By Rohana R. Wasala Then the liars and swearers are fools, For there are liars and swearers enow to beat The honest men and hang up them – Son to Lady Macduff in Shakespeare’s Macbeth Act IV Scene II With the January presidential election, we have been pushed, for good or bad, to the most …
By Shamindra Ferdinando President Maithripala Sirisena has offered to meet his predecessor, Mahinda Rajapaksa as well as dissenting SLFP parliamentarians shortly to iron out differences, according to SLFP sources. President Sirisena has said the issues should be discussed among members of the parliamentary group with the participation of the former SLFP leader. The President was responding …
By Saman Indrajith Government which came to power promising to adopt a scientific basis to appoint a cabinet of ministers instead made an alphabetical soup in doing so, leader of the Liberal Party Prof Rajiva Wijesinha told Parliament last week. Participating in a debate on a resolution under the Local Treasury Bills Ordinance moved in …
BY JONNY GILLING To Brendon McCullum, the Black Caps and their coaching staff, I want to say thank you. My wife and I moved from New Zealand to Africa just under three years ago to be the directors of an orphanage. While it was never our plan (my idea was to devote several years to …
By Don Manu The first duty of the opposition is to oppose. And the opposition members of Lanka’s 14th Parliament took its traditional role literally and opposed at every turn even the selection of a leader to lead them until finally an exhausted, exasperated Speaker of the House gave up the ghost and passed the …
Tiran Christopher Alles, businessman and Democratic National Alliance Parliamentarian, has been questioned by Police over the provision of money to Tiger guerrillas. Police spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekera said Mr. Alles was grilled for two hours by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). This Unit functions directly under Police Chief N.K. Illangakoon. Earlier, Police Headquarters issued an official …
By C.A.Chandraprema At long last, president Maithripala Sirisena himself has spoken of a possible dissolution of parliament by the end of this month after the 19th Amendment is presented to parliament. President Sirisena has not mentioned the word ‘dissolution’ since he took power in January. It was always a case of the UNP demanding dissolution …
By Gomin Dayasri J.R.Jayewardene will heave a sigh of relief and break into a wry smile if he finds his constitution is dislodged. As it is, he may have to live with it in a life after death. Those with wafer thin majorities exploited the 1978 Constitution to the maximum that Jayewardene set for himself …
By PK Balachandran COLOMBO: The fledgling Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe government appears to be yielding ground to a resurgent former President Mahinda Rajapaksa because of internal disunity, contradictory policies and indecisive political leadership. The first concrete sign of deep trouble appeared on Tuesday when the government’s bid to get parliament’s nod for raising the threshold of …
by Malinda Seneviratne It’s an inauspicious number. That’s ‘13’. The Maithripala-Ranil Regime (or Ranil-Maithripala Regime if you will) is in its 13th week. It’s the worst so far for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the United National Party (UNP). First, a proposal for obtaining 400 billion rupees through Treasury Bills was defeated in Parliament. According …
By Peter Layton How to win a civil war in a globalized world where insurgents skillfully exploit offshore resources? With most conflicts now being such wars, this is a question many governments are trying to answer. Few succeed, with one major exception being Sri Lanka where, after 25 years of civil war the government decisively …
by Dr. Devanesan Nesiah We have entered the ninth decade since the Donoughmore Reforms leading to the first State Council elections of 1931. Through the early part of these eight and a half decades, Sri Lankan Tamils had occupied a dominant position in this country politically, economically and socially. The leading political institution of this …
By Izeth Hussain The situation on the ethnic front seems to be very confused, but we can be certain, absolutely certain, on one point: the solution to the Tamil ethnic problem stares us in the face. I have the temerity to use the definite article “the” rather than “a”, meaning the solution with the emphasis …
(Excerpts of Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha’s introduction to “Sri Lankan Tamil Poetry: An Anthology’ by S. Pathmanathan, which was published in Jaffna recently.) I am pleased, and honoured, to contribute an introduction to this collection of poetry produced by So Pathmanathan. I got to know him well when he helped with the production of Mirrored Images, …
