By Jayadeva Uyangoda Is there a low – cost way out from the present crisis boiling within the Maithripala Sirisena – Ranil Wickremesinghe administration? During the past few days, a number of well – wishers of the present government posed this question to me in personal conversations. All of them are people who have contributed …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, now busily wrapping the reformist garb of a changed political persona around him, has had the audacity to complain this week that the underworld is now more active than during his Presidency. Criminals and the Rajapaksa ‘project’ But the truth is that the underworld was ‘managed’ and …
By Dr. Nirmala Chandrahasan The outcome of the local government elections this year has made one fact evident. Whatever may be the reasons attributed it clearly shows the Peoples’ disappointment with the performance of the present government and the parties in power both in the North and in the South. In the North the TNA …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (Well-known Sri Lankan Filmmaker Dharmasena Pathiraja born in 1943 would have celebrated his 75th Birthday on March 28th were he alive today. This article was fist published on Feb 10th 2018 following Pathi’s passing away on Jan 28th 2018.It is being re-posted here to denote Pathi’s 75th Birthday) Renowned Sri Lankan film maker …
Continue reading ‘Dharmasena Pathiraja The Master Movie Maker’ »
by Channa Wickramasekera (Renowned Sri Lankan Film Maker Dharmasena Pathiraja passed away n January 28th 2018 exactly two months before his Birthday which falls on March 28th. If Pathi were alive today he would have celebrated his milestone 75th birthday) Dharmasena Pathiraja (Pathi) is best known in Sri Lanka for his movies. In Melbourne where …
By Latheef Farook Response of Muslim politicians, religious organizations and even civil society to the failure of the government to prevent violence against Muslims in the central hills early this month is deeply disturbing. The senseless destruction of Muslim owned property and their commercial establishments, striking at their very survival, is enough for any Muslim …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The UNP yesterday warned President Maithripala Sirisena and the SLFP that the no-confidence motion (NCM) moved against UNP leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would boomerang on them. Addressing a media briefing at Sirikotha, Galle District MP and Home Affairs Minister Vajira Abeywardena said the SLFP shouldn’t take political advantage of the …
by Zacki Jabbar The government yesterday identified a member of Parliament, being questioned by the Police in connection with the recent mob attacks on Muslims in Ampara and Digana, as a member of the Mahinda Rajapaksa-led Opposition. Asked at the weekly Cabinet press briefing in Colombo, why the MP said to be involved in the …
By Rathindra Kuruwita President Maithripala Sirisena has removed the Central Bank and the Securities and Exchange Commission from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s purview. A gazette extraordinary announcing the Presidents decision was issued yesterday, a week before the no-confidence motion against Wickremesinghe is to be taken up. The two institutions have been brought under the Ministry …
By Camelia Nathaniel The arrest of fugitive former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga has been confirmed by highly placed government sources as reported exclusively in yesterday’s Daily News. Weeratunga has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates, following an Interpol Red Notice secured by the Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID) in connection with …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) has the majority required, at least in theory, to defeat a no-confidence motion against him, but a vote could backfire on the instigators too. The Joint Opposition (JO), whose de facto leader is former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, has secured a debate on the no-trust resolution on April …
(Text of Media Release Issued by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Chairman Prof.G.L.Peiris on Behalf of the Joint Oppostion) Sections of the international media have continued to amplify and broadcast the Sri Lanka government’s propaganda that the Joint Opposition or the Sri Lanka PodujanaPeramuna was responsible for the recent Sinhala-Muslim disturbances in Kandy. In a …
By Vishwamithra 1984 “Because we don’t think about future generations, they will never forget us.” ~Henrik Tikkanen, Finnish Author American students took to the streets to defy gun violence. It was more to defy those politicians who were financially backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), the infamous Non-Government Organization (NGO),whose aim was only more …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka ‘WHY PRABHAKARAN WILL LOSE’ was the title of an article by me that was published in newspapers and websites (e.g. The Island, Asian Tribune) on October 17, 2004. That was over a year before Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was appointed Secretary/Defence and Gen. Sarath Fonseka made Army commander. Note …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Prime Minister RanilWickremesinghe is facing a no-confidence motion submitted by the Joint Opposition and signed by some of the ministers in his own government. He may survive the vote, but the wrangling between the UNP and SLFP in the unity government would continue till the remainder of its term, or more likely …
