By Col.R.Hariharan China under President Xi Jinping is promoting the revival of the Silk Route as well as the 21st Century Maritime Silk Route in a big way as a part of its strategic westward reach. It involves reaching out to South Asian countries as well as the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). India by its …
President’s brother Priyantha Sirisena is to be flown to Colombo for further treatment after he was assaulted with a sharp weapon at Polonnaruwa. National Hospital Director Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that the hospital is on standby to treat Sirisena. President Maithripala Sirisena’s brother Priyantha Sirisena was hospitalized after he was attacked with a sharp weapon …
Around 26 UPFA Parliamentarians, including many SLFP MPs took part in the pro-Mahinda Rajapaksa rally today urging that the former president should be made the Prime Ministerial candidate of the UPFA in an upcoming general election. Apart from the Parliamentarians a number of Provincial Council Members and Local Government Authority Members also took part in …
By Prof.Jayadeva Uyangoda Within just three months in power, the National Democratic Front (NDF) coalition seems to be disintegrating. All indications are that the unity that the NDF coalition partners showed in the pursuit of their common objective of dislodging the Mahinda Rajapaksha family from power has largely dissipated. The signs are also that President …
By N. Sathiya Moorthy For a bilateral visit at the highest-level after an undesirable and inexplicable gap of 28 long years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day tour of Sri Lanka was noted as much for what it achieved as for the optics. It came after an earlier visit by Sri Lanka’s new President Maithripala Sirisena …
Priyantha Sirisena, the brother of President Maithripala Sirisena was hospitalised with serious injuries after he was assaulted by an unknown person at Hathare Ela area in Polonnaruwa. It was reported that Mr. Sirisena had been attacked near a garage in the area at around 7. 00 p.m. and had been rushed to the Polonnaruwa Hospital.
By Suresh Perera With President Maithripala Sirisena’s revelation to Sandeshaya, BBC’s Sinhala Service in London, that there were plans to “destroy his whole family” if he lost the presidential poll, political sources recalled how the then common candidate was escorted under cover of darkness to an estate owned by a close friend in the Kurunegala …
BY DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA Blackadder fans will know what I mean when I say that Chandrika and Ranil have come up with a plan of truly Baldrickian cunning. They let it slip while speaking on separate occasions after the formation of the so-called ‘National Government’. Ranil said that the change that had been initiated, promised …
by Jayadeva Uyangoda “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” was the first reaction I heard last Sunday evening when the news spread that President Sirisena had sworn in 26 ex-UPFA ministers in various ministerial capacities of his yahapalanaya government. The second response was also similar: ‘Is this what we voted Maithripala Sirisena in …
By Ishara Mudugamuwa and Yasaratne Gamage The Financial Fraud Investigations Division (FFID) has sought the advice of the Attorney General on the procedure involved in obtaining a statement from former Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa over the alleged financial fraud at the Divi Neguma Department, Police Media Spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said. The police decided …
By Jayashika Padmasiri Though the Government was able to arrive at a consensus regarding the trimming of powers of the executive presidency, the controversy over electoral reforms has still not been settled, with the Government and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) continuing to reiterate their stances on this subject. In this backdrop, President Maithripala Sirisena …
Continue reading ‘Can this “Achcharu Govt” Reform the Electoral System as Envisaged?’ »
By Vikram Rajakumar The discovery of groups and individuals in south India pledging allegiance to various militant factions in Syria’s civil war has led to a deterioration of security of that region. What is the implication of this new phenomenon for Southeast Asia? Tamil Nadu in south India, which comprise 65 million people (88% Hindu, …
By Jayashika Padmasiri The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) yesterday announced that the 20th Amendment presented in Parliament would institute electoral reforms and soon after it was passed, along with the 19th Amendment, they will call for a general election. SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, addressing a media conference in Colombo, said that after …
