By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (This article is a modified version of an Obituary published in the Indian Newsmagazine “Frontline” in June 2002) Former Parliamentarian, Deputy Speaker and President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), Murugesu Sivasithamparam passed away in a Colombo hospital 21 years ago on 5 June 2002. Sivasithamparam hailing from Karaveddy in the Vadamaraatchy …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Today June 3rd is the 99th birth anniversary of Muthuvel Karunanidhi, the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, the closes Indian state to Sri Lanka both geographically and historically.Karunanidhi who passed away on 7 August 2018 was the leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) for nearly 50 years.His son M.K. Stalin is …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “He who controls his hand, controls his foot, controls his speech and is well-controlled in all respects, delights in meditation, is composed, solitary, and content – him they call a bhikku.” The Buddha (Bhikku Vagga, Dhammapada) In 2005, the Newsweek magazine reported that officials at Guantanamo flushed a Koran down a toilet …
(Text of statement issued by “Justice for All” on 7th June 2023 about the current political and economic state of our Country) We are alarmed by the undemocratic measures pursued by President Ranil Wickremasinghe and his government that continue to undermine the rule of law, fundamental rights and democracy in Sri Lanka. Of particular concern …
Tamil National Peoples Front (TNPF) leader and MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam who was arrested over an incident in Jaffna between him and the police, was gran ted bail by the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court. He was granted bail with a surety of Rs. 500,000.
By Ruwani Fonseka MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, who is accused of obstructing the duties of police officers, was arrested this morning (June 07). The parliamentarian was taken into custody by a team of officers attached to Maruthankerny Police at his residence in Colombo. The Jaffna District MP, who represents the Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress (AITC) or …
Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga yesterday took to Twitter to question why no action was ever taken against Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera and others who insulted other religions practised in the country. Kumaratunga said their words spreading hate against Muslim and Tamil citizens of Sri Lanka were far more vicious than those uttered by Standup …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK) known in English as the Federal Party(FP) is in the grip of two problems. The premier political party of the Northern and Eastern Sri Lankan Tamils is presently facing an inter-party crisis as well as an intra-party crisis. The inter-party crisis relates to the recent split in the …
Continue reading ‘Tamil National Alliance Breaks up with TELO and PLOTE Challenging ITAK.’ »
By Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene The unsightly and itchy rash of ‘bad laws’ being proposed by the Sri Lankan Government seems to be never-ending. The Government’s unconvincing explanations Hot on the heels of the appallingly crafted Anti-Terrorism Bill and the Anti-Corruption Bill comes a proposal to establish a Broadcasting Regulatory Commission replete with major contradictions. A …
Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles yesterday ( June 3) called for a report into the incident where Tamil National People’s Front Parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam’s life had allegedly been threatened by a Police officer at gunpoint. When contacted, Minister Alles downplayed the allegations that MP Ponnambalam had been assaulted and stated that a report into …
(Text of Special statement by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on June 1st 2023 explaining to the nation, the national transformation road map to re- build the country) Since the day I took charge of our nation’s economy, I wanted to ensure that Sri Lanka’s actual economic situation was made clear and transparent. Over the recent months, …
(Text of Statement on Recent Arrests under the ICCPR Act & Shrinking Space for Dissent issued by the Centre for Policy Alternatives) The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is deeply concerned with the recent arrest of comedian Natasha Edirisooriya reportedly under the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Act (ICCPR Act), …
By Ravinatha Aryasinha ( Text of tribute paid by former Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha at the funeral service for Late Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala, at Trinity College Chapel, Kandy, on 29 May 2023) I am humbled to have been asked by the family of the late Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala to speak a few words on this …
Continue reading ‘Jayantha Dhanapala – the Diplomat, the Advocate of causes, and the Mentor.’ »
(Text of Editorial appearing in the “Daily FT” of June 1st 2023 under the heading “Not too late to bring to book those responsible for Jaffna library burning”) Among the many tragic stories that Sri Lankans are familiar with, the burning of the Jaffna Public Library, 42 years ago, stands out as one of the …
Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader Mano Ganesan, taking to Twitter yesterday called for the laws relating to hate speech to be applied equally to Buddhist clergy as it is applied to civilians and those of other religious faiths. Directing his tweet at President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and the National People’s Party (NPP) …
(Text of Editorial appearing in the “Daily FT”of May 30th 2023 under the heading “No right to laugh”) In yet another brazen violation of a citizen’s right to free speech a stand-up comedian was arrested by the police for a joke she made on stage. Nathasha Edirisooriya was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) …
By Ranga Jayasuriya I have written on these pages that when the fuel queues disappear and a semblance of old times dawns, Sri Lankans themselves will return to their old habits. The usual charlatans would crawl back from their hiding spots, promising to protect the country and Buddha Sasana from an imaginary enemy. Conspiracy theorists …
By the “ Sunday Times” Political Editor Honoured as Very Important Persons (VIPs), most users of the hallowed gateway to the world, the VIP Lounge at Bandaranaike International Airport, are Members of Sri Lanka’s Parliament. Officials dare not ask questions when they arrive or depart. An added perk for these VIPs is the free refreshments …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Last time, when the world’s richest industrial nations, G-7, met in Japan, the only Asian country in the group, in 2016, then president Maithripala Sirisena was invited for the outreach meeting, alongside regional heavyweights from Indonesia, Bangladesh and Vietnam. The invitation to Maithripala Sirisena was in recognition of the democratic reforms in …
By Meera Srinivasan Marking 200 years since their arrival in Sri Lanka from southern India, to work in the British-run plantations, members of the island nation’s historically marginalised Malaiyaha [hill country] Tamil community have sought greater recognition, political rights, and improved living and working conditions. “Design, resource, and implement a 10-year development plan that is …
(Text of Statement issued by Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on 18 May 2023 for Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day) May 18, 2023 Ottawa, Ontario “Today, we reflect on the tragic loss of life during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, which ended 14 years ago. Tens of thousands of Tamils lost their lives, including at …
(Text of Editorial appearing in “the Island”of 24 May 2023 under the heading “Badger and mastiffs”) The Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe regime’s shameful efforts to oust Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), Janaka Ratnayake, remind us of some gory western flicks, where swashbuckling, trigger-happy scumbags hang public officials who refuse to carry out their …
By Jamila Husain Just over a year since former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned from office following nationwide protests demanding him to step down, evidence has come to light that the former president’s staff who are mostly political appointees continue to be retained in the President’s Office under a newly created unit called ‘special projects’. Even …
By Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene When French Prime Minister during World War I, Georges Clemenceau rousingly said that ‘war is too important to be left to the generals,’ Sri Lankans may be justified in muttering to themselves more than a hundred years later that, ‘laws are far too important to be left to the lawyers – …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Not only our actions, but also our inactions, become our destiny.” Heinrich Zimmer (The King and the Corpse) This week marked the 14th anniversary of the ending of the long Eelam War. This week also saw the re-emergence of BBS head-honcho Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara to save the nation from that enterprising entrepreneur …
By Jamila Husain Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is alleged to have links with controversial Pastor Jerome Fernando and Zimbabwean Pastor Uebert Angel yesterday said he had no connections with either and had met them only on one instance when Pastor Jerome’s office had sought a meeting when Rajapaksa was the Prime Minister. Rajapaksa further …
By Susitha Fernando Prophet’ Jerome Fernando, the man in the middle of controversy over his statement on other religions including Buddhism, is reported to have left the country. It is learnt that Fernando has gone to Singapore and he is planning to travel to Malaysia. However a spokesman for Glorious Church led by Jerome Fernando …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Security has been beefed up in Colombo after ‘unspecified intelligence’ that the Inter-University (IUSF) Students Federation was massing students to the Capital to launch a fresh ‘Aragalaya’. Additional security forces were mobilised, and check-points were put up on the roads leading to the Capital. Army and Police were deployed around the universities, …
By Meera Srinivasan The talks on power devolution between Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Tamil legislators yielded no positive outcome, according to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the largest grouping of MPs from the island’s north and east. Following his renewed pledge on May Day to address Sri Lanka’s long-pending national question, President Wickremesinghe …
Minister of Tourism and Lands Harin Fernando yesterday said the Government aims to recruit the entire parliamentary group of the main opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) soon. “We do not want to take in one MP at a time. Instead, we want to rake in the SJB in its entirety,” he said.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Vice President and former MP P. Harrison yesterday announced his decision to resign from all posts in the party to rejoin his former political party, the United National Party (UNP) and extend his unconditional support to President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The former MP held a press conference in Anuradhapura over the weekend …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, once reportedly quipped the Sinhalese have short memories. Prabakaran’s nihilistic terrorist struggle for a separate state that lasted for twenty-five years cost the country as much as the current Gross Domestic Product if a conservative estimate of 2 per cent of …
By Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene There is a stark difference between Sri Lanka’s multifaceted ‘aragalaya’ (the peoples’ struggle) of 2022 and the current unrest in Pakistan, with the deploying of the army throughout the land. A different trajectory of similar struggles To be blunt, that difference is the role of the Opposition in both countries. Common …
By P.K.Balachandran The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had been hoping to recapture Karnataka State to help it over-run South India and complete its conquest of India in the coming years, received a crushing blow in the Karnataka elections. ‘India Today’ reported Saturday evening that the Congress had secured 137 seats, the BJP 63, the …
By Kalinga Tudor Silva Sociological explanations frequently serve as a counter point to popular conspiracy theories. Historically, sociology evolved as a subject that tried to prove that social reality cannot be reduced to the separate actions of the individuals who make up that society, such individual motivations or what was understood as the standard way …
By Suhasini Haidar “Who do you work for? Which Indian agency has sent you here?” I could tell from the tone and rising voices of the mob around me that things could get very sticky very quickly if I didn’t move. I was at Lahore airport in 2011, attempting to take a flight back to …
By Lakshmi Subramanian In a major reshuffle of portfolios of his cabinet, Tamil Nadu Chief minister MK Stalin on Thursday moved Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR) out of the Finance portfolio and allocated it to senior leader Thangam Thennarasu. The industries portfolio held by Thennarasu has been allocated to Mannargudi MLA TRB Raaja, who has been …
By Krishantha Prasad Cooray There are three things that matter when it comes to air travel. Punctuality, baggage not being lost and inflight comfort. There’s been a lot of chatter recently on the national carrier SriLankan and I want to add my own experience in the interest of the silent majority. Too often the opinion …
By Meera Srinivasan The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ruled that a Bill seeking to decriminalise homosexuality is “not inconsistent with the Constitution”, clearing the way for a Parliamentary debate and vote on the subject. “The Supreme Court is of the opinion that the Bill as a whole or as any provision thereof is …
By Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene Exactly twelve months ago to the coming Tuesday, state goons led by key Rajapaksa Ministers attacked peaceful protestors at Galle Face Green leading to the incendiary flaming up of what was perhaps, the single most potent peoples’ uprising in Sri Lanka since independence. May Day musings on Rajapaksa wrongs As Rajapaksa …
The President’s Office has directed four provincial governors to step down following complaints received by parliamentarians representing the provinces. Accordingly, the decision has been conveyed to Eastern Province Governor Anuradha Yahampath, North Western Province Governor Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, Uva Province Governor A.J.M. Muzammil and Sabaragamuwa Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa.
Charles III was crowned monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms yesterday at Britain’s first coronation for 70 years, during a ceremony steeped in a millennium of ritual and spectacle. The day before yesterday’s coronation, King Charles III met Commonwealth leaders at the Commonwealth Secretariat at Marlborough House. During the event, President Ranil …
He came to praise his mother—and to bury suspicions. On September 9th King Charles III gave his first public speech as monarch. Explicitly, it honoured the queen—“my darling mama”—for her dedication, service and duty. Implicitly, it answered questions about what kind of king he is going to be and spoke, quietly, to some of the …
By Jamila Husain A tussle has erupted in the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) camp after BasilRajapaksa was given a notable welcome at the May Day rally and his picture was shown on the main SLPP banner on stage alongside party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Daily Mirror learns. Senior SLPP sources said that strong objections …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Too many things have happened that weren’t supposed to happen and what was supposed to come about has not.” – Wyslawa Szymborska – The Century’s Decline For a few hours in early April, 2022, Wikipedia page of Ajith Nivard Cabraal described the then Governor of Central Bank as: “A chartered accountant and …
By Avantika Shankar The opening line of V.V. Ganeshananthan’s sophomore novel, Brotherless Night, will give you pause. Maybe you’ve settled down in an armchair with a cup of tea, or maybe you’re leaning against a shelf in a bookstore, on the prowl for your next big read. Either way, the opening line will disarm you. …
(Text of Editorial appearing in the “Daily FT”of 2 May 2023 under the heading “Undiplomatic Tragicomedy”) Sri Lanka’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry made news last week for his most undiplomatic conduct in Parliament. In an exchange with Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, the Foreign Minister resorted to unparliamentary language which had to be …
(Full Text of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Address Via Electronic Technology to the May Day Rally held by the United National Party(UNP) at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on may 1st 2023) “After assuming the presidency, I have had the opportunity to address the United National Party and all of you who support the party. When I took …
By Kishali Pinto – Jayawardene Protests issued by the Government of Sri Lanka over the United States Government decision to ‘blacklist’ former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda and his wife from entering the US are farcical, to say the least. The Foreign Ministry must up its game First, there is little that Sri Lanka can do, …
By Srinivasa Ramanujam The events of Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: 1, which released late last year, left audiences not just on a high, but also with many questions: What really happened to Arunmozhi Varman? Who is the mysterious lady who makes fleeting but impactful appearances? And most importantly, what happened to the succession battle for …
(Full Text of Press Release Issued by the US State Department on 26 April 2023 Under the Heading “Designation of Sri Lankan Governor Due to Involvement in a Gross Violation of Human Rights”) The United States is designating Wasantha Karannagoda, Governor of North Western Province in Sri Lanka, pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department …
By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana In response to a request made by the Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa to walk the talk and thereby put into practice what he had talked of, President Ranil Wickremeinge today told Parliament those in Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) will walk towards a common journey with him soo “I …
(Full Text of Special Statement made in Parliament on 26 April 2023 by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe) I would like to address the concerns that have been raised in the media and elsewhere about the economic and financial issues that our country has faced. In July 2022, Sri Lanka was hit with riots, arson, …
(Excerpts from Speech made in Parliament on 25 April 2023 by Jaffna District TNA Parliamentarian MA Sumanthiran PC) I am mentioning this Kurunthoor malai issue and according to the code of conduct I am making a disclosure that I have an interest in that matter, in that I appear for two members of parliament and …
BY Sahan Tennekoon The Chairman of the Independent Television Network (ITN), Attorney Sudarshana Gunawardana has appointed a committee to investigate into reports on social media about the alleged sexual harassment faced by a former ITN news anchor Ishara Dewendra. This was revealed by the Minister of Mass Media Dr. Bandula Gunawardana in Parliament yesterday (25) …
By Meera Srinivasan Tamils in Sri Lanka have witnessed an escalation in the attack on Hindu temples in recent weeks, a trend that they note is part of the State’s “ongoing Sinhalisation project” in the island’s north. In recent weeks, Tamil media reported multiple incidents of vandalism at temples, where Hindu deities were found missing …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “On land a tiger, in the water a crocodile.” A Bengali proverb In Sri Lanka terror means Tamil or Muslim. When the J.R. Jayewardene government responded to the ethnic problem not with the promised political reforms but with repression and the PTA was born, the concept of terror (and its prevention) invoked …
By Kishali Pinto – Jayawardene Two years after Sri Lanka’s former Attorney General (AG) claimed on the eve of his retirement, that the savage attacks on churches and hotels by homegrown ‘jihadists’ in April 2019 discloses ‘a grand conspiracy,’ the country’s Minister of Justice has issued a flurry of directions to state agencies to ‘summon’ …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The long delayed elections to Sri Lanka’s nine provincial elections could be held very soon if a private members bill submitted by Jaffna district parliamentarian MA Sumanthiran is passed by the House next week. Sumanthiran is due to table the bill in Parliament on April 25th 2023 for its first reading After the …
With reference to the comments by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on the legitimacy of the mandate of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to hold that office and the demand for a Presidential election to seek a fresh mandate, Former Parliament Secretary General Priyanee Wijesekera has responded with the following facts. “Our Constitution, by article 40 provides for …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka on April 21 marked the 4 th anniversary of the Easter Sunday terror bombings that shook the island nation on April 21, 2019, even as families of victims marched, and many gathered outside churches, demanding truth and justice. Nearly 300 persons died and hundreds were injured in the coordinated serial …
(Excerpts from Media Release Issued by the Institute for health Policy(IHP) Regarding the latest Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) polling in March 2023 ) The latest Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) polling in March 2023 reveals little change from February, with NPP/JVP at 41% of likely voters maintaining a clear lead over the …
