By Chathuri Dissanayake With Additional reporting by L.B.Senaratne The move to hold night races in the historic city of Kandy for the second year in a row has drawn the ire of opposition members of the Kandy Municipal Council (KMC). Mayor Mahindra Ratwatte informed the Council that Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage had written to him …
Serious questions have arisen over the inclusion of Finnish politician Martti Ahtisaari in the panel of experts appointed by UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay to assist the international inquiry panel on Sri Lanka. Ahtisaari was the tenth President of Finland (1994–2000), Nobel Peace Prize laureate and United Nations diplomat and mediator, noted for his …
By C.A. Chandraprema When Mahinda Rajapaksa was first elected to power in 2005, he won on a patriotic vote. Many national minded people feared that a UNP victory would mean complete capitulation to the western powers and even division of the country. After assuming power, the Rajapaksa government exceeded the expectations of the patriotic masses …
By Camelia Nathaniel The BBS and the Rev. Gnanasara Thero have been the focus of many issues in the recent past over the Aluthgama incident. Many have criticised the monk for his aggressive nature and have called for his arrest and the banning of the organisation after the incident. In an interview with The Sunday …
By Ranga Jayasuriya UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Wednesday announced three advisors to the UN panel investigating alleged war crimes committed during the final phase of the war in Sri Lanka. Panelists: Silvia Cartwright, Asma Jahangir and Martti Ahtisaari, are all too good hearted individuals known for their human rights activism …
by Latheef Farook On seeing the pictures and videos in YouTube of the horrendous crimes committed by the Sinhala Zionist Bodu Bala Sena, on 15 Sunday and 16 Monday June 2014, I decided to visit the affected areas to see the destruction and speak to people there. pic via: latheeffarook.com On Thursday 19 June, I …
(Text of Letter sent by Sri Lanka Muslim Council Vice-President Hilmy Ahamed to Minister of Technology & Research Patali Champika Ranawaka) June 27th 2014 Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Technology & Research, No.408, Galle Road, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka. Honorable Sir, The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka is shocked and dismayed at your verbal …
(Text of Letter Sent to External Affairs Minister G.L.Peiris by Sri Lanka Muslim Council Vice President Hilmy Ahamed) June 27th 2014 Hon. G. L. Peris Minister of External Affairs, Republic Building, Colombo 1. Honorable Sir, We wish to bring to your kind attention the blatant misinformation disseminated by Sri Lanka’s permanent mission in Geneva, Switzerland, …
(Text of a Letter sent to Sri Lanka Inspector -General of Police NK Illangakoon on behalf of the Sri Lanka Muslim Council by the Vice President Hilmy Ahamed) June, 27th 2014 The Inspector General of Police Sri Lanka Police Police Headquarters Colombo 1 Dear Sir, Aluthgama Fiasco and thereafter We wish to bring the following …
(Text of an Editorial Appearing in “The New York Times”of June 27th 2014 under the heading “Agony of Sri Lanka”) Hate-mongering Buddhist extremists in Sri Lanka have set off the country’s worst wave of anti-Muslim violence in years. A bloody rampage on June 15 in and near the southern city of Aluthgama left four Muslims …
(Reporting by Ranga Sirilal and Eric Auchard in London; Writing by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Ron Popeski) COLOMBO, June 27 (Reuters) – Buddhist activists accused of involvement in violence against Sri Lanka’s minority Muslims said on Friday that accounts of their group’s members on social media site Facebook had been blocked. Clashes erupted on June …
By Daniel Alphonsus Post-independence India’s foreign policy has been defined more by continuity than by change. India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, is unlikely to break from this tradition. He respects the bureaucracy and his foreign policy experience is minimal. But every government has its own flavor, and subtle changes in policy emphasis are inevitable. …
by Ayesha Zuhair June 2014 will go down in the annals of Sri Lankan history as a turning point in ethnic relations, with large scale communal violence being unleashed on a most hapless minority. This month saw the worst acts of violence targeted against the country’s second largest minority, the Muslims, since the infamous anti-Tamil …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday said that the army would re-build destroyed property and repair those damaged in recent racial violence at Alutgama, Beruwela and adjoining areas. Responding to a query by The Island, Defence Secretary Rajapaksa said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had already released the required funds to begin the work. …
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay announced today that three distinguished experts have agreed to advise and support the team set up to conduct a comprehensive investigation of alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka, as mandated by the Human Rights Council in March. The investigation will look into alleged serious violations …
by C.A.Chandraprema Though only a provincial councillor at present, Azath Salley arguably plays a bigger role in Muslim politics than most Muslim parliamentarians. No stranger to controversy, he was in the news recently for the role he played in organising a hartal in Colombo in the wake of the Aluthgama incident. In this interview, he …
By Dharisha Bastians “They hold harthals now even for small, small incidents. When the LTTE was killing all communities indiscriminately, nobody held harthals” – President Mahinda Rajapaksa, at the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport on Sunday, 22 June Inside the Welipitiya mosque premises, the floors and walls of the little scripture learning room are smeared with …
By Jarrod Kimber at Headingley The stories of Shaminda Eranga and Rangana Herath sum up the Sri Lanka team, an under-prepared, under-financed group who refused to be beaten by England Sri Lanka’s GDP ranking in 2013 was 112, the UK were 21. They have a very small population compared to the other subcontinent cricket nations. …
(Reuters) – Eli Wallach, an early practitioner of “method acting” who made a lasting impression as the scuzzy bandit Tuco in the film “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” died on Tuesday at the age of 98. Wallach appeared on the big screen well into his 90s in such films as Roman Polanski’s “The …
Continue reading ‘Eli Wallach, prolific U.S. character actor, dies at 98’ »
A retail store selling plastic and paper products was set on fire at Ambepitiya in Beruwela on Monday June 24th night around 9 30 pm in the night. The store belonging to a Muslim businessman by the name of Mohammed Nadheem was attacked with two fire bombs. The door at the back of the premises …
By Chamitha Kuruppu The United National Party claims the Government has distorted evidence of the two murders and incidents related to the Aluthgama and Beruwala riots, and alleged there is a plot to divide the communities while trying to damage the long-term friendship with Middle Eastern countries. “There is a conspiracy taking place and it …
Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has held discussions with leaders of civil and religious Muslim organisations on Monday. The discussions, reportedly focused on the recent communal clashes in the two Muslim-dominated southern coastal towns, were held behind closed doors and ended with the two sides agreeing to a media embargo, BBC Sandeshaya reported.
By Harsha Gunasena In July 1983, Tamils who were residing in predominantly-Sinhala areas were attacked systematically. Although it was not proved beyond any doubts, the attack was planned by the forces behind the Government. Attackers were not simply emotional. The attacks were spearheaded by a systematic and planned emotion, which was followed by mass-scale idiotic …
By Meera Srinivasan “That was once my home,” said M.F. Nazruddin, pointing to a patch of land that is fully bare but for a small, blue van that stands nearby. His is among the nearly-570 families that saw their homes getting bulldozed for the promise of development in suburban Colombo, where Tata Housing, in partnership …
By Channaka de Silva reporting from Headingley, England History was re-written in an unbelievable finish to the second and final cricket Test here at Headingly yesterday as Sri Lanka snatched a stunning penultimate ball victory by 100 runs to claim their first-ever Test series win in England with 1-0 margin. The match seemed headed for …
By Susitha.R.Fernando Last Sunday night, Arunodhaya Mawatha at Obeysekarapura in Rajagiriya looked like a battle ground as a battalion of police attached to the Welikada Police Station ransacked and destroyed the home of B. Shashi Kumar after assaulting him mercilessly following an alleged incident of a policeman ‘peeping into a bathroom where a young woman …
By Charitha Ratwatte Recently in Colombo there was an event at which a research study entitled ‘Life and Debt’ was presented. The study was by the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA), initiated and supported by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC). The purpose of the study was to understand whether the Owner-Driven Housing Assistance …
By Vishwamithra 1984 “The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr. This has been told, not …
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader and Justice Minister Abdul Rauff Hibathul Hakeem said in an interview that President Mahinda Rajapaksa should divorce himself from xenophobic forces.He also acknowledged that “Our public posture may not always reflect our private convictions” in a wide ranging interview. Here are Excerpts from the Interview- Q:Aftermath …
By C.A.Chandraprema When this writer logged onto the Colombo US Embassy website at 8.30pm on Friday June 20, we found a statement issued on 16 June 2014 which went as follows: “The U.S. Embassy condemns the violence that has spread over the weekend in Alutgama and Beruwela. We urge the government to ensure that order …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA “Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA The 90th Birth Anniversary of Ranasinghe Premadasa Any personality who has entered History demands a twin evaluation. What did he mean in his time, place and circumstance? What is his importance outside of and beyond his own specific context? His contribution then; his relevance now: only thus can we recognize his …
Continue reading ‘Ranasinghe Premadasa,Recovery of UNP and “Swadeshiya”Social Democracy’ »
Anti-Muslim violence continued in the form of scattered attacks in the Kurunegala district of the North-Western or Wayamba Province and in Dehiwela and Panadura in the Western Province. pic via: twitter.com/DushiYanthini A gang of hoodlums transported in vehicles carrying Buddhist flags and banners went on the rampage throwing stones and small pieces of metal at …
By Madura Ranwala Police would not prevent a Bodu Bala Sena event scheduled to be held today(june 24) at 3.00 p.m. opposite the Sri Dalada Maligawa as it was a religious event, police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said yesterday. However, the SSP warned that action would be taken if the event was used to incite …
By Latheef Farook While Sinhala Zionist Bodu Bala Sena thugs were burning, looting and destroying Muslim owned properties in Aluthgama, Beruwela and Dharga Town on Sunday 15 and Monday 16 June 2014 under cover of curfew, in a despicable show of fathomless venom here in Colombo, Jathika Hela Urumaya, JHU,was busy demonizing Muslims to create …
President Mahinda Rajapaksa observed that an attempt is being made once again to put Sri Lanka’s peace and reconciliation at risk, at a time the country was enjoying stability after the defeat of separatism and racism of the LTTE with certain international forces too who had conspired to destabilise the country attempting to further complicate …
Former President Chandrika Kumarathunga today called for an impartial inquiry into the incidents in the South without delay and to direct the law enforcement authorities to take strict legal action against the instigators and perpetrators of the savage violence. Kumarathunga said that she was deeply concerned about the outbreak of communal violence and Anti-Muslim attacks …
By Dinouk Colombage Five Asian nations (Sri Lanka, Burma, Vietnam, China and North Korea) are currently ranked in the bottom twenty of the World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders. Local media organizations in these countries are either owned by the state, have links to prominent political figures or are simply outright censored …
A Government Minister says American leaders must be killed for the atrocities they have committed, particularly in the Middle East. Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake said that Iraq and Libya were doing well till the U.S. invaded those countries and killed their leaders.
A tense situation occurred in Ibbagamuwa last night when a group, carrying swords and cricket bats, threatened Muslim shop owners in the area and damaged a mosque. M. Mohammed, a shop owner in the area. told ‘Asian Mirror’ that the group threatened Muslim shop owners with them and damaged a few shops. They had also …
The Sri Lankan Government today assured Muslim countries that it had taken prompt action to deal with the situation which arose in the south last week. The assurance was given by Minister of External Affairs Professor G.L. Peiris when he met with a group of Ambassadors and High Commissioners at the Ministry today for a …
Egypt has been widely condemned after finding three Al Jazeera English journalists guilty on charges of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood and reporting false news. Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were found guilty by a Cairo court on Monday and jailed for seven years. Mohamed was jailed for three additional years for possessing ammunition.
by D. J. Walter Scott At least six fishermen jumped into the sea and escaped miraculously after the Sri Lankan Navy sunk their boat by dashing onto it and allegedly opening fire in the early hours of Thursday. The fishermen were fishing in the high seas then. The Sri Lankan Navy, which had arrested 46 …
By Sruthisagar Yamunan A Sri Lankan movie, portraying the post-war travails in the island-nation, was on Saturday taken off screens after cinemas running the film allegedly received threat calls from pro-Tamil nationalist groups. The producers of the movie, ‘With You, Without You’ (Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka), an Indo-Sri Lankan collaboration directed by noted Sri Lankan …
Popular film director and producer Ramanarayanan, who directed a record-breaking 125 movies in nine Indian languages in a career spanning 36 years, died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Singapore on Sunday June 22nd. His mortal remains are expected to be brought to Chennai for final rites on Tuesday.
By Ifham Nizam The government yesterday announced tough measures to deal with attempts at provoking violence by individuals or organisations. Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana, addressing the media in Colombo, yesterday, said the police would not, however, interfere with the people’s right to conduct religious ceremonies. In this regard, the SSP said that laws and policies …
While anti-Muslim attacks continue to occur in the Southern provinces of Sri Lanka two anti-Muslim attacks were reported in the Northern town of Jaffna in a fresh turn of events. The prayer room used by Muslims for worship at the University of Jaffna in Thirunelvely was vandalised during night by unknown persons who poured waste …
Bodu Bala Sena and several Sinhala-Buddhist organizations have started a social media campaign promoting JHU stalwart Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka as the next “President of Sri Lanka”. BBS backed social media pages state that Sri Lanka needs a ‘Sinhalalese President’ to rescue the nation from “various challenges” that have emerged not only from without, but …
(Text of an Editorial in the “Sunday Times”of June 21st 2014 Under the Heading“Buddhism betrayed by extremist monks”) It is the supreme irony of our time that, in claiming to defend Buddhism, a handful of monks with their hate speech and instigation to violence have managed to do quite the opposite. The mob attacks this …
Today the Bodu Bala Sena stands in the dock indicted with the heinous charge of attempting to return this nation to the blood-soaked barbaric age of violence from which it had risen so recently. It stands accused of repeated anti-Muslim attacks that have now resulted in inevitable bloodshed and death; and it stands condemned for …
By Ranga Jayasuriya The meeting room inside his Kirulapona temple smells of salmon. The strong aroma of Thai food served in the adjacent room, by a foreign patron, pervades the air. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera has just finished his lunch at 2.30 in the afternoon, after marathon three hours of media interviews with the local press …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene The atrocity that is Aluthgama 2014 happened at the instigation of outsiders brought into the area. That much is clear. As said by stricken Sinhala and Muslim residents, ‘this had no involvement with our communities, we live next to each other; but when outsiders came and attacked, everyone was attacking each …
By Camelia Nathaniel With the Aluthgama incident the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has come under severe criticism from numerous quarters regarding the behaviour of General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Galaboda Aththe GnanasaraThero. In an interview with The Sunday Leader the leader of the BBS the Venerable Kirama Wimalajothi Thero said that he did …
By Kalana Senaratne “The Muhammedans, an alien people, who in the early part of the 19th century were common traders, by Shylockian methods became prosperous like the Jews […] What the German is to the Britisher that the Muhammedan is to the Sinhalese. He is an alien to the Sinhalese by religion, race and language …
by Tariq A. Al Maeena The region is deeply engrossed in events around Iraq and the implication of a wider scale sectarian conflict that may spill across several borders. Lost in the quagmire of such a troubling issue is the conflict against minorities, and particularly Muslim minorities, in several countries. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Nation”of June 21st 2014 under the heading “The IGP must Resign) These are days of frayed tempers, perceived grievances, real threats and real fears that can cloud and blow away reason. This is the hour of the rumor-monger. This is the hour of the extremist. This is the hour …
By Sandun Jayawardana In the wake of fears that communal tensions may once again be on the rise post-Aluthgama and Beruwala violence, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), already under intense criticism and scrutiny over its alleged role in the unrest, asked the country’s citizens to stop engaging in provocations and violence ‘immediately’. Addressing a media …
Government ministers have called for the arrest of the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) the Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero in connection with the violence in Aluthgama last weekend. Veteran left-wing politician and Member of Parliament, Vasudeva Nanayakkara says Gnanasara Thero, together with the other members of the organization, should be taken …
By MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA MERVYN DE SILVA 15TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY JUNE 22, 2014 I will be falling in my duty if I do not pen a few words of appreciation about Mr.Mervyn de Silva who I admired very much for his knowledge, genuine friendliness and most of all his ability to call a spade a spade. …
Continue reading ‘Mervyn De Silva the Uncrowned Media King of Sri Lanka’ »
By Shamindra Ferdinando President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that proscription of extremist organisations isn’t a problem, but such action does not guarantee that there won’t be further religious strife. The President said so in response to leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) and Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, MP, (Vanni District) at …
By Izeth Hussain It is evident that after the anti-Muslim action in Alutgama and Beruwela on June 15 and the days following, the Sri Lankan Muslim problem has entered a new phase. There is no need for me to recapitulate the well-known details pointing to the government’s complicity in the anti-Muslim action. Indeed it is …
(Text of an Editorial appearing in “The Island”of June 21st 2014 under the heading “Unstoppable Psychos”) Prabhakaran is long dead and his mindless violence is a thing of the past. But, the country is not yet free from terrorism as has been seen from Sunday’s violence. Close on the heels of anti-Muslim attacks in Alutgama …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Hindu”of June 20th 2014 under the heading”A dangerous road in Sri Lanka”) Anti-Muslim violence in what were once idyllic tourist spots on the southern Sri Lankan coast has once again underscored the majoritarianism that has dominated the politics of the country since the end of the war against the …
by Rt.Revd. Dhiloraj R.Canagasabey The Church of Ceylon has released the following media release through the Bishop of Colombo Rt. Revd. Dhiloraj R. Canagasabey: “I am deeply perturbed and concerned—at the large scale violence unleashed on members of the Muslim community last weekend (15th June 2014), in Aluthgama, Beruwala, Dharaga Town, Walpitiya and Welipenna areas. …
By Mirudhula Thambiah Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem yesterday told US Ambassador Michele J. Sison that Muslims in the country will lose faith in the government if it fails to take immediate legal action, against Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera. He said this when the US Ambassador met him …
By Ranga Jayasuriya It is unthinkable that an earthly being would ever get the police approval to hold a rally of nearly twenty thousand angry Buddhist youth in Aluthgama, just three days after a communal scuffle between the local Muslims and Buddhists. Had the congregation been the university students or trade unions, the police would …
(Text of a press release issued by the Human Rights Watch under the heading “Sri Lanka: Justice Key to End Anti-Muslim Violen-Secure Environment, Long Term Plan Urgently Needed) (New York, June 20, 2014) – The Sri Lankan authorities should urgently investigate recent deadly violence against minority Muslim communities, Human Rights Watch said today. The violence, …
by Ajith Siriwardana Similar to how the United States nurtured Taliban, which later targeted strategic locations in New York, US Ambassador Michele J. Sison is nurturing the Sri Lankan Jihadist groups thus jeopardizing the security of not only Sri Lanka and the US but of the entire world, Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said. “The US …
The recent unfortunate incidents that erupted in Aluthgama and Beruwala areas will have an adverse impact on the country’s tourism sector in the backdrop of Middle East being the fourth largest inbound tourist market for Sri Lanka, according to tourism industry stakeholders. “We are already feeling the impact. During the last few days, there had …
FIVE years after the end of a bloody civil war that pitted Sri Lanka’s ethnic-Sinhala-dominated government against members of its Tamil minority, fears are growing about mounting violence along another of the country’s fault-lines—religion. On June 15th Sinhala Buddhist mobs rampaged through three towns on the southern coast, burning and attacking Muslim businesses and homes. …
By Chamitha Kuruppu “The Bodu Bala Sena was never involved in any violent activities and we will never approve of such moves,” says Chief Executive Officer Dilantha Withanage in an interview with Chamitha Kuruppu for “DailyFT”.. “We are trying to warn the people that in another decade or two there will be clashes between religious …
by Dharisha Bastians in Aluthgama Everything smells smoky in Dharga Town, Aluthgama, the morning after. Welipana Road, Aluthgama Town-Pix by Lasantha Kumara Dozens of Special Task Force personnel stand guard on the edges of the Muslim settlement, separated from the Sinhalese village by a few metres. On doorsteps and street corners, people huddle in little …
Continue reading ‘The Anguish and Agony of Aluthgama: On The Spot Report’ »
by DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA There are scarier things, worse things, than Black July ’83. Aluthgama signaled the possibility of such things. The sequence of events, the lethal violence, the horror of Aluthgama were reminiscent of July ’83 –and to go by Tarzie Vittachchi’s Emergency ’58, the anti-Tamil riots of that year. That is the element …
By Dharisha Bastians in Beruwela and Aluthgama Pix by Ishara S. Kodikara (AFP) and Shilpa Samaratunge The watcher at the Al Humeisara Central College in China Fort is compulsive about keeping the tall gates padlocked at all times. He ushers authorised vehicles in and hurriedly shuts the gates behind them, casting furtive looks on the …
( International Movement Against All Forms Of Discrimination And Racism (IMADR) President Dr Nimalka Fernando made submissions at the 26th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.This is the text of her oral submission) Thank you Mr. President, We strongly condemn the violence unleashed in South Western Sri Lanka which resulted in …
(This is the text of an editorial appearing in the “Saudi Gazette”of June 19th 2014 Under the heading “Buddhist bigotry in Sri Lanka too”) There is an increasingly alarming similarity between the crimes of bigoted Buddhists against Burma’s Muslim minority and a rising tide of violence against the Muslims of Sri Lanka. Government sources in …
The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka has sent a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa urging him to investigate actions of all extremist groups and those carrying out a campaign of hate,intimidation and violence against Muslims,Christians and other religious minorities.The letter jointly signed by Muslim Council President NM Ameen and Secretary Asker Kan is reproduced in …
Sri Lankan people don’t want another Black July! The on-going attacks on the Muslim community are deliberately carried out by a small group of extremists. We should not allow such violence in the name of the Sinhalese and Buddhist people. Let us not allow another community being harmed in the name of one ethnic community.
By Sathya Liyanasuriya Sri Lankans who have for years become familiar with Navaneethem (Navi) Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, would have heaved a sigh of relief as the retirement of the South African diplomat was announced this week. She will step down from her post in August. Pillay was a formidable …
By Thahira Cader & Shilohni Sumanthiran. (This article is written with the intention of understanding the local education system from a student’s perspective) Defining Education According to Bloom’s taxonomy, a comprehensive education should encompass three key aspects: knowledge, skills and attitudes. A person’s knowledge is reflected in his desire to constantly seek information, and in …
By Dharisha Bastians President Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised an investigation into the violence in Aluthgama and Beruwala since Sunday night and pledged compensation for those who have suffered property losses by the rioting. Last afternoon upon his return from Bolivia, President Rajapaksa flew into Beruwala town, which has been rocked by religious clashes, for discussions …
By Uditha Jayasinghe Taking the good with the bad, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Takehiko Nakao yesterday described Sri Lanka’s economy as “remarkable,” but warned increases in Government revenue, attention to law and order as well as reform in State-Owned Enterprises are crucial to become an upper middle income country. On his first-ever visit to …
Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Takehiko Nakao called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday at the President’s House. During the discussion, President Rajapaksa briefed Nakao on Sri Lanka’s post-war development. The President explained how the Government immediately attended to the resettlement of the internally-displaced persons and the rehabilitation of ex-combatants. “The war was never against the …
By Ashwin Hemmathagama The Resolution opposing the much-debated investigation to be conducted against Sri Lanka by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was passed in Parliament yesterday with a majority. With the 33 members of the United National Party abstaining, the Government received 144 votes in favour, while the 10 …
By Ashwin Hemmathagama The cancellation of training programs organised by Transparency International on investigative journalism for journalists working for Tamil publications in Sri Lanka, forcing them to discontinue the programs, shook the House yesterday when Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe questioned the Government’s “authority over legitimate public events and forceful cancellations”. Highlighting the “phony …
18th June 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) strongly condemns the violence unleashed in Aluthgama, Beruwela and Dharga Town over the past few days. More than five years after the end of the war and thirty years after the 1983 pogrom, lessons have yet to be learnt on coexistence, non-violence, peace …
By Upul Joseph Fernando Government sources say that Basil Rajapaksa has proposed to debate the UNHRC resolution to probe Sri Lanka’s human rights violations in Parliament. He has proposed this after thoroughly studying the impact of the probe on internal politics of the country. However, coalition Party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU)’s stand on the probe …
By Vishwamithra 1984 “The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness.” ~Niels Bohr A couple of weeks ago this columnist wrote about the socio-political disaster that is looming on the horizon. Although much hackneyed phrases and clichés have described what has been …
The police arrested 44 persons, in connection with the clashes that took place in Aluthgama on Sunday. Of those arrested, 25 have been remanded. SSP Ajith Rohana told Ceylon Today, the Colombo Crime Division had deployed three police teams to arrest another 55 persons who were involved on Sunday’s mayhem. It is reported that, 39 …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Attempts by the Ethno Religious Fascist Bodhu Bala Sena to instigate Anti-Muslim violence by holding a rally through a proxy organization in the town of Mawanella seems to have gone awry due to preventive action taken by the Police.
By Ashwin Hemmathagama Deadly violence in Aluthgama spearheaded by armed mobs engulfing religious tensions figured prominently in the proceedings of Parliament yesterday, with Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe making a special statement and Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne giving the Government’s reassurances. Wickremesinghe warned of the possibilities of the violence spreading to other parts of the country, …
By Rajavarothayam Sampanthan M.P. (Full Text of Address to Parliament on June 17th 2014 by Tamil National Alliance Leadr and Trincomalee District MP Rajavarothayam Sampanthan) I wish to make a statement to place on record the position of the Tamil National Alliance regarding the Motion that has been put forward for debate and related matters …
By Taylor Dibbert Things still aren’t going well for Mr. Obama. As a result, Americans and people throughout the world continue to suffer. The Veterans Affairs (VA) scandal is appalling, and it would be naive to think that Mr. Obama will be able to turn things around. Indeed, his administration is now plagued by a …
Continue reading ‘Barack Obama’s Abysmal Legacy:Eight Disastrous Years of Incompetence?’ »
(Text of a Press Release Issued by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka) The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) strongly condemns the blatant attack on members of the Muslim minority, in Aluthgama and Beruwela on the 15th of June 2014 that reportedly left Muslim-owned shops in the area torched, mosques …
The on going anti-Muslim violence instigated by the ethno religious fascist outfit Bodhu Bala Sena has resulted in a Tamil Security guard at a Muslim owned poultry and livestock farm being brutally murdered by a gang of armed goons claiming to represent Sinhala Buddhists of Sri Lanka. A gang of intoxicated armed men invaded during …
While the situation in Aluthgama and Beruwela showed signs of comparative improvement on Monday June 16th without any reports of anti-Muslim violence in those areas fresh violence erupted against Muslims in another nearby town in Sri Lanka’s western province. Welipenna a town with a mixed ethnic populationabout 59 to 60 km south east of Colombo …
By Col R Hariharan “Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero addressing the rally in Aluthgama yesterday, referred to Muslims in derogatory terms and accused sections of the Government of being in collaboration with the Muslim Community. “They keep calling us racist and religious extremists. Yes, we are racists,” he charged as the crowd …
By Latheef Farook The unwanted and unnecessary attack was mayhem of an unprecedented scale in and around Aluthgama which later spread to Dharga town and Beruwala following the highly inflammatory speech by Sinhala racist outfit Bodu Bala Sena’s General Secretary Ven .Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, the Buddhist Zionist who is hell bent on shedding Muslim …
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay expressed her deep concern yesterday (June 16) at the communal clashes between Sinhala and Muslim communities in Aluthgama, Sri Lanka, in which two, or possibly three, people have reportedly been killed and 80 were injured. “The Government must urgently do everything it can to arrest this …
BY Ruwan Laknath Jayakody The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) yesterday blamed the police for Sunday’s violent upheaval in Aluthgama and said the immature behaviour and delayed action of police officers had aggravated the clashes. “Do not make us have to tell the people to boycott Muslim businesses,” General Secretary of the BBS, Ven. Galagoda Aththe …
BY SRUTHISAGAR YAMUNAN Tamil Nadu Actor and celebrity campaigner Khushbu on Monday quit the DMK citing lack of recognition for her work in the party. Her announcement came a few hours after the party high-command decided to reorganise the district units. She joined the DMK in 2010 against expectations that she would take to politics …
By Mirudhula Thambiah Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) yesterday demanded the government take immediate action to resolve the tense situation in Aluthgama, warning that the party will take stern political decisions if the government failed to ensure the security of the people. SLMC Leader and Minister of Justice, Rauff Hakeem, told a press conference yesterday, …
By Subha.J.Rao Sri Lankan director Prasanna Vithanage speaks to Subha J. Rao about making movies in the war zone and his love affair with Tamil films Prasanna Vithanage When Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage, known for his searing commentaries on war, was in college, he made quite a few Tamil friends. “They introduced me to …
By Ravi Ladduwahetty The government will take appropriate action against those who give evidence against it at a future war crimes probe, based on the evidence the adversaries give . “This is a serious situation and we are watching it closely. We shall take appropriate action based on the evidence the detractors give,” Government Spokesman …
The Government has suspended plans by the military to acquire 25 different plots of land in the Northern Province.The Land Commissioner General’s Department has issued a directive to the Northern Provincial Land Commissioner not to go ahead with the proposed acquisition of lands in the Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mullativu districts. The request to acquire the …
Popular Telugu film character actress “Telangana” Shakuntala passed away on Saturday following a cardiac arrest at her home in Hyderabad. The 63-year-old was rushed to a private hospital in the early hours and was declared “brought dead”, family sources said.
By Namini Wijedasa A proposal to distribute lucrative wind power contracts to local investors without calling for open tenders has run into a storm with energy experts strongly criticising the move. They fear the contracts will be dished out to political henchmen — a growing practice — and that, under existing terms and conditions, the …
By C.A.Chandraprema With the appointment of the 12-member team by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, the encirclement of Sri Lanka is just about complete. The Western steam roller has been set in motion and Narendra Modi is in power in India with a plainly-to-be-seen desire not to alienate Jayayalitha Jeyaram of …
By N Sathiya Moorthy Twenty-five long years after its bloody conclusion, the JVP’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake has now reportedly apologised for the 1987-89 insurgency. Another senior party leader K.D. Lal Kantha has however ‘clarified’ that the ‘apology’ was not for the ‘armed struggle’ per se but only for the ‘innocents killed during that period’. There …
By Niranjala Ariyawansha A special operation to deport 1,475 Pakistani asylum seekers, registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and living in Sri Lanka, is underway by the immigration authorities, Ceylon Today learns. A team of officials from the Department of Immigration and Emigration launched the operation to round up Pakistani asylum …
(Text of a Statement Issued by the Free Media Movement of Sri Lanka) The Free Media Movement (FMM) condemns without any reservations the protest and threatening behavior of the protesters against the journalist’s workshop held at Gold Sands Hotel, Negombo, Gampaha District on 7th June 2014. The protesters, who enjoyed the protection of the Police, …