By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Everywhere under the vast Heaven There is no land that is not the king’s. To the borders of those lands, There are none who are not the king’s servants.” Shijing (The Book of Odes – believed to have been compiled by Confucius) Lankan democracy is facing a terminal crisis, caught between the …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Somewhere, someone remarked to me this week that patriotism is at its most virulent when stalking the minds and intellects of human beings rather than when it cloaks itself in the deceptively heroic guise of (most always) men waging war against each other on the battlefield. Patriots parading their stuff That …
By K. Nesan and V. Gnana Thousands of people around the world are gathering today to mark the anniversary of one of the most infamous massacres of the 21st century. After 26 years of a bloody civil war, the Sri Lankan army cornered over 40,000 Tamils, including the surviving leadership of the Liberation Tigers of …
Reparations Bill ready, compensation for war-affected people Details of draft kept secret till RTI was put to use View(s): 94 The Cabinet approved the draft Reparations Bill setting up the Office of Reparations is now in the final stages of drafting. The proposed law will enable all Sri Lankan citizens, including families of Police and …
By Sarath de Alwis “I saw the Emperor – this soul of the world – go out from the city to survey his reign; it is a truly a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, who, concentrating on one point while seated on a horse, stretches over the world and dominates it.” Such was …
By Chaturanga Samarawickrama The Sinhalese version of the official website of the Ministry of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs and the website of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Honorary Consulate in Kerala were reportedly hacked this evening by an organisation calling itself the ‘Tamil Eelam Cyber Force’. The website displayed a long …
By Veeragathy Thanabalasingham With 2018 just about reaching its halfway mark, three of Sri Lanka’s major political players have already begun preparations for the 2020 presidential elections. Although President Maithripala Sirisena announced last week he would not retire from politics, he has not openly stated he would not contest in the polls. However, seniors and …
Sri Lankan Tamils should observe May 18 every year as “Tamil Genocide Day”, said the Northern Province Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran on Friday. He was speaking on the fourth annual remembrance day at Mullivaikkal, the scene of killings in the last stages of the war against Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009. In his emotionally charged and …
By Yoshitha Perera State Counsel Udara Karunatilake appearing on behalf of the Attorney General (AG) today informed Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court that the CID had started an investigation on whether, Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development Minister Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was involved in the abduction and assault of Journalist Keith Noyahr in 2008. He …
By Col. R.Hariharan THOUGH Uttarakhand had 21,966 protests, the highest number in the year 2016, it was Tamil Nadu with a score of 20,450 protests – at the rate of 47 protests a day- that caught the national attention. The reason was simple: the protests in Tamil Nadu were massive, prolonged and in many cases …
(Text Of Media Release Issued by Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 16 May 2018 Under the heading “Increase in fuel prices and economic mismanagement”) Following the recent increase in fuel prices, transport costs and the prices of goods and services have started rising. Fishermen are up in arms against the sudden increase in the price …
Two British rugby players who died after what is suspected to be a drug overdose had visited a night club in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, shortly before they developed respiratory problems, investigators said Tuesday. Police sources said the two players identified as Thomas Howard, 25, and Tom Baty, 26, had serious breathing difficulties on Sunday …
Former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has unofficially launched his bid to run for the presidency at the 2019 elections with a ceremony at the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo. Political sources said Rajapaksa had invited his three politically active brothers as guests of what he called the launch his 2030 vision for Sri Lanka. In a …
By B.Kolappan. Acclaimed writer Balakumaran, whose works were a link between serious and populist writing in Tamil, died on Tuesday. He was 71 and is survived by two wives, a son and a daughter. Balakumaran took pride in his writing style. He once told an interviewer from the now-defunct magazine Subamangala, “I have even surpassed …
By Mano Sekaram Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, members of the clergy , distinguish invitees and friends This invitation to me to speak at the conference signifies the organization’s inclusiveness and respect for diversity, I am honored and privileged to say a few words. My subject today is about‘digital and knowledge’ economy and …
