by D.B.S.Jeyaraj The political landscape of Sri Lanka seems gloomy and desolate. Most of the actors who strut about the political stage posing as visionaries and leaders are in actuality empty vessels devoid of substance. Proverbial wisdom tells us that empty vessels make most sound. This is most apparent in the cacophony of voices currently …
By Dr. H. M. Gunatilake, Former Director, Asian Development Bank The telephone recordings of Mr. Ramanayake, a Member of Parliament, which revealed deeply entrenched corruption across Sri Lankan society overwhelmingly shattered the confidence about the entire governance system in the country. It also highlighted the utmost importance of reinvigorating dialogue on corruption and empowering people …
Continue reading ‘Democracy and Corruption in Sri Lanka: A Realistic Perspective’ »
By Nuwan Senarathne The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) ironed out their differences yesterday and forwarded an application to the Election Commission to register a new alliance under the Flower Bud symbol to contest the upcoming parliamentary election. The nine-party alliance to be called the ‘Sri Lanka Nidahas …
By Akitha Perera UNP MP S.M.Marikkar yesterday said, no Sri Lankan should apply for US visa until the US government revoked its decision to prevent the Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva and his family members from visiting that country.
An application was filed at the Elections Commission to register a party named Patriotic United National Party (PUNP) yesterday under the ‘heart’ symbol. PUNP comprises a breakaway faction of the UNP that pledged support to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during the 2019 presidential election. The application was filed by Sugath Hewapathirana.
(Text of Media Release Issued by Human Rights Watch) Sri Lankan security forces and intelligence agencies have intensified surveillance and threats against families of victims of enforced disappearance and activists supporting them since Gotabaya Rajapaksa became president in November 2019, Human Rights Watch said today. The Sri Lankan government should fulfill its commitments to the …
By K. Ratnayake Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse ended a four-day trip to India on Tuesday. It was the third visit to New Delhi by leading figures of the Colombo government in the three months since the election of President Gotabhaya Rajapakse. Three days after Gotabhaya Rajapakse won the election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi …
By The Sunday Morning News Desk Following the recent arrest of former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kapila Chandrasena and his wife Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake, after investigations revealed their alleged involvement in the corrupt deal with European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, fresh details of the financial trail as well as the complex banking and corporate …
The Government yesterday conveyed Sri Lanka’s strong objections on the imposition of travel restrictions on Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva and members of his immediate family and requested the US Government to review its decision. Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena summoned and conveyed to US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz Sri Lanka’s strong …
By Charumini de Silva Plantation Industries and Export Agriculture Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana says no final decision has been made yet on the three proposals submitted by the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs). Accordingly the three models proposed by the RPCs include outgrower, productivity-based incentives and revenue sharing model. “We are still in the process of …
By M. Thevarajah On January 14, President Gotabhaya Rajapakse’s office issued a media release declaring that the president wanted the minimum daily wage of tea plantation workers increased to 1,000 rupees ($US5.50), starting on March 1. The announcement was immediately hailed by Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) leader Arumugam Thondaman, a cabinet minister in the new …
By The “Sunday Times” Diplomatic Editor United States Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz has been summoned to the Foreign Relations Ministry today to be told of the government’s displeasure over the travel ban on Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Shavendra de Silva, considered a ‘war hero’ in Sri Lanka, and his family. Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, who …
By Maria Abi-Habib and Dharisha Bastians The United States has imposed an entry bar on Sri Lanka’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, citing his alleged involvement in war crimes during the final stages of the country’s civil war. The travel restriction on the general is the first significant international penalty to be imposed on …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake With the Ranil vs Sajith debate dragging on we are now moving to a battle on symbols. Ranil is not ready to give the elephant symbol to the new Sajith-led alliance. So we are moving to the heart of the matter. Sajith has picked on the heart symbol, and the polls commission …
