by Tisaranee Gunasekara “History, despite its wrenching pain, Cannot be unlived, but if faced With courage, need not be lived again.” Maya Angelou (On the Pulse of Morning) For Lankan Tamils, the cruellest month had to be July. No defeat or tragedy which befell them was as universal as Black July. It was a general …
By C. A. Chandraprema Sarath Fonseka’s election campaign is being discussed for all the wrong reasons. The meetings that he has organized in various parts of the country have attracted public attention due to how poorly attended they are. Some meetings have been held with virtually no audience. An acquaintance of this writer described one …
by Zacki Jabbar Accusing the Rajapaksas and their henchmen of masterminding Friday’s shooting incident at Bloemendhal Road, Colombo 13, which left one dead and 13 injured including two seriously, Finance Minister Ravi Karunayake said that an attempt was being made to revive the fear psychosis that prevailed in the country for a decade prior to January …
by Col R Hariharan Even in the midst of all political gerrymandering going on in Sri Lanka as election fever is heating up, China must be one country praying (but do Communist nations pray?) for former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s successful return as prime minister after the country elects a new parliament on August 17, 2015. …
By Madura Ranwala Investigations had revealed that two underworld criminals wanted by police in connection with many criminal activities had returned to the country to do political work for a government politician and they had been the target of yesterday’s shooting at Bloemendhal Road, Kotahena, a senior police officer told The Island last night. The …
By Norman Palihawadana Four gunmen opened fire at a political event attended by a group of UNP supporters campaigning for Colombo District candidate and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake near St. Benedict’s College on Bloemendhal road at 11.30 am wounding 13 persons and one of them fatally. Forty six-year-old Siththi Maheema succumbed to her injuries after …
By Dr.Reeza Hameed The question whether ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa is eligible to be appointed to the Prime Minister’s post if he has the support of a majority of members in Parliament following the August 17 poll is the subject of current debate. President Sirisena has made public his intention not to appoint Rajapaksa as the …
BY Cassendra Doole An armed gang opened fire at a group of United National Party supporters who were canvassing for the election at Bloemendhal Road, Kotahena in Colombo killing one and injuring 13 others yesterday ( July 31) afternoon. One person has been confirmed dead while at least 13 persons were hospitalized with injuries when …
by COL R HARIHARAN Mulla Omar, the elusive Taliban leader who virtually led the Afghanistan government from 1996-2001, is dead. Abdul Hassib Seddiqi, the spokesman of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security confirmed that the Taliban leader died in a Karachi hospital in April 2013. Omar’s refusal to hand over his close associate Osama bin Laden …
by Prasad Gunewardene The general belief in the country is that most of our politicians are comedians. Most of our politicians do act like comedians time and again. In the previous regime Mervyn Silva was outstanding. He tied a government official to a tree. Later, it was told that the victim performed that act himself. …
By P.K.Balachandran Good relations with India will be a cornerstone of the foreign policy of the Sri Lankan government if the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) forms one after winning the August 17 parliamentary elections. This was stated by Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka, the foreign policy adviser to the UPFA at a meeting with the Foreign Correspondents’ …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa last night said that he had met the person described as a drug kingpin by the Police Spokesman and the UNP at the launch of the documentary movie ‘Selvam’ on the evening of Nov 25, 2011 at Regal Cinema. Responding to Minister Jayasuriya’s allegations, Rajapaksa said that …
(Text of Editorial Appearing in “The Island of July 30th 2015 Under the Heading “Sacking friends”) Many shook their heads in disbelief when they heard on Tuesday that President Maithripala Sirisena had sacked some of his close allies from the SLFP for contesting next month’s election from the UNP. They asked how come he could …
By Jayadeva Uyangoda With fresh parliamentary elections scheduled for August 17, Sri Lanka’s politics has once again entered a phase of some uncertainty. The fate of the ‘silent revolution’ of January 8, 2015, which saw the autocratic regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa being replaced, is in the balance. If Rajapaksa returns to power as Prime Minister …
