By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Certain aspects of the functioning of the Wickremesinghe-Sirisena government raise valid concerns as to whether anti-democratic Rajapaksa policies of the previous era are being continued but in a far craftier and skilful manner. This is a concern that ranges across the spectrum, from the accountability question to basic issues of good …
By Shirley Candappa On 28 September 1988, quite out of the blues news trickled through of an attempted coup on the Maldive Islands. Sri Lankans were more shocked when it was learned that the coup leaders -Maldivians led by Abdullah Luthufi- were assisted by a Sri Lankan Tamil militant group -the People’s Liberation Organisation of …
By Peter Reynolds A MIGRANT whose family fled Sri Lankan riots for a better life has been elected Moreland’s first Greens mayor. South Ward councillor Samantha Ratnam won the mayoral vote 6-5 over Labor candidate Cr Lita Gillies, bringing an end to the ALP’s stranglehold on the mayorship. Cr Ratnam had been unsuccessful in the …
(Text of Speech made by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera at the Commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Muslims Expulsion from the Northern Province by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) I would like to thank the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress for organizing this commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Expulsion of Muslims from …
BY DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA “And that’s why it’s so encouraging that, at the same time it’s confronting some of the darkest and most painful chapters in its country’s past, the Sirisena administration is also pursuing initiatives…” – US Ambassador Samantha Power (http://www.dailymirror.lk/93213/sl-govt-living-up-to-its-commitment-us#sthash.lexMp6gZ.dpuf) The Ambassador/Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations in New …
By P.K.Balachandran COLOMBO: The Ranil Wickremesinghe government is open to the idea of allowing Tamils held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to get bail, the Minister for National Dialogue on ethnic issues Mano Ganeshan told Express here on Wednesday. Ganeshan said that those under trial and those detained without any charges having been …
By Uditha Jayasinghe Tough-talking Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran yesterday slammed Sri Lanka’s tax system as “pathetic” and “regressive,” insisting it needed to be boosted through fresh measures and called for reduced stress on State banks placed by loss making State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Delivering the inaugural address as the Chief Guest at the Association …
By Dasun Edirisinghe Police yesterday used batons, tear gas and water cannon to disperse a group of protesting Higher National Diploma in Accountancy (HNDA) students when they attempted to force their way into the premises of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the University Education Ministry at Ward Place, Colombo 07. Police spokesman ASP Ruwan …
The United National Party, UK Branch as well as British Sri Lanka Forum have strongly protested against the appointment of a UK based dual citizen Manoj Warnapala as the head of the Consular Division of the Sri Lankan HC in London. They alleged that Warnapala being a lawyer and UK qualified solicitor could benefit from …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene In the wake of the turbulence caused by the September report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) on Sri Lanka, it is uproariously funny to see Rajapaksa propagandists exerting all their strength to lambast the filing of individual petitions by Sri Lankans before the …
By Shamindra Ferdinando About a dozen army officers who had been sent on compulsory retirement or compelled to retire early over their alleged clandestine involvement with Gen. Sarath Fonseka during 2009 and 2010 period would be reinstated and retired with promotions and enhanced entitlements, authoritative sources told The Island yesterday. This would enable them to …
By Rasika Jayakody Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is now caught up in a situation where he has to have the cake and eat the cake. He was scheduled to express his views in Parliament, representing the UPFA, when the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka was taken up for debate in the country’s legislature. Many were …
By Upul Joseph Fernando “I and my family members have no secret accounts in Dubai banks,”said the Rajapaksa ‘Crown Prince’ Namal when the media published reports about a secret account in a Dubai bank of a son of a VVIP. The media reports stated that the Sri Lankan Government had sought details of that account …
Continue reading ‘Secret Overseas Bank Accounts of South African and Sri Lankan Politicians’ »
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “Now, all the duties of rulers are contained in this one sentence, the safety of the people is the supreme law.”- Thomas Hobbes (‘Man and Citizen’) Who should be “accountable” and primarily to whom, on what issues and why? Are the Sri Lankan state, its military and its leaders primarily accountable under …