by Seneka Abeyratne Tanya Ekanayaka is one of Sri Lanka’s leading concert pianists with a doctorate in linguistics and musicology from the University of Edinburg, where she lectures part-time. She also holds an MSc in Linguistics and English Language from The University of Edinburg and a BA (Honors) in English Literature and Linguistics from the …
By Saman Indrajith A five-member committee was appointed at the SLFP group meeting chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday to help bring about electoral reforms as the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. The committee headed by parliamentarian Prof. G. L. Peiris comprises MPs Mahinda Samarasinghe, Dilan Perera, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala …
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has sought the Attorney General’s advice as part of its investigation into the alleged abduction of 17-year-old Dinithi Aloka Ranasinghe. The preliminary investigation into the alleged abduction was initiated on a complaint lodged by the victim’s father, Gamini Ranasinghe, a businessman of Kirulapana, on March 21. …
(Full Text of Letter sent by the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi(ITAK) to the Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa on the issue concerning appointment of the Leader of the Opposition) Hon Speaker, Parliament, Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte. Dear Sir, Leader of the Opposition We write in relation to the above matter to put on record our position with regard to …
By Suganthy Krishnamachari I’ve never had any regard for the advice that we must not complain about our lot in life, because there are others less fortunate. There is something fatuous about this advice. As if none can be happy unless there is some unfortunate soul he can compare himself favourably with. How can someone …
Former Australia cricket captain and television commentator Richie Benaud has died at the age of 84, his former employer Channel Nine and Cricket Australia said Friday. Benaud, considered one of the most influential cricket identities of the past century, had been fighting skin cancer and died overnight in a Sydney hospice. A veteran of 63 …
By Shanika Sriyananda ‘No matter how much time you have wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow’ – the thought of the week is written on the green notice board at the Rehabilitation Commissioner General’s Head Office at Nawala. The officials of this office have been able to seal off the past …
President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday said that after the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on April 20 the parliament would be dissolved to pave the way for a fresh general election. The President was addressing an event at Pulasthipura, Polonnaruwa.
By Saman Indrajith Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa announced in Parliament yesterday that the Supreme Court had determined that two clauses of the Bill titled 19th Amendment to the Constitution needed the approval of the people at a referendum and the rest thereof required a two-thirds majority for its passage. When the House commenced sitting Speaker Rajapaksa …
By Saman Indrajith Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa announced in Parliament yesterday that the Supreme Court had determined that two clauses of the Bill titled 19th Amendment to the Constitution needed the approval of the people at a referendum and the rest thereof required a two-thirds majority for its passage. When the House commenced sitting Speaker Rajapaksa …
Maj-Gen Jagath Wijetilleke,Commissioner –General of Rehabilitation Speaks Out Most of the former LTTE combatants came for rehabilitation voluntarily and they were placed in a one-year rehabilitation process in 2009. Initially there had been 24 centres and now it has been reduced to one centre where only 45 inmates are undergoing rehabilitation. But some more, who …
Continue reading ‘Rehabilitation of Ex –LTTE Combatants is a Sri Lankan Success Story’ »
An action plan has been formulated to address the issues of the ex-combatants before 2020. A high percentage of those who are disabled are barred from engaging in employment activity. Lack of employment opportunities suitable with the vocational training received during rehabilitation. Lack of financial stability to buy tools and equipment required. Lack of willingness …
A research conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Maryland, headed by Prof. Arie Kruglanski and Prof. Michele Gelfand, has found that the Black Tiger females, who are back in society, are often proud of their courage and willingness to die for a cause but are ready to turn the page to …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday threw back the apparent political instability issue to his opponents saying the crisis was with the majority Opposition and not the minority Government. This witty remark was made by the Premier at the American Chamber of Commerce luncheon, which came hot on the heels of the defeat of Interim Government’s …