(Full Text of Statement Issued By Hon. Karu Jayasuriya, Minister Of Public Administration, Local Government And Democratic Governance) “I will be dedicated to the task of totally eradicating the drug menace presently experienced in Sri Lanka. I will do so within a period of three years through a coordinated effort covering the implementation of laws, …
By Upul Joseph Fernando This is guessing time in the SLFP. All keep their fingers crossed. Some look up the sky wondering while others seem to be at crossroads. Their guess is; who would be the next Prime Minister in case the SLFP/UPFA wins. Many voices are heard within these two entities. Who decides? Who …
By Rasika Jayakody The Tamil National Alliance, the largest Tamil political party in the country is expected to play a crucial role in the new Parliament over the next five years. Political observers have already predicted that the party will obtain nearly 15 seats from the North as the party has hardly any competition in …
By Dharman Wickremaratne It will be 28 years on July 29, 2015 since India violated Sri Lanka’s air space, dropped food items, intimidated the UNP Government and President Jayewardene and forced him to sign the Indo-Lanka Accord. By the middle of 1987 ‘Operation Liberation’ aimed at freeing Vadamarachchi in the North from Tamil separatists was …
By Ranga Jayasuriya After a nearly three-decade-long war waged by radicalized Tamils, the last thing Sri Lanka needs is its Muslims to be radicalized. But something seems to have gone wrong with the revelation that a Sri Lankan Muslim was killed fighting for the ISIS in Syria and his brother-in-law also reportedly serving the terror …
by Zacki Jabbar With a view to ensuring that the mandate for good governance obtained by President Maithripala Sirisena at the January 8, Presidential Election was continued , the UNP led United National Front entered into an agreement with 75 political parties, trade unions and civil society organizations in Colombo yesterday. The UNF comprises the …
By Dasun Edirisinghe A new Constitution would be introduced within six months of UPFA forming a government after the August 17 polls, former President and UPFA Prime Ministerial Candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday. Addressing the UPFA manifesto launching ceremony at the Henry Pedris grounds in Colombo, Rajapaksa said Parliament would sit as a Constituent Assembly to …
By Taylor Dibbert The International Truth and Justice Project – Sri Lanka (ITJP) releases a new report today. The report, “A Still Unfinished War: Sri Lanka’s Survivors of Torture and Sexual Violence 2009 – 2015,” is the product of extensive research and builds upon the organization’s past work. Importantly, it includes abuses which have occurred …
Continue reading ‘The ‘Unfinished War’ Against Sri Lanka’s Tamils’ »
By Dharisha Bastians Better late than never, the United People’s Freedom Alliance yesterday unveiled its framework for governance if the coalition is returned in the 17 August Parliamentary election, promising big handouts and swift return of mega development project the party claimed had been stalled by the 100-day Government. The UPFA manifesto was unveiled amid …
Tamil speaking supporters of the United National Party (UNP)led Rainbow Coalition, United National Front for Good Governance(UNFGG) feel extremely humiliated and let down by the fact that the UNFGG manifesto for the 2015 elections has been released only in the Sinhala language. The UNFGG has failed to release the manifesto in the Tamil language which …
By T. Ramakrishnan The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a coalition of Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka, has demanded that the country frame a new Constitution to address a host of issues it’s grappling with, including the Tamil question. Taking time off from his election campaign, R. Sampanthan, the 82-year-old leader of the TNA, told …
By T.S.Subramanian A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former President of India, Bharat Ratna and far-sighted architect of India’s space and missile programmes, passed away in Shillong on Monday. Kalam was an institution-builder and a team-builder, a visionary and a dreamer, who always wanted to build a strong and self-reliant India. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Defence Minister R. …
By Malinda Seneviratne It’s an old and tired adage, the one about permanent friends and enemies in politics. What makes it ‘new’ in this instance, however, is the fact that the good governance hype whipped up by Maithripala Sirisena and those who supported him against Mahinda Rajapakasa generated a lot of hope. Things wouldn’t be …
