By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The recent spat – if one may call it that – between two former commanders of the Sri Lankan army has caused quite a furore. Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka and Lieutenant-General Jagath Jayasuriya have engaged in a heated exchange over issues of both command and control responsibity as well as alleged war crimes. …
By W.A. Sunil Despite government threats and a campaign of intimidation, 22,000 workers at the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) in Sri Lanka are continuing to strike. The stoppage, which began last Wednesday, has disrupted power supplies in several areas of the island. The unions covering technical engineers and superintendents have also threatened to join the …
The sacked junior minister of Tourism and Christian Affairs Arundika Fernando joined former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s faction Tuesday, a week after he was told by the government that he will not be reinstated. Fernando, who was called a rock star by his parliamentary colleagues after he rocked the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) faction of …
By C. A. Chandraprema The news that the judiciary had determined a referendum was necessary if the 20th Amendment was to be passed into law was out in the public domain by Friday last week. The purpose of the 20th Amendment was firstly to extend the terms of the existing PCs until around October 2019 …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Narratives of horror in Myanmar’s restive Rakhine State and the squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh where nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees live in subhuman condition after being chased out by the Burmese Army’s scorched earth campaign are distressing. Ethnic violence in Rakhine first erupted soon after Myanmar’s military junta relaxed its grip on …
By Gehan Gunatilleke There is a lot of misinformation about the extradition clause in the Enforced Disappearance Bill. I would just like to point out that this clause is identical to the clause that we already have in the Torture Act of 1994. It was passed during the CBK government when Prof. G.L. Peiris was …
By Yohan Perera The government has decided not to take up the debate on the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances on September 21, Parliamentary Affairs and Lands Minister Gayantha Karunathilake said on Monday. He also said this decision was taken during the UNP Parliamentary group meeting which met Monday …
By Chathuri Dissanayake The parliamentary debate on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed indefinitely, senior ministers have confirmed. Minister Rajitha Senaratne said the debate on the constitutional amendment is to be postponed until President Maithripala Sirisena returns from New York. «The 20th Amendment will not be debated on Wednesday …
By Norman Palihawadane Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne yesterday ordered Director General of Health Services Dr Jayasundara Bandara to transfer Acting Chief Medical Officer of the Welikda Prisons Hospital Dr Nirmali Thenuwara to the National Hospital, Colombo immediately. A spokesman for the Health Ministry told The Island that the Minister had ordered the transfer of the …
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was said to be one of the colourful Presidents in the Asian region, amidst having to face political attacks from his opponents, said that he did his best for the country and he could defend himself on that. He also pointed out the presence of the …
By P/K.Balachandran Reflecting the sharp communal divide in the country, Sri Lankan Muslims and Buddhists have been holding counter demonstrations in the island nation, opposing each other’s stand point on the Rohingya Muslim issue in Myanmar. Both communities see the tragic events in Myanmar as a Muslim-Buddhist issue and not as a humanitarian or a …
By Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka At the on-going September 2017 sessions of the UN Human Rights Council, the UK has written to the President of the Council to assert that a long standing dispute it has with the Mauritius cannot be referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) because “those States must have consented …
(Excerpts From the Political Column in the “Sunday Times” of September 17th 2017) Plans are on the drawing board for the two coalition partners – the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) – to contest each other at an upcoming Provincial Council or Local Government election. It is most likely …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Having switched their allegiance to the Joint Opposition (JO), former Deputy Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Affairs Arundika Fernando and State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Priyankara Jayaratne yesterday said that more SLFPers would desert the government this week. They said a group of SLFP MPs would vote against …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The Joint Opposition (JO) yesterday said that it had received an assurance from President Maithripala Sirisena that the controversial International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances Bill wouldn’t be taken up for debate on Thursday (21) The Bill is to give effect to the ‘International Convention for the …
President Maithripala Sirisena says all future elections will be held on the first-past-the-post system. The President says action will be taken to conduct the next parliamentary and provincial council election under that system. President Sirisena said so addressing a group of North Central Provincial Councillors and SLFP Parliamentarians in Colombo on Saturday.
