Police informant businessman killed by Tigers at Dehiwela (Lankadeepa - S)
A Tamil businessman, who is said to have been giving information to the police about activities of the LTTE, was shot dead last Saturday night by a member of the Tiger pistol gang, at his communication center at Dehiwela.

The victim was, 47 year old Daniel Sathasivam who owned the Western Communication Center at Galle Road, Dehiwela. A former resident of Jaffna he had come to Colombo 15 years ago and had been living with his wife and two children at Asoka Gardens, Bambalapitiya.

All future elections on electorate system (Lakbima - S)
The interim report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms has recommended that the Electorate system should be used as the main method at all future elections, the Chairman of this committee, MP, Dinesh Gunawardene said. This interim report will be tabled in Parliament next Thursday, he also said. The committee has also recommended that using the National Identity Card be made compulsory in all future polls. The abolition of the preferential votes system and using of electronic machines have also been recommended in this interim report. Such machines are used in India and they will facilitate correct voting and quicker election results.

SLFP- JVP alliance called United People's Liberation Front (Thinakkural-T)
The signing of the SLFP JVP Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will take place at the BMICH tomorrow (20). The agreement will be signed on behalf of the SLFP by its General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena MP and on behalf of the JVP, by Tilvin Silva, General Secretary.

Meanwhile, Somawansa Amarasinghe, JVP leader who will arrive in Colombo tomorrow (20) from London to participate in tomorrow's function, will address a public meeting to be held on 27th January in the Colombo Municipal Council ground. There is no likelihood of President Chandrika Kumaratunga participating in this meeting.

Somawansa Amarasinghe is not expected to return to London but stay in Sri Lanka and engage himself in full time political activities.

Alliance to isolate minorities - TNA (Virakesari-T)
The SLFP JVP Alliance is to isolate the minority communities and to form a chauvinist Government, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said. The political aspirations of minorities will be suppressed and the future of the country, peace process and international aid will be adversely affected as a result of this Alliance, it has added.

The TNA has posed the question as to how the President hopes to hold peace talks with the LTTE after signing an agreement with the JVP, which opposed peace talks with the LTTE from the start.

Meanwhile, Joseph Pararajasingham, Vice President of the TNA, said that the sole idea behind this alliance is to capture power and not to continue the peace process and hold talks with the LTTE.

Legal action if local Government elections not held in Amparai district - Hakeem (Sudar Oli - T)
Rauff Hakeem, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader has warned that legal action will be taken if the local government elections are not held in the coastal areas of Amparai District where Muslims are in a majority, while addressing a meeting of SLMC candidates in the Amparai District on Saturday (17).

He further said that these elections should be held in the entire North-East and if this is not possible, elections should at least be held in areas where the Muslims are in a majority.

Historic alliance to be signed tomorrow (Thinakaran - T)
The alliance between the SLFP and the JVP will be signed tomorrow (20) at the BMICH.

According to political analysts, this agreement will be a turning point in the political history of the country. Invitations for the ceremony have been sent to more than 500 persons. Invitees include political leaders, artists, educationists and intellectuals.

Meanwhile, Maithripala Sirisena, General Secretary of the SLFP, has said that the SLFP JVP Alliance has been struck up to face any election. A massive public meeting has been planned in Colombo within a week of the signing of the alliance.

Akashi arrives today (Divaina-S)
Yasushi Akashi, Japanese Special Peace Envoy arrives in Sri Lanka today (19) and will remain here till the 25th of this month. The main objective of his visit is to participate in the second progress review meeting of aid pledged at the Tokyo Aid Group meeting, which will be held on 23rd in Colombo. In addition to this, he is expected to meet the President and the Prime Minister during his stay.

He will also visit Kilinochchi and meet political wing members of the LTTE.

President consults Indian Constitutional expert (Lankadeepa-S)
President Chandrika Kumaratunga recently consulted a leading constitutional expert Mr. K.K.Venugopal on devolution of power within a united Sri Lanka without affecting its territorial integrity and sovereignty and on the lines of a devolution of power included in the interim administration proposal of the LTTE.

The President is said to have discussed on how to amend the constitution to provide for the just rights of the Tamils and the aspirations of all political groups, says a statement issued by Presidential Advisor Lakshman Kadirgamar.