By Julian Borger in Washington The US has imposed sanctions on Sri Lanka’s chief of army staff, Lt Gen Shavendra Silva, for war crimes committed at final stages of the conflict against the Tamil Tigers in 2009, when up to 70,000 Tamil civilians were killed. The US travel ban against Silva and his family marks …
(Text of Press Statement Issued by US Secretary of State Michael R.Pompeo on February 14th 2020) The Department of State has designated Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, current Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Acting Chief of Defense Staff, as required under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations …
The Government last night took strong objection against the imposition of travel restrictions by the US against Army Commander Lt. General Shavendra Silva and his family to the United States. Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the US Department of State has designated Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, current Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Acting …
Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne yesterday said external timelines would only hinder the reconciliation process as they function independent of ground realities. “Timelines evolved externally in achieving stated objectives would only seek to hinder the process of reconciliation since they would be bereft of ground realities,” emphasised Sri Lanka’s …
By Dr. Prasanna Cooray MSH Mohamed is an iconic figure in cancer philanthropy in Sri Lanka. He, together with his Fight Cancer Team, toiled with great determination and dedication to fulfill the sole ambition of his late son, Humaid, who succumbed to cancer three years ago. His last wish was to equip the Apeksha Cancer …
By Kshama Ranawana Could Restorative Justice be the key to healing a deeply wounded society such as ours? That was the discussion that took place on Monday, February 3rd, at the BMICH, where Barry Hart, Professor of Psycho-Social Trauma, Identity, Dignity and Peacebuilding, of the Eastern Mennonite University, USA and Initiatives of Change (IoC) Global, …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka Unarguably, Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) is the most universally respected Asian statesman of our time. He is esteemed from Washington to Havana, from Moscow to Beijing; from East to West and North to South, both for the quality of his mind and his conspicuous practical success as a transformational leader. LKY is …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene One of the stranger if not outlandish manifestations of the upending of Sri Lanka’s legal order is the ongoing tussle between the Attorney General and the Presidential Commission inquiring into alleged incidents of political victimisation of public servants during the previous Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government. A truly extraordinary directive The source of this …
The Election Commission (EC) has recognised Sajith Premadasa as the new leader of Our National Front (ONF) or Ape Jathika Peramuna and MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara as its General Secretary, as well as a change in the party’s name to Samagi Jana Balawegaya or United National Power (UNP), with the new acronym widening divisions within …
By Akitha Perera and Chaminda Silva The Election Commission (EC) has approved a request from those supporting Sajith Premadasa to rename ‘Ape Jathika Peramuna’ as ‘Samagi Jana Balavegaya,’ and make MP Ranjith Maddumabandara its General Secretary. The Premadasa faction wants to contest the upcoming general election from ‘Samagi Jana Balavegaya.’ Commissioner General of Elections Commission, …
By Chandani Kirinde The UNP Working Committee yesterday unanimously approved the name of MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara as the General Secretary of the new UNP-led alliance to be formed to contest the upcoming General Elections, but differences over the symbol under which the polls will be contested led to several members walking out of the …
By Arjuna Ranawana Premadasa is likely to contest the forthcoming election leading a new alliance called the Jathika Samagi Balavegaya (National Unity Force), officials at the Opposition Leader’s office said.
By Ben Travers Bong Joon Ho saved the Oscars. His smile. His crazy hair. The way he walks, and, yes, the way he talks, but especially the way he directs — all of these (literally) winning attributes not only contributed to a history-making 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, but kept it from ranking among the worst …
(Excerpted From the “Sunday Times” Political Column) The news came many months after a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the procurement of Airbus A-350 aircraft by SriLankan Airlines and its findings remained in limbo. All of a sudden, the Attorney General’s Department directed the Police this week to obtain a warrant from the Magistrate’s …
Police Special Task Force (STF) yesterday arrested 21 people, including a Colonel and two soldiers, who were excavating a land in Dharmapuram, Kilinochchi in search of gold buried by the LTTE. The Colonel and the two soldiers were providing security to those carrying out the excavation. All three were in army uniform and are members …
By Imesh Ranasinghe The main opposition United National Party (UNP) challenged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today to present the audit reports of the ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ fund to parliament.
