By

Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P.

Enemies of the President’s Promise 22
Sneezy 3

Basil had told me that I did not need to worry about the Peace Secretariat being closed because I had another position too, that of Secretary to Mahinda Samarasinghe’s Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights. That was correct, and for anyone else that would have been a full time job. But the wider dimensions of the work we did, and in particular the need to coordinate work with regard to the North, had been facilitated by my position at the Secretariat, with the authority to coordinate responses from a range of Ministries.

In theory the Ministry had a coordinating role with regard to humanitarian assistance but, during the course of that year, Basil had ensured that was eroded. The Consultative Committee on Humanitarian Assistance, which Minister Samarasinghe had chaired, hardly met in 2009, and its role was taken over by a Task Force for the North which Basil chaired. That did not initially include any Tamils, which was typical of the command structures Basil enjoyed, though after some protests Minister Douglas Devananda was included.

Continue reading ‘From the Peace Secretariat to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights’ »

By
Shihara Maduwage

Prof.GL Peiris-pic by: Nisal Baduge-courtesy: Daily Mirror

In an interview with the Daily Mirror Prof. G. L. Peiris, the Minister of External Affairs, spelled out the reasons why the country needs an executive presidential system and responded to the allegations and criticisms leveled against his ministry.

Q:What are your reasons for maintaining that the country needs an executive presidential system?

The need of the hour is a strong and effective government. It is abundantly clear that terrorism could have never been eradicated from this country in the absence of a strong executive. During the war, the nature and the gravity of the threat was very obvious to everyone – the general atmosphere of intimidation which prevailed in the country. Today the threat is equally serious but not so obvious.

Q:On what basis do you say that?

Continue reading ‘Opposition Alliance is a Cauldron of Confusion without Coherent or Consistent Policy-Prof.GL Peiris’ »

by

Dasun Edirisinghe

Opposition Presidential Candidate Maithripala Sirisena yesterday assured that he would not enter into any pact with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) or any other party to get their support for the Jan. 08 election.

Addressing the heads of print and electronic media at the Solis Hotel, Pitakotte, Sirisena said that they had met some members of the TNA to discuss the presidential election, but hadn’t entered into any agreement with them.

Sirisena said that he had not signed a separate agreements with the JHU or the UNP contrary to claims to that effect by former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, who joined the government on Monday.

Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena Denies signing any Individual Pact with the TNA,UNP or JHU’ »

By

Kavindya Thomas

Minister of National Languages and Social Integration, Vasudeva Nanayakkara stated he will take his own life, if the executive presidential system was not abolished during his lifetime.The statement was made at a media briefing held in Colombo yesterday (10).

During the briefing, he said the abolishment of the executive presidential system was essential and the executive powers should be bestowed upon the Parliament as a whole, since that was where the democratically elected representatives were in action.

Continue reading ‘Vasudeva Nanayakkara to Commit Suicide if Executive Presidency is not Abolished During his Lifetime.’ »

By
GP Shukla

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday offered prayers at the famous hill temple of Lord Venkateswara.

After an overnight stay in the sacred town, he took part in the Suprabhata seva in the temple in the wee hours of the day. Despite being entitled for the Mahadwaram entry, he preferred reaching the temple through the Vaikuntam queue complex along with his entourage.

While the temple priests honoured him with the Silk vastram of the deity, the authorities presented him with the New year diary, calendar and memento of the Lord.

The President’s son Yoshita Rajapaksa, who accompanied him, also participated in the Thomala seva.

Continue reading ‘President Rajapaksa with Son Yoshita Seeks Blessings of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala in India amidst Unprecedented Security Arrangements’ »

Two newly appointed deputy ministers of President Mahinda Rajapaksa Government yesterday relinquished their ministerial portfolios two days after incumbent handed over nominations to run for presidency for a third time.

Deputy Minister of Botanical Gardens and Public Recreation Velusami Radhakrishnan submitted his resignation today, just hours after Deputy Minister of National Languages and Social Integration Udeiappan Palani Digambaram tendered his resignation.

Both deputy ministers have expressed support to the President’s challenger, common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential elections on 08 January.