By Prof. G. L. Peiris Surveying the events of the last ten days, it seems to me that the need of the hour is to penetrate the fog of misinformation and fantasy with regard to the consequences of the Geneva Resolution on Sri Lanka, and to make a realistic appraisal of the situation. The point …
Continue reading ‘Eight compelling reasons for resisting implementation of Geneva Resolution’ »
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa In an effort to combat an alarming increase in child sex abuse in Sri Lanka, State Minister for Town Planing and Water Supply Dr Sudarshini Fernandopulle yesterday proposed chemical castration for repeated sex offenders. She was responding to the recent recommendation by the Madras High Court which recommended castration as punishment to …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Law and Order and Prisons Reforms Minister Priyankara Jayaratne has been summoned by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources, and Privileges (PRECIFAC). The Commission plans to question Minister Jayaratne on Oct. 30 at the BMICH where the …
The government yesterday announced that it would not grant a common amnesty to LTTE suspects/ prisoners, who recently staged a hunger strike demanding their release. “There will be no common amnesty for over 200 prisoners, mostly Tamils, who staged a hunger strike in jails throughout the country,” Minister of National Dialogue Mano Ganesan said.
By Rohini Hensman Report to the UN Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka:An Evaluation One of the most striking features of the report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation on Sri Lanka, 2015 is its consistent effort to be even-handed in its view of Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation …
By Prasad Gunewardene The Mace is the symbol of authority of Parliament. It signifies the authority and responsibilities entrusted upon the Speaker who is the Guardian of all Parliamentarians. The walk up to the Speaker’s podium by the Sergeant-at-Arms on days that Parliament sits with the Mace on his shoulder is a tradition and respect …
By CASSENDRA DOOLE Eight suspects including two former Army soldiers were apprehended and questioned by the Police yesterday (26) regarding the murder of the night club owner in Anuradhapura on Saturday (24) night. Speaking to Ceylon Today, the Police Media Spokesperson ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said, while eight suspects have been arrested and questioned by the …
ECONOMYNEXT – The controversial “white flag killings” were actually due to a botched surrender arranged by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa to save some of the senior Tiger leaders who had helped him to come to power in 2005, parliament was told Friday. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the assembly that Rajapaksa had wanted to save …
By Gandhya Senanayake An investigation team of the Commission will be conducting an independent, impartial inquiry into the alleged extra-judicial executions of surrendering top level members of the LTTE during the last stages of the conflict, Presidential Commission Investigating Cases of Missing Persons chairman P. Paranagama said. Paranagama told the Daily News that the investigation …
Wasantha Soysa alias ‘Rajarata Iron man’, the holder of several Guinness world records was hacked to death by an unidentified group inside a night club owned by him in Anuradhapura on Saturday night. Soysa, a famous Karate champion and a highly respected martial arts instructor, is said to have been attacked by about 25 people, …
The recent arrest of three Customs officers who allegedly solicited and accepted a Rs. 125 million bribe from a spare parts importer in Colombo hit the headlines. It was described as the biggest-ever detection made in the history of the Bribery Commission. “Sunday Island”s sister paper “Sunday Divaina’ spoke to the importer, who tipped off …
Text of a speech delivered by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo, October 25, 2015. Venerable members of the Maha Sangha, clergymen of all other religions, friends, I address you thus, at a time of great peril to our nation. Various views have been expressed about the resolution passed against Sri Lanka in the Human …
by Rajan Philips On Monday, October 19, Canadians elected a majority Liberal government led by a handsome, young politician with a famous last name. Justin Trudeau, Canada’s new Prime Minister, is the 43 year old son of Pierre Elliot Trudeau (1919-2000), one of Canada’s better known world figures and a former Prime Minister for 16 …
Continue reading ‘Pierre and Justin Trudeau: Charismatic Father and Son Prime Ministers of Canada’ »
By Ranga Jayasuriya Last week saw a curious event of pomp and funfair-and political realism-that highlighted how far the States would go to maximize their benefits, even at the expense of their allies. Britain rolled out the red carpet for Xi Jinping, the Chinese President who rode in a gilded royal carriage to the Buckingham …
By C.A.Chandraprema The Presidential Commission to Inquire into Complaints of Missing Persons was set up by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 15 August 2013 under the chairmanship of retired High Court Judge Maxwell Paranagama. In the one and a half years that it functioned under the Rajapaksas, this was just another commission of inquiry like the …
