By Shamindra Ferdinando Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris has expressed serious concern over the government considering a general amnesty for LTTE cadres in custody, particularly those who had been convicted on terrorism charges. Prof. Peiris said that the government stand should be examined against the backdrop of a 17-year-old boy taking his …
By Madura Ranwala The Fort Magistrate yesterday remanded till Dec. 14 Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, former chairman of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over alleged transfer of Rs. 5 mn to a sports promoting enterprise affiliated with Tharunyata Hetak NGO during the previous administration. The alleged transaction took place in 2013. The NGO headed by UPFA …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Island” of December 8th 2015 Under the heading “MR’s security”) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is faced with serious threats due to the curtailment of his security and the release of hardcore Tigers, his office has said. The government has sought to deny this claim. The despicable practice of governments …
By Bandula Jayasekara One morning the then Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga called and asked me, “What have you done? President, Gotabahya and Sarath Fonseka are very angry. What has the journalist you helped visit Sri Lanka written. He has written what General Fonseka didn’t say?” I requested Lalith to calm down and explained …
By Ru Kariyawasam Kurukkal P. Sivaloganathan, Chairman of the Association of Hindu Priests of Jaffna, says that the Sri Lanka Army was blessed by gods and won the war as soldiers refrained from eating beef while the members of their counterpart, the LTTE, ate beef and perished. Hindus venerate the cow and despise the practice …
By By P.K.Balachandran Four Muslim Members of Parliament, including a cabinet Minister, shouted down Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A.Sumanthiran, when he mentioned the term “Shariah” while speaking in parliament on Friday on a Saudi Arabian court’s order to “stone to death” a Lankan women for committing adultery. The 43 year old Lankan woman, a …
By Ranga Jayasuriya A Saudi Shariah court has sentenced one of our women there to death by stoning. Her offence was indulging in a sexual liaison out of wedlock with a fellow Sri Lankan. (The man has also been sentenced to 100 lashes)In general, sex is a personal matter of adult individuals, in which the …
by Dr A.C.Visvalingam On 27 September 2015, the SUNDAY ISLAND published an article titled “THE FIRST 260 DAYS OF THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT” sent by the Citizens’ Movement for Good Governance (CIMOGG) regarding what were then seen as the pluses and the minuses of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government during its first 260 days in power. At that …
By C.A.Chandraprema The first budget of the new government has run into stiff opposition from trade unions, farmers’ organisations and the like – a situation that was hardly unexpected given the provisions in the budget. This is probably the first time in living memory that a budget has encountered such resistance and all the signs …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene In a major ironical twist unfolding before our eyes, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga has seen fit to wax eloquent on the importance of judicial integrity this week. Addressing a press conference, she is reported to have said that, over the last decade, the Sri Lankan public in general and she in …
By Rasika Jayakody When President Maithripala Sirisena, former General Secretary of the SLFP, visited Paris before the Parliamentary election in 2010, the Paris Branch of his party was bitterly divided. Both factions of the Paris Branch of the SLFP attempted to hold separate meetings with the then General Secretary of the party who was visiting …
President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered the immediate withdrawal of an Army security contingent of some 500 personnel assigned to his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa. The move came after ministers, at their weekly meeting on Wednesday night, discussed a report by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake. In terms of the report, former President Rajapaksa had been assigned 130 …
The Financial Crimes Division sent out fresh teams yesterday to arrest Nalaka Godahewa, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He is wanted in connection with the SEC transfer of five million rupees to Tharunyata Hetak (A tomorrow for youth), an organisation headed by Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa. According to investigations the money said …
