By P.K.Balachandran The Muslim Personal Law Reforms Action Group (MPLRAG) has said that Sri Lanka is duty bound to carry out reforms in the archaic Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) 1951 in accord with the international human rights covenants it has signed. In 2010 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Committee …
By C.A.Chandraprema It is now clear that former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran and his son in law Arjun Aloysius are seen as a convenient sacrifice for the government to save itself – not just by the SLFP group in the government but even by the UNP itself. Witness State Minister Ajith P.Perera’s claim that it …
By Rathindra Kuruwita Everyone knows about James Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes. He is at the centre of a criminal web ‘with a thousand threads and he knows precisely how each and every single one of them dances.’ Or Shredder, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, who is behind a wave of juvenile delinquent crime wave. …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene The Government’s proposed draft on a new counter-terror law for Sri Lanka is rather like a thoroughly unpleasant case discovery. Each time that one revisits afresh, new horrors are unearthed. Several other fiendish offences Drawn reluctantly back to this document following representations from several quarters, it may be said that absorbing …
Sri Lanka has rejected an Indian proposal for a three-year period to phase out illegal fishing practices (bottom trawling) in the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar by Tamil Nadu fishermen, a request to release the confiscated boats and to grant 80 days of fishing in Sri Lankan waters, Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said …
by Anura Gunasekera A landmark documentary, possibly the first of its kind with its meticulous adherence to the truth, an unspeakably aberrant aspect of the judiciary. It was finally screened , notwithstanding the vigorous attempts to prevent it, by Lenin Ratnayake – alias Ratnayake Banda, alias Lekam Gedera Ratnayake, alternately identified as Bulathgama Lekam Mudiyanse …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Perhaps the Foreign Ministry is barking up the wrong tree. This time, it is China. All that began with certain remarks made by the Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang at a press conference last week. The Chinese envoy, responding to a question contradicted Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake over the latter’s …
Rising beyond political or other differences, Sri Lanka yesterday bade farewell to Pandit W.D. Amaradeva, whom the equally famous cinema legend, Dr. Lester James Peris described as a man whose magic voice was the greatest musical instrument we have ever produced. The magic of his voice, the exquisite permutations and combinations of notes that comprise …
Sri Lanka’s legendary classical music singer and composer W.D. Amaradeva died on Thursday of a heart attack in Colombo. He was 88. Amaradeva died shortly after being admitted to the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital, a spokesman for the facility said. Born Wannakuwatta Waduge Don Albert Perera, he later changed his name to Amaradeva and in 1972 …
By Kavitha Muralidharan In a particularly intimate scene with actor Kamal Haasan in a song from “Apoorva Sagodarargal” (1989), Gautami – still a fledgling actor – would remove her overcoat to reveal a strapless top and her bare arms. The scene, I remember vividly, left many women squirming and men wide-mouthed in the theatre. Since …
By Dharisha Bastians The Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE), a body of parliamentary oversight into the performance and fiscal discipline of corporations that are fully state-owned or in which the Government has a financial stake, has conducted its sittings in-camera since its establishment in 1979. In other words, traditionally and by law its hearings and …
By P.K.Balachandran Sri Lanka should show convincing progress in implementing 19 international human rights covenants by early 2017, if it is to get the European Union (EU) to restore trade concessions under the General System of Preferences Plus scheme in May 2017 ,a four-member EU inspection team has said. The team, which concluded its tour …
By P.K.Balachandran The Chief Minister of the Tamil-majority Northern Province, C.V.Wigneswaran, has complained to the European Union (EU) human rights inspection team that the Sri Lankan army is running hundreds of schools in his province when it has no right to do so under the 13th amendment of the constitution. According to the Tamil daily …
By Ishara Ratnakara The Counsels appearing for the accused in the RADA case yesterday charged that the Attorney General (AG) was acting in a manner so as to punish a select few persons chosen politically unlike never before in the history of the country. While condemning the vicious conduct of the AG in the Colombo …
By Lahiru Pothmulla Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa today vehemently denied the allegations made by Cabinet Spokesman Minister Rajitha Senaratne that the ‘Aava’ gang was established under the approval of Mr. Rajapaksa during the previous government. He said Minister Senaratne should focus on executing duties of his ministry instead of making ‘malicious’ allegations.