By Michael Safi and Amantha Perera The biggest game changer in 100 years’: Chinese money gushes into Sri Lanka Little disturbs the serenity of Guan Yin, the bodhisattva of compassion, as her statue sits in contemplation at the centre of Mattala Rajapaksa international airport. The last flight from the airport departed at 7.50am. The next …
By Arun Janardhanan Namal Rajapaksa, 31, is former Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s eldest son. An MP and a rugby player, Namal was arrested in July 2016 on charges of money-laundering in a crackdown on members of the previous administration. Namal spoke to The Indian Express from Colombo, before catching a flight to Russia as …
By Damith Wickremasekara Using mobile phones of their parents, some school children have been involved in spreading hate speech against ethnic groups and religions, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has found. A senior CID officer said detectives had found that a number of school children had formed social media groups and were spreading hatred or …
Project Management, Youth Affairs and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayka said the government, over the past three years, has launched over 55,000 development projects in various part of the country and it has spent over Rs. 1 million on each project. “It’s tragic that we have failed to communicate this effectively to the public. Development …
By Skandha Gunasekara The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday (26 March) rejected allegation that they were involved in the recent ethnic riots that occurred in some parts of the country, and called on authorities to reveal the names of politicos involved. Addressing a media briefing held at the Party headquarters yesterday, JHU General Secretary Minister …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) yesterday lodged a complaint with the permanent Office of Missing Persons (OMP) seeking its immediate intervention to find out the whereabouts of former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran. PHU leader Madumadawa Aravinda yesterday told the media at its Pita Kotte office a thorough inquiry was needed to …
by Jayadeva Uyangoda Sri Lanka’s ‘unity government’ of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe has been in a serious crisis of unity for the past several weeks. Although Sri Lanka’s constitution, after its 19th Amendment passed in 2015, does not have provisions for the government’s replacement till the end of 2019, deep divisions …
Police and politicians backed by the country’s former strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa joined anti-Muslim riots that rocked Sri Lanka’s Kandy district this month, according to witnesses, officials and CCTV footage reviewed by Reuters. Scores of Muslim mosques, homes and businesses were destroyed as mobs ran amok for three days in Kandy, the central highlands district …
General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena Ven. Galagodatte Gnanasara has visited Anuradhapura prison over the weekend to inquire after the health of Mahason Balakaya leader Amith Weerasinghe and other activists held there over their alleged involvement in recent attacks on Muslims in the Kandy District. Ven. Gnanasara, who had been overseas recently, visited those in …
Celebrated writer, multi-faceted artiste and activist Dr Sumathy Sivamohan’s latest film ‘Puththu Saha Piyavaru’ (Sons and Fathers- Thanaiyarum Thanthaiyarum), won the BEST FILM, JURY award at the World Indian Film Festival in Hyderabhad, last week. The film competed with internationally acclaimed and accomplished films like ‘My son is gay’ (India), by Lokesh Kumar, ‘Teen Aur …
By Namini Wijedasa A multimillion dollar Chinese-funded water supply project has run into controversy with former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga openly demanding its suspension and an inquiry on the grounds that it is overpriced. In August 2016, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) awarded a contract to China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) for …
Some form of patrolling of social media is necessary to prevent the spread of hate speech in the country, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe insisted yesterday. Speaking at the ceremony to induct U.R. de Silva, P.C. as the 24th president of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Premier Wickremesinghe said this was necessary following the …