By Dharman Wickremaratne Maithripala succeeded as SLFP President after Mahinda Rajapaksa. The position was either given to Maithripala or it was taken. People raised their voices in support of Mahinda. The issue of nominations came up but that obstacle too was overcome. Although NGOs protested and the President made a special statement after nominations were …
By Upul Kumarapperuma The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) or the People’s Liberation Front commenced its Marxist campaign in late 60s with a challenge to all other conventional leftist political parties such as the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CP) and Sri Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). The JVP was capable enough to attract a considerable …
Continue reading ‘Time for the JVP to Evolve from Watchdog of Nation Image to Statesman like Role’ »
Santasilan Kadirgamar, known as Silan amongst his friends and fellow activists, passed away on Saturday July 25th 2015 in the 81st year of his life. He was born in Chavakachcheri to Rev. and Mrs. J.W.A. Kadirgamar, and lived in Malaysia during the years of the Second World War. He had his school education at Jaffna …
By Santhush Fernando The upcoming August 17 General Election would solidify the historic people’s revolution won on January 8 and the government-hopeful United National Front’s Five-fold Plan (Pancha Widha Kriyawaliya) gives the much-needed boost to make Sri Lanka a global knowledge economy, emphasized UNP Party Leader and United National Front for Good Governance prime ministerial …
On the local political front, it was only a week ago that President Sirisena declared in his address to the nation that the people should elect those who are suitable to march forward with the January 8 mandate. That was the United National Party (UNP). He also ordered that a Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) …
Pakistan’s luscious mangoes are not just fruits to be devoured. They have long become a tool of diplomacy, delectable or otherwise. With the mango season in full swing in his country, Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff this week sent 100 choicest mangoes by air freight to President Maithripala Sirisena. It was cleared by Customs and subjected …
By Don Manu The tried and tested bevy of drummers lined up to do their Rajakariya, or feudal duties, this year at the Rajapaksa perehera have already started beating their drums vigorously, thumping out their signature drone ‘Make Mahinda Prime Minister’ to raise the pressure on President Maithripala Sirisena to do a double somersault on …
By C.A. Chandraprema One may say that this has been one of the most low key parliamentary election campaigns we have ever experienced. One just does not see the poster wars that characterized previous elections. There are no processions or droves of people going canvassing. Even the election invective sounds subdued. One no longer hears …
By Rasika Jayakody When the Mirihana Police arrested three military personnel travelling in a white van, it sent ripples across the country’s political circles as white vans were the trademark of the repression of the 10-year-long Rajapaksa administration. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and several other prominent politicians are residents of …
(Text of The Tamil National Alliance – Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi Manifesto for Parliamentary Election – 2015 issued as press release by the TNA Media Office) At the time of independence from colonial rule in 1948, Ceylon was foisted with a unitary type constitution with simple majoritarian rule. In 1949 a sizeable number of Tamils …
By Deepal Warnakulasuriya Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an interview with The Nation said that he would work aggressively to restore faith in institutions related to law and order if his party is voted to power. He spoke confidently of his chances and said he relishes the prospect of going head to head with Ranil …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake I write this on the 32nd anniversary of the beginning of Black July, the anti-Tamil pogrom, that saw the country move towards an exacerbation of separatist terror and a most violent internal armed conflict that lasted nearly three decades. Having been and seen through that period of national shame and tragedy, it …
The rainbow coalition of 8 January came together yesterday in its new avatar as the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) to unveil its 60-month plan to change the socioeconomic and political landscape. The UNFGG, which comprises dissident sections of the UPFA, the Jathika Hela Urumaya, the Tamil Progressive Alliance, the Sri Lanka Muslim …
Commenting on the Akuressa incident where former President Mahinda Rajapaksa seemed to be moving towards a supporter angrily, the ex-president said that he just pushed away an individual, a supporter of SLFP, who grasped his finger very hard.