By Harim Peiris The SLFP has been governing Sri Lanka now for twenty years since 1994, with two of those in cohabitation with a UNP government. Every indicator is that post the next general election, Sri Lanka is likely to witness a national government of the two major parties, coming together for the purpose of …
by Eardley Lieversz Without heroes a young man cannot dream. Without dreams one cannot aspire to great deeds. The Royal – Thomian provided me with my first heroes. Heroes make one take flights of fantasy, in the absence of which childhood is impoverished. Heroes and demi Gods Richard Benaud and Norman O’Neill became my cricketing …
By Upul Joseph Fernando The Hobbit is a popular Hollywood film series. The third in that series was screened very recently. The script in that series is based on the ‘Thorin’ royal dynasty on how Prince Thorin battled to regain the lost Lonely Mountain belonging to the dynasty. Prince Thorin’s father lost the Lonely Mountain …
By B.Kolappan Tamil novelist, short-story writer and essayist Jayakanthan significantly enriched modern Tamil literature by portraying the lives of those on the fringes of society. And he shocked the same society with his nonconformist views, often questioning long-held views on women and chastity. Sri Lankan Tamil literary critic K. Sivathamby used to say that one …
Noted singer Nagore E,M. Hanifa, whose stentorian voice transcended religious lines, died here on Wednesday. He was 97 and is survived by two sons and four daughters. DMK leader M. Karunanidhi, along with party treasurer M.K. Stalin, visited his home in Chennai and paid their last respects. “Our leader broke down as he was a …
By Rasika Jayakody A Cabinet minister, who joined the national government two weeks ago along with a group of SLFP MPs, last week, gave a telephone call to a young Parliamentarian who attended the meeting which was held in Rathnapura to support former President Rajapaksa. The Minister asked his young party colleague as to why …
By Waruni Paranagamage The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday urged President Maithripala Sirisena to announce his stance on the 19th Amendment to the Constitution as he has still not clearly expressed his opinion on the matter. JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressing a media conference in Colombo said that President Sirisena, as the Chairman of …
By Pradeep Ramanayake Sri Lankan police brutally assaulted university students marching to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office in central Colombo on Tuesday. Riot police used tear gas and water cannon against the students who were planning to present a list of demands. Five students were injured and five others were arrested. Police were later forced …
By Chamodi Gunawardana Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) General Secretary and Minister Champika Ranawaka yesterday claimed that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had violated the Constitution of the country and accused him of trying to create a dictatorial premiership. Addressing a media conference, he stated that Wickremesinghe and a group of conspirers who were backing him were …
By Jayashika Padmasiri The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) yesterday, while speaking about the 19th Amendment, accused the Government of illegally adding 12 more pages as amendments to the gazetted version of the 19 Amendment draft bill. Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva at a media conference yesterday said that everybody in the Opposition objected …
By Harischandra Gunaratna General Secretary of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Patali Champika Ranawaka on Monday vowed never to allow the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to be enacted in its present form. He said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremessinghe was trying to arrogate executive powers to himself by abolishing the executive presidency. Addressing the media at …
By Jayashika Padmasiri The Government yesterday declared that the loss of votes in Parliament was not a defeat for the regime but for the people of this country. “The Government will not suffer in any way as a result of the defeat of the motion to increase the threshold of Treasury Bills in Parliament yesterday …
By Ashwin Hemmathagama A resolution to raise Rs. 400 billion through the issuance of Treasury Bonds was shot down yesterday in Parliament with 52 lawmakers voting against it and 31 for it. The outcome also exposes the dire status of public representation with only a mere 83 out of 225 legislators were present at the …
