Caroline Jurie from Sri Lanka has been crowned Mrs World at a pageant held in Las Vegas USA on December 06, more than three decades after Rosie Seanayake won a similar title. “I’m so honored to share my heritage and culture on the global stage,” she said in facebook.com post made shortly before the final …
By Padma Rao Sundarji Sri Lankan cricket star Muttiah Muralitharan spoke to Hindustan Times Padma Rao Sundarji over phone from Colombo, dismissing reports that he was offered the post of governor of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province Q: Can you confirm media reports that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has offered you – and you have accepted – …
By Gamini Gunawardane Rtd. Snr. DIG I write this piece in great sadness. But I must because if I do not, I feel I would failing in my duty as an former policeman. I am sad for the independence of the Police, Independent Police Commission and the newly elected President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. We were watching …
By Col R Hariharan The election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President with a clear majority of 52.25% votes, 10.25% more than polled by his younger rival Sajith Premadasa of the ruling United Nationalist Party (UNP), tells many things. Sinhala majority has voted Rajapaksa clan back to power with a strong mandate; on the flip side, …
Former Defence Attaché at Sri Lankan High Commission in London Brigadier Priyanka Fernando was found guilty at the Westminster Magistrate’s Court today for committing public order offences over the ‘throat slitting gesture’ in London, 2018. The Brigadier displayed a warning during a demonstration by LTTE activists in front of the Sri Lankan High Commission in …
By Nimanthi Ranasinghe Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne yesterday ordered seven electronic media institutions to hand over the unedited clips of the video footage of the news conference held by former Minister MP Rajitha Senaratne on the alleged abduction of the Swiss Embassy employee to the OIC of the Investigation Unit of the CID. The …
UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday proposed Sajith Premadasa as the Opposition Leader while putting off final decision on the party leadership. The UNP parliamentary group reached a consensus on the post of the Opposition Leader at Sirikotha. Earlier, Sajith Premadasa loyalists demanded both positions-Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the party.
By Nadira Gunatilleke The Government has made a request to record a statement from former Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne in connection with the details he revealed about so called ‘abduction’ of a local employee attached to the Swiss Embassy in Sri Lanka, Plantations and Export Agriculture Minister and Co-Cabinet spokesman Dr.Ramesh Pathirana said.
By Chandani Kirinde The Government yesterday assured security for the employee of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo who is at the centre of a diplomatic row between Sri Lanka and Switzerland, and urged her to make a statement on her alleged forceful detention by a group of unidentified persons, so that investigations into the matter …
by Chitra Weerarathne Additional Solicitor General Parinda Ranasinghe, President’s Counsel, yesterday informed the Colombo Special High Court-at-Bar, that the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka had requested the government of Singapore to extradite Arjuna Mahendran to Sri Lanka. Mahendran is the a former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The Presidential Commission, which investigated …
By Yoshitha Perera The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today issued a temporary travel ban on the Swiss Embassy employee, who was allegedly threatened by a group of unidentified men, until December 9. The Magistrate also directed the employee to provide a statement to the CID within that time. When the case was taken up before …
The Swiss Federal Court has ruled that the Tamil Tigers are not a criminal organisation and has acquitted 12 people of charges filed by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). In its indictment, the OAG had accused the people of violating the Swiss Penal Code by raising funds for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil …
(Text of a Press Release Issued by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs on 02.12.2019) Following several demarches from the FDFA over the incident concerning an employee of the Swiss embassy in Colombo, State Secretary Pascale Baeriswyl has received the Sri Lankan ambassador to Switzerland based in Berlin, Karunasena Hettiarachchi, in Bern. Ms Baeriswyl confirmed …
By Padma Rao Sundarji Newly elected Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says the island nation and India should put behind them the misunderstandings of the past and move ahead. In an interview with Padma Rao Sundarji, Rajapaksa said: “We genuinely want to strengthen our relationship. I have always said that we don’t want to do …
China claims that Sri Lanka has agreed to develop the Hambantota port and other on-going China-assisted projects as per the “existing consensus,”, thus virtually opting out of a bid to renegotiate the controversial 2017 agreement on the Hambantota port which had leased it out to China for 99-years. A Chinese embassy statement, put out by …
China and Sri Lanka yesterday agreed to speed up the implementation of large-scale projects and draw up a “new blueprint” for future cooperation following high-level meetings between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Chinese special envoy Wu Jianghao. The large-scale projects will also focus on the Colombo Port City project and the Hambantota Port venture. A Chinese …