By Dasun Edirisinghe More than 20 SLFP Parliamentarians would attend the third rally demanding that former President Rajapaksa be made the UPFA prime ministerial candidate, under the theme, ‘The country is in danger and prepare to face the challenge!’ organised by UPFA allies MEP, NFF, DLF and Pivithuru Hela Urumaya at the Ratnapura Sivali grounds …
Recent remarks made by Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Rajitha Senaratne regarding the security detail provided to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa are completely inaccurate and false, charged the Media Coordinator of President Rajapaksa. Issuing a communiqué, Rajapaksa’s Media Coordinator Rohan Welivita has also said that in fact, there are lapses in the security provided to the former …
By Nelka Medagedera Three petitions have been submitted to the Supreme Court pleading that an order be made to go for a referendum after passing the proposed 19th Amendment to the Constitution with a two third majority in Parliament. The petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court by Udaya Gammanpila on behalf of the …
By Malinda Seneviratne Of course we are all disappointed. We backed our boys to the hilt. We forced ourselves to hope that they would win it all. We all wanted a perfect farewell to our ‘grand old men’ (relatively speaking of course). We wanted Sanga, Mahela, Dilly and Malinga to have a ‘Tendulkar Moment’ on …
By Rasika Jayakody When he defected from the Rajapaksa administration to challenge Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency in November, last year, he only had the support of eight Parliamentarians of the UPFA who accompanied him in a face of a government that seemed invincible. The large majority of UPFA Parliamentarians criticized Sirisena’s move calling him a traitor …
By Lahiru Pothmulla The 19th Amendment presented in Parliament by the Government was a result of a ‘Constitutional Coup’ to allow a person who is unable to win at an election to retain power, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) said today. JHU General Secretary and Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said the objective of the latest …
By Saman Indrajith Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe presented the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to Parliament yesterday to curtail powers of the executive presidency. The Bill, if approved by Parliament, will make the Prime Minister the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers with powers to appoint its members. Right to Information has been included among …
The national anthem was sung in Tamil in the presence of President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at an event, where the lands taken over by the military to establish a High Security Zone were handed back to the legitimate owners at Valalaai, Valikamam East on Monday (23). …
By Col R Hariharan Is former Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who suffered a surprise defeat in the January 2015 presidential election, set to reincarnate as a prime minister? It would appear so, if we go by the moves of the national unity government as well as pro-Rajapaksa elements within the polity. Of course, Rajapaksa, …
By Upul Joseph Fernando President Maithripala revealed an interesting episode of what Queen Elizabeth told him during his recent visit to Britain to the media heads when the latter met the President last week at a breakfast meeting. When he met the Queen, the pro-LTTE Tamil Diaspora in London had been protesting outside. “Don’t those …
It sounds too good to be true but a simple change to the way rice is cooked could reduce its calorie content by 60 per cent. Scientists in Sri Lanka have discovered that cooking rice with a teaspoon of coconut oil then refrigerating it for 12 hours more than halves the number of calories absorbed …
With a sense of vision and a ruthless pragmatism, Lee Kuan Yew led Singapore as it transformed from a tiny island with no natural resources into a thriving economic success. He successfully channelled the energies of Singaporeans to create what has often been described as an economic miracle, a mixture of private and state capitalism. …
THERE was no vainglory in the title of the first volume of Lee Kuan Yew’s memoirs: “The Singapore Story”. Few leaders have so embodied and dominated their countries: Fidel Castro, perhaps, and Kim Il Sung, in their day. But both of those signally failed to match Mr Lee’s achievement in propelling Singapore “From Third World …
(Text of Media Release Issued by the National Peace Council) The government is being criticized for its slow pace in implementing the 100 day plan of the president’s election manifesto. However, the government is also going beyond the promises of its election manifesto to strengthen the confidence of the Tamil people in its good faith. …
(Full Text of Speech Made in Parliament by Tamil Nationalist Alliance Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran M.P. on the 17th March 2015) Mr. Deputy Chairman of Committees, as I rise to speak on this Order that has been placed for approval, I cannot but recollect the time when the Hon. Minister of Justice and Labour Relations himself, …