By Dasun Edirisinghe Parliamentarians Dinesh Gunawardena, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Wimal Weewaransa and Western Provincial Councilor Udaya Gammanpila yesterday asked former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to stop levelling what they called baseless allegations at former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Addressing the media at Abhayaramaya in Narahenpita, Ratnapura District MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara said that former President Kumaratunga had accused …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe provided Parliament with an update on the progress of the 100-day program yesterday during which he pledged that it would achieve all its goals before the expected dissolution of Parliament. Listing some of the key landmarks passed in the 100-day program, the Prime Minister said: “We increased State sector salaries, pensioners …
Secretary General of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) V. Anandasangaree has requested Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya not to recognise the four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) under any circumstances. Veteran politician Anandasangaree told The Island that poll chief’s recognition would be a great injustice to those who had suffered due to LTTE terrorism. The TULF …
by Lucien Rajakarunanayake The first week of April is one of historical importance in Sri Lanka. Easter Sunday, April 5 1942 saw the first air attack on the island by the Japanese, later described as the Battle of Ceylon in World War II. Much later, April 5, 1971, saw the beginning of the first insurgency …
By Nirmala Kannangara State Minister of Culture and Arts Nandimithra Ekanayake’s plan to introduce cable cars to the Sigiriya rock fortress has caused great concern amongst environmentalists and civil societies. With the proposed modernization of the Sigiriya rock fortress – one of the few places in the country that maintain an atmosphere of deep piety …
By Aman Sharma A 26/11-like attack was in the making, but this time, from the east coast. That is how India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) Director-General Sharad Kumar sums up the agency’s exhaustive nearly two-year investigation into what it says was a massive terror plot against India by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). This time, the …
by Malinda Seneviratne Nimal Siripala Silva is the official Leader of the Opposition. The leader of his party is the President of the country. No office is vested with even a fracture of the powers of the President. Silva’s party, moreover, has a parliamentary majority. That Silva is the Opposition Leader in these circumstances is …
By Rasika Jayakody If the 19th Amendment failed to secure a two thirds majority in Parliament, the United National Party would push for immediate dissolution of Parliament as it is the last resort, a senior Parliamentarian of the UNP told the Daily News yesterday. The 19th Amendment will be taken for debate in Parliament on …
by Prof.Jayadeva Uyangoda Sri Lanka’s current debate on electoral reforms seems to be heading towards a politically inspired deadlock. Some powerful sections of the SLFP seems to be using the idea of electoral reforms either as a bargaining tool for some short-term political gains, or to checkmate the constitutional reform initiative aimed at changing the …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa will hear representations from several politicians representing the Opposition as well as the government today (April 6) as regards their objections to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Authoritative sources told The Island that they would request Speaker Rajapaksa to reject the 19th Amendment in its present form. Asked …
Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday warned of dire consequences if the UNP was allowed to go ahead with the project to undermine the process to amend the Constitution. Prof. Peiris issued the following statement to The Island yesterday: “The enactment of a Constitution, the highest law of the land, is the most …
The government has decided to establish a national centre for the upliftment of the Households headed by women in Kilinochchi. Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has initiated this programme in response to a request made by the people of the North to establish such an institution in their area since many war widows were living in …
(Text of Statement Issued by Rohan Welivita, Media Coordinating Secretary to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa) “At a press conference held last Thursday 2 April 2015, Minister Kabir Hashim made certain allegations about several infrastructure projects initiated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government. Minister Hashim said that the average cost for a two lane highway in 2010 …
By Shamindra Ferdinando A section of the four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Northern Province Governor H. M. G. S. Palihakkara are on a collision course over the latter deferring a series of transfers ordered by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC). Well informed sources told The Island that one-time Foreign Secretary Palihakkara had intervened on …
