Please find attached documents that provide information on the composition of the new parliament, as well as the of the provincial councils elected in 1993.

According to an information officer at the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa, the current mayor of Colombo is Mr. K. Ganeshalingam of the United National Party (UNP) (14 Oct. 1994). Additional and/or corroborating information could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB.

One of the attached documents shows that the provincial assembly of the Central Province elected in 1993 consisted of 32 representatives from the United National Party (UNP), 15 from the People's Alliance (PA), nine from the Democratic United National Front (DUNF) and two from other groups (AFP 19 May 1993).

The most detailed account on the August 1994 parliamentary elections currently available to the DIRB indicates that the People's Alliance won 105 seats, the United National Party 94, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress seven, the Tamil United Liberation Front four or five, the Democratic People's Liberation Front three, an independent group from Nuwara Eliya one, the independent group from Jaffna district nine, and the Sri Lanka Progressive Front one (Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation 18 Aug. 1994). Parliament later elected a People's Alliance representative to be the new speaker (ibid. 25 Aug. 1994). For additional details on the recent elections and the new government, please consult the attached documents and the DIRB Indexed Media Review (IMR) on Sri Lanka, available at your Regional Documentation Centre.

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Agence France Presse [Hong Kong, in English]. 19 May 1993. "Final Election Results Published." (FBIS-NES-93-095 19 May 1993, p. 43)

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation International Service [Colombo, in English]. 25 August 1994. "Parliament Elects New Speaker." (FBIS-NES-94-166 26 Aug. 1994, pp. 72-73)

. 18 August 1994. "Party Performance in General Election Detailed." (FBIS-NES-94-161 19 Aug. 1994, p. 45)

High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Ottawa. 14 October 1994. Telephone interview with information officer.

Agence France Presse. 21 August 1994. Amal Jayasinghe. "Tamil King-Makers Support New PM to End War." (NEXIS)

[Hong Kong, in English]. 19 May 1993. "Final Election Results Published." (FBIS-NES-93-095 19 May 1993, p. 43)

Libération [Paris]. 18 August 1994. Romain Franklin. "L'opposition sri lankaise l'emporte aux législatives."

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation International Service [Colombo, in English]. 25 August 1994. "Parliament Elects New Speaker." (FBIS-NES-94-166 26 Aug. 1994, pp. 72-73)

. 17 August 1994. "Opposition Reportedly Wins 15 of 18 Districts." (FBIS-NES-94-160 18 Aug. 1994, p. 57)

. 18 August 1994. "Party Performance in General Election Detailed." (FBIS-NES-94-161 19 Aug. 1994, p. 45)