(Full Text of Address made by Northern Province Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran at Valalaai in Jaffna where 425 Acres of Land under military control were handed back to the displaced people in a ceremony attended by President Maithripala Sirisena,Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President Chandrika Kumaratunga on March 23rd 2015) Your Excellency the President , …
“Every measure will be taken to resolve issues faced by people irrespective of their race or religion under my rule,” President Maithripala Sirisena said. The President said that as a new Government many steps have already been taken to resolve problems faced by people, adding that the Government is committed to building peace and reconciliation …
By Shalika Wimalasena In this wide ranging and incisively probing no-holds-barred interview, former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa admits intentions of entering national politics; says he first heard of Prageeth Ekneligoda only after his disappearance, adding that the Rajapaksa government had no issues with him. He said the Police could not find any clues to Ekneligoda’s …
By Udaya Gammanpila Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Sri Lanka was the first official visit of an Indian Prime Minister for the last 28 years. It was presented as a diplomatic victory of the present government. However, the unpleasant incident that took place 28 years ago along with the message hidden in statements made by …
By Malinda Seneviratne Why should a country have more than a single version of its national anthem? This is the question that many are asking following President Maithripala Sirisena sanctioning the use of the Tamil version of ‘Sri Lanka Matha’. Those who ask this question by way of supporting the obvious answer to the rhetorical …
Eleven more Cabinet Ministers, five State Ministers and ten Deputy Ministers were sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat a short while ago, the President’s Media said. Cabinet Ministers 1. A.H.M.Fousie – Minister of Disaster Management 2. S.B.Nawinna – Minister of Labour 3. Piyasena Gamage – Minister of Skill Development and Vocational …
by Priya Venkateshan I have been provoked enough to write this, provoked by this piece by novelist Aatish Taseer, “How English ruined Indian Literature” in The New York Times. I need to rebut this. I’m supposed to be a Tamilian, on paper. My father grew up speaking Tamil. My mother’s was a more complicated story. …
Continue reading ‘Adopting English as Lingua Franca is the reason for India Staying Together.’ »
BY AATISH TASEER NEW DELHI — A BOATMAN I met in Varanasi last year, while covering the general election that made Narendra Modi prime minister of India, said, “When Modi comes to power, we will send this government of the English packing.” The government of the English! The boatman naturally did not mean the British …
BY Gagani Weerakoon Following a shock decision worked out in total secrecy last Friday with Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, President Maithripala Sirisena will swear-in 30 SLFP MPs as ministers, 15 of them with Cabinet rank and 15 others as Deputy Ministers, in a political feint that will see the promised Sirisena-Wickremesinghe National Government coming to fruition …
By GARDINER HARRIS COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — No social function on this island is as important as the recent annual Royal-Thomian cricket match, but this year’s event was particularly special because of what has become known here as the Royalist coup. It was celebrated last weekend in party tents with toasts involving many drinks, and …
by P.K.Balachandran Former Sri Lankan Consul General in Sydney, Bandula Jayasekara, has suggested that the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, be allowed to visit Sri Lanka purely as a Buddhist pilgrim and on the strict condition that he talks no politics while being here. The former diplomat was commenting on the controversy kicked up …
By C.A.Chandraprema With each passing week, the stresses and strains within the yahapalana coalition that formed the present government are coming more and more out into the open. Last week, at a seminar at the OPA auditorium, Dr Jayampathy Wickremeratne who is an advisor to President Maithripala Sirisena alleged that some people in the government …
By Ambika Satkunanathan The ‘wife of Neelan Tiruchelvam’ is a phrase that has been frequently used to describe Sithie, a corporate lawyer with a deep and abiding interest in social justice, research and the world of ideas, and the arts, since she passed away. However, to those who knew Sithie she was never merely ‘the …
