By DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA A few days after the Meethotamulla tragedy in Sri Lanka, a referendum was held in Turkey. The people of Turkey rejected Western liberal warnings and voted in favour of an executive presidency. The Meethotamulla tragedy, which occurred utterly inauspiciously as it were during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year holiday, was …
Politics, rather than science, is playing an important role in marine fisheries governance especially in South Asian countries, said Maarten Bavinck, a Dutch scientist, whose research projects include providing space for small scale fishers of India and Sri Lanka. “The dispute between India and Sri Lanka over the fishing activities in the Palk Bay remain …
By Padma Rao Sundarji Mahinda Rajapaksa was President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015. He is a human rights lawyer by profession, but has been the butt of widespread outrage and criticism for alleged human rights violations by the Sri Lankan armed forces during the final stages of the 30-year long civil war against …
By Iromi Perera and Vijay Nagaraj On the afternoon of 14 April tonnes of garbage at Meethotamulla, one of the biggest dumping sites just outside Colombo, came crashing down destroying scores of homes. At the time of writing, the death toll was reportedly 26 but was expected to rise. There have been serious allegations made …
By P.K.Blachandran Colombo, April 16: The landslide disaster at Meetotamulla within Colombo city limits on Friday, in which a 300 ft high mountain of garbage came down on hapless slum dwellers killing 24 and wrecking 145 houses, may have come as a surprise to the elite of Colombo who live in posh localities. But for …
Continue reading ‘Meetotamulla Garbage Dump Landslide Tragedy was a Disaster Waiting to Happen’ »
By Dr. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA “The correctness or incorrectness of the ideological and political line decides everything.”(Mao) UNP leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is mightily helped by the confusion in the ranks of the SLFP and Oppositional forces in general. The SLFP voters and the broader constituency of non-UNP (or non-hardcore UNP) voters are being …
By Dr. Archana Arul If there is considerable consternation in political circles in India over what took place at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva recently over a two-year extension for Sri Lanka to come to terms with issues of the post-conflict era, it is only understandable. Once again the international community, led by …
Continue reading ‘Has There Been Genuine National Reconciliation in Sri Lanka?’ »
By Udeni Saman Kumara President Maithripala Sirisena in an interview with our sister paper Maubima said that people who elected him are still hopeful that the problems could be resolved through this government. “I like to unite and not to divide”, he said. Q; This is the third year since you were elected as President. …
By SANJA DE SILVA JAYATILLEKA It was not easy to watch the proceedings on Friday April 7that the UN Security Council’s emergency‘open session’ on Syria without thinking of Sri Lanka, although the actual circumstances of the UN’s engagement with the two countries are very different. Only one thing seemed alarmingly similar. It seemed like a …
Yu Zhengsheng, Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the fourth most important leader in China, visited Sri Lanka this week, he was pleasantly surprised to get a very warm reception. “The warm hospitality I got was far beyond expectations,” Yu publicly declared on Thursday. Yu had come on a two-day visit as …
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan The government appears to be in hot water these days as the Chinese have demanded the complete handover of the Hambantota Port to the China Merchants Port Holdings Company, without the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) having any stake in it. The Chinese, on seeing the new amendments put forward by …
by Anura Gunasekera When absolute virtue is your launching pad, there is no way but down thereafter and that has been the sad story of the Yahapalanaya regime from its laboured birth. Yahapalanaya is a collage of intrinsically incompatible points of view and an uneasy cohabitation between groups and individuals who would not, normally, bed …
Continue reading ‘Yahapalanaya Regime – Lunacy,Idiocy or Plain Hubris?’ »
Multiple award-winning film director Vasantha Obeyesekere, whose adoption of real life stories onto the big screen made him one of the biggest names in the country’s film industry, passed away last morning at a private hospital in Colombo. He was 80. In a film-making career that spanned nearly five decades, Obeyesekere won several presidential awards …
By Namini Wijedasa If the Government intends to slash its original proposal of 65,000 prefabricated houses down to 6,000 houses for the war-displaced, it must call a fresh tender as many more contractors will qualify for the smaller project and offer better prices, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran said this week. Despite …
