By C.A.Chandraprema From the reports and comments about last Sunday’s May Day rallies that have been appearing over the past week, it became obvious that The Island was the only newspaper or media organization that had a staffer monitoring the crowds in all three main rallies held in Colombo. This year, what was important was …
By Rasika Jayakody The power struggle within the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has reached a whole new level after the UPFA rebel group’s May Day rally at Kirulapona. It has now compelled the SLFP decision-making bodies to take swift and drastic action to restore unity and discipline in the party. The UPFA rebel group, …
In its haste to regain the GSP Plus facility, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has agreed with the European Union (EU) to implement a sprawling list of 58 conditions linking human rights, national security and other domestic concerns with trade, a document obtained by the Sunday Times shows. Among the 58 conditions imposed are to …
By Rasika Jayakody and Uditha Kumarasinghe In a bid to stave off party disciplinary action for attending the rebel UPFA break-away May Day rally, the dissident SLFP parliamentarians in the UPFA rebel group have begun talks with senior SLFP leaders to work out an “amicable settlement”. Party seniors told the Sunday Observer yesterday that overtures …
By P.K.Balachandran Various forms of torture are still practiced by the law enforcement agencies in Sri Lanka, but there has been a decline in the number of reported incidents, says Juan E.Mendez, UN Rapporteur on Torture, who toured detention centres in the island nation between April 29 and May 7. Briefing the media on Saturday, …
By Chandani Kirinde Mahinda Rajapaksa may no longer be the all-powerful President of the country, but his ‘troops’ in the form of the “Joint Opposition” (JO) in Parliament, this week, once again showed how passionate they are when it comes to defending him. The latest showdown with the Government, which resulted in fisticuffs between two …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Contrary to what certain media reports excitably proclaimed this week, the Supreme Court’s Determination on the constitutionality of Sri Lanka’s Right to Information (RTI) Bill held little surprises. In the main, the ruling did not pose formidable challenges to the basic integrity of the Bill. However, it did reflect a degree …
By Harischandra Gunaratna Former Parliamentarian and ex-Mahinda Rajapaksa loyalist Sajin Vass Gunawardena yesterday said that a Rajapaksa family member had orchestrated the recent mud slinging campaign against him carried out by politicians Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila and Sri Ranga. Gunawardena addressing the media at his Borella residence said, “The allegations against me are baseless and …
by Saman Indrajith Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday announced that he would appoint a four-member committee to scrutinise video footage of Thursday’s parliament sessions to decide whether the supplementary estimate submitted by government seeking the approval of the House had been duly passed and to inform the House of the results. The Speaker made the announcement …
By Shamindra Ferdinando President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday (May 4) said that there had been a far more serious incident in Parliament during 1992 than Tuesday’s fracas. President Sirisena was referring to fisticuffs between some members of the UNP Parliamentary Group and the Joint Opposition over a controversial decision to replace former President and Kurunegala …
By Saman Indrajith Parliament yesterday approved the suspension of MPs Palitha Thewarapperuma and Prasanna Ranaweera from Parliament for one week. Deputy Minister of Internal, Cultural and Wayamba Development Palitha Thewarapperuma and UPFA Gampaha District MP Prasanna Ranaweera were suspended for instigating the clash in Parliament on Tuesday. When the House commenced sittings Speaker Karu Jayasuriya …
By Saman Indrajith Members of the sub committees of the Constitutional Assembly were appointed when the Assembly met yesterday for its second day at 9.30 am with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya presiding. The Leader of the House and University Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella informed the House that Uresha Fernando had been appointed the additional …
By Sagarica Rajakarunanayake We were shocked by a recent newspaper report of a Vedda who had fallen to his death from a 135 ft Buddha statue (thought to be the tallest standing Buddha statue in South Asia) that he had climbed to remove a giant honey beehive from behind its right arm. He had been …
By Lalith Ruhunage and K.A.S. Kumara Galle District UPFA and SLFP MP Geetha Kumarasinghe, the recently sacked Bentara-Elpitiya electoral organizer, has also been relieved of her position as Co-Chairman of the Galle District Coordination Committee. The controversial MP has been replaced by UPFA / SLFP Galle District MP and Minister of Petroleum and Petroleum Gas, …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has received assurances from both the police and the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had been wiped out; therefore there was absolutely no likelihood of the group staging a comeback. Premier Wickremesinghe said that he sought clarification from the police …
