By Dharisha Bastians Reporting from The Hague Delaying the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms, including a special court to prosecute alleged war crimes, could be viewed as an attempt by the Government of Sri Lanka to “avoid” delivering on truth and justice for thousands of victims of the country’s civil war, a former top official …
By Saman Indrajith The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) had found that the draft Budget Estimates 2017 presented to Parliament do not tally with the actual figures used by the Finance Ministry, Committee Chairman and TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran said yesterday. Presenting the COPF report on ‘Assessment of the Fiscal, Financial and Economic Assumptions of …
By Chathuri Dissanayake An unusually amicable Northern Chief Minister yesterday extended a proverbial olive branch to the southern people to initiate a dialogue with the people of north. The otherwise vocal Tamil National Alliance (TNA) politician C. V. Wigneswaran claimed that the people of the north are largely misunderstood and misrepresented. To avoid further misunderstanding …
Legendary Indian musician M Balamurali Krishna, who delighted millions of fans for more than four decades, has died aged 86. Balamurali, as he was affectionately known, passed away in the south Indian city of Chennai after a long illness. He was a renowned singer and composer of Carnatic music, a classical style from India’s southern …
Continue reading ‘Carnatic Music Legend Balamuralikrishna passes Away in Chennai at the Age of 86’ »
By PK Balachandran The Sri Lankan Constitutional Assembly’s sub-committee on Center-Provincial relations has recommended that the provinces be granted powers over land and police; that the powers of the provincial Governor be drastically pruned, and that there be a fair allocation of financial resources to the provinces along with powers to decide how to spend …
By Hafeel Farisz The recent fire that broke out at the Fashion Bug store in Pepiliyana has given rise to new questions. For anyone who has been following the ‘post war Sinhala Buddhist’ phenomenon, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Although conclusions are yet to be reached, and investigations into the cause of the fire …
Continue reading ‘Phenomenon of Post-war Sinhala Buddhist Politics and Anti- Muslim Antics’ »
By Rathindra Kuruwita My main criticism, among a dozen others, against this government has been their utter inability to take decisive action of any sort. Earlier this year commenting on the controversy surrounding the security detail of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, I said that indecisiveness and nuanced action are serious handicaps when dealing with politicians …
By Saman Indrajith Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday that he was waiting for instructions from the Attorney General’s Department to decide the future course of action as regards to the Treasury bond scams. If the Opposition was not happy with the instructions coming from the AG’s Department and needed to hand over the …
By P.K.Balachandran The Sri Lankan Constitutional Assembly’s sub-committee on Fundamental Rights has recommended that within three months of the enactment of the new constitution, the President should appoint a five member commission to go into the constitutional validity of the existing written and unwritten laws (including personal laws) and submit a report to him within …
by Dasun Edirisinghe Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would set about the Constitution making process the way he handled the Central Bank bond scams, senior political analyst Dr Dayan Jayatilleka said yesterday. Addressing the public seminar under the theme, ‘Prime Minister’s involvement in the Central Bank bond scam’ at the Public Library Auditorium, Dayan said Prime …
By P.K.Balachandran India will not tolerate a military takeover in Sri Lanka and will fully support President Maithripala Sirisena to foil any attempts at it, the Minister of Social Services, S.B.Dissanayake, told the media here. He was reacting to an assertion by the Joint Opposition leader Dinesh Gunawardena in parliament last week that there could …
UPFA MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara yesterday admitted in Parliament that his wife had been working at the Presidential Secretariat as an adviser during the tenure of Mahinda Rajapaksa for ten years. Nanayakkara said she had possessed the required qualifications to receive such a position.