By Rasika Jayakody A heated verbal battle broke out at the SLFP parliamentary group meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena last Monday evening over another gathering held earlier at MP Gamini Lokuge’s house in Colombo. The person who stirred up the hornets’ nest was Minister S.B. Dissanayake who lashed out at certain SLFP MPs for holding …
ECONOMYNEXT – The war crimes investigation set up by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has made startling revelations that senior military commanders should be hauled up for criminal prosecutions. The Maxell Paranagama commission appointed in 2013 in what many at the time feared was an attempt to white wash the security forces has surprisingly produced a …
by Madura Ranwala and Saman Indrajith National Freedom Front Leader and Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa, MP, who was arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, yesterday morning, was enlarged on Rs.10,000 cash bail and two sureties of Rs. 1 million each yesterday evening by the Negombo Magistrate. The case would be taken up on Oct. 28. …
By Saman Indrajith Democratic Left Front leader Vasudeva Nanayakkara said, in Parliament, yesterday that the countries interests had been subjugated to America’s geo-political agenda by the incumbent government. Participating in the adjournment debate on Geneva UNHRC report and alleged human rights violations during the last phase of the war, MP Nanayakkara said: “Sri Lanka is …
JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday said in Parliament that India’s premier intelligence agency – the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was engaged in a scheme to destabilise the North. Participating in the adjournment debate on Geneva based UNHRC report and alleged human rights violations during the last phase of the war, MP Dissanayake said: …
by Saman Indrajith Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday requested the Opposition members not to engage in ‘civet’ politics (Ugudu Deshapalanaya) at night. Participating in the adjournment debate on Geneva based UNHRC report and alleged human rights violations during the last phase of the war, the Prime Minister said: “Don’t play dubious games. I request you …
by Shamindra Ferdinando The Second Mandate of Paranagama Commission prepared after having obtained international legal and military opinion has strongly justified the killing or capturing of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran during the final phase of the Vanni offensive. Troops recovered Prabhakaran’s body on the morning of May 19, 2009, on the banks of the Nanthikadal …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake Amidst the often tortuous and boring abundance of advertisements promoting candidates seeking election in the run up to the August 17 General Election, there was one ad that stood out for its clarity and unambiguous statement. This well produced and impactful ad in Sinhala, was presented in the depiction of a classroom …
By Rohan Pethiyagoda 21st death anniversary of Gamini Dissanayake In every generation, it is given to but a handful of politicians to become creatures of legend. When posterity judges, it judges harshly, sans any of the ‘accountability’ we so yearn to see in politicians themselves. Public memory is whimsical and capricious, almost never just. With …
Continue reading ‘Gamini Dissanayake Was a Man in a Hurry Not Just For Himself, But For Sri Lanka’ »
By Ashwin Hemmathagama Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe set the stage for the second day of the Adjournment Motion on the resolution passed by the United Nations’ Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) on Sri Lanka by telling his fellow lawmakers yesterday that it was better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. “We all suffered …
(Concluding Remarks made by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera on October 23rd 2015 in the Parliamentary debate on the resolution on Sri Lanka passed by the UN Human rights Council in Geneva) The national unity government has committed itself to winning the peace, securing the country from political violence that has haunted it since independence and …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Thamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal (TMVP) leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias “Pillaiyaan” is currently being detained and interrogated by the Police over his suspected involvement in the twin assassinations of Tamil National Alliance(TNA) Parliamentarians Joseph Pararajasingham and Nadarajah Raviraj in December 2005 and November 2006 respectively. Chandrakanthan who made history in 2008 as the first …
By Malinda Seneviratne Congrats MS & Co! Over 270 days have passed since Maithripala Sirisena became President. That’s 170 days beyond the ‘100 Days’ by the end of which we were led to believe Sri Lanka would be a different country. All promises have been kept. Three hearty cheers for Maithri, Ranil, Champika, Chandrika, Rajitha …
By Saman Indrajith The pre-historic Kuragala site in Balangoda would be conserved for the posterity ensuring that interests of both Sinhala and Muslim communities would be safeguarded, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday. It was a national heritage site with archaeological evidence of the Balangoda civilisation and some artefacts found there were more than …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Human Rights Investigation report on Sri Lanka compiled by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released last month has revealed much information about the alleged activities of the Sri Lankan armed forces, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and state affiliated para – military outfits such …