by C.A.Chandraprema With just 15 days to go for the Sabaragamuwa, North Central and Eastern provinces to automatically stand dissolved, the coming week will be a make or break period for the yahapalana government. The 20th Amendment to the Constitution is to be taken up for debate on Wednesday. The Supreme Court we believe has …
(Excerpts From the Political Column in the “Sunday Times” of September 17th 2017) Ahead of the polls the SLFP’s Central Committee has endorsed President Maithripala Sirisena’s move to field candidates on the UPFA ticket. The bulath kole (Betel leaf) is their symbol. Sirisena has chosen to take a tough line against party parliamentarians whom he …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj September 16th 2017 is the seventeenth death anniversary of Mohammad Hussein Muhammad Ashraff, the uncrowned sultan of the Amparai district Muslims and legendary leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC). The pioneering president of the SLMC was Ahammed Lebbe of Kattankudi with whom Ashraff co-founded the party in September 1981. It was …
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, on Friday, launched the Colombo International Book Fair, which is an annual mega book exhibition featuring local and international authors and publishers. Chairman of Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association, H. Premasiri, speaking at the launch said that over 400 international and local book stalls would be open at the exhibition …
By C.A.Chandraprema The Office of Missing Persons Act was gazetted into operation last week by the President. This is one of several institutions to be established ‘to deal with the past’ in terms of the UNHRC resolution that the Yahapalana government co-sponsored with the Western powers in October 2015. Even though it is described as …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene The Order by the Commission of Inquiry into the issuance of Treasury Bonds by the Central Bank declining to compel Arjun Aloysius, principal shareholder and director of Perpetual Treasuries (Pvt) Ltd to give evidence before it, raises interesting points of law for consideration. Indeed, its effect has wider ramifications beyond the …
by Jolly Somasundram “I have done some service to the State”. – Shakespeare: Othello The Sept. 10 editorial in the Sunday Island titled “Lalith Weeratunga” is timely, reflective and balanced. It ironises on the predicament faced by an honest and efficient SLAS Officer Lalith Weeratunga, the former Secretary of President Rajapaksa, (a Secretary to the …
by Tisaranee Gunasekara “Ill at ease in the tyranny, ill at ease in the republic,In the one I longed for freedom,in the other the end of corruption.” Czelaw Milosz (To Raja Rao) “All fear punishment, all fear death, comparing oneself with others, one should neither kill nor cause to kill.” That was Siddhartha Gautama, the …
By Joshua Kurlantzick Burma is essentially run by one of the world’s most lauded humanitarians — a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a democracy icon. Aung San Suu Kyi, who leads the party in charge of the government, suffered more than two decades of repression, including a long house arrest, rather than leave the country …
Sri Lanka’s independent Election Commission may be compelled to hold three provincial council elections this this year in the likely event of the Supreme Court this week insisting on a referendum on the proposed 20th amendment to the constitution. Legal sources said the three-judge bench headed by chief justice Priyasath Dep was expected to give …
By Shivanthi Ranasinghe The reaction to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s (GR) new movement, “Eliya”, is revealing. On one hand,an invitee-only 1,000 guest function became an open event as many people just turned up and insisted on remaining. Finally, an audience of about 2,500+ in three halls watched the whole two and half hour event in rapt attention …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake The judgement by the High Court, Colombo on the “Sil Redi” issue, apart from the sentence of imprisonment on the former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeeratunga and the former Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) Anusha Pelpita, is showing signs of moving to a major encounter between the forces …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake While the fight against corruption gained new strength, the political strategies of the defeated forces of corruption have taken a new stride in political organisation, with the launch of the “Eliya” movement, which does not bring much light as the name indicates, but throws out the so far uncertain candidate for political …
Dozens of Buddhist monks loyal to former president Mahinda Rajapaksa begged from office to office in Colombo today seeking cash to pay fines slapped on two former top officials convicted on corruption charges. The monks walked one behind the other with two women leading them and asking bystanders to donate only cash. Usually, monks on …
By Sandun A Jayasekera President Maithripala Sirisena’s daughter Chaturika, said at the launch of the book authored by her titled, “Janadhipathi Thaththa”, that she had no intention of entering party politics but would use politics for community service, women empowerment and social justice. “So many people, including my friends keep asking me when I enter …
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has alleged that the former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and former Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Anusha Pelpita had been penalised for carrying out the previous government’s instructions issued in terms of Article 9 of the Constitution to foster and protect Buddhism. The following is the …
The European Union praised Sri Lanka for progress in human rights, and labour and environmental standards, but said more action was needed to comply with international conventions including ending torture to retain duty free market access. A team of senior officials from Brussels have been in the country for the last 10 days on a …