By Vijith Samarasinghe A Sri Lankan opposition party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), is currently agitating for the abolition of the country’s executive presidency via a 20th amendment (20A) to the constitution. The campaign is a political fraud. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told the party’s May Day meeting on May 7 that the 20A …
By Hemantha Randunu The Terrorism Investigations Division (TID) yesterday obtained a statement from Joint Opposition (JO) MP, Dilum Amunugama over allegations that he had assisted violent elements responsible for communal riots in March. Communal riots in some areas of Kandy commenced after protesters had attacked several shops in Digana on March 04 and 05 following …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka So the Northern Provincial Council and some civil society activists are reportedly gearing up to mourn May 18-19th and the week leading up to it as Genocide Week. May 18/19th marks the days the Long War ended, and Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims stopped dying in large numbers. It is the moment that …
By Nisthar Cassim and Shanika Sriyananda Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is widely speculated to be a 2019 presidential candidate, yesterday unveiled his vision 2030 for Sri Lanka, promising to transform the economy with futuristic policies and measures but more importantly with the right people and execution. He told a packed and audience of …
By Meera Srinivasan It may take about a month for the anacondas, taken recently from Colombo to Karnataka, to adjust to their new environment. They will be quarantined until that time, as authorities at the Mysuru zoo prepare to display them. The two green anacondas, one male and one female, will soon be joined by …
By B.Nimal Veerasingham When we were children my paternal grandmother ‘Sellamma’ (Appamma) would love to take us to events in the close vicinity of ‘Puliyantheevu’ – the principal islet of the Batticaloa town, that amused and entertained us to say the least. She was a Universalist – nothing prevented her from attending any religious or …
By Namini Wijedasa The investors behind the arrest of President’s Chief-of-Staff I H K Mahanama and State Timber Corporation Chairman P Dissanayake on bribery charges has written to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe asking him to “at least now” release the Kantale sugar factory infrastructure so their project can go ahead. Their letter makes it clear …
By Sarath de Alwis History repeats, because we don’t listen the first time. Those who wanted genuine change, now pin their hopes on the 20th Amendment which would abolish the Executive Presidency and restore parliamentary rule. The Mahinda Rajapaksa presidency in the years 2010-2015 is remarkable for its successes and excesses. If he planned to …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Chants of the Joint Opposition and its enthusiasts that anarchy has been let loose upon the land as a result of foibles of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government bear an uncanny resemblance to the ancient cackling of ‘double, double toil and trouble, parties burn and nonsense bubble’ by Shakespeare’s three witches immortalized in …
By Vidya Venkat The Sangam-era Tamil poetic work Pattinappaalai describes the Cauvery as an eternal river. “Vaan poithinam thaan poiyya malai kalaya kadarkaaveri ponal parandhu pon kolikkum” goes a line. Loosely translated, it means that even in the hot summer months, when the rain gods do not shower their mercy, the Cauvery, emerging from the …
The Sri Lanka army has set up a “Directorate of Overseas Operations” dedicated to preparing material to defend itself against war crimes charges made in the international arena. This was stated by the Army Commander, Lt.Gen.Mahesh Senanayake, at a meeting with the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of Sri Lanka here on Thursday. The UN Human Rights …
By Veeragathy Thanabalasingham President Maithripala Sirisena in his speeches at two separate occasions early this week made two politicallly important pronouncements. Addressing the May Day rally of his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and its ally United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in the Eastern town of Chengalady near Batticaloa last Monday (7) he declared that …
Sri Lanka’s parliament Wednesday voted to set up special courts to try multi-billion dollar graft cases under former president Mahinda Rajapakse. The move aims to accelerate several high-profile cases following criticism over the slow pace of justice since President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in 2015 promising to stamp out corruption. Parliament voted 119-52 to …
By Rathindra Kuruwita The Indian investor who complained that President Maithripala Sirisena’s Chief of Staff, I. K. Mahanama and Chairman of State Timber Corporation P. Dissanayake, had allegedly taken a bribe from him, has informed the Cinnamon Gardens Police that he has been receiving death threats.