by Arun Janardhanan At the peak of the war against the LTTE, then defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the most feared and powerful man in Sri Lanka. The UN Human Rights Council had asked Sri Lanka to probe war crimes in which Gotabaya was accused. Nearly a decade later, the 68-year-old is being talked about …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj * About 200 Youths From “”Diga Kalliya” (Group of Diga)Unleashed Violence(Diga derived from Digamadulla) * Sinhala Hardliner Ex-MP Had Meetings With youths and Police officials in Amparai Before Violence * Mosque and Office, 3 Eateries,1 Grocery Store, 8 Vehicles Damaged in Night of Terror in Amparai Town * 35 Persons From Mob Identified;5 …
Continue reading ‘“Wanda Pethi”, “Digakalliya”and the Anti-Muslim Violence In Amparai Town’ »
by C.A. Chandraprema The no confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken the political centrestage. In normal circumstances, this no confidence motion need not have been taken seriously at all. The UNP has 106 MPs and their allies the TNA has 17 and that alone would have sufficed to render the no confidence …
(Excerpts from “Sunday Times” Political Column) Obathumaatath mekeng sweep ekak vedenna puluwang or you also can win a sweep ticket through this, remarked ‘Joint Opposition’ parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa as Dinesh Gunawardena handed a copy of the No-Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. Jayasuriya was not too pleased with the remark …
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s “Special Assistant” has quit after launching a savage attack ahead of next month’s no-confidence motion. The once powerful Sudath Chandrasekara announced the resignation after 33 years of service in a seven-page letter tearing into Wickremesinghe and making a series of allegations ranging from arrogance, indifference, cronyism and incompetence.
By Gagani Weerakoon In what appears like rubbing salt on the wound the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress indicated it is running out of patience with the coalition partner United National Party (UNP) of which, leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is facing a threat of losing party reins due to increasing demand within the party for him to …
By Kishali Pinto jayawardene There is a cheery though dangerously complacent view articulated by senior Muslim politicians, (and echoed by others),that the recent communal violence in Ampara and Kandy was perpetrated through organised attacks by ‘outsiders’ on Muslim residents of those areas. Only part of the truth As is often the case, this explanation is …
By Jayadeva Uyangoda One fascinating dimension of the current political developments in Sri Lanka is the maturing power struggle between three groups of the Sinhalese political class. They are led by three prominent political personalities, President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The last local government election, held a few weeks …
by Arun Janardhanan Three years after he was swept out of office, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s former President, thinks he is in with a chance to return to power. Last month, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the party loyal to him, made a stunning comeback with a massive win in local body polls. And …
The No Confidence Motion (NCM) submitted by the Joint Opposition (JO) against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appears to be doomed to failure because Wickremesinghe’s party and alliance, namely, the United National Party (UNP) and the United National Front (UNF), are almost fully with him. And the UNP-led UNF is the single largest grouping in parliament …
By Saman Indrajith The JVP yesterday demanded to know how a person accused of corruption by a Presidential Commission of Inquiry had been to Japan as a member of President Maithripala Sirisena’s entourage. JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake said his erstwhile colleague Piyasiri Wijenayake, accused of corruption as per the PRECIFAC report,had accompanied President Sirisena during …
By Shamindra Ferdinando President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday directed IGP Pujith Jayasundera to immediately deploy the Special Task Force (STF) to prevent the destruction of Muthurajawela marsh and sanctuary. President Sirisena also directed that police road blocks be established at entry and exit points as part of measures to stop what he called environmental destruction. A …
By Saman Indrajith More than 80 UNP MPs have signed a letter expressing their confidence in Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe by yesterday evening, Law and Order and Public Administration Minister Ranjith Maddumabandara said.
By Saman Indrajith Party leaders yesterday set April 04 as the date for the debate on the No-Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. They fixed the date during a party leaders’ meeting chaired by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in the parliament complex. JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the vote on the motion against the …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lankan legislator Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has said U.S. authorities denied him permission to fly to Texas from Moscow. He went to the Russian capital as an observer for the recent presidential election.
