuel to Vanni region which is now not under the control of state armed forces.
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Trinco group warns against fragmenting Tamil vote

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 October 2001, 18:50 GMT]
The three opposition Tamil parties, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), should join hands to regain the Tamil parliamentary representation in Trincomalee district which was lost in October 2000 general election, said a statement issued by the People Development Association (PDO) in Trincomalee Monday. The EPDP, however, says that it will contests the elections alone, in the eastern districts.
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ACTC disrupts Tamil unity moves again

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 October 2001, 19:40 GMT]
Hectic negotiations to cement a common Tamil front ran aground again Sunday night when Mr. Appathurai Vinayagamoorthy, the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) refused to contest the general elections on 5 December under a common symbol in Jaffna. The ACTC leader told a private radio station earlier in the day that his party had decided to contest as a constituent of a Tamil national alliance. However, when the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation and the Tamil United Liberation Front met the ACTC Sunday night to finalise details of the Tamil alliance, Mr. Vinayagamoorthy insisted that his party cannot contest under a common symbol in Jaffna. "That's where the need is greatest for us to stand united as one nationalist force in order to defeat the anti-Tamil forces which are spreading their tentacles in the peninsula," said Selvam Adaikalanathan, the leader of the TELO.
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Sinhala domination in N-E Youth Camp criticised

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 October 2001, 21:21 GMT]
Tamil and Muslim youths participating in a youth camp organized by the Sri Lanka National Youth Federation in collaboration with the North-East Provincial Council inaugurated Saturday in Trincomalee protested against the organisers for not giving due place to the Tamil language and Tamil culture.
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EPDP demands 50 million from Batticaloa daily

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 October 2001, 15:53 GMT]
Mr. Douglas Devenanda, the leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party, a major partner of the People's Alliance, has demanded 50 million rupees in damages from Thinakathir, the Tamil daily newspaper published in Batticaloa.
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Tamil unity talks continue, Joseph, Vinayagamoorthy stall

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 October 2001, 12:34 GMT]
Negotiations between the main opposition Tamil political parties to form a common front to contest the general elections to the Sri Lankan Parliament which commenced Thursday are still inconclusive, despite appeals and memoranda sent by supporters and general interest groups urging unity, political sources said. Mr. Appapillai Vinayagamoorthy, the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress announced as soon as the Parliament was dissolved that his party would go it alone. However, following deliberations late last night, Mr. Vinayagamoorthy said that the ACTC would refrain from dividing the Tamil vote outside the Jaffna electoral district. Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham ex- MP for Batticaloa said he was not in favour of his party forming an alliance with the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO).
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Three school boys arrested in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 October 2001, 09:13 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Police arrested three schoolboys in Jaffna Thursday. The three are students at the Sri Parvathi Maha Vithiyalayam in Nayanmaarkattu near Jaffna town. Their parents informed the Human Rights Commission about the arrests today. Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Unit of the Police Thursday produced in the Mannar courts a youth who had been taken into custody for possessing a mobile phone. The Sri Lankan government prohibits the use of mobile phones in the northern and eastern parts of the island. Tamil civilians from other parts of the island are, however, allowed to carry their mobile phones when visiting the army controlled parts of the east or the Vavuniya town.
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Tamil parties urged to unite

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 October 2001, 20:00 GMT]
Prominent Tamil citizens and organizations in the eastern province have already started sending memorandums to the Tamil political parties to form an alliance to contest the forthcoming general election scheduled on December 5, and to thereby prevent the split of Tamil vote.
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"Will oppose any govt. if no solution to Tamil problem" -Selvam

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 October 2001, 21:04 GMT]
"This government has been waging a relentless war on my people without solving their problem. We have therefore been trying to bring this government down. Today the time is ripe for it. We would take the same stand against any government in Sri Lanka that tries to wage war on our people", said 'Selvam' Adaikalanathan, MP, the leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation, commenting on the current political crisis in the island, Wednesday evening.
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TULF to back no-confidence motion

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 October 2001, 20:39 GMT]
The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Sunday unanimously decided to extend its support to the no-confidence motion moved by the main opposition United National Party against the People's Alliance (PA) Government. The TULF further decided to move an amendment to the main no-confidence motion of the UNP which reads "This House declares that it has no confidence in the Government since it is demonstrably clear that it cannot solve the pressing problems of the country and its people".
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Tamils propose Prof. Sivathamby too for council

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 October 2001, 20:00 GMT]
Tamil opposition parties in Sri Lanka's Parliament Saturday night proposed the names of Prof.Karthigesu Sivathamby, Dr.Devanesan Nesaiah, former judge Mr.T.Suntharalingam and former Treasury Secretary Mr.A.Shanmugalingam after a legal hitch precluded the nominee they selected Thursday. The three parties told the Prime Minister to appoint one from among the four names proposed by them to the constitutional council.
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Youth taken off bus, detained in Welikanda

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 October 2001, 17:12 GMT]
A youth was arrested by the Sri Lankan Police at Welikanda, 60 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa, Saturday morning. The youth was taken off a bus from Batticaloa to Trincomalee by the Police at the Welikanda checkpoint. Police sources said that the youth was detained as he did not have a Sri Lankan security forces ‘clearance pass’ to travel outside Batticaloa.
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Tamils nominate lawyer, express reservations on council

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 October 2001, 07:25 GMT]
The three opposition Tamil parties in the Sri Lankan Parliament Thursday night unanimously elected Mr. R. I. Thambiratnam, a leading lawyer, to represent the Tamil people of northeast province in the constitutional council. However, Mr. 'Selvam' Adaikalanathan, MP for the Vanni and the leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) said, "The constitutional council and the independent commissions on Police, elections, judicial services and public service are clearly aimed at clipping the powers of the executive presidency. They are intended to make the unitary state machine run more efficaciously. But the unitary state is the root cause of Tamil grievances. The council and the commissions would ensure more democracy for the Sinhala people but not the Tamils. One would have no illusions about this when one considers how these Sinhala parties which united to pass the 17th amendment dumped the equal opportunities bill."
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