By Chris Kamalendran Sri Lanka has expressed disappointment over the failure by the Indian authorities to honour the pledges made at the last round of joint Indo-Lanka talks on the fisheries issue. Fisheries Ministry Secretary Rani Adhikari, who headed the Sri Lanka delegation at the talks held on Friday in Colombo, told the Sunday Times …
By Namini Wijedasa Resistance is growing in the East to W.M. Mendis’s (WMM) proposed ethyl alcohol plant, approved by the Finance Ministry within 18 months of Maithripala Sirisena winning the presidency, on a platform that decried, among other things, “the ethanol mafia”. The Batticaloa District Coordinating Committee met on March 27 and resolved to oppose …
by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka What the upcoming round of sub-national elections (PCs and PSs) will decide is the respective strengths of the official SLFP and the JO/SLPP. I for one am pretty certain that the JO/Podujana Peramuna will beat the official SLFP into third place in the PS/PC elections—the reason being the official SLFP’s role …
By Namini Wijedasa Despite three months’ renovation work which disrupted airline schedules, the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) will not upgrade the Bandaranaike International Airport’s runway in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation-accepted classification for runways capable of accommodating new large aircraft such as A380s. Notwithstanding its recent widening at a cost …
By Hiranthi Wijemanne It was Lao Tzu who said, “When a nation is filled with strife, then do patriots flourish.” This epitomizes Ravi Jayewardene, who in 1983 during the first manifestations of unprecedented violence and destruction, began a response to protect our motherland, threatened by separatist forces of immeasurable proportions. Ravi became a catalyst for …
By Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena A common view held by many across the Commonwealth that Sri Lanka holds out a beacon of hope to the world in reversing the tide of authoritarianism underscores darker and more complex realities. Even in those early days when elation prevailed after the surprise election defeat of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in …
Continue reading ‘Challenges to Media freedom in Sri Lanka; The ‘New’ Government’s Performance’ »
By Asoka N. I. Ekanayaka Emeritus Professor I share with many millions of people in this country (who may not even know what the letters SAITM stand for) a certain indifference to the SAITM controversy that seems to be occupying so much media attention at this time. I have never been a teacher in that …
Continue reading ‘The SAITM Controversy: From Hippocrates to Hypocrisy’ »
National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa has made a miraculous recovery and was discharged from the National Hospital less than four hours after being granted bail this morning. Weerawansa was taken to the Colombo Fort Magistrate Court by ambulance this morning from the Colombo National Hospital. He was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital …
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has rejected the solution offered by the government on the SAITM issue. Speaking to the media this evening, GMOA Secretary Dr. Navin de Zoysa said they wanted the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) shut down, not taken over by the government. He also promised that the …
By Zahrah Imtiaz The usually crowded waiting rooms of the Colombo National Hospital (CNH) were deserted yesterday as the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) and 100 other trade unions launched the 24 hour strike against the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM). Thousands of patients seeking treatment at Government hospitals were left in …
by Dilanthi Jayamanne Thousands patients were inconvenienced by the doctors token strike yesterday. Director of the National Hospital (NHSL), Dr Anil Jasinghe said the OPD was not functioning though emergency admissions were carried out. The scheduled clinics had been cancelled. The NHSL attended to approximately 3,000 to 4,000 clinic patients daily. Routine surgeries had been …
By Dr. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA A country usually rolls out the red carpet for a visiting foreign dignitary but can a country turn into a carpet? Well, ours just did. We live in a time and a country in which a visiting celebrity from India can think nothing of openly criticizing and cautioning us against our …
By Shashi Tharoor (Following is the address delivered by keynote speaker, Indian MP and world-famous author Dr. Shashi Tharoor at the launch of Dinesh Weerakkody’s book ‘Ranil Wickremesinghe: A Life’ on 4 April 2017) It is presumptuous for a second-term MP to congratulate a fourth-term PM, but I am emboldened by Ranil Wickremesinghe’s own graciousness …
Continue reading ‘Issue of Sri Lankan Tamils is an Emotional and Political Subject in India’ »
By Sajeewa Chamikara One of the common practices of the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, especially in the North and East of Sri Lanka after the end of the conflict, was the forceful encroachment of land that belonged to private owners, often from the most marginalized communities, to implement ‘development initiatives.’ According to the National Physical Plan …
By Saman Indrajith Parliament sittings were limited to 55 minutes as the Joint Opposition (JO) MPs disrupted sessions demanding more time for them to participate in a debate on the UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka. MEP leader MP Dinesh Gunawardena said that it was unfair to allocate only 31 minutes of the 210 minutes long debate …
By P.K.Balachandran Colombo, April 5 (newsin.asia): Former Indian junior Minister for External Affairs and UN Under Secretary General, Dr.Shashi Tharoor, has warned Sri Lankans that the Chinese, in the guise of promoting economic relations with Sri Lanka, may well end up interfering in the internal affairs of the country as the legendary Chinese Admiral Zheng …
By Meera Srinivasan Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday flagged India’s concerns over China’s presence in Sri Lanka, pointing to “military intervention in the guise of trade” even in the earlier avatar of China’s Silk Road initiative. He was speaking at the launch of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s political biography, authored …
By Saman Indrajith The government would not remove the Navy camps at Silawathura and Mullikulam as they were necessary for curbing arms and drug and human smuggling operations, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday. In answer to a question raised by SLMC MP MHM Salman, who demanded that the removal of the Navy base …
By Harim Peiris In Sri Lanka’s ethnically polarized political society, the political discourse of both the Sinhala and Tamil polity is sadly limited and largely restricted to being within their own respective communities, with occasional broadsides against each other. There is insufficient dialogue and engagement between the different political views, especially on the issues of …
By Harischandra Gunaratna Environmentalists are calling for action against a powerful Cabinet Minister from the Vanni electoral District for going ahead with what they call unlawful settlements in the forest reserves in and around Wilpattu in defiance of President Maithripala Sirisena’s orders. Dineth Mallikarachchi, leading environmentalist, addressing journalists at a news conference organised by the …
By Ephrem Fernando The golden age of humanity was the era of the Antonines, especially that of Marcus Aurelius the second Antonine emperor. He admired the changelessness of the Roman Church. In my daily paper The Island of March 30, I read a piece which by far was the most Interesting news for me. It …
By Saman Indrajith Those who built the Hambantota Port had expected all ships going past Sri Lanka to stop there for refuelling, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday. “They thought that ships would come there the way the vehicles come to the petrol shed at the Alexandra Place in Colombo for refuelling. The agreements …
By Sarath de Alwis An otherwise obvious cliché needs to be reframed to draw out the lessons from the life of Ravi Jayewardene who passed away at the age of eighty whose obsequies will be held on Thursday 6th April. It is not enough to say that he was the only son of President J. …
By Nisthar Cassim The launch of a biography on Ranil Wickremesinghe last night at the BMICH saw praised being heaped on the Prime Minister, who credited patience for his success but said that it was time to ensure victory for Sri Lanka by uniting for peace and development. “There are many who helped me but …
Indian lawmaker Dr. Shashi Tharoor yesterday voiced his country’s concerns about China’s presence in Sri Lanka as well as its growing influence in the Indian Ocean. “There are some concerns in India if China’s interests here undermine our own historical and cultural links built over generations,” Tharoor said in his keynote at the launch of …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Denying the Joint Opposition’s allegations that law enforcement authorities had been targeting military personnel as well as the police over several high profile cases, police headquarters yesterday emphasised that they couldn’t be exempted from investigations. Police spokesman DIG Priyantha Jayakody said that those who believed people could be excused as they were …
Deputy Minister of Public Enterprise Development Eran Wickramaratne yesterday told Parliament that no action had been taken to investigate allegations over the misuse of public funds by Gamini Senarath, the Chief of Staff of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Piyadasa Kudabalage, who functioned as Directors of the companies associated with controversial Canwill Holdings Ltd. The …
By Zacky Jabbar Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had won over people not by changing his attire or religion, but by his royal conduct and breeding, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday in Colombo. Senaratne , speaking at the launch of the book “Ranil Wickremesinghe – A Political Biography” by Dinesh Weerakkody at the BMICH, attended …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Island” of April 5th 2017 Under the Heading “Lester, the Lodestar”) Today is a special day; internationally acclaimed icon of the Sri Lankan cinema, Lester James Peries, turns 98. He, in our book, is a national hero in that he almost single-handedly led the freedom struggle of the Sri …
By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya After the UN Human Rights Council 34th session ended in Geneva, the US said it introduced three resolutions that were adopted with ‘broad cross regional support.’ The list included Resolution 34/1 on Sri Lanka. The statement says that ‘Sri Lanka was one of the 47 co-sponsors’ of Resolution 34/1. This assertion is …
Continue reading ‘Where is the Pressure for Prosecutions by a Hybrid Court Coming From?’ »
By Rathindra Kuruwita The red pill and its opposite, the blue pill, are popular cultural symbols representing the choice between embracing the sometimes painful truth of reality (red pill) and the blissful ignorance of illusion (blue pill). Last week, National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader Wimal Weerawansa drank a cup of milk and gave up his …
Continue reading ‘Ultra- Nationalist Sinhala Politicians Becoming Political Dinosaurs’ »
By Ranga Jayasuriya Wimal Weerawansa is a destructive politician. After Anagarika Dharmapala, he is probably the most effective rabble rouser who could manage to send a sizeable portion of the population to an ethnic frenzy through his gifted oratory. His leader for a short while, Rohana Wijeweera was also a provocative orator, however, though he …
By Harischandra Gunaratna The much-awaited short list of Gratiaen Prize 2016 was announced at the British Council auditorium yesterday evening at a simple ceremony. The short listed works are: 1. “Introspection”(poetry) by Jean Arasanayagam 2. “The Memory of Loss”(novel) by Rizvina Morseth de Alwis 3. “Short eats” (short stories) by Shehan Karunatilaka 4. “Stories” (novel) …
By Meera Srinivasan Expressing solidarity with their counterparts across the Palk Bay, Sri Lankan trade unions on Monday protested against the “attack” on Maruti workers. With posters displaying slogans in Sinhala, Tamil and English asking the Indian State to stop “prosecuting” workers, leaders and members of different unions here gathered outside the Indian mission’s premises …
Four gazettes reportedly impacting the Northern Muslim resettlement process in Wilpattu proximity are to be rescinded. “I informed the officials that I will present a Cabinet Paper to do way with the gazettes affecting resettlement of Northern Muslim IDPs.” said Minister of Industry and Commerce and Vanni District MP Rishad Bathiudeen on 31 March in …
By R.S. Karunaratne I still follow a piece of advice given to his students by T. Max Perera who ran an English institute at Horana way back in the 1950s. One day he advised us to read advertisements published in newspapers and name boards to learn good English. Since then I have been reading advertisements …
By Nisthar Cassim In an emphatic move, Beijing has brought together two competing bidders for the Hambantota Port to work together, reinforcing China’s serious intent on Sri Lanka though the latter is still grappling with differences of opinion on the crucial $ 1.4 billion public-private partnership (PPP) project. The Daily FT learns that the Beijing …
by Zacki Jabbar The government says that only 600 acres of state land and not 100,000 acres from Muslims settled close to the northern border of the Wilpattu Forest Reserve, have been acquired by the President’s March 24, Gazette notification. Acknowledging the crucial contribution of the Muslim community to electing Maithripala Sirisena as President, Sports …
By Don Manu Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka fired the first shot. When CID detectives, probing the daylight killing of former editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, came to question him in January and obtain his testimony, he laid the blame squarely at the doorstep of former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He claimed that a ‘death squad’ run by …
Sri Lanka and India will jointly make investments to develop the Trincomalee Port and establish a petroleum refinery and other industries there. They will also encourage Indian companies to invest in a Container Terminal in the Port of Colombo. These are highlights of a Memorandum of Understanding to be signed this year between Sri Lanka …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Assessed even with the kindest eye, the potential of the proposed (and revised) new Counter-Terror Act (CTA) to legally validate intrusive acts of state officers is most worrying.If this version has been sent to the Legal Draftsman’s Department for conversion into the form of a Bill as we are informed, one …
By Namini Wijedasa SriLankan Airlines has been slapped with fresh litigation, just days after dodging an expensive legal battle with a company through which it extended leases on three A330-200 aircraft. Duty Free Partners (DFP), supplier of SriLankan’s onboard duty free products, on Friday took out an enjoining order preventing the national carrier from terminating …
by Dr A.C.Visvalingam Towards the end of its war to establish an independent state, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) did not allow civilians to move out of those areas from which it was attacking the Sri Lanka Army. It has been accused of deploying these hapless fellow citizens as human shields so as …
By Sujeeva Nivunhella in London Jeeves Wijesuriya, a Sri Lankan junior doctor from London, was hailed as a hero as he was the first physician to attend to those injured following the Westminster parliament terrorist attack last week. Dr. Wijesuriya who specializes in General Practice was not on duty at the time, but was nearby …
By Revata S. Silva World renowned director Prasanna Vithanage’s ‘Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka’ bagged all major awards at the 18th Presidential Film Awards held on Friday evening at the BMICH. In this year’s Awards, held after a lapse of eight years, taking 24 films screened in the year 2015 into consideration, Vithanage’s film won the …
By Rasika Jayakody Hunger strike is the ultimate political weapon for any activist in the democratic political stream. There are many activists across the world who have used this weapon quite effectively to resist oppression and achieve their desired goals, from time to time. In the context of international politics, Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and …
Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for Cooperation in Economic Projects The Government of the Republic of India (hereinafter referred to as GOI) and the Government of the Democratic Socialist of Republic Sri Lanka (hereinafter referred to as GOSL), …
By Madushka Balasuriya “Save the cheerleader, save the world,” proclaimed the hit 2006 TV series Heroes. “Save the whales, save the world,” proclaims Asha de Vos in 2017. While the former ended up with an unsatisfactory turn of events leaving avid fans of the show asking whether it was ever necessary to save the cheerleader, …
By Zahrah Imtiaz Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara yesterday denied reports that the gazette notification which created the ‘Mavillu Conserved Forest’ in the North of Wilpattu affected Muslim settlements or villages in the vicinity. Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha in the meantime added that President Maithripala Sirisena would not be revoking his gazette, …
by Maheesha Mudugamuwa A leading environmentalist on Thursday lashed out at President Maithripala Sirisena for what he called misleading the public by changing the names of the forest reserves instead of fulfilling his promise to bring the threatened forest reserve under the Wilpattu National Park. Environment Conservation Trust (ECT) Director Sajeewa Chamikara told The Island …
By Anjana Kaluarachchi Sri Lanka cricketing great Kumar Sangakkara has called for a total revamp of the domestic cricket structure if Sri Lanka is to achieve success in the long term at the highest level without fading away when the greats of the game retire. The Sri Lankan team is presently going through a period …
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday issuing a communique titled, ‘The great betrayal in Geneva’ accused the government of deliberately hiding from UNHRC irrefutable evidence in favour of Sri Lanka given by six of the world’s foremost experts in the law of armed conflict. Instead of presenting the written opinions about the allegations and purported evidence …
The Lyca Group yesterday announced that it had issued a legal notice to I. Charles Nirmalanathan MP for making false allegations on South Indian-based TV station Puthiya Thalaimurai. The Lyca Gnanam Village was constructed by Lyca’s Gnanam Foundation to provide permanent housing for 150 families that had previously been living in a refugee camp in …
Denying the corruption and war crimes allegations against him, Sri Lanka’s former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday hinted at a possible entry into active politics in the future, The Hindu newspaper reported. “I have not decided yet,” he told foreign correspondents in Sri Lanka, without ruling out the option. A few of his supporters …
The US Department of State has presented Sandya Ekneligoda with the US Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage award for 2017, after choosing her as one of 13 women from across the globe to be honoured with the accolade. Each year the US Department of State recognises the exceptional courage and commitment of women …
By P K Balachandran Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday categorically stated that he will not make any “war hero” a suspect in cases of alleged war crimes. Speaking at the opening of the newly constructed building at the Defense Services School in Kurunegala, the President said that it is the responsibility and duty …
Continue reading ‘President Sirisena Says He Will Not Make War Heroes Suspects In War Crime Cases’ »
By Ahilan Kadirgamar From the time Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in 2009, international actors have infused narratives of the war with stories of human rights abuses. Eight years since, it has only become clear how irrelevant current human rights campaigns are to the war-torn people and their struggles. This is not for the lack …
By Meera Srinivasan In a thinly-veiled reference to Sri Lanka’s former first family — allegedly linked to the murder of a journalist and a rugby star — President Maithripala Sirisena said he would not protect “those who are guilty of killing media persons or sportsmen”. He was speaking at a defence services school in Kurunegala, …
Actor Rajinikanth on Wednesday thanked Sri Lankan Tamils for their love and affection, days after he cancelled his visit to the island nation following opposition from pro-Tamil outfits. “I came to know your love for me through the media. I have no words to thank you. Let us think good and only good things will …
War crime investigations backed by some Western countries and the United Nations will exacerbate the differences between Sri Lanka’s two main ethnic groups instead of uniting them, former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Monday. As Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the brother of former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, oversaw the defeat of the separatist, predominantly Hindu …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka I’ve spotted the personality who can save the UNP, either as Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition or Presidential candidate, in whichever order, but most certainly as a viable leader of the United National Party, be in in Government or Opposition. I had made this observation in passing on television many months …
By Carlo Fonseka Brothers Kalpana and Vindana Ariyawansa, who jointly created and directed this extraordinary film, have called it “Premaya Nam…” which means, “Love is…”. Thus the name of the film promises a definitive insight into the nature of this thing called love. Truth to tell, the film finally gropes towards that goal and therefore …
By P.K.Balachandran India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s obsession with China led to India’s working for a regime change in Sri Lanka in 2014, the island nation’s former Defense Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, told the Foreign Correspondents’ Association here on Monday. He said that the Congress-led government had been very supportive of Sri Lanka as revealed …
By Meera Srinivasan Denying the corruption and war-crime allegations against him, Sri Lanka’s former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday hinted at a possible entry into active politics in future. “I have not decided yet,” he told foreign correspondents here, without ruling out the option. A few of his supporters have been floating the idea …
By Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka It’s been 8 years since the war, and Sri Lanka just signed off in Geneva on a resolution that said Zaid al Hussain, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights should play a strengthened role in Sri Lanka. He might as well sit in Cabinet! The new resolution, having praised …
Continue reading ‘Too Clever by Half!has Sri Lanka Trapped Itself in Geneva?’ »
By C. A. Chandraprema The Indian press carried anxious commentaries about the recent visit of Chinese Defence Minister General Chang Wanquan to Sri Lanka. India Today observed that this visit took place amidst warnings issued by the Chinese media to the effect that Beijing will fight back if New Delhi tries to interfere in China’s …
By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka Mao Zedong once famously chided a group of young loyalists, saying, “You say you want to make a revolution, but you don’t know where the bourgeoisie is! The bourgeoisie is in the party!” Similarly, I have long wanted to see an “anti-systemic” movement and struggle (to use my old professor, the …
By Saman Gunadasa The Sri Lankan government is rapidly implementing demands made by an International Monetary Fund (IMF) team in Colombo early this month. During the visit the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government said it would sell the state-owned Hyatt, Grand Oriental, Waters Edge and Hilton hotels and Lanka Hospitals, and listed them on the stock exchange in …
Hundreds of people today rallied in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna to protest against Tamil Nadu politicians under whose pressure superstar Rajinikanth cancelled his visit to the island nation where he was scheduled to hand over houses to displaced ethnic Tamils. Protestors belonging to different parties, including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), gathered near Jaffna’s iconic Nallur …