Continue reading ‘Two Up Country Tamil Deputy Ministers Elected from Nuwara Eliya District-Digambaram and Radhakrishnan-Resign Posts to Support Maithripala.’ »

(TEXT OF OVERVIEW IN BRIEFING RELEASED BY INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP ON FORTHCOMING SRI LANKAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS)

Sri Lanka’s presidential election, scheduled for 8 January 2015, looks set to defy the predictions of many and be a true competition. As such, the polls threaten risks and promise opportunities for long-term stability and post-war reconciliation. The sudden emergence of a strong opposition candidate caught many, including President Mahinda Rajapaksa, by surprise.

Running on a platform of constitutional reforms to limit executive power and restore independent oversight bodies, the opposition coalition led by former Rajapaksa colleague Maithripala Sirisena seems set to pose the first strong challenge to Rajapaksa in nearly a decade. Amid a restrictive climate for civil society, for Tamils and for religious minorities, the risk of serious election-related violence merits close international attention and active efforts to prevent political instability, including the possibility of extra-constitutional means by Rajapaksa to retain power.

Continue reading ‘If Sirisena Wins Poll, President and his Brothers may Try to Retain Power by Resorting to Compliant Courts or Military – ICG’ »

(Text of Media Release Issued by the International Crisis Group)

Colombo/Brussels | 9 Dec 2014

Sri Lanka’s upcoming presidential election promises more competition than was initially anticipated. But with that comes a great risk of violence. Long-term stability and post-war reconciliation can only be achieved through a peaceful election resulting in a government committed to serving the interests of all Sri Lankans.

Surprising many observers, Sri Lanka’s 8 January presidential election between incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa and his former ally Maithripala Sirisena looks set to be a close contest. Promising to abolish the executive presidency and revive parliamentary democracy, the opposition offers a different vision from that of the government, which is increasingly entrenched in power.

In its latest briefing, Sri Lanka’s Presidential Election: Risks and Opportunities, the International Crisis Group examines the challenges facing Rajapaksa and the opposition, and how domestic and international actors can mitigate the risk of political instability.

The briefing’s major findings and recommendations are:

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka’s Presidential Election: Risks and Opportunities-International Crisis group’ »

By

Vishwamithra 1984

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”
~Edgar Allan Poe

I have a hope. Sometimes, it goes beyond that and becomes an expectation. The hope is that this country will once again be one in which every citizen is equal; a country in which members of one ethnic group, both individually and collectively, will feel totally and completely equal to the others, embracing each other not out of forced reconciliation but genuine emotion and feel.

Those hopes, aspirations and expectations have been dashed over and over again. But the dream continues.

Continue reading ‘“I have a Dream……….. I have a Dream of Seeing Maithripala Sirisena as the next Executive President………. I have a Dream….’ »

By
Dharisha Bastians

Anticipated crossovers failed to materialise at common candidate Maithripala Sirisena’s first official campaign rally in Kandy yesterday, but the Opposition is promising more defections in the week ahead.

pic via: facebook.com/maithripalas

Four vacant seats were left for would-be crossovers from the Government at the rally and garlands were ready to welcome them into the Opposition fold.

Continue reading ‘Maithripala at Inaugural Kandy Rally Wears Narendra Modi Type Suit to Conceal Bullet Proof Vest Underneath’ »

By Stephen Collinson and Evan Perez

Washington (CNN) —

The CIA’s harsh interrogations of terrorist detainees during the Bush era didn’t work, were more brutal than previously revealed and delivered no “ticking time bomb” information that prevented an attack, according to an explosive Senate report released Tuesday.

The majority report issued by the Senate Intelligence Committee is a damning condemnation of the tactics — branded by critics as torture — the George W. Bush administration deployed in the fear-laden days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The techniques, according to the report, were “deeply flawed,” poorly managed and often resulted in “fabricated” information.

The long-delayed study, distilled from more than six million CIA documents, also says the agency consistently misled Congress and the Bush White House about the harsh methods it used and the results it obtained from interrogating al Qaeda suspects.

The report is reigniting the partisan divide over combating terrorism that dominated Washington a decade ago. Democrats argue the tactics conflict with American values while leading members of the Bush administration insist they were vital to preventing another attack.

It contains grisly details of detainees held in secret overseas facilities being subjected to near drowning, or waterboarding, driven to delirium by days of sleep deprivation, threatened with mock executions and threats that their relatives would be sexually abused.

Continue reading ‘C.I.A. Brutally Tortured Al Qaeda Suspects Reveals US Senate Intelligence Committee Report’ »

By PETER BAKER

WASHINGTON — A long-awaited Senate report condemning torture by the Central Intelligence Agency has not even been made public yet, but former President George W. Bush’s team has decided to link arms with former intelligence officials and challenge its conclusions.