United Nations member countries at the Human Rights Council in Geneva should press Sri Lanka to promptly meet the targets of the council’s October 2015 resolution for transitional justice, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. The human rights outfit in a statement issued from Geneva said: Sri Lanka should put forward a time-bound and specific implementation …
By Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance is to be voted on in Parliament on the 21st of this month. Just 6 days away. The Convention came into force on the 23rd December 2010. So far, of the 193 member states of the United Nations, …
At long last, on Tuesday, Sri Lanka got what the minority Tamils and the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) have been demanding since the separatist war ended in May 2009 – an Office of Missing Persons (OMP) – to trace 21,000 to 40,000 persons still not accounted for. But constitutional experts say that the gazette …
The sacked junior minister of Tourism and Christian Affairs Arundika Fernando met with President Maithripala Sirisena Wednesday seeking reinstatement, but was told no way and that there may be more sackings. Fernando’s Puttalam district Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) was immediately taken over by another SLFP deputy minister Nimal Lanza who had earlier been in …
By Shehan Chamika Silva Perpetual Treasuries Owner Arjun Aloysius today informed the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the bond issuance that he did not want to testify before the commission on legal instructions he received. At the onset of today’s proceedings, his counsel Gamini Marapana PC commending yesterday’s order given by the commission told that …
By Himal Kotelawala The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) looking into the controversial Treasury bond issuance yesterday conceded that Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. (PTL) former Director Arjun Aloysius cannot be compelled to testify before the commission if he refuses to do so. Asserting that Aloysius is still very much a necessary witness whose evidence would remain …
The Government is to launch its first official cannabis plantation to supply the traditional medicine market and export to the United States, the health minister said Wednesday. Rajitha Senaratne said the 100-acre (40-hectare) cannabis farm, which could produce more than 25 tonnes a year and would be under military protection, would ensure a regular high …
By Chathuri Dissanayake Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa can be taken to courts on two accounts connected to his comments on the recent court determination of the misappropriation of Rs. 600 millions to donate ‘sil redi’ during the Presidential Elections, Cabinet Co-spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne said. Offering examples from cases where former presidents have been found guilty …
By Vinitha M. Gamage Minister Chandima Weerakkody today hinted that former deputy minister Arundika Fernando was likely to be appointed as a deputy minister shortly. He said this at a function attended by President Maithripala Sirisena and Mr. Fernando last morning.
President Maithripala Sirisena is considering appointing former Deputy Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Affairs Puttalam district MP Arundika Fernando to a new ministerial position after he apologized to the President yesterday. His apology comes a day after President Sirisena sacked him from his position using executive powers vested in him in Section 46. 3 …
(Text of editorial appearing in the “Daily News” of September 14th 2017 Under the Heading “Turning the back on a legend”) The Mahanayake of the Malwatte chapter, the Most Ven. Thibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera, had an unusual visitor the other day. He was none other than Sinnaiah Muttaiah, the father of world record holder for …
Sinnasamy Muttiah, the father of spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, has come up with a complaint. Sinnasamy claimed that the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium was named after his son Muralitharan, but it no longers holds that name. He requested Mahanayake Thero of the Malwathu Chapter, Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero meet with the Sports Minister …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “I had been requested by Mr. Bandaranaike to meet him every Wednesday with Mervyn de Silva.” – Elmo Gooneratne, Reminiscences, CT,September 8, 2017. When the British uncovered Soviet spies in the Establishment, they often looked the other way because imprisonment would send shock waves throughout the system and disturb social stability and …
By Gomin Dayasri Bemoan the non-availability of fresh material in the upper tiers of politics to replace the decrepit. For survival, the decayed leadership is ready to reach alliance with a devilish opponent. Unsuitable descendants await, both kinsmen and sycophants, located craftily in the wings of the second tier. Among this wild bunch, TNA’s honest …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Parliamentarian Arundika Fernando, a key member of an influential group of SLFP MPs critical of the UNP-led government, who was sacked yesterday from his deputy minister’s post by President Maithripala Sirisena told The Island that dissent couldn’t be suppressed by sacking ministers. President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday sacked Deputy Minister of Tourism Development …
President Maithripala Sirisena today expelled a member of his own party from the government in his first major move to assert his authority as the leader of the fractured Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). The President’s office said Tourism and Christian Affairs deputy minister Arundika Fernando was sacked with immediate effect days after he threatened …
By Vishwamithra 1984 “There comes a point where a man must refuse to answer to his leader if he is also to answer to his conscience.” Ann Tusa, The Nuremberg Trial On Thursday, September 7, 2017, the High Court of Colombo issued a chilling verdict on one of the most anticipated cases filed by the …
A US Senate committee has opposed Trump Administration’s proposal of a drastic 92 per cent cut in US aid to Sri Lanka, citing the geographical and strategic location of the country, the PTI reported today. The Senate Appropriations Committee had said in a report that it won’t support President Trump’s budget request for Sri Lanka, …