By Chathuri Dissanayake An irate Minister Rajitha Senaratne denied allegations levelled against one of his Cabinet colleagues alleged to have links with the extremist groups involved in the recent attacks in Kandy. Losing his cool at the Cabinet press briefing, Cabinet Spokesperson Senaratne yesterday engaged in a verbal battle with a reporter who raised a …
By Kavindya Chris Thomas Investigations are underway into a Parliamentarian and Ministry Secretary’s involvement in the communal unrest in Kandy, following the arrest of three Joint Opposition (JO) and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Pradeshiya Sabha Members, who had allegedly led the violence. Revealing the identities of the politicians, Co-Cabinet Spokesperson Minister of Health Dr. …
By Zahrah Imtiaz As investigations into the riots in Kandy continue, co-cabinet spokesperson Minister Rajitha Senaratne strongly insisted yesterday that no minister in government was involved in the incidents which unfolded earlier this month. Instead, he said five members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) have been arrested or investigated with regard to their …
By Kalana Senaratne In Sri Lanka, the relationship between the Sinhala Buddhist majority and the Muslim minority has steadily deteriorated since the end of the civil war. When Mahinda Rajapaksa was in power, much damage was caused when violence was unleashed on Muslims by Buddhist mobs, in Aluthgama in 2014. The new government, which was …
By Asanga Abeyagoonasekera “One’s life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation and compassion” – Simone de Beauvoir Only when fear and hatred is spread by extremists does serious reflection haunt a community. The teardrop-shaped island of Sri Lanka, a seeming paradise hanging …
By Skandha Gunasekara The much-anticipated NoConfidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the third such NoConfidence motion against a premier in Parliament history, was handed over to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday by former President and Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa. The former President, along with a group of Joint Opposition MPs, submitted the motion – …
Submission of a No Confidence Motion (NCM) against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe by the Joint Opposition Group (JO) in the Sri Lankan parliament on Wednesday has ironically put President Maithripala Sirisena in a fix. Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has 41 members in parliament, the majority of whom would like to back the NCM …
A faction of Sri Lanka’s ruling coalition Wednesday submitted a no-confidence resolution against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, but without sufficient support to topple him. The long-delayed resolution was handed to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya with 55 members of parliament backing it. However, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa did not sign the resolution.
By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana The Joint Opposition handed over the much-anticipated No-Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Government to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya this afternoon. Joint Opposition MPs, including former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, were seen at the Speaker’s office during the handing over of the motion. Joint Opposition Parliamentary group leader …
By Saman Indrajith The Joint Opposition (JO) parliamentary group members are divided on the no-faith motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. There were heated arguments at the JO’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday. Parliament sources said dissenting views had been expressed by the JO members over submitting the NCM.
By Sandun A Jayasekera UNF ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers and parliamentarians, at a meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in the chair, unanimously decided to confront and counter the JO-sponsored no-confidence motion against him, Cabinet Spokesman and Minister, Gayantha Karunatilaka said. He said State Ministers Wasantha Senanayake and Palitha Range Bandara had also agreed …
By Pradeep Ramanayake While Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena last Thursday officially removed its bans placed on Facebook on March 7, his government is working closely with the giant corporation to restrict access to the social media platform. In a tweet message Sirisena noted that his secretary, Austin Fernando, discussed “with officials of Facebook, who …
A team of Indian and Sri Lankan scientists led by Dr Sonali Garg of the University of Delhi has discovered that a frog commonly found in Sri Lanka’s dry zone in fact represents a new, previously-unrecognised species, which they have named Uperodon rohani. The scientists explain that “This species is named after Rohan Pethiyagoda, in …
By Rathindra Kuruwita The National Police Commission (NPC) has removed its Secretary, N. Ariyadasa Cooray abruptly following a closed door meeting yesterday. Cooray was employed under public administration circular 9/2007 which allowed him to work until the age of 67 but a new circular (Circular No 03/2018) introduced last month states that a retired Public …
By Kelum Bandara SLFP ministers are reportedly hoping to inform President Maithripala Sirisena in writing that they would support the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara told Daily Mirror today that a few SLFP ministers would sign the no confidence motion but the rest would act during the voting.