By C.A.Chandraprema The proposed 19th Amendment to the constitution is a far cry from what the public was made to expect in terms of constitutional reform before the presidential election. Before the election, what we saw was an opposition platform that fulminated against the executive presidential system and promised its abolition. At his first appearance …
By Jayadeva Uyangoda Within just three months in power, the National Democratic Front (NDF) coalition seems to be disintegrating. All indications are that the unity that the NDF coalition partners showed in the pursuit of their common objective of dislodging the Mahinda Rajapaksa family from power has largely dissipated. The signs are also that President …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake A new trend in politics was seen by what President Maithripala Sirisena said at the meeting of electorate and district organizers of the SLFP at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute earlier this week, and later emphasized in his first meeting with newspaper editors and media heads at the Janadhipathi Mandiraya, on Wednesday. …
BY DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA “They lifted a rock against us which they will drop on their own feet”- Zhou Enlai “There is great disorder under heavens! The situation is excellent!” – Mao Zedong Look, there must be a reason why Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe has been in occupation of Temple Trees three (relatively brief) times, but …
BY DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA Sri Lankan civil society intellectuals and commentators who support the new dispensation are making the same mistake as Francis Fukuyama did, but in a far more facile and therefore far less forgivable form. When the Cold War ended, Fukuyama famously posited the End of History. It was crudely misunderstood to mean …
Ultimately, obtaining a piece of the silverware was not to be for two of the one-day game’s greatest batsmen, with Sri Lanka’s World Cup exit also signalling Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene’s ODI farewell. For Jayawardene, retirement beckons, while Sangakkara will continue playing the five-day game until Sri Lanka’s Test series against India in August. …
By Nisthar Cassim * Says expeditious resolution of several longstanding and urgent national issues require a national government for two years in the country’s interest; absence of Govt-Opposition cooperation cause for delay and past failures (pic: Sri Lankan High Commission in London organised a multi-faith religious ceremony to invoke blessings on President Maithripala Sirisena, at …
By Upul Joseph Fernando Everyone keeps guessing as to what former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Indian Premier Narendra Modi discussed a few hours before the latter’s departure to New Delhi after a two-day State visit. Mahinda went to meet Modi after making accusations that the Indian intelligence service RAW connived with Western intelligence forces to …
Speaking in Parliament today on bringing forward amendments to the United Nations Regulations 1 and 2 of 2012 promulgated under the United Nations Act Number 45 of 1968, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera drew the attention of the House to a matter related to the he UN regulations discussed in Parliament. He referred to …
(Full Text of Speech made in Parliament by sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera on March 18th 2015) Hon. Speaker, I stand before you today to present amendments, in line with our international obligations, to United Nations Regulations 1 and 2 of 2012 promulgated under the United Nations Act number 45 of 1968. As …
By Latheef Farook Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comment on the implementation of 13th amendment ,his suggestion that cooperative federalism is better for Sri Lanka, his invitation to Tamils of Indian origin to visit New Delhi to discuss their issues and his advice to Tamils to be patient makes one wonder whether Sri Lanka is …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara One must always say what one sees. But especially – and this is the hard part – one must always see what one sees – Charles Péguyi Paranoids live in their own world, uncluttered by facts and unrestrained by reality. In the paranoid’s world nothing is impossible. Robert H. Welch Jr, retired-candy …
By Dinesh Raheja A cheesy line of dialogue in the Diwali blockbuster Happy New Year proffering a rather simplistic piece of wisdom can be paraphrased thus: “There are two types of people in the world—winners and losers”. Few people these days can be tagged with a rare degree of sanguineness than the film’s leading lady, …
Continue reading ‘Deepika Padukone Illuminates Hindi Screen with Flaming Successes in Succession’ »