Continue reading ‘Tragic Phenomenon of Forcible Recruitment of Tamil Civilians by the LTTE’ »
By Saman Indrajith Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister D. M. Swaminathan yesterday told Parliament that there was an urgent need to bring in new laws to criminalise hate speech. Participating in the debate on Geneva based UNHRC report and alleged human rights violations during the last phase of the war, the Minister said: …
By Saman Indrajith Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday that there was no such thing as the Desmond Silva report on reconciliation or on human rights issues of Sri Lanka. “I have been accused in media by some persons of not tabling a report by Desmond Silva when I tabled the reports of the …
By Sandasen Marasinghe, Irangika Range and Disna Mudalige Parliament sittings were suspended for 10 minutes at 12.55 pm yesterday after Opposition member Dinesh Gunawardena took away the Mace alleging that the Chair had been biased towards the government in allocating time for them to speak. When the name of Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hind Religious Affairs …
By Sandasen Marasinghe, Irangika Range and Disna Mudalige The view of the Commission of Inquiry into Abductions and Disappearances (Maxwell Paranagama Commission) has found that the principal reason for the loss of civilian life during the final phase of the war was the hostage taking and use of human shields by the LTTE. It was …
BY CHAMIKARA WEERASINGHE The government is firm on taking whatever action it deems appropriate to meet the Geneva proposals within the framework of the Sri Lankan Constitution, President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday told leaders and top members of political parties in the country. The President had called this meeting with the country’s political party leaders to …
By Nadira Gunatilleke Cabinet approval had been granted for a proposal by Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister D. M. Swaminathan to accelerate judicial process regarding the persons who are in remand custody as suspects in connection with terrorist activities during and after the conflict,Cabinet Spokesman and Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said. Addressing …
By Saman Indrajith Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday told Parliament that no permission had been granted by the Ministry of Defence nor booking notes had been issued to release weapons to sea marshals from the floating armoury belonging to the Avant Garde Company. Responding to a series of questions raised by JVP leader Anura Kumara …
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday told visiting Japanese official Motoo Noguchi of the Public Prosecutor’s Office that his government had never ever contemplated the appointment of foreign experts as judges exercising judicial power in respect of the Sri Lankan armed forces and other Sri Lankan citizens. The former President stressed that such a course of …
A 43 year old lawyer Sri Lankan Tamil origin has been elected as a Canadian member of Parliament from the Liberal party at the 42nd Canadian general elections held on October 19th 2015. He is none other than the son of veteran Sri Lankan Tamil politician Veerasingham Anandasangaree leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front(TULF) …
By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya At the end of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent visit to Japan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Mass Media and the Official Government News Portal announced that on 6th Oct the PM addressed the Parliament of Japan, known as the National Diet. In fact he did not. According to Japan’s …
by Luke Savage Plenty of Canadians are celebrating that Stephen Harper’s autocratic and malicious rule has finally come to an end, and their sentiments are perfectly understandable. But I hope those enthusiastic about the words “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau” will try to understand why some of us don’t feel like celebrating today, and why the …
By Upul Joseph Fernando Wimal Weerawansa is on record saying that Mahinda Rajapaksa never agreed to conduct a domestic inquiry into alleged war crimes. This is an absolute falsehood. Mahinda who presented his 2015 Presidential Election Manifesto agreed for a domestic inquiry on war crimes, the London based Daily Mail reported. The British Daily Mail …
by Prasad Gunewardene The expansion of ministerial portfolios certainly undermined the value and status of Cabinet Ministers which was only 35 and quite adequate till 1989. It was late President Ranasinghe Premadasa who made the initial blunder by introducing a large number of ‘State Minister’ portfolios to please his confidantes. The 1978 Constitution does not …
By Saman Indrajith The Commission of Inquiry that probed Abductions and Disappearances (better known as the Maxwell Paranagama Commission) has found that it was the LTTE which killed majority of Tamil civilians during the last 12 hours of the final stage of the war, according to the commission report tabled in Parliament yesterday. Prime Minister …