By Shamindra Ferdinando The Joint Opposition (JO) has appealed for President Maithripala Sirisena’s support for the no-confidence motion (NCM) to be moved against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Top JO spokesman and Chairman of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Prof. G. L. Peiris and UPFA Colombo District MP Gamini Lokuge yesterday made the appeal to the …
By Meera Srinivasan Reminding President Maithripala Sirisena of the “unstinted support” that Tamils extended to him in 2015, senior Tamil politician and Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan on Monday urged him to “rise as a statesman” and resolve Sri Lanka’s ethnic problem. “We want a statesman to rise in this country who can say, ‘I …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka I have to say that I am very happy indeed about the resounding victory scored by President Putin. If not for him, there would be no multi-polarity in the world; no chance of a global equilibrium; no ally for the rising economic power of China which would have been encircled by the …
By Yohan Perera The committee appointed to look into the reorganization of the United National Party (UNP) in its report had recommended that Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe should name a person who would take over the party leadership as and when he steps down from the leadership. A member of the committee said it had …
(Text of Press Release Issued By Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa) Following the victory of incumbent President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation at last Sunday’s election, the Russian Ambassador in Colombo HE Yury. B Materiy met former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at his official residence in Colombo on Monday. President Mahinda Rajapaksa took this opportunity to …
By Meera Srinivasan Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said he would move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe next week, and claimed he had the support of some legislators in the PM’s United National Party (UNP). Declaring that he was close to bringing the government down, Mr. Rajapaksa said: “The UNP’s own …
By Nimal Sanderatne The recent communal violence has raised apprehensions on its repercussions on the economy. Although the violence was restricted to three areas in Ampara, Kandy district and Gintota, and its direct impact on economic activities was minimal, the fears of further communal violence has serious implications for the economy. The violence has already …
By Chathuri Dissanayake As the army begins to withdraw troops from Kandy, President Maithripala Sirisena ended the state of emergency which was imposed in the country two weeks ago to control extremist attacks on the Muslim community in the central hill capital. President Sirisena signed the gazette notification lifting the state of emergency upon his …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene The ‘abnormal’ has become normal once again as Sri Lanka quietly and almost gently slipped back into a nation-wide State of Emergency, imposed by the Government as a reaction to recent attacks by Sinhalese mobs on Muslim shops and residences in Kandy. Abnormal realities and perilous implications The fragile nature of …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as minister of Law and Order on February 25th 2018. It was a stop gap measure. The premier was only expected to be in charge of the portfolio for two weeks until a new minister was appointed. The fortnightly stint as a”caretaker” minister however has proved …
Continue reading ‘Orchestrated Anti-Muslim Violence in Amparai Town and Kandy District’ »
(“Exclusive” Report in “Sunday Times” of March 18th 2018) On a bitterly chilly wintry morning in the Ukranian capital of Kiev last year, an investigation team from the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) sat down to a conference with officials. Present were the country’s Prosecutor General and top officials of Ukrinmarsh, the state agency that …
By Sarath de Alwis Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after, And the poetry he invented was easy to understand; He knew human folly like the back of his hand, And was greatly interested in armies and fleets; When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter, And when he cried the little children …
By Jayadeva Uyangoda Racism is a political theme that has attracted a great deal of public attention in Sri Lanka last week. The attacks on the life and property of Muslim citizens in several locations in the Kandy District by Sinhalese mobs has provided the context for renewed public attention on the negative and destructive …