By Chandani Kirinde As exclusively reported by Daily FT yesterday, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa prorogued Parliament last night and fixed 3 January 2020 for the start of the new session of the Legislature. The session of Parliament will commence at 10 a.m., the Gazette notification giving notice of the prorogation said. The President prorogued Parliament under …
( Text of Media Statement Issued on December 1st 2019 by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Under the Heading “Update on the alleged incident relating to Swiss Embassy staff member”) The Government of Sri Lanka, having taken serious note of the alleged criminal incident concerning a locally recruited staff member of the Swiss …
By The “Sunday Times” Political Editor The alleged abduction of a Sri Lankan staff member of the Swiss embassy in Colombo has jolted the two-week-old new government. The grave seriousness is in the light of the international implications and the political fallout it portends. “We are taking the matter very seriously. We have ordered a …
By The “Sunday Times” Political Editor Chief Inspector Nishantha de Silva, who was head of the Organised Crimes Investigation Division of the CID, fled Sri Lanka on November 24 without official leave. The government has learnt he was Geneva bound and has sought asylum in Switzerland. It has now transpired that two days before his …
The Swiss Embassy last night issued a statement regarding the incident that took place on Monday (25 November) night involving one of its local employees, saying several false pieces of information are circulating in the reporting of this incident. “On 25 November, a serious security incident involving an employee of the Embassy of Switzerland in …
(Text of Media release issued by the National Movement for Web Journalists oon 28th November 2019 condemning suppression of web journalists who campaigned for Sajith Premadasa Through Questioning by the CID) The National Movement for Web Journalists protests the attempt to suppress the media and journalists after the new government was elected who acted in …
(Approximate English Translation of Speech made in Hindi by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Welcoming Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa During the State Visit of the SL President to India) November 29, 2019 Your Excellency President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Senior officials from Sri Lanka and India, Friends, Ayubovan! Vanakkam! Namaskar! I am pleased to welcome President …
By Chandani Kirinde Switzerland yesterday demanded an immediate and complete investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident in which a local employee of the embassy was detained against her will on the street and threatened at length by unidentified men, in order to force her to disclose embassy-related information. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs …
By Maria Abi-Habib and Sameer Yasir Fears of a potential crackdown on critics of the newly returned Rajapaksa political dynasty in Sri Lanka are rising just days after the election, as officials and journalists who investigated the Rajapaksas for human rights abuses and corruption began trying to flee the country, officials said. In a case …
A local employee of the Swiss embassy in Sri Lanka has been temporarily kidnapped and threatened by unknown assailants in what the foreign ministry has called a “serious and unacceptable attack”. According to the Sri Lanka news website lankanewsweb.netexternal link, the woman was kidnapped on Monday then held and questioned for two hours before being …
Rekindling the allegation of a deep state undermining the Pakatan Harapan government, a deputy minister claimed the decision to charge the 12 for attempting to revive the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was made when Atttorney-General Tommy Thomas was abroad, Malayasia’s Malaysiakini reported. “The deep state exists in more than one institution. The AG …
By Uditha Jayasinghe The first Cabinet meeting presided over by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday approved an extensive stimulus package mostly centred on slashing Value Added Tax (VAT) to 8% from 15%, to give relief to major sectors and boost much-needed economic growth. Newly-appointed Cabinet spokesmen Ministers Bandula Gunawardena and Ramesh Pathirana told reporters that the …
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday announced he had recognised Leader of the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Leader of the Opposition. The Speaker said on his Twitter handle @KaruOnline that the appointment was done “upholding established Parliamentary traditions that should not be violated.” The Speaker also said he also empathised …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday handed over appointment letters to Secretaries appointed to 20 new Ministries at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (Nov 27). Appointed Ministry Secretaries: 01. S. M. Mohamed – Tourism & Aviation 02. R. W. R. Mr. Pemasiri – Roads and Highways 03. J. J. Ratnasiri – Justice, Human Rights and Law Reforms …
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Thirty – Five New State Ministers and Two Deputy Ministers Were Sworn in Before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariaton Nov 27th 2019. Their Names and Portfolios are – Chamal Rajapaksa – State Minister of Defence Vasudeva Nanayakkara – State Minister 0f Water Supply Gamini Lokuge – State Minister of Urban Development Mahinda Yapa …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested the Tamil diaspora to work together to develop the country and help the people irrespective of their community.The President has said this in an interview with Nitin A. Gokhale, Editor-in-Chief of Bharat Shakti.in and SNI. When the interviewer commented on peaceful existence, the President said, “Yes, so rather than just …