By Asela Kuruluwansa A man died and another was injured when unidentified gunmen in a car opened fire near the Bebilagolla Mosque in Ankumbura, Kandy. The incident occurred around 8.30 a.m. yesterday. The duo were shot at a nearby bus stand. The injured man admitted to the Kandy Hospital Intensive Care Unit is said to …
A Toronto man who was imprisoned and tortured while visiting Sri Lanka must be compensated for the abuses he suffered, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has ruled. The decision calls for Sri Lanka to prosecute those responsible and “provide adequate compensation” to Roy Samathanam, a Canadian who had filed a complaint with the committee …
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday in a statement condemned the unity Government for alleged media repression. “Media repression is now a cornerstone of this Government’s policy. Not a day goes by without a major demonstration against the Government. The Government is avoiding holding the long overdue local government elections due to the fear of defeat. …
By Dayaseeli Liyanage Arrest all those who incited racism, President Maithripala Sirisena had instructed the IGP and Chiefs of Security Forces at the Security Council meeting held this week at the President’s Official Residence in Colombo. Ministers Rajitha Senaratne, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Mano Ganesan, Sagala Rathmayaka, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, the IGP and Chiefs of Security Forces …
By Gamini Weerakoon “One of the reasons Donald Trump won was because people are sick of career politicians delivering rhetoric instead of results. His is a lesson for Sri Lanka to consider” – Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in a tweet as reported in The Daily Mirror on14/11. Victory has a hundred fathers but defeat is an orphan’, …
Continue reading ‘Did not Gotabhaya Rajapaksa Play Hard Politics as Secretary of two Ministries?’ »
by Hafsa Sabry A fresh controversy has arisen on the 65,000 housing project in Jaffna with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran telling Parliament that there was a proposal to build each house for Rs. 1 million but the Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs D. M. Swaminathan had …
by Nirmala Kannangara It is an open secret how former first citizen Mahinda Rajapaksa, his off springs and siblings, while ‘serving’ for the motherland, looted out its wealth. This newspaper has repeatedly exposed many financial frauds committed by the Rajapaksa’s and their kith and kin amounting into billions of rupees and this time it is …
by Ashanthi Warunasuriya The police have filed a report in court against a monk in Batticaloa who was accused of inciting hatred among Tamils and Sinhalese in the area. The Kokkadicholai police filed the report after a complaint was filed by the Grama Niladhari (Officer). The monk was accused of threatening the Tamil Grama Niladhari …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka’s Tamil leaders have rejected a proposed ArcelorMittal housing project for the war-affected in the North and East, deeming its cost and design unsuitable for the region. In a recent letter to President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) — a coalition of …
By P.K.Balachandran The emergence of the breakaway Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), comprising loyalists of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has forced the current Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to increase the membership of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) so as to be able to meet the challenge the SLPP is expected to …
by Krishantha Prasad Cooray It was a voice that I had never heard before, but one that belonged to a man who has been a political associate and a staunch friend for almost half my life. It was a call from London, a call I had not anticipated despite certain unhappy truths and was certainly …
By Nila Loganathan I have realized, again, that this world, as usual, is a ‘heavenly’ land full of religion, religious hatred and a land of people at the height of their barbarism, passed on through thousands of years of religions. This time it were Buddhist monks who opened my eyes. We barely managed to escape …
A major effort has been launched by President Maithripala Sirisena to place the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) on a virtual ‘war footing’.This time, the objectives are multi-pronged. Among the more important one is to gear the party for next year’s local government and provincial elections. Adding a sense of urgency in this regard is …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Whatever possessed an undoubtedly bewitched Government to deputize a senior intelligence official, alleged to have held command responsibility when detainees were severely and systematically tortured, to represent the State before the United Nations Committee against Torture (UNCAT)? One would be hard pressed to find a greater irony than this, per se. …
By Don Manu China breaks her great wall of silence to give Lanka an earful After berating Finance Minister for criticising Chinese largesse, envoy Xianliang tells President and PM what to do and what not to do It was more than a simple Chinese fortune cookie but a crusty message wrapped in a surly snub …
by Saman Indrajith City Planning and Water Supply Minister and SLMC Leader, Rauff Hakeem yesterday questioned in Parliament on what grounds Justice and Buddhasasana Minister, Wijayadasa Rajapakshe stated on the previous day that Muslim extremists had arrived in the country to teach in international schools propagating terrorism here. “Had he got proper sources? What he …
By C.A.Chandraprema Last week we saw what was obviously an attempt to intimidate and silence the media. The Secretary to the Media Ministry had written to the Derana TV channel asking them to explain why a speech by President Maithripala Sirisena had been distorted in one of their news bulletins. Earlier, on 25 October the …
By P.K.Balachandran When Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala became the first Sri Lankan and also the first Sri Lankan woman to have climbed the 8848 meter Mount Everest in May this year, the Sri Lankan media went to town on it and accolades were showered on her by the elite of the island. Only three women before her …
by Saman Indrajith Alleging that 32 Sri Lankan Muslims had joined the ISIS, Justice and Buddha Sasana Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse told Parliament yesterday that foreigners were propagating extremism among Muslim children here. Minister Rajapakse said that extremist foreigners had entered Sri Lanka under the guise of teachers. Minister Rajapakse warned that the government would take …
By Yohan Perera Thirty two Muslims from four families have joined the ISIS Group in the recent past, Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa told Parliament today. He said the government would not allow these people to disrupt the country.