by C.A.Chandraprema Even though there is supposed to be an ongoing police investigation into the 2009 murder of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunga, what we have been seeing for the most part is a series of investigations and arrests in relation to various matters on the sidelines of the murder. One of the first persons …
(Extracts From the “Sunday Times”Political Column of March 18th 2018) Last Tuesday, at the Borella residence of Tiran Alles, a former MP and businessman, a group of politicians met. They were representatives of the ‘Joint Opposition’ and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which is led by President Sirisena. Among those representing the ‘JO’ were: …
By Prasad Purnamal MOre than 100 volunteers helped to rebuild 30 year old Madeena Hotel in Anamaduwa in the Puttalam District, 24 hours after a mob set fire to the eatery following a wave of anti-Muslim attacks in Kandy Mohamed Rahim, or ‘Madeena Mudalali’ to the people of Anamaduwa, was the only Muslim to run …
By Dimuthu Attanayake The country should accept the verdict of the Government Analyst that the substance found in the food in the Ampara restaurant was a ball of starch, insist a group of Sri Lanka’s top physicians. “We are 100 percent sure that the so-called ‘pill’ was starch, the medical professionals told a media briefing …
By Prof.Sudarshan Seneviratne (Text of Talk Felicitating Romila Thapar at “History and the Historian” event honouring the eminent historian on March 15th 2018 inIIC, New Delhi, India.SudharshanSeneviratne. Emeritus Professor. University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.CHS/JNU Alumnus 1973-1980) Good morning friends, It is said, to understand history, first, understand the historian. So, we have gathered this morning …
By Veeragathy Thanabalasingham Whenever violence is unleashed on ethnic minority communities, political leaders from South almost by rote, hold a small group responsibleand reiterate that an overwhelming majority of the majority community have always wanted goodwill and peace among the communities. This was the refrain last week as well, following the anti-Muslim violence that erupted …
By S.S. Selvanayagam Two judges of the Supreme Court yesterday recused themselves from being members of the bench hearing the writ petitions against the decision of the Bribery Commission to institute proceedings against the former Chief Justice and incumbent superior court judge. When the writ petitions were taken up yesterday before a bench headed by …
By Lakmal Sooriyagoda Seven Special Determination petitions challenging the constitutionality of the bill entitled the Judicature (Amendment), a bill to amend the Judicature Act No.2 of 1978 was yesterday fixed for argument on March 19 by the Supreme Court. President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva, Gamini Marapana PC, Sanjeewa Jayawardena PC, Manohara de Silva PC and …
By Meera Srinivasan In an unlikely collaboration, Sri Lankan parliamentarian and rugby player Namal Rajapaksa has offered coaching help to a girls’ rugby team in distant Kashmir. “I have spoken to senior Sri Lankan coach Ronnie Ibrahim, and we want to offer whatever support we can to the young team,” Mr. Rajapaksa, a former captain …
The Joint Opposition (JO) in the Sri Lankan parliament will move a Motion of No Confidence against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in the coming week, the JO leader and former Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, told the Foreign Correspondents’ Association here on Thursday. He said that he is confident of getting the motion passed because a …
Tech giant Facebook made no new commitments to filter hate speech on their platform contrary to claims by the Sri Lankan government, official sources said Thursday. President Maithripala Sirisena announced that he lifted a ban on Facebook after it agreed to remove hate speech posted on its platform. “My secretary has discussed with officials of …
Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera was seen among the invitees who attended an event that took place under President Maithripala Sirisena’s auspices, in Japan. Gnanasara Thera came under severe criticism from many quarters in the wake of the recent racially-motivated violence in kandy. The controversial monk also attended a discussion that …
Sri Lanka may have blocked access to social media sites such as the Facebook, but the online crackdown appears to have had a flip side with hundreds of porn sites making a comeback. While 6.2 million people using Facebook through Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Sri Lanka could not access their pages, the pornographic sites …
By Kithsiri Wijesinghe Details are emerging of Sri Lanka security forces and public officials collaborating with ultra nationalist Sinhala Buddhist mobs in a riot against Muslims. Doctors on duty in a government hospital denied treatment to injuries from a severe beating by members of the island’s elite police combat unit, alleges a Muslim official from …