By Kushan Subasinghe and Ajith Alahakoon Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development Minister Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, yesterday, apologised to President Maithripala Sirisena for publicly having criticised the latter, recently.
Joint Opposition MP Namal Rajapaksa yesterday condemned the alleged harassment of a Tamil woman on a Colombo-Jaffna train by a train attendant on Tuesday. He called for necessary action. The incident which had been recorded by a person on the train was widely circulated in social media.
(Text of Lecture by Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy on ‘Myanmar: The Rohingya Refugee Crisis, Roots of the Conflict and Possibilities for the Future’ at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) on Thursday, 3 May 2018) INTRODUCTION I want to thank Dinusha and the Kadirgamar Institute for inviting me to speak today. …
By Mahendran Thiruvarangan The recent demonstrations by the Tamil teachers, alumni and members of the larger Tamil community, in Trincomalee town, against the Muslim teachers at Sri Shanmuga Hindu Ladies’ College who came to school in the abaya, speak of a larger problem that bedevils our educational system and the state. Hot on the heels …
By Vishwamithra 1984 “Be yourself, because an original is worth more than a copy” – Unknown quotes In order to defeat the Mahinda Rajapaksa juggernaut, there is one thing the United National Party (UNP) should not do – field a ‘Duplicate Mahinda.’ What is the Mahinda Rajapaksa-candidature looking like? In an election campaign, the one …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka What happens when the protracted crisis of a political party which is in government, coincides with a dramatically mounting economic crisis? The UNP is the country’s second oldest political party. Never in its 70 year history has it been away from the apex of power and the top post in the country …
(Text of speech made by President Maithripala Sirisena at the inauguration of the new session of the Parliament on May 8, 2018) Honourable Speaker, Honourable Members of parliament, As the President and Head of the Government of the people of Sri Lanka, I greet all of you at the opening of the Second Session of …
(Text of speech made by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Chairman President Maithripala Sirisena at the SLFP May Day rally at the Mawadiwembu Ground, Chenkaladi in Batticaloa 2018-05-07) I am very pleased about this opportunity to hold this successful SLFP May Day rally in Batticaloa. Today we join to honour the working class of our …
President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday ended all speculation about his political future saying he will not retire in 2020 when his current term ends and wants to form a government without “murderers.” He quashed what he called rumours on social media that he intends to retire in 2020. “There are many who ask if I …
By Anurangi Singh and Uditha Kumarasinghe Hotly contested debates are underway in the pro-Rajapaksa Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna/Joint Opposition faction as to which member of the former ruling family should contest the presidential election due in 2019, highly placed sources told the Sunday Observer. UPFA MP and New Left Front Leader, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, who is …
By Sandun A Jayasekera reporting from Chenkalady, Batticaloa President Maithripala Sirisena today declared that he would not retire from politics in 2020 as he had to complete his mission to serve the people and the country beyond 2020. Addressing the SLFP May Day rally at the Chenkalady Sports Grounds in Batticaloa this afternoon, President Sirisena …
The arrest of the President’s Chief of Staff while allegedly accepting a 20 million bribe may have seriously damaged Maithripala Sirisena ’s image and weakened his position within the tenuous coalition. Sirisena was reportedly visibly shaken when a senior aide told him on Thursday that his Chief of Staff I. H. M. Mahanama had been …
By Sarath de Alwis “Madness is something rare in individuals — but in groups, parties, peoples, and ages, it is the rule.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil Make no mistake. This government has failed to deliver. It must be brought to its senses. If not, we must fashion something better. But, we must not …
by Manjula Fernando and Anurangi Singh On February 22 this year, a foreign national walked in to the Investigation Office of the Bribery Commission, to make a formal complaint. It was not the type of complaint the Bribery officials confront on any regular day. Speaking with a strong Indian accent, the businessman dropped a bombshell …