The report is said to assert that the C.I.A. misled Mr. Bush and his White House about the nature, extent and results of brutal techniques like waterboarding, and some of his former administration officials privately suggested seizing on that to distance themselves from the controversial program, according to people involved in the discussion. But Mr. Bush and his closest advisers decided that “we’re going to want to stand behind these guys,” as one former official put it.

Mr. Bush made that clear in an interview broadcast on Sunday. “We’re fortunate to have men and women who work hard at the C.I.A. serving on our behalf,” he told CNN’s Candy Crowley. “These are patriots and whatever the report says, if it diminishes their contributions to our country, it is way off base.”

Continue reading ‘President George Bush and C.I.A. Ex-Officials Rebut Senate Intelligence Committee Torture Report’ »

Details of the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” techniques, considered by many to be torture, are set to be revealed in a long-awaited report.

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s report is expected to find that such interrogations failed to yield life-saving information.

The techniques were used on al-Qaeda terrorism suspects in the years following the 9/11 attacks on the US.

Security was increased at US facilities around the world ahead of publication.

Embassies and other sites were taking precautions amid “some indications” of “greater risk”, a White House spokesman said.

The Senate committee’s report runs to more than 6,000 pages, drawing on huge quantities of evidence, but it remains classified and only a 480-page summary will be released.

Continue reading ‘Despite Brutal Torture Methods ,CIA Failed to Extract Life saving Information from Suspects -BBC’ »

By

Upul Joseph Fernando

A list of names of likely defectors who were to follow Maithripala Sirisena to the Opposition when the latter made his exit from the government has now been publicized through the social media.

Though some made their exit others did not. Among those names was Minister Gunaratne Weerakoon. Now, the minister claims that the United States Ambassador in Colombo Michele J. Sison promised to offer him a bribe if he was to cross over to the Opposition.

Ambassador Michele Sison

This allegation was made on the eve of the departure of Sison, who had completed her tenure of office here.

When Minister Weerakoon made this charge on Sison, the latter had been met by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who met her prior to her departure. Also External Affairs Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris had met her. Both the President and the minister had expressed their gratitude to Sison for her efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries during her stay here.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Playing with Fire by Accusing US Envoy Michele Sison of “Trying to Bribe” for Presidential Poll Propaganda.’ »

By

Chamitha Kuruppu

The Government’s major catch on nominations day, UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake threw spokes in the wheel of the common Opposition at his first press conference since crossing over yesterday and strongly denied claims he had defected for cash.

Attanayake, who was addressing the media at Ape Gama in Battaramulla yesterday, indicated that the main opposition United National Party was divided about fielding former Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena as common candidate instead of Ranil Wickremesinghe or Sajith Premadasa.

Continue reading ‘UNP Defector Tissa Attanayake Refuting Charges of Crossing Over to Govt for Money says his Conscience Cannot be Bought’ »

By

Marisa Wikramanayake

Sri Lanka should look towards the East for a model on development as Malaysia successfully did, according to the latter’s iconic former leader Dr. Mahathir Mohamed.

“These are very interesting times for Sri Lanka because it is accelerating its development,” Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamed said during his keynote at the Hambantota Conclave 2014 held at the BMICH in Colombo last evening.

The event was organised by the Urban Development Authority and the Board of Investment and showcased the potential investment opportunities to an audience of over 350 business people.

Continue reading ‘Former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamed Suggests Sri Lanka Follow Malaysia as Development Model’ »

by

Shamindra Ferdinando

One-time commander of the Sri Lankan Army, Gen. Srilal Weerasooriya has returned home from South Africa, where pro-LTTE groups campaigned against him being at the Association of Military Christian Fellowships: Global Interaction 2014. The event was held at the naval base, Simonstown

Weerasooriya, formerly of the Artillery regiment was accompanied by his wife, Dilhani and Dilshan Wickremaratne, the brother of UNP MP Eran Wickremaratne. The delegation was representing the Assembly of God.

South African Tamil Federation (SATF) pressed charges against Gen. Weerasooriya with the Commissioner of the Special Unit for Foreign Crimes in South Africa over alleged violation of human rights during an early part of the conflict. The group alleged that Gen. Weerasooriya, too, had been responsible for 70,000 to 100,000 deaths of Tamils during the conflict

Continue reading ‘Ex- Army Commander Gen.Srilal Weerasooriya Returns to Sri Lanka after South African Tamil Federation Attempt to Charge him for Alleged War Crimes.’ »

By

Dushy Ranetunge in Havelock Town

It was a sunny Thursday morning in Havelock Town, as my wife and I opened the front gates of my property to take our vehicle out to go on some errands. Before us were a line of vehicles blocking the private road.