Two mobile phones and several sim cards have been recovered from the ward of the Prison Hospital where former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga , former TRC Director General Anusha Palpita and former Parliamentarian Duminda silva are treated. The Prison Department sources said the raid was conducted following directives by Prison Reforms and Resettlement …
By W.A. Sunil Recent public remarks by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena underline the growing crisis of the “unity” government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) and the president’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Sirisena became president in 2015 after a US-backed regime-change operation to unseat the former President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government …
By Hemantha Randunu Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, former DIG Anura Senanayake, former Army commander Jagath Jayasuriya and several top ranking security establishment personnel would be summoned before the CID to obtain their statements with regard to the Welikada prison riot where 27 inmates were shot dead. Police headquarters sources said the CID had already …
(English Translation of Keynote Speech made by former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the launch of “Eliya”(Light) at the “Golden Rose” in Boralesgamuwa on September 6th 2017) After defeating 30 years of terrorism that was in this country, after we united this country as one, we cannot allow that victory to be betrayed through the …
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s top aide Lalith Weeratunga became the first high-profile official from the former regime to be convicted for corruption, but his jailing could have a political fallout for the current coalition regime too. The Economynext Political Correspondent discusses consequences for President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and their uneasy coalition whose tenure …
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa admitted that he gave the order to former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and former Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Anusha Palpita to distribute “sil redi” among Buddhist devotees. “Yes it was my order. They only implemented it,” the former President said, while speaking to a group …
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra’ad bin Hussein has reiterated his demand for the extension of Universal Jurisdiction to Sri Lanka to enable courts in any part of the world to entertain war crimes cases against the Sri Lankan armed forces. “The absence of credible action in Sri Lanka to ensure …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka The ‘Sirisena SLFP’ has rejected the abolition of the executive Presidency, more especially in the context of devolution. It has upheld the unitary state, rejected the amalgamation of Provinces and the abolition of the powers of the Governor and/or their transfer to the Chief Minister. The SLFP has agreed with the implementation …
President Maithripala Sirisena today accused a group of retired army officers politically linked to former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa of causing friction between disabled soldiers and the authorities. In an unusual move, the President made references to statements by retired army major general Kamal Gunaratne regarding the November clash between disabled soldiers and police outside …
By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya The Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) held at Temple Trees recently, organized by the India Foundation, was billed as a gathering of IOR countries and ‘other concerned nations’ with a view to advancing ‘Peace, Progress and Prosperity” in the Indian Ocean. While this is no doubt a laudable goal, the absence of perspectives …
Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Does Not Need To Become Another South China Sea!’ »
by C.A.Chandraprema Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s open foray into politics took place last Wednesday in the form of ‘Eliya’ a new organization that was ceremonially launched at the Golden Rose hall in Boraleasgaluwa. Its launch was in the form of a seminar on the proposed new constitution. The panel of speakers included Gota himself who introduced the …
by Karunaratne Gamage A brother of President Maithripala Sirisena was remanded till September 11 in connection with a hit-and-run mishap, which killed a motor cyclist and the pillion rider at Polonnaruwa yesterday. Police said that Gamaralalage Nanasiri Pagnaratne Sirisena surrendered to the police a few hours later and allegedly admitted that he was behind the …
By Don Manu As the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s permanent secretary Lalith Weeratunga was ignominiously led out of the court room on Thursday, hand manacled to his partner in crime Anusha Pelpita, former Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, and bundled into the Black Maria to transport them to the Welikada prison, perhaps, the …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene A former Army Commander or two jousting before the television cameras for sport, alleging war crimes against each other, is a seducing sight for public consumption. But this is not what the crisis of justice in Sri Lanka is all about. No political or military leader can plead absolution Indeed, these …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The month of August saw a flurry of hectic political activity in Sri Lanka. The statement made by controversial minister Ravi Karunayake at the Presidential Commission of inquiry followed by his resignation, the move to postpone Provincial council polls by way of the 20th Constitutional amendment, the revolt within UNP ranks against the …
Continue reading ‘ITAK Gets a Clean Chit as Supreme Court Rules Federalism is not Separatism’ »
By Chamil Rupasinghe Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa today said even the current First Lady could be sued as she was seen distributing ‘Sil Redi’ along with the President a few days ago.