The Police Financial Crimes Investigations Division is to arrest Nalaka Godahewa, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under charges pertaining to financial irregularities, authoritative Police sources said. They also added that Police could not locate the former SEC Chairman’s whereabouts to arrest him yesterday. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed Godahewa as SEC …
Former President and Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa who spoke in Parliament for the first time since his election as an MP said yesterday that some who allege about wrongdoings during his regime remained silent then. “Some of them were even ministers in my Cabinet,” he said. Mr. Rajapaksa who responded to a statement by …
By Ashwin Hemmathagama Assuring the nation that national security was still his first priority while efforts were being made to advance reconciliation and harmony between all communities, President Maithripala Sirisena joined the Committee Stage debate of the Ministry of Defence yesterday. President Sirisena, who holds the Defence portfolio, condemned the use of extremist rhetoric in …
By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya “It is absolutely right to take decisive action against terrorists when they threaten the lives of innocent citizens.” The speaker of these words was not former president Mahinda Rajapaksa or anyone in his government, but British Prime Minister David Cameron, expressing solidarity with French President Francois Hollande in the wake of the …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Island” of December 5th 2015 under the Heading “Fish or cut bait!) No sooner had Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake claimed that there were journalists among 300 ‘outsiders’ who had benefited from Avant Garde largesse, than Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said a dozen journalists had been on the …
(Text of Speech made in Parliament on December 3rd 2015 by Leader of the Opposition and Trincomalee district parliamentarian Rajavarothayam Sampanthan) ගරු රාජවරෝදියම් සම්පන්දන් මහතා (විරුද්ධ පාර්ශ්වයේ නායකතුමා) (மாண்புமிகு இராஜவரோதியம் சம்பந்தன் – எதிர்க்கட்சி முதல்வர்) (The Hon. Rajavarothiam Sampanthan – Leader of the Opposition) Mr. Chairman, I am happy to start the Debate, on which a …
Leader of the opposition of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) S.Thavarajah has reported to the Auditor General that the Northern Provincial Council has been flouting the Financial Regulations in the Financial Management of the NPC. In his letter to the Auditor General dated 01.12.2015 he has stated as follows- The NPC entered into an agreement …
by Zacki Jabbar Only about five percent of employees in the public service are proficient in Tamil as the national language policy has not been implemented, says former President and current Chairperson of the Office For National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), Chandrika Kumaratunga. She told a news conference in Colombo on Tuesday that on ONUR’s …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The government has sought an opportunity urgently to make representations to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding a Sri Lankan woman sentenced to be stoned to death on a charge of adultery. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera made the appeal on Wednesday (Dec. 2) during a hastily arranged meeting in Parliament with the …
By M.S.M.Ayub After May 2009 a youth from the Tamil Community has taken his life for a ‘cause,’ according to Tamil politicians and Tamil media. Rajeswaran Senthuran, a 17-year-old student of Kokkuvil Hindu College in Jaffna had allegedly committed suicide by jumping in front of an express train from Colombo on November 26, a sentimentally …
By Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe As citizens of Sri Lanka we know only two facts about the ‘Nameless Dying Woman’ in Saudi Arabia. One, that she is a Sri Lankan and two that in a few days she will be stoned to death. (The informal news was that the execution is to take place on Dec …
By Taylor Dibbert The Sri Lankan government recently released its proposed budget for the coming year. It’s been met with an array of responses. Some commentators have questioned the calculations which the government has made, including over fundamental matters such as tax revenue. Kusal Perera, a Colombo-based journalist, says that “most numbers are fake or …
By Charumini de Silva A confident Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday sounded determined to lead Sri Lanka to achieve higher socioeconomic growth, despite looming external shocks. In remarks at the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) followed by the ringing of the market opening bell yesterday, the Premier warned of Sri Lanka …