By Sandun A Jayasekera Cabinet spokesman, Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne today said the underworld gang “Aava” active in the North was a creation of former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and certain top military officers. He said though there may be some rationale to use them against the LTTE during the war, in the peace …
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN Tamil film actor Kamal Haasan and his partner Gautami Tadimalla have split. The couple have been in a live-in relationship since 2005. The yesteryear heroine who made a comeback of sorts in Kamal Haasan starrer ‘Papanasam’ has revealed that they are no longer together. Making the split public in an elaborate …
By Harischandra Gunaratna Former External Affairs Minister of the UPFA government, Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday accused Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of being the mastermind of the bond scam and demanded his resignation forthwith. “If he is not resigning on his own accord, the President has the full powers to remove him, but the former …
By Rathindra Kuruwita President Maithripala Sirisena is increasingly making himself hated by the elites and the liberals and rich kids pretending to be social justice warriors. I wrote a column last week on his critique on the ‘independent commissions’ and I wondered when he will get down to pissing off his former fans, boys and …
By Ananda Karunadasa The Attorney General (AG) has appealed to the Court of Appeal against the Anuradhapura High Court Jury decision by which six former Corporals of the Army were exonerated and acquitted in a case where they had been charged with the murder of 24 Tamil civilians and injuring another 25 by shooting, at …
By Uditha Jayasinghe The Monetary Board will meet on Friday for a special session to consider the three reports released on the bond scandal including the COPE report before deciding on future action, Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy said yesterday as the repercussions from the COPE report continued to unfold. The Monetary Board, which …
By PK Balachandran The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), which became an independent commission last year following the 19 th. Amendment of the constitution, says that torture continues to be “routine” in the police stations of Sri Lanka but has seen a drop in the number of reported cases after the regime change …
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)’s then Deputy Leader Maithripala Senanayake, his wife and Mahinda Rajapaksa were paid by former President J.R. Jayawardene to divide the SLFP, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said on Monday. “President Jayawardene paid them to create divisions within the SLFP,” she said. She said she has the receipts to prove …
By PK Balachandran In the continuing agitation over the killing of two of their colleagues by policemen manning a checkpoint on October 20, Jaffna University students on Monday barred Vice Chancellor Dr.Vasanthy Arasaratnam from entering the campus. Relenting after some time, they allowed the VC in and had talks with the visiting Sri Lankan Minister …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The Joint Opposition yesterday lodged a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran in respect of the alleged Central Bank bond scam committed on Feb. 27, 2015. JO spokesman and Kandy District MP Keheliya Rambukwella …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The UNP yesterday said COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) Chairman Sunil Handunetti owed an immediate explanation to the public as regards his decision to leave out UNP recommendation for a criminal investigation into the alleged Central Bank bond scam on Feb. 27, 2015. Power and Renewable Energy Deputy Minister Ajith Perera told …
By Ameer Faaiz In announcing the decisions made by the Cabinet of Ministers last Wednesday, the Government spokesperson has stated, amongst others, that the Cabinet has decided to appoint a Sub-Committee of Ministers to study and recommend reforms to the Muslim law in Sri Lanka, with a view to bringing it in line with Sri …
By Dr.Nirmala Chandrahasan The cultural affinities between Tamil Nadu, our closest neighbour and Sri Lanka are many but little is known of the religious ties which bound the two countries between the early years of the Christian era and the 14thcentury AD, during which time Buddhism was prevalent in South India. Buddhism came to South …
Continue reading ‘Buddhist Heritage of Tamils in South India and Sri Lanka’ »
By Shehan Daniel Two of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated cricketing legends on Thursday pledged their support towards creating awareness on violence against women in the country, partnering with the delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Former skippers of the national cricket team Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara who are also …
By Somapala Gunadheera To my mind the most shocking news we have had of late is the death of the two Jaffna undergraduates who died on their way home from a get-together. Two young lives heading towards prosperity and renown, in a rough terrain had been nipped in the bud. I remember how I traveled …
The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) welcomes the Cabinet decisions to appointing another committee to address the reforms needed to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act. The Ministry of Justice had earlier appointed a committee of 17 eminent representatives of the Muslim community under the leadership of former Supreme Court Judge Saleem Marsoof to …
Bob Dylan has finally accepted his Nobel prize for literature, the Swedish Academy that awards it said Friday, breaking his silence on the win that he said left him “speechless”. Asked “if I accept the prize? Of course”, the US singer-songwriter said in a call to the academy this week, around a fortnight after he …
By P K Balachandran Sri Lanka’s chances of getting back the European Union’s General System of Preferences Plus (GSP-Plus) trade concessions which it lost in 2010, depend on meeting the European body’s requirements in regard to human rights. With improvements in the human rights situation after Maithripala Sirisena was elected President in January 2015, Sri …
By Ishara Gamage Former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran said he will before long prove himself innocent of allegations and charges of wrongdoing in connection with the controversial Central Bank Bonds issue. In a telephone conversation with Ceylon Today last Friday, from Singapore, he said he was not hiding away to duck this issue, but …
A Rs. 1.2 billion project to refurbish the Nila Sevana Housing Scheme is being awarded to a local company on the basis of its reported past performance. No tenders have been called or expressions of interest sought from other parties. The move comes on the joint recommendation from Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik …
By Don Manu When Northern Chief Minister Wigneswaran denounced last month the right of any Sinhalese to erect a Buddha statue in the north and east of Lanka and held it as a reprehensible assault on Tamil Eelam culture, perhaps he never realised how soon he would find, in the AAWA gangsters staunch comrades in …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene There is a whiff of ‘victory’ in the air. We are being told that this Friday’s report of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) on the bond fraud of the country’s premier financial institution, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka was a singular gain for democracy. An artful crafting of a …
Perpetual Treasuries, the controversial primary dealer at the centre of the Central Bank bond scam, is on a buying spree. In the past two months, the company has directly and through related parties bought large volumes of shares in at least three entities. Perpetual Treasuries and Perpetual Equities have bought around ten million NDB shares …
The Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) yesterday blocked a Tamil website following complaints from the Media Ministry and the Justice Ministry, TRC Director General Sunil Sirisena said.
By Mark Freeman and Asanga Welikala Time and again, countries that have experienced repression and armed conflict have an opportunity to transition to a better future. Yet, only a minority succeeds. The challenges may appear obvious, but the path forward is rarely so. And, as the initial optimism generated by the 2015 elections comes to …
Sri Lanka’s Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayake walked out of a press conference when asked about the role of the military intelligence in the on-going unrest and tensions in the Jaffna peninsula. The Minister was present at the weekly Cabinet Press Briefing held in the parliament complex Wednesday to give the police version of …
By C.A.Chandraprema The Committee on Public Enterprises in parliament has 26 members and of them only three – Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Chandrasiri Gajadeera and Weerakumara Dissanayake are members of the Joint Opposition. The other 23 are members of the yahapalana coalition that brought President Maithripala Sirisena into power. Yet the recommendations of COPE were made almost …
by Dayan Jayatilleka This essay can be understood at two levels. One is thematic and the other, personal. The essay is a note on the theme of Culture and Gender. It is also a tapestry of stories of the working out of the dialectic of these factors. The essay seeks to illustrate the points that …
By the “Sunday Times” Political Editor At no time before has the United National Party (UNP) used its might so strongly in Parliament to try and block what it perceived was a report not to its liking. The first occasion was in June last year. The previous Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) had completed its …
By Dharisha Bastians Following an 18-month investigation into the Central Bank’s Treasury Bond auctions, the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) ruled yesterday that former Governor Arjuna Mahendran was “directly responsible” for a transaction in February 2015 that allowed a company linked to his son-in-law to rake in large profits from the auction. “According to facts …
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN Vijayawada-born Telugu actress Rambha approached the family court in Chennai on Tuesday, seeking direction to her estranged husband Indrakumar Pathmanathan, a Toronto-based businessman of Sri Lankan origin, to live with her and to restitute her conjugal rights. Married in 2010, they have been living separately in recent years. The multilingual star …