BY SULOCHANA RAMIAH MOHAN A fine example of ‘expecting the unexpected’ occurred when Ceylon Today went to cover the Senchcholai Children’s Home in Iranaimadu, Kilinochchi, run by Selvarasa Pathmanathan/ Kumaran Pathmanathan or plain and simple ‘KP’ – the probable last man alive in the leadership level of the LTTE proper. Ceylon Today reached Senchcholai imagining …
An Easter Reflection BY Bishop Duleep de Chickera Why Jesus died Jesus did not die by accident. He was killed through a conspiracy by those whose oppressive ways were exposed by his dual thrust of compassion and truth. But death was not the last word. Jesus was raised by God as a sign that compassionate-truth …
BY DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA We have already had a bitter experience with Mr. Wigneswaran and we mustn’t repeat or compound it. Mr. Sampanthan is a cultured gentleman, a superb speaker and a fine parliamentarian in the old tradition. But he would be most unsuitable to be made Leader of the Opposition. It is neither because …
By Don Manu The recent fiasco concerning the bond scandal has given the anti-Maithri clique a welcome full toss to smash over the pavilion so early in the new innings. Rightly they have accused the Government of making a pig’s breakfast of the Central Bank Governor’s appointment and even taken their protest to the streets. …
By Udaya Gammanpila According to the government, Sri Lanka is now governed by a national government. However, there is a crisis with regard to who should be appointed as the Leader of the Opposition. There is no such office in a national government. Hence, it is obvious that there is no national government in Sri …
By Don Manu It is indeed a curious state of affairs that exists today in Lanka’s body politic and, to put it mildly, it is getting curiouser and curiouser. First of all, for the first time we have a president who contested the election not on the UNP or on the SLFP ticket but from …
By C.A.Chandraprema Doing away with the executive presidential system was the pledge that united so many different political parties and organizations behind Maithripala Sirisena. As Sri Lanka has been under prime ministerial forms of government in the past, we should have been able to switch effortlessly from one to the other. Instead what we see …
Jesus Christ, who transformed the death to a supreme sacrifice through life, is one of the greatest teachers born in this world. He, who committed to show the path of salvation to the mankind was crucified since being a challenge to the religious and political systems that prevailed at that time, Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe …
By C.A.Chandraprema The government has begun negotiations to get back the GSP+ trade concession offered by the EU. As of now, only four nations – Armenia, Cape Verde, Georgia, and Mongolia – have applied and obtained GSP+. None of these are exporting nations in the proper sense of the term. The question that the government …
by Lal Wickrematunge The 5th of April marks the 57th birth anniversary of Lasantha, murdered six years ago on the 8th of January. Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated at the last Presidential elections also on the 8th of January. 8/1 will be etched in the history of this Island for two divergent emotions. Sadness, for the …
(Full Text of Media Communique Issued by the Prime Minister’s office on April 4th 2015) A Board of Inquiry has found shocking details of corruption running into billions of dollars, manipulations of service contracting, recruitment of unqualified staff and major security breaches at Sri Lankan airlines under the former government. The panel headed by anti-corruption …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA ‘India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in a resolution passed on India’s foreign policy, at its ongoing two-day national executive meeting in Bengaluru… said …Modi became “the first Prime Minister of Bharat to visit Jaffna…He invoked his idea of cooperative federalism and stressed upon the 13th Amendment and beyond.”’ (IANS news …
by Malinda Seneviratne The United States of America has a huge HR problem. Actually it has two HR problems to deal with. The first refers to its problematic fascination with ‘human rights’ issues all over the world even as the very eyes that scour the world and note rights abuses do not see Washington’s own …
By Zahrah Imtiaz The government is conducting investigations to either establish or dismiss suspicions of whether controversial Maritime Security services company Avant Garde has been supplying weapons to Nigerian terror group Boko Haram, Dr.Rajitha Senaratne revealed at the Cabinet Media conference yesterday. The probe into Avant Garde, suspected of dealing with various foreign governments because …
Dismissing the Opposition’s claim that his government has given fishing rights to Indians, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has said he has issued clear instructions to the Navy to seize boats that violate the country’s territorial waters. “We have not allowed fishing in our waters for the Indians. I have given clear instructions to Navy …
By Malinda Seneviratne When it rains, the cricket stops. The Royal-Thomian doesn’t stop for anything; not for rain, not for a World War and not on account of terrorist threats. The match this year was washed out with S Thomas’ having the upper hand. Someone said, ‘S Thomas’ is a Combined Schools’ team and Royal …
By Ira de Silva Reference the statement by Mr. Ajith Perera, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs that “new evidence of the LTTE activities overseas was the basis for the EU’s ban” and that Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe had as the Opposition Leader written to the EU pointing out the emerging threat”, would the current government explain …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake If the visit to India by President Maithripala Sirisena, the first State visit abroad since his election as President, was a huge success, the recent visit to China has also shown the success of the foreign policy of Nonalignment that lays emphasis on friendship with all countries. There were many doubts expressed …
by Dr U.Pethiyagoda A simple reason for politicians being beyond reform is that they constitute a unique Trade Union which determines its own emoluments. Fiscal discipline and proportionality are of no concern, – and why should they be? The cry is “Blow you Jack, I’m alright!!” Consequently, politics continues to be the most lucrative employment. …
By E Weerapperuma “The cross was two pieces of dead wood; and a helpless, unresisting Man was nailed to it; yet it was mightier than the world, and triumphed, and will ever triumph over it.” – Augustus William Hare. “Exalt the Cross! God has hung the destiny of the race upon it. Other things we …
Continue reading ‘Good Friday: Sublime Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary’ »
By Meera Srinivasan The government’s efforts to promote national unity in Sri Lanka will break down unless there is reconciliation, according to the former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. “I think it is absolutely crucial,” Ms. Kumaratunga told The Hindu in her first interview to international media in some years. Recently invited to head a special …
By N Sathiya Moorthy Two Rajnikanth flop-shows in a row, and not just the actor’s career but the very idea of superstardom in Tamil cinema may be under threat. Rajni’s Kochchadaiyan and Lingaa both released in 2014 and both bombed at the box office. This sent distributors and exhibitors into a tail-spin and they demanded …
Amendments Proposed to the Constitution by the EPDP 1. to add immediately after Para. 41A. (1) (e) of the Gazetted Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution bill ” and out of the five persons appointed one person shall be a Tamil and another person a Muslim. “ 2. to delete the following sentence in Para. 41b. …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA On his three day trip to the North Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, promised a political solution to the ethnic question, without which he said, there would be no stability. Meanwhile, according to an interview given to Ceylon Today, “Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan expressed confidence in the ability of …
(Text of Opening Speech by Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera at the 19th Session of the Sri Lanka – EU Joint Commission in Colombo on 2nd April 2015) Mr. Ugo Astuto, Acting Managing Director, Asia & the Pacific Division, European External Action Service, Officials of the respective European Union Institutes, Representatives of EU …
By Tharindu Jayawardene Media recently reported that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to be gifted with the Peacock Mansion belonging to A.S.P. Liyanagewho contested unsuccessfully at the recent presidential election. The excerpts from an interview with Liyanage are reproduced below. Q;How many times have you contested the Presidency? I have contested twice Q; On the …
By Gomin Dayasri Happenings around are unenviable: zany events unfold in rapid succession; voters are bewildered, skeptical, disoriented. Worse- democracy is not standing tall, as desired. Corrupt practices remain alive and made sophisticated. Are we drifting aimlessly without a leadership? Loosing moorings is sailing towards a sunset unknown. Time is insufficient to ponder. Corruption is …
By Upul Joseph Fernando The media raised many questions about the future of the China funded Colombo Port City Project when Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met them last week. When an editor pointed out that the Port City crisis could hamper the smooth relations between the two countries, Ranil explained, that as Sri Lanka was …