The “white van” which was taken into custody in Mirihana by Police on Tuesday had an altered number due to an administrative failure on the part of the Army, highly placed defence sources told the Daily News yesterday. The van, in which three Army personnel attached to Major General Prasanna de Silva were travelling, had …
By Chaminda Perera Commenting on the video clip being circulated in the social media in which former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is shown trying to attack a supporter at a rally held in Akuressa, Public Order and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga said that people do not expect such a conduct from a former Executive President …
By Dharisha Bastians The boy-like astrologer rose to fame country-wide after he accurately predicted former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s electoral defeat in January. Astrologers being a threatened species during the Rajapaksa years, every other soothsayer on a show aired on a private television channel before the January presidential poll predicted a narrow win for Rajapaksa. Thotawatte …
By Rasika Jayakody “You sit at the board and suddenly your heart leaps. Your hand trembles to pick up the piece and move it. But what chess teaches you is that you must sit there calmly and think about whether it’s really a good idea and whether there are other, better ideas.”…………Stanley Kubrick The UPFA’s …
By Upul Joseph Ferando Late President J.R. Jayewardene was obstructed from paying his last respects to late Lalith Athulathmudali when the latter’s remains lay at his Flower Road, Colombo residence as an organized group of Lalith supporters who had been at Lalith’s residence was planning to jeer JR. However, JR got information to this effect …
By Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne According to certain media reporting the People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) candidate for the Kurunegala District and former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, addressing the inaugural UPFA rally in Anuradhapura yesterday, lambasted United National Party Leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for reversing the development trend that was pursued by the previous regime! The former …
By Gomin Dayasri “Here is an election result…UPFA led by Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) secured the largest number of members of parliament: yet is unable to form a government, as it cannot muster a majority.” “Here is another election result… Alliance led by Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW) lags behind the UPFA in the populous south of Sri …
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is investigating a case where the China Harbour Engineering Company has allegedly handed over a staggering Rs. 149 million to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election campaign, last year. China Harbour Engineering Company was a company involved in a number of key construction projects in Sri Lanka – including the Hambanthota …
By Rasika Jayakody The United People’s Freedom Alliance, with the launch of its election campaign, had a tumultuous week with the party leader, President Maithripala Sirisena, making a fiery statement over the party’s nomination. Apart from the President’s statement, the party had to deal with a myriad of issues with regard to nominations for the …
by Prasad Gunewardene The United National Party (UNP) and the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) are now in the fray to contest the 17 August general elections. Both parties boast of obtaining the majority seats in the new Parliament. Either party should get 113 seats in the House to prove they are in majority to …
By Chamodi Gunawardana Former President and UPFA candidate for the Kurunegala District Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday rejected the idea of forming a national government post-election, vowing that the fractured alliance would obtain 117 seats and rule alone. Addressing an election meeting held at the Battaramulla Samurdhi Hall, Rajapaksa said that it was the UNP which could …
By Ranga Jayasuriya According to the Constitution, ‘the President shall appoint as the Prime Minster the Member of Parliament, who in his opinion is most likely to command the confidence of Parliament. In that sense, the choice is his discretion, however, should the SLFP Members of Parliament in a future SLFP government, insist on Mahinda …
by Christi Mahesh de Silva The government has received information that plans were afoot to release a “fake” UNHRC war crimes report to benefit the election campaign of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a top government spokesman told the Daily News. The fake war crimes report is likely to be released locally within the first week …
A relative of slain LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran has entered the fray for Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election to be held in 17 August to challenge former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. M.K. Shivajilingam, a leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), filed his nomination on 13 July. Sivajilinagm said he is not contesting as TELO or …
