By Ranga Jayasuriya If you keep yourself up to date with local news, you are also likely to be bombarded with an overdose of negativity, which might make an inquisitive tourist ponder whether he or she is in a different country. That dichotomy may partly be due to the differential exposure to the local life, …
The Judiciary of the Nineteenth Judicial District of the Commonwealth of Virginia on 20 October hosted a special ceremony to mark the investiture of the Divani Raveena Nadaraja who is of Sri Lankan origin. Judge Divani Nadaraja’s journey to this prestigious position has been marked by a wealth of experience and dedication to the pursuit …
(Text of Press Release Issued by the Presidents Media Division on 23 October 2023) The three Cabinet ministers took their oaths at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (23), in the presence of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Mr. Keheliya Rambukwella now serves as the Minister of Environment, Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera as the Minister of Plantation Industries and …
Apparently ending speculation, President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday confirmed that the elections cycle will begin from next year. Speaking at the UNP’s convention, the President outlined the timeline for upcoming elections in line with the constitutional provisions, detailing that the presidential election is slated for the following year, followed by parliamentary elections. Furthermore, local Government …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Do not use our death and our pain to bring the death and pain of other people and other families…” Israeli peace activist Noy Katsman (eulogy for his brother Hayim Katsman murdered by Hamas on October 7) Jewish Currents is a US-based leftwing Jewish magazine. Soon after October 7 Hamas attack, its …
By Kishali Pinto-Jayawardene Sri Lanka’s political establishment continues to be in unusually excited tumult following this month’s Supreme Court decision in the Nazeer Ahamed case, upholding the opposition Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC)’s expulsion of a dissident member of parliament for voting against the party whip in Parliament. Amusing repercussions of the Court ruling He …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Thirty-six years ago in October 1987, I was arrested by the Sri Lankan Police and detained at the Crminal Investigation Department(CID) Office on the fourth floor of the Police secretariat in Fort, Colombo. I was then working as a journalist for “The Island” in Colombo. I was also the Sri Lanka Correspondent of …
Continue reading ‘How I was Arrested by the CID and Detained on the 4th Floor.’ »
(Text of Speech made on the current Israel – Palestine conflict by Jaffna District Parliamentarian M.A.Sumanthiran on 20th October 2023 in Parliament ) Thank you deputy speaker for the time allocated to speak on this very important issue that is shocking the conscience of the world. Let me at the outset express my solidarity with …
By Yohan Perera In accordance with the Constitution, the Presidential election is scheduled for next year, followed by the parliamentary election, President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured today despite reports that there will be Constitutional reforms instead. “Both the Presidential election and the general elections will be held next year while the Provincial Council election will be …
By Gideon Levy This bloodbath must be stopped immediately; it isn’t leading anywhere good. Massacres can be answered with massacres, but even a terrible massacre like the one perpetrated in southern Israel cannot justify whatever follows it, with no limits. A terrible massacre might even be able to justify another terrible massacre if it has …
Sri Lanka has received conditional nod from the staff of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following the completion of the first review of the $ 3 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program. IMF said the staff-level agreement is subject to the approval by its management and the Executive Board in the period ahead, contingent on: …
(Text of Press Release Issued by President’s Media division on 20th October 2023) President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China stated that China is committed to assisting Sri Lanka in achieving economic stability without any political agenda. He expressed his desire to collaborate closely with President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Furthermore, President Xi Jinping acknowledged …
State Minister Diana Gamage has been admitted to the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital following her claims about being assaulted by a male parliamentarian representing the main opposition. She also filed a complaint with Welikada Police prior to getting hospitalized. Earlier today, during the parliamentary session, Damage accused Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Sujith Sanjaya Perera of …