The much awaited Udalagama and Paranagama reports along with the report and resolution adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council were tabled yesterday in Parliament. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tabling the report assured the Parliament a debate will be allowed for all three reports. Thursday and Friday sessions have been set aside for this …
By IAN AUSTENOCT Justin Trudeau “I knew that the challenge I would be facing all my life would be having people think that I expected anything to be handed to me in politics because of my last name.” JUSTIN TRUDEAU •Born in Ottawa on Dec. 25, 1971 to Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister at …
By Bruce Cheadle Liberals are en route to forming a majority government after steamrolling through Atlantic Canada and Quebec and turfing Stephen Harper’s Conservatives from office almost before the polls had closed in British Columbia. The stunning victory makes Trudeau, 43, Canada’s first dynastic prime minister, following in the footsteps of his father Pierre Elliott …
By N Sathiya Moorthy Independent of prevailing perceptions, arrest of former Eastern Province Tamil Chief Minister, Sivanesanthurai Chandrakanthan alias ‘Pillayan’ in connection with the Christmas Day church killing of TNA parliamentarian Jospeh Pararajasingham in 2005, has the potential to cut both ways. While it is reassuring that the new Government has begun to act on …
By Ranga Jayasuriya The government has announced a four-fold increase for education under the budget in 2016. The allocations for education would go up to Rs. 185.9 billion from the Rs. 47.6 billion allocated in the 2015 Budget. That is obviously a lot of money. In the first place, it is a salutary decision, a …
by Rasika Jayakody The vessel and the consignment of arms are now detained by the Navy, which conducted a probe into the matter early last week. The Avant Garde company is making headlines again with a controversial ship, carrying a consignment of arms for the company, arriving at the Galle Harbour last week, seemingly with …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe yesterday emphasized that convicted LTTEers couldn’t be released unless the Maithripala Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration took a policy decision to that effect. Minister Rajapakshe said that about 60 convicts were among approximately 270 detained by successive governments over a period of time. The President’s Counsel was responding to persistent demand …
By Udhav Naig Amidst much drama and intense campaigning, the South Indian Film Artistes Association, also known as the Nadigar Sangam, conducted its elections on Sunday. Nasser, part of the ‘Pandavar Ani’ with Vishal, Karthi, Karunas and Ponvannan, has been elected Nadigar Sangam president, with 1344 votes. Sarath Kumar polled 1231 votes. Vishal has been …
by Prasad Gunewardene Spiritual teachings of all religions say that retribution comes without notice. The doctrine of Lord Buddha is the practical way of life. At times one has to pay for his/her sins during their lifetime and not in births that are anticipated after death. When Hewa Koparage Mervyn Silva born 25 March 1944 …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene In its September 2015 report on Sri Lanka, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) quotes immensely interesting asides from the (yet unpublished) report of the Udalagama Commission of Inquiry (2006). We have been promised by the Prime Minister that the Udalagama report will be tabled …
by Tisaranee Gunasekara “When the social contract is abrogated, when trust between a government and its citizens fails, disillusionment, disengagement or worse follows.” Joseph Stiglitz (The Price of Inequality) The protest was peaceful, until the police intervened. The protestors were demanding access clean water. This was October 12, 2015, in Bandagiriya, in the Hambantota district, …
It was ten days before parliamentary elections on August 17 when news reached the highest levels of the Government about a secret account held by a young politician, the son of a former VVIP, at the Emirates National Bank of Dubai (NBD). That was to cause considerable excitement. The prospect of obtaining the details and …
At the weekly ministerial meeting on Wednesday, they were discussing a recommendation by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a Joint Committee for Consular Affairs between Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Minister Champika Ranawaka said a newspaper had published details of a bank account …
By C.A.Chandraprema The revelation by a Sunday newspaper (not the Sunday Island) last week that the Sri Lankan government had moved courts in ‘a Middle Eastern country’ to freeze the account of the ‘son of a VVIP of the former regime’ set the cat among the canaries. The courts were to freeze the account last …
The hunger strike by suspected ex-LTTE detainees was called off yesterday on an assurance given by the President to establish a mechanism to look into their grievances. The President has asked the Justice Minister to formulate a mechanism to look into their issues and finish the process between October 31 and November 7.
By Arthur Wamanan President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday pledged to commence a special process at the end of the month to address and solve the issues of Tamil prisoners arrested and detained under the prevention of terrorism laws. The undertaking was conveyed to Justice Minister, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Opposition Leader, R. Sampanthan over a telephone …
AT HER home in a quiet residential compound, Sanda Samanthie Ahubudu runs a thriving business. She sells her clients lists of suggested names for everything from shops to babies. Staff are almost constantly on the phone to customers. Clients who visit Ms Ahubudu in person have to take a number and wait, as at a …
By Sudat Pasqual Freedom of the press can be harsh sometimes. It can be most hard on politicians with prickly skin. Time and again we come across champions of free expression and media freedom having second thoughts once they are caught in the glare of public scrutiny. Freedom of expression, especially when it is freely …
By K. Ratnayake Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe visited Japan for four days, ending October 7, as part of the Colombo government’s sharp shift of foreign policy to distance itself from China. Wickremesinghe also sought Japanese investment and aid on his trip, made just four days after President Maithripala Sirisena’s visit to New York …
By Ruki Fernando After four contentious resolutions on Sri Lanka, the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Oct. 1 adopted a “consensus resolution” for foreign judges and prosecutors to help Sri Lanka try those accused of serious crimes during the decades-long civil war. This resolution came as a response to a report by the …
By Dr. Shanthikumar Hettiarachchi A recent visit to Jaffna with a group of informed individuals for a small meeting with their counterparts was not only revealing, but also alarmingly informative. The meeting was scheduled to have three short presentations and a discussion. The theme was biblical with special reference to the story of Cain and …
By Ridma Dissanayake The Presidential Commission of Inquiry investigating into mass scale frauds and corruption yesterday rejected the preliminary objections raised by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s counsel and decided to go ahead with its mandate. Defence Counsel Gamini Marapone appearing for the former President before the Commission raised objections that serving judges of the High …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj “Yaarlpaanam” (Jaffna/Yapanaya) regarded by many as the cultural capital of the “Ilangai Thamizhar” of Sri Lanka hosted an international film festival from 15 to 21 September. Jaffna, the capital city of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, is probably the only city in the world named after a musical instrument. The Tamil name ‘Yarlpanam’ is …
By Shanika Sriyananda MP and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa threw back allegations against him to the United People›s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), saying it was not him but the alliance which should be held responsible for the financial loss caused to the State-run television channel – the Independent Television Network – for carrying out propaganda advertisements …
By Ajith Siriwardana The public hearing into the ITN controversy fixed for today by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC), was postponed for tomorrow. The hearing was postponed after the lawyers representing former president Mahinda Rajapaksa raised …
By Chitra Weerarathne The Colombo High Court Judge Devika De Silva Tennekoon yesterday acquitted Danuna Tilakaratne of the Charge of submitting forged documents stating that he and two others were the local agents in Sri Lanka for British Borneo Private Limited of Australia to provide equipment to the Sri Lanka Army. Danuna after absconding for …
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said that the government wanted to take political revenge from him by holding inquiries on false and fabricated corruption charges which were actually not related to him. After appearing before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry Probing Serious Acts of Corruption at the BMICH, Rajapaksa told The Island …
By Chanaka Bandarage Towards mid October 1505, the Portuguese Naval Captain, Lorenzo De Almeida, aka Don Lorenzo (son of Francisco de Almeida, First Viceroy of the Portuguese India), who manned a fleet of nine war ships, had decided to return to Portugal as he could not secure marine rope from the Islands of Maldives or …
By Harischandra Gunaratna Leader of the Democratic Party Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka yesterday said that the government had given the impression to the masses that it was conniving with the crooks of the previous government who had squandered billions of rupees belonging to the state. “The government has let big crooks off the hook while …