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa Instructions have been issued by the President’s Office to all permanent ministry secretaries including the Prime Minister’s Secretary, not to accept or entertain any form of communications from the private staff or any other officer of the Prime Minister’s Office, ministry, or state ministry. Secretary to the President Dr. P.B. Jayasundera had …
By Padma Rao Sundarji Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is on his first visit to India since taking office. He spoke to Padma Rao Sundarji about Sri Lanka’s ship with Pakistan, which India accuses of being involved in cross-border terrorism; proposed changes to Tamil provincial councils instead of giving them greater autonomy under the …
In his media statement after talks with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa here on Saturday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he is “confident that the Sri Lankan government will realize the expectations of equality, justice, peace and respect of the Tamil people within a united Sri Lanka.” But the Lankan Prime Minister …
By Suhasini Haidar Sri Lanka wants India to allow debt repayments by Colombo to be deferred for three years, visiting Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said in order to help the country deal with its massive debt burden. The issue was at the top of the agenda when Mr. Rajapaksa met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in …
By Suhasini Haidar On his first visit after being sworn in as Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. Mr. Mahinda told The Hindu about his hopes for debt-restructuring, and also about projects now on the anvil, although his government will not carry forward the projects agreed to …
A Sri Lanka court has remanded the ex-Chief Executive Kapila Chandrasena and his wife over a suspected money laundering offence related linked a purchase of a fleet of Airbus aircraft from 2013, who surrendered to police. Colombo Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanyake had remanded Chandrasena and his wife Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake till February 19, after they …
By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana Though I no longer support the UNP, because of its recent unpatriotic stance, I still do not, even in the wildest of dreams, wish for its demise. Unfortunately, this exactly seems to be what the leader and his deputy seem attempting to do. Are they so dumb that they do not …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake While the publicity blitz on coronavirus seems to be settling down, there is now a political and corruption blitz catching on. It is the ‘Voharika Viganana Prahaaraya’ of Forensic Audit Blitz (FAB). As the debate on the FAB gets louder the spread of corruption across the political divide in the country gets …
by Dr Nirmala Chandrahasan In a recent article in The Island captioned “Alleged war crimes lame excuse to introduce new Constitution”, the writer puts forward the view that the process initiated by the previous UNF government to draft a new Constitution, with the Parliament constituting itself into a Constitutional Assembly in 2016, was as a …
By Lakmal Sooriyagoda The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar yesterday ordered to re-issue summons on former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda in connection with the indictments filed over the abduction of eleven persons in 2008 and 2009. The Trial-at-Bar bench comprising High Court Judges Champa Janaki Rajarathne (President), Amal Ranaraja and Nawaratne Marasinghe ordered the CID to …
By Ifham Nizam Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) Spokesman Sajeewa Chamikara says the government has caused grave environmental degradation by allowing racketeers to extract granite, soil and sand with hardly any control Some government ministers had also advised officials to turn a blind eye to environmental destruction caused by ‘development projects’, he alleged.
By Himal Kotelawala Martin Luther King Jr is often cited as a shining example of civility, of benign agitation. His was the kind of allegedly meek, half-hearted protestation the liberal intelligentsia of the West nostalgically point to when confronted with today’s youthful, unabashedly disruptive activism. The world’s collective memory of King Jr has been shaped …
By Aditi Khanna London, Feb 6 (PTI) British mercenary pilots helped Indian troops in their battle against the Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels in Sri Lanka in the 1980s, a new book reveals for the first time. The Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) received air support from these for-hire British pilots despite Indian …
By A.J.A. Abeynayake and Kasuni Rebeca Deputy Solicitor General Thusitha Mudalige yesterday (06) told Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake that part of USD 2 mn received by Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake, wife of former SirLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena, from Airbus SE of France, had been credited to the accounts of one or two persons living in …
The UNP Working Committee meeting which was to be held this morning, was postponed to Monday (10). The meeting was postponed after Opposition leader, Sajith Premadasa informed that he could not attend the meeting.