By Jayadeva Uyangoda For a student of political institutions in Sri Lanka, things happening within political parties are great material for reflection and analysis. It appears that our political parties today are not what used to be a few decades ago. The presidential system, the system of proportional representation, changes in value framework in society, …
by Maneshka Borham JAFFNA: On May 1, the residents of Jaffna carried on as usual, the town brimming with day to day activity. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary since the Government had ‘postponed’ May Day, as the globally recognized workers’ day had clashed with the Buddhist festival of Vesak. Only the red …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Two civil society organisations, yesterday, said the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration owed an explanation to the general public as to why Dr. T. H. K. Mahanama had been appointed the Chief of Staff of President Maithripala Sirisena, in spite of a serious allegation against him that he deliberately delayed a USD 100 mn project …
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena is set to take back from Minister Mano Ganeshan, the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) at Ganeshan’s request. A Gazette to this effect is expected soon, Minister Ganeshan told this correspondent on Saturday. Ganeshan said that he had requested the President to take back the OMP allotted to him in …
Sri Lankan police on Saturday recovered the stolen replica of the Golden Peacock trophy which the late Sri Lankan film maker Lester James Peries had won at the New Delhi International Film Festival in 1965. The gold-plated replica, which was stolen from his house on Wednesday, the day of his funeral, was recovered from the …
By Skandha Gunasekara * Suspects accept bribe from Indian investor to reduce prices in the sale of Kantale Sugar Factory machinery * Chief of Staff suspended, President orders unhindered legal action against suspects President Sirisena informed prior to arrest * Secretary to the President commends arrest * Joint Opposition hails efforts of CIABOC The Chief …
By Chaturanga Samarawickrama President Maithripala Sirisena today instructed officials to suspend the services of a senior official attached to the Presidential Secretariat and the Chairman of the State Timber Corporation (STC) who were facing bribery allegations and advised the authorities to strictly enforce the law against the two offenders.
By A.J. Abeynayake Mount Lavinia Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrema, yesterday, directed the CID to record a statement from former Army Chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka in respect of the inquiry into the abduction of Deputy Editor of The Nation Keith Noyahr on May 22, 2008. Magistrate Abeywickrema said so in response to representations made by lawyers …
by Rathindra Kuruwita It seemed that one needed to engage in corrupt activities to obtain a powerful ministerial position, Deputy Minister of Social Empowerment, Ranjan Ramanayake said yesterday commenting on the latest reshuffle of state and deputy ministers, in which some of his subjects were removed.
A gold plated replica of the Golden Peacock trophy which the late Sri Lankan film maker Lester James Peries had won at the New Delhi International Film Festival in 1965, was stolen from his house on Wednesday, the day of his funeral. The Golden Peacock was the first ever international award that Peries got in …
By Meera Srinivasan Renowned Sri Lankan film maker and a national icon Lester James Peiris, credited with revolutionalising Sinhala cinema in the 1950s with a strong local flavour and indigenous style, passed away in Colombo on Sunday. He was 99. A contemporary of Satyajit Ray, Peiris is regarded the “father of Sinhala cinema”. He won …
By Rathindra Kuruwita UNP backbenchers have decided to boycott parliamentary group meetings indefinitely as they believe party reforms have been complete eyewash, MP Hirunika Premachandra says. Fewer than 35 MPS attended yesterday’s UNP group meeting, as backbenchers and a number of state and deputy ministers boycotted it. MP Premachandra said: “We decided against attending these …
By Nalaka Sanjeewa Dahanayake Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa quipped yesterday that in the reshuffle of the Cabinet, the only Ministry that underwent a scientific transformation was the Wildlife Ministry.
Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed new state and deputy ministers in a cabinet re-shuffle promised after setbacks in local government polls earlier this year. The move follows the appointment of several new cabinet ministers on Tuesday, 01 May by President Maithripala Sirisena who had promised a more ‘scientific’ allocation of portfolios when elected …
Former justice minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe who was sacked for criticising the government was reinstated Tuesday, but the former finance minister Ravi Karunanayake appeared to have been left out in a last minute development. Rajapakshe was kicked out in August last year after he accused the government of a sell out to China by leasing the …
:The cabinet reshuffle which Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena effected on Tuesday, shows a rational distribution of portfolios which was not the case earlier. For example, Mano Ganeshan, who had National Co-existence but not Reconciliation earlier, has got it now. But there has been no major change in the line up, other than the re-induction …
Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sirisena, on Tuesday reshuffled his unity government following months of political unrest between the two main coalition partners, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party led by Sirisena and the ruling United National Party led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The ministers were sworn in at a simple ceremony at the Presidential Secretariat …
Sri Lanka’s former minister of finance minister Ravi Karunanayake who fell from grace after being implicated in the bond scam, is likely to be brought back to the cabinet, official source said. Unless there is a last minute change of heart, Karunanayake, 55, is tipped as the new minister of tourism under the minor reshuffle …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene It is somewhat amusing (to put the matter mildly) that there is confusion as to whether Rs 200 million or Rs 1 billion has been allocated for repairs of Sri Lanka’s august parliament complex, deemed as ‘urgent’ for its maintenance. Misery for some, luxuries for others Regardless of the amusing aspects …
By Veeragathy Thanabalasingham Each time a horrific crime hits the headlines, ministers and police top brass make solemn avowals that stringent action would be taken against the perpetrators and that effective deterrent measures would be instituted to ensure such crimes are not repeated and law and order prevails in the country. But like all promises, …
By Bandula Jayasekara Political vultures are circling round the late Maestro Lester James Peries after his death. They have instructed to ‘honour’ him with a state funeral at the expenses of the state. I saw a photograph of President Sirisena handing over a cheque to Lester on his 99th birthday on 5th April this year. …
(Text of an editorial appearing in “The Island” of May 1st 2018 Under the Heading “The Lodestar fades away”) The country is grieving the loss of one of her greatest sons. The Lodestar of the Sri Lankan cinema has faded away. Dr. Lester James Peries had the rare distinction of being loved and respected by …
Several Women’s groups and individual activists in Sri Lanka have together expressed concern over a horrible incident in India where an eight year old girl Asifa was allegedly tortured and gang-raped over a period of four days in a temple at Rasana in the Kathua district of Kashmir and killed by strangulation. In a letter …
By Sarath de Alwis “He who protests is an enemy; he who opposes is a corpse.” – Pol Pot In a rebuttal of a newspaper report on the investigation into the murder of Lasantha Wickremetunge, the former Defence Secretary and 2020 Presidential hopeful, Gotabaya Rajapaksa is at pains to explain that then Commander of the …
By Dharisha Bastians Reams have been written about the existential crises facing the country’s two main parties, the United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, coincidentally, currently led by the two leaders at the helm of a fractured coalition Government. But a lesser known crisis is also unfolding within the fledgling Sri Lanka …
(Excerpts From The “Sunday Times” Political Column of April 29th 2018) Meanwhile, nowhere has party reform generated so much controversy than in the UNP. Just three weeks after his party backers convincingly defeated a vote of no confidence, Premier Wickremesinghe announced changes. It came at a meeting of the so-called newly picked politburo which met …
By Anura Gunasekara That is our parliamentary crucible; toads, newts, adders and scorpions being stirred in a poisoned chalice and strained through a kurakkan satakaya. The Diyawanna script is written in Medamulana and offered to the nation, along with Atapirikara and jasmine flowers and couched in sonorous, mock-pious statements, delivered from diverse friendly Aramayas, with …
by Gagani Weerakoon Proroguing Parliament sessions is certainly not a new thing in Sri Lanka’s history, but issuing three Gazette Notifications in a space of two weeks to summon the new session, due to previous two being incomplete or faulty indeed could be a record. In the President’s proclamation issued on 12 April proroguing Parliament, …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake Ranil sways and Ravi stays. That seems to be the R – R Rhythm, the swing and sway of reorganized politics or management of the UNP. Ranil Wickremesinghe certainly defeated the No Confidence Motion against him in parliament, where most charges were about corruption involving the Central Bank Bond Scam. But that …
By K. Buddhika Kumarasiri A 46-year-old Sri Lankan born woman with Canadian citizenship is among the identified victims killed in the Toronto incident where 10 people were killed and at least 15 were injured when a van ploughed down a crowded side-walk in Toronto, Canada on Monday. The deceased was identified as Beatrice Renuka Amarasinghe …
Popular south Indian playback singer MS Rajeswari passed away in Chennai on Wednesday. She was 87 years old. MS Rajeswari is well known for her child-like renditions in songs like Sundalikum Sundalikum Thirumanamam (Kaidhi Kanaiyiram) and Chittu Kuruvi Chittu Kuruvi Sedhi Theriyuma (Town Bus). The soulful Ammavum Neeye Appavum Neeye from Kamal Haasan’s debut film …
By C. A. Chandraprema The JVP has stated that they will be presenting the motion to abolish the executive presidency as a private member’s Bill next month. Even though they have said that they will agree to electoral reform, too, if that is deemed to be a prerequisite for the abolition of the executive presidency, …
By Camelia Nathaniel and Priyan de Silva The recent incidents that took place in Mirissa where a group of Dutch tourists were assaulted and sexually harassed and another group of Israeli tourists were assaulted at the Midigama beach have brought to light the issues facing the tourism industry. Despite the government efforts to promote tourism …
By Zahrah Imtiaz The UNP Working Committee, which met yesterday morning, confirmed the recommendations made by the Politburo to the senior posts of the party. Accordingly, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam will take on the post of General Secretary, Kabir Hashim the post of Chairman, Ruwan Wijewardene as Deputy General Secretary, Dr Harsha de Silva, the post …
By Norman Palihawadana and Rathindra Kuruwita Former Speaker Joseph Michael Perera resigned from the UNP Working Committee, yesterday, expressing his displeasure at the appointment of Ravi Karunanayake as the party’s Assistant Leader. Perera stormed out of the Party Headquarters yesterday morning, in the middle of a Working Committee meeting. Meanwhile Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayaka stated …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka An explosion is not always a good thing. But it is not always preventable. Sometimes an explosion cannot be predicted but sometimes it can. Often an explosion is not inevitable but that does not mean it isn’t likely or even probable. In any country, these factors would cause a social upheaval. In …
President Maithripala Sirisena’s failure to dislodge Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe could have damaged their relationship permanently with devastating consequences for the national unity government. With most protagonists acknowledging that the failed April 4 no-confidence motion (NCM) was fuelled by Sirisena, a fractured United National Party (UNP) has rallied to support Wickremesinghe despite his lacklustre leadership. …
The leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R.Sampanthan, told Tamils on Tuesday what they should do secure their rights within a united Sri Lanka. Launching a Tamil language book “Or Inapprachanaiyum Ou Oppandhamum” (An Ethnic Question and An Accord) on the India-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987 written by T.Ramakrishnan Associate Editor of The Hindu, …