Indicating that the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution was a priority for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration, Foreign Affairs Minister Dinesh Gunawardena yesterday said the key agreement would soon be revisited. Speaking after formally assuming duties, Gunawardena said that they were focused on “revisiting” agreements signed under the previous Government. He also noted that …
Hours after a Police officer who was investigating several high-profile cases left the country without prior permission, the Government yesterday issued a directive to the Immigration authorities placing overseas travel restrictions on 704 CID officers. The list containing the names of CID officers who are barred from overseas travel was sent to the Immigration and …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday said he would renegotiate the Hambantota Port lease agreement, terming it a “mistake” and calling on the Chinese company to be open to the move while assuring that he remained committed to strong relations with the global superpower. Rajapaksa, giving his first interview since taking office, told Indian Journalist and Defence …
CID Officer IP Nishantha Silva who investigated several high-profile cases including the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge and the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda has left the country yesterday with his family. Police sources said that IP Silva has left the country without prior permission from the Police Department. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who visited the Bellanwila Raja …
In the wake of a spate of acts of vandalism targeting road signs in the Tamil language, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had yesterday directed the Police to act immediately to stop such incidents. The Prime Minister has also instructed the reinstallation of all the damaged road sings.
By Sanjana Hattotuwa The day after the 7th President was sworn into office, racism celebrated a new birth on Facebook. Across many pages that played a key role in President’s electoral bid, the message was simple and clear. Sri Lanka was for Sinhalese Buddhists only, and his victory ensured the country would remain thus. All …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Foisting the blame for the catastrophic defeat of the United National Party (UNP)-led alliance at the November 16th polls to elect Sri Lanka’s seventh Executive President, on ‘Sinhala Buddhist nationalism’ and a panicked security mindset consequent to Easter Sunday’s jihadist attacks is a convenient fairy tale. Certainly these were factors enabling …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appears restrained by a constitutional conundrum on whether he can take on the portfolio of Defence Minister. As President, the Constitution makes him the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, but the 19th Amendment arguably prohibits him from holding a ministry. In the 15-member caretaker cabinet that has been appointed there is no …
By J. M. Jinasena Dear Mr. Premadasa, I did not vote for you, nor am I aligned with a political party. My family are a colour pallet of green, blue, red and now the new pink. Nor am I a political pundit or have a degree in political science. I am writing to you as …
Fifteen ministers were sworn in before President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa this morning at the Presidential Secretariat. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa sworn in as the Minister of Defense, Public Security, Law and Order, Finance, Economic Affairs, Policy Development, Buddha Sasana, Cultural, Water Supply and Urban Development. The other ministers who were sworn in as ministers include:
By Shamindra Ferdinando UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has been recognised by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, MP, as the Leader of the Opposition, political sources said. Loyalists of MP Sajith Premadasa requested the Speaker to recognise him as the Opposition Leader while UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, called for the appointment of Wickremesinghe to that post. …
India has expressed the hope that Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will pursue national reconciliation in a meaningful manner. “Indian external affairs min conveyed (to Sri Lankan Prez @gotabayaR) about India’s expectations that SL govt will take forward the process of national reconciliation to arrive at a solution that meets aspirations of Tamil …
By Chandani Kirinde The fallout from the United National Party’s (UNP) defeat at Saturday’s Presidential Election continued yesterday, with two groups within the party making a claim for the post of Opposition Leader, one backing current UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the other former Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa. UNP Secretary General Akila Viraj Kariyawasam wrote …
Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday took oaths as the 24th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Rajapaksa took oaths before his brother and newly-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat, and promptly assumed duties at the Prime Minister’s Office.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been released from all indictments in the D. A. Rajapaksa memorial case, sources said. Rajapaksa’s passport, the subject of much controversy in the run-up to the recently concluded presidential election, has also been released.