By Rasika Jayakody When one graduates himself to the level of a head of state, the line between his public and private lives becomes unclear. Matters of his personal life often come under public spotlight and more often than not they become subjects of discussion for the public and the media. Things often blow out …
By Gunadasa Amarasekera The conspiratorial powers-the CIA, the RAW, the MI 6 and their agents, some NGOs and separatists had a four fold agenda to be achieved. – firstly to oust Mahinda Rajapaksa – secondly to install a leader of their choice – thirdly to destroy the SLFP – fourthly to grant the desired Elam …
By Mirudhula Thambiah Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan expressed confidence in the ability of the Special Presidential Commission headed by Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge to find a suitable solution by the end of this year, to the issues confronting the Tamil people. “We have clarified to the former President all matters relating …
Colombo, Mar 30: Sri Lanka’s new government today warned that there is a real danger that the LTTE could regroup and wage another war for an independent Tamil homeland, six years after they were militarily defeated. Deputy Foreign Minister Ajith Perera said LTTE’s front organisations operate businesses overseas to generate funds in an attempt to …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA The SLFP participation at the Ratnapura rally trumped the cooptation (‘National Government’) tactic of the SLFP Rightwing. The anti-Mahinda tendency of the SLFP is now caught in the coils of its own contradictions. If it follows the dictates of Chandrika “Sonia” Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and facilitates the passage of the 19th amendment …
By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon and Norman Palihawadane The police suspect that eight suspects arrested while dubbing an anti Sri Lanka army film in Narahenpita on Saturday were working for Channel Four responsible for a propaganda onslaught against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The police believe the film has been shot …
By Chaminda Perera in Killinochchi A special officer is to be appointed at the Prime Minister’s office to look into the problems in the Northern Province, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday, winding up his three day visit to the Northern Province. He stressed the need to pay special focus on the development of livelihood …
Singapore bade farewell to its founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who died on Monday aged 91. Despite torrential rain, tens of thousands lined the streets to view the funeral procession carrying Mr Lee’s coffin through the city-state. A state funeral then took place attended by world leaders, ahead of a private family cremation ceremony. …
Addressing members of Security Forces and the Police serving in the Jaffna peninsula at the Security Forces Headquarters, Palaly, the Premier stressed the importance of having a political solution to the ethnic issue to ensure national unity while equal emphasis is laid on the country’s security. He said the government is determined to ensure national …
The European Union (EU) re-imposed the ban on the LTTE after Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Foreign Affairs Ministry intervened with the matter, Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, according to him, had written to the EU to reconsider the ban on the LTTE as the then leader …
by Rasika Jayakody The appointment of Kshenuka Seneviratne as the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand has been put on hold as she is yet to be summoned before the Committee on High Posts in Parliament. Speaking to the Daily News, Deputy Foreign Minister Ajith P. Perera said a final decision on the matter would be …
The LTTE, taken off the European Union’s list of terrorist groups in Oct. 2014 by an order of the European General Court, is now back on the Terror List according to EU documents. The European Council appealed in late December last year against the decision of the General Court but the process is expected to …
Three public interest activists, Dr. G. Usvatte-aratchi, Dr. A.C. Visvalingam and Mr. Chandra Jayaratne have invoked the Fundamental Rights jurisdiction of the Supreme Court seeking an independent and competent inquiry into the controversial Central Bank bond issue and also called for systems that would ensure transparent and good governance practices on future public debt issues. …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa in a message read in a political rally held in Ratnapura, last week alleged that the current administration has stalled development in the country. I cannot help, but agree, though grudgingly. This government has held back the country’s development. That is already reflected in the projected growth numbers: The …