India wanted the Rajapaksa government in Sri Lanka to stop the Chinese-funded US$ 1.4 billion Colombo Port City Project on the plea that it was inimical to India’s security, former Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said. Gotabaya told a seminar organized by some professionals at the National Library here on Thursday that the request …
By Ishara Gamage Ceylon Finance Today: Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran said yesterday that there was no tangible reason for him to tender his resignation The Governor was responding to a question from Ceylon FT whether he was ready to hand over his resignation from office in the aftermath of President Maithripala Sirisena’s television address …
by Tisaranee Gunasekara “A morally blind politics…” Thiery d’Holbach (Social Systems) It was obviously a coincidence; but Maithripala Sirisena’s verbal blast against Mahinda Rajapaksa could not have been better timed. The President made his speech against the ancien régime’s comeback project on Bastille Day, the day the people of France took the momentous first step …
By Don Manu If it’s always lonely at the pinnacle of power where standing room is only for one, then the presidency for Maithripala Sirisena must seem like solitary confinement in a straitjacket with the four walls closing in on him. Bereft of friends and besieged by enemies, with even the fundamental right of the …
By C.A.Chandraprema The UPFA’s inaugural rally in Anuradhapura was a big event. It was certainly bigger than either the Nugegoda and Kurunegala rallies of the bring back Mahinda campaign. It was at least as big as the previous rally held in Matara, if not slightly bigger. As far as inaugural rallies go, size does matter. …
By Namini Wijedasa Former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, spent more than Rs. 785 million within three years to charter SriLankan Airlines aircraft for his visits abroad, documents obtained by the Sunday Times show. The airbuses would often remain idle in various airports until Mr Rajapaksa finished his tours. SriLankan has billed his office a total of …
By Namini Wijedasa After taking over as Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraweera pledged that seventy percent of Sri Lanka’s missions abroad will be headed by career diplomats. Six months later, he has fallen well short of that target. Some stations that have long been manned by senior Foreign Service officers — such as Beijing and Vienna …
By Malinda Seneviratne So finally the President has spoken. That’s good. He was correct when he said that he had been vilified no end during the past few weeks. He added for good measure ‘as no other president before me had been vilified’. That of course is not true. What’s true is that he was …
By Dharisha Bastians Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the star attraction and central focus of the UPFA’s inaugural rally in Anuradhapura yesterday, with SLFP top brass and alliance leaders pledging to work towards his election as Sri Lanka’s next prime minister. Thousands gathered at the Salgado grounds in Anuradhapura for the UPFA’s campaign kick-off, where …
Dasun Edirisinghe reporting from Anuradhapura Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday alleged that the present Yahapalana government had destroyed within six months what his administration had achieved in four years. The former President asked at the inaugural UPFA parliamentary election campaign rally what would have happened if the Maithripala Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration had continued for five years. …
By Cyril Wimalasurendre KANDY – A Presidential Commission had been appointed to recommend the action that should be taken regarding the controversial LTTEer Pathmanathan (KP), Deputy Justice Minister Sujeeva Senasinghe told the media in Kandy yesterday (17). The report of the commission had not yet been made available to the Attorney General (AG), the Deputy …
By Dasun Edirisinghe reporting from Anuradhapura There was no legal barrier to former President Mahinda Rajapaka becoming Prime Minister according to the Constitution, former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva said yesterday. Addressing the UPFA inaugural election rally in Anuradhapura, Silva said that according to the Constitution a person who commanded the confidence of MPs should …
by Zacki Jabbar With the UPFA deeply divided over the issue of prime ministerial candidate, the people were certain to vote in large numbers for the United National Front for Good Governance at next month’s general election, UNP leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe predicted yesterday. Addressing a UNFGG election rally in Katana, Wickremesinghe said …
By D. B. Tennakoon The Central Bank of a country is charged with the crucial task of regulating a country’s economy. It decides how much money should be in circulation, the relationship of the assets of the country to its loans, the relationship between a country’s currency and those of other countries and so on. …