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s crisply yet firmly delivered (and electorally pitch-perfect) Conservative nationalist democratic discourse, the presence as ‘special distinguished guest’ of Russia’s Gen. Salyukov, Commander-in-Chief of Land Forces, the impressive military parade and colourful multicultural display, and on the flipside, the non-rendition of the National Anthem in Tamil, constituted the point-counterpoint of …
Former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kapila Chandrasena and his wife Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake, who were arrested on money laundering charges, were remanded until 19 February by Colombo Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake yesterday. The couple surrendered to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) last morning and statements were recorded from them before they were produced …
SriLankan Airlines ex-Chief Executive Kapila Chandrasena and his wife Priyanka Wijenaike who are wanted in the Airbus bribery case have surrendered to Police, a top official said. “They are now at the CID and their statements are being recorded,” Media Spokesman Superintendent Jaliya Senaratne told EconomyNext on Thursday. Sri Lanka’s Attorney General asked Chandrasena and …
By Rathindra Kuruwita Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa told Parliament yesterday that those who had received houses in villages built by the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) between 2015 and 2019 were yet to receive deeds confirming ownership. The Premier said so in response to a query posed by UPFA MP Anuradha Jayaratne. Premier Rajapaksa said …
In his oration at the Independence Square here on Tuesday to mark Sri Lanka’s 72nd.year of freedom from the British, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa clearly outlined the policies he will pursue in the next five years. He said that he will build a composite Sri Lanka where every group (including ethnic and religious groups) will enjoy …
By Chandani Kirinde Police were unable to trace the whereabouts of former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena and his wife Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake, after a warrant was issued for their arrest by the Colombo Fort Magistrate on Monday, following the Attorney General directing that they be apprehended and produced in Court to face charges of …
· (Address by His Excellency Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the 72nd Independence Day celebrations) Most Venerable Maha Sangha, Other Religious Dignitaries Hon. Prime Minister Hon. Speaker Hon. Chief Justice Hon. Ministers, Ministers of State and Members of Parliament Hon. Governors H. E. the Ambassadors and High Commissioners …
By Chandani Kirinde The Attorney General’s Department yesterday directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to obtain an arrest warrant from the Magistrate Court to arrest former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena and his wife due to their alleged links to a $ 2 million bribe from French plane-maker Airbus. This followed investigative material submitted by …
by D,B.S.JEYARAJ Singing The National Anthem In Tamil Trilogy – 3 This is my third and final column in this trilogy of articles about the singing of Sri Lanka’s national anthem in the Sinhala and Tamil languages. I would have very much liked to write about hot topics like Ranjan Ramanayake’s recordings or President Gotabaya’s …
Continue reading ‘Tamils Want To Sing The National Anthem In Their Mother Tongue’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Singing The National Anthem In Tamil Trilogy – 2 2020 has dawned!Greetings for the new year to all “Daily Mirror” readers. My article in these columns last week about moves being contemplated to forbid the singing of Sri Lanka’s national anthem in Tamil at the 70th independence day event, seems to have been …
Continue reading ‘The Past Under Mahinda Is Resurfacing In The Present Under Gotabaya’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Singing The National Anthem In Tamil Trilogy – 1 The news story appearing in the “Daily Mirror”last week was like a bolt out of the blue. It said that the national anthem would be sung in the Sinhala language only at the forthcoming celebratory event of Sri Lanka or Ceylon gaining full independence …
Continue reading ‘Singing The National Anthem in The Sinhala and Tamil Languages’ »
PLEASE JOIN US at an Independence Day event coinciding with the official government event on Feb. 4th, from 9-10.30am, at the Borella Cemetery (Kanatta) roundabout, where we will sing the National Anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil, at the same time it’s being sung at Independence Square, which we can follow on live feed. 📜 …
United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his Independence Day message, called for Sri Lankans to refocus on unity, pointing out that the cohesion that existed between different communities had eroded since Independence.
By Kelum Bandara Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) categorically rejected the idea mooted by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa for him to tie up with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in forming a government subsequent to the upcoming parliamentary polls. Addressing a recent press conference, SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris said the country had a bitter experience of …
The CID, yesterday evening, launched a search for former SriLankan CEO Kapila Chandrasena and his wife, Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake, over a questionable aircraft deal. A senior CID officer said an arrest warrant had been obtained and a special team deployed to look for the suspects. Attorney General, Dappula de Livera, yesterday, directed the CID to …
Preparations are underway to celebrate Sri Lanka’s 72nd Independence Day in Colombo tomorrow with full military pageantry, attended by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, members of parliament, diplomats and others. Tomorrow’s ceremony, to be held at Independence Square under the theme ‘A Secured Nation – A Prosperous Country’, will be Rajapaksa’s first Independence Day commemoration since taking …
A day before the country celebrates her 72nd anniversary of independence, former Minister for National Integration and Official Languages MP Mano Ganeshan made a final hour call to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to allow the National Anthem to be sung in both Sinhala and Tamil at Tuesday’s celebrations, to be held at Independence Square, Colombo.
