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1. Election campaign 2. Election monitoring 3. Views on peace talks 4. Allegations and counter allegations 5. War related news 6. Other news 7. Articles

A news bulletin on Sri Lanka produced by Australian and New Zealand activists working for peace in Sri Lanka. contact: Australia - Willie mailto:willie@apex.net.auwillie@apex.net.au New Zealand - Malathy mailto:malathy@ihug.co.nz

1. Election campaign ==========

Over 4500 candidates representing 18 registered political parties and 42 independent groups are contesting the general elections of 5 December for the 225-seat parliament. The election campaign has been marred by violence and a number of people have, so far, been killed and dozens wounded. Police Headquarters said nearly 700 complaints of election related violence have been reported since nomination closed more than two weeks ago.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga told the People's Alliance inaugural election rally at Anuradhapura last week that a plot has been bared where the leader of the United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremesinghe has planned to hand over a separate State to the LTTE in the event of his party return into power.

In response, Mr Wickramasinghe said at an election rally at Mawathagama "We have no agreement what so ever with the LTTE and I pledge to unite the country after solving the current conflict effectively while also protecting the unitary status and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka".

Mr Wimal Weerawansa, the propaganda secretary of the JVP said in a recent news conference that the LTTE will have to agree to three pre conditions if peace talks are to be held. The conditions are the LTTE must give up the claim for a separate state; stop all military activity and training during the talks; and set a firm time table to hand over weapons.

The Alliance of Tamil parties formally launched their campaign by promising to pressurise a new government to enter peace talks with the LTTE within two weeks of the vote. The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) general secretary R. Sampanthan said. "Whoever forms the next government must join with the main opposition in inviting the LTTE to talks."

Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne, leader of the NSSP, insisted that northeast province should be recognised as the fatherland of Tamils and rights of these people should be granted forthwith.

As reported in the Sunday Times newspaper of 11 November, a recent opinion poll has shown an alliance led by the UNP receiving 40 percent of votes at the December 5 election compared to 33 percent for the ruling Peoples' Alliance coalition. The opinion poll was conducted by Survey Research Lanka Ltd in all parts of the country except the war-torn north and east.

2. Election monitoring ==========

The European Union has decided to send a team of 50 observers to oversee Sri Lanka's parliamentary elections next month at the invitation of Sri Lanka's Election Commissioner, Mr Dayananda Dissanayake. India is also expected to send a number of observers.

The Commonwealth Secretariat and the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division have expressed their inability to send observers. Sri Lanka has also invited observers from the International Federation for Election Systems and the Asian Election Authority.

3. Views on peace talks ==========

President Kumaratunga at a news conference on 13 November extended an invitation to the LTTE to open peace talks, but ruled out compromise on issues that derailed a Norwegian-brokered peace bid. President has said "We invite the terrorists, at least, now to give up their demand for Eelam and come for talks."

Foreign Minister Mr Kadirgamar said in a television interview on 6 November that a lack of political will has led to the collapse of the Norway peace initiative. He said the government and the LTTE had been on the verge of signing a pre-talks agreement in April when it was scuppered by a new rebel demand that a ban on their organisation be lifted before talks begin. (Note: the LTTE say the peace process was undone by the government's failure to match a four-month unilateral cease-fire they declared in December last year.)

The UNP manifesto has offered to talk with all political groups, including the LTTE to end war if it is elected in next month's elections. The UNP is proposing an interim administration for a "brief period" in the northern and eastern regions. The UNP is also offering a commission to look into the grievances of hundreds of thousands of people displaced within the country due to the conflict.

The alliance of Tamil parties has urged the government to open peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels, saying the guerrillas appeared ready to compromise on demands for a separate state. They said they believed the LTTE were ready to accept a "viable alternative" to an earlier demand for a separate state called Eelam. The alliance also called for the de-proscription of the LTTE nationally and internationally.

Mr Rauff Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, said negotiations with the LTTE alone cannot bring a solution to the current conflict, and the accredited representatives of the Muslim people should also be consulted. Mr Hakeem said the LTTE was certainly the "principal actor" in the problem, but they are not the sole party to be spoken to and the Muslims should also be included in the process.