By Yohan Perera No one should contest the next presidential election for the sake of the nation, UNP Chairman and Member of Parliament Vajira Abeywardana said yesterday. “It is better if no one comes forward to contest the Presidential election next year as it would help the nation to stabilize,” MP Abeywardana told a media …
By Jamila Husain President Ranil Wickremesinghe is likely to make drastic changes in the higher up of the gov-ernment including in the cabinet and the defence ranks following the budget in November, the Daily Mirror learns. The move comes at a time when the government is feeling the heat over the inability of some ministers …
By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana There are no moves to scrap the Executive Presidency as it is a difficult task, Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapaksha told Parliament today. “Scrapping the Executive Presidency is a complicated and difficult process. There is no way we can do it through the present Parliament. It is also an …
The United National Party (UNP) will effect major changes to its constitution at its special convention scheduled for October 21 similar to the reforms introduced way back in 1978, party’s chairman MP Wajira Abeywardena said. He said that the Special Convention will be conducted at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo, at 2p.m. He said …
By Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene Not so long ago, on the cusp of some general election or the other, there was a pithily phrased segment in one of Sri Lanka’s electronic media channels titled ‘Kawde Pannin Ne?’ (in other words, ‘who will jump next?’) Heady inducements of ‘cross overs’ That was a ‘must watch’ commentary on …
By Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz (Dr Shamsul Bari and Ruhi Naz are chairman and assistant director (RTI), respectively, at Research Initiatives, Bangladesh ). The importance of people’s right to information (RTI) for good governance and sustainable development is often loudly proclaimed but quietly ignored by people and governments alike. It is heartening, therefore, that …
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj Mohammed Mihilar Mohammed Hanzeer alias Azad Maulana was the main whistleblower featured in the Channel 4 documentary on Sri Lanka that was aired on 5 September 2023. . Azad Maulana made some startling revelations against former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, State Intelligence Service head Maj-Gen Suresh Salley and Rural Road Development State Minister …
Continue reading ‘Life and Death of EPRLF Razeek the Relentless Tiger Hunter.’ »
By Indika Sakalasooriya China has taken the front seat in Sri Lanka’s external debt restructuring process making a calculated move akin to a chessboard strategy, catching everyone off-guard, by entering a preliminary debt deal with the Sri Lanka authorities. Despite being Sri Lanka’s largest bilateral lender, China remained in shadows as Sri Lanka initiated negotiations …
Human Rights Watch has determined based on verified video and witness accounts that Israeli forces used white phosphorus in military operations in Lebanon and Gaza on October 10 and 11, 2023, respectively. The videos show multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border. White …
In a static decades-long conflict that has rotted for the past 20 years, it can be hard to believe that real change is possible. Be in no doubt, however, that Hamas’s murderous assault has blown up the status quo between Israel and the Palestinians. The coming weeks will determine whether war in Gaza sinks the …
. By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Kathiravelu Nythiananda Douglas Devananda is a senior Sri Lankan Tamil political leader. The Secretary-General of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party(EPDP) has been continuously representing the Jaffna district in Parliament since 1994. Devananda known generally as Douglas , has served as a cabinet minister in different Governments for more than 15 years. He …
By Jamila Husain Sri Lanka’s political circle has gone into a quandary after information has spread that moves are underway to abolish the executive presidency before the Presidential Election next year as no candidate or political party will be able to secure an over 50 percent win at the polls. The Daily Mirror learns that …
By Meera Srinivasan Several Foreign Ministers, including those of India, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Iran, Malaysia and South Africa, will participate in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers meeting in Colombo on October 11, 2023, according to the Sri Lankan government, which is preparing to take over as Chair of the regional grouping this …
In the 18 years since withdrawing from the Gaza strip, Israel has invaded it twice. The first occasion was Operation Cast Lead, which involved a 15-day ground invasion in January 2009. The second was Operation Protective Edge in 2014, in which the Israel Defence Forces (idf) spent 19 days on the ground. A third ground …
The attack by Hamas was as unexpected to ordinary people in Gaza as it was in Israel. The Jewish state was horrified not just by videos of black-clad gunmen taking women and children hostage, murdering hundreds of unarmed civilians and overrunning military bases. It was also shocked that its intelligence and military forces had so …