A new political party would be established with the leadership of Sajith Premadasa if Ranil Wickremesinghe does not resign from the UNP leadership and the post of opposition leader, MP Harin Fernando says. Addressing the media in Colombo, Fernando said that Premadasa was the best person to lead the UNP and the Opposition. A number …
By Nuwan Senarathna The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) will not be dissolved by a Government headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) said yesterday, insisting that it would take forward ongoing probes on the bond scam as well as investigations into other corruption allegations that surfaced over the past four …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will hand over his letter of resignation to President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa today, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. “I met the President on Tuesday and spoke about the future activities of Parliament. We decided that we must accept the people’s mandate and allow the President to form a government, …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will resign from his post this morning, paving the way for Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to be sworn in as the new Premier later in the day. Wickremesinghe will officially inform President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of his decision this morning. While the United National Front (UNF), headed by Wickremesinghe, commands the majority …
By Kelum Bandara Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will step down today making the way for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appoint a new Cabinet, Daily Mirror learns. The Prime Minister called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday and discussed it. He will have a special Cabinet meeting at 4.00 p.m. today. Afterwards, he will make a public …
(Text of a Press Statement Issued Through the Media Office of the Tamil National Alliance) The Presidential election held on 2019.11.16 to elect the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been peaceful and Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been declared elected as the President of the Republic of Sri Lanka. We extend …
The Speaker of Parliament had carried out discussions with the Prime Minister, opposition leader, party leaders and several parliamentarians regarding the future course of action of the Parliament after the President has been sworn-in. A release issued by the Speaker’s media unit says that the majority were of the view that action is taken based …
Sri Lanka’s new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to visit India on November 29, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said after meeting the Sri Lankan President this evening in Colombo. On Sunday, PM Modi had invited Mr Rajapaksa to visit India as his first official foreign tour. Mr Rajapaksa will …
Sri Lanka constitution has to be changed and a 19th amendment should be abolished, Basil Rajapaksa, brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in a television interview. “It is my view that the 19th amendment should be completely abolished,” Rajapaksa, who formed the Sri Lanka Podujana Party of the new President said in an interview with …
By Chandani Kirinde Speculation was rife last night that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will step down today, along with members of the Cabinet, to pave the way for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to make new appointments, whilst others claimed the former will hold on for a little longer. Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said that …
By Chandani Kirinde The appointment of a new Prime Minister and Cabinet is likely to be delayed till tomorrow pending a top level meeting between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa tomorrow. The probable way forward came under discussion at the UNP parliamentary group meeting yesterday whilst there were …
By Saman Indrajith The government parliamentary group, which met, yesterday, was divided between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa, who resigned as the UNP Deputy leader following his defeat at Saturday’s presidential election. One group objected to Prime Minister’s decision to dissolve Parliament and go for a snap parliamentary election. Health, Nutrition and Indigenous …
By Chandani Kirinde The EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) said yesterday that the Presidential Election was largely free of violence and technically well-managed, but that unregulated campaign spending, abuse of State resources and media bias did not provide a level playing field for all candidates. Presenting the mission’s preliminary findings at a press briefing, …
Newly-sworn-in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday, in his first address to the nation, outlined his policies, which centred on efficiency to drive economic growth, a non-aligned foreign policy, priority for national security and minority inclusivity to build a prosperous Sri Lanka. Speaking at the historic Ruwanwelisaya under the shadow of King Dutugamunu’s statue, Rajapaksa yesterday held …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, addressing the nation from Anuradhapura, yesterday, declared that he would form a new government. He said he had come before the people as the Executive President, Commander-in-chief and Defence Minister. “I am addressing you as the Executive President of Sri Lanka, Commander- in-Chief and the Defence Minister who is responsible for your …
By P.K.Balachandran Gotabaya Rajapaksa of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) convincingly won the Lankan Presidential election held on November 16. Gotabaya got 52.25 % of the valid votes while his principal rival, Sajith Premadasa, got 41.99%, as per figures available in the evening of Sunday. Sajith conceded defeat in a statement released in the …