Maithripala Sirisena had come to town. Havelock Town. I explained to a gentleman who was about to park yet another vehicle that this was a private road, and if he was to park, I would regard it as trespass and will have to let out the air of his tyres.

He obliged and removed the vehicle, but there were just too many and I could no longer leave the blocked private road.

It seems the commotion was over the opening of a campaign office for Mr Sirisena and several neighbours expressed their displeasure as to what was going on.

My wife and I then walked to the property in which Mr Maithripala Sirisena, Mr Ravi Karunanayake, Athuraliye Rathana Thero, and Rajitha Senaratne were standing, surrounded by a large crowd.
Continue reading ‘Maithripala’s Minions “Invade” a Private Road at Havelock Town in Colombo and Intimidate Protesting Residents.’ »

UPFA Western Provincial Councilor Hirunika Premachandra had been asked to return her official vehicle while she was returning home from the press conference yesterday -where she extended her support to common candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

At the same time, the special police security , which was given to her after father’s sudden demise, was also withdrawn with immediate effect. No explanation was given as to why her security was withdrawn.

Continue reading ‘Special Police Protection Given to Hirunika Premachandra After her Father’s Murder Withdrawn After Defection-Asked to Return Official Vehicle also.’ »

It has now been revealed that opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe knew his General Secretary Tissa Attanayake’s defection since last week and ignored repeated requests to prevent him from joining the government especially at this juncture.

“He is joining the government, anyway. Don’t worry about the matter anymore. Let him go,” the UNP National Leader has told his close associates last week, when they informed him of the UNP General Secretary’s defection.

Continue reading ‘Ranil Knew Tissa was going to Cross Over but did not try to Restrain him saying “Let Him Go!’ »

By

Rathindra Kuruwita

The clearing up of forest land and distributing it among powerful businessmen and political henchmen has been increasing since the end of the war in 2009 as large swathes of land which were unusable in the past became available for farming and development. While development is essential, especially in the war affected areas, unplanned activities, ignoring all environmental laws would bring about negative developments which outweigh the benefits greatly.

We have seen that such development activities – clearing forest lands and allocating the land to mass agro and tourism projects – increase incidence of human-elephant conflict, destroy the livelihoods of farmers and devastate catchment areas essential for the future sustainability of water sources.

Mullaitivu forests destroyed

It has been revealed that over 6,000 acres of Andankulam Forest Reserve and Kokilai Sanctuary have been cleared and distributed among henchmen of powerful politicians under the pretext of creating the Mahaweli L Zone.

Continue reading ‘Over 6000 Acres in Aandankulam Forest reserve and Kokkilai Sanctuary in Mullaitheevu District cleared to be given to Companies and Political Affiliates.’ »

By

Sumanasiri Liyanage

I live in Negombo. In 1956, this citadel of the UNP that was at that time supported by the Church was captured by LSSPer, Comrade Hector Fernando, a medical doctor by profession. When Lanka Samasamaja Party that is the oldest political party in Sri Lanka celebrates its 79th anniversary this month, the party seems to be in total disarray with two factions openly fighting with each other.

A majority of the LSSP Central Committee has decided to support Mahinda Rajapaksa at the next presidential election while the minority wanted to back opposition candidate. When the decision was taken, it was not clear who the opposition candidate would be. Elsewhere (VameHanda) I called the former LSSP (M) and the latter LSSP (R). It is imperative to note that letters M and R do not stand for Marxist and Revolutionary respectively. I used them for Mahinda and Ranil (at that I thought Ranil Wickramasinghe would be the main opposition candidate).

I am extremely sad to see that the party that contributed immensely to Sri Lankan political culture has deteriorated to this extent that not a single member of the central committee of the party stood against both factions of the party on the basis of its past Trotskyite tradition.