4. Allegations and counter allegations ==========

President Kumaratunga and Mr S.B. Dissanayake, a former Minister who is now in the Opposition, are accusing each other of planning to attack journalists who were writing against the government. The President alleged at an election meeting recently that Mr Dissanayake had suggested eliminating one or two newspaper editors who are critical of the Government.

Mr. Dissanayake, in turn, alleged that it was not he but the President who wanted to attack journalists. He said the editors targeted were Mr Lasantha Wickremetunge, editor of the English language weekly 'Sunday Leader', and Mr Victor Ivan, editor of the Sinhala language weekly 'Ravaya'.

5. War related news ==========

02 Nov - Over 50 LTTE rebels attacked a police post in eastern Sri Lanka, killing eleven policemen and injuring 16 others, defence officials said.

06 Nov - Two Sri Lankan soldiers were killed by rebel mortar fire as sporadic fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tigers.

7 Nov - Fighting between government troops and Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka's north, left 16 rebels and two soldiers dead, a government spokesman said.

8 Nov - The TamilNet reported that eleven military trained police personnel were killed, and 11 policemen and three Sri Lanka Army soldiers were wounded in an attack by the LTTE near Mutur.

9 Nov - A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber jumped in front of a police vehicle in Valachchenai in eastern Sri Lanka and detonated explosives he was carrying, but failed to hit his target, police said.

Nov 10 - TamilNet reported that the Liberation Tigers overran a camp of military trained Police in a coastal suburb of Batticaloa town killing three military trained Policemen. defence officials said that in a spate of attacks against government forces in north eastern Tamil Tigers killed six soldiers and two children.

11 Nov - Tamil Tiger rebels attacked two police outposts in eastern Sri Lanka killing three policemen and wounding nine others, military officials and witnesses said.

12 Nov - At least 11 Tamil Tiger guerrillas and three policemen were killed in fresh fighting in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Monday.

13 Nov - A military trained policeman was shot dead by gunmen suspected to be Liberation Tigers at a checkpoint on the main road in Vammiyadi near Batticaloa.

6. Other news ==========

A recent survey, which was sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency, found 45 percent of the respondents put the economy above peace on the country's list of priorities. Only 39 percent thought the war was a bigger concern than the economy, which is growing at its slowest pace in 30 years. The poll showed, however, that 77 percent of all Sri Lankans approved of peace talks with the LTTE.

The Sunday Leader newspaper of 11 November reported that Baddegana Sanjeewa, who was a former member of the Presidential Security Division, was involved in orchestrating the assassination of former Tamil politician, Mr Kumar Ponnambalam in January 2000. Mr Sanjeewa found shot dead in Colombo early this moth.

Last week, Canadian government listed a number of groups, including the LTTE, as terrorist organisations. The list also includes the Abu Nidal organisation, Aum Shinkriyo, Hamas, the Palestinian Liberation Front, PKK and the real IRA. A Canadian foreign ministry said the decision was taken following a recommendation from Canadian security and intelligence agencies.

The Embassy of the USA in Sri Lanka announced on 3 November that USA's list of foreign terrorist organisations, on which the LTTE is listed, has been merged with the list established by President Bush in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. The combined list is subject to enforcement through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which freezes assets of the organisations and individuals on the list and otherwise restricts their activities.

Opposition leader Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe has raised fears for his safety and accused the military of plotting to assassinate him. He said "I also have information that the directorate of military intelligence (DMI) is training four Tamil men in the use of high explosives and thermobaric weapons. Sri Lanka's army chief, Lieutenant General Lionel Balagalle, in a letter to the UNP has denied the allegation.

On 6 November, more than a hundred parents and family members of the persons who were arrested by the Sri Lankan security forces and went missing in Jaffna staged a demonstration in front of the Jaffna District Secretariat on 5 November. The families of the missing allege that the government has deliberately shelved investigations.

Yesterday (15 November), Australia deported 37 Sri Lankans who tried to enter the country illegally. Thirty-three of them had travelled in a fishing boat and arrived at Cocos Island, an Australian territory 1,800 kilometres off the coast of Western Australia in mid-September.

7. Articles/letters ==========

An article by Nirupama Subramanium on the forthcoming elections in Sri Lanka, appeared in the 10-23 November issue of the Frontline Magazine (http://www.flonnet.com/fl1823/18230550.htm)

ENDS

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