By Rohantha De Silva and K. Gamini Anti-Muslim violence initiated by extremist Sinhala-Buddhist groups in the Teldeniya-Digana area of Kandy began on the evening of March 4 and continued for about four days. The death of a Sinhalese lorry driver, following an assault by four Muslims men, was seized on by right-wing Sinhala-Buddhist formations to …
By Meera Srinivasan Rauff Hakeem is the Minister of City Planning and Water Supply in Sri Lanka’s national unity government and the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, a prominent Muslim political party. A lawyer and a senior parliamentarian, he represents Kandy district, which recently witnessed violent attacks by Sinhalese mobs that claimed at …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka There is a potential threat of domestic terrorism of a new type. The excellent choice for Minister of Law and Order, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, and the Defence authorities under President Sirisena and Ruwan Wijewardene must coordinate to face this new, existential threat. It was on March 3rd, after Ampara but just before …
By Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka There is an on-going dispute of several months duration which has escaped public attention due to the avalanche of crises that has descended on us Sri Lankans over the last months. This dispute relates to an American company named Trimble Inc. which has offered to do what the Survey Department …
The police yesterday raided the office of the ‘Mahason Balakaya’ in Nattaranpotha in Kundasale following the arrest of its leader Amith Jeevan Weerasinghe and ten others who are allegedly responsible for the acts of violence committed in the Kandy area. The police had recovered leaflets and posters promoting racism, violence and six bottles suspected to …
BY Vishwamithra 1984 “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” – Confucius There was so much of hope, at least amongst the ordinary folks, that Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka would be appointed Minister of Law and Order.The logic behind such hope is quite legitimate …
By Devaka Gunawardena The recent riots targeting Muslims in Kandy have provoked accusations on many sides. While mainstream conversations focus on what the riots entail in terms of immediate political consequences for the current Government and its tepid response, progressives have also had to reckon with the growing presence of anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence as …
by Bishop Duleep de Chickera Madness against Muslims The shameful acts of violence against the Muslim community in the Kandyan hills, were possible because the violence unleashed against the Muslim community in Ampara and Aluthgama and several other places had been tolerated for too long. If not, the aftermath of the senseless killing of a …
Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Tamara Kunanayakam yesterday said recent attacks on Muslims had helped advance the UN-US agenda in respect of Sri Lanka. The attacks coincided with the sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the return of the US Peace Corps to the country and …
Office of the Missing Persons (OMP) yesterday called for public support to achieve its objectives. OMP Chief Saliya Pieris, in a media statement, said as follows : “The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) has officially ‘commenced duties following the appointment of the Chairperson and members by His Excellency President Maithripala Sirisena on 28th February 2018 …
Stephen Hawking, perhaps the world’s best known scientist, has died, a spokesperson for his family has confirmed. He was 76. “It is with great sadness we announce the death of Professor Stephen Hawking CH CBE FRS FRSA at the age of 76,” the statement reads. “Professor Hawking died peacefully at his home in Cambridge in …
The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) lodged an official complaint with the National Police Commission yesterday (13) requesting an impartial and transparent investigation into police inaction which it alleges increased the intensity of recent communal clashes in Kandy. Writing to Mahinda Moragolla, Director of Public Complaints Investigation Division, Executive Director of CaFFE, Rajith …
The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Sri Lanka, on Monday said there was no medication or ‘pills’ currently known or available that can permanently make a human being sterile, clearing recent accusations that sterilization pills were used in an eatery in Ampara, in eastern Sri Lanka. Current UN Resident Coordinator a.i. and WHO Representative in …