(Full Text of Letters Sent by Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P. to President Maithripala Sirisena on January 13th 2015 after being appointed State minister of Higher Education and on February 10th 2015 giving Notice of resignation.Prof. Wijesinha who was one of the original group of Govt MP’s to cross over with President Sirisena has subsequently crossed back …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa says that some countries had the wherewithal to overthrow democratically elected governments, though Sri Lanka lacked such capacity. War veteran Rajapaksa points out that there had been many such interventions over the years in various parts of the world. Sri Lanka was a case in point, Rajapaksa …
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe issued a special statement in Parliament on March 16th 2015 responding to critics over the recent Treasury Bond issue as well as exposing the improper conduct of various institutions of the past regime and those allegedly connected to it. Using Parliamentary privilege, Wickremesinghe’s special statement was akin to a …
By Gen.Lalin Fernando Every private in the French Army carries a Field Marshal’s baton in his knapsack (Napoleon) There is a lot written and spoken about Field Marshals (FMs) just now. The latest is about the privileges that FMs should apparently have. It appears Hitler’s Germany is the source for these anachronistic examples. The privileges …
By Ifham Nizam Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was not a superman, said Water Supply and Urban Development Minister Rauff Hakeem yesterday, in response to the challenge made by Rajapaksa during an interview that no one could do what he had done. Answering questions after a media briefing, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader stressed …
By Gagani Weerakoon & Skandha Gunasekara Expressing his displeasure over the conduct of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the incumbent government, former State Minister of Higher Education, Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha crossed over to the Opposition yesterday. He said the move to gazette the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and transfer of executive powers to the …
By Rasika Jayakody Political analyst Kusal Perera, who was a close confidant of Mahinda Rajapaksa during the early 90s, draws parallels between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party now and the SLFP in 1991. “Party Leader Sirimavo Bandaranaike, due to failing health, was not in a position to actively engage in political activities of the party. …
BY DEMOS The once sober judicial officer Wigneswaran, who functions at present as the Chief Minister of the NPC, appears to have suffered a sudden manic seizure following the recent change of Government, to have had the incomprehensible temerity to make the infuriatingly provocative statement to the effect that all Governments in Sri Lanka have …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA “…Contiguous polities, in Kautilya’s analysis, existed in a state of latent hostility. Whatever professions of amity he might make, any ruler whose power grew significantly would find that it was in his interest to subvert his neighbor’s realm…The wise ruler would seek his allies from among his neighbor’s neighbors.” – Dr. …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday warned that the national economy would suffer a staggering loss of approximately Rs. 9 billion unless the government cancelled the controversial Treasury bond issue involving Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran and his son-in-law Arjun Aloysius. Taking tangible measures to avoid Rs.9 bn loss would be …
BY GARDINER HARRIS Still, there are drawbacks to staying at Thalsevana Holiday Resort. Arrive without a reservation, and you could be arrested. Stroll too far down the beach during a blood-red sunset, and a soldier carrying an automatic weapon will appear out of a bunker, declare that you have entered a high-security zone and order …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was here on a landmark three-day visit; the first visit to Sri Lanka by an Indian leader in three decades. His Sri Lankan counterpart could well have upset the apple cart with his imprudent remarks, when he tried to justify the shooting of Indian fishermen by the …
Continue reading ‘Sacrificing Sri Lankan Fishermen in Return for Investment by Indian Capitalists’ »
by Julio Ribeiro (The writer, a retired IPS officer,was Mumbai police commissioner,DGP Gujarat and DGP Punjab,and is a former Indian ambassador to Romania) There was a time, not very long ago — one year short of 30, to be precise — when only a Christian was chosen to go to Punjab to fight what then …
By Don Asoka Wijewardena A 17-year-old Dinithe Aloka Ranasinghe, daughter of businessman Gamini Ranasinghe of Kirulapana was abducted on February 24, 2014 while she was returning home after school and her whereabouts had not been known since then. Father of the victim, Gamini Ranasinghe, addressing the media yesterday blamed Health and Indigenous Minister Dr Rajitha …