By Namini Wijedasa Airbus SE hired the wife of a SriLankan Airlines (SLA) executive as a business partner through a dummy company she registered in Brunei. The corporation then paid into this entity’s account US$ 2mn (Rs 362mn) out of a total US$ 16.84mn (Rs 3bn) promised in return for ensuring that the national carrier …
Tourist arrivals from China to Sri Lanka have dropped about 40 percent from January 23 as both countries tightened travel requirements in a bid to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, officials said. “A considerable number of travelers have stopped coming to the country from China, as a percentage it could be on average …
By Prof. Susirith Mendis I have written about this on a few occasions before. But this is the first time I am venturing to do so since President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected President of Sri Lanka. I reiterate, he was elected President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka as five others have been …
By Shehan Chamika Silva An arrest warrant was issued by Colombo Fort Magistrate today ordering the CID to arrest SriLankan Airlines former CEO Kapila Chandrasena and wife Priyanka Vijenayake over the Airbus deal in 2013. Earlier today, Attorney General Dappula De Livera directed the CID Director to obtain a warrant, arrest and produce former CEO …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday ordered a full inquiry into allegations that the wife of a SriLankan Airlines executive was paid $ 2 million by Airbus through a Brunei shell company to obtain or retain business or advantage in the conduct of business with the national carrier during 2011-2015. “The President has become aware of the …
Sri Lanka has been identified as a country at risk of conflict or escalation of violence in the International Crisis Group’s early-warning Watch List 2020. The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG), an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict identifies up to ten countries and regions at risk of conflict or …
UNP MP and economist Dr. Harsha de Silva yesterday declared that the expert forensic audits on irregularities of Bond auctions and EPF stock market investments have exposed the nexus between two Central Bank Governors Ajith Nivard Cabraal and Arjuna Mahendran with the controversial Arjun Aloysius. Armed with the copies of the five forensic audits which …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Exactly a day after the pomp and the show of India’s celebrations of Republic Day 2020 faded, a young law student standing in the imposing shadow of India Gate in New Delhi, the country’s iconic war memorial,passionately confesses her uncomfortable dissonance with the lavish display. ‘All this passion, where will this …
By Don Manu Why does Sajith Premadasa have that uncanny feeling this Sunday morning of finding butterflies fluttering in his abdomen? Or feel his ire rising to find fish shakin’ a fin to the baila beat of his agitated heart? Why does he fear the shadow that falls before him making him constantly look over …
By Sandun Jayawardana The Attorney General’s Department will proceed with the case against former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda and former Navy Spokesman D.K.P. Dassanayake — accused in the abduction of 11 youths — unless there is a court order otherwise. This is after the AG wrote to the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) inquiring into alleged …
From 1,300 Chinese nationals arriving in the country to a mere 100, a sharp drop in daily arrivals is presently recorded, according to Immigration Controller General Pasan Ratnayake. He said daily about 800-1300 Chinese nationals arrived in the country as tourists, businessmen, students and workers. But since January 28, the rate has fallen to about …
By Rajpal Abeynayake It’s such a pity, what social media and media in general is doing to our friends the Chinese, these days. It shouldn’t be that way, particularly in this country. The Chinese have been our friends for thousands of years, literally. But look what the fringe elements in social media are doing these …
By Aanya Wipulasena Twenty-year-old Anjeleena Stronach wasn’t worried about the hoo-ha people were making over a virus till the teacher in charge of the student group she belonged to sent a message on WeChat. “There will be no bus between Tianjin and Beijing. If you want (to) go back to Sri Lanka you should take …
By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka The book is titled ‘On Public Imagination’ and subtitled ‘A Political and Ethical Imperative’. It is edited by Victor Faessel, Richard Falk and Michael Curtin. It is a Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group publication out of New York and London. The introductory thematic essay is by Richard Falk and Victor Faessel …
by Shamindra Ferdinando UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa’s Camp, yesterday, January 31, assured that it wouldn’t press for the leadership of the party. Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office, No 30, Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Premadasa faction’s spokesman Nalin Bandara, MP, admitted that they couldn’t pressure incumbent leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to give up …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake The goals of progress that were the key expectations of the call and movement for freedom have been pushed aside as we approach the 72nd anniversary of Independence from colonial rule. The celebrations on February 4 will be hugely affected by the coronavirus that has begun straddling the world, and the call …
By Disna Mudalige Thirteen MPs had either not spoken or had spoken only once during debates in Parliament last year, a statistical analysis by ‘Manthri.lk’ website run by Verité Research revealed. The analysis was based on Parliament Hansard reports from January to December last year.