By Dharisha Bastians The pictures taken at the SLFP’s Darley Road headquarters on Wednesday have a déjà vu quality about them. Mahinda Rajapaksa sits at the head of the table, in the biggest chair in the room. He is flanked by the two General Secretaries of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the political …
By N. Sathiya Moorthy Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has made the nation and the international community and observers interested in the nation’s affairs, to sit up and take notice. After maintaining a seemingly ambivalent position on the political re-entry of predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa in the January 8 polls, he has now come out strongly …
Continue reading ‘President Sirisena is the Wrong man at the Right Place in the Wrong Time’ »
By Maithripala Sirisena (Following is the full text of special statement made by President Maithripala Sirisena on 14 July 2015 on the current political situation in Sri Lanka) This is the first time I am making a statement to the media since 21 November. My main objective today is to make a clarification as to …
By Dharisha Bastians COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Former President Mahinda Rajapakse of Sri Lanka, who was defeated in January, now has a chance to make a major political comeback after his successor cleared the way for him to run for a seat in Parliament in elections scheduled for Aug. 17. President Maithripala Sirisena said this …
by Sudha Ragunathan Thamizhukkum amuthendru paer, andha Thamizh inba Thamizh engal uyirukku naer, uyirukku naer ! This melodious number came wafting in the air from the grandfather radio playing ‘Ungal Viruppam’ during family time at home. As a child I would hear this song so often that I began following the lyrics as well, which …
Continue reading ‘♫ M.S.Viswanathan Helped Inspire a Deep Love for the Thamizh Language ♥’ »
By Dharisha Bastians The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) was plunged into crisis yesterday, after President Maithripala Sirisena denounced his predecessor’s candidacy on the UPFA ticket and Rajapaksa loyalists renewed attempts to wrest control of the alliance. A high-stakes game of political chess between Presidents incumbent and former continued yesterday with Mahinda Rajapaksa securing an …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The SLFP yesterday strongly denied President Maithripala Sirisena’s accusation that the party had conspired to appoint former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Parliament through the National List by moving a no-faith motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha insisted that in accordance with the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981, …
By Rasika Somarathna While stressing that he will continue to stand against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday said that Rajapaksa will be defeated again as he was defeated on January 8. The President said he will form a government with the victorious political parties after August 17 election to fullfill the aspirations …
By Sarath Ariyakumara President Maithripala Sirisena’s claim that he was opposed to giving nominations to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest upcoming polls is not acceptable, the JVP says. JVP propaganda Secretary former MP Vijitha Herath addressing a public rally at Yakkala, Gampaha said yesterday (15): “After everything has happened the President appears on TV …
By Rasika Jayakody All stakeholders of the ‘rainbow revolution’, which ousted former President Mahinda Rajapaksa from power in January, have joined hands again to block the former President’s desperate comeback bid. The notable absentee in this whole process is none other than President Maithripala Sirisena, the protagonist of the “January 08 story”. When President Maithripala …
By Upul Joseph Fernando Indian Premier Narendra Modi visited Sri Lanka after Maithripala Sirisena assumed the Presidency. He met Mahinda Rajapaksa too during that brief visit. Following that meeting, Mahinda displayed to his followers that he had received some blessings from Modi and this information reached New Delhi. After Modi returned to India the truth …
President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday declared that he would not appoint former President Mahinda Rajapaksa Prime Minister even in the event of the SLFP-led UPFA winning the August 17 general election. There were several senior politicians in the SLFP, who were better suited to hold the post of Prime Minister than Rajapaksa, President Sirisena said addressing …
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan The President vowed that he will form a government with the victorious political parties after the 17 August election and he has no intention of appointing Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister, adding further that that he would continue to give leadership to the change he ushered in on 8 January with …