By Suhasini Haidar For many in South Block, the election in Sri Lanka will bring relations around full circle from five years ago. In October 2014, during Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s visit to New Delhi, when he was Defence Secretary to his brother, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, both the Ministry of External Affairs and the National Security Advisor …
By Meera Srinivasan As the outcome of Saturday’s presidential polls in Sri Lanka became clear, some voters’ message to the winner Gotabaya Rajapaksa was even clearer. The island’s minority Tamils and Muslims, most of whom live in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, had voted decisively for ruling party candidate Sajith Premadasa, giving him over a …
By Chandani Kirinde Starting a new chapter in Sri Lanka’s political history Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa (70) will be sworn in today as the Seventh Executive President having securing a resounding victory on Saturday. President-elect Rajapaksa was declared winner by Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya last afternoon after he won an emphatic victory in the Saturday’s …
(English Translation of Excerpts from Speech made by President elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa after Being Declared the Winner Officially) It’s no overstatement: today we made history together. 16th November 2019 will be remembered as the day when the wounds of the past were healed, and our nation moved forward to embrace the future. Sri Lankans chose …
(Text of a Press Release Issued by Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa on Nov 17th 2019 under the heading “Presidential Election 2019”) The candidate of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the Joint Opposition, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has won a decisive victory at this presidential election. I request all our party …
Sri Lanka’s ex-Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa who helped defeat Tamil Tiger separatists has been elected Presidentin a deeply polarized vote backed by mainly Sinhalese voters in the South of the country. Rajapaksa won 6,924,255 or 52.25 percent of the vote beating Sajith Premadasa who polled 5,564,239 or 41.99 percent. Rajapaksa’s brother ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa is …
By Meera Srinivasan As the outcome of the Sri Lankan presidential poll became clear on Sunday, the candidate of the incumbent government Sajith Premadasa conceded defeat to his opponent Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He also resigned from the post of Deputy Leader of his United National Party (UNP). Earlier in the day, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna …
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on Sunday claimed that presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa has won the presidential election by winning 53% of the total votes. In a statement, MP Dullas Alahapperuma said although the final official results were yet to be released they had sufficient information that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had won the polls.
(Text of Special Statement Issued by NDF Presidential Candidate Sajith Premadasa on Nov 17th 2019) At the conclusion of a hard fought and spirited election campaign, It is my privilege to honour the decision of the people and congratulate Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa on his election as the seventh President of Sri Lanka. I express my …
Sri Lanka’s ruling party candidate Sajith Premadasa Sunday conceded the presidential poll on Sunday and congratulated his main rival, former wartime defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka Podujana Party has claimed victory in 2019 presidential polls with its candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa getting large majorities in the South. By late morning Sunday Rajapaksa had polled 48 percent of the vote and Sajith Premadasa 45 percent.
By Meera Srinivasan As voting ended on Saturday, the rival political camps of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Sajith Premadasa in Sri Lanka’s presidential election appeared confident that the high turnout would push their candidate past the required 50% mark. A second round of counting will be undertaken to tally preference votes if neither contestant secures over …
The following is a transcript of an exclusive Sunday Times Q and A with SLPP Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Q: When General Sarath Fonseka contested the Presidential Elections of 2010, you felt at the time that a military officer cannot transform himself into a politician. Being a military officer yourself, how do you feel about …
Gunmen opened fire on a convoy of buses carrying minority Muslim voters in northwest Sri Lanka on Saturday, hours before polling in presidential elections got under way, police said. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but a police official said the attackers had burnt tyres on the road and set up makeshift road blocks …
By Nirmala Kannangara Police yesterday threatened to file court action if any military roadblocks or checkpoints were set up in the Jaffna District today, as such obstacles to voting would constitute a violation of election laws. Against the objections of the army and local security forces commanders, police yesterday ordered the roadblocks be dismantled insisting …
Within three hours of the opening of polling booths in the Sri Lankan Presidential election on Saturday, 25% of the voters had cast their ballots, election officers said. Polling began at 7 am and by 10 am local time, a quarter of the electorate had votes, they added.
