Devolution

By Saman IndrajithSaturday’s elections in the North will have an impact on the whole country, UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday.Making a special statement, the Opposition Leader said that the future of the will to find solution to the national problem, displayed by the TNA and the Government to a large extent, […]

Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari who met a top delegation of the British Tamils Forum (BTF) last weekend in London, has said that the BJP was very serious on taking up the ‘Sri Lanka issue’ in the Indian Lok-Sabha. BTF leaders V Ravi Kumar and S. Pathmanathan, who led the BTF delegation to the […]

By  Sandun A. Jayasekera in ChavakachcheriPresident Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday that the government had no intention of taking advice from Europe or any other power to resolve the country’s problems.Addressing an election rally in Kilinochchci in support of the UPFA candidates contesting the local government elections in Jaffna, he said, “We do not intend to […]

While Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has endeavored to work in the spirit of co-operation with the Sri Lanka Government, the Government has yet to address the Rehabilitation and Resettlement of all displaced Tamil families, continued to unlawfully repossess the land from Tamil people, and has failed to craft a political solution within the framework of […]

”The National Peace Council calls for the Tamil people to be provided with the right and opportunity to elect their representatives through a free and fair election. Any conclusions regarding the state of mind of the Tamil people and their attitude to the government can be judged only if a free and fair election is […]

Asia Report N°209 18 Jul 2011 Two years since the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Sri Lanka is further from reconciliation than ever. Triumphalist in its successful “war on terror”, the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has refused to acknowledge, let alone address, the Tamil minority’s legitimate grievances against the state. […]

”There are two underlying messages to Sri Lanka in the statement. One is India’s stance that in addressing Tamil grievances, the Sri Lanka government “must move towards a new system of institutional reforms, where the Tamil people will have a feeling that they are equal citizens of Sri Lanka, and they can lead and live […]

”In regard to matters of immediate concern for our people, high security zones,demilitarization, housing, livelihood, all that type of things ,and these deliberate, diabolical actions by some people with influence, they must be stopped. If they are not stopped, we will start civil disobedience campaigns in those areas. I will lead that campaign. I will […]

by D.B.S. JeyarajThe president will spend at least 3 days in Kilinochchi & Jaffna districts this week & invigorate the United Peoples Freedom Alliance campaignPresident wants to uplift “socially” underprivileged sections of Tamil society. They will be given priority in land,housing & job allocations Elections in the North will be held to 16 local authorities […]

Demand  of  autonomy has long history By Paikiasothy Saravavanamuttu There is to be another parliamentary select committee to find a political settlement of the ethnic conflict. The simple question is why, given that there have been many committees, all party ones, the famous Mangala Moonesinghe Committee way back when and the more recent APRC. All labored […]

By M.A. Sumanthiran MPMilitarization· Every activity that takes place in the North and East first requires approval by the Presidential Task Force and the military.· Lists of beneficiaries for projects in the north now have to be sent to the military. Incidents have been reported of the military altering these to include as beneficiaries individuals […]

 R.SAMPANTHAN, 5TH July 2011, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, TRINCOMALEEParliamentary Group Leader – Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi-I.T.A.K, Tamil National Alliance-T.N.A Hon SpeakerAdjournment Motion, ParliamentI hereby give notice that I shall after question time on the adjournment of Parliament on Thursday the 7th July 2011 move the following motion as a matter of urgent public importance.Whereas Sri Lanka […]

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan, moving an adjournment motion in Sri Lanka’s parliament Thursday and speaking on it said that his objective was “to develop a just settlement within an undivided Sri Lanka,” adding that this approach has been widely endorsed by the international community, notably India. The co-chairs have clearly stated and […]

Seeking India’s pro-active role in addressing the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, CPI today said it will organise a nationwide solidarity day tomorrow to highlight the sufferings of the ethnic minority in the island.Even two years after the war ended in Sri Lanka, the Tamils were “suffering” in camps with “no rehabilitation”, CPI National Secretary D […]

The island nation should abide by its promise to meet the legitimate aspirations of its Tamil population. The Sri Lankan President, Mr Mahinda Rajapakse, seems to be having second thoughts on his past assurances.July 7, 2011/ by G.PARTHASARATHYWhen the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms J Jayalalithaa, paid her first visit to New Delhi after assuming […]