The vicious success of Hamas, the Islamic movement that controls Gaza, in launching a massive terrorist attack on October 7th against communities in southern Israel, leaving at least 800 dead within Israel, without their plans being unveiled is matched by the astounding failure of Israeli intelligence at every level. Officials are in shock that an …
Israelis woke on October 7th, Simchat Torah, the Jewish festival which celebrates the end of the yearly cycle of reading the Torah, to a hail of more than 2,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians’ tiny coastal enclave. But soon reports began filtering through of a much more devastating attack. Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist …
By Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene If the Bard once said in a somewhat excessively sentimental aside that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, we can only remark that Sri Lanka’s counter terrorism or anti-terrorism bills emanate a distinctly unpleasant odour, irrespective of whatever ‘name’ it possesses. Risk of imperilling national security To …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The first part of this article was published in the “Daily Mirror”of 16 September 2023 under the heading “Who is Hanzeer Azad Maulana the Whistleblower on Channel 4?”. The focus of that piece was Mohammed Mihilar Mohammed Hanzeer alias Azad Maulana who appeared on a documentary aired on 5 September 2023 by the …
By Lakmal Sooriyagoda The Supreme Court in a landmark judgment today determined that the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress’ decision to expel Minister Nazeer Ahamad from the party membership is legally valid. With this Supreme Court judgment, Nazeer Ahamad’s expulsion will lead to the loss of his parliamentary seat.
By Tisaranee Gunasekara Ramzi Razeek was arrested in the early days of the pandemic when knowledge of the virus was sketchy and myths filled the gaps. The Rajapaksa regime had militarised a health crisis. The army commander was running the show. Patients were treated like enemy aliens, entire communities forced into poorly-prepared quarantine centres literally …
By Kshama Ranawana Ranil Wickremesinghe just dug himself into a hole! In attempting to outsmart Deutsche Welle’s Martin Gak during an interview, President Wickremesinghe said that there had been no external involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday massacre. Claiming that the Sri Lankan government will not entertain an international inquiry, Wickremesinghe said he forgot to …
BY Kesara Abeywardena In recent times, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been making headlines with his candid and outspoken remarks on critical geopolitical issues during his foreign visits. His latest interview with DW News in Germany, although more of a verbal sparring match than a usual run-of-the-mill television interview, shows a stance against what could be …
By Ruki Fernando Today, 4th October will be 5000 days since the disappearance of cartoonist, journalist and human rights defender Prageeth Ekneligoda. It is also nearly 5000 days since I first met his wife Sandya Ekneligoda, in the initial days of her struggle to search for Prageeth and to hold those responsible accountable. The Ekneligoda …
By Dr.Radhika Coomaraswamy More than any other religion Buddhism has the capacity to capture the imagination of many people born to other faiths. Its intellectual clarity, its appeal to reason and foresight has appealed to those not born into the tradition. Being an outsider allows you to forsake the ritual and customs that parochialise all …
BY D.B.S.Jeyaraj (Article Commemorating Sivaji Ganesan’s 95th Birth Anniversary on October 1st 2023) Sivaji Ganesan, M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) and Gemini Ganesan comprised the triumvirate that dominated Tamil cinema in India from the fifties to the seventies of the 20th century. The most senior of the trio was M.G.Ramachandran who was born in 1917. MGR passed …
By Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene Four months ago, President Ranil Wickremesinghe was quick to retort to his detractors, (friendly or otherwise), who were outraged by the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission Bill that he is a media ‘defender’ and, as such, had abolished criminal defamation laws in Sri Lanka. Presidential assurances and UK precedents Apparently stung by strident …
By Ravana Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has needlessly poked his finger into the Canada-India row. Sri Lanka has nothing to do with the Khalistan issue. The Canada-India row is purely a bilateral issue, where Sri Lanka has no status to get involved in a dispute outside her political spectrum. Minister Sabry was going on at …
Continue reading ‘The Diplomatic Buffoonery of Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry’ »
. By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Remembering the Tiger “Martyr” Thileepan on his 36th Death anniversary -Part Two Rasiah Partheeban alias Thileepan engaged in a fast unto death protest on 15 September 1987. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE )stalwart died after 12 days of fasting on 26 September without even drinking water. Thileepan’s 36th death anniversary was …
By Meera Srinivasan A district judge from Mullaitivu in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province has resigned and fled the country citing threats to his life, Tamil media in Sri Lanka reported on September 29. In a letter that several publications reproduced in their news reports, Mullaitivu District Judge T. Saravanaraja — who recently ruled on two …
By Siva Parameswaran A senior Tamil Judge in the war-torn district of Mullaitheevu has resigned from his post and has fled the country fearing for the safety of his life. Mullaitheevu District Judge and Magistrate T. Saravanarajah has said his life is under threat in his letter of resignation sent to the Judicial Services Commission …
Mullaitheevu District Judge T. Saravanarajah has tendered his resignation from his posts due to threats on his life and a lot of stress, the Mullaitivu District Magistrate said. His resignation letter was sent to the secretary of the Judicial Services Commission on September 23. According to the letter, he resigned from the post of District …
By Anusha Rathi and Jack Detsch Congress is calling on the Biden administration to formally hold Sri Lanka responsible for its human rights abuses and violation of international humanitarian law, including decades of torture, military abuse, and other “horrific crimes” carried out against the country’s minority Tamil population. In a letter sent to Secretary of …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The first part of the article titled “Who is Hanzeer Azad Maulana the Whistleblower on Channel 4? Was published in these columns last week. Even as I was writing the second part of the article, I received some interesting information about an event in Geneva relating to the Channel 4 TV documentary and …
. By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The twenty-sixth of September has become an important day in Sri Lanka ever since the then Prime minister Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (SWRDB) was assassinated in 1959. Bandaranaike who was shot by Talduwa Somarama Thera on 25 September, succumbed to his injuries the following day. September 26th however is of particular …
Continue reading ‘Remembering the Tiger “Martyr” Thileepan on his 36th Death anniversary.’ »
By Meera Srinivasan Following India, the U.S. has raised concern with the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration, over the scheduled visit of a Chinese research vessel to Sri Lanka in October, Colombo-based media has reported. In a recent meeting with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland took up …
By B.Kolappan As the country gears up for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the political discourse in Tamil Nadu is highly polarised. An opinion on any issue in the news is expected to be in favour of either the Hindutva ideology or the Dravidian ideology; a middle path is viewed with suspicion from those on …
By Bhuvanesh Chandar Greta Lee’s Nora turns her back to Teo Yoo’s Hae Sung and to a life she could no longer even daydream, and walks back to John Magaro’s Arthur, a life she was gifted with. The rain outside as I watched the scene might just be the tears of all star-crossed souls. And …
Continue reading ‘Why is Tamil cinema so reluctant to explore varied shades of romance?’ »
By Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene It takes a Government wholly insensible to public opinion to be audacious enough to gazette two Bills grievously impacting on constitutional liberties of citizens literally within a few days apace. Doom for Sri Lanks’s constitutional governance Or maybe this was precisely the intent, deadly and clear in its message. First, the …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Britain’s Channel 4 TV aired the documentary “Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings” in its “Dispathes” program on Tuesday 5 September 2023 at 11:05pm. Prior to the telecast, Channel 4 Dispatches stated that the documentary has “exclusive interviews with high placed whistleblowers who allege that some Sri Lankan government officials were complicit in the bombings. …
In a damning report released in Geneva, coinciding with the 42nd regular session of UN Human Rights Council, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) has named 58 from the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) of the Sri Lankan police as those involved in systematic brutal torture and sexual violence against men and women. Seventy-three survivors …
(Text of Jaffna District MP M.A.Sumanthiran’s Speech in Parliament on 21.09.2023) Thank you presiding member for the opportunity to say a few words. The previous speaker concluded by saying there is Karma and those who caused this carnage will suffer eventually. His words have already come true. The former President who is supposed to have …
For years, India objected to Western strategists lumping it together with its violent and chaotic neighbour in the phrase “Indo-Pakistan”. Now recognised as a fast-growing giant and potential bulwark against China, India claims to have been “de-hyphenated”. Yet the explosive charge aired this week by Justin Trudeau suggests that diplomatic recalibration may have gone too …
On the evening of June 18th Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader whom India considered a terrorist, was sitting in his truck in a car park outside a gurdwara (a Sikh temple) in Vancouver when two masked men shot him dead. They escaped through a park and disappeared. On September 18th Justin Trudeau, Canada’s …
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on September 19 said he was not looking to “provoke” India or “escalate” tensions, but urged New Delhi to take the killing of a Sikh separatist leader with the “utmost seriousness”. Mr. Trudeau’s comments came hours after Canada and India expelled a senior diplomat each following his allegations about the …
By Nishantha Hewage In 1816, American missionaries founded the American Ceylon Mission (ACM) in Jaffna. The ACM established missions in other parts of the Jaffna peninsula too. As a result, on July 22, 1823, the Batticotta Seminary was established in Vaddukoddai to educate students on the peninsula. However, it was closed in 1855. The alumni …
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Canada is investigating possible links between the Indian government and the assassination of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The Canadian government also said that it has expelled a top Indian diplomat as a consequence. Mr. Trudeau said in Parliament Monday that Canadian …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “It isn’t knowledge as a product or commodity that we need…but a qualitatively different knowledge based on understanding rather than on authority…It is not fact but how facts are connected to other facts…how one is to judge the relationship between truth and interest, how to understand reality as history. These are only …
By Kishali Pinto – Jayawardene The Sri Lankan Government’s deft recourse to Commissions and Committees of Inquiry to investigate extraordinary human rights violations in shifting the focus away from the penal thrust of the criminal law is truly villainous. The political skill-set in play The very latest is President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s appointment of a committee …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj State minister of Rural Road Development and Batticaloa district Parliamentarian sSvanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias “Pillayan”figured prominently in the recent documentary “Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings” aired by Britain’s Channel 4 TV in its “Dispathes” program on Tuesday 5 September 2023 at 11:05pm. The 47 minute long documentary that is making waves pointed the finger at …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Today (16 September 2023 ) is the 23rd death anniversary of Mohammad Hussein Muhammad Ashraff, the legendary leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC). He was the Cabinet Minister in charge of Shipping, Ports, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation in the Government of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at the time of his death. He, …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Distressful memories of the Easter Sunday suicide killer bombings of Churches and Hotels on 21 April 2019 were revived for many this week when the British TV Channel 4 aired a documentary in its “Dispatches”program on 5 Sep 2023. For some of us it fanned into poignant flames, the embers of memory regarding …
Continue reading ‘Zahran Hashim Alias ”Al Ubaida” was the Linchpin in 2019 Easter Bombings.’ »
By Kshama Ranawana The Channel 4 documentary on the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings did not reveal much information that was not already known, but it has certainly caused a stir amongst all and sundry. Politicians of all hues; activists, journalists, Buddhist clergy and of course the Catholic church are all weighing in on the issue. …
By Meera Srinivasan India on Tuesday (12 Sep 2023) said the progress made by Sri Lanka, on its commitment to fulfill the Tamils’ aspirations, was “inadequate” and urged the island nation to “work meaningfully” to keep its promises. “We have taken note of reaffirmation by the Government of Sri Lanka on implementation of its commitments. …
President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed a three-member committee to thoroughly investigate the allegations aired by British broadcaster Channel 4 in its recent documentary. The committee is chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice S.I. Imam with retired Air Force Commander A.C.M. Jayalath Weerakkody and Harsha A.J. Soza PC. This committee’s primary mission is to investigate the serious …
Former Ambassador Sarath Kongahage has accused British television network ‘Channel 4’ of ‘completely distorting’ his comments during the interview in their latest documentary on Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday bombings of 2019. Speaking to the media in this regard on Tuesday (12 Sep.), Kongahage revealed that nearly one year ago, during the anti-government protests, Sri Lankan …
(Text of Editorial appearing in the “Daily FT” of 12 September 2023 under the Heading “MoD,the tail wagging the dog?”) The only thing more shocking than the allegations made by UK’s Channel 4 last week was the hyperbolic rebuttal issued by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Channel 4 claims that Sri Lanka’s intelligence apparatus had …
(Text of Editorial appearing in the “Sunday Island”of 10 September 2023 under the heading “ Channel 4 – Why now? Why not?) The latest Channel 4 documentary on Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday bombings is claimed to be an exposure, but while there’s nothing dramatically new in it, it seems to have is set the cat …
In an interview given to Hiru TV on September 4, 2023, the day after the Channel 4 documentary on the 2019 Easter bombing in Sri Lanka was aired in the UK, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, a former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, France, UNESCO and Russia, said that investigations into the Easter bombings …
By the “Sunday Times” Political Editor President Ranil Wickremesinghe will appoint a retired judge, possibly from the Supreme Court, to probe controversial revelations made by Britain’s Channel 4 television. The Sunday Times learns that it will be a prelude to the appointment of another Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) if it is found that the matter …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Tamil cinema firmament has produced a galaxy of stellar comedians over the years. Arguably the greatest comedian ever seen in Tamil cinema was Nagesh. This legendary actor known as “Nagaichuvai Mannan Nagesh” (King of Comedy – Nagesh) ruled the comic roost of Tamil cinema as an uncrowned monarch for many many years. …
(Text of Press Release Issued by the Ministry of Defence on 9th September 2023 under the Heading “ MINISTRY OF DEFENCE: OFFICIAL REBUTTAL TO CHANNEL 4’S REPREHENSIBLE ALLEGATIONS REGARDING THE EASTER SUNDAY ATTACK”) In the face of a heinous and merciless assault that shook the world – the Easter Sunday Attack of 2019 – which …
By Meera Srinivasan (Fourteen years after the civil war, Tamils in Sri Lanka’s north and east are confronted with a new conflict. There are growing contestations over land, sparked by Buddhist structures springing up in a ‘restoration’ drive. Meera Srinivasan reports on how archaeological excavations are the latest manifestation of a lingering ethnic conflict) It …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay, in his present capacity as Director, State Intelligence has told Channel 4 Television that he was not in Sri Lanka for the whole of 2018 as he was in Malaysia as Minister Counsellor of the government of Sri Lanka. Therefore, the accusation that he met several members of …
In the wake of the UK’s Channel 4 documentary uncovering details about the Easter Sunday attack of 2019, Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, during a Parliamentary session yesterday, called for an International inquiry into the incident. The Opposition leader urged the Government to permit such an investigation without causing any additional offence to the Archbishop of …
(Text of Statement issued on 7 September 2023 by Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in response to the recent allegations made by UK Channel 4 News regarding the 2019 Easter bombings,) “The central allegation made in the latest film on Sri Lanka broadcast by Channel 4 is that the Easter Sunday suicide bombings of …
By JACK SEALE On Easter Sunday 2019, six suicide bombings hit Catholic churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing 269 people. Quickly, the perpetrators were identified as domestic religious extremists the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama’ath), claimed by Islamic State as their own. The wider world, pausing to note that the perceived threat of Islamic …
Sri Lanka’s government will appoint a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations made in a British television report that Sri Lankan intelligence had complicity in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people. A man interviewed in the Channel 4 videos released on Tuesday said he arranged a meeting between a local Islamic State-inspired group …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Myth is a value. Truth has no guarantee for it; nothing prevents it from being a perpetual alibi” – Roland Barthes (Myth Today) Generals are always preparing to fight the last war, goes an enduring proverb. The Ranil Wickremesinghe Government and its many opponents are forever preparing for the last uprising. Aragalaya’s …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Morning”of 4 September 2023 under the Heading “The latest Easter attacks ‘conspiracy”) This week, the United Kingdom (UK) based media outlet Channel Four announced that it is planning to make some shocking revelations about the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks in a programme titled ‘Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings – Dispatches’ …