By Saman Indrajith Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera brought in some photographs of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Chamber yesterday as evidence to prove his allegation that the previous regime had secret deals with the LTTE and Tamil Diaspora. Holding up the photographs during his speech at the second reading debate on budget proposals the …
By Saman Indrajith The second reading stage debate was passed with a majority of 107 votes in Parliament yesterday. It received 159 votes for and 52 against. Thirteen Mmembers were absent. The vote was taken at 5.25 pm at the end of second reading stage debate that commenced on Nov. 21. The debate on the …
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN Chennai and several coastal areas of Tamil Nadu were today marooned in flood waters following incessant heavy rains that pounded the city and the neighbouring districts cutting the state capital from rail and road links. The airport was shut down till Thursday morning with at least 700 passengers stranded. According to …
by Zacki Jabbar Former President and Head of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation Chandrika Kumaratunga said in Colombo yesterday that the Special Court to be established shortly to inquire into alleged war crimes would examine the actions of those in the main line of command and not soldiers who were only carrying out …
By Ashwin Hemmathagama Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday staunchly defended his Government’s maiden budget, urging Parliamentarians on both sides of the aisle to think out of the box and put aside traditional political rivalries to back the appropriation bill for 2016. The Budget for 2016 presented by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake late last month has …
By Taylor Dibbert I was wrong about Donald Trump. I never thought things would go this far. I never thought the Republican primary would get this out of hand. “He doesn’t have a chance,” I told people. “He’s an absolute joke.” “He’s just a narcissist who can’t help himself.” “Republicans are never going to get …
Continue reading ‘Obnoxious Donald Trump Exemplifies the Worst of America’ »
(Text of an Editorial Appearing in the “Daily News”of December 1st 2015 under the heading – Partners in crime ; “War Heroes” must face the music) There is today a misplaced notion propagated by the pro Rajapaksa Opposition that our soldiers should not be arrested, whatever misdemeanours on their part. True to form, at the …
A top-level meeting President Maithripala Sirisena held with a group of senior Army officers has ruffled feathers in the defence and security establishment. Neither Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiaratchchi nor Army Commander Lt. Gen. Chrisanthe de Silva had prior knowledge of the meeting. Most of the nine senior officers who met President Sirisena at a hotel …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Last week, there was an interesting article in this newspaper that weighed favourably the merits of legalizing prostitution. That media, rights groups and civil society in general are viewing those complex issues in an increasingly pragmatic way — finally having overcome the dominant yet arcane moralistic posture — is a sign of …
Continue reading ‘Many good reasons for legalizing prostitution in Sri Lanka!’ »
Questions are being raised over the craving by Mobitel, which is listed for sale by the Government, for Hutch Sri Lanka’s operations at an exorbitant price. In the unity Government’s maiden Budget presented a fortnight ago, Mobitel was included among state companies which will be divested via the Colombo stock market. Despite pending state divestiture, …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, yesterday rejected calls for cancelling the appointment of a retired High Court judge as High Court Commissioner to expedite hearing of cases pertaining to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) as well as Emergency Regulations. Minister Rajapakshe was responding to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) …
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday criticised the Unity Government over its maiden Budget saying it was full of catastrophic proposals that would destroy the economy whilst claims of higher expenditure on education were not true either. Expressing his views at a media conference held at the Narahenpita Abayarama, Rajapaksa listed six specific proposals which …