Sri Lanka will establish a regional centre for research and development to improve access to toilets in South Asia which is home to over a fifth of humanity, Minister Rauff Hakeem said today. The City Planning and Water Supply minister told reporters in Colombo that Sri Lanka will host a three-day South Asian meeting from …
Legal counsel for Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. (PTL) yesterday requested the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the controversial bond issuance to reconsider its order to summon former PTL Director Arjun Aloysius to testify before the Commission. President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne requested the three-member bench to reconsider an order it had given to Aloysius earlier, directing him …
A day after they were sentenced, former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and former Telecom Regulatory Commission Chairman Anusha Pelpita were admitted to the Prison Hospital. High Court on Thursday jailed and fined Weeratunga and Pelpita, when delivering the verdict of the ‘sil redi’ case. Both former officials were sentenced to three years of …
by Norman Palihawadane Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister DM Swaminathan yesterday issued a directive making it mandatory to obtain recommendations of three doctors for prisoners to be transferred the prisons hospital. The Minister instructed the Prisons Commissioner General that hereafter the inmates would have to obtain recommendations from three prisons doctors …
By Pradeep Ramanayake and K. Ratnayake The advertised theme of last week’s Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) in Colombo was “peace, progress and prosperity.” But the two-day event had nothing to do with such aspirations. Washington and New Delhi used the event to unveil their plans to expand naval operations in the region and reiterate their …
BY Kavindya Chris Thomas Owner of Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. (PTL) Arjuna Aloysius was interviewed for over four hours yesterday by the investigators attached to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing the controversial Treasury bond auction, following recent developments in the ongoing hearing. Aloysius arrived at the premises of Commission in Hulftsdorp in the morning …
By K.S. Udaya Kumar Former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and former Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) Anusha Palpita were convicted, in the so-called ‘Sil-cloth’ case, by the Colombo High Court and sentenced to three-year prison terms yesterday. They were found guilty of misusing Rs 600 million of the TRC State …
By Lahiru Pothmulla A new Constitution or Parliament shouldn’t be allowed to reverse the victories which were accomplished by uniting the country after defeating terrorism, former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said. Speaking at the launch of ‘Eliya’ (light) Forum in Colombo on Wednesday, Mr. Rajapaksa said people fear that the accomplished victories would be scraped …
By Tamara Kunanayakam (Text of Speech titled “The new Constitution – a neo-colonial project ! ” Delivered at the Launch of “Eliya- Illuminating Aspirations”at the Golden Rose in Boralesgamuwa on September 6th 2017) As we meet here this evening, a radical overhaulis underway – of our political, economic, financial, social and cultural system. A new …
By Shyam Nuwan Ganewatte and Sarath Dharmasena Arjun Aloysius of Perpetual Treasuries Ltd (PTL), who is son-in-law of former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran, reported to the CID unit of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing the bond scams yesterday at 8.30 am. CID officers recorded a statement from him until evening. He is scheduled …
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa Alleging that proposed new Constitution would give separatists what they had failed to achieve through terrorism, wartime Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday said, vowing to defeat the project. The proposed constitutional reforms were meant to appease the LTTE rump, pro-LTTE Diaspora and a section of foreign powers, Rajapaksa said, lambasting the ruling …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Island” of September 8th 2017 Under the heading “Bonds, White cloth and Desertion) No sooner had incriminating evidence of insider trading emerged before the presidential commission of inquiry probing the bond scams against Perpetual Treasuries bigwigs than the High Court judgment in the sil redi case was delivered on …
By Chitra Weerarathne Colombo High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga yesterday convicted Anusha Pelpita, former Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) and the second accused Lalith Weeratunga, former Presidential Secretary and former Chairman of TRC, of misuse of state funds and aiding and abetting the same in spending Rs. 600 million on the distribution …
Former MP Rosy Senanayake yesterday said that she had never given out any information or documents to any party while she was a member of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). She said that it was a total misrepresentation by the media of a recorded conversation by two parties that had no substance. She said …