By Srinivasa Ramanujam Donald Trump’s win might still raise eyebrows in the U.S., but the President-elect is hugely popular at Suprabaa, a modest hotel located at Valluvar Salai in Ramapuram. r So much that C.P. Mukund Das, restaurant owner and self-confessed Trump fan, has introduced a ‘White Dosa’, “with respect to the tremendous victory of …
BY Manekshaw ‘Let a man guard himself against irritability in speech; Let him be controlled in speech. Abandoning verbal misconduct, let him practice good conduct in speech ‘– Dhammapada The conduct of Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thera of the Batticaloa’s Mangalaramaya over a land issue in the Pattipalai area has stuck a blow to the efforts taken …
(Text of press elease issued by N.M. Ameen the president of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka Refuting the statement made by Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe in Parliament about certain issues concerning the Sri Lankan Muslim community) The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) is seriously concerned about the statement made in Parliament by Hon. …
By S.S. Selvanayagam A Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices Priyasath Dep, K.T. Chitrasiri and Prasanna S. Jayawardene today refused to grant leave to proceed with the petition challenging the singing of the National Anthem in Tamil. Petitioners Sudath Perera, Pradeep Asiri Soysa and G.A.D. Premaratne cited President Maithripala Sirisena and the Attorney General as respondents …
By Lalith Nawarathna The candidates of the newly formed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) won the election held at the Puttalam Multi-Purpose Co-Operative Council with 86 votes. The ruling United National Party (UNP) led by Puttalam District MP Nasmi Navas obtained 10 votes out of the 97 seats, while Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) had …
By Dilanthi Jayamanne The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) yesterday accused Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayke of going against the President’s and the Health Minister’s battle against the tobacco industry by requesting Ceylon Tobacco to donate Rs. 500 million to the Presidential fund to be utilised by the Presidential Task Force for the anti-smoking campaign. GMOA …
WHEN Donald Trump vowed to “Make America Great Again!” he was echoing the campaign of Ronald Reagan in 1980. Back then voters sought renewal after the failures of the Carter presidency. This month they elected Mr Trump because he, too, promised them a “historic once-in-a-lifetime” change. But there is a difference. On the eve of …
THE fall of the Berlin Wall, on November 9th 1989, was when history was said to have ended. The fight between communism and capitalism was over. After a titanic ideological struggle encompassing the decades after the second world war, open markets and Western liberal democracy reigned supreme. In the early morning of November 9th 2016, …
(Text of Speech made in Parliament by Leader of the opposition and Trincomalee District TNA Parliamentarian Rajavarothayam Sampanthan on November 17th 2016) ගරු රාජවරෝදියම් සම්පන්දන් මහතා (විරුද්ධ පාර්ශ්වයේ නායකතුමා) (மாண்புமிகு ராஜவரோதயம் சம்பந்தன் – எதிர்க்கட்சி முதல்வர்) (The Hon. Rajavarothiam Sampanthan – Leader of the Opposition) Thank you, the Hon. Speaker. This Budget has been presented by …
By Dharisha Bastians Amid fears of renewed religious tensions and ethnically charged hate-speech gaining ground, police yesterday arrested Secretary of Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamath R. Abdul Razik on charges of insulting religion and ‘angering a religious devotee’ during a protest against proposed reform to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) last week. The arrest …
By Dharisha Bastians The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a new political party chaired by former Minister G.L. Pieris, vowed to claim the mantle of the ‘true’ SLFP at its inaugural media briefing held yesterday, in a sign that rifts within President Maithripala Sirisena’s party were widening. Speaking to reporters at former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political …
By Meera Srinivasan A Buddhist monk’s death threat to a Tamil village officer in Batticaloa — in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province — has gone viral on social media, worrying many who are hoping for speedy reconciliation in the war-torn country. Such incidents could adversely affect ongoing efforts towards reconciliation, civil society organisations have noted with …