Cinnamon Grand staff launched an undercover operation at a wedding reception to locate a missing ring, not of the couple, but their main VIP guest, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. A search for the gem-studded ring, one of many worn by the former leader, was launched discreetly at the Oak Room of the hotel on Friday …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “It is no better for a nation than for a single man to gain the whole world if it loses its soul.; and they also forget that they are sacrificing not just themselves for their patriotism (or what they think is patriotism) but also their country.” Sebastian Haffner (Defying Hitler) The extremists …
by Dr.Devanesan Nesiah Are we progressing towards Good Governance? I wish I could answer this question with an unqualified yes, but I cannot. There has been significant progress on several issues, but also stagnation and even regression on several others. The gap between our hopeful expectations and the emerging reality is widening. Like, perhaps a …
by Harriet Gibsone Most artists would be incapable of approaching a subject as serious as the refugee crisis in song. Not MIA, however, whose new album is on course to politicise pop once again. “The world I talked about 10 years ago is still the same,” she recently posted on Twitter. “That’s why it’s hard …
Calling for the release of Tamil political prisoners, Rajeswaran Senthuran, an 18-year-old student of Kokuvil Hindu College committed suicide by jumping in front of a train at the Kondavil Railway station yesterday. The boy had written a letter in Tamil to President Maithripala Sirisena demanding the immediate release of all Tamil political prisoners without further …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Even with all the crestfallen realism which now informs the public mood close upon one year into the classic curate’s egg performance of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government, there is some cause for optimism. ‘Hard’ questions of democratic governance are forcefully and publicly interrogated as opposed to earlier discussions which took place in …
(Text of Speech made in Parliament on November 28th 2015 by Leader of the Opposition and Tamil National Alliance Trincomalee District MP Rajavarothayam Sampanthan) ගරු රාජවරෝදියම් සම්පන්දන් මහතා (විරුද්ධ පාර්ශ්වයේ නායකතුමා) (மாண்புமிகு இராஜவரோதியம் சம்பந்தன் – எதிர்க்கட்சி முதல்வர்) (The Hon. Rajavarothiam Sampanthan – Leader of the Opposition) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An alliance Government with the …
Six suspects including former DIG Vass Gunawardena and his son Ravindu were yesterday sentenced to death after being found guilty for the abduction and murder of businessman Mohamed Siyam in 2013, by the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar. The verdict of the high-profile case was delivered by the Trial-at-Bar comprising Colombo High Court Judge Lalith Jayasuriya …
By Madura Ranwala The Kopay police have launched an investigation into an 18-year-old boy committing suicide after some people claimed that he had taken his life demanding the immediate release of political prisoners held in the South. The police said that the claim had been made on the basis of a letter allegedly written by …
By Prof. G.L.Peiris “One of the most senior Ministers of the Government in a public speech in his home constituency has declared that Yahapalanaya is in tatters and that even the debris cannot be found. It is quite obvious that this is the reality on the ground. The question, however, is whether, leaving Yahapalanaya aside, …
Continue reading ‘Anatomy of “Yahapalanaya”( Nallaatchi/Good Governance)’ »
BY BANDULA JAYASEKARA The government has been singing hosannas for America’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samantha Power, who was here on a brief visit. Is Samantha Power genuine genuinely interested in Sri Lanka or government politicians are gullible? Is Sri Lanka bending over backwards to please the US? Power, who had a strained …
By M.S.M.Ayub It is doubtful whether the government has got its priorities right in respect of reconciliation, given the emphasis it has placed on matters pertaining to the Tamil diaspora. Soon after the January 8 regime change, Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera had planned a diaspora festival to be held in December which was later …
Continue reading ‘Placing Too Much of Trust in Diaspora Groups so Early May Lead to Blunders’ »
by Saman Indrajith Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, yesterday said the government wouldn’t release those who had been convicted on terrorism charges. He stressed that those who had been charged in courts, too, wouldn’t released. The President’s Counsel was responding to an allegation that the release of hardcore LTTE terrorists would pose a serious threat …
By Manushi Silva Activist of the Frontline Socialist Party Premakumar Gunaratnam alias Kumar Gunaratnam was re-remanded till December 11 when he was produced before Kegalle Magistrate Prasanna Alwis today.