BY DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA “Somewhere over the rainbow…” – The Wizard of Oz Three vital questions arise from Prime Minister Modi’s recommendation that Sri Lanka goes beyond the 13th amendment. The first is: has India changed its stance? The second is: if beyond 13A, ‘where to?’ The third is: ‘why?’ New Delhi’s stance in the …
by Dilrukshi Handunnetti The former Chief Minister of the United North-eastern Province, Varatharaja Perumal believes that India should have intervened, in the absence of political will at home, to ensure the continuity of a united North-eastern provincial Council. Perumal noted that the new government has facilitated the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and instead of faultfinding, …
By Malinda Seneviratne Deputy Minister of Policy Planning and Economic Affairs, referring to the controversy surrounding the Central Bank bond issue of February 27, 2015 (i.e. allegations of insider trade where Governor Arjuna Mahendran is on the spot over his son-in-law Arjun Aloysius making quite a packet within a few days) pats his Prime Minister …
By Dr. Devanesan Nesiah Ethnicity has been a salient factor of human society throughout recorded history. The modern state is a comparatively recent development (a few centuries old rather than a few millennia). As set out by C Geertz in “Old Societies and New States” (1963, The Free Press of Glencoe, New York, pages 109-10): …
by Rasika Jayakody The Cabinet of Ministers yesterday decided to entrust President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga with the task of holding discussions and arriving at a final decision on dissolution of Parliament on April 23. “They will also discuss view points that have been expressed by parties …
By Jayashika Padmasiri The Government yesterday managed to secure consensus on the Constitutional amendments but decided to meet again tomorrow to agree on electoral reforms amidst mixed views over whether the two must seek Parliamentary passage in one go or separately. At yesterday’s special Cabinet meeting, the rainbow coalition Government agreed on far-reaching reforms to …
Popular media industry personality Krishantha Cooray has been appointed to the Board of DFCC Bank Plc as an Independent Director, hot on the heels of a similar position on the Board of Sri Lanka Telecom. With the latest appointment, the Board of DFCC Bank Plc comprises Royle Jansz (Chairman), Gomin Dayasiri, H.M.N.S. Gunawardana, J.E.A. Perumal, …
Continue reading ‘Krishantha Cooray Appointed to Board of DFCC Bank as Independent Director’ »
By Shamindra Ferdinando President Maithripala Sirisena has further consolidated his power with the UPFA’s constituents accepting him as the leader of the SLFP-led alliance. President Sirisena is the President of the SLFP. MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena and Democratic Left Front (DLF) leader Vasudeva Nanayakkara, who had spearheaded popular bring-back-Mahinda campaign, attended a meeting chaired by …
By Ravi Ladduwahetty Ceylon Finance Today: Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran coming down hard on his critics, said that he will respond to all the allegations that have been made against him regarding the Rs 15 billion Treasury Bond issue when he returns to Sri Lanka from his overseas visits. “I will respond to all …
By Biswadeep Ghosh 2012. Indian Premier League. Not in the best of form before the match against the Mumbai Indians in Mumbai, Kumar Sangakarra who was leading the Deccan Chargers did what few skippers have ever done. He dropped himself after discussing the strategy with the DC coach Darren Lehmann, a selfless act that was …
(Full Text of Address to Sri Lankan Parliament by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi) Honourable Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Shrimaan Ranil Wickremesinghe ji, Honourable Leader of the Opposition, Mr Nimal Siripala De Silva, Honourable Members of Parliament, Distinguished guests, I am truly delighted to visit Sri Lanka – a land of beauty, culture and …
By Don Manu Putting his family and associates first before all else, a people-deposed president Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared that he may come back to politics because he is angry that the Maithripala government has filed cases against his family members and associates. In an interview given to India’s Hindu newspaper published this Friday, he …
It was a heated session of the National Executive Council (NEC) last Monday when former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga picked up a mobile phone to speak to Defence Ministry Secretary K.M.U.D. Basnayake. She was angry. “Who the hell asked you to issue a letter to Nissanka Senadipathi, the Chairman of Avant Garde Maritime Security?” she …
By C.A.Chandraprema Niroshan Padukka is the UNP organiser for Kesbewa and a member of the Western Provincial Council. Early last week, he wrote a letter to the lankaenews website under the title “Is President Maithri under house arrest?” This letter just about sums up the present mood within the UNP and it is worth recounting …