By Dharisha Bastians After the success of his dissident May Day rally that drew huge crowds to Kirulapone at the beginning of the week, former President and Kurunegala District lawmaker Mahinda Rajapaksa was on the receiving end of a rude shock on Monday (2) morning. Hundreds of buses had entered the capital Colombo from remote …
By Dasun Edirisinghe The Joint Opposition yesterday said removing the army commandos from former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s security contingent posed a major threat to his life, while several moves had been made to revive LTTE activities. Addressing the media at the Dr N. M. Perera Centre in Borella, former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. …
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa UPFA General Secretary Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Mahinda Amaraweera (SLFP) yesterday endorsed the National Security Council’s (NSC) decision to assign police personnel to the security detail of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in place of army commandos withdrawn on May 02. He said it was the NSC’s prerogative to decide on …
By Ashwin Hemmathagama The investigation report on Tuesday’s brawl in Parliament recommends stern action against Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Cultural Affairs PalithaThearapperuma and UPFA MP Prasanna Ranaweera. The report was prepared by Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala and the Deputy Chairman of Committees MP Selvam Adaikkalanathan yesterday by analysing the CCTV footage …
By P.K.Balachandran As part of its policy to relieve the army from civilian and internal policing duties, the Maithripala Sirisena government in Sri Lanka has taken the army off VVIP security duties and has given the task entirely to the police, especially the police commandos designated as the Special Task Force (STF). But the decision …
Sri Lanka’s former army chief told parliament Tuesday that a bomb blast apparently targeting former president Mahinda Rajapakse’s brother 10 years ago was an “inside job” to win sympathy for the then-ruling family. Sarath Fonseka, now a government legislator, said the December 2006 bomb attack blamed on separatist Tamil Tiger rebels had been stage-managed by …
By Saman Indrajith A row broke out in Parliament yesterday leading to the suspension of sittings and sending several MPs to parliament medical room after the government had turned down a Joint Opposition request to reverse its decision to reduce the security provided to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Several MPs including UNP Kegalle District MP …
By Saman Indrajith Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said yesterday that he had assigned Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala and Deputy Chairman of Committees Selvam Adaikalanathan to hold an investigation into the yesterday’s fracas in Parliament and submit a report immediately. Addressing the House soon after it had been summoned following a free-for-all over the reduction of security …
By Dr.Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Recent developments in the North and East have raised concerns on the one hand of a purported LTTE revival and on the other about the continued use of the PTA to arrest Tamil citizens and of the modalities of the arrests being reminiscent of the Rajapaksa era. Some 23 Tamil civilians have …
Continue reading ‘The Federal Party or ITAK Have Been Espousing Federalism Since Inception’ »
By Gomin Dayasri Crowds do not mean much at May Day rallies but MP’s on stage read the minds of the voters. An elected-not a nominated-MP sits at a rally where his constituents want to vote for him. A snapshot of a difference between the North and South. One thing is for sure –the peoples’ …
By Vishwamithra1984 “The object of terrorism is terrorism. The object of oppression is oppression. The object of torture is torture. The object of murder is murder. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?” ~George Orwell, 1984 Most men and women in Sri Lanka are ‘reasonable’ individuals. Whether they come …
Continue reading ‘Prabhakaran Was No Hero But a TERRORIST And The LTTE Was His Private Army’ »
By C. A. Chandraprema May Day this year was different to any previous May Day that we can remember, because this became a test of strength among the contending political formations in the country. Perhaps this ‘test of strength’ element may have been present at previous May Days as well, but it was never so …
By Norman Palihawadane Police Media Unit has been suspended by IGP Pujith Jayasundara with immediate effect. He gave orders to suspend the unit and initiate an investigation against its officials for speaking to the media with regard to key suspects connected to the Chavakachcheri explosive haul fleeing to India. Reprimanding ASP Gunasekera for making comments …
By Saman Indrajith Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday asked new Secretary to the Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Nimal Bopage to refrain making political statements. PM Wickremesinghe summoned Bopage to Temple Trees yesterday morning and questioned him on the latter’s recent press statement urging the media not to use the term ‘Joint Opposition’.
By Ranga Jayasuriya Every Tom, Dick and Harry in this country wants to teach journalists a thing or two about how they ought to do their work. Those self-interested busybodies range from the bigwigs at the very top of the government to the Kachcheri clerks in the periphery and the NGO captains of civil society …
Continue reading ‘Why Do Many People Think They Know Journalism Better Than Journalists?’ »
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene With a woeful history of repressive state regulation of the media still fresh in our collective memory, the ‘Yahapalanaya’ Government’s announcement this month that it will set up an ‘independent authority to regulate the electronic media’ caused many to jib nervously and shy away. Unconvincingly persuasive explanations Apparently the proposed authority …
By C.A.Chandraprema Relations between the government and a section of the media are obviously strained. For some time now the prime minister has been criticizing the media both in and outside parliament often naming names. The president joined the prime minister soon afterwards speaking critically in an interview with the BBC about the web based …
Former President and Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday vowed to continue with the ongoing campaign against the government regardless of consequences. The former SLFP leader was addressing the Joint Opposition rally at Kirulapone. In spite of dire warnings by President Maithripla Sirisena, over 46 UPFA members of parliament joined the rally. MPs Vasudeva Nanayakkara …
by Zacki Jabbar Pledging to develop the economy and provide more relief to the people, UNP leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday in Colombo that a new salary structure incorporating the Cost of Living would be introduced. Wickremesinghe, who usually makes the penultimate speech at UNP May Day rallies, came up the order …
by Dasun Edirisinghe reporting from Galle Stressing the need to reorganise the party to form a clean political movement, President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday invited everyone to join him to form an SLFP-led government in the future. He said the SLFP led UPFA had been defeated at two major elections last year, but would work for …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday said that Sri Lanka would introduce a new anti-terrorism law on the lines of the British. The proposed law would replace the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Premier Wickremesinghe said, adding that he had authorised the use of PTA to facilitate the ongoing investigations into the recovery of …
by Nirmala Kannangara Should all crimes of a wharf clerk turned CEO Mihin be ignored just because he now turns state witness against the Rajapaksas? Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, former Monitoring MP, External Affairs Ministry, who stands accused of mass-scale fraud, unpaid loans, criminality and unfulfilled promises during the Rajapaksa regime, is back in the …
Nirmala Kannangara, Features Editor and Investigative Journalist of The Sunday Leader Newspaper, received the 2015 Inquirer Award for the Best Investigative Journalist in print media by the Thompson Foundation last evening at the Jubilee Hall, Galle Face Hotel, Colombo.
By Sunday Times Political Editor From Bangkok When Captain Kolitha Ekanayake took off on a SriLankan Airlines Airbus A 330-200 the previous Saturday morning to Bangkok, no one realised that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who was on board, was flying into a serious controversy. From a front row seat in the Business Class he watched …
By C. A. Chandraprema History will be made before the day ends today on May Day and we Sri Lankans will be seeing a phenomenon that no previous generation has seen hitherto. This will be the occupation of the opposition space by a new political entity. There have been breakaway groups from the government earlier …
By Rasika Jayakody When President Maithripala Sirisena walked into a meeting with newspaper editors and media heads at the President’s House on Wednesday morning, he looked calm and confident. The timing of the meeting was crucial as it fell four ahead of May Day – a day exploited by Sri Lankan political parties. This year, …
By Prof. Mano Kumarasuriyar Much has been said and written about the 65,000 houses programme being proposed by the Government. Its critics claim it to be an improperly conceived national expenditure with relatively high opportunity costs. On the other hand, its proponents, the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Resettlements, in particular, say those who criticise the …
By Taylor Dibbert On Thursday in Washington, the United States and Sri Lanka held an important meeting focused on trade, investment, and the broader direction of bilateral economic relations. Samantha Power, U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, even flew in from New York City to attend the event. Power’s prepared remarks are as upbeat …
(Remarks made by Ambassador Samantha Power , US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a United States-Sri Lanka Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Council Meeting on April 28th 2016.) There were two reasons that I flew down from New York at the crack of dawn this morning to join you. The first is that …
By Vishwamithra1984 “The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it”. ~Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for the umpteenth time has resorted to its …
(Text of Statement Issued by Former President and current Kurunegala District Parliamentarian Mahinda Rajapaksa) No state can exist without taxes. A government needs revenue to carry out its functions and taxes are charged not only on the incomes of the rich but on goods and services used by the general population as well. Even essential …
By Shamindra Ferdinando President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday declared that his goal was to thwart his immediate predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa’s bid to return to power. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution was meant to scuttle his predecessor’s political project, the SLFP leader said. President Sirisena was responding to a query by The Island at a media …
By Dharisha Bastians Hitting out against the ‘camp controversy’ yesterday, the main opposition Tamil National Alliance rejected claims that its leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan had forced his way into a military camp in Kilinochchi and said the Opposition Leader had complained to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that the army was illegally occupying land owned by private …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Alleging that a section of the media had thrown their weight behind his predecessor whom he described as an uncompromising and scheming person, President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday alleged that the media seemed to be wanting an authoritarian ruler again. Addressing the proprietors, top management as well as journalists from both public and …
By Chathushika Wijeyesinghe “Daily Mirror” Interviews Leader of the Opposition and Tamil National Alliance Leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan on Current Issues. Excerpts from the Interview Q. During the last few days the media was highlighting your visit to an Army camp and the fuss some sections of the Joint Opposition was making about it. There had …
By Malinda Seneviratne Canagasabapathy Visuvalingam Wigneswaran has a lot of opinions. To him, Veluppillai Prabhakaran is a hero. He is entitled to that view — after all some people swear by God and some by the devil. C.V. Wigneswaran is not thanking anyone for the fact that he can actually issue statements from Jaffna without …
BY DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA As always Tamil nationalism has overreached; acted unilaterally and overplayed its hand. As always this overestimation based on (congenitally?) misplaced arrogance undermines its Sinhala moderate counterparts and negotiating partners. This has been so for decades, from the anti-Sri campaign of 1957 which undermined the B-C Pact, through the Vardarajaperumal NEPC’s confrontational …
BY JENNY YUEN TORONTO – A Tamil film has been pulled by big-wig movie theatre corporation Cineplex following three GTA attacks involving a pepper spray-like substance. Theatres in Brampton, Scarborough and Mississauga were evacuated Friday night around 7:20 p.m. because of similar attacks during screening of the action movie Theri. A few people were treated …
BY CHRIS DOUCETTE Three GTA movie theatres were cleared out around the same time Friday night because of starkly similar attacks involving a pepper spray-like substance. Both Toronto Police and Peel Regional Police are aware of the similar theatre scares that happened around the same time in neighbouring jurisdictions and say investigators are looking into …
By P K Balachandran A combination of international and domestic factors had resulted in the Sri Lankan economy seeing a decline in 2015 as compared to 2014, as per the report of the island nation’s Central Bank for the year 2015. The report presented to President Mathripala Sirisena by Governor Arjuna Mahendran here on Tuesday, …
By Upul Joseph Fernando Subsequent to his defeat his first trip abroad was to Thailand. However, Mahinda had thought he could make his first overseas trip subsequent to his defeat to China. He had even set aside the dates for that trip, but he did not receive an invitation to tour China. From the day …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “…a submissive and supine professional elite must first recover its spirit and spine and then renew its commitment to nation and people.” — Mervyn de Silva, ‘Foreign Policy’, Sunday Observer October 14, 1990 Anyone has a right to call for federalism but not in every which way and anywhere they like. If …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Strongly denying accusations regarding Opposition and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan, MP and a group, forcibly entering an army camp at Kilinochchi on April 16, TNA spokesperson M.A. Sumanthiran yesterday called for an urgent review of public property still occupied by the military. Jaffna District MP Sumanthiran insisted that Trincomalee …
By Hemantha Randunu The Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) yesterday took into custody former LTTE Trincomalee District intelligence head, Thillaiarasan, to question in connection with the explosives found in a house in Chavakachcheri last month. Prior to his arrest another Tiger leader, known as ‘Ram’ was taken into custody. Ram was formerly commander of the Amparai …
By Gamini Akmeemana Ragging is back in the news! Several articles have appeared recently, including one by columnist Ranga Jayasuriya who wrote about his own experiences as a rag victim at university. His experience vis-a-vis a Vice Chancellor rang a bell as I recalled, what a friend told me some time back. As someone who …
By Chathuri Dissanayake The government is calling for proposals from interested parties to enter into a business venture with the national carrier SriLankan Airlines, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said. The Finance Ministry has already been instructed to call for expressions of interest for investment in the national carrier or enter into a partnership. The national …
By P.K.Balachandran Leaders of Sri Lankan Tamil political parties have appealed to Tamil Nadu leaders not to use the Lankan Tamil issue for mudslinging in the run up to the State Nadu Assembly elections. “For God’s sake, please drop the Lankan Tamil issue during your highly charged election campaign. Let’s talk after elections,” tweeted Mano …
By Taylor Dibbert People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) has recently published a timely report. The document is based upon field research that was conducted in January 2016 and will be of interest to anyone trying to make sense of the new government’s performance since Maithripala Sirisena assumed the presidency in January 2015, …
Continue reading ‘The Inconvenient Truth About Sri Lanka’s North and East’ »
by Hemantha Randunu Police investigations into a complaint that a group of more than 50 persons led by Opposition and TNA Leader R Sampanthan forcibly entering an army camp at Paravipachchan in Kilinochchi on April 16 have been stalled as the army has been ordered not to pursue the case. Police said yesterday that officers …
by Saman Indrajith Tamils should not harbour any hopes of solutions for their problems through a federal set up in the North and the East, the Frontline Socialist Party said yesterday. Propaganda Secretary of the FSP Pubudu Jagoda, addressing a press conference at the Centre for Society and Religion in Maradana, said the TNA was …
By Sirimantha Ratnasekera Skills Development and Vocational Training Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe yesterday said nobody could enter an army camp without obtaining prior permission. Addressing a press conference at the Department of Government Information, the minister said that there were procedures to be followed when someone entered an army camp.
By Laksiri Fernando “How is an antagonism to be resolved? By making it impossible.”– Karl Marx There is no mystery about ethnicity. Ethnicity is a product of social history and there is no eternity about it. Evolution of a language, sometimes a religion or religious beliefs, living together in a geographical proximity, development of a …
By Harsha Amarasinghe CT Sports: The Sri Lanka netball team is expected to take part in the Asian Championship in July with a fairly inexperienced and weak side sans any senior players. Sri Lanka Netball Association (SLNA) sent a similar side to the World Cup in Australia last year who ended up losing all their …
The JVP yesterday said a Central Bank racket had resulted in a huge loss to the Employee’s Provident Fund (EPF). Addressing a press conference held at party headquarters former JVP MP cum convenor of the Anti-Corruption Voice, Wasantha Samarasinghe alleged that a company owned by a person close to the Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesperson M. A. Sumanthiran, MP yesterday told The Island that a resolution seeking the re-merger of the Eastern Province with the Northern Province adopted by the TNA-led Northern Provincial Council (NPC) on Friday (April 22) could be considered by the government as well as all other political parties …
By Cyril Wimalasurendre Extremists were asking for federalism. Such moves should not be taken so seriously. They must be ignored, said Higher Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella in Kandy on Saturday 23. The Minister said the media should not should not use such demands to set the country ablaze. Addressing the media, Minister Kiriella …
By Harischandra Gunaratna and Dhammika Salawathura Leader of Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, Udaya Gammanpila yesterday said that leader of the Tamil National Alliance R. Sampandan and some members of his party who threatened national security recently by trying to forcibly enter the army’s Gajaba detachment in Paravipachchan in Killinochchi and threatened the officers and thus obstructed …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for creating a liberal culture in our universities. A noble goal, indeed. Still better if he advocates a liberal society at large in this country. That would be much easier since his government has at its disposal a parliamentary majority to make laws and policy and …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene The regular posturing by the so-called Rajapaksa-led Joint Opposition calling for the upholding of democratic rights in Sri Lanka must be treated with the rightful contempt that it deserves. Condemning hypocritical posturing Even as sanctimonious hypocrisy drips off the tongues of these worthies when they speak with fervor on multifarious topics, …
By Rasika Jayakody Pujith Jayasundara, now a household name, made history last week as the first Sri Lakan Police Chief appointed by the Constitutional Council set up under the provisions of the 19th Amendment. The Police Department, an efficient and a well-respected body at the time Sri Lanka received Independence from British rule, was systematically …
Editors and media figures as well as intellectuals and scholars from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, UK, US, Australia and Sri Lanka have called for the release of Himal editor and prominent Nepali journalist Kanak Mani Dixit who was arrested yesterday in Katmandu by anti-graft officials. The following is the text of the statement: It is with …
By Gouri Chatterjee The year was 2001 but the twin towers in New York were still standing. We could afford to be interested in, no, fascinated by the story of one man’s fortitude in the face of extreme adversity, surviving a dangerous fall in the Himalayas, living not only to tell the tale but going …
By Gagani Weerakoon President Maithripala Sirisenain at his home town Polonnaruwa addressing his people to greet them for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year said that he will not allow so-called economic experts to burden the public with increased taxes. He added that some experts are not aware of the suffering of the people and …
By C.A.Chandraprema As the political atmosphere in the South heated up with all the issues relating to May Day, another bombshell came from the north with the Northern Provincial Council adopting a resolution calling for a federal state for the north and east. Though the government kicked off the constitutional reform process earlier this month, …
By Chris Kamalendran Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando has directed the board of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) to ensure that the ministry is kept informed of all transactions and projects ensuring transparency. The directive came amidst growing differences between the minister and the board as to who was in charge of the multi-million …
By C.A.Chandreprema Never in living memory has a May Day rally assumed such importance. From the time things began limping back to normal after the extended New Year holidays, the topic of discussion even in the news bulletins has been the May Day rally organized by the Joint Opposition. Those who talk about May Day …
The Constitutional Council’s selection of a new IGP through a secret ballot carried out in the absence of two of the three civil society representatives was slammed Saturday as a “historic blunder.” An activist group known as Decent Lanka 2015 which includes journalist Kusal Perera and lawyer Srinath Perera accused the CC chaired by Speaker …
The South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) organization has expressed deep concern over the arrest and detention of prominent Journalist and Human rights activist Kanak Mani Dixit in Nepal. SAHR has urged the government of Nepal to immediately release Mr. Dixit The text of a press release issued by SAHR is as follows – SAHR …
By Dinasena Ratugamage The Northern Provincial Council yesterday passed a resolution sponsored by the TNA to urge the government to introduce provisions to the proposed new constitution enabling the merger of the North and the East and granting federalism. The TNA had appointed a special committee which met people and representatives of civil organisations in …
by Shamindra Ferdinando The SLFP yesterday announced plans to hold interviews next week to select electoral organisers in an obvious bid to discourage dissidents, particularly members of Provincial Councils from attending Joint Opposition May Day rally at Kirulapone. SLFP General Secretary and Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake yesterday said that the first round of interviews would …
Full Text of Bandaranaike – Chelvanayagam Pact, 1957 Part A Representatives of the Federal Party have had a series of discussions with the Prime Minister in an effort to resolve the differences of opinion that had been growing and creating tension. At an early stage of these conversations it became evident that it was not …
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs has issued a statement in response to criticism levelled against the Govt approved project of constructing 65,000 houses for war affected civilians in the North through Arcelor Mittal owned by Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal In the statement issued by the ministry …
By P.K.Balachandran The Sri Lankan Ministry of Resettlement on Friday defended its controversial decision to ask ArcelorMittal, owned by Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, to build 65,000 houses for the war displaced in the Tamil-speaking Northern and Eastern Provinces. Among the bidders, only ArcelorMittal had the required financial wherewithal, and the houses which it is …
By Winston de Valliere While Political parties and Trade Unions flex their muscles to observe May Day in just a week’s time, the enormity of the explosive emotions sizzling just beneath the surface of the two major political parties can be expected to manifest themselves in grandstanding such as that seen in the days of …
By Chamodi Gunawardana Following discussions at the Cabinet meeting, VAT exemptions have been made to several sectors, including essential goods, medicines and electricity, in an attempt to protect the public with taxes, the Government said yesterday. The exemptions came after President Maithripala Sirisena urged the Government not to burden the public with taxes, State Finance …
By P.K.Balachandran The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has reported an improvement in the human rights situation in Sri Lanka since Maithripala Sirisena was elected President in January 2015, though people in the Tamil-speaking North and East continued to face some harassments reminiscent of the war years. Listing Sri Lanka among the “Human Rights Priority …
By Uditha Jayasinghe The European Commission yesterday decided to propose the lifting of the ban on fisheries exports from Sri Lanka to the European Union, after over a year of engagement with the Government. Sri Lanka’s proposal on Thursday will be discussed by the European Union (EU) Fisheries Council at the next available opportunity; the …
One of Sri Lanka’s foremost filmmakers, D. B. Nihalsingha passed away yesterday afternoon after a brief illness. He was 77. Nihalsingha was the only Sri Lankan to be honoured with the title, ‘Professor in Cinema and Television’ Having made several award winning movies including Welikathara, Maldeniye Simion, Ridee Nimnaya and Kelimadala Nihalsingha made the country’s …
Attacks against Christians in Sri Lanka have continued following the change of government in 2015, according to a leading human rights lawyer. A growing number of cases are now linked to local government officials. And Buddhist monks continue to be at the forefront of the persecution. Officials have been closing churches and prayer meetings. There …
By Lorraine Caballero Sri Lankan Christians cannot bury their dead in public cemeteries because Buddhist monks are stopping them from doing so, charity group Release International says. The persecution of Sri Lankan Christians has now reached the level where Buddhist monks have joined forces with nationalists and prevented Christians from burying their dead in public …
Continue reading ‘Buddhist Extremists Block Sri Lankan Christians From Using Public Cemeteries’ »
By Harry Farley Sri Lanka has a turbulent history. From multiple invasions and colonial rule to growing nationalism and ethnic conflict, the small island nation has seen it all. The country’s ’30 year war’ saw violence between the majority Sinhalese ethnic group and the minority Tamil Tiger rebels. However, after the Tamil’s final defeat in …
by Zacki Jabbar The proposal to increase Value Added Tax from 11 to 15 percent would not be imposed on essential items, the government said yesterday. Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne told the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday that there was no difference of opinion between President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on maintaining …
Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundara was appointed as the 34th Inspector General of Police (IGP) by President Maithripala Sirisena today.
By Upul Joseph Fernando There is an amazing similarity between the trip to Sri Lanka by Rajiv Gandhi to sign the Indo-Lanka Agreement in 1987 and the visit to China by Ranil to escape from the Chinese Debt Trap. Ranil’s uncle JR agreed to sign the Indo-Lanka Agreement in 1987 because there was nothing else …
Continue reading ‘Is Nephew Ranil Now Doing to China What His Uncle JR Earlier Did to India?’ »
By Rasika Jayakody “Power is given only to him who dares to stoop and take it … one must have the courage to dare.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky –“Crime and Punishment” Sri Lanka Freedom Party, headed by President Maithripala Sirisena, is now running into a fresh issue with the pro-Rajapaksa group deciding to hold a separate May …
By Dr.Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu In the transition from the populist authoritarian recent past to government conducted with governance, public trust and confidence in institutions and processes of government is pivotal. That trust and confidence is what provides the oxygen for the transition and the reform it entails – a diminution of it constituting a warning sign …
The By Vishwamithra1984 “There is no den in the wide world to hide a rogue. Commit a crime and the earth is made of glass. Commit a crime, and it seems as if a coat of snow fell on the ground, such as reveals in the woods the track of every partridge, and fox, and …
By Harischandra Gunaratna Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday said, according to article 41(C1) of the country’s constitution, when the President recommends someone for a post to the Constitutional Council (CC), the job of the CC was to either endorse it or reject it. A few months ago, Gammanpila recalled that the President …
by Sarah Stodder When I step out of the rain and into the restaurant, Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran is already waiting for me. Though I’m seven minutes early, I arrive to find the exiled Sri Lankan lawyer, known to his compatriots as Rudra, sitting at a corner table and peacefully watching the deluge outside. We’re within walking …
By Ranga Jayasuriya The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) spokesperson wound up the year on the Sinhala calendar in an ugly style. A day before the ‘Parana Avurudda’, Dr. Nalinda Herath, the GMOA’s General Secretary took cheap advantage of a reported detection of a malaria patient, who happened to be an Indian worker in Sri …
President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday vowed not to allow any tax increases that would burden the general public. Addressing a ceremony at Polonnaruwa to mark the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, the President said there were media reports that the government was preparing to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) on essential commodities. But, he would …
By Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha (Text of a presentation by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha at the ‘Afkar-e-Taza: Rescuing the Past, Shaping the Future’ Seminar held in Lahore on April 3rd 2016) The world seems to be at boiling point at present given the increasing impact of terrorist activity. Civilian populations are subject to ruthless attacks in Africa, the …
Tamil National alliance Leader and Leader of the Opposition Rajavarothayam Sampanthan has expressed concerns over the envisaged project by arcelor Mittal to construct 65,000 houses for war displaced families in the north and has urged the Government to urgently review the proposed govt initiative. Sampanthan in a letter sent to President Maithripala Sirisena has acknowledged …
By K. Godage An Open Letter to the President, and the Prime Minister Your Excellencies, Tamil Nadu appears determined to annex Sri Lanka. This news is certainly not the most auspicious note on which to commence our New Year. The Indian Union Minister Radhakrishnan had said this week that the Centre was firm in its …
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN Veteran Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, aged 93, has been admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. “Dilip Kumarji was admitted to Lilavati hospital at 2am on Saturday with respiratory problems. He’s not in ICU (Intensive Care Unit),” Dr Jalil Parkar of Lilavati hospital told ANI news agency. “Doctors are keeping a close …
India and Sri Lanka could soon finalise an agreement for building a bridge connecting both the countries, Indian union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday. “The project is under consideration, it is under discussion. But nothing has been finalised,” Mr Gadkari told journalists at the Foreign Correspondents Club in New …