by Saman Indrajith Implementation of recommendations of the COPE report on the Treasury bond scam should be on the advice of the Attorney General, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe soon after COPE Chairman Sunil Handunnetti presented his report on findings of the Treasury bond scam said: The presentation of this …
by Saman Indrajith COPE Chairman Sunil Handunnetti was not permitted to tell the House of harassments and intimidation he had undergone at the COPE sessions while investigating the Treasury bond scam. After tabling the COPE report, MP Handunetti tried to narrate what he had been subjected to by UNP MPs. He had already promised on …
by Saman Indrajith COPE Chairman Sunil Handunnetti informed Parliament yesterday that his committee had found that former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran was directly responsible for the Treasury bond scam and recommended legal action against him and the other Central Bank officials responsible for it. Handunnetti, presenting the report on Treasury bond scam, said that …
By P K Balachandran Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has quoted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to justify his tirade against the disruptive activities of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). In a speech delivered on Thursday at an armed forces investiture ceremony, Sirisena accused the media and NGOs of disregarding the requirements of national security and described …
By Uditha Jayasinghe An embattled Law and Order and Southern Development Minister Sagala Rathnayake yesterday walked out of a media conference when asked questions on whether the group called ‘AAVA’ operating in Jaffna was linked to military intelligence but called on the media to report the death of two Jaffna students responsibly warning that it …
By P K Balachandran The President of the Jaffna University Arts Faculty Students’ Union ,K.Rajeevan, on Wednesday returned a letter sent to him by the Northern Province Governor, Reginold Cooray, because it was written in Sinhalese, the language of the majority in community in Sri Lanka. It was a copy of a letter the Governor …
By Thulasi Muttulingam When the severely war-affected people of Sri Lanka’s north and east made it out of the refugee camps containing them from 2010 onwards, they had a new dilemma to face: Where to live? “We became displaced in 1983 and had been on the move ever since. We thought we’d return in three …
By Meera Srinivasan Even as Sri Lanka drafts a new law to counter terrorism, human rights activists and lawyers here fear it might be worse than the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) they want repealed and replaced. One of the key demands around regime change in Sri Lanka in January 2015 — when former President …
By Nanda Pethiyagoda Thanks to the Colombo District Court that was not silent but judged fairly that the injunction brought against screening Usaviya Nihandayi produced by H D Premasiri and Prasanna Vithanage and directed by Vithanage, be set aside. The film is now screened for public viewing. It was scheduled to be screened at the …
By Saman Indrajith The Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament yesterday with a majority of 66 votes. The bill received 112 votes in favour and 46 against while 65 MPs were absent. MPs of the Joint Opposition and the JVP voted against the bill. All TNA MPs including the Opposition Leader R. …
By Dharisha Bastians The Central Bank’s controversial bond auctions in 2015 and 2016 under former Governor Arjuna Mahendran continued to haunt the UNF-led Government yesterday, dominating heated debates in Parliament amid allegations that ruling party members were attempting to influence a legislative oversight committee to change its report on the controversy. Committee on Public Enterprises …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “There is great disorder under the heavens. The situation is excellent.” (Mao Zedong) Lenin famously identified three conditions for a revolution. The rulers should feel unable to rule in the old way. The masses should feel unable to live in the old way. There must be a split among the rulers. The …
By Upul Joseph Fernando When head of the Bribery Commission Nelum Gamage, during the administration of President D. B. Wijetunga was carrying out investigations into accusations of bribery regarding a chief officer of the Railway Department and powerful figures of the United National Party (UNP), she received a message from DB. What DB told Nelum …
A group calling themselves the ‘AAVA Gangsters’ has claimed responsibility for the sword attack on two police officers in the Chunnakam market area. The group said the incident was a retaliation for the death of two Jaffna university students who were allegedly shot the by police. The group warned the police and the public to …
by Saman Indrajith The TNA yesterday demanded that an investigation be conducted into the killing of two Jaffna university students to find out how the rider of the motorcycle, and not the one on the pillion, had suffered gun shot injuries if they had been fleeing. Making a special statement, TNA leader R Sampanthan said: …
Law and Order and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayake told Parliament yesterday the recent incident where two policemen received cut injuries at Chunnakam was not part of an organised campaign against police. The minister said the policemen had had been caught in a clash between a trader and some of his rivals.