By Catherine Philp – “Times” Diplomatic Correspondent Sri Lankan officials loyal to the Rajapaksa family were complicit in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people, including eight British tourists, whistleblowers have alleged. One highly placed insider claims in an interview with Dispatches, to be aired in the UK on Channel 4 …
By Krishnan Guru Moorthy -Presenter On Easter Sunday 2019, Sri Lanka was hit by a series of suicide attacks. Channel 4 Dispatches has exclusive interviews with high placed whistleblowers who allege that some Sri Lankan government officials were complicit in the bombings. Watch Dispatches: Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings on Channel 4 on Tuesday 5 September …
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj Jeyaraj’s Jottings Tharman Shanmugaratnam whose grandparents are from Urelu in the Jaffna district of Northern Sri Lanka made history on September 1st 2023 by getting elected as President of Singapore. Generally referred to as Tharman, the 66 year old London School of Econimics,Cambridge and Harvard educated economist is also the first “Ceylon …
By Col R.Hariharan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is caught between a rock and a hard place, both externally and internally. Externally, t[he Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is getting turbulent with the big power confrontation between the US and its allies on the one hand, and China on the other. It threatens to spill over beyond Asia-Pacific. …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The first part of this article was published last week under the heading “How and why the LTTE helped Mahinda defeat Ranil in Nov. 2005”. In this second and final part, the focus would be on how the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) enforced a boycott of the November 2005 Presidential elections through …
(Text of Press release Issued by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)on 30 August 2023) On 22 August 2023, Sarath Weeresekera, a former Minister and a Member of Parliament belonging to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, the country’s ruling political party, made an inflammatory speech with racist undertones in Parliament, referring to T. Saravanaraja, the …
(Text of speech made in Parliament on 30 August 2023 by Jaffna District MP, Mathiaparanan Abraham Sumanthiran ) This particular convention deals with enforced disappearances. The scourge that has affected our country, much more than it has affected many other countries of the world. There are other countries also that have suffered from this kind …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Sri Lanka’s one and only Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka is very much in the news lately. The Gampaha district MP and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) chairman launched a “People’s Revolution”protest campaign against waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagement on 11 August 2023. This has led to strong speculation that the former Army Commander and …
(Text of Statement by Marc-André Franchethe UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances – 30 August 2023) As the world marks the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, our thoughts turn to the victims of this heinous crime and those who have suffered the …
IT industry leader Mano Sekaram has been appointed as Norway’s Honorary Consul General to Sri Lanka. After three decades of operation, the Government of Norway made the decision to wind up operations in Sri Lanka, as of 31 July. This comes as part of a reform initiative. “To continue preserving the strong ties between Sri …
By Meera Srinivasan What do musician TM Krishna, writer Perumal Murugan, historian AR Venkatachalapathy, and publisher Kannan Sundaram have in common with audiences in Jaffna? Their shared interest in all things art, literature, and history. During their recent visit to this northern Sri Lankan town, it was hard to miss both, their connection with the …
By Meera Srinivasan and Dinakar Peri Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka over the coming weekend, defence sources confirmed. The visit comes at a time when the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry is considering a fresh request from China to allow the visit of a research ship. The Defence Minister is …
By Sunil Tantirige Flashback to September 2021: In September 2021 my sister texted me. “Sunil Perera of Gypsies has been readmitted to the ICU.” He had contracted covid-19 about a month ago and had been discharged from the hospital a couple of weeks ago. “This is bad.” I texted my sister back. Just few minutes …
Continue reading ‘Going Down Memory Lane : A Few Thoughts about Sunil Perera of the Gypsies’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj There has been in recent times a spurt of Ranil bashing in Sri Lankan Tamil circles. Many Tamil politicians as well as significant sections of the Tamil media are being highly critical of President Ranil Wickremesinghe these days. What fuels Tamil criticism of Ranil is his allegedly duplicitous conduct on the question of …
By Tharushi Weerasinghe The opening of a new charcoal factory in Arambekema, Thanamalwila has been halted following outrage from villagers who claim that it is in violation of a few environment protection laws and the terms of its contracts with the state. The company claims everything is approved by the state. The charcoal factory, a …
By Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene The Supreme Court’s striking down of Clause 2 (e) of the ‘Contempt of a Court, Tribunal or Institution’ Bill (gazetted on 26th June 2023) which had inexplicably brought in safeguarding ‘public order, public health and morals’ as an object of the Bill, is a relief. Why are obviously bad clauses included …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The conduct and pronouncements of some prominent Sinhala Buddhist monks have in recent times contributed greatly towards the deterioration of inter-ethnic amity and inter-faith relations in this country. It is indeed a matter of grave concern that the “antics” of these “patriotic” Buddhist monks have created a very negative image of the Buddhist …
By Krishantha Prasad Cooray Today, it is hard to open a newspaper or watch a newscast without cringing at how little has changed in our political psyche since the rout of Gotabaya Rajapaksa just over a year ago. Of course, with Rajapaksa himself out of power, Sri Lanka is no longer careening towards the edge …
By Ranga Jayasuriya The rallying cry in political circles nowadays is a call for snap elections as if that would produce a magic wand to solve the economic crisis. This coterie of newly minted champions of electoral rights comes in all hues, many of whom do not see eye to eye on many issues. By …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “On this earth there are pestilences and there are victims – and as far as possible one must refuse to be on the side of the pestilence.” – Camus (The Plague) “Patriotism,” wrote Ambrose Bierce in The Devil’s Dictionary is “The combustible rubbish ready to the torch of anyone ambitious to illuminate …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Lakshman Kadirgamar’s 18th death anniversary was observed last Saturday. The former foreign minister fell victim to a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) sniper in Colombo on 12 August 2005. Kadirgamar was one who defined himself first and foremost as a Sri Lankan. This endeared Kadirgamar to a very large number of Sri Lankans. …
By Kishali Pinto-Jayawardene For the starry-eyed among us, it must be repeated with force that President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s sharp admonition to the Supreme Court recently (ie; Parliament has powers over public finance, orders or instructions will not be tolerated from ‘anyone else’) is not a chance political remark tossed into public debate. Going beyond debt …
By Meera Srinivasan China has pledged help for Sri Lanka’s debt challenge yet again,even as theRanil Wickremesinghe government tries to finalise the terms of restructuring its foreign loans with bilateral creditors. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday “vowed that China will help Sri Lanka effectively address the challenges of financial debt”, according to a …
By Meera Srinivasan Some in the group had walked over 200 kilometres, before they reached Matale last weekend. Their feet were visibly sore, but their spirit was intact. They sang, danced, and chanted slogans, as they converged at the Muthumariamman Temple in the hilly town, where their ancestors arrived 200 years ago. While some members …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj 18th Death Annivwrsary on 12 August 2023. Sri Lanka’s finest Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated in Colombo by a suspected sniper of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 12 August 2005. His death was mourned by the nation at large as a tremendous loss to the country. The void caused …
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By ZIYA US SALAM & ILANGOVAN RAJASEKARAN BACK in 1979, when Sridevi marked her entry into Hindi cinema as the female lead in Solva Sawan (a remake of the path-breaking 16 Vayadhinile in Tamil) opposite Amol Palekar, no one thought she had a ghost of a chance in Bollywood. Hers was far from the dream …
By Kamal Haasan (Kamal Haasan is an actor-turned politician and founder, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) Our nation, a mosaic of religious, ethnic, linguistic and cultural plurality, celebrates its modern rebirth today. This journey has been filled with love and hate, pain and joy, and highs and lows. And yet we march on. Our tryst with …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Jaffna Municipal Council elections held on 29 January 1998 resulted in Sarojini Yogeswaran of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) being elected as the first Mayoress of Jaffna. Sarojini, the widow of former TULF Jaffna MP Vettivelu Yogeswaran assumed duties as Jaffna’s fourteenth mayor on 11 March 1998. The first woman mayor …