By Dharisha Bastians President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday broke a 10-day silence in a special address, saying he was strongly opposed to his predecessor contesting in the 17 August parliamentary election and hailing democratic conditions prevailing in the country that allowed stinging criticism against a head of state that he had endured over the past week. …
Well-known Tamil film music composer M.S. Viswanathan died at a private hospital in Chennai on July 14th morning. He was 87. MSV, as he’s fondly called by the Tamil film music fans , had been undergoing treatment at Fortis Malar hospital for old-age related ailments and breathing problem. Though he had showed signs of recovery …
By N Sathiya Moorthy Reports and denials about Sri Lanka procuring Chinese-made JF-17 fighter aircraft notwithstanding, there is the larger question of securing South Asia as a region, from within and without. The responsibility for the same, if and if only the nations of the region so desire, has to fall on all of them, …
By Kamal Jayamanna A major drama took place at former Minister Felix Perera’s house at Keppetipola Mawatha, Colombo, on Sunday night, over some UPFA politicians whose applications for nominations were turned down by the party. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had visited Perera’s house on Sunday night where a meeting was scheduled to take place between …
By Ranga Jayasuriya It was quite evident from the very beginning that the campaign by a group of Mahinda Rajapaksa acolytes to nominate the ex-president as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party/United People’s Freedom Alliance was self-seeking and opportunistic. It was a campaign that sought to draw on from the Rajapaksa …
By K.K.S.Perera Did Maithripala Sirisena disappoint the 6.2 million voters by letting MR contest under the SLFP tag? Some call it a great betrayal; while others think it a democratic option or burying the hatchet for mutual survival. In the meantime, the government and PM makes a strenuous effort to brainwash citizens in a well …
By Dharisha Bastians The 17 August Parliamentary election officially kicked off after nominations closed at noon yesterday, with all major political parties throwing their hat in the ring to win seats in Sri Lanka’s 15th Parliament. According to the nomination lists handed over at the district secretariats by noon yesterday, 6,151 candidates will compete for …
By Malinda Seneviratne Someone said that Ranil Wickremesinghe had ordered his ‘cut-outs’ to be dismantled. I haven’t seen any RW cut-outs. So if an order had been issued it must have been on the following lines: ‘Make sure there are no cut-outs of me!’ Whether any of this happened we do not know. One thing …
By Col R Hariharan Unfazed by his surprise defeat in the last presidential polls, Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Rajapaksa appears to be back with a bang on the nation’s political centre stage with the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) coalition nominating him to contest the August 17 parliamentary election. as a candidate. Six months ago, when …
By Dharisha Bastians The threat of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political re-emergence has unified the fractured rainbow coalition that swept President Maithripala Sirisena to victory on 8 January, with several parties signing agreements yesterday to contest parliamentary elections under a single banner. The United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) was inaugurated at Temple Trees yesterday, with …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Reiterating his commitment to protect what he called the January 8 revolution which brought Maithripala Sirisena to power, Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday vowed to wipe out ‘Rajapaksa regime’ at the August 17 parliamentary polls. Premier Wickremesinghe compared the Rajapaksa era with that of South Indian invasion led by Kalinga Maga in 1214 …
By K Godage Some new Indian imperialists, dreaming of India as a Super Power, and in the mould of Pannikar (who suggested the Lanka and Burma be a part of greater India; and had India seize Sikkim and transform Bhutan into a vassal State, have suggested that a bridge be built across the Palk Strait …
By Malinda Seneviratne Ranil Wickremesinghe is a politician. Yes, not a statesman. A politician, let us reiterate. The next election and not the next generation is what fascinates him. Like other politicians from other parties of course, leaders included. Yes, like Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena. Ranil Wickremesinghe is a lawyer. He is not just …
By Rasika Jayakody Soon after President Maithripala Sirisena assumed duties as the SLFP Chairman, his close associates, including former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, called on him to introduce drastic reforms to ‘clean up’ the party. For obscure reasons, such calls fell on deaf ears and no tangible action was taken to bring about meaningful party …
By By W.K. Prasad Manju Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is prepared to protect President Maithripala Sirisena from those who claim that he had betrayed the people’s mandate given to him at the presidential election, by giving nomination to Rajapaksa, reliable political sources said. Rajapaksa had already discussed this issue with seniors in the Sri Lanka …
By C. A. Chandraprema To say that last week was full of tension would be an understatement. Political futures and fates of individuals were being decided on the run. A day, an hour or even a minute was becoming a long time in politics. The weekend will see frantic last minute horse trading and the …
He may have been the all-powerful Sports Minister of yesteryear, but the prestigious Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) doesn’t think he is fit and proper to be made one of its members. Ex-Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has been ‘black-balled’ from becoming a member and entering the hallowed portals of one of the country’s oldest clubs at Maitland …
By Upul Kumarapperuma The Roman Empire was plagued by coups, conspiracies and wars nevertheless it was the most formidable Empire in Europe. Julius Caesar became one of the most decorated war heroes after defeating the slave leader Spartacus and his slave army that had caused much humiliation to the Roman Empire, and was later on …
By Don Manu ‘You cannot make an omelette without breaking an egg’ would have been the adage staring in the face of Maithripala Sirisena when he rose at the New Town Hall meeting last November 21st to announce his intention to contest the presidential election and vowed to the nation that he would usher in …
Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran received “tough tuition” from the US State Department during talks last Thursday, the Sunday Times learns. He was asked to soften his ‘genocide’ rhetoric and instead work with the Central Government in matters relating to reconciliation and the development of the province. The Chief Minister is on a tour …
Actor Omar Sharif, best known for his roles in classic films Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, has died aged 83. Egypt-born Sharif won two Golden Globe awards and an Oscar nomination for his role as Sherif Ali in David Lean’s 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia. He won a further Golden Globe three years later …
By Dharisha Bastians Talks began in earnest yesterday to re-forge the broad opposition coalition that ousted President Mahinda Rajapaksa in January, with the United National Party in the lead and several top SLFP members, the Jathika Hela Urumaya and Sarath Fonseka’s Democratic Party also tipped to join. Former cricket skipper and Ports Minister Arjuna Ranatunga …
By Disna Mudalige and Buddhika Imbulana Several UPFA stalwarts decided to join the UNP yesterday to form a broad political front for the forthcoming Parliamentary election with the aim of protecting the ‘January 8″ mandate. Several ex-Parliamentarians of the UPFA, including Patali Champika Ranawaka and Rajitha Senaratne, had held discussions with the UNP in this …
By Rasika Somarathna The United National Party (UNP) is expected to make several important announcements related to the upcoming Parliamentary election at today’s Special Party Convention held under the leadership of Prime Minister and Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at Campbell Park, Colombo. The party leadership will place several proposals related to the election before the …
by Nushka Nafeel Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader Rauf Hakeem announced that the party will contest the upcoming general election with the United National Party. “The SLMC intends to protect the mandate given to the people on January 8 to assure good governance through a coalition of several parties,” he said. Hakeem was addressing …
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By Dharisha Bastians When you play a game of thrones, you either win or you die – A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin On 8 January 2015, once he had cast his vote in Polonnaruwa, Maithripala Sirisena and his family made their way to remote coconut estate in Kurunegala. The movement occurred …
BY DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA Who was it who narrowed the gap between President Sirisena and ex-President Rajapaksa? Whose efforts were strong and effective enough to override the wishes of the external consortium that backed the peaceful ‘regime change’ of January 8th? Was it the SLFP Establishment, i.e. its top bureaucrats and old warhorses? Was it …
By Rasika Jayakody Key civil society members, who were instrumental in the election victory of President Maithripala Sirisena in January, have expressed disappointment over the nomination process of the UPFA during a meeting held with the President on Wednesday night. They informed the President that the civil society felt “betrayed” and “cheated” after the UPFA …
In what appears to be a bold tactical manoeuvre calculated to thwart Ex- President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s hopes of making a successful comeback, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has conveyed a terse message to the Medamulana camp that has transformed the current political climate drastically. The message amounting to a political torpedo now threatens to sink …