Continue reading ‘For Revival of Divided LSSP a 3rd Faction Fortified with Colvin’s “Unge Deshapalanaya saha Ape Deshapalanaya “Must Emerge.’ »

By

Chathushika Wijeyesinghe

Hirunika Premachandra, Western Provincial Councillor and daughter of slain politician Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra joined the common opposition to support Maithripala Sirisena. She said that her decision to support Mr. Sirisena was made of her own accord.

pic via: facebook.com/hirunika.e.premachandra

Ms. Premachandra who was elected from Kolonnawa with a massive 139,034 votes said it was difficult for her to stay in the same party with the people who were responsible for her father’s’ death. She also said that many SLFPers were discontented with the current set up and that there would be more to follow her.

Excerpts

Q:At what point did you decide to join Maithripala?

Continue reading ‘Slain Bharatha Lakshman’s Daughter Hirunika Premachandra Discloses how Maithripala and Rajitha Stood by Her Family’ »

Striking a chord for good governance and transparency, presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena submitted his asset declaration form to Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya yesterday.

“Copies of my asset declaration are also available at my campaign office which is open to all members of the public, if they wish to peruse it,” Sirisena told media personnel at the Opposition leader’s office in Colombo yesterday, after he handed over his nomination.

Sirisena also returned what he said was hundreds of thousands of rupees worth of fuel vouchers provided to him by the Ministry of Health, when he held the portfolio.

Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena Declares his Assets Openly and Returns all Fuel Vouchers Allocated to him as Health Minister’ »

Presidential candidate and incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa told supporters his campaign was based on policies rather than personalities, soon after submitting his nomination for the 8 January election yesterday.

“This is a journey based on a political philosophy, this journey is not about individuals and personalities,” he said.

Continue reading ‘“My Journey is Based on a Political Philosophy and not on Individuals or Personalities”-Mahinda Rajapaksa.’ »

By

Dharisha Bastians

It’s official: Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa and Pallewatte Gamaralage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena will face off in one of Sri Lanka’s most decisive post-war polls on 8 January 2015.

In a day marked by political defections and dramatic scenes, both candidates arrived separately at the Elections Secretariat in Rajagiriya yesterday to submit signed nomination papers to rubber stamp their candidacies to be the eighth executive president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Continue reading ‘Mahinda vs Maithripala is the Main Challenge but 19 Candidates in the Fray for Jan 8th Presidential Poll.’ »

Pledging her support to common opposition Maithripala Sirisena, popular UPFA Western Provincial Councillor Hirunika Premachandra defected from the ruling party on nomination day.

Pic via: twitter.com/azzamameen

Premachandra said that she could not in good conscience remain with the Government.

“If he wins, the country wins,” Premachandra said of Sirisena, soon after arriving at the Opposition Leader’s office at 5:30 p.m. for a press briefing yesterday.

She was accompanied by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and welcomed by UNP Communications Director Mangala Samaraweera. Flanked by Kumaratunga and UNP MPs Rosy Senanayake and Chandrani Bandara, the former ruling party council member noted that she remained a member of the SLFP.

Continue reading ‘Hirunika Premachandra Extends Support to Maithripala-“Left President but not the SLFP” says Popular WPC Councillor’ »

In a tit-for-tat maneuver President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday managed to poach the main Opposition UNP’s General Secretary, Tissa Attanayake on nominations day.

Together with Jayantha Ketagoda, a member of Sarath Fonseka’s Democratic Party, Attanayake was greeted at Temple Trees by a host of former UNP ministers and SLFP strongmen, including Nimal Siripala De Silva and Mahindananda Aluthgamage.

The pair partook of lunch with the ministers and President Rajapaksa at the official residence following their defection.

“They took our general secretary, now the UNP General Secretary has come to us,” a buoyant President Rajapaksa told supporters outside the Elections Secretariat after he submitted nomination papers yesterday.

Continue reading ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa Buoyant After Enticing UNP Gen Secy Tissa Attanayake and Democratic Party MP Jayantha Kettagoda on Nomination day.’ »

The teaser of the Ajith-starrer Yennai Arindhaal has recorded over 2 million hits in 48 hours making it the highest for any South Indian film.