by Tisaranee Gunasekara “The history or the future of Sri Lanka does not belong to any one community.” – Ranasinghe Premadasa (Speech on 11.12.1990) In 2013, as anti-Muslim hysteria was riding high, Jezima Ismail recalled an incident which was both a personal memory and a shared minority-experience: “Some years ago at a lecture session at …
By P.K.Balachandran On the second and final day of his visit to Sri Lanka, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi bonded with the Tamils of the Northern Province with aplomb. The speeches which he made were extempore and in Hindi, but the Tamil audiences were not complaining as his words, delivered with panache, had a ring …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka From Prime Minister Modi through Secretary of State Kerry to Prime Minister Cameron—in that order of significance—the emphasis with regard to Sri Lanka is the need for ethnic reconciliation. The search for a solution must be preceded by the identification of the problem or problems. Currently the effort at ethnic reconciliation runs …
Continue reading ‘Can the Modi Visit to Sri Lanka Help to Modify Devolution as Solution?’ »
By Suhasini Haidar India stands for a “united Sri Lanka”, but wants an “early and full implementation of the 13th Amendment” that provides for devolution in the Tamil majority Northern and Eastern provinces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Colombo on Friday. Mr. Modi, who was speaking at the historic Presidential secretariat after talks with …
By Meera Srinivasan Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Sri Lanka’s Tamils to be patient with the new government in Colombo, The Hindu learns from sources. He met senior leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) — the main party representing the island’s northern Tamils — in Colombo on Friday. Pointing to the “beginning of …
by Suhasini Haidar Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his much anticipated visit to Sri Lanka on Friday with a grand ceremonial welcome, though only a modest set of agreements were signed after his talks with Mr. Sirisena. Unlike his previous stops in the Seychelles and Mauritius, where Indian Ocean security cooperation and big-ticket development commitments …
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday called upon Sri Lanka to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and go beyond it to build a future that accommodated the aspirations of all sections of society. Conveying India’s admiration for President Sirisena’s efforts ‘to build an inclusive future for Sri Lanka’, PM Modi said at …
President Maithripala Sirisena said the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka and his own recent visit to India have turned a new page in cooperation between our two countries. Addressing media after bilateral discussions with the Indian delegation headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo yesterday (March …
By DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA Prime Minister Modi is much admired and rightly so as a charismatic, strong, visionary Asian leader. His visit to Sri Lanka and his speeches here could be said, at first blush, to be a triumph for India’s ‘soft power’ projection. The thing about ‘soft power’ however, is that it is uneven, …
By Suhasini Haidar Full transcript of interview with former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa by Suhasini Haidar. Q;This was an election you were so confident about; you called them ahead of time. What do you think contributed to your defeat? A;I misjudged the North and the East vote. In the South I have won, but …
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flew into the Sri Lankan capital in the early hours for a historic visit during which he is expected to hold talks with the country’s top leadership. Mr. Modi was received by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe at the airport after he arrived in Colombo for a two-day …
By Suhasini Haidar Claiming that the Research and Analysis Wing conspired with “Western agencies” CIA and MI-6 to rally the opposition led by President Maithripala Sirisena against his presidency, Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa says he does not, however, believe Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the government was responsible. In an exclusive interview to …
The National Executive Council has unanimously decided to recommend the arrest of former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to question him over the Avant Garde floating armory incident, local media reports said. Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Rajitha Senaratne told a local newspaper that a decision will be taken once President Maithripala Sirisena returns from Britain.