By Vishwamithra 1984 “All faults may be forgiven of him who has perfect candour” ~Walt Whitman In the questionable days of the Rajapaksa regime, the most dreadful sound, amongst many a sound of shooting in Rathupaswela, Katunayake and post-war Jaffna, was the one that you did not hear: A white van parked outside your home. …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “Ecrasez l’infame!”—“Crush the loathsome thing!” – Voltaire Neoliberalism is almost dead in Sri Lanka, and its Government is dying. The choice that is before us is which type/variety of Populism:Right, Left, Centre or Centre-Left? Even if the JVP’s 20th amendment is supported by the UNP, TNA and misguided/manipulated SLPP pundits, the people …
By Shavini Madhara Colombo additional Magistrate Ranga Dissanayaka yesterday observed that the real perpetrators involved in the killing of 27 prisoners at Welikada in 2012, should be arrested immediately. He said the inquiry into the deaths suggested that inmates had died after being shot in their heads and chests. The Additional Magistrate said it was …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka It’s the arithmetic, stupid! A no-confidence motion against the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Sampanthan, is logical and legitimate, neither because he is a Tamil nationalist nor because he propped up Ranil in the no-faith motion on the bond scam, but because he, unlike his TULF predecessor in the same post, Mr. …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara A few days after Kandy District in central Sri Lanka experienced a spate of violent incidents targeting Muslims, resulting in deaths, injury and destruction of property, the country’s election commissioner made a startling observation. “The claim that a majority of Sinhalese were against the recent attacks on Muslims is wrong,” Mahinda Deshapriya …
By Shirley Somanader [Recently there has been a controversy on this subject. Here, in this essay, The claims of both schools are set out here impartially for the rational reader to decide] THE CASE FOR METHODIST CENTRAL COLLEGE, BATTICALOA: 1. Methodist Central College, Batticaloa is specifically mentioned as an English School from August 1814as a …
By The “Sunday Times”Political Editor A lesser known fact among most politically literate Sri Lankans was a directive Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe issued to all parliamentarians of his United National Front (UNF) ahead of the National New Year. On Monday April 9 he told them to refrain from criticising the 16 Sri Lanka Freedom Party …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene At the height of the impunity that prevailed during the Rajapaksa Presidency, it was questioned in these column spaces as to whether one needed to be a foreigner in order to claim the protection of the law in Sri Lanka? The ugliness that Sri Lanka descended to This question was specifically …
By Dr.Jayadeva Uyangoda The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has been at a crucial turning point in its political career for some time. Its unending crisis has consequences for Sri Lankan democracy as well. As a political party, and with all its shortcomings and failures, the SLFP has contributed to institutionalizing Sri Lanka’s parliamentary democracy …
Continue reading ‘SLFP Faces The Risk Of Reducing Itself To The Status of a Small Party.’ »
By Sarath de Alwis “End and Goal: Not every end is a goal. The end of a melody is not its goal; but nonetheless, if the melody had not reached its end it would not have reached its goal either. A parable.” – Friedrich Nietzsche There is a saying: Everybody is great until you get …
by Sujeeva Nivunhella in London President Maithripala Sirisena expressed optimism of contesting the presidential election in 2020 as the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), which, he said, will be restructured with some significant changes. “There will be some tangible changes with reforms in the SLFP on the cards in June this year”, …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake Leading politicians of all hues anointed with the auspicious Avurudu oil are moving to the New Year, taking them to new challenges in national and party politics, and facing the realities of a unity government having members seated both in the Government and Opposition. The prorogation of Parliament, coming after many years …
By Norman Palihawadana Police are conducting investigations to find out whether those who attacked a group of Dutch tourists at Mirissa are supporters of a powerful politician, Minister of Law and Order, Ranjith Maddumabandara says.
Since the middle of last century, Sri Lanka has lost more than half of its forest cover to family farms, firewood collection, and tea plantations, reports bioGraphic – which has been bad news for the macaques, as well as all the other arboreal creatures that call the trees their home. With such devastation to their …
(Text of Editorial appearing in “The Island” of April 20th 2018 under the heading “JVP’s googly”) Crafty handlers of mendicants, involved in begging rackets, exploit the disabled unconscionably. One of the methods, employed by them, is to pair blind men with sighted cripples so that the former can move about, guided by the latter, on …
By Cyril Wimalasurendre KANDY: Former Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella,MP, yesterday said that TNA leader R. Sampanthan had lost moral right to continue as the Opposition Leader in the wake of his 16-member parliamentary group coming to the rescue of PM Wickremesinghe. Addressing the media, Rambukwella said that the Opposition Leader appointed by Wickremesinghe was working …
In the wake of criticism of his action of patting a woman journalist’s cheek after she posed a query at a recent press conference, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has said it was an “act of appreciation
Sri Lankan cricket is a mess because politicians have taken over, and with little or no knowledge of the game they are destroying the institution with every passing day, cricket legend Muttiah Muralitharan said. In an interview with Indian Economic Times, Muralitharan spoke about the changes in Sri Lankan cricket and why wrist spinners offer …
If new Constitution process was stalled permanently, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP R. Sampanthan’s holding of Opposition leader’s post would be meaningless, Minister Mano Ganesan said today. He said in a tweet that the issue between the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) had put the Constitutional process to back …
Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan said that he was prepared to face a no confidence motion, should one be moved against him by the Joint Opposition. Addressing a press conference in Jaffna, Sampanthan said that the Joint Opposition might move a no confidence motion against him, accusing him for voting in favour of the no confidence …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Now, it is all too clear that the real target of the No-Confidence Motion was not the Prime Minister, but the SLFP. In that sense, the Joint Opposition, which sponsored it, won. The SLFP stands divided and 16 of its MPs, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, who earlier voted in favour of the …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The Department of Homeland Security has prevented Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to the US, Jaliya Wickramasuriya, 57, from leaving the US to face court proceedings in Colombo in respect of alleged embezzlement of funds to the tune of USD 322,027.35 during his tenure as the Ambassador. Wickramasuriya served as Sri Lanka’s top …
Sri Lanka police is inquiring into the actions of an officer overseeing the area where a group of tourists were brutally assaulted and sexually harassed, officials said, which may point to a ‘mafia’ with political connections. Sri Lanka’s tourism minister John Amaratunga said police had already arrested and remanded till April 19 for identification, and …
Sri Lankan police Monday arrested a leading dissident within President Maithripala Sirisena’s party, deepening political tensions on the island after the head of state suspended parliament. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, a former sports minister, was held over 39 million rupees ($260,000) that were allegedly misappropriated in 2014, police said in a statement. He was accused of spending …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Former State Minister for City Planning and Water Supply Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle yesterday alleged that those SLFPers who skipped the vote on No Confidence Motion (NCM) moved by the Joint Opposition (JO) on April 4 had brazenly violated a collective party decision to oust UNP leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Those …
By Michael Cieply Milos Forman, a filmmaker who challenged Hollywood with his subversive touch, and twice directed movies that won the Oscar for best picture, died on Friday. He was 86. His death in Connecticut was confirmed by Dennis Aspland, Mr. Forman’s agent, and by Vlastislav Malek, a representative of his hometown, Caslav, in the …
By Sarath de Alwis It is our fate to live in this lost age of promise and hope. As the brilliantly blunt political satirist Art Buchwald put it, These are not the best of times or the worst of times but the only times we’ve got. New Year festivals are measures of time. From our …
by Gagani Weerakoon At the close of two years, the National Unity Government (NUG) of Sri Lanka has failed to maintain the confidence and trust of the people it enjoyed during the first three months of its tenure. However, political crisis or instability in Sri Lanka remains unchanged. The NUG is likely to complete its …
by Maneshka Borham All things considered, former Associate Editor of The Nation, Keith Noyahr was one of the lucky few. Abducted and tortured in May 2008 during a time when dissenting journalists were hunted with impunity, at least he made it out alive. Murdered editor of The Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge and Journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda …
The rebellion of 16 Members of Parliament belonging to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) headed by President Maithripala Sirisena, has forced him to try re-structuring the SLFP’s relations with its coalition partner, the United National Party (UNP) headed by the controversial Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Informed sources said on Friday that Sirisena has appointed …