by VLM In the final few days of the campaign trail, the usual talk is once again resurfacing. Apparently the NDF candidate is “picking up the pace” and “closing the gap”. This view isn’t without merit. The SLPP campaign definitely plateaued and with Sajith Premadasa claiming that he would “appoint a first-time PM”, there are …
Armed men stabbed and injured a writer in Sri Lanka on Thursday, a week after he published a book criticising the main opposition candidate at Saturday’s presidential polls, police said. The attackers stormed the home of Lasantha Wijeratne, who released his book “Wasteful Development and Corruption” last week and gave a copy to ruling party …
By Col R Hariharan Amid the excitement of the Ayodhya verdict and opening of the Kartarpur corridor to Indian devotees of Nankana Sahib, the Sri Lanka Presidential election to be held on November 16 finds little space in the media, not even in Tamil Nadu. The election will decide who will be at the helm …
By Ajith Siriwardana National People’s Power (NPP) presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today they were committed to creating a country with humanity while protecting the rights of all communities. Speaking at the final rally held last night in Maharagama, he said the NPP would create a country free of fraud and corruption where all …
By Nirmala Kannangara Two civil society activists today an appeal with the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the decision last month by the Court of Appeal to dismiss their writ application that sought to quash the dual citizenship certificate of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Prof. Chandragupta Thenuwara and Gamini Viyangoda, …
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya Refocusing attention on Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s United States (US) citizenship renunciation issue is a last-ditch attempt by supporters of New Democratic Front presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa to stave off defeat, claimed Professionals Intervention for Policy Dialogue’s (PIPD) Dr. Charitha Herath yesterday. “Gotabaya Rajapaksa came forth …
By S.S. Selvanayagam Two civil society activists yesterday filed an appeal before the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the Court of Appeal decision to dismiss a Writ application that sought to clarify the status of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s dual citizenship. Appellants were activists Gamini Viyangoda and Prof. Chandragupta Thenuwara, …
By Chandani Kirinde Election Commission (EC) Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said yesterday that the EC has no interest in verifying the citizenship status of candidates contesting the Presidential Election, as it only accepts nomination papers of those who fulfil the legal requirements to contest the poll. “Our interest is in ensuring that the person handing over …
By Chandani Kirinde A fresh row erupted over the citizenship of SLPP presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the weekend, with Sports Minister Harin Fernando alleging that the former had not completed the process of renouncing his US citizenship, which drew a strong rebuttal from lawyers for the SLPP candidate. The row resurfaced after Fernando, in …
By Sandun A. Jayasekera Underscoring that the Elections Commission (EC) was not concerned over citizenship of any presidential candidate, its Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said today he, along with two other commissioners, only observed and returned the document on US citizenship of Gotabaya Rajapaksa to his lawyer Ali Sabri. Responding to a journalist at a news …
Commenting on the on-going controversy over the citizenship of SLPP Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, two prominent civic action groups have said that “there should be no doubt about eligibility of person to be elected president”. “The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) have expressed deep concern about anomalies …
By Ajith Siriwardana National Peoples’ Power (NPP) presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday assured northern people that they would create a situation where Tamil people would be able to learn and deal with the government in their mother tongue. Speaking at an election rally in Kilinochchi, he said there were two state languages such as …
By S.Venkat Narayan NEW DELHI, November 9: The Tamil Nadu Government has issued a government order to include 9,000 new Tamil words in the language. Currently, Tamil has over 4,70,000 unique words, and the over 2,000-year-old language is spoken by 77 million people in India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and other parts of the globe. …
By Sandun Jayawardana Former MP and State Minister Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, who is running as an independent candidate under the ‘owl’ symbol at next Saturday’s presidential election, said he was contesting to draw attention to what had been promised in President Maithripala Sirisena’s election manifesto and to highlight the manner in which those promises could …
by Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Pohottuwa campaigners visiting predominantly Catholic belt neighbourhoods with flyers containing images of blood stained altars of the Katuwapitiya and Kochchikade churches while soliciting the vote for former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa must be reminded that the blame for allowing jihadists to flourish unchecked in Sri Lanka is multi-faceted. Responsibility for intelligence …