Trisha Krishnan and Anushka Shetty are the female leads in the movie directed by Gautam Vasudev Menon.
Continue reading ‘Teaser of “Ennai Arindhal” Tamil Film starring Ajith gets 2 Million Hits in 48 Hours on YouTube’ »

BY

DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA

It wasn’t just another Sunday. On the eve of the day that nominations closed and the Presidential race began in earnest, I had a one-on-one luncheon conversation with President Rajapaksa and a late teatime discussion with Maithripala Sirisena, at the invitations of the incumbent and a key personality of the challenger’s camp, respectively. While I shall not divulge the contents of either conversation, I can however, share my impressions.

pic via: facebook.com/PresidentRajapaksa

pic via: facebook.com/maithripalas

Most important is that contrary to the lurid propaganda about dictatorship and even Nazi fascism that accompanied the 18th amendment, Sri Lanka remains a vibrant democracy and the race for the top spot in the country is a real one. This was made possible by a simple expedient that I had been canvassing ad infinitum et ad nauseam: the introduction of a viable Opposition candidate in place of Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The two candidates seem roughly evenly poised. Thus is a balance restored. They are both strong personalities, each in their own distinct ways.

Continue reading ‘Eating Lunch with Mahinda Rajapaksa and Drinking Tea with Maithripala Sirisena on the Same Sunday’ »

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has announced that UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake has joined the government.He made this revelation while speaking to media after handing over his nomination papers at the Elections Secretariat.

pic via: twitter.com/PresRajapaksa

It is reliably learnt that the government has assured a national list seat for Attanayake at the next parliamentary election. It is also tipped that he will be appointed as Health minister immediately in a tit for tat move as the portfolio was held by the SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena who defected to become the common opposition candidate in the Presidential elections.

The defection is seen as a counter strike by the Rajapaksa regime.

The Govt has effectively struck back by enticing the General secretary of the UNP in the same manner in which the opposition succeeded in making the SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena cross over from the Govt.

Continue reading ‘Govt in “Tit for Tat” move for Defection of SLFP Gen Secy Maithripala Sirisena gets UNP Gen Secy Tissa Attanayake to Resign from Party andCross over’ »

By

Gomin Dayasri

A born again Chandrika is phenomenal.Found wanted nowhere and is being sought after everywhere. Maybe, the reason why she is Always late and Never on time [Reply:Yes, why hurry?]– Her signature tune that is not pleasant to those who have to wait in vain; probably choreographed to provide an awe element;holds the key to the doing or undoing of her candidateSirisena; her silhouette or shadow. Sirisena is the SLFP bride that eloped on the eve of the wedding without the retinue.

Coming out of retirement on her persuasion,best on a stump, single handedly toppled a UNP regime of 18 years; holds the record for the largest majority secured at a presidential election. Takes on another Giant; is Chandrika looked upon as a demigod in the SLFP, an Annebeth Chase daughter of goddess Athena in the G.K. Rawling’s novels? Indeed the daughter of two much loved prime ministers among the rural folk.

Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena is the SLFP bride that eloped on the eve of the wedding without the retinue.’ »

By

Ranga Jayasuriya

None of the predecessors of Mahinda Rajapaksa did anything substantial to uphold the independent media in the country. Country’s media have withered away under successive governments since Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s left-leaning United Front administration ‘nationalized’ the Lake House and effectively turned it into a mouthpiece of the government.

Subsequent leaders went further, helped by a succession of compliant editors, unleashing the state media on its political opponents, civil society and diplomats, in an unending series of sickening personal attacks and character assassinations.

Chandrika Kuamratunga’s Media Minister Dharmasiri Senanayake, during her early years of the presidency, held some promise and wanted to broad base the ownership of Lake House, to transform it into a truly independent entity.

However, with his death, which was followed by the appointment of Mangala Samaraweera as media minister, the sojourn ended. Samaraweera took the state media to the extreme; not only did he destroy its last remnant of independence, he also eroded its financial viability (by appointing drones of his hacks to the Lake House). He made Lake House a disgusting place, now seeing his banter on media freedom; I am reminded of the cheapness of our time and our politics.

Continue reading ‘No one else has been more Meticulous in Dismantling the Free Media in the Country than Mahinda Rajapaksa.’ »

By

Neeraj Chauhan

NEW DELHI: The CBI has approached Interpol to expedite its request to question Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) of LTTE for the assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi.

Sources said Interpol’s help has also been sought to convince Sri Lanka to assist in the case and reply to the judicial requests (letters rogatory), which have been pending for years.

CBI feels the case has been held up for very long and should be wrapped up quickly after getting all information from Sri Lanka.

Continue reading ‘India’s CBI seeks Interpol Help to Gain Custody of Ex-LTTE Leader “KP” -now in Sri Lanka -and Formally Interrogate him.’ »

By
Atul Aneja

China has started a major water supply project in Sri Lanka, using its “soft power” to deepen its relationship with Colombo.

The China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) has launched the $230-million enterprise — the largest ever undertaken by the Sri Lankan government, Xinhua quoted an official as saying.

The Chinese company had been earlier involved in the construction of the $ 1.2 billion Lakvijaya coal fired power plant in Sri Lanka. Once completed, the new project will yield clean drinking water that would benefit 600,000 people, spread in 42 villages, in an area not far from Colombo.

Continue reading ‘China Starts $ 230 Million Water Supply Project in Sri Lanka Using”Soft power”to Strengthen Relations with Colombo.’ »

By Don Wijewardana

With less than a month to go to the polls there seems to be many outstanding issues that either candidate needs to address to convince the 11 million voters that he is the better man for the job. There are of course the diehards on either side who will not change but it is the swing voter who could make the difference that needs to be convinced.

pic via: facebook.com/BBCSinhala

In this, President Rajapaksa is at an advantage with established credentials while the common candidate is yet to prove his. In case he wins it will mark a watershed in Sri Lankan politics. If President Rajapaksa wins, it offers him a longer reign allowing the opportunity to establish how he wants history to remember him. Leading up to the elections there are some key issues both candidates need to address.

The common candidate

More we look closely at the common candidate, his credentials, the programme and the MOU recently signed, the more we find that things won’t gel.

Maithripala Sirisena seems a nice guy. Apart from that there is nothing that distinguishes him to be the candidate to replace charismatic Mahinda Rajapaksa. Sarath Fonseka as the commander who led the army that defeated the ‘invincible’ LTTE had much better appeal for the task.

Continue reading ‘Apart from Being a “nice guy” there is Nothing in Sirisena that Distinguishes him to be the Replacement for Charismatic Mahinda Rajapaksa’ »

By

Don Manu

Once again in a considerable display of the contempt with which they hold the masses’ intelligence, both the radical JVP peddling its Marxist prattle, and the Bodu Bala Sena hawking its counterfeit Buddhist ware, have deemed it fit to engage in their tried and tested, fluently employed double speak to con the people into believing that they alone are the sole guardians of the nation’s morals and her sovereign laws; and what they profess to say is what they will actually do.

Consider how, as self-acclaimed possessors of high principles and cherished values, their individual duplicity has made these two diametrically opposed parties unite as strange bedfellows conjugating in a room denied light.

Continue reading ‘Doublespeak in Presidential Poll: Pseudo-Marxist Prattle of JVP and Counterfeit Buddhism of Bodu Bala Sena’ »

By

C.A.Chandraprema

That Navin Dissanayake defected to the opposition last week was hardly surprising. From the time Karu Jayasuriya went back to the UNP, Navin’s days in the UPFA were more or less numbered. With a father-in-law who was the deputy leader and later the Chairman of the Leadership Council of the UNP, Navin would never have been completely trusted by the UPFA leadership. Yet, to his credit, it has to be said that Navin was one of the 17 UNP defectors of 2007 who managed to win a seat in parliament contesting on the UPFA ticket in 2010.

He came first among the UPFA’s two Sinhala MPs in that Tamil majority district. (the top three slots in that district will always be taken by Tamil MPs under the proportional representation system.) That is not a bad achievement at all given the fact that when the 2010 parliamentary election was held, Navin’s father-in-law was the deputy leader of the UNP. If he managed to swim upstream against the natural mistrust that the SLFP voter would have entertained about him, that displays certain abilities.

Continue reading ‘Entry of Rajitha Senaratne, Navin Dissanayake, Wasantha Senanayake and Hunais Farook will Rejuvenate the UNP.’ »

Minister Rishad Bathiudeen and his party, the All Ceylon Makkal Congress, have decided to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the presidential election next year.

Continue reading ‘Cabinet Minister Rishad Bathiudeen and his party the All Ceylon Makkal Congress will Support Mahinda in Election,’ »

By REBECCA BUNDHUN

GALLE, Sri Lanka — These days, Sri Lanka is often called the next Bali.

Tourism has more than doubled since the 26-year civil war on this teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean ended in 2009, with 1.27 million visitors arriving last year. And some of those foreigners have been buying vacation homes, especially along the island’s southern coast, even though changes to property laws in 2013 made such purchases more complicated and costly.

The shoreline near Galle, Sri Lanka. Foreigners are said to own the majority of the 110 miles of beachfront around the island’s southern tip, which includes the Galle area. courtesy: Credit Chaput Franck/Hemis.fr, via AFP

For many, the decision to buy was not a snap judgment.