By Dasun Edirisinghe The National Freedom Front (NFF) yesterday charged that the National Executive Council was doing what the Tamil Diaspora and Western powers had been campaigning for since defeating the LTTE militarily. NFF Spokesman and former MP Mohammed Muzammil, addressing a media conference at the party head office at Battaramulla, said the Tamil Diaspora …
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa stated that politicians are now saying things which should be said by the IGP or Attorney General. Speaking to reporters at Mihintale Raja Maha Viharaya earlier in the day, he further said that politicians are the ones announcing who will be remanded, who will be arrested and within how many days. …
by Norman Palihawadana and Madura Ranwala Parliamentarian Sarana Gunawardena was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) yesterday afternoon over an alleged financial fraud. Police Media Unit (PMU) said Gunawardena was yesterday summoned to the CID to give a statement over an alleged fraud of Rs. 9.6 million which he was said to have taken …
By Zacki Jabbar The first state visit by an Indian leader to Sri Lanka in 28 years is scheduled to take place today(13) with the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Colombo. The late Rajiv Gandhi, the then Indian leader came to Colombo in 1987 to sign the Indo- Lanka Accord amidst strong opposition …
By Niveda Anandan Dear Young Tamil Men, Remember this conversation? “So what do you think of her?” says one young Tamil man to another. “She’s banging. But yo, I don’t think she’s the type you’d want to marry,” his friend replies. “What do you mean? You heard something bad about her?” The young Tamil man …
Continue reading ‘An Open Letter to Young Tamil Men on Behalf of Young Tamil Women’ »
By Meera Srinivasan It is time the 13th Amendment was replaced with a more dynamic system of devolution of powers, according to Sri Lanka’s Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran. Speaking to The Hindu days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka, the former Supreme Court judge said: “[The] 13th Amendment can …
Full transcript of interview with C.V. Wigneswaran, Chief Minister, Northern Province by Meera Srinivasan Q;PM Modi’s visit will be the first bilateral visit of an Indian leader to Sri Lanka in 27 years, and the first ever to Jaffna. How do you perceive this visit?
By Radhika Coomaraswamy When I heard that the Northern Provincial Council had passed a resolution on Genocide, I put my “head in my hands” again- something I did often during the previous regime. I asked myself, have we gone back to the beginning after all this violence and heartbreak? Tamil politics led by lawyers ( …
By Suhasini Haidar India is “intent on strengthening ties” with Sri Lanka, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, as he announced a slew of projects to be inaugurated while Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Sri Lanka on March 13th and 14th. https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/574562075495677953 Mr. Modi, who is the first Indian Prime Minister to make a bilateral visit to …
By Bandula Jayasekara A visit to Sri Lanka by an Indian Prime Minister has been long overdue. The last visit to the island by Rajiv Gandhi almost ended in disaster. Requests by former Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa, and even Ranil Wickremasinghe who was then Premier, had fallen on deaf Indian ears. However, both …
From Shamindra Ferdinando in London Defeated President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s personal astrologer, Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena, has offered his services to President Maithripala Sirisena. President Maithripala Sirisena has received a letter from Abeygunawardena explaining the circumstances leading to former President’s defeat while expressing a desire to serve the new leader, a senior presidential aide accompanying the President on …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA “…The Sri Lankan government must keep up the pace on reform. Building trust by demilitarizing the North…We owe it to victims and survivors across Sri Lanka to ensure that those responsible are held to account…That’s why we, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, have made clear that the report …
By Dasun Edirisinghe The JVP yesterday demanded the resignation of Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran in view of the investigation being conducted into the alleged shady deal relating to the ten-billion-rupee bond issue to a company owned by his son in law on Feb. 27, 2015. Addressing a media conference at the party head office, …
From Shamindra Ferdinando in London Placards carrying pro-LTTE activists protested near Westminster Abbey on Monday afternoon (March 9) demanding that a UNHRC war crimes report on Sri Lanka be released forthwith. There were about 300 protesters though the organisers expected a far larger number. Some of the protesters shouted anti-Sri Lanka slogans as President Maithripala …
Newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Yi Xianliang, said he was shocked when ‘issues’ were created and misleading media reports appeared when Chinese submarines called on the Colombo Port twice last year. He also said he is intended to discuss the matter with his Indian counterpart to check if that was an issue for …
By Rasika Jayakody On the sidelines of the Central Committee meeting of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party last week, a senior Parliamentarian of the party quipped that former President Rajapaksa was voraciously reading the biography of Russian President Vladimir Putin these days! Putin, who plays a pivotal role in the political sphere of Russia, became …