Former President Mahinda Rajapakse’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and former Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Director General Anusha Palpita were found guilty by the Colombo High Court in the ‘sil redi’ distribution case. The Colombo High Court sentenced the two men to 3 years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) and imposed a fine of Rs. 2 million each on …
Former Perpetual Treasury Director Arjun Aloysius arrived at the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) attached to the Treadury Bond Commission a short while ago. He was summoned by the CID to record a statement on the recovered call recordings which were presented before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) yesterday. The recovered call recordings revealed that …
by Shyam Nuwan Ganewatte and Sarath Dharmasena Chief Dealer of Perpetual Treasuries Nuwan Salgado yesterday told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing the bond scams that the company’s Chairman Arjun Aloysius had received a copy of the COPE report containing the Chief Executive Officer of the company Kasun Palisena’s evidence, from Kanishka Senanayake, the son …
Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka yesterday called Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, who condemned the statement he made with regards to war crime charges, a mad man in robes. “That monk is mad. That’s all I have to say,” he said in response to a question asked by a journalist after the 71st anniversary celebrations of the …
by Shamindra Ferdinando In spite of serious differences between coalition partner SLFP in respect of political reforms, including the abolition of executive presidency, the UNP strongly believes their marriage of convenience can be extended till 2025. Dismissing threat by a group of SLFP members loyal to President Maithripala Sirisena to function as an independent group, …
by Shyam Nuwan Ganewatte The Presidential Commission of Inquiry, probing alleged bond scams, resumed sittings yesterday, with Chief Dealer of Perpetual Treasuries (PTL), Nuwan Thilina Salgado, testifying. He said the company had been able to make unprecedentedly huge profits because of inside information and price sensitive confidential information PTL Chairman Arjun Aloysius had received from …
By Rufus Randeniya We had a war for 30 years and it ended like a dream. That is how it looks, but very funny. Many other wars that ended in shorter times in certain countries have been investigated on documented and verbal evidence to ascertain if any war crimes have been committed. No war has …
Though reported “missing” it is learnt that Arjun Aloysius, former director of Perpetual Treasuries, has not left the country using either of his two passports. The Attorney General’s Department told the Presidential Commission on bond issue that Aloysius possessed two passports – one Australia and the other, Sri Lankan. The passport numbers too were previously …
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Treasury bond issue discovered that former Minister Rosy Senanayake’s son Kanishka Senanayake had provided Perpetual Treasuries with copies of the first COPE report on the Treasury bond issue while his mother served on the Committee. The report of the Committee On Public Enterprises (COPE) was not publicly …
Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera has taken steps to remove MP Ravi Karunanyake’s brother-in-law Romesh Jayawardene from his position as Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board (DLB). The DLB and the National Lotteries Board (NLB) were both brought under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after MP Ravi Karunanyake was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs during the …
By Sanjeewa Fernando The recent Supreme Court order handing over a Wellawatte property — forfeited during the Rajapaksa regime on the instruction of the Police and taken over by the Terrorist Investigation Division — to its rightful owners, is a typical indicator of the manner in which emergency regulations impinged the legal rights of the …
Sri Lanka’s Perpetual Treasuries, a primary dealer under probe for securities fraud has become embroiled in evidence tampering and perjury controversy after revelation that more than a 100 incriminating phone recordings were deleted by company officials, reports said. Chief Dealer of Perpetual Treasuries, Nuwan Salgado had told a president commission of inquiry that he had …
Joint Opposition leader Dinesh Gunawardena will raise the LTTE backed Tamil Diaspora move against General Jagath Jayasuriya following Regional Development Minister Field Sarath Fonseka alleging that the wartime Security Forces Commander, Vanni had committed crimes and he continued violations of human rights after becoming the Commander of the Army in July 2009. The following question …
By Chaturanga Pradeep Wild life laws should be amended and new laws should be implemented for common animal species that were considered threat to humans, Skills Development and Vocational Training Deputy Minister Karunarathne Paranawithana suggested while attending the Balangoda Coordination Committee yesterday. The minister said most of the wild animals had some form of threat …
By Faizer Shaheid A new trajectory has been carved leading into the already existing list of war crimes allegations against the Sri Lankan Army that seeks to reroute the investigations to hold Sri Lanka as a whole accountable. The war crimes charges were filed by South America based International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) in …