By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya It’s hard to believe that Rex de Silva is no more, he left us too soon at 74. He bid his last farewell in his typical modest fashion – unbeknownst to many, cremated within hours of his death according to his last wishes. No public announcements, fanfare or ceremony. But that will …
By B Sivakumar Japanese Tamil scholar and former president of the International Tamil Research Association Prof Noburo Karashima died of leukemia on Thursday. He was 82. “Prof Karashima died of leukemia. He was planning to visit India in January next, but he cancelled the visit and was later hospitalised,” said Y Subbarayulu, a longtime associate …
Rajamani Gunaratnam, mother of Frontline Socialist Party Premkumar Gunaratnam, has sought the intervention of President Maithripala Sirisena to sort the issue of her son’s Sri Lankan citizenship. She has, in a letter to the President, written as follows – “I am an 80-year-old retired school teacher. I was born in Undugoda in Kegalle and married …
By P.K.Balachandran Only three of the twenty LTTE detainees who were earmarked for rehabilitation prior to release are eligible for rehabilitation, says the Tamil National Alliance MP and alliance spokesman, M.A.Sumanthiran. He told the media here that most of the 20 detainees have more than one case against them and a few have already served …
By Taylor Dibbert In recent days, Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. has really stirred things up in Sri Lanka. She seems to have met virtually all of the key political players and the optics of her visit to the Northern Province were especially good. From the looks of it, Power left the island …
By Dr. Kamal Wickremasinghe The memory of the key event that led to the 2015 regime change––the defection of Maithripala Sirisena from the SLFP a year ago last week––appears to have sunk without trace in the humdrum, moral-free politics of Sri Lanka. The defection that marked the pinnacle of the project to assassinate former president …
By P K Balachandran The Sri Lankan government’s plan to send for rehabilitation and eventual release 217 Tamils detained for alleged links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has run into legal difficulties. On November 17, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, M A Sumanthiran, had said that government would send the first …
By Upul Joseph Fernando A glance to the past of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Presidency that spanned nearly a decade would reveal that there were four female names he mostly disliked. The first of that four was Chandrika Kumaratunga. The second was United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power. The third was United Nations Human …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “The Tamil guerrilla fighters in Sri Lanka first developed the explosive suicide vest…” John Gray- ‘The Soul of the Marionette: A Short Enquiry into Human Freedom’ (2015) France’s President dubbed Syria “the biggest factory of terrorists the world has ever seen”. In his path-breaking study of suicide terrorism, Chicago’s Prof. Robert Pape …
By Gomin Dayasri Friends of Yahapalanaya (good governance) are hard to find and an extinguished breed. Needs to search vainly among the coterie enjoying the spill-offs from the gravy train to spot an unseen, unheard chump. Most holding appointments are not the squeaky clean. The genuine good governance supporters have left in dismay after watching …
By Dharisha Bastians United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power yesterday urged Sri Lankans to be less fearful of digging into a complicated past and turned introspective as she denounced current divisive political rhetoric in her own country in the wake of the Paris attacks, as “outrageous”. “Fear is a bad advisor,” Ambassador …
Dreaded terrorist group ISIS does not consider South Asian Muslims, including Indians, good enough to fight in conflict zone of Iraq and Syria and treated as inferior than Arab fighters but often tricks them and push into suicide attacks. According to an intelligence report prepared by foreign agencies and shared with Indian agencies, fighters from …
by Hasini Rupasinghe Despite the reluctance to openly discuss this subject, is evident that sex workers are abundant in contemporary Sri Lanka. Although they are condemned in terms of cultural and religious aspects, their existence cannot be denied. No rational person would take up sex work over the choice of other work. No girl’s ambition …
By P.K.Balachandran Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that Lanka will not allow other countries to set up naval bases in it. “We would like to reiterate that there would be no naval bases allocated to other countries within Sri Lanka,” Wickremesinghe declared in his keynote address at the 6 the annual international …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges has dropped investigations into at least 15 cases on the grounds that the state didn’t suffer revenue losses due to those transactions. Having completed investigations into 16 cases, the Commission …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Last week, terrorists of the Islamic State butchered 130 men and women in Paris while they were – as one newspaper put it – indulging in life’s innocent pleasures: watching a concert, a football friendly and drinking beer by the roadside. Those terrorists – at least five of them – were identified …
by Upul Kumarapperuma At the time of the campaign for presidency, Maithripala Sirisena and his team advocated for a new political and socio economic culture in the country, which had become the main attraction for the upper middle class, the middle class, and the minorities to cast their vote for electing him as the President. …
By Udaya P. Gammanpila The late President R. Premadasa introduced the free distribution of school uniforms to ensure that poor children would not avoid schooling because of the non-availability of uniforms. Although governments changed several times, nobody stopped this vital project which has immensely contributed to keep Sri Lanka’s literacy rate above the world average. …
Obtaining the approval of the Central Committee members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), which he now leads, to show it was their initiative, President Maithripala Sirisena last Wednesday gave a two-page ‘note’ to his ministers. Titled “Amendments to the Constitution,”He timed it for the week that marked the first year since he quit …
By C.A.Chandraprema The first fully fledged budget of the UNP-SLFP coalition was as cleverly crafted as the circumstances would permit. The government had some difficult reforms to implement not just because the IMF recommended them but because the reforms mentioned in this budget were a prominent part of the UNP’s own parliamentary election manifesto. In …
By Prasad Gunewardene Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, last Friday, unfolded the debut Budget of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government which was people-friendly and development-oriented in nature. While introducing relief to the consumers on several essential food commodities, priority was focused on health and education while taxes were imposed on several sectors and items. Overall the Budget did …
(Significant Highlights of a Draft Resolution that is to be Moved in Parliament by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for the Setting up of the a ‘Constitutional Assembly.to Formulate a Draft Bill to Enact a new Constitution for Sri Lanka) • “THIS HOUSE RESOLVES THAT: There shall be a Committee of Parliament hereinafter referred to as …
By P.K.Balachandran By a gazette extraordinary issued on Friday, the Sri Lankan government lifted the ban on several outfits and individuals previously thought to have been working for the LTTE. On March 21, 2014, 16 organisations and 424 individuals were proscribed under the UN Act No: 45 of 1968. But, the latest gazette notification bans …
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan “So in Sri Lanka’s case, I don’t think anybody’s disputing the right of a sovereign government to put down a rebellion within its territory, never mind one as brutal as the LTTE, but the question is, how you go about doing that and whether you observe the laws in war. Again, …
Continue reading ‘Who is Samantha Power and why is she Visiting Sri Lanka?’ »
BY RASIKA JAYAKODY Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando was livid early this week as he got to know that UNP MP Chathura Senaratne, the son of Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne, visited his ministry in search of some documents pertaining to alleged deals done by the Minister. Senaratne, despite his links with the SLFP, …
By Lakmal Sooriyagoda The Attorney General has filed an indictment in the Colombo High Court against Supreme Court Judge, Sarath de Abrew with committing grave sexual abuse on a domestic helper on or around June 26 this year. The indictment has been filed under two counts on committing grave sexual abuse, which comes under Section …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene There is an uncanny sense of déjà vu in the air. The persistent recalling of worrisome history is pervasive, whether in regard to roguery relating to public funds, ministers appointing relatives to state offices because they are ‘trusted’ or the intimidation of citizens and students. Continuation of an abusive state apparatus …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake The Cabinet approval to go ahead to abolish the Executive Presidency and change the electoral system, is a welcome move to the core of the policies approved by the people in the mandate given to President Maithripala Sirisena in the Presidential Poll of January 8 this year. This should help revive the …
By Taylor Dibbert Samantha Power, America’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), is in India and Sri Lanka from November 18 – 23. In India, she’s set to meet human rights activists, members of civil society and senior government officials. On November 20, she’ll give a speech about UN peacekeeping. While far less significant on …
By Sandasen Marasinghe, Irangika Range and Disna Mudalige The 70th budget, the first ever budget of the National Government presented by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake in Parliament yesterday, proposes to provide relief to people by reducing the prices essential commodities. The budget has been designed to promote rural development, industry development, guarantee the land rights …
The Unity Government yesterday presented what the Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake described as “a Budget for all” providing relief to the masses, the working class and the private sector, initiating reforms , opening up the economy for foreigners and non-residents as well as heavily taxing vices. Government MPs hailed the 2016 Budget but Opposition members …
Northern Province Chief Minister Mr C. V Wigneswaran issued a lengthy explanation yesterday in response to allegations that he acted against the Tamil National Alliance at the General Elections held in 2015. In this regard, I welcome his confirmation of incidents I have highlighted previously. The acceptability or otherwise of his explanations and his interpretations …
By P.K.Balachandran The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID), which has just concluded its visit to Sri Lanka, had discovered a “secret underground detention cum torture center” located in the Lankan naval base at Trincomalee in the Eastern Province. Giving details of the “successful discovery” at a press conference here on Wednesday, …
by Zacki Jabbar The government yesterday set a time frame of six months to abolish the executive presidency through a constituent assembly. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, addressing a news conference at Sirikotha said that the Cabinet of Ministers had unanimously approved proposals by President Maithripala Sirisena to scrap the executive presidency and also introduce a …
by Zacki Jabbar Leader of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), Premakumar Gunaratnam alias Noel Mudalige who was further remanded yesterday for allegedly violating immigration laws by the Kegalle Magistrate, could receive some relief, the government said. “We are exploring the possibility of providing Gunaratnam with some legal relief “, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera told a …
By Saman Indrajith Kegalle Magistrate Prasanna Alwis yesterday ordered Leader of the Frontline Socialist Party Kumar Gunaratnam further remanded till Nov. 27. The order was given when a case against Gunaratnam for violating immigration rules was taken up at the Kegalle Magistrate’s Court yesterday. When the case was taken up all attorneys-at-law present in the …
By Dharisha Bastians Explosive revelations about the ongoing Avant Garde controversy continue to shake the ruling Government, with new audio tapes emerging yesterday that appears to implicate a senior aide to Minister Rajitha Senaratne as accepting a Rs. 5 million bribe from the chairman of the private maritime security company in the dock, Nissanka Senadhipathi. …
(Text of an Editorial appearing in “The Island” of November 18th 2015 under the heading “MR at 70”) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa turns 70 today. Candles must now be costing him more than the cake as Bob Hope famously said. Nothing hurts a politician who has savoured power more than being voted out. Mahinda made …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “I’m sorry Mr. Boucher, what can I do if our terrorists aren’t Islamic?” – President Mahinda Rajapaksa to US Asst. Secretary of State Richard Boucher, May 2007 The terrorist barbarities wrought on Friday the 13th November 2015 in Paris remind us of the Tiger terrorist slaughter of civilians in Naiaru, Kokilai, Anuradhapura, …
By Upul Joseph Fernando It is reported that United Nations Representative of the United States, Samantha Power, is expect to visit Colombo shortly. She may be arriving to evaluate the progress with regard to the Resolution passed at last September sessions of the UNHRC in Geneva. Ahead of her visit to Colombo, a meet was …
By Prasad Gunewardene Buddha’s doctrine is practical and powerful than the executive powers and privileges enjoyed by political leaders and politicians by virtue of being elected to such offices through the votes of the people. Those leaders rule through provisions embedded in Constitutions to either consolidate or protect them. Some use such Constitutions with a …
By Dharisha Bastians President Maithripala Sirisena will present a special cabinet paper today, proposing wide ranging constitutional reform, including the abolition of the executive presidency and major changes to the country’s electoral laws. President Sirisena, who swore upon the coffin of respected Buddhist Monk, Maduluwawe Sobitha last week that he would do everything in his …
By Dasun Edirisinghe Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday warned that the government decision to amend the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) was ill-advised. Addressing the media at the N. M. Perera Centre in Borella, he said that the government had buckled under pressure from the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and the …
A hunger strike launched by the LTTE suspects in four prisons demanding their immediate release has been suspended till Dec. 15. Hunger strikers suspended their action at 8.00 am yesterday following an assurance given to them by Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement, and Hindu Religious Affairs D. M. Swaminathan in the presence of TNA …
By Dasun Edirisinghe Former Minister Wimal Weerawansa said that parties in the joint opposition will consider withdrawing from the All Party Conference (APC) called by President Maithripala Sirisena if the government was not prepared to take decisions on reconciliation and accountability issues based on the APC resolutions. Addressing the media at the N. M. Perera …
by K. Thirukumaran Aside from the intra-Party issues, the first elected Chief Minister of Northern Province is not serving the constituents whom voted him. Mr CV Wigneswaran while in office he has shown “conflicts of interest” with people who are not beneficiaries of the Northern Provincial Council. Instead he is largely giving voice to the …
By Saman Indrajith The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) yesterday announced that it would mobilise all social, civil society and human rights organisations that had pledged their solidarity with them to secure the release of party leader Kumar Gunaratnam, who is now in remand custody for violating immigration laws. Addressing a press conference at the Centre for …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Chairperson of the newly constituted Human Rights Commission (HRC) Dr. Deepika Udagama yesterday assured that she would certainly look into the Attorney General’s Department. Addressing the media at the HRC head office at Kynsey Road, Borella, Dr. Udagama stressed the importance of protecting the independence of the AG’s Department, the judiciary and …
(Text of a Press Release Issued by the Tamil National Alliance Media Office on November 17th 2015) The hunger strike launched by the Tamil political prisoners has been temporarily called off until 15th December 2015. The prisoners have come to this decision following a discussion with Minister D.M Swaminathan, Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian M.A Sumanthiran, …
By Alex Lantier and Barry Grey The terrorist atrocity carried out in Paris by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been seized upon by the United States, France and the other imperialist powers to intensify the policies of war and plunder that destroyed entire societies in the Middle East and created the …
By P K Balachandran The Sri Lankan government has said that it proposed to send Tamil Tiger detainees for rehabilitation before releasing them, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M A Sumanthiran told Express on Monday. Sumanthiran said that at the talks held with the Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayake at the Prime Minister’s office …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Law and Order Minister Tilak Marapana resigned last week after an uproar in the Cabinet, over his perceived pussyfooting on the ongoing investigation into the floating armoury of the Avant Garde Maritime Service Limited (AGMSL). Mr. Marapana’s only ‘offence,’ it appears, that he earlier told Parliament that the considered opinion of the …
By Ernie Dambadeniya People had now realised that the so-called yahapalana government took them for a ride and they were regretting the mistake they made on January 08 after falling for Facebook campaigns, Transport Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said. Addressing a meeting held at the Uva Karandagolla in Ella area on Saturday (14), the …
By Mohamed Haniff Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran says that his party Illankai Tamil Arasu Ka-chchi was “deliberating” on what disciplinary action to initiate with regard to Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran’s refusal to go to Canada and raise funds. The fifty one–year-old MP told The Island yesterday that TNA leader R. Sampanthan …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday alleged that the recently established All Party Conference (APC) to discuss the unanimously adopted Geneva resolution wouldn’t serve any useful purpose. Prof. Peiris claimed that it was nothing but an attempt to deceive the people. “It is very difficult to understand what purpose is …
A senior former official of the Avant Garde Maritime Security Services yesterday said that around 5,000 people have lost their jobs due to the closure of the company. “Around 5,000 people who were employed by the company on direct and indirect capacities have lost their jobs due to the government decision to hand over the …
by Bashana Dissanayake Although higher officials in the government states that all tenders with regard to the supply of weapons to Avant Garde had been cancelled, it is learnt that the government has signed a new agreement with Avant Garde on October 20 this year. The Sunday Leader is in possession of a copy of …
By C.A.Chandraprema The government that came into power promising good governance or yahapalanaya is already showing signs of coming apart at the seams. Even the unexpected demise of Ven. Sobitha was being blamed indirectly on the yahapalana government with the late monk’s closest political associate, Dr Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri of FUTA fame telling The Island …
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By Rasika Jayakody It is common knowledge that politics leaves one with strange bedfellows. Former JVP Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe, a seasoned campaigner who has been in the ‘business’ for over 45 years, is no exception. In April 2008, Amarasinghe made a bold decision to expel his firebrand Propaganda Secretary, Wimal Weerawansa, from all positions the …