By Chandani Kirinde Amnesty International (AI) said yesterday that Sri Lanka’s human rights record in 2019 was characterised by unrealised Government commitments to pursue truth, justice and reparations, continued impunity for violations and abuses, and compromised freedoms of religion and expression. Speaking at the launch of the human rights organisation’s Human Rights in Asia-Pacific: Review …
Britain’s departure from the eu, says Sir Bernard Jenkin, a Conservative mp, reminds him of an experiment his grandfather once carried out on a pet pike. He put a glass wall in the middle of the fish’s tank, thus halving its swimming space. After ramming the glass, “thunk, thunk” for a while, the fish adapted …
Continue reading ‘Brexit: Britain’s Regulatory-Divergence Dilemma – The Economist’ »
By Victor Ivan From an architectural point of view, Sri Lanka had a parliamentary building near Galle Face which looked majestic and fitting for a Parliament. The affairs of the old Parliament were carried out in this building in an optimum and dignified manner from 28 January 1930, when it was declared open, up until …
By Jamila Husain Chinese officials have unofficially raised concerns with the Sri Lankan government over some incidents of discrimination faced by Chinese nationals in Sri Lanka, stating that they were being turned away from public areas such as restaurants, hotels, hospitals, spas and supermarkets by locals who were worried that they may be carrying the …
By S. Jayanth Ten years after the end of the communal war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE), Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapakse has admitted that more than 20,000 missing persons during and after the war are “actually dead.” He was speaking to the UN Resident Coordinator Hanna Singer for Sri Lanka …
By Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe reaffirmed his position in the party as its leader today and refrained from reappointing some key figures such as MPs Sarath Fonseka, Ajith P. Perera and Rosy Senanayake to the working committee. In the annual reconstitution of the working committee for 2020, …
by AJA Abeynayake and Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon MP Ranajana Ramanayake yesterday said that he had not telephoned judges and it was the latter who had called him. MP Ramanayake speaking from the dock and said that he had around 124,000 records of phone conversations he had had with many powerful persons including judges. A media …
The United National Party Working Committee unanimously decided this afternoon to offer Sajith Premadasa the post of Prime Ministerial Candidate for the upcoming Parliamentary General elections, former Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella told EconomyNext. This would make him automatically the leader of the UNP-led New Democratic Front Alliance that will take on the Sri …
The United National Party (UNP) Working Committee has decided that party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will remain UNP leader. The decision was taken when the UNP Working Committee met today at the party headquarters in Sirikotha.
By Shamindra Ferdinando State Minister for International Cooperation Susil Premjayantha, yesterday, turned down UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa’s offer to serve as Prime Minister, in a government headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Premjayantha said that there was nothing common in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s vision and that of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Addressing the media at …
The National Peace Council (NPC) yesterday urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to decide whether the national anthem will be sung in Tamil on Independence Day as soon as possible. “An issue that has surfaced and which is causing heartburn among Tamil-speaking citizens is the likelihood that the national anthem will not be sung in Tamil at …
By H.I.Perera I have had the privilege of reading many letters published in The Island newspaper on the prevalent controversy in regard to the National Anthem, during the last few months. As far as I can remember, most of the writers had favored the conservative view that the National Anthem should be sung only in …
By Kshama Ranawana It’s back to the drawing board for the Hathe Ape Potha, the supplementary reader on sexual and reproductive health. On Tuesday, January 21st, interested stakeholders, Buddhist clergy, officials of the Education and Health Ministries, Psychiatrists, representatives of the Child Protection Authority and Academics met for the second time to discuss whether or …
By Chandani Kirinde The Government yesterday imposed restrictions on Chinese nationals visiting Sri Lanka and sent Lankan students returning from Wuhan Province in China to the Diyatalawa Army Camp to be kept under observation for two weeks after the first positive case of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was identified by health authorities in the country. …
By A.J.A. Abeynayake Attorney General Dappula de Livera has informed the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, investigating the allegations of political victimization, that the commission has no statutory or legal authority to order the Attorney General to refrain from performing his statutory functions.