Continue reading ‘Has New Govt Killed the Golden Egg Laying Economic Development Goose?’ »
By C.A.Chandraprema Events are moving faster than they can be written about. If we start with the last big event that occurred towards the end of last week, the Ratnapura meeting of the pro-Mahinda group of the SLFP was marred by a heavy downpour that started just minutes after the meeting commenced. Despite the pelting …
By Col R Hariharan Book review: Sri Lanka The New Country Author: Padma Rao Sundarji Publisher: Harper-Collins Publishers, Noida, UP Price: Rs 499; Pages 322 Seasoned journalist Padma Rao Sundarji’s book Sri Lanka – The new country is refreshingly different from scores of other books that appeared in the wake of the defeat of the …
By M.R. Narayan Swamy As Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins to build a relationship with Sri Lanka’s new leadership, the one thing he needs to be wary of is the extremist Tamil position in the island nation. Modi made history by becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit Sri Lanka after 1987 when Rajiv …
By Don Manu A nation’s outrage burst in full flow last Sunday evening when President Maithripala Sirisena thought fit to induct 26 members of the SLFP as Ministers, State Ministers and Deputy Ministers of his government, rolling out the red carpet of welcome to a questionable coterie of the Rajapaksa regime the people held in …
By N.Sathiya Moorthy Pro-LTTE, pro-separatist websites could not have done a greater disservice to the larger Tamil cause just now than projecting Northern Province Chief Minister Justice C V Wigneswaran as our new national leader. It may in a way be a greater disservice to Justice Wigneswaran, too, who may not share their present views …
Like the ongoing investigations into the procurement of MiG-27 fighter jets, both President Maithripala Sirisena and the UNP-dominated Government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe are keen to bring to book those involved in bribery, corruption and other malpractices. Even if probes into some high profile cases where there has been heavy pressure have moved at …
The Lodge, once known as Queen’s Cottage, in the cooler climes of Nuwara Eliya, often referred to as ‘Little England’ was once home for British Governors and the ruling elite. Since independence in 1948, it became the holiday resort of the Governor General, later Prime Ministers and now Presidents. Unknown to most Sri Lankans, this …
BY Dr Reeza Hameed The draft 19th Amendment reminds me of the story ‘Naya Qanoon’ (New Constitution) written by the late Saadat Manto, regarded by many as the finest writer of short stories in Urdu and as the greatest South Asian writer of the 20th century. Set in pre-independence Lahore of the 1930s the main …
Priyantha Sirisena, the brother of President Maithripala Sirisena, who was treated at a private hospital in Colombo after an axe attack died this morning at the age of 40. Priyantha, who is also known as “Weli Raju,” is a businessman predominantly engaged in sand mining. He is a younger brother of President Sirisena, who is …
P.G. Priyantha Sirisena, a younger brother of President Maithripala Sirisena, passed away early this morning following an axe attack on Thursday. He was attacked with an axe in the back of his head on March 26 evening at around 7pm at Hathare Ela, Polonnaruwa. He was airlifted to Colombo the same night. Born on December …
By Malinda Seneviratne Ranil Wickremesinghe, when he addressed and briefly responded to questions from heads of media institutions and editors, was clear, precise and quite articulate. He articulated the Government’s strategy, progress made and what’s in the pipeline on three broad subjects: reconciliation, corruption and the ‘100 Days’ Program’. When asked if corruption allegations predating …
By Deepal Warnakulasuriya Dr Dayan Jayatilleka who is an expert in many fields expressed his ideas regarding the present political developments in the country in an interview with The Nation. Dr. Jayatilleka did not agree with the formation of a National Government, suspending the normal competitive functioning of the two-party system. He considers this move …
By W. K. Prasad Manju Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa loyalists have launched the ‘Mahinda-For-PM Front’ and threaten to take to the streets with protest demonstrations and agitations demanding the dissolution of Parliament on April 23. General Secretary of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya said leaders of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, National Freedom Front, Democratic Left Front …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake The surprise political shake up last Sunday when a team of 26 SLFPers joined the Government, with 11 of them being sworn in as Cabinet Ministers, has brought about a new dimension to both politics and governance. The political debate is hotter today, with criticism of President Maithripala Sirisena for taking in …