Matthew Harragin, a retired stockbroker from Britain, and his wife, Sue, an artist, first visited the country 15 years ago on vacation.
Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka’s Southern Coast From Bentota to Hambantota Turning Into Vacation Home Paradise for Foreigners’ »

By

C.A.Chandraprema

The signing of the joint opposition MOU at the open air theatre in the Viharamahadevi Park last Monday was a damp squib. In normal circumstances, if a presidential election has been announced and the leader of the UNP was contesting that election, and it was known to the public that the UNP presidential candidate will be signing an MOU with other political parties in Town Hall, the whole area would have been a sea of heads and traffic would have come to a standstill.

Yet when the common candidate signed the MOU with several political parties and up to 35-40 other organizations, the open air theatre was not even full. And even the apathetic and indifferent looking crowd that was present was there only because the UNP leader was present. If not for Ranil’s presence, the only people there would have been the signatories! Clearly that is not an auspicious start.

Continue reading ‘Fielding Maithripala as Common Candidate Instead of Ranil to Challenge Mahinda was a Huge Mistake being felt Already’ »

By
Mark Woods

Pope Francis is due to visit Sri Lanka, but the timing is proving controversial.

pic courtesy of: ucanews.com

The visit is scheduled for January 13, only five days after the Sri Lanka goes to the polls in an election which sees President Mahinda Rajapaksa seeking an unprecedented third term. It will see the canonisation of Sri Lanka’s first saint, the Blessed Joseph Vaz.

However, the Pope has been unwittingly co-opted into electioneering for him thanks to the digital manipulation of campaign posters. One had superimposed photos of the president and the Pope to depict them smiling at one other with the caption: “Blessings of the Holy Father; You are our president, victory for you.”
Continue reading ‘Pressure is mounting on the Vatican to delay a planned visit by Pope Francis to Sri Lanka in January.’ »

By

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha M.P.

Enemies of the President’s Promise 21
Sneezy 2

The reason Mohan gave for the Secretary of Defence being annoyed with me in June 2009 was a matter that was to prove an enormous bone of contention over the next few years, namely the claim advanced by some in Sri Lanka that there had been no civilian casualties during the war. This was obviously nonsense, and it never occurred to me that any such claim was serious. I assumed that what was meant was we had not inflicted civilian casualties deliberately, which I firmly believe to have been government policy throughout the conflict.

I had seen this illustrated in the East when Daya Ratnayake, who subsequently became Commander of the Army – after he had survived, with Gotabhaya’s support, an attempt by Sarath Fonseka to have him prematurely retired – came to brief me on the campaign in that arena of the war. He had been responsible for the strategy there, and I had called him up to find out details of this after Human Rights Watch had given excessive publicity to a report it had prepared on the conflict in the East, in which they claimed there had been indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
Continue reading ‘“Mohan Peiris said Defence Secy was Annoyed with me for Admitting there were Civilian casualties During War”’ »

The official countdown for the January 8 presidential election gets under way with tomorrow’s nominations where more than fifteen candidates will be in the fray. That the political battle will be between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his main rival Maithripala Sirisena, the main contenders, is all too well known. What remains to be known are the allegiances of at least some of the other candidates.

That they will ‘back’ one of the two main contestants is of great interest in what is politically termed “dummy candidates.” It is only their stated stances after nominations that would highlight who they are in support of.

The “dummy candidates” are fielded to enable their backers to seize maximum benefits that are afforded to candidates in terms of election laws. Among others, they are entitled to have two agents at every polling booth, assign counting agents and more importantly obtain free slots on state television networks to explain their policies. An example in point is the candidature of attorney Namal Rajapaksa who will represent the Apey Jathika Peramuna (AJP) or Our National Front with the telephone as his symbol.

Continue reading ‘More than 15 Persons Including “Dummy Candidates” In Presidential Poll:”Namal Rajapaksa”Contests From “Apey Jathika Peramuna”Under Telephone symbol’ »

Ranil Wickremesinghe and Rajavarothyam Sampanthan at May Day procession in Jaffna, May 1, 2012-TamilWin pic

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga had met a Tamil National Alliance delegation and held secret discussions on Tuesday at the Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo, according to reliable sources.

TNA leader R. Sampanthan and parliamentarians M.A. Sumanthiran, Democratic People’s Front Leader MP Mano Ganeshan, Malik Samarawickrema and MP Mