.By Sandun A Jayasekera Former President Maithripala Sirisena said there is growing animosity between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe like a rivalry. He said it was similar to the rivalry between him as the president and Mr. Wickremesinghe as the prime minister at that time. It was quite clear that there was …
By Meera Srinivasan Growing up in her village in Sri Lanka’s northern Kilinochchi district, Sadasivam Kalaiyarasi had one dream — to play cricket for Sri Lanka. It came true this week, when she made it to the country’s under-19 squad, becoming the first Tamil girl to enter the national cricket arena. “It’s my father who …
by D.B.S.JEYARAJ In what has been described as a historic ruling, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court on May 31st 2022, issued an Interim Order suspending the operation of the Presidential Pardon granted by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to Arumadura Lawrence Romelo Duminda Silva known as Duminda Silva. The former parliamentarian and ex- provincial councillor had been …
Continue reading ‘Hirunika’s Letter to Gotabaya After the Presidential Pardon of Duminda Silva’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj ( Eight years have passed since violence was unleahed by Bodhu Bala Sena (BBS)instigated goons against the Muslims of Aluthgama and Beruwela on Sunday June 15th 2014. This article was written by me shortly after the incidents in the ensuing week in 2014.It is being re-posted without any changes to denote the eighth …
By P.K.Balachandran On the face of it, China appears to be shedding its aloofness and trying to create the impression that it is also helping Sri Lanka overcome the current grave economic crisis. It says that it has pumped in US$ 76 million so far. But that sum pales into insignificance in comparison with India’s …
By Lakmal Suriyagoda The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has filed a Fundamental Rights petition in Supreme Court challenging the appointment of businessman Dhammika Perera to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, as a Member of Parliament. In accordance with Article 99A of the Constitution, the CPA’s position is …
Former Speaker and the National Movement for Social Justice Chairman, Karu Jayasuriya in a statement yesterday, raised concerns over the failure of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in re-enacting the 19A duly as Mr. Rajapaksa promised to the country. The full text of the statement made by Mr. Jayasuriya is as follows: Today I would like to …
Sri Lanka legislator Patali Champika Ranawaka, a former Minister of Power has made shocking revelations over a power deal with India’s Adani group as a controversy brews over ending competitive tenders for private power producers. Ranawaka said as far back as November 2021, the Chairman of Ceylon Electricity Board M C Ferdinando had written to …
Sri Lanka opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam on Monday (13) rejected insinuations by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that the Batticaloa district MP had condoned the retaliatory violence on parliamentarians on May 09. In a letter addressed to the prime minister, Rasamanickam said that he has never encouraged any violence and that a …
By Rohini Hensman I am not in Sri Lanka, and I feel torn about what is happening there. Acute anxiety about how millions will survive the shortages of food, fuel and medicine jostles against a glimmer of hope that this crisis could be the beginning of the end of a decades-long nightmare. Since the country …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The first part of my article on Ranil’s return was published in the “Daily Mirror”of May 21st 2022. In that I made a brief reference to the song “Que Sera Sera” sung by the American singer com actress Doris Day. This was in the context of speculation about Ranil Wickremesinghe’s political future. This …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake There are reports of big celebrations in California. They have heard that Basil – the Crowman or Kaputu-kaak – Rajapaksa has decided to retain his US citizenship, and come there for a holiday. His wife had already left for a big family celebration.Retaining US citizenship, especially when one’s home country, Sri Lanka, …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene When questioned as to why Sri Lanka’s law works to its most ferocious extent against anti-government protestors, Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe’s answer was typically slick. ‘The police have also arrested Members of Parliament…it is the magistrates who decide on remand’, he said. This was during one of multiple regional and global media …
By Austin Fernando The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived, and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. John F Kennedy In a lighter vein, I amuse that President Kennedy’s above quote would have been partly motivated by a premonition he had of what would happen in …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka Will the SLPP (‘Pohottuwa’) have a political future, or will it wind up like the LSSP-CPSL of 1977, the SLFP of 1977 or the UNP of 2020? According to the Jataka Tales, when the Buddha was asked a question which contained a problem, he used to tell the tale of a precedent, …
By Nisthar Cassim Top business leader and Minister-to-be Dhammika Perera yesterday resigned from all his companies and was named as a National List MP via an extraordinary gazette as part of preparations to be appointed as a Cabinet Minister. The respective Colombo Stock Exchange-listed companies notified Dhammika’s resignation yesterday. The move is ahead of Dhammika’s …
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) in a statement yesterday said it is concerned by several media reports that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has appointed Dhammika Perera to fill the National List seat which became vacant by the resignation of Basil Rajapaksa. CPA noted that according to media reports, Dhammika Perera was not …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday met with the owners of the media organisations in Sri Lanka and updated them about the efforts to resolve the economic crisis. He informed the media owners that the IMF would be visiting the country on 20 June. He explained that he was hopeful that a staff-level agreement would …
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) yesterday refuted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assertion that it reached an agreement with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that if the 19th Amendment is restored the latter can continue. BASL was responding to parts of a statement made by Prime Minister on June 8 in Parliament referring to the BASL. …
A vote of condolence on a murdered Sri Lankan government MP on Friday (10) saw Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe calling for an inquiry on an opposition legislator and ex-PM Mahinda Rajapaksa claiming that the country’s protesting youth have blood on their hands. Noting the parliamentary tradition of a vote of condolence on a deceased MP, …
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has written to Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Stephen Twigg to investigate the murder of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Amarakeerthi Athukorale by a mob on May 09, Wickremesinghe told parliament on Friday (10). Speaking at a vote of condolence on Atukorale held Friday morning, Wickremesinghe …
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka’s former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa vacated his parliamentary seat on Thursday (09) downplaying his role in the country’s worst ever forex crisis, without ruling out a comeback, and likening the Rajapaksa family to India’s RSS. Exactly one month after his older brother and then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned against a backdrop …
(Text of Speech made in Parliament by TNA Jaffna District Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran on 08h June 2022) Thank you Hon. Presiding member for the opportunity to speak at this debate on the statement made by the Hon. Prime Minister yesterday and the Motion for supplementary estimate. The country is looking to the parliament today for …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (A family of four in the North – western town of Vankalai in Mannar district was brutally massacred on June 8th 2006. The persons responsible for the cruel act are yet to be brought to justice. I wrote a detailed article about the incident under the heading ”Vicious Violence Wipes Out family of …
Continue reading ‘Terrible Massacre of a Four Member Family in Vankaalai Sixteen Years Ago’ »
(Full text of Address to Parliament by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on June 7th 2022) “Our primary focus here is on economic stability. We need to revive the economy of our country. This is not something that can be done in two or three days. This challenge cannot be done by miracles, not …
By Rehana Thowfeek There have been days when cybersecurity professional Asela Waidyalankara and his colleagues have sat in hotel lobbies to complete projects during power outages. Other days, they have run around Colombo looking for fuel for generators so they could work from home. “We have a buddy system at the company to inform each …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, delivering a speech at the ‘Conference on Sri Lanka’s Twin Crisis’ held at the Sri Lanka Foundation, on Friday, said: “We based ourselves on the British Constitution. The majority has the power, the minority starts talking and shouting, that’s all. But then we changed the first-passed-the-post into a PR system. Now, …
By Anusha Ondaatjie and Sudhi Ranjan Sen President Gotabaya Rajapaksa vowed to finish the remaining two years in his term despite months long street protests calling for his ouster, but won’t stand for re-election as he focuses on fixing a financial mess that tipped Sri Lanka into its worst-ever economic crisis. “I can’t go as …
By Austin Fernando Proponents of constitutional economic reforms are struggling to prioritise solutions for the current socio-economic-politico imbroglio. Pohottuwa General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam has said the economic crisis should be resolved first and then an environment created for constitutional amendments. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa banks on the Romesh de Silva Committee for the drafting of a …
By W.A. Wijewardena The Ministry of Finance, under the direction of Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, known as RW, has hiked main taxes in the country moving halfway back to the tax regime that prevailed prior to 2020. Before this action, the Inland Revenue Services Union, made up of Assistant and Deputy Commissioners, …
By Lakmal Sooriyagoda Minister of Urban Development and Housing Prasanna Ranatunga was today sentenced to two-year imprisonment suspended for five years by Colombo High Court over an indictment filed by the Attorney General. Minister Ranatunga was convicted for the thirteenth count out of fifteen by High Court Judge Manjula Tillekaratne over an indictment filed for …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj (This Article was first published in 2012 to commemorate the 10th death anniversary of Mr.M. Sivasithamparam. It is being re-posted to denote the 20th death anniversary on 5 June 2022.) “Panchamum Noiyum Nin Meiyadiaarkko, Paarinil Menmaigal Verini Yaarkko” (If famine and disease are for your true followers for who else then are glories …
By the “Sunday Times”Political Editor There was a difference when the two friends – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Sagala Ratnayake, the newly appointed Chief of Staff of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe – met days ago at the Janadipathi Mandiriya (President’s House). The old camaraderie apart, there was a note of grim seriousness. Beleaguered Rajapaksa politely …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene The Sri Lankan political establishment’s ‘dirty tricks’ department seems to be in full swing as the nation is presented with a dizzying array of constitutional amendments, variously titled ’21st Amendment’, ‘21A’, ’21B’, ‘22A’ and so forth. Constitutional Babel, ‘a confusion of tongues’ It says much for the combined idiocy underlying this …
By P.K.Balachandran The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin told the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in India Milinda Moragoda that more shipments of humanitarian aid from Tami; Nadu will be sent to Sri Lanka and Moragoda requested the Chief Minister to designate a focal point in the Tamil Nadu government to facilitate cooperation between Sri Lanka …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Return of Ranil : Remarkable Resilience od Premier Wickremesinghe. -Part Two The first part of the article titled “Ranil Returns: Remarkable Resilience of Premier Wickremesinghe”published in the “DailyMirror” of May 21st 2022 resulted in my getting quite a lot of feedback during the week. Much more than usual. I was pleasantly surprised by …
Continue reading ‘How Ranil Wickremesinghe Became Prime Minister Again’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (This Article was written in July 2021 following the Presidential Pardon given to Convicted Murderer Duminda Silva by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa/It is being re-posted now in view of the historic interim order issued by the Supreme Court suspending the operation of the Presidential Pardon) Arumadura Lawrence Romelo Duminda Silva known as Duminda Silva …
By Meera Srinivasan Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Sri Lanka of immediate supply of fertilizer, the Sri Lankan President has said, as the island braces for a food crisis amid a crushing economic meltdown. “President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to provide the fertilizer required for the …
By Safrah Fazal The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Colombo Municipal Councillor Mahinda Kahandagama yesterday (2) and appointed two CID teams to arrest former Minister and incumbent Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Johnston Fernando, with regard to the incidents of peaceful protestors being attacked by a group of SLPP supporters in Colombo on 9 …
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Former MP Duminda Silva, who was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) following the special presidential pardon granted to him by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa being suspended through a Supreme Court (SC) interim order, is currently receiving treatment at the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital under the special protection of Prison Officers, said …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Alas poor country! Almost afraid to know itself. It cannot, Be call’d our mother, but our grave.” – Shakespeare (Macbeth) Sri Lanka: 2019, a lower middle income country; 2020, a bankrupted, beggared land, dependent on international charity for survival. “Poor politics has shattered my life and this is my only hope to …
BY Buddhika Samaraweera The Police’s Colombo Crime Prevention Division informed Colombo Fort Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage yesterday (31 May) that the Attorney General (AG) has instructed to file charges under Section 291A of the Penal Code against Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera, for allegedly using words that are harmful to religious …
BY Buddhika Samaraweera The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), acting on the order given by the Supreme Court (SC) to arrest former MP Duminda Silva following the special Presidential pardon granted to him by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa being suspended through an interim order, arrested Silva at the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital yesterday (1). Speaking to The …
BY Buddhika Samaraweera The Attorney General’s Department has informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court that former Minister and incumbent Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Johnston Fernando, Colombo Municipal Councillor Mahinda Kahandagama, and two others have been named as suspects in the case filed with regard to the incidents of peaceful protestors being attacked by …
Meera Srinivasan reporting From Weeraketiya Paddy farmer S.D. Weerawansa has made a livelihood decision and a political pledge in recent weeks — he will not sow in the coming season, and he will never back a Rajapaksa again. They aren’t unrelated. His crop has fallen by 50% this harvest, a consequence of Sri Lankan President …
By Lakmal Sooriyagoda The Supreme Court today issued an Interim Order directing the CID to place Duminda Silva under the custody of prisons with immediate effect. The Attorney General was directed to assist the CID to implement this interim order while reporting to court the progress of the implementation of the Interim Order. The Court …
Sri Lanka is raising value added tax to 12 percent, corporate tax to 30 percent and the highest personal income tax rate to 34 percent from 18 percent, in a bid to raise 195 billion rupees as money printed to pay state worker salaries trigger forex shortages. Value added taxes will be raised to 12 …
By Anusha Ondaatjie Sri Lanka is recommending airlines carry enough jet fuel to last return trips or fill up elsewhere, as the island grapples with a shortage of everything from oil to food due to a foreign-exchange crisis. “We’ve asked airlines to carry the required fuel while operating to Sri Lanka, because there is a …
by Bishop Duleep de Chickera The myth Parliamentary democracy is a system of governance through which people share resources, provide for their own needs, enhance their own interests and deal with unexpected contingencies, as far as possible on their own. Since an entire population cannot be set aside to do this, they appoint representatives to …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday instructed officials to immediately launch a comprehensive public-private partnership effort to boost food security. Noting that negotiations with several countries to meet the fertiliser requirement have been successful the President requested all farmers not to give up cultivation during the Yala Season due to a shortage of fertiliser or any other …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Ranil Sriyan Wickremesinghe known as Ranil is in the seat of power again as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for the sixth time. The new Prime Minister was neither elected to office by the people in a general election nor endorsed by a majority of MP’s in Parliament. Ranil is the leader of …
Continue reading ‘Return of Ranil: Remarkable Resilience of Premier Wickremesinghe’ »
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday proposed several measures to strengthen Parliament which include the setting up of several new committees as well as an all-party National Council. In a special televised address, the Prime Minister said that main issues in the country are not limited to the economic sphere but there are two major issues …
By Meera Srinivasan Thousands participated in a rally held in capital Colombo on Saturday to mark the 50 th day of ongoing agitations against the government at the oceanfront in the wake of a severe economic crisis. Professionals, artistes, students, members of trade unions and the religious clergy marched about 3 km to Colombo’s seafront …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that China will help Sri Lanka weather the financial crisis. “China has offered ‘a few hundred million dollars’ in lending to Sri Lanka to help alleviate a shortage of essential goods in the crisis-hit country,” the UK’s Financial Times said quoting Wickremesinghe. FT said Wickremesinghe hopes to finalise the …
(Text of Special Statement Made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on May 29th 2022) Today, the main issues in our country are not limited to the economic sphere. There are also two major issues in the political sphere. The re-introduction of the 19th Amendment is one of these issues. We, as party leaders, are now …
By Vincent Ni China’s financing of overseas projects has disproportionately benefited the core political supporters of incumbent presidents or prime ministers of those countries that receive the funds, according to a new book. During the 20th century, China was mostly known as a recipient of international development finance. Its overseas development programme was modest – …
A faint glimmer of hope for some order is slowly emerging amid the chaos that has engulfed Sri Lanka. The lifting of the state of emergency by Ranil Wick mesinghe shows that he’s in control of the besieged nation’s affairs. This should offer a measure of comfort for India as Sri Lanka was seen as …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had a meeting today (28) with the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr.P.Nandalal Weerasinghe and Monetary Board member Sanjeeva Jayawardena PC and fully assuredthem that the Governor and the Monetary Board has his fullest and unqualified assurance of freedom to discharge their functions independently and without any extraneous constraints. The President’s Media …
By T. Farook Thajudeen The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court yesterday imposed a two-years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 100,000 on Shashi Weerawansa, wife of former Minister and National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader MP Wimal Weerawansa. The verdict was declared by Colombo Chief Magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala after she was found guilty of submitting …
By Meera Srinivasan For over 80 Tamils, including children and infants, who took boats and landed in Tamil Nadu in the last few months, the risky journey was not only about fleeing Sri Lanka’s dire economic situation. It was also about chasing an elusive dream — a secure, peaceful life. Most of those leaving the …
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the Union government increased its contribution to the Centre-State schemes and more funds were allocated to the State “to do justice to the contribution made by developed States like Tamil Nadu” towards the country’s development and economy. “Only …
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that India will continue to stand with the people of Sri Lanka and support democracy, stability and economic recovery in the neighbouring country. Noting Sri Lanka was passing through difficult times, Mr. Modi, who was in Chennai to inaugurate and lay the foundation for several schemes involving …
By Meera Srinivasan India and Japan have agreed to work together on assisting crisis-hit Sri Lanka, the Japanese government said, following a recent meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. Mr. Modi and Mr. Kishida met on May 24 on the sidelines of the Quad summit and held bilateral talks on …
By Chandani Kirinde All parties are scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe this evening to finalise the draft of the proposed 21st Amendment to the Constitution. The meeting comes amidst differing views on a draft Bill which was given to party leaders on Monday with the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) saying …
General Shavendra Silva will be replaced by Major General Vikum Liyanage on 1 June as Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, while a high-powered military committee has been appointed to look into any lapses by the tri-forces during the unrest at Mirihana on 31 March, and the nationwide tensions that erupted on 9 May and …
By Easwaran Rutnam Former Finance Minister and founder of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Basil Rajapaksa is said to be leading attempts to block the 21st Amendment from being passed by Parliament, Daily Mirror learns. Government sources told Daily Mirror that Rajapaksa has secured the support of a number of SLPP members to oppose …
By Mark Malloch -Brown Many Western leaders are behaving as though there is one crisis in the world: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While some are waking up to the widespread knock-on effects for food and energy security, there is little bandwidth, it seems, to address the underlying looming crisis: a global economic unwinding driven by …
Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Tuesday that he will present an interim budget within six weeks, slashing infrastructure projects to re-route funds into a two-year relief programme for the crisis-hit island nation. Wickremesinghe, who took office two weeks ago, warned that inflation would rise as the government gets down to tackling …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday assumed additional charge as Finance Minister, possibly the toughest job when the island nation’s economy experiences a rapid decline amid an unprecedented crisis. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office said Mr. Wickremesinghe was sworn in “Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies”, about a fortnight …
WASHINGTON, May 24, 2022—The World Bank today issued the following statement on Sri Lanka: “Recent media reports have inaccurately stated that the World Bank is planning support for Sri Lanka in the form of a bridge loan or new loan commitments, among other incorrect assertions. We are concerned for the people of Sri Lanka and …
BY Pamodi Waravita The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) yesterday (24) said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe must solve the economic crisis before bringing in a Constitutional amendment, adding that such amendments should not be drafted to target any specific individuals, which prevent them from entering Parliament or becoming President. “The SLPP cannot immediately say …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka has decided to seek fresh assistance of $500 million from India to augment its fuel imports, as the island reels under a crippling economic crisis manifesting in persisting shortages of essentials. For weeks now, citizens are spending long hours lining up outside fuel stations — at times all day or …
With Samagi Jana Balawegeya (SJB) Opposition MP Dr. Harsha de Silva reiterating that he will not accept the Finance Minister portfolio under the present political conditions, The Morning learnt that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is likely to take oaths as the new Finance Minister today (25), with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa acting as the Finance Minister …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Actress turned politician Geetha Kumarasinghe grabbed media attention a few weeks ago when she spoke out strongly in support of President Gotabaya Rajapksa. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna(SLPP) Galle district MP who enjoyed much popularity as a successful actress for many years had been appointed State minister of Culture and Performing Arts by …
Dear Prime Minister, As I watched you take oaths at the Presidential Secretariat, my mind was drawn to the last time you did so, on 16 December 2018, on day 52 of the 52-day coup plot that was mounted against Lankan democracy. On that Sunday morning, you were flanked by your wife, Dr. Maithri Wickremasinghe …
By Gerry Shih and Hafeel Farisz The mob was bashing on the gates of the Sri Lankan prime minister’s official residence, its size and fury swelling dangerously. For weeks, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the 76-year-old prime minister, had been under pressure to resign as the economy imploded and protests erupted. The brother of the president, Gotabaya, and …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Without gas, without kerosene oil, we can’t do anything. Last option what? Without food we are going to die. That will happen hundred percent.” ~ Mohammad Shazly a part-time chauffer, Colombo (Reuters – 20.5.2022 An old man walks down a road, snowy haired, thin to the point of gauntness, bespectacled. He clutches …
. By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Two extraordinary developments this week may be of interest to Sri Lanka watchers familiar with the decades-long subversive capture of the Constitutional State by agents of the Deep State. Casting aspersions on judicial officers entrusted with ‘protest cases’ First, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka’s expression of strongly worded concern …
By “The Sunday Morning” Political Editor The draft bill of the proposed new 21st Amendment to the Constitution is to be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers tomorrow (23), it is learnt. The finalising of the draft bill was one of the first acts of new Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe last Friday (20) soon after …
By Suhasini Haidar In late 2016, a senior Indian government official, in a meeting with the envoy of a neighbouring country, spelt out the consequences that the country would face if it crossed the Narendra Modi government’s newly “muscular foreign policy”. At the time, the Government had put Pakistan on notice on terror attacks, and …
BY R.K. RADHAKRISHNAN When Tan Binh 99, the Panama-registered general cargo vessel left Chennai at 8.28 a.m. on May 19 with 9,000 tons of rice, 200 tons of milk powder, and 24 tons of essential medicines, it marked a first of sorts: A province in a developing country extending its assistance to another country. Tamil …
Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa who had to go into hiding after angry crowds besieged his official residence Temple Trees on 9 May came to Parliament yesterday. Rajapaksa who was taken to the Navy Camp in Trincomalee came to the House with his son MP Namal Rajapaksa.
By P.K.Balachandran After nearly two months of uncertainty and turmoil, Sri Lankan parliamentarians have now reached a consensus on the political management of the country, with Ranil Wickremesinghe taking over as Prime Minister and attempting to form a multi-party government. On Friday, nine new cabinet ministers from different parties were sworn in before President Gotabaya …
By Meera Srinivasan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday expanded Sri Lanka’s Cabinet to include nine more Ministers, but he is yet to appoint a Finance Minister to handle the crisis-hit island nation’s economic affairs. A group of Ministers to helm portfolios including education, ports and shipping, health, justice, trade was sworn in, the President’s office …
By Chandani Kirinde The Inspector General of Police (IGP) had prevented police personnel on duty near the Prime Minister’s official residence Temple Trees on 9 May from firing tear gas and water cannons to disperse the mob that attacked protestors at Galle Face Green, a senior Government member told Parliament yesterday. Galle District MP Dr. …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed Maldivian Parliamentary Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed as the “coordinator” for securing foreign aid to Sri Lanka that is facing an unprecedented economic crisis. Mr. Wickremesinghe on May 19 held a closed-door meeting with his long-time friend Mr. Nasheed who is visiting Colombo, …
(This article from “The Economist” appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Gota go”) On paper, at least, Sri Lanka is one of the wealthiest countries in South Asia, ranked by the un on a par with much of eastern Europe in terms of development. Yet the country of 22m …
By Meera Srinivasan Scores of people on Wednesday gathered in Mullivaikkal village, in Sri Lanka’s northern Mullaitivu district, to remember the tens of thousands of Tamil civilians who were brutally killed in the final stages of the civil war in May 2009, when the armed forces crushed the LTTE. Simultaneously, dozens came together expressing solidarity …
by Krishnadas Rajagopal The Supreme Court on Wednesday invoked its extraordinary powers to do complete justice under Article 142 of the Constitution and ordered the release of A.G. Perarivalan in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. A Bench led by Justice L. Nageswara Rao, in its judgment, took into consideration Perarivalan’s long incarceration for …
(Text of Special Statement made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on May 16th 2022 Regardig the Current Economic Siitution in Sri Lanka) Last Thursday, I accepted office as the Prime Minister. I did not request this position. In face of the challenging situation facing the country, the President invited me to take up this position. …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Hindu” of May 17th 2022 Under the Heading “ Crisis and opportunity: On Sri Lanka political crisis”) The adage ‘every crisis contains the seeds of an opportunity’ could not have been truer for anyone than for Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The severe economic crisis, which set off …
By Chandani Kirinde TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran yesterday slammed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, calling his conduct absolutely shameless after the latter voted against the motion moved by the TNA MP to suspend Standing Orders in order to debate a motion against the President. He accused the Prime Minister of trading on his policies and principles …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday reaffirmed the UNP’s commitment to vote in favour of the motion expressing displeasure against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa when it is taken up in Parliament. The Prime Minister reiterated his position after he came in for criticism for voting against a motion in Parliament yesterday to suspend Standing Orders to take …
SLPP Hambatntota District MP Ajith Rajapakse was elected as the new Deputy Speaker of Parliament yesterday after a secret ballot in which he defeated the SJB’s nominee Matale District MP Rohini Kaviratne.Rajapakse won 107 votes while Kaviratne got 98 votes while 23 votes were rejected. Although discussions had been held to field a consensus candidate, …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday won crucial support from the main opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the 10-party alliance for his efforts to revive the economy. The Parliamentary Group of the SJB unanimously decided to extend support to the Government led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on decisions …
Ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MPs Sanath Nishantha and Milan Jayatilleke were arrested yesterday by the Criminal Investigations Department over violent incidents which took place at Galle Face and outside Temple Trees on 9 May.
There was complete pandemonium on Saturday (14)when embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa met with SLPP legislators for the first time since the latest wave of mob violence, which led to arson attacks against many of them. Tight security granted to the president’s personal shaman, Gnana Akka, in Anuradhapura was figured at the meeting with angry MPs …
Several homes, properties, and vehicles belonging to MPs were destroyed during Monday’s (9) unrest, according to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). This full list, compiled by the SLPP, was released recently, and is as follows: Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Carlton house was damaged. The Rajapaksa Museum, including the monuments of the former Prime …
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) yesterday (15) stated that it would support all correct decisions taken by the Government to resolve the current economic crisis in the country, and that it was willing to discuss the allocation of ministerial portfolios to SLFP MPs, two days after stating that it would neither be part of …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka on May 15 said it will “duly investigate” information flagged by Indian intelligence agencies — that ex-LTTE were “regrouping to launch attacks” in the island — and “strengthen security”, a day after authorities denied the claim reported in The Hindu. On May 13 The Hindu, citing Indian intelligence sources, reported …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene In the shambles left of the Rajapaksa Government this week in Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s last-ditch conjuring of many-times Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to fill the vacuum left by the resignation of his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was hardly unexpected. The bitter aftermath of Monday’s attacks That was the most predictable …
By Sandun Jayawardana Elements backed by political parties and enemies are being blamed for the destruction caused to vehicles and properties of government politicians, their relatives and supporters during the three days of violence that broke out after pro-government thugs attacked peaceful protesters outside Temple Trees and at Galle Face on Monday. Properties and vehicles …
By Meera Srinivasan Just as it became apparent on Wednesday that Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was about to appoint Ranil Wickremesinghe as PM, in place of Mahinda Rajapaksa who resigned days earlier, an old video clip got widely shared on social media. Clad in a back suit, a prim looking Mr. Wickremesinghe tells a …
By Mujib Mashal and Skandha Gunasekara As the guests sat down for a banquet dinner last summer at the grand colonial-era home of Sri Lanka’s president, the small talk soon turned gravely serious. Addressing members of the ruling coalition, the country’s energy minister, Udaya Gammanpila, defended a small increase in fuel prices that was intended …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence on Saturday denied reports of ex-LTTE cadre “regrouping to launch attacks” in Sri Lanka, as reported by The Hindu, citing sources in Indian intelligence. “The article is completely baseless. We have received no intelligence warning of such a security threat,” a Ministry spokesman said. The report, citing …
By S.Vijay Kumar Intelligence agencies have warned of erstwhile cadre of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) regrouping to launch attacks in Sri Lanka, as the country is embroiled in a deep economic and political crisis. As the island nation has declared emergency twice amid escalating violent protests, some sections of the Sri …
By Chandani Kirinde The 10-party alliance led by former Ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) said yesterday they will not accept any ministerial portfolios in the Government of newly appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, but will extend support to the programs to revive the economy. Former President Maithripala …
Newly appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday appealed to the people to be patient, and promised to work diligently to find a way out of the unprecedented economic crisis and bring relief to the people. The Prime Minister instructed his staff to be prepared to continue working without thinking about the holidays. Accordingly, the upcoming …
BY CHANKA JAYASINGHE A former ruling party legislator who died in violent clash in Sri Lanka was beaten to death by a mob and it was not a suicide as claimed earlier, Police Spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said on Thursday. Amarakeerthi Athukorala, an MP in former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa-led Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) administration …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has vowed to “deliver solutions” to the island’s deepening economic crisis, kicked off duties on Friday, discussing formation of a “foreign aid consortium” with Colomb-based envoys, his office said. His outreach came a day after he was sworn in Premier by President Gotabaya …
A decision has been made to pass a resolution in support of Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new Prime Minister in the Parliament when it convenes next on 17 May. The motion states that the support of the majority of the Members of Parliament will be expressed to Ranil Wickremesinghe. It is reported that lawmakers of …