by Saman Indrajith Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa described the budget 2017 as a ‘loketa parakase gedarata maragathe (‘Big show to the world, but calamity at home’) budget for it has protected the interests of the international community at the cost of national interests. Participating in the second reading stage debate on the budget proposals, former …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday was critical of Daily FT over two opinion articles in Wednesday’s issue on Government plans for Hambantota port and offers of tabs to students, likening the country’s only national business daily to cheaper than toilet paper. Referring to the opinion piece on Hambantota (http://www.ft.lk/article/580215/Sale-of-Hambantota-Port-%E2%80%93-A-fair-deal?), the Premier clarified that there was …
By Dharisha Bastians Sri Lanka faced a second stormy day of review before the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) in Geneva yesterday, when independent experts on the committee demanded answers from a senior police official on the Government delegation about controversial interrogation methods and torture during his time at the head of the CID at …
Czech President Milos Zeman has thrown his support behind a bid by Ivana Trump, the ex-wife of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, to become the next ambassador to the country of her birth. “They could not send a better U.S. ambassador to Prague,” Zeman told her in a telephone call on Wednesday, the president’s office said …
Continue reading ‘No better U.S. ambassador for Prague than Trump’s ex-wife, says Czech president’ »
by Dasun Edirisinghe The previous government’s strategies to reestablish democracy and reconciliation after the war ended in the Northern and Eastern Provinces had been as sincere as its war effort which crushed terrorism, former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said. He said NGOs as well as the international community did not acknowledge the effort of the …
By Frances Perraudin Campaigners have called for an inquiry into the actions of South Yorkshire police after 10 Asian men, who fought with far-right extremists after attending an anti-racism protest in Rotherham, were cleared of violent disorder. The verdict at Sheffield crown court was greeted by applause from the public gallery. The case had provoked …
By Saman Gunadasa The Sri Lankan government’s 2017 budget, which cuts social spending and increases a range of taxes and levies, is a direct assault on the social conditions of the working class and the poor. Announced last week by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, the budget is in line with International Monetary Fund (IMF) dictates. …
By Yohan Perera More details on the government’s move to privatise Central Bank’s function of monitoring financial institutions will be unveiled to the people soon, former President and joint opposition MP Mahinda Rajapaksa told Parliament today. Speaking during the debate on the second reading of the budget said this move will take the power of …
The Government has classified the ‘Aaavaa Group’ as a criminal gang operating in the Northern Province with no connections with the LTTE. Rejecting the group’s alleged involvements with the military, State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said: “Aava Group is a local gang in the North using motorcycles for criminal activities. During a short period …
By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya The first subject heading in Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s 2017 budget speech was Agriculture which he said was a priority “given its importance to the economy, society and way of life.” He spoke of transforming agriculture from “low-yielding, low income, few crop dependent subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture, raising income levels and …
By Dasun Edirisinghe The Joint Opposition yesterday said it would move the Supreme Court against the government’s effort to ‘disable’ the Central Bank and set up new unit under the Finance Ministry to oversee some of its functions including printing of currency notes. Addressing the JO Economic Research Unit’s weekly press briefing at Vajirashrama Templeat …
By Dharisha Bastians and Chamodi Gunawardane The Cabinet of Ministers decided to temporarily suspend a proposal to increase water tariffs by 30% during a weekly meeting yesterday. The decision was taken on President Maithripala Sirisena’s advice. The proposed new tariff system will be reviewed by a three-member ministerial committee before a decision is made to …
By Chathuri Dissanayake Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake yesterday said that the Central Bank will be restructured to ensure better execution of institution’s responsibilities. “Central Bank has failed miserably on many fronts,” the Minister charged yesterday, speaking at a budget highlights seminar organised by the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka. “Central Bank is …