By Ajith Siriwardana The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) today accused the UNP members in the parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) of attempting to protect “Ali Baba” and recommend action only against a few of the thieves involved in the bond scam. “Ali Baba and ten thieves are involved in this scam. But the UNP …
By Ajanta Kumara Agalakada The recent controversial speech made by President Maithripala Sirisena at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI) has become a subject of much debate among the people. The following is a discussion held with the President and what he shared with our sister paper ‘Sunday Lankadeepa’. Excerpts Q Your controversial speech made …
By Yohan Perera and Kelum Bandara Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) today held former Central Bank (CB) Governor Arjuna Mahendran’s son-in-law Arjun Aloysius and other directors of Perpetual Treasuries responsible for the controversial CB Bond Scam, UNP member of COPE and Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera said. The COPE recommended to …
By Saman Indrajith Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) Sunil Handunnetti walked out of its meeting yesterday evening as UNP members repeatedly asked Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe in a threatening manner to withdraw his department’s findings which held former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran responsible for the Central Bank bond scams. COPE sources …
DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA I never knew him personally but Weerasooriya of Uhumiya was my batch-mate as a first year arts student at Peradeniya. I was on campus early that morning in November 1976 when the shots, the gun smoke and the tear gas wafted through the green hills of Peradeniya. Years later when I taught …
Continue reading ‘ALL LIVES MATTER: NORTHERN KILLINGS AND NORTH-SOUTH PROTEST’ »
BY MEERA SRINIVASAN Students across Sri Lankan universities protested on Monday, condemning the recent death of two Jaffna University students in alleged police shooting and demanding a fair investigation. Thousands of students took to the streets in Jaffna town, blocking A9, the main highway to the island’s north, urging speedy action against the perpetrators. Sri …
By Dharisha Bastians Fireworks ensued at the meeting of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) yesterday, with Chairman of the oversight body stepping aside in protest against UNP members allegedly exerting undue influence on a draft report on the Central Bank Treasury Bond issue and delaying the report’s presentation to Parliament, which was initially expected …
BY A “Ceylon Today” Special Correspondent President Maithripala Sirisena publicly warned that he would take action against the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) as well as the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for ‘pursuing a political agenda’ at a function held on 12 October in Colombo. The …
By W.C.B.Fernando Four men from Nallandaluwa, Puttalam were arrested for beating a woman 100 times with a coconut frond. The twenty-five-year-old woman said she had been asked to come to the mosque in Nallandaluwa and beaten by the men, who said she was being punished under Sharia law for infidelity. The men had accused her …
By P.K.Balachandran The Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority Northern Province, C.V.Wigneswaran, refused to hoist the LTTE’s flag at a function organized by the pro-LTTE organization Tamil Coordination Committee (TCC) at Harrow in London on Sunday. When the Chief Minister came to know that in the meetings of the TCC, the Tiger flag is invariably …
By P.K.Balachandran Indicating the importance of their on-going visit to Sri Lanka, the Indian public and private sector business delegation headed by Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar met Sri Lankan Prime Minster Ranil Wickremesinghe for the second time on Monday, to carry forward the discussions the group had had with Sri Lankan governmental and private sector stakeholders …
By Don Manu Dilrukshi Dias Wickramesinghe never wanted to be the Bribery Commission’s Director General. She had steadily risen through the ranks at the Solicitor General’s office and was quite happy to be serving as the Deputy Solicitor General when she was handpicked by the new political masters just after the presidential poll last year …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Governments may come and go in Sri Lanka but the anti-reform and anti-liberties mindset seems firmly entrenched. This is now proven beyond all shadow of a doubt. The only difference therein is that of gradation. So the gullible may gladly murmur ‘this is better than what was there before.’ That, in …
By C.A.Chandraprema The remanding of Tissa Attanayake for nearly six weeks has sent shock waves through both sides of the political divide. Attanayake was the general secretary of the UNP during what was probably the worst period in its history. All of us journalists know him as a friendly and approachable politician. It was through …
By Selvanayakam Kapilan, Romesh Madushanka Two officers attached to the Government Intelligence Service were hospitalised today with injuries due to a sword attack by two unidentified motorcyclists who had allegedly slashed them in Chunnakam, Jaffna. The injured officers receiving treatment at the Tellipalei Hospital were transferred to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
By Shamindra Ferdinando President Maithripala Sirisena has recently received a detailed briefing as regards the ongoing high profile Avant Garde Maritime Service (AGMS) investigation pursued by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). Well informed sources told The Island that President Maithripala Sirisena had sought an explanation in this regard from a …
By Meera Srinivasan Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar called on President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday morning and discussed potential Indo-Lanka partnerships in areas such as transport, energy and infrastructure. Jaishankar, in Colombo on an economic diplomacy initiative, is accompanied by an official delegation of top officials from public sector companies such as GAIL, NTPC, IOC …
By Niranjala Ariyawansha Highly reliable Presidential Secretariat sources said yesterday that President Maithripala Sirisena is contemplating the creation of a new ministerial level position tasked with responsibility for defence and national security matters. The new position is being created because of deep concerns arising out of a spate of recent allegations relating to matters of …
By Thulasi Muttulingam Caste oppression has a long and convoluted history in Jaffna. There is also, nearly a century’s worth of recorded history of progressive elements within the community agitating against the caste system. Serious ground was beginning to be gained by the anti-caste movement in the 60s and 70s before ethnic conflict and consequent …
President Maithripala Sirisena intervened directly to stop police covering up the murder of two Jaffna university student and got five police officers immediately interdicted. Shortly after police headquarters dismissed the death of two students as a fatal motorcycle accident, Sirisena got the information department to issue a fresh statement setting the record straight. “Five police …
Police investigations into the attack on a nightclub in Colombo two weeks ago, where a security guard was injured and property was damaged by an unidentified group, has ended without a trace of the persons responsible for the attack. OIC Maradana Police- Chief Inspector Sarath Perera told the Sunday Times that there was no formal …
The Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) finding that former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran was directly responsible for a controversial Treasury bond scam in 2015 is being hotly challenged by the United National Party MPs on the committee. It is learnt that the COPE report has also recommended that Mr. Mahendran and officials …
Two students of Jaffna University died on Thursday night in an incident of alleged police shooting. Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) commenced investigations on Friday. The two students, Natarajan Kajan and Pounraj Sulakshan, were travelling on a motorbike near Kulappiddy junction in Kokuvil area of Jaffna peninsula. “The post-mortem examination report revealed that there …
by Saman Indrajith Parliamentary watchdog committee, COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises), yesterday approved its Chairman’s report holding former Central Bank governor Arjuna Mahendran responsible for Treasury bond scandals. The report recommends legal action against those involved in the scams and the recovery of losses from them, according to a senior COPE member. The COPE met …
By Disna Mudalige A stormy session ensued at yesterday’s COPE meeting over its final report on the Central Bank (CB) Treasury Bonds investigation. During a special meeting attended by 14 out of the 26 members of the COPE, the report was endorsed by eight members, while five UNP MPs declined to accept it. The UNP …
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) unequivocally condemns the incident that took place in Jaffna today, killing 2 university students. The leader of the TNA, and The Leader of the Opposition, Hon R Sampanthan MP met His Excellency the President Maithripala Sirisena while attending an event in Trincomalee this morning and raised concerns regarding the incident. …
By Saman Indrajith The UNP team within the Parliamentary watchdog committee COPE fought a losing battle for seven hours yesterday against the JVP and the SLFP over the report on former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran’s involvement in the treasury bond scams. The UNPers, from 11.00 am to 6.00 pm yesterday, tried their level best …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Alleging that President Maithripala Sirisena had caused a serious crisis at the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) yesterday stressed that the President was now responsible for ensuring its smooth functioning. President Maithripala Sirisena castigated the CIABOC, Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) …
By Saman Indrajith The government yesterday presented to Parliament its estimated expenditure for the next year in which the expenses of the President’s office rose by three times while defence allocation has been pruned down. The appropriation bill presented to Parliament by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has estimated the total government expenditure of over Rs …
By P K Balachandran The US Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Rita Izsak-Ndiaye, has suggested to the Sri Lankan government to set up a fully-empowered Minority Rights Commission under the constitution which is now being drafted. Speaking to the media at the end of her nine day tour of the island in which she met …
President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday told the Lankadeepa that searching UPFA MP Kumar Welgama’s estate for illegally keeping bulletproof vehicles was an immature act. The President said the government was inconvenienced due to such immature acts. “Whatever people say, I should say that it is an immature act,” he said. President Sirisena said if police received …
By P K Balachandran Sri Lanka has rejected India’s offer to set up solar energy plants at Sampur in Eastern Sri Lanka. The Indian offer had been by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Goa earlier this month. The Secretary to …
By Dharisha Bastians When Maithripala Sirisena decided to contest against Mahinda Rajapaksa in the January 2015 presidential poll, he took his life in his hands. He was not the only one, but as Rajapaksa’s direct challenger, Sirisena would be most-hated, and therefore, most at risk. With the fate of Rajapaksa’s last challenger still fresh in …
By Uditha Jayasinghe Loyalists of President Sirisena yesterday attempted to flip the narrative on his controversial speech criticising anti-graft commissions by insisting that the President was venting his frustration at the slow progress of crucial investigations and acknowledged the Head of State was wary of repercussions from the military establishment. A visibly agitated Cabinet spokesman …
In an apparent refusal to walk back his onslaught against the Government’s anti-corruption agencies, President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday accepted the resignation of Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe. Director General Wickramasinghe tendered her resignation on Monday (17) hours before President Sirisena returned from the BRICS …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka has imposed daily power cuts nationwide following breakdown at a China-built power plant in Norocholai, a coastal town 140 km north of Colombo. The coal power plant, which came up at an investment of $1.4 billion, is Sri Lanka’s largest and has a capacity of 900 MW. The Power Ministry …
By P.K.Balachandran Indian Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar is to visit Sri Lanka with a business delegation this weekend, to promote Indian business and investment in the island nation in accordance with the Narendra Modi government’s policy of using diplomacy to promote India’s trade and investment abroad. An unstated but important aim of the visit, which is …
By Priyantha Kodippili (Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was interviewed by the “Sunday Lankadeepa”. The following are excerpts translated into English) Q Are you aware of the present political situation in the country? Although I am not directly involved in politics, I am quite aware of the day to day happenings in the country. I …
By Upul Joseph Fernando Subsequent to the controversial statement made by President Maithripala Sirisena that summoning Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Navy Commanders to Court regarding the Avant Garde Accusation was wrong, the following day which was Thursday, Indian High Commissioner Y.K. Sinha had met Maithri. Although sources from the Indian High Commission said the meeting …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Catholic clergy assisted the Negombo police Monday evening (Oct 17) in ending a protest at Kurana level crossing near the Negombo Town Hall on the Colombo-Chilaw road. Protesters, mostly fishermen, blocked the road for several hours against the government decision to allow dredging of sand in the Negombo-Dikowita deep seas to reclaim …
by Hemantha Randunu The Police Special Investigation Unit (SIU) yesterday morning descended on a 250-acre estate belonging to MP Kumara Welgama (UPFA, Kalutara District) at Horawala, Matugama, claiming they had information that two bullet proof cars were hidden there. They left-empty handed after an exhaustive search. The team carried out the search for about two …
By Rasika Jayakody In an interesting turn of events, Dilrukshi Dias Wickremasinghe, the dynamic Director General of the Bribery Commissioner, tendered her resignation on Monday morning, without citing any reason. The nearest reason for the Bribery Commission Director General’s resignation was the controversial speech made by President Maithripala Sirisena, addressing a military welfare event in …
Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka, addressing media yesterday at the Department of Government Information, said the government had no special reason to halt the Colombo Port City Project and would go ahead with it. He was referring to protest by fishermen in Negombo yesterday, alleging that dredging and sand mining from …
Labour and Trade Union Relations Minister John Seneviratne yesterday announced that following discussions in Colombo between plantation employees and the trade unions, an agreement had been reached to increase the wages of estate workers to Rs. 730 a day and provide them 300-days work a year. An agreement was also signed yesterday effective for two-years …
By Gomin Dayasri Vote to Regret – be it North or South. Blame attaches to the Vote, tailed by regret,directed at the candidate that succeeds in picking your vote. Time for jubilation was short as the expectations were too high: fallout was rapid. Did you fault yourself in voting for a regime change or otherwise, …
By Dharisha Bastians Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who was in London on a visit and scheduled to return to Sri Lanka only later this week, has decided to return early in view of the deepening political crisis within the ruling coalition,Daily FT learns. Former President Kumaratunga, who played a major role in effecting the defection …
By Ranga Jayasuriya There were two disturbing developments last week. First, it was President Maithripala Sirisena’s speech at an event held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, where he expressed his ‘displeasure and disgust’ at the hauling before the court of the former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and three former commanders of the Navy, in …
Continue reading ‘President Sirisena is Perhaps Trying to Make a Point.’ »
By Dharisha Bastians Director General of Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe tendered her resignation yesterday, as the fallout continues from President Maithripala Sirisena’s furious outburst against Government agencies investigating corruption last week. Wickramasinghe, a former Additional Solicitor General and President’s Counsel, tendered her resignation to President Sirisena yesterday, …
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran revealed that he had received an e-mail in Sinhala, from a person in Balapitiya around the end of September and later,a telephone call , presumably from the same person, claiming that he had come to know of a conspiracy to get a contract killer …