06 July 2011 06:40The Indian government cannot remain insensitive to the sentiments expressed by the Tamil Nadu government, the Tamil Nadu people and politicians about issues affecting the Tamil-speaking people in Sri Lanka,Indian foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told journalists. “That is something you have to understand. It will always be there and I think you […]

A gang of SLFP ministers and parliamentarians, including presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa were camping in Jaffna last weekend to plan and campaign for the forthcoming civic elections to the town and village councils scheduled to take place in the north on 23 July. Their meetings were also participated by occupying Sri Lanka’s colonial governor Maj. […]

What President Rajapakse and his brothers – the real government – need at this time are friends – both local and foreign. Credible policies and a track record to show good intent will do well too.by I.S. Senguttuvan(July 02, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lankan watchers and students of how Rajapakse is running the government […]

”Just look at what is happening in Jaffna today. There is military rule. I was personally present when the army came and broke up an academic meeting on preserving ancient books. Our group is now scared of meeting again. by S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole1 July 2011,Naro Udeshi Commemoration Lecture,Mahatma Gandhi Centre, Colombo, June 30, 2011 […]

”The reserved list in the Sri Lankan Constitution begins with the rubric, “National policy on all subjects and functions”. A reasonable interpretation of this provision would be that Parliament can lay down national policy relating to a matter on the provincial list and the Provincial Council should adhere to this in making statutes.”1 July 2011 […]

“But the Tamil problem does not disappear, with the defeat of the LTTE. The Tamil population has legitimate grievances. They feel they are reduced to second-class citizens. the Sinhala chauvinism is a reality. But we have to find a difficult balance because what happens in Sri Lanka has a domestic dimension also.” Q 1: Sir, […]

MP Anura kumara “The so called All Party Committee headed by Prof. Tissa Vitarana had, after 127 sittings, produced a 11,000-odd page report, but there without a solution, he said. This time, too, the government was not concerned about the real issues of Tamil people living in the North and East, “June 29, 2011/ By […]

A center-right bloc of Conservative parliamentarians in the European Parliament Tuesday expressed support for “a just and peaceful solution for the Tamil community of Sri Lanka” and for “a negotiated political solution which can achieve maximum autonomy and regional devolution to Tamil majority areas within a single Sri Lankan state”, as well as “justice for […]

Sri Lanka says Parliament Committee on political solution will strengthen Parliament-28 June 2011Sri Lankan President said that the appointing of a Parliamentary Select Committee to find a permanent political solution to the ethnic problem was by no means a delaying tactic, but one that sought to obtain the concurrence of Parliament for any decision made, […]

“There was no pressure from India on the thirteenth amendment of thirteen plus,” Rajapaksa told reporters.Responding to a query on the visit by Indian National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, he said the Indians had only discussed with him routine bilateral issues.The Indian officials visited Colombo […]

The Muslim community today is not represented by any party or group as the Muslim political leadership has virtually collapsed. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, a byproduct of communal politics, came with the slogan of unity. However, almost a quarter century later today the SLMC, divided into numerous splinter groups and absorbed individually and collectively […]

By Sunday Times Political EditorThe proposed Parliamentary Select Committee would determine whether the 13th Amendment should be part of a settlement for Tamil grievances, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has re-iterated.He told the main opposition United National Party’s co-deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya on Friday that this was the UPFA government’s official position. He said the government wanted […]

Former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians as well as Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) leaders Mr. Sivajilingam and Mr. Sri Kantha have decided to dissolve their newly formed party Tamil National Liberation Alliance (TNLA) and to re-join TELO and TNA, with a view of strengthening TNA and restructuring TELO to meet the demands of the […]

June 24, 2011/by Shamindra FerdinandoThe SLMC is pushing for immediate expansion of post-war bilateral talks between the SLFP-led government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on devolution of powers.The SLMC says the Muslims should be represented at the talks and the failure on the part of the government to accommodate the party wouldn’t help ongoing […]

Douglas and Basil As Minister Douglas Devananda announced his candidature for the Chief Ministership of the Northern Province yesterday, the government intensified efforts at shutting down the potential opposition. Thursday night the army moved into a private TNA meeting of the leadership with its Local Government candidates in Alaveddy, assaulting all and sundry. About 60-75 […]