By Disna Mudalige The Committee on Public Finance headed by TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran has faced difficulties in compiling its report on ‘Budget 2017’ due to reluctance of Finance Ministry officials to provide information. A committee member, speaking to the Daily News after a meeting at the Parliamentary Complex to deliberate on the Budget, said …
By Rathindra Kuruwita Donald Trump’s election as the 45th President of the United States was probably the best thing that happened to Sri Lanka, internationally, for a long time. Even a Bernie Sanders presidency would not have been as good for us. But then again it would not be good news if you are some …
By Ranga Jayasuriya A few months ago, it could have been treated as a cynical joke, but now Donald Trump is the President of the world’s most powerful democracy. His hate-filled and polarizing campaign has left deep scars in America, it would be a long time before they would be healed. Elsewhere, world leaders, still …
By Somapala Gunadheera I was tempted to write this piece by the outspoken remarks of an Island editorial under the title “O tempora! O mores!” After highlighting a list of failures by a young minister holding an important portfolio, the editorial raised the question, “If it (the Government) had been really serious about developing vital …
By Gayan Darshana The government was robbing the people by imposing unconscionable taxes, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Saturday. Addressing a ceremony at Aparekka-Agarawala Meditation Centre to unveil the pinnacle of new Chaitya, the former President said the water tariff had been increased by around 168 per cent. People were being exploited, he added. …
By Adam Bernstein Gwen Ifill, who wrote for some of the country’s premier newspapers before transitioning to broadcast journalism and making her greatest mark as one of the most prominent TV anchors of her generation, died Nov. 14 at a hospice center in Washington. She was 61. “The PBS NewsHour,” the program she co-anchored with …
Gwen Ifill, co-anchor of PBS’ ‘‘NewsHour’’ with Judy Woodruff and a veteran journalist who moderated two vice presidential debates, died Monday of cancer, the network said. She was 61. A former reporter for The New York Times and The Washington Post, Ifill switched to television in the 1990s and covered politics and Congress for NBC …
Relatives of eleven suspected members of the “Aava” gang, who were arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in Jaffna, lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) stating that the arrests were illegal. The eleven youths were arrested in Jaffna on charges of being involved in anti-social activities and criminal activities connected to …
Former member of the UN special panel Yasmin Sooka has said the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) should visit Sri Lanka and conduct an independent investigation into the continued abductions, torture and sexual violence allegedly committed by the security forces, the Indian Express today reported. Indian-origin Yasmin Sooka is a member of a former UN …
By W.A. Sunil The Sri Lankan foreign ministry on Monday voiced its “displeasure” about comments made early this month by Chinese ambassador Yi Xianliang on Chinese financial assistance to Sri Lanka. The diplomatic row underscores the continuing strained relations between Sri Lanka and China since the pro-US President Maithripala Sirisena was installed in office in …
By BERNIE SANDERS Millions of Americans registered a protest vote on Tuesday, expressing their fierce opposition to an economic and political system that puts wealthy and corporate interests over their own. I strongly supported Hillary Clinton, campaigned hard on her behalf, and believed she was the right choice on Election Day. But Donald J. Trump …
After more than 50 days in hospital, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday said that “she has taken a rebirth”. In her first signed letter from the hospital, Ms. Jayalalithaa shared the happy news of her “rebirth” and attributed it to the prayers and poojas performed by people from across the State, nation and …
On the morning after the election, Alia Ali had a sickening feeling as she headed to her job as a secretary at a New York City public school, her hijab in place as usual. Ali is a Muslim who lives and works in one of the most diverse places in the U.S., and yet the …
Commenting on the election of business tycoon Donald Trump as the next President of the US, former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the results showed that common citizens are fed up with career politicians who simply deliver speeches without results. In a tweet, Mr. Rajapaksa said “One of the reasons Donald Trump won was because …