By J. Natasha Gooneratne (Text of Key Note Address on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8th 2018 at the Forum on Women in Business & Travel Organized by Air India) I’d like to thank you for having me here today and giving me this opportunity to share my views with you. I …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Last week, when I wrote about the looming danger of fringe Sinhala Buddhist extremism, it was all quiet in Kandy, at least on the surface. But, those who were privy to local intelligence should have known about simmering tension in the area after the death of a Sinhalese lorry driver who succumbed …
By Sharmini Serasinghe Shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted? Proactive, or control a calamitous situation rather than just responding to it after it has happened is not a quality our laid-back bureaucrats and their masters are familiar with. No matter which political hue they belong to, proactive they are not! Instead, they …
By Rathindra Kuruwita Police said yesterday the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) had arrested Amith Jeevan Weerasinghe, alleged to be one of the masterminds of the communal unrest in Kandy and nine others, in predawn raids in Digana and Poojapitiya. The TID also arrested Weerasinghe’s second in command Sureda Suraweera. They are accused of spreading misinformation …
By Camelia Nathaniel The Anamaduwa Police had arrested eight persons yesterday in connection with the burning down of the Madeena Muslim Hotel in Anamaduwa last Saturday/sunday night. The Police Media Spokesman’s office told the Daily News last evening that the police were in the process of recording statements from those arrested.
(Text of Editorial appearing under the heading “The silence of the good people” in the “Sunday Observer” of 11 March, 2018) Last week in Kandy, Sri Lanka witnessed the worst ethnic violence since the atrocities at Aluthgama in 2014. The latter was under a brutal militaristic, undemocratic regime that actively emboldened hardline Buddhist groups for …
Most Ven. Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddharatha Sumangala Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte Chapter this week said extremism should be totally wiped out from the country. When the Armed Forces and Police are available to protect and safeguard the public, there is no need for other auxiliary Balasenas or Balakayas to offer them protection. The Prelate said …
By M.A.Sumanthiran On March 6 2018, Parliament took up an adjournment motion on the issue of the recent violence taking place in Ampara and later, Digana. Speaking after Minister Rauf Hakeem, I agreed with many of the sentiments the Minister expressed concerning these incidents. However, I did not share the disbelief the Minister professed to …
By Bhavani Fonseka (The writer is a senior researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives in Colombo and an Eisenhower Fellow) On March 6, President Maithripala Sirisena’s government introduced emergency rule, nearly seven years after it lapsed in 2011. The introduction of emergency was in response to the violence and unrest spreading through parts of …
A Muslim-owned restaurant was attacked in Sri Lanka on Sunday despite a nation-wide police alert against hate crimes after last week’s ethnic riots provoked a state of emergency, officials said. Attackers smashed the “Madeena Muslim Hotel” restaurant in the north-western town of Anamaduwa, 130 kilometres (81 miles) north of Colombo in the early hours of …
By Gagani Weerakoon Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in an interview with Ceylon Today said he takes pride in saying that he did everything possible to defeat terrorism in his capacity as the Defence Secretary, even though it resulted in projecting him as an evil human rights violator. Excerpts: You have previously said that you …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj Let me begin on a very personal note. The first major emotional upheaval I underwent as a result of losing a very loved one was when I lost my maternal grandfather in December 1968.I was 14 years old at that time. I was inordinately fond of him and he of me, his eldest …
by Anura Gunasekera In June 2014, in Aluthgama, a minor altercation between a Muslim man and a Sinhalese eventually resulted in a massive conflagration, in the course of which a large number of properties belonging to Muslims had been destroyed whilst several Muslim men had also been killed. There is irrefutable evidence that a racist …
By Sanjana Hattotuwa Unlike the anti-Muslim riots in Aluthgama four years ago, the horrible violence in Kandy, Digana and surrounding areas was covered in great detail by the mainstream media. As a consequence of dealing with the fallout of the violence over social media, some insights are worth sharing. This is particularly pertinent in light …