by Malinda Seneviratne The Sirisena Dictionary and other politidbits of the week The Sirisena Dictionary Having submitted to the dictates of the United States, Maithripala Sirisena screams, ‘Victory!’ and adds that he ‘saved the war heroes’. Did someone mutter, ‘victory my foot!’? Now if a resounding defeat warrants celebration that costs taxpayers tens of millions …
By Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena A curious mix of jubilation and sober introspection is currently prevalent in Sri Lanka. Indeed, the dissonances that emerge are striking. A passing remark made by a scholar friend to me during a visit to New Delhi recently that ‘Sri Lanka offers hope to South Asia besieged by gloom’ sums up heady …
By S. Thavarajah, Leader of Opposition, NPC In response to a question raised by me in the Northern Provincial Council sitting on 08.10.2015 with regard to a letter sent by the Resident Coordinator of the UN to the Chief Minister, the Chief Minister read out a lengthy statement attacking the UN. His statement accuses the …
by Chitra Subramaniam This piece is an invitation to anyone out there who can explain the idea of India in one sentence. I am not talking about the Preamble to the Constitution, but a sentence that all Indians can understand, cherish and nurture as their own. Try and experience the futility of the attempt. It …
(Text of a press release issued by the Tamil National Alliance media office) TNA MP and Spokesperson M.A Sumanthiran visited the Anuradhapura Prison along with Northern Provicial Council members Asmin Yakoob and Sanankiyan Sayandan today and spoke to the Political Prisoners who were observing a token fast demanding their release by the government today . …
By Upul Joseph Fernando * Twenty two containers with 3,154 firearms and 745,859 rounds of ammunition detected at Galle Port – 8.1.2015 * The CID commences investigations on the order of the IGP – 9.1.2015 * Court impounds the ship owner’s passport – 23.1.2015 * Prohibition on ship owner’s passport lifted and passport released on …
By Rasika Jayakody There was a string of political assassinations targeting prominent Tamil politicians during the first half of the Rajapaksa rule, starting from November, 2005. Nearly a month after former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ascension to power, a prominent Tamil Parliamentarian was shot dead by a gunman while attending a Christmas midnight mass at St. …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “Well I’m older now but still running against the wind” – Bob Seger As a boy, I grew up reading a column in the Ceylon Observer called “Off My Beat” by “The Outsider”. The writer was my father Mervyn de Silva and his choice of pen-name, the English translation of the title …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Attorney-at-law J. C. Weliamuna says some of those who complained regarding accountability issues here to UNSG Ban Ki-moon’s Panel of Experts (PoE) on the condition of anonymity are likely to give evidence before the proposed domestic mechanism with foreign participation. The PoE comprised Marzuki Darusman (Indonesia), Steven Ratner (US) and Yasmin Sooka …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA Preambular Paragraph 3 of the October 2015 resolution says that the resolutions of 2012, 2013 and 2014 formed the basis of the resolution of 2015. The 2015 Resolution flows directly from the 2014 Resolution which mandated the Office of the High Commissioner’s investigation on Sri Lanka. What is important is to …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Attorney-at-law J.C. Weliamuna yesterday confirmed that there would be international participation in the proposed domestic court to inquire into accountability issues in Sri Lanka. Addressing the media at the Information Department, Weliamuna said that Parliament would have to make the required amendments to pave the way for international participation in the process. …
By Udaya P.Gammanpila M.P. When the Constitutional Council (CC) was established by the 17th Amendment and modified by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, it had a noble cause. It was to ensure the independence of the commissions such as Judicial service, audit services, bribery or corruption investigation and procurement. However, it is near impossible …
By Madura Ranwala People of Bandagiriya in the Hambantota police area, who demanded clean drinking water yesterday morning by blocking the road between Tissamaharama and Matara for nearly four hours, were baton-charged by the police. The angry crowd hurled stones at police and an SLTB bus that tried to move forward in the afternoon.
by Waruni Karunarathne The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) calls for the Sri Lankan government to commit to implement the UN resolution in full. While some members of the TNA constituent parties expressed disappointment at the UNHRC resolution that calls for a domestic mechanism, senior TNA member and Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan says the UN resolution …
by Ridma Dissanayake The CID arrested former Chief Minister of the Eastern Province Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pilleyan over former parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham’s murder. The former Chief Minister who was summoned, arrived at the CID at 5.25 p.m. yesterday, accompanied by his lawyer. Meanwhile, a group of CID officers left for Batticaloa on Saturday night to …
A landmark event in a West Asian capital will play out today (Oct 11th) and it will send shockwaves around Sri Lanka. This is when a court there hears a case where lawyers for Sri Lanka Government are seeking an order to freeze nearly a half a billion dollars in a bank account. It has …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene In a ‘letter to the editor’ of a Sri Lankan national newspaper recently, someone pointed to the need for a fearless Atticus Finch to emerge from post-war Sri Lanka. Conflicted by race This was a nostalgic beckoning of Pulitzer prize-winning author Harper Lee’s iconic portrayal of a small-town white lawyer in …
By Ranga Jayasuriya After decades of foreign policy miscalculations, many of which were deliberate ideological fallacies committed to boost the over-sized images of local political leaders, we finally seem to be getting onto the right side, at the right time. One way to gauge an emerging rapport between the States is to observe how respective …
By Prasad Gunewardene Has there been a phenomenal impact of film stars on the Sri Lankan political scene? It’s more a matter to wonder as we’ve seen a few of them in the Parliament Chamber over the past quarter century. Their presence must be assessed from a social and political perspective. Since independence, we had …
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Sembuge Gamini Shelton Fonseka, known generally as Gamini Fonseka – the uncrowned monarch of Sinhala cinema – passed away at the age of 68 on 30 September 2004. Gamini was one of my favourite actors since the age of eight when I first saw ‘Ranmuthuduwa,’ a film starring him at the Gamini …
Continue reading ‘Gamini Fonseka, Lester James Peries and the Milestone Movie ‘Nidhanaya’’ »
By C.A.Chandraprema Sri Lanka joined the US initiated resolution against Sri Lanka in the UNHRC as a co-sponsor – an act which amounts to accepting the resolution in toto. Usually, nations express reservations about or opposition to individual paragraphs in such resolutions. In 2014, the Indians opposed operative paragraph 10 of the resolution against Sri …
By Rasika Jayakody Soon after the government came to power early this year, there was severe criticism that the anti-corruption investigations it initiated were selective and lopsided. Amid this criticism, law enforcement bodies, including the newly formed Police Financial Crimes Investigations Divisions (FCID) launched inquiries into complaints against some top echelons of the previous government. …
By B.Kolappan Actor, comedian and singer Manorama, affectionately referred to as ‘Aachi’, whose performance matched and sometimes bettered the lead actors of her movies, died of multiple organ failure here on Saturday. She was 78 and is survived by her son and singer-actor Boopathy. She had acted with MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, NTR, Jayalalithaa, Kamal Haasan, …
Continue reading ‘Versatile Tamil Actress cum Singer “Aachi” Manorama Passes Away in Chennai’ »
The Government will hire counsel and pay legal costs to military personnel who may face charges of war crimes. The assurance has been given to military officers by Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka. He has been tasked by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to speak to officers and men of the armed forces …