The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) will oppose any attempt by the government to hold a national referendum with a view to repealing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, SLMC General Secretary M. T. Hassen Ali, MP, said
 

Ali said: "Just because the government could not pass one Bill, it should not try to do away with the whole amendment. We will defend the 13th Amendment. It is unethical to hold a referendum at national level as the majority community would vote en-bloc in support of the move to repeal the 13th Amen

Defeated SLMC PC polls candidate Azath Salley on Friday (12) faults seven SLMC members elected to Eastern Provincial Council of betraying the party by voting in favour of the Divineguma Bill.

Twenty three Grade 1 principals of the Sri Lankan Education Administrative Service were commissioned as Brevet Colonels of the National Cadet Corp last week, after a training programme conducted at the National Cadet Training Academy in Rantambe. Plans are also afoot to commission another batch of Grade 2 principals as Majors of the National Cadet Corp. The rationale of this new endeavour is that military training would inculcate discipline, as stated by Secretary of Defence Gotabaya

NEW DELHI, October 13: Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan declared here today that Sri Lanka’s Tamils are prepared for a give-and-take with the Sinhalese to evolve a pragmatic solution to the festering ethnic problem.

The military yesterday said the 512 Brigade - the main unit of the Sri Lanka Army stationed in Jaffna - would be relocated in the peninsula handing over the houses it occupied back to the civilians.  

The brigade, which is in charge of operations in the peninsula had already handed over 18 of the 45 houses it occupied to relocate to the one acre land provided to the Army by the government.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa yesterday fired a salvo at the Supreme Court for not complying with the procedures laid out in the Constitution to be followed as regards Bills challenged in Court for their constitutionality.

The Speaker’s statement was made in agreement with all party leaders in Parliament on the manner in which the Supreme Court ruling on the Divi Neguma Bill was conveyed to Parliament. It was delivered to the Secretary General of Parliament and not the Speaker.

The government is to initiate legal action soon against some former hardcore LTTE cadres.

A committee of legal council appointed to look into the pending cases under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) announced that it has finalized the prosecution process.

Additional Solicitor General Suhada Gamlath told media that the government would file cases against 60 former LTTE cadres in the next few weeks.

Judges and lawyers will boycott courts today in protest against yesterday’s assault on Judicial Service Commission Secretary Manjula Thilakaratne, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

Five lawyers associations yesterday decided to extend the boycott to Tuesday as well and the lawyers practising in Colombo and suburbs are scheduled gather at Hulftsdorp this morning for a sit-in protest and then go in procession to the Fort Railway Station at 10.00 am, a media statement issued by the Young Lawyers&rsquo

Legislation to bring about the most significant changes in the election laws of the country since 1978 are set to be approved by Parliament on Wednesday, by way of amendments to the Local Authorities Elections Act.

This is seen as the first step in the long drawn out efforts to do away with the Proportional Representation (PR) or “manape’ system of electing members to representative bodies in the country.

Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka said yesterday that he would form a ‘united opposition alliance’ in the hope of unseating the government soon. The alliance’s inaugural rally will be held in Colombo on October 18.