An investigation into the police clash with disabled soldiers outside the Presidential Secretariat has pointed to errors of judgement by the Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) for Colombo and several other serious lapses. The three-member panel appointed by the Law and Order ministry handed in its report at the weekend noting that protestors should have been stopped …
By Zacki Jabbar Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, under investigation on corruption charges was trying to revive his flagging fortunes by making false allegations aimed at winding up the military against the government , Cabinet Spokesman and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said on Friday. He emphasized that Gotabhaya like any other citizen of this country …
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa will leave for China on November 23 for a week-long visit. He will be a guest of the Chinese government. In a separate development China’s Ambassador Xi Xiangliang this week expressed his regrets to the Government if his recent remarks to the local media caused any embarrassment. His response came when …
By Gagani Weerakoon Though not given much publicity, President Sirisena went to Horagolla Walawwa in Attanagalla last Saturday to engage in what seemed like an ‘extremely secretive’ meeting with former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi The Government has committed a major faux pas in its fight against tobacco and alcohol consumption by seeking sponsorship from the Ceylon Tobacco Company, as per a proposal in Budget 2017. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s request for “the Ceylon Tobacco Company to donate Rs. 500 million to the Presidential Fund to be …
Public Safety Minister Sagala Ratnayake came in for strong criticism at last Tuesday’s weekly ministerial meeting. It was over the alleged inability of the Police to deal with cases relating to former Minister and National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa. His party colleague Sujeewa Senasinghe was the first to raise it when he was …
by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka [Leonard Cohen, the master singer, songwriter and poet just died at age 82, a few months after the release on his 82nd birthday of his last album “You Want it Darker’. In his honor and memory I reproduce this review article which appeared under the caption ‘Leonard Cohen: The Master at …
Continue reading ‘Singer,Songwriter and Poet Leonard Cohen was Master of the Modern Love Song’ »
By Sridhar K Chari (American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has won the Nobel Prize for Literature, throwing up a bit of a controversy. Sure, nobody ever said literature can’t be sung (we in India know that well enough) but the prize does not do justice to Dylan’s genius, muses SRIDHAR K CHARI) Most nations boast a …
By P.K.Balachandran The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which accounts for sixteen of the eighteen Members of Parliament from the Tamil-speaking north and east, said Sri Lanka’s annual budget ignores the pressing issue of ethnic reconciliation. TNA MP and spokesman M.A.Sumanthiran told Express on Saturday, that the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appears to have consulted the …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has disclosed that an envisaged visit to Sri Lanka by US President Barack Obama this year did not take place because thetentative itinerary had clashed ith the Vesak festival observed widely by Buddhists in Sri Lanka. Mr. Samaraweera spoke to Meera Sreenivasan of “The Hindu” on …
by Saman Indrajith Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday that if any policemen were found guilty of attacking disabled servicemen near the Presidential Secretariat last week they would be sacked from the service. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said so responding to a query raised by MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena, who accused the government of setting …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Ven. Bengamuwe Nalaka thera has accused the government of trying to implicate him and some other monks in last Monday’s bid to storm the Presidential Secretariat by a group of disabled soldiers. The monk accused State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene, Deputy Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Lasantha Alagiyawanna as well as …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Convenor of Federation of National Organization (FNO) Dr Gunadasa Amarasekara on Thursday (Nov 10) said that Republican candidate Donald Trump’s comfortable victory at the recently concluded US presidential election had proved a national level polls could be won without the overwhelming support of minorities as well as those promoting false values. Veteran …
By P.K.Balachandran Sri Lanka’s private TV channels are worried over the government’s proposal to increase the levy on imported and dubbed TV programs and films from LKR 90,000 (US$ 610) to LKR 300,000 (US$ 2,032) for every 30 minutes of running time. The proposed hike was part of several economic revival packages proposed by Finance …