By C. A. Chandraprema General Sarath Fonseka made waves again last week with the CID informing the Mt Lavinia Magistrate that he has given a statement implicating former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and former Chief of National Intelligence Kapila Hendavitarana in the attacks on journalists including the killing of Lasantha Wickrematunga and the assault on …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawrdene Despite the Government of Sri Lanka’s proud boast to the contrary during requests to renew the EU GSP Plus trade facility and at numerous United Nations briefings, revisions made to the draft Counter-Terror Act (CTA) fail to address major Rule of Law concerns in substance. Dangerously vague and overbroad definitions of …
By C. A. Chandraprema The UNHRC resolution which was co-sponsored by Sri Lanka and passed without a vote last Thursday has given the government two years to deliver on the commitments made in UNHRC Resolution No: 30/1 of October 2015. Unlike in previous years, this year’s UNHRC resolution did not generate much heat in Sri …
By the Political Editor of “Sunday Times” One of the main tasks for President Maithripala Sirisena, who returned yesterday from an official visit to the Russian Federation, will be to re-shuffle the Cabinet of Ministers. Ahead of his departure to Moscow, Sirisena had discussed the issue at length with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on more …
By Rasika Jayakody Former Parliamentarian Sarath Weerasekera flew to Geneva last week to present what he termed a special report on war crimes allegations against the Sri Lankan military forces, to the UNHRC session. The former Parliamentarian said, his report contained evidence to ‘protect’ Sri Lanka’s war heroes from foreign prosecutors. Although Weerasekera’s supporters told …
BY PANCHAMEE HEWAVISSENTI Following the ill-famed Treasury bond debacle which incurred approximately Rs 200 billion loss to the country, Arjun Aloysius is all set to take on a new venture, a liquor factory in Kalkudah. It is a well-known fact that Arjun Aloysius and his father-in-law Arjuna Mahendran are the chief suspects of the Treasury …
Following requests from political leaders, Kollywood superstar Rajinikanth on Saturday announced that he is cancelling his two-day visit to Sri Lanka on an invitation from Lyka Productions, which is alleged to have links with former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Clarifying that he has decided to stay away from the event organised by Lyca Productions …
Tamil Nadu film actor ” Superstar” Rajinikanth’s visit to northern Sri Lanka next month to hand over keys of 150 houses built for displaced Tamil is turning into a controversy. On Friday, a prominent Dalit leader in Tamil Nadu asked him to cancel his visit over concerns that the cine star’s presence at a high-profile …
By Bandula Jayasekara Sri Lanka is the best country in the world. It is a land like no other. Incredible! That is why there is a song and people always say ‘Loken Uthum Rata Sri Lankawai’ (Sri Lanka is the best country in the world). We have the best Finance Minister in the world and …
Continue reading ‘Jayawewa! Why Sri Lanka is the Best Country in the World!!’ »
By B.Kolappan Prominent Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi winner Ashokamitran, who powerfully portrayed the lives and struggles of the urban middle class life in his literary works, died, aged 86, on Thursday night. He collapsed at home. He is survived by wife and three sons. Born Tyagarajan on September 22, 1931, he later assumed the …
By Thulasi Muttulingam Victors it is said, write history. India might have its version(s) of the Ramayana but over in Sri Lanka, Ravana remains a tragic and misunderstood hero. A hero to this day loved and mourned by his people. His tale continues to be enacted and re-enacted via drama and theatre in the Serendib …
Continue reading ‘Mandodari, Ravana, Chitralega and Maunaguru’ »
BY Cassendra Doole Former Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa continued his hunger strike for the second consecutive day, yesterday, urging that he be released. Weerawansa is currently in remand prison on charges of misusing State vehicles. The National Freedom Front (NFF) leader was arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) on 10 January after he …
by Saman Indrajith The government yesterday submitted a supplementary estimate seeking the approval of the House for Rs. 371 million (Rs. 371,097,000) to purchase nine vehicles for ministers and deputy ministers. The estimate was presented to the House by Chief Government Whip Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilake. Accordingly, the approval has been …
Human Rights Council Thirty-fourth session 27 February-24 March 2017 Agenda item 2 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Australia,* Canada,* Germany, Israel,* Japan, Montenegro,* Norway,* Sri Lanka,* the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,* United Kingdom of Great Britain …
Continue reading ‘Full Text of Resolution on Sri Lanka adopted at 34th session of UNHRC’ »
By PK Balachandran The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Thursday unanimously gave Sri Lanka two years’ extension to implement the September 2015 resolution on ethnic reconciliation and accountability for alleged war crimes. As per the new timetable, the High Commissioner for Human Rights would give a written update to the council at its 37 …
Item 2: Oral presentation of the High Commissioner’s Report on Sri Lanka Statement by Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva on 22 March 2017 Excellencies, Colleagues and Friends, I thank you for this opportunity to discuss the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, and to present my report …
By Dharisha Bastians in Geneva The final week of the UN Human Rights Council session got off to a dramatic start, after former UPFA Parliamentarian Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera made an appearance in Geneva and locked horns with Tamil hardline groups at a side event at the Palais des Nations on Monday (20). The Rear …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Australia has deprived Maj. Gen. Chagie Gallage of an opportunity to visit his brother, an Australian citizen on the basis of unsubstantiated war crimes allegations against the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Australia has found fault with Gallage for being in command of the 59 Division from May 7, 2009 to July 20, …
ZEID RA’AD AL HUSSEIN, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, presented his report pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 30/1 on Sri Lanka. The report acknowledged some positive advances on human rights and constitutional reform, and noted that five Special Procedures mechanisms had visited Sri Lanka as well as four treaty bodies having reviewed …
By Dharisha Bastians in Geneva As Joint Opposition members led demonstrations outside the United Nations building in Geneva, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Harsha De Silva told the Human Rights Council convening inside that the Government was “determined to stay the course” in delivering justice and reconciliation to its people, as the country recovers …
By Meera Srinivasan After Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) told a magistrate court here about “top-secret death squads” that were reportedly linked to the defence establishment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s time, his brother and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya denied the charges on Tuesday. Monday’s CID submission, based on former army chief Sarath Fonseka’s …
By Irangika Range Ninety four MPs have not passed their GEC (O/L) examination while there are only 25 graduates among the 225 legislators in the present Sri Lankan Parliament, former Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, Prof. M O A de Zoysa said yesterday. He observed that MPs who have been elected to make laws …
By Niran Anketell On March 24th, human rights activists and victims’ groups worldwide will commemorate International Day for the Dignity of Victims, in honour of victims of mass atrocity crimes and human rights violations. In Sri Lanka too, the day will be marked by events throughout the country. Tragically, this country has no lack of …
The brother of Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapakse denied on Tuesday involvement in war-era death squads, blaming the then army chief for an alleged secretive campaign of extra-judicial murders. Gotabhaya Rajapakse has been accused of giving orders to a shadowy military outfit allegedly involved in murdering journalists and political dissidents during Sri Lanka’s long-running …
The CID yesterday informed the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court that the assassination of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunga had been carried out, in 2009, by a special group, operating under the then military intelligence head Maj Gen Kapila Hendawitharana, attached to the Joint Operations Command. The CID informed the court that their investigations had found …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka There are times in history when one can remain above the fray and there are other times when one has to pick a side, make a choice. There are times when one can content oneself by diagnosing the problem and there are other times when one has also to indicate a solution. …
By Hafeel Farisz “This is a debate about the future of Sri Lanka; our future; our fate. Which side are you on? Pick one” Dr. Jayatilleka’s Facebook page screams right above his response to my critique. I agree. In his response he calls for non- digression, although, such diversion is what his response is all …
Anti-Sri Lanka activists have snapped up retired army general Kamal Gunaratne’s tome to buttress their allegations of war crimes against government forces, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said. The 741-page “Road to Nandikadal” published by Gunaratne the day after he retired from the army, was a catalogue of atrocities committed by government forces since early 1980s, …