By Harsha Gunasena On 24 December, the Daily Mirror reported that, according to the Public Administration Ministry, the 72nd Independence Day celebrations will be held on 4 February at Independence Square in Colombo on a grand scale and the national anthem would be sung only in Sinhala. This is a deviation from the practice followed …
By Eranda Ginige I was studying in grade seven when I joined the Scout Association at my school. Scouts have a list of tasks to complete. When you complete them successively, you get various badges and promotions. One of the very first tasks was to sing the national anthem by yourself. The seniors told us …
(Text if a Statement Issued by the Women’s Action Network – a collective of nine women’s groups working in the North and East) Last week, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had told UN Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer that those reported missing from the war are “actually dead” and that the government would soon issue death certificates. Although …
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) appointed to probe the alleged political victimization of Public Servants under the previous administration has ordered the Attorney General (AG) not to proceed with the case against former Navy Commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda and former Navy Spokesman Commodore D.K.P. Dassanayake until it reached a conclusion on the matter.
(Excerpted from Compilation of Viewpoints Presented by Kamanthi Wickramasinghe in the “Daily Mirror” under the Heading “Singing National Anthem in Sinhala only Tug of war continues over ‘Matha’ and ‘Thaaye’) “I am strongly in favour of the national anthem being sung in both languages whenever and wherever appropriate, certainly at national Independence Day celebrations,” said …
(Excerpted from Compilation of Viewpoints Presented by Kamanthi Wickramasinghe in the “Daily Mirror” under the Heading “Singing National Anthem in Sinhala only Tug of war continues over ‘Matha’ and ‘Thaaye’) “When Sri Lanka became an independent state in 1948 there was a competition to select a national anthem,” recalled veteran lyricist Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne . …
by Ifham Nizam Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa, yesterday promised a party where everybody would have a say and its leader could be expelled if he or she was at fault. Premadasa, speaking at a meeting consisting of parliamentarians, local council members, provincial council members and supporters, at the Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre, …
By Rathindra Kuruwita The Cabinet decision to approve the construction of a coal power plant and two LNG plants ran counter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s promise to meet 80% of Sri Lanka’s energy needs through renewable sources by 2030, Secretary of Solar Industries Association (SIA), Lakmal Fernando told The Island yesterday. Last week, the Cabinet …
Politically affiliated criminals would not be punished by governments formed by the main political parties because leaders of both parties have close links to each other, MP Hirunika Premachandra said yesterday addressing a press conference at the Opposition Leader’s Office, Colombo 07. “Leaders of both parties are good friends, they cut deals and don’t punish …
By Ruki Fernando January 24, 2020, was 10 years since the disappearance of journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda. It also marked 10 years of struggle for truth and justice by his wife, Sandhya Ekneligoda and two young sons. Investigative reports by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to the Homagama Magistrate Courts indicated that Ekneligoda was …
By Jamila Husain President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has informed the UN that necessary investigations would be conducted to find out the fate of those who had disappeared during the island’s civil conflict as most of the families had attested that those disappeared had been recruited or forcibly conscripted by the LTTE. The Presidential Secretariat said the …
The Government of India has decided to confer Padma Shri Awards on Deshabandu Dr. Vajira Chitrasena and Late Prof. Indra Dassanayake for their pioneering contributions in their individual fields of work and for strengthening India-Sri Lanka ties, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said. Padma Shri Awards are one of the highest civilian awards in …
by Zacki Jabbar The UNP, while pledging support to the Rajapaksa government’s fresh investigations into the Easter Sunday bomb explosions at three churches and three luxury hotels on April 21 last year, says that former President Maithripala Sirisena, who was also the then Defence Minister, is answerable for ignoring intelligence warnings and leaving for Singapore …
By Rajpal Abeynayake Picking the most valuable player in a cricket tournament may be a tad easier than picking the most effective talent in a political entity, particularly a relatively new one. Or a new governing coalition. But if we put the idea to a test, would there be general agreement on the most valuable …
BY Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Notwithstanding understandable wrath that Sri Lankans may feel over political betrayals of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe coalition during 2015-2019, the way forward does not lie in giving sweeping majorities to any political force in the upcoming General Elections. A despicable political culture True, the scorching fury of ‘good governance’ being replaced by ‘no-governance’ …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Government Spokesman State Power Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said on Wednesday, January 22, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to increase the daily wage of an estate worker to Rs. 1,000 from March 01, 2020, had not been seriously opposed by the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon. Addressing the media at the Prime Minister’s Office, lawmaker …
One-time Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Nanda Mallawarachchi has been appointed Director General, Multi Development Task Force responsible for high profile project to recruit and train 100,000 members of low income families. The project implemented in line with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s 2019 presidential poll pledge aimed to uplift the living standards of the poorest …