By Dharisha Bastians The main opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) yesterday issued a scathing critique on the National Unity Government’s budget for 2017, saying it proposed a “grossly inadequate” allocation for development of the North and East and reconciliation work and neglected spending for priority sectors such as education. Opening the debate on the second …
By P.K.Balachandran China’s Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Yi Xianliang, says that outside forces and domestic political considerations may have brought about the temporary suspension of China-funded and executed projects in Sri Lanka when the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government came into being in 2015. Speaking to Bandula Jayasekara in Maharaja TV’s morning program Pethikada on Friday, Ambassador Yi …
By Dharisha Bastians Strongly rejecting a controversial Government proposal to build 65,000 prefabricated steel houses in the North and East, the Tamil National Alliance tabled a new proposal in Parliament yesterday to build the same number of homes in the war-ravaged regions at less than half the cost. Taking the issue up during his speech …
BY MEERA SRINIVASAN In January 2015, nearly six years after Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war ended, President Maithripala Sirisena came to power deposing Mahinda Rajapaksa, on the promise of good governance, the abolition of the executive presidency and reconciliation with the Tamil minority. His election, to many at home and abroad, heralded hope of a …
By Dharisha Bastians On 7 March 2008, when journalist J. S. Tissanayagam walked into the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) office in Colombo to inquire about an arrested colleague, he was detained for six months without charge, indicted on ‘inciting communal disharmony’ for writing articles alleging that the armed forces had committed war crimes, and convicted …
By Gehan Gunatilleke A year ago, Sri Lanka promised the world that it would repeal its current Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). In a historic co-sponsored resolution, it assured the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that it would replace the PTA with counterterrorism legislation that complies with international best practices. The current PTA is described …
By P.K.Balachandran America’s President-elect Donald Trump had acted in a film co-produced by the veteran Sri Lankan film-maker Chandran Rutnam along with Bo Derek. The 1989 film Ghosts Can’t Do It was directed by John Derek. “John Derek wrote a scene especially for Donald Trump to play himself in a cameo role. We shot the …
By S W R de A Samarasinghe US President-elect Donald Trump described his presidential campaign as a “Movement” and not the usual party fight between Republicans and Democrats. The poltical pundits did not take him seriously. He broke almost all the rules of the US campaign rulebook and won. Trump and Hillary Clinton each have …
Continue reading ‘What Donald Trump’s Eletoral Victory Means for the USA and the World’ »
By P.K.Balachandran A high percentage of Sri Lankan Muslim families get their girls married off before they attain 18 – the statutory age of marriage in Sri Lanka, according a new study entitled: Unequal Citizens: Muslim Women’s Struggle for Justice and Equality written by Hyshyama Hamin and Hasanah Cegu Isadeen. The study quotes a 2015 …
By S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole I was fortunate to be invited to study and observe the US Elections of 8 Nov. 2016. So here I am in Washington, DC, thanks to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. The US election result is out. We have Republican Donald Trump as President-Elect who boasts that “when you …
by Saman Indrajith *Rs. 800,000 loan for private university students *Minimum traffic fine increased to Rs. 2,500 *Duty, VAT and PAL removed on agri machinery *Rs. 5,000 mn for schools to get 50 computers each *Rs. 17,480 million for developing education sector *Rs. 5,000 million to provide tabs to A/L students *Insurance scheme for all …
By Arjuna Seneviratne ( The following is a response on facebook to the post by Ms.Nila Loganathan on this blog about the ordeal experienced by her Family in a Colombo suburb. This response is being posted here with the permission Mr.Arjuna Seneviratne) I find it hard to contain my indignation. I am not very capable …
By David Remnick Editor, The New Yorker The election of Donald Trump to the Presidency is nothing less than a tragedy for the American republic, a tragedy for the Constitution, and a triumph for the forces, at home and abroad, of nativism, authoritarianism, misogyny, and racism. Trump’s shocking victory, his ascension to the Presidency, is …
ON ELECTION day in America it is usually a comfort to spend hours talking to voters emerging from polling places. After months of interviews with partisans at campaign rallies, regular citizens are reassuringly unzealous, and willing to volunteer that neither party has a monopoly on wisdom. Not this year. In 2016 too many Americans sounded …
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena,Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa have sent congratulatory messages to Donald j.Trump the president elect of the United States of America President Maithripala Siripala has said he believes that US-Sri Lanka relations will be further expanded in the wake of Donald J Trump victory at Nov 9 presidential …
By Chathuri Dissanayake The Defence Ministry yesterday expressed regret over the confrontation between the Police and disabled soldiers who staged a protest near the Presidential Secretariat on Monday. State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene claimed that the members of the Joint Opposition should take full responsibility for causing the escalation of a peaceful protest into …
By Meera Srinivasan Amid speculation about former President Mahinda Rajapaksa floating a new party, his colleague and former Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris has decided to invite Mr. Rajapaksa to lead a new political organisation he chairs. “We will do our best to persuade him, to lead our party” Mr. Peiris said on Monday. “Until now …
By MATT FLEGENHEIMER and MICHAEL BARBARO Donald John Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States on Tuesday in a stunning culmination of an explosive, populist and polarizing campaign that took relentless aim at the institutions and long-held ideals of American democracy. The surprise outcome, defying late polls that showed Hillary Clinton with …
Continue reading ‘Donald Trump Is Elected President in Stunning Repudiation of the Establishment’ »
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka So a great folly follows grand fraud, which is to say we are saddled not only with thieves but also fools. In its relations with our indispensable emerging superpower friend China, today’s UNP has reverted to its worst traditions—and those were symptomatic of one-term administrations. My father used to say, “don’t start …
A Police team, specialized in anti-terrorism operations, has kicked off a manhunt to arrest ‘AAVA’ gangsters in Jaffna.Informed sources said the special Police team has already nabbed three suspects, including a suspected military intelligence operative. The special Police team commenced the operation, on a directive from the Inspector General of Police to crack down on …
Republican candidate Donald Trump pulled off a dramatic win to edge past Democratic contender Hillary Clinton in one of the most bitterly contested US Presidential battles. Scoring unprecedented victories in some states that had been projected to go the Clinton way, Trump achieved the magic number of 270 electoral votes at 1 pm IST to …
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR Hillary Clinton refused to concede the presidential contest early Wednesday even as Donald J. Trump built a lead in a series of battleground states, upending months of polling that had given the advantage to Mrs. Clinton and putting him on the verge of seizing back the White House for Republicans. Shortly …
Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump celebrated jubilantly during election night at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York on November 8, 2016 as incoming results indicated that the business magnate was well on his way to becoming the 45th President of the United States. The night was set to be long and …
By Madhawa Kulasuriya Chief Minister of the Northern Province C.V. Wigneswaran says that the international community has to intervene to sort out issues cropping up in the Northern Province from time to time, as the government has no control over them. He made this remark following talks held with Baroness Joyce Anelay, United Kingdom’s Minister …
By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha The contempt in leading elements of the current government for the interests of Sri Lanka as a sovereign nation had long puzzled and worried me. A clue to its possible origins emerged recently when I was looking at Michael Roberts’ collection of ‘Documents of the Ceylon National Congress and Nationalist Politics …
By Professor G. L. Peiris One of the reasons for the aggravation of current issues of national importance, and the elusive nature of practical solutions before problems assume alarming proportions, is the situation in Parliament today. This is well worth reflecting on, as the Budget is presented, and the debate gets underway. When COPE Chairman …