Sri Lanka’s outgoing President Maithripaa Sirisena has caused public outrage by pardoning a death row prisoner who had murdered a Swedish teenager in 2005. Jude Jayamaha, from a wealthy, high-profile family, walked free from prison following President Maithripala Sirisena’s highly unusual decision to pardon him. The victim’s sister, Caroline Jonsson, said the killer had shown …
By M.A. Sumanthiran MP In less than a week, Sri Lankan citizens all over the island will go to the polls to select the country’s eighth executive president. There is no denying that, irrespective of the result, this election will mark a crucial turning point in Sri Lanka’s political history. A stark choice faced voters …
By Shreen Abdul Saroor “We see only Muslim villages have been developed, but not the Tamil villages. The only way for Catholic and Hindu villages to get developed is to vote for Gota.” -Namal Rajapaksa in Mannar. “We have to act against Muslims. We Tamil youth have to think and act.” – leaflet by Kiran …
By Ranga Jayasuriya When the UNP Presidential hopeful Sajith Premadasa and his backers bulldozed the former’s nomination as the party’s presidential candidate through the UNP executive committee -after a series of mass rallies and implicit threats of party division- their objective was just to have their man on the party ticket. It is unlikely that …
The Presidential election campaign has almost reached its final stage today. You have ample clues to decide on which candidate to support if you look at the behavioural pattern in most election campaign stages. Most of the people seen on SLPP election platforms today are either owners of arrack factories, liquor bars, illicit rock or …
Jude Shramantha Anthony Jayamaha convicted for the brutal killing of the 19 year old Yvonne Jonsson at Royal Park in 2005 has been granted presidential pardon and most likely will be released today, highly placed sources confirmed to Sunday Observer. Accordingly the documents relating to the release has been forwarded through the Secretary to the …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.” – George Orwell (The Adelphi – January 1939) “The first duty of the Memory Police was to ensure disappearances,” writes Japanese author Yoko Ogawa in her tale of an island where …
By Jayadeva Uyangoda Who is winning? This seems to be the question many people these days are keen to find an answer to. Whenever this question is put to me, my usual answer is one that disappoints the interlocutor: “It is difficult to say. But I can tell you a little bit about what I …
By Sanjana Hattotuwa The room was paid for, in cash, by someone else. The hotel was chosen because of its location close to the HQ of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence in 2014. Well before election day on January 8, full access to key websites was given to trusted individuals outside Sri Lanka, to …
By C.A.Chandraprema By this time next week, the results of the presidential poll would be rolling in. It is very unlikely that the final result would have been announced by the time the newspapers hit the newsstands. Indeed the Elections Commission has said that the final result may not be announced till Monday Nov. 18. …
(TEXT OF A PERSONAL STATEMENT ISSUED BY Dr. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA ON THE CULT OF INTOLERANCE AND IRRATIONALITY) I was horrified to hear a question that Dilka Samanmalee asked Ali Sabry PC on Derana 360. She said that “Dayan Jayatilleka has made a statement that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was responsible for the Easter attacks because he had …
By Disna Mudalige The currently held portfolios in Parliament, including the post of Prime Minister, will have to be freshly appointed once the election results are released, and the person who has the confidence of Parliament will become the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. The Prime Minister made this response to a …
by Tamara Kunanayakam “[T]here is no friendship when nations are not equal,when one has to obey another and when one only dominates another.” Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India in Closing Speech at the Asian-African Conference, Bandung, 1955 Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA), the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and Millennium Challenge Compact …
Continue reading ‘MCC, ACSA, SOFA with the USA Are Incompatible With International Law’ »
New Democratic Front (NDF) presidential candidate, Sajith Premadasa yesterday said that he, if elected President, he would appoint a new Prime Minister who could command the confidence of the majority in Parliament. Issuing a special statement, Premadasa has said that not a single MP who faces allegations of bribery and corruption will be appointed to …
New Democratic Front (NDF) presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa said once voted into office he would appoint a new prime minister who he felt could command a majority in parliament. “I will not include any individual accused of corruption in my ministerial cabinet,” he said making a special announcement at a private TV station. His remarks …
Sajith Premadasa is saying that he will appoint a Cabinet of Ministers who are young vibrant and free of corruption allegations if he wins the Presidential elections on Nov 16. “I will appoint a new, first-time Prime Minister who will be endorsed by the majority,” he said in an address broadcast on his Facebook page. …
(Text of a Statement Issued by the Tamil National Alliance on November 6th 2019 Under the Heading ” Presidential Election – 16th November 2019) An Election for a President to be democratically elected for Sri Lanka is due to be held on 16th November 2019. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) -The Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi …