By Dr Reeza Hameed It is reported in the media that President Rajapaksa has referred to the Supreme Court for its opinion the question of his own competency to contest a further term, and that the Registrar of the Court, on the instructions of the Chief Justice, has written to the President of the Bar …
by Vishwamithra 1984 “Human brain is built to compare; it’s Darwinian to consider an alternative when one presents itself.” ~Helen Fisher There is a lot of controversy about the so-called common candidate to contest the forthcoming Presidential Elections against the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa. The unsaid theory is that Ranil Wickremesinghe, by virtue of being the …
By S Venkat Narayan NEW DELHI, November 4: The docking of the Chinese nuclear-powered submarine Changzheng 2 at the Colombo port since Sunday is sparking “enormous concerns” within the Indian Government about the intentions of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a media report said today. Sri Lanka allowed the docking despite India’s National Security Adviser …
By Thulsai Muttulingam The Nucleus Foundation and USAID have been promoting exchanges between industries, particularly small-scale industries in the north and south. The latest of these collaborations was a trade fair held at the Jaffna Central College by both southern and northern micro-entrepreneurs recently. Seafood was one of the most popular stalls – obviously. Their …
Continue reading ‘Micro-entrepreneurs to the Fore at Trade Fair Held at Jaffna Central College’ »
by Shamindra Ferdinando Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera yesterday stressed that the government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) would not cause hostilities among countries. Such a course of action would be inimical to all countries including Sri Lanka, VA Perera said in an exclusive interview with The Island. “There is absolutely no need for Sri …
The Supreme Court yesterday sought written submissions from legal experts on the Constitutional validity of President Mahinda Rajapaksa contesting another term and calling for an early election. The move follows the President seeking the opinion of the Supreme Court on if he can run for the office of president for the third term as well …
By Dr Nirmala Chandrahasan I came across the following statement in an article by Prof. G.H Peiris , titled “A Comment on the campaign to abolish the Presidential System”, appearing in the island newspaper dated October 24, 2014. While arguing against the abolishing of the Presidential system G. H Peiris concludes his piece with the …
by Prof. G. H. Peiris This comment is being written with the objective of highlighting certain considerations that have not received adequate attention in the ongoing campaign for abolishing the Executive Presidency in Sri Lanka. Participants of this campaign including certain writers whose views receive well-deserved respect often tend to overlook the circumstances that culminated …
By Lavanya Ramanathan A decade ago, after just a few ill-fated and highly self-esteem-damaging attempts to learn my native South Indian cuisine, I threw in the rice cooker. Really. I chucked my tiny four-cup nemesis into a dumpster, and with it any illusions that I’d ever make dosa, please my parents and become some sort …
By Saman Indrajith The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) demand for a Muslim-majority administrative unit in the Eastern Province was very much similar to the LTTE’s demand for a separate state in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka, Parliament was told yesterday. The SLMC is a constituent of the SLFP-led UPFA though it …
By Upul Joseph Fernando Mahinda Rajapaksa built up a close friendship with South Korea when he was the Prime Minister in 2004. Former South Korean Foreign Minister and incumbent Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, who arrived to provide aid to Sri Lanka in 2004 during the tsunami tragedy went to inspect the …
By Ashwin Hemmathagama Corruption, overpowering of independent institutions and nepotism heated up Parliament yesterday when the Committee Stage Program of Budget 2015 came up for debate. Due to the unruly behaviour of Government members, the House was suspended for five minutes by Deputy Chairman of Committees UPFA MP Chandrakumar Murugesu. Yesterday’s debate was on allocations …
By Anuradha Raman Here the lines between actors and politicians blur and disengage at will. Actors enjoy the patronage of the ruling party so long as they appear to be endorsing its fortunes. When they play truant, which isn’t uncommon, they find their films blocked or blacked out from theatres. Comedian Vadivelu, a fan favourite, …
BY Mirudhula Thambiah The Northern Provincial Council Opposition Leader and EPDP member S. Thavarasa claims for police and land powers in the province should amicably settled. “We must create a situation where the majority should feel that by giving these powers, it will not be misused. There is suspicion in the majority that those powers …
By Shamindra Ferdinando In spite of the UNP on behalf of the Opposition urging the government to conduct the presidential election after the scheduled papal visit, the Catholic Church is strongly opposed to such a move. The Catholic church was of the opinion that a national level election shouldn’t be held immediately after the proposed …
By Ramesh Prabhu “Four hostile newspapers are to be feared more than a thousand bayonets” -Napoleon Bonaparte Journalism is the world’s best profession. I believed that when I first became a trainee sub-editor in 1981. I believed that when, after more than 20 years as a journalist in Mumbai, Dubai, and Bangalore, I was given …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Media Secretary Charitha Herath yesterday cited recent media coverage of the Koslanda landslide tragedy as a glaring example of inadequacy on the part of both print and electronic media. Herath alleged a section of the media had been in such an inordinate hurry that unsubstantiated casualty figures were given wide publicity. Responding …
By Ranga Jayasuriya A deadly landslide that swept through the Meeriyabedda tea plantation in Koslanda last week, buried an unknown number of plantation workers and their families under a mound of mud, wiping out an entire village. About a hundred people, many of whom were estate Tamils are feared dead in the worst natural disaster …
By Dharmasiri W. Wijegoonawardena Late Prema Chandra Imbulana has the rare distinction of having served the country from village level being elected Chairman of the Village Council to a Parliamentarian, Deputy Minister, a Minister and then Governor in two Provinces of Sri Lanka, in a colourful and distinguished career in politics spanning six decades. He …
Continue reading ‘P.C.Imbulana:Birth Centenary of an Honest and Honourable Politician.’ »
By Nadira Gunatilleke The Executive Presidency is a must for Sri Lanka and it is essential for the country’s security and stability. If we have a Prime Ministerial system, the Ministers will be horse traded. This will make the country unstable and open to attack from anti Sri Lanka elements. Whether we like it or …
by Shamindra Ferdinando British High Commission is inquiring into the circumstances under which a British couple had been assaulted by Public Relations Minister, Mervyn Silva’s son, Malaka and some of his associates, in the early hours of Saturday (Nov. 1) at a night club down Duplication Road. The victims suffered injuries on their heads and …
By N Sathiya Moorthy A Colombo court’s recent awarding of death sentence to five Tamil Nadu fishers, for alleged drug-smuggling in 2011, has underscored the urgent need for the Governments of India and Sri Lanka to amicably resolve the vexatious fishing issue, without further loss of time. With this verdict on Thursday, the core issue …
(Text of Speech in Parliament by TNA national list Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran M.P. on Oct 28th 2014 during second reading of the budget.The speech text is released as a communique by the TNA media office) HON. M. A. SUMANTHIRAN – SPEECH ON SECOND READING OF BUDGET DEBATE 28TH OCTOBER 2014 Thank you, Hon. Presiding …
The increasing certainty of the presidential poll on January 8 has raised another issue — the visit of Pope Francis. He is still scheduled to arrive on January 13 for a three-day visit. An advanced team from the Vatican arrived in Colombo yesterday to examine the ground situation and determine whether the visit should remain …
The high-flying Rajahs who made it big in Europe post-1983 selling mobile telephones and buying influence got their just desserts when their boorish behavior came to an abrupt halt onboard SriLankan Airlines Flight 503 to London on the October 29 (last Wednesday). The Rajahs from the UK, all 31 of them, and all of Lankan …
By Don Manu The long simmering disquiet over the 1978 constitution and the need to abolish the executive presidency by amending the constitution and introducing a more democratic form of government more in accord with the aspirations of the Lankan people, have now risen to the boil. The nation’s gong has been rung, the trumpet …
(Speech Delivered by Douglas Devananda, MP and Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development on 31.10.2014 in Parliament on the Budget Estimates for 2015.Text in English released by the Media Unit of the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development) 01. Hon. Speaker, thank you for granting me this opportunity to speak in …
By C.A.Chandraprema The Sri Lanka Bar Association obtained expert legal opinion from Prof. Suri Ratnapala a Sri Lankan legal academic resident in Australia as to whether President Mahinda Rajapaksa is qualified to contest for the presidency for the third time. The opinion given by Prof. Ratnapala can be summarized as follows:
by Mirudhula Thambiah and Menaka Indrakumar As the clouds gathered overnight last Tuesday over the hills and a drizzle began in the pre-dawn of Wednesday (29), the country was fast asleep. No one dreamt that it would turn out to be a tragic morning for hundreds of estate sector families. The tragedy that shook the …
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan The arrival of another Chinese submarine, Changzheng-2 and a warship, Chang Xing Dao, at the Colombo Port on Friday, has raised eyebrows in diplomatic circles with India focusing attention on its security, Ceylon Today learns. This is the third submarine that has arrived from China this year, it has been revealed. …
By Arunadale Wijeratne and Thyaga Srimali Bandara “Forgive us for wading in mud over the land where you were buried,” a father says. We may be standing on his child’s grave. The heartbeat of the dead is silenced now, but the heartbeat of the living can be heard louder exposing acutely personal emotions. Those who …
By Dr. Reeza Hameed I have discussed in these columns some days ago the contention that President Rajapaksa is not qualified to fight an election for a third term by virtue of the operation of Article 31(2) of the Constitution. The repeal of that article by the Eighteenth Amendment does not remove the past operation …
(Text of Speech made by Tamil National Alliance leader and Trincomalee district MP Rajavarothayam Sampanthan in Parliament on October 30th 2014) 1 30.10.2014 ගරු ආර්. සම්පන්දන් මහතා (மாண்புமிகு ஆர். சம்பந்தன்) (The Hon. R. Sampanthan) Mr. Presiding Member, I am happy to follow my good Friends, the Hon. (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe from the UNP and the …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The government investigating an alleged Tamil National Alliance (TNA) plot to provide unsubstantiated information to UN war crimes investigators wants to question Vavuniya-based senior TNA official Alvapillai Vijendrakumar alias Shan Master. Authoritative sources told The Island yesterday that the TNA official had hurriedly left his Vavuniya residence and sought refuge presumably in …
By Madura Ranwala The Police Spokesman yesterday contradicted the figure of 192 given by Disaster Management Centre (DMC) as the number of missing people in Wednesday’s landslide on the Ampitikanda estate, Mihiribedda. He said it was only 37 and the actual number of bodies recovered so far as three. They were a 62-year-old man, six …
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa The government had asked estate owners to take action to relocate their workers living in landslide prone terrain to safe areas but they had not heeded that directive, Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday. Unless they responded favourably, action would have to be taken to take over their properties to ensure …
By Saman Indrajith Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said in Parliament yesterday that there was no need for foreign assistance or aid to provide relief to victims of the Koslanda landslide as the government was capable of looking after the affected people. Making a special statement, the minister said that there were around 1,000 persons …
By Meera Srinivasan The Colombo High Court on Thursday awarded the death sentence to five Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy in November 2011 on drug trafficking charges. P. Emerson, P. Augustus, R. Wilson, K. Prasath, and J. Lanklet from Rameswaram spent nearly a year in prison in Jaffna and were later …
Former Telecom Minister A. Raja, MP Kanimozhi, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi’s wife Dayalu Ammal and 16 others were on Friday put on trial in a 2G scam-related case by a special court, which observed that charges of money laundering are prima facie made out against all of them. Special CBI Judge O.P. Saini framed charges …
By Chamitha Kuruppu The LTTE is re-emerging and the Government should be held responsible for that, asserts Technology, Research and Atomic Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, of the Jathika Hela Urumaya, in an interview with the Daily FT. Minister Ranawaka further says that LTTE leader Prabhakaran may have been defeated but the Government has failed …
by Saman Indrajith Many of the people who perished in the Koslanda landslide had continued to occupy their homes in the landslide prone area despite repeated warnings, Parliament was told yesterday. Chief Government Whip and Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said the area where the disaster occurred had been identified as a landslide …
by Maheesha Mudugamuwa Hopes of finding survivors in the landslide-hit village in Haldummulla in the Badulla District were fading, Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday. “No survivors have been found so far and I don’t think there could be any survivors,” Minister Amaraweera told The Island after visiting the place for the second day. …
by Saman Indrajith The government could make excuses but it should accept the responsibility for its failure to save the lives of people who perished in the Koslanda disaster, Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga said in Parliament yesterday. Chief Opposition Whip, addressing Parliament soon after the Chief Government Whip and Water Supply and Drainage Minister …
by Zacki Jabbar Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa has thrown his weight fully behind his once estranged leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has declared publicly for the first time that he is ready to challenge Mahinda Rajapaksa at the next Presidential Election expected to be held in January 2015, Premadasa, who only recently was re-appointed Deputy Leader …
A landslide in hilly south-central Sri Lanka is believed to have killed more than 100 people on Wednesday as it buried scores of houses, a Government minister said, and the toll is likely to rise. The landslide hit a village in the tea-growing area of Sri Lanka after days of heavy monsoon rain, with more …
Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma has called for scaling down Sri Lankan Army’s role in the war—ravaged northern province to address the “legitimate concerns” of the Tamil population. “The steps that needed to be taken to empower the people affected by the conflict include addressing legitimate concerns about restricted and monitored movement of both the …
By Mirudhula Thambiah and Menaka Indrakumar More than 350 persons went missing and six bodies were found, following a massive landslide, at the Koslanda Estate in the Meeriyabadda area of Haldummulla in the Badulla District, yesterday morning. The landslide occurred at around 7:30 in the morning burying more than 150 line room housing units, according …
By Dharisha Bastians “This erosion of democracy and fundamental freedoms is no longer only Sri Lanka’s crisis. The fate and future credibility of the Commonwealth is inextricably bound to the actions of its Chair in office…It is your crisis too.” Mangala Samaraweera, in a letter to C’wealth SG Kamalesh Sharma, April 2014 For 11 months …
By N Sathiya Moorthy If the already demoralised Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadre beaten by the shocking parliamentary poll debacle in May 2014 thought that the political set-back suffered by rival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram, in the light of a Bangalore court ordering a jail-term for her in September was …
Limitations to freedom of contract and the lengthy times taken to resolve standardised disputes through the courts have made doing business harder in Sri Lanka next year, according to a global survey by the International Finance Corpo-ration (IFC) and World Bank comparing 189 countries. Sri Lanka dropped 14 notches from its 85th place in 2014 …
By Ajith Siriwardana United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe today challenged president Rajapaksa to respond to the questions he had raised on whether the latter had met members of the LTTE in America and why the government had not intervened in the case involving the ban on the LTTE — in the European Court …
By Channaka de Silva Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Executive Committee decided at an emergency meeting yesterday to conduct an immediate inquiry into claims that members of Sri Lanka women’s cricket team management and national selectors had to be bribed sexually by Sri Lanka women’s cricketers if they were to get selected to the national team …
By Upul Joseph Fernando New Delhi had reportedly expressed displeasure to Sri Lankan Defence Secretary over the berthing of a Chinese submarine when the latter visited the Indian capital recently. It was during the same period that an official of the Indian Consulate located in the North was stranded at a security checkpoint, unable to …
By Vishwamithra 1984 “Any nation that thinks more of its ease and comfort than its freedom will soon lose its freedom; and the ironical thing about it is that it will lose its ease and comfort too.” ~W. Somerset Maugham It is indeed a fascinating exercise to speculate. Not only is it fascinating but taken …
By N Sathiya Moorthy Cabinet spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella’s declaration earlier in the month that incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa would order presidential elections in the first half of January has made political parties in Sri Lanka, particularly the divided Opposition, active all over again. The ruling combine had done it about a year ago when rumours had …
By Theviyanthan Krishnamohan Many anecdotes have been written about both Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Cricket. The story of Sri Lanka’s World Cup triumph in 1996 is more than an anecdote – it is incredible enough to be pigeonholed as a fairy tale. But if there is one thing about Sri Lanka that has been …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Acting on information received from the public, the police have arrested a person tasked by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to collect signatures on blank ‘UN war crimes complaints forms’ in the Vanni region. A senior security official said that the suspect had undergone compulsory LTTE combat training for about a month …
By Ruwan Laknath Jayakody The General Court of the European Union (EU) on 16 October annulled measures taken by the Council of the EU by lifting certain restrictions placed against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), namely the designation of them as a terrorist organization and the freezing of their funds. The Court in …
By Ravi Ladduwahetty Northern Provincial Council Opposition Leader Sinnathurai Thavarajah charged yesterday (27) that the TNA led Northern Provincial Council (NPC) could not get even its legislation right despite Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran being a retired Supreme Court judge. “This is serious, that the TNA has submitted only three statutes within the last one year, …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Accusing the military of suppressing information as regards war crimes allegedly committed by the military during the last phase of the Vanni assault, Northern Provincial Councillor, Ananthy Sasitharan has urged Geneva-based Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to extend the deadline for the completion of the ongoing investigation. Ananthy …
By Lakshmi Jayakodi Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R. Sampanthan says that the TNA has discussed about a common candidate with all parties including President Mahinda Rajapaksa and UNP Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe. Excerpts: Q: Is the TNA ready for the upcoming elections? A: Elections have not been announced yet but the developments indicate …
by K. Thirukumaran Kanda Sashti, the annual fasting days in devotion of Lord Murugan falls this year from Friday October 24 – 29th. “Why does by Fasting the soul renews life” queries Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathiyar to Lord Krishna in one of his poems. That was preceded by query, “Why in ailment, one be laying down?”
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA It was Ceylon Today and its sister paper Mawbima which got the most important news story of the year 2014; a story which if it proves accurate, may be the one that determines the destiny of this country. With perfect editorial judgment, the Ceylon Today issue of October 24th 2014 ran …
By Camelia Nathaniel The Ministry of Defence (MOD) revealed that all foreign passport holders are required to register with the MOD prior to travelling to the North. However, this regulation will not be strictly implemented for those born in Sri Lanka who hold foreign passports. According to MOD sources, Sri Lankan expatriates who visit Sri …
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan A confidential report, containing written submissions of 28 persons, with regard to the fracas between former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Britain, Dr. Chris Nonis and Monitoring MP External Affairs Ministry, Sajin Vaas Gunawardene, in New York recently, had been submitted to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Ceylon Today is in possession of …
By Leon Berenger Senior police and government officials and Catholic Church representatives will meet early next week to discuss security and other arrangements for the visit of Pope Francis in mid-January amidst continuing security concerns if the visit coincides with a possible Presidential election. A senior church official told the Sunday Times arrangements would have …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene During last year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was so bold as to state at a news conference broadcast around the world that Sri Lanka has a legal system and “if anyone wants to complain about human rights violations, whether it is torture, whether it is rape … …
Even if the UNP is now in election mode in a limited way, the attention of the party appears to be still focused on putting its house in order. On Thursday evening, leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had another round of talks at his office at Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha with his deputy, Sajith Premadasa. Also present …
Presidential security men escorted President Mahinda Rajapaksa from Battaramulla to Nugegoda and took a circuitous route. It was almost 6.30 p.m. when he arrived at his official residence.By then, a delegation from the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) had started a meeting with UPFA leaders. It was more an exchange of pleasantries and did not focus …
By C.A.Chandraprema In the context of the present raucous cry for the abolition of the executive presidency emanating from certain NGOs, political parties and prominent individuals, the question we have to ask ourselves is whether these people have given adequate thought to what we will be doing by abolishing the executive presidency and reverting back …
By Nishthar Idroos “It’s the battle for your mind” “It’s the battle for your mind” voiced the lanky character in the “Hampada” denim and casual T shirt in classroom no 4. His husky voice reverberating through the corridor. It was our Marketing Instructor lecturing in a cramped-up room many years ago in downtown Colombo. I …
Continue reading ‘All Politics is Perception,Posturing and Positioning.’ »
by B. Kolappan Tamil cinema’s yesteryear actor S.S. Rajendran known as SSR — a contemporary of Sivaji Ganesan and M.G. Ramachandran in cinema and politics — who was battling for life at a private hospital in Chennai, breathed his last on Friday. He was 86. Born in Sedapatti, Madurai district, SSR, like all his contemporaries …
Continue reading ‘Veteran Tamil actor S.S. Rajendran passes away at 86’ »
by Saman Indrajith *Rs. 25,000 minimum monthly income for public servants *CoL allowance up by Rs. 2,200; Rs. 5,000 allowance for doctors * Allowances for university teachers and non-academics increased * University intake to be increased to 100,000 by 2020 * Employer’s EPF contribution increased to 14% * Special tax on vehicle imports; USD 100 …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Regretting the loss of lives due to unprecedented terrorist attacks in Canada during the week, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday said the situation there was very much similar to that of Sri Lanka in the early 80s. The Defence Secretary likened the threat faced by Canada to the situation that prevailed in …
By Ananth Palakidnar Q : What is your opinion on the European Court of Justice (ECJ) annulling the restrictive measures taken against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)? A: The European Court of Justice in its verdict has stated that the objective test which had been carried out by the Council and Commission of …
The National Peace Council has awarded its Citizens Peace Award for 2014 to Reverend Father Benjamin Henry Miller for his long years of service to the war affected people of Sri Lanka, especially during the period of war. Since 1948, when Fr Miller, known as Harry, arrived at the Jesuit Mission in Batticaloa from the …
By The “Curionomist” “Whereas in furtherance of the development policies being promoted by the Government in the backdrop of a globally integrated environment, it is deemed expedient and necessary to ensure the prudent use of land which is a limited resource, in a manner that preserves the national interest” This is the opening section of …
By Rashini Mendis After the next Presidential Election is held early January, the government could hold a referendum to extend the life of the present Parliament by a further six years, under powers vested in the Executive, Minister of Botanical Gardens and Public Recreation, Jayaratne Herath hinted. He made this observation during an event to …
By Upul Joseph Fernando The visit of Pope Francis to Sri Lanka still hangs in the balance. This uncertainty is also apparent in a letter sent to the President by Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith. The Cardinal had inquired from the President to inform him whether the Pope should arrive or not, in case …
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan The European Union (EU) is closely monitoring the recent developments in Sri Lanka, including the domestic reconciliation process. EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, David Daly, told Ceylon Today, that the Presidential Commission appointed to probe the missing persons is a recent development and the EU has always encouraged …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA Do you watch ‘Boston Legal’? We do, by which I mean my wife Sanja and I, and we like it. Of course it is one of the few programs we enjoy equally, since she finds my favorites, such as ‘True Detective’, ‘Breaking Bad’, ‘The Bridge’, and ‘Sons of Anarchy’, which reflect …
(Address to the Nation by Stephen Harper the Prime Minister of Canada in Ottawa) “My fellow Canadians, for the second time this week there has been a brutal and violent attack on our soil. “Today, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Corporal Nathan Cirillo of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders …
By Dharisha Bastians Battle lines will be drawn this week when President Mahinda Rajapaksa moves to present his Government’s Budget for 2015, setting the stage for his re-election campaign, expected to kick off officially about six weeks from now. It is the country’s worst kept secret that the Budget presentation has been advanced by several …
By Rashini Mendis and Lakshmi Jayakody Confusion reigns heavy over next January’s planned visit of Pope Francis, with the Catholic Church at crossroads, following the delay by the government to confirm, whether the presidential election is likely to coincide with the Pope’s visit. Catholic Church spokesman Rev, Cyril Gamini told our sister paper Mawbima that …
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), in a special statement today, has noted that acts specified in article 2 of the Genocide Convention of 1948 have undeniably been perpetrated on the Tamil people by functionaries of the Sri Lankan state over several decades. The TNA however said it would be improper and inappropriate for the Northern …
A survey is to be conducted by the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development to find people who had lost their properties and lands in the Northern Province, since 1980, due to terrorism.
By Les Whittington& Joanna Smith OTTAWA — A Canadian soldier was killed and a Parliament Hill security guard wounded Wednesday morning in a chaotic attack on the nation’s capital that police believe involved more than one assailant. One assailant was killed. Shootings occurred at the National War Memorial and Parliament Hill. Contrary to early reports, …
By Sarah Boesveld TIMELINE OF EVENTS 9:52 a.m. Gunfire at the National War Memorial. Reporter there said he saw one man go down and another run. He heard four shots. 9:54 a.m. Gunfire in Parliament’s Centre Block. 9:56 a.m. Reports of dozens of shots fired in Parliament. A reporter sees a motionless body on the …
By MARILYN BERGEROCT & Ashley Southall Ben Bradlee, who presided over The Washington Post’s exposure of the Watergate scandal that led to the fall of President Richard M. Nixon and that stamped him in American culture as the quintessential newspaper editor of his era — gruff, charming and tenacious — died on Tuesday. He was …
A female undergraduate was hit in the abdomen with a tear gas canister fired at close range when the police yesterday (21) brutally attacked students from all State universities who marched to Parliament seeking solutions for their legitimate demands. Police Special Task Force (STF) and Anti-Riot Squad personnel unleashed a vicious barrage of rubber bullets …
By Shamindra Ferdinando LTTE members and supporters active overseas had launched a special project to secure asylum for close relatives of dead LTTE cadres, a senior security official alleged yesterday. The official was responding to a query by The Island regarding the arrest of Sundaralingam Rajithamalar (57), mother of Sundaralingam Kajeepan alias Thevihan killed during …
External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday strongly defended Foreign Secretary Kshenuka Seneviratne as regards the renovation of the official residence of the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in Geneva in 2009. Full text of the media statement issued by the Ministry of External affairs is as follows- “Extensive publicity has been given during …
by N Sathiya Moorthy While there is likely no bar on Jayalalithaa meeting with Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and his cabinet colleagues, she may not see senior government officials or see official files. By asking J Jayalalithaa to direct her All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam party cadres not to indulge in acts of violence …
By Vishwamithra 1984 An Open letter to Ranil W and Champika R… “I shall argue that strong men, conversely, know when to compromise and that all principles can be compromised to serve a greater principle.” ~Andrew Carnegie This missive is addressed to Ranil Wickremesinghe and Champika Ranawaka, the Leaders of the United National Party (UNP) …
New Delhi: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his government confer Bharat Ratna on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa under whose leadership the LTTE was eliminated.
Putting up a brave front, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa on Sunday assured party workers that she will come out of the present case as she had successfully faced many challenges, saying her “public life amounted to swimming in a sea of inferno.” In her first statement after walking out of the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison at …
By Dharisha Bastians The United National Party had built a middle class in Sri Lanka that the Rajapaksa administration has destroyed over the past decade, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe charged yesterday. Speaking to UNP polling agents in Kotte yesterday, Wickremesinghe claimed that while President Mahinda Rajapaksa had promised that the savings from concluding the war …
By B. Aravind Kumar & Sruthisagar Yamunan A very personal and touching greetings by actor Rajinikanth and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi to AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa on Sunday have given a jolt to Tamil Nadu BJP. In his letter, Mr. Rajinikanth, who is being wooed by the State BJP for several months now, said he …
By Dharisha Bastians The United National Party has hit out against allegations by the Government that the main opposition party had been involved in a recent court ruling lifting sanctions against the LTTE in the European Union, calling it petty politicking for the forthcoming election season. UNP Leadership Council Chairman Karu Jayasuriya said in a …
By Franklin R. Satyapalan Minister of Private Transport C.B. Ratnayake said yesterday that the European Court of Justice decision to lift the European Union Ban on the LTTE would have adverse effect on the initiatives taken by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to establish peace in the country. It would however unwittingly boost President Rajapaks’a bid to …
by Maheesha Mudugamuwa UPFA General Secretary and Environment and Renewable Energy Minister Susil Premjayantha yesterday confirmed that the presidential election would take place in January next year. Addressing the media at the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Head Office in Colombo he said that the election would not be an issue for the scheduled visit …
By N Sathiya Moorthy In a single stroke, Sri Lanka’s Northern Province Tamil Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran seems to have sent out confusing and contradictory signals to India. On the one hand, he wants India to play an active role in finding a ‘political solution’ to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. On the …
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, has sought President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s early advice whether the visit of Pope Francis should go ahead or be cancelled in the light of the upcoming presidential election. The three-day visit is scheduled to begin on January 13 next year. The request has gone in the form of a …
By Namini Wijedasa News that Sri Lanka had granted Chinese state-owned companies operating rights to four berths at the Hambantota Port once they are completed next year has caught the shipping industry unawares. There had been no tenders or prior announcements. But Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Priyath B Wickrama says the Government had agreed …
Central Government officials boycotted a Northern Provincial Council mobile service, in what has been described as tit-for-tat, after Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneshwaran kept away from the District Development Council (DDC) meeting presided over by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Jaffna on Monday. The mobile service was organised in Nedunkerny in Vavuniya to resolve public problems …
The poll fever at last has extended to the main Opposition. The United National Party is also making a strong effort to go into election mode. One of the moves the party initiated this week is a shift in posture. It now wants it known that it has still not formally named a presidential candidate …
It is less than a handful who could muster such a political event with the hierarchy of the Government and the main Opposition in attendance.If that was a feat last Tuesday, the blunt message delivered by the convener was unsurpassed. A touch of irony was that it came from a United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) …
By Arjuna Hulugalle For those who have ceaselessly worked over the years to maintain the integrity of the country in its broadest sense, seeing the old, the young and the children waving the national flag gave hope for Peace, Unity and Stability in our nation. The train to Jaffna had brought with it a long …
by A C B Pethiyagoda “Jaffna, here I come” proclaims President Mahinda Rajapaksa with arms lifted high as the Yal Devi Express comes into the Jaffna Railway Station after a lapse of 24 years. This was the caption of the front page picture in The Island newspaper on Tuesday 14 with all other newspapers and …
By Dr Reeza Hameed President Rajapakse’s eligibility to seek a third term as President has become a contentious issue ever since former Chief Justice Sarath Silva declared several weeks ago that President Rajapakse is legally barred from contesting a third time. Some commentators have challenged Sarath Silva’s views and Chinthaka Mendis was one of them …
by C.A.Chandraprema The fact that the General Court of the European Court of Justice has rendered invalid the listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organization in the EU has caused much consternation in Sri Lanka. It has to be noted that bodies like the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the European Court of …