(Text of Press Release Issued via Twitter by the Chinese Embassy in Colombo on the toque macaque monkeys issue) The Embassy has noticed recent disinformation on local and foreign media about Sri Lanka to export “100 thousands” of “endangered” toque macaque monkeys to a Chinese private company for “experimental purpose”, as well as detailed clarifications …
By Meera Srinivasan Zoologists and conservationists in Sri Lanka on April 19 slammed a recent government proposal exploring the export of monkeys to China, terming it an ad-hoc, illegal, and short-sighted response to a long-standing human-animal conflict. Earlier this month, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera said the government was studying a proposal from a Chinese …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Island”of 17 April 2023 Under the Heading “Bin the bad Bill”) The Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe government has chosen to bite off more than it can chew. Now, it is planning to present its controversial Anti-Terrorism Bill (ATB) to Parliament on 25 April, according to media reports. Why it is in a …
By Meera Srinivasan Despite possessing enviable social indicators at the time of Independence in 1948, Sri Lanka, at 75, is a “failed state”, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said on Sunday. “Seventy-five years is a long time for a nation to achieve considerable progress. Even after 450 years of destruction by colonial rulers, at Independence, …
By Meera Srinivasan In a bid to ensure Sri Lanka’s main political parties do not “take numerical minorities for granted” anymore, Opposition MP Mano Ganesan has recently mooted setting up a “Tamil caucus” in Parliament. The “caucus”, he said, would allow Tamil legislators to express the “collective desire” of the island’s Tamil speaking peoples. Although …
By Dinakar Peri The construction of a military facility on Coco Islands in Myanmar and a proposed remote satellite receiving ground station system in Sri Lanka, both coming up with Chinese help, have raised concerns in India of possible surveillance across the region. Recent satellite images show the construction of a military facility on Coco …
At the start of the academic year this month, 12th-year students of history and politics at tens of thousands of schools across India returned to a syllabus and textbooks that had been significantly altered. Tweaks are good when they reflect new thinking in a discipline or correct blind spots. Those overseen by the National Council …
By Ajita Kadirgamar This article is written on the occasion of Lakshman Kadirgamar’s 91st birth anniversary which falls on 12 April. With every year that passes and every person in their nineties that departs this earth, we lose precious memories and stories of times gone by. This was made painfully clear to me with the …
(Text of Press Release with President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Message for the April 2023 New Year) The dawn of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year subsequent to the transition of the Sun from the house of Pisces to Aries, is considered as an extremely momentous occasion by the Sinhala and Tamil communities in the country. On …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Island”of 13 April 2023 under the heading “It’s ATB, stupid”) Government politicians are blindly supporting the proposed anti-terrorism Bill (ATB), which has been put on hold. It is doubtful whether most of them have ever seen the ATB, much less read it. But Foreign Minister and former Justice Minister …
By Kishali Pinto- Jayawardene If the Executive Presidency was foisted on Sri Lanka by her ‘Old Fox’ President, JR Jayawardene in 1978 tying the country’s constitutional systems up in knots that could not be entangled decades later by far lesser minds, the 2023 Anti-Terrorism Bill under the (parliamentary endorsed) Presidency of Ranil Wickremesinghe promises far …
By Jamila Husain President Ranil Wickremesinghe will contest the next Presidential Election and has hinted at a possible presidential poll to be held early next year, the Daily Mirror learns. In a meeting held with minority political party parliamentarians this week, Wickremesinghe informed them that he would contest as a presidential candidate and would call …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “The main obstacle to the creation of a well-informed public is its own indifference” – I.F. Stone: ‘The Best of I.F. Stone’ When the IMF deal came through, some presidential supporters turned silly and lit crackers. The IMF facility is no panacea. Nor is it the poisoned chalice of the Opposition’s fervid …
By Jamila Husain The opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya is in a quandary following the Daily Mirror article tilted “Sajith loses grip on a dying SJB?” which was published on April 4, 2023 in its newspaper and online platform. While MPs such as Harsha De Silva, Eran Wickremaratne and even Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa himself were …
By Jamila Husain In a desperate attempt to keep the main opposition – the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) alive, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa invited all SJB Parliamentarians to dinner at the Monarch Imperial in Battaramulla last evening in order to coax them into remaining in the party which is now on the verge of collapse. …
By Kishali Pinto – Jayawardene Will the booing of Ministers by disgruntled voters run the risk of being classified as an ‘act of terrorism’ under the Anti-Terrorism Bill recently gazetted by the Sri Lankan Government? Clever Presidential sidestepping and public anger Can that be construed within the Bill’s prohibition of ‘wrongfully or unlawfully compelling’ the …
By C.Narayanaswamy (The writer is formerly of the Ceylon Civil Service and Retired Senior Professional of the Asian Development Bank) The recent visit to Jaffna, after several years of forbidden travel due to the pandemic, provided an opportunity to revisit areas of interest and observe the changes, including positive and negative developments, in both the …
(Full Text of statement delivered by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament on 22 March 2023 following the agreement with the IMF. Press Release Issued by the Presidents Media Division on 22nd March 2023) I wish to officially inform this august Assembly that we have been able to secure the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of the …
By Mahesh Langa Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years imprisonment by a local court in Gujarat’s Surat on March 23, 3023, in a criminal defamation case filed against him over his remark on the “Modi surname” that he had allegedly made during campaigning for 2019 parliamentary polls. He was granted bail. The …
By Krishantha Prasad Cooray The season of big-matches is upon us. These cricket encounters are big for the respective schools, not for others. In fact as far as the particular schools are concerned they are huge. It’s THE event of the year. Today there are big-matches in all parts of Sri Lanka, so many that …
By Meera Srinivasan The main ask — and the most popular chant — of the ‘Janatha Aragalaya’ [people’s struggle] witnessed in Sri Lanka last year was “Gota go home”. Scores of angry citizens, who took to the streets to protest acute shortages of essentials and long power cuts, squarely blamed the country’s most powerful leader …
By Meera Srinivasan Early February, a group of saffron-clad Buddhist monks gathered near the Sri Lankan Parliament and burnt a copy of the 13th Amendment. They were registering their rage and protest after President Ranil Wickremesinghe vowed to implement the law in full. He had told an all-party conference that it was his “responsibility” as …
By Suhasini Haidar Colombo sees the Adani projects in Sri Lanka as a “government to government kind of deal”, said Sri Lankan Foreign Minister MUM Ali Sabry, as it was the Indian government that had identified the Adani group for infrastructure projects including Northern Sri Lanka wind power project. Stressing that his government is “very …
(Text of Press Release Issued by the President’s Media Division on March 7th 2023) President Ranil Wickremesinghe, announced to Parliament that he had received a financial assurance letter from the Exim Bank of China last night and the letter of agreement, which he signed with the Governor of the Central Bank, had been sent to …
By Ranga Jayasuriya After a one-day token strike last week, which achieved nothing other than inconveniencing hapless patients in the government hospitals and holding up several ships at the Colombo port, the government trade unions threatened to go on an island-wide from tomorrow (March 8). If the question concerns any moral justification for the threatened …
By Nisthar Cassim The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) on Friday declared it was ready for the $ 2.9 billion four-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Program of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) having completed all due prior actions. “We have done all prior actions required and we stand ready for the IMF program,” CBSL …
By Mirudhula Thambiah Although Opposition political parties stated on 5 March in a letter to the Election Commission (EC) that they do not see any reason for the EC to consult Secretary to the Treasury and Finance Ministry Mahinda Siriwardana or anyone else, now that the EC are bound to comply with the interim order …
By Dr.Sujata Gamage The feeble attempts by the Election Commission (EC) in face of resistance from the Government to hold local elections and the awkward missteps that followed have brought two critical issues to the fore. What are limits to the independence of independent commissions? Did the EC overestimate its independence and act unilaterally? Has …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka’s northern fishermen on Sunday said they “fiercely oppose” the government’s plan to issue licences to Indian fishermen to enter Sri Lankan waters, terming the move a “serious setback” to their nearly 15-year-long struggle. On February 22, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry told Parliament that authorities were looking into possibly issuing licences …
By Kishali Pinto-Jayawardene When the President of Sri Lanka pronounces weightily that a change in political power can take place only through a parliamentary process and not as a result of street protests, a delicious irony is quickly manifested. The poisoned chalice of the Presidency In other words, Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ascent as head of …
By Rajasinghe Tourism is the ‘low-hanging fruit’ of the Sri Lankan economy. It has had bipartisan support from both J.R. Jayewardene (JRJ) and Sirima Bandaranaike (Mrs. B). Now even the National People’s Power (NPP) under Anura Kumara Dissanayake has pledged to support it as said in its meeting with the business community. After all, Janatha …
By Meera Srinivasan The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on Friday issued an interim order restraining authorities from withholding funds allocated for the local government election, which was earlier scheduled for March 9, but postponed. The order, preventing state functionaries including the Secretary to the Finance Ministry and the Attorney General from withholding funds, was …
By Col R.Hariharan February ended as a month of discontent for the public after the government raised power tariffs for a second time on February 15. It was said to be the last of 15 conditions to be met for the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of $2.9 billion. But the uncertainties …
Former Trade Unionist and President’s Trade Union Director General Saman Ratnapriya has declared yesterday’s trade union strike action a failure. Holding a press conference, Ratnapriya said as a trade unionist he is dismayed by it as in the past he was part of trade union actions that were successful. “However, we carried out these strikes …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara It could have happened. It had to happen. It happened, earlier. Later Wislawa Szymborska (Could Have) Once upon a time, a tryst was announced for angry masses to inundate Colombo and boot the government out. “We will occupy public places and begin the great satyagraha to send this government home,” an organiser …
By Meera Srinivasan Workers from nearly 40 trade unions in Sri Lanka, employed in sectors including banking, public health and ports, on Wednesday went on a strike, despite an executive order from President Ranil Wickremesinghe declaring many services “essential”, to effectively outlaw protests by workers in those sectors. Doctors at Sri Lanka’s National Hospital in …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared public transport services “essential”, in a move that outlaws strike action by those working in the sector. The announcement came days ahead of a mass protest announced by worker unions against the steep rise in taxes and living costs. The President used his executive powers …
The Court of Appeal yesterday in a landmark decision directed the Parliament to release information of MPs who have submitted their asset declarations. Following a Right to Information (RTI) application, Justice Sampath B. Abayakoon together with Justice P. Kumararatnam upheld the RTI Commission’s decision holding that: “as a public authority, it is the Sri Lanka …
Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) leader Mano Ganesan, MP, has urged Maya Sivagnanam, Deputy Director of the South Asia Region Department of Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) and High Commissioner Sarah Hulton to facilitate their full integration into what he called the Sri Lankan national mainstream polity as ‘full citizens’. The former National Integration Minister said …
By Ranga Jayasuriya If the elections are held now, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) is the likely winner. However, none of the political parties would manage to secure a majority, according to an opinion poll by a local think tank. The findings of the Institute for Health Policy Sri Lanka survey …
by Jehan Perera Government supporters appear to be satisfied at the masterful manner by which they believe they have had the local government elections postponed. They deny there was to be an election to be postponed, at all! They find fault with the Election Commission for not having minutes of the meeting they had to …
By Rajan Philips Tom Nairn, widely known for his 1977 book, The Break-up of Britain, considered by many as “the most significant book on British politics of the past half-century,” passed away on January 21, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was 90 years old and had become a “guru figure” for Scottish Nationalists over the last …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka is reeling under last year’s crushing economic meltdown and consequent political turmoil, but it is still a good time to invest in the cash-strapped island nation, according to Indian business leaders in capital Colombo. While acknowledging the many challenges facing the business community in Sri Lanka, the CEOs of Indian …
By Buddhika Samaraweera Emphasising that it is not difficult for the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP), having waited patiently for 75 years, to wait patiently for another week or a month, NPP and JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that their goal is to transfer political power, which has been limited to …
By Buddhika Samaraweera The National People’s Power (NPP) led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) held a massive protest in the Town Hall area in Colombo against the postponement of the Local Government (LG) elections by current President and Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Government led by him, which …
(Excerpts drom the “Ceylon Politics”Column by Gagani Weerakoon in the “Ceylon Today”of 26 February 2023) President Wickremesinghe was in the Parliament Chamber on Thursday (23), all set to make a statement on Local Government Election 2023 and the conduct of the Election Commission. In order to hold one, there was no election to begin with, …
. By Kishali Pinto -Jayawardene What is the message that President Ranil Wickremesinghe conveys to Sri Lankans when he asserts (as he did in Kandy a few days ago) that the date of the local government elections can be ‘decided by court but you cannot save the economy by going to court even if all …
By Chandani Kirinde Bird watchers living in urban surroundings are often struck by the presence of several species of birds who remain undeterred by the rapid increase in human settlements in areas, which were once large marshy lands, paddy fields, swamps, or thickets. In most suburbs, a keen bird watcher can easily spot at least …
By Rajasinghe From its inception in 1947, Pakistan has been a close friend of Sri Lanka. Perhaps it was because, with its friction with the new India, a friendly country located in the southern tip of its adversary was a vital strategic advantage. Also, Pakistani rulers were aware that Sri Lankan Muslims identified themselves with …