By Lal S. Kumara Regional Development Minister, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said that it is unjust to protect wrongdoers for the sake of being war heroes clad in military attire and that every politician and every leader of the government should understand that fact. Addressing a meeting at Kiribathgoda on Monday, Filed Marshal Fonseka said …
Senior Karnataka journalist Gauri Lankesh, a gutsy and outspoken editor, was murdered on Tuesday night at her Ideal Home Layout residence in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar. According to reports, at around 8pm, unidentified men shot at Gauri and wounded her fatally before escaping from the scene. Initial reports say more than five shots were fired. Police …
By Dr Asanga Welikala As the country engages in a constitutional reform exercise that could finally produce a much-delayed post-war devolution settlement, on 8 August 2017, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court has delivered a determination of potentially major significance. The crisp issue before the court was whether the main Tamil nationalist party, better known in …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “I do not shoot with my hand; he who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father. I shoot with my mind.” —Stephen King, ‘The Gunslinger’ (‘The Dark Tower’) Papa was a rolling stone. I did look for Mervyn de Silva quite a bit as a boy, disembarking from …
By Rathindra Kuruwita The Bond Scam is one of the most discussed topics in the country and has caused the demise of a few senior government ministers. Ceylon Today spoke to Professor Rajiva Wijesinha to get his opinion on the Bond Scam and the damage that the controversy has caused the Government. Q;The Bond Scam …
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan Tall and well-built, retired Army General, Jagath Jayasuriya, who was posted in Brazil as the Sri Lankan Ambassador, is back in town with mounted allegations against him related to his posts as a military man and an ambassador. He said that although he was the Vanni Commander, he was not on …
By Krishan Pathirath Jayasuriya Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said he has not been invited to the 66th Convention of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He revealed this at a function held on Wednesday (30) at the Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya, to hand over the post of Chief Sanghanayake of North America to Ven. Aluthnuwara Sumanatissa …
By Anjana Kaluarachchi CT Sports: Current SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala is at the receiving end of criticism these days due to the shambolic behaviour of SLC, as well as the cricket team’s continuous poor show. Skipper Angelo Mathews resigned after the shock loss to Zimbabwe, while the Selection Committee, too, tendered their resignation following the …
by Bandu de Silva I refer to the news item in today’s The island (Saturday 2nd September 2017) and would like to comment on contracts on which non-career ambassadors are appointed by the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, to create public awareness in search of truth. I do so with my background as a former Director …
President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday said that the UNP-SLFP coalition government had saved Sri Lanka from punitive international sanctions by ending the authoritarian Rajapaksa rule in January 2015. Addressing the 66 anniversary of the SLFP at Campbell Park, Colombo, President Sirisena asserted that their partnership was primarily meant to address international concerns. President Sirisena said that …
The Sri Lankan President on Sunday vowed that he will not hand over any war hero to a foreign court to face alleged war crimes charges. The President made this pledge at a mass rally here to celebrate the 66 th. year of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). His pledge was in the context …
Hardeep Singh Puri, who handled the delicate task of liaising with Sri Lankan political leaders and the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) prior to and after the signing of the India-Sri Lanka Accord in July 1987 as First Secretary (Political) at the Indian High Commission in Colombo, has been inducted into …
President Maithripala Sirisena snubbed the international community seeking to prosecute alleged war criminals and said he will not allow those abroad to touch any military commander or a war veteran. Addressing the 66th anniversary convention of his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), President Sirisena said the charges against his Latin American diplomat and former army …
By Gagani Weerakoon Sri Lanka faced a fresh case of war crime allegations, when a Human Rights groups in South America filed war crimes lawsuits against former Sri Lankan General Jagath Jayasuriya, who was the Ambassador to Brazil. According to foreign media reports, the suits against Jagath Jayasuriya are based on his role as a …
by C.A.Chandraprema Former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya completed his stint as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Brazil and arrived in Sri Lanka last week. It would appear that just as he was leaving Brazil, some international human rights groups had filed war crimes lawsuits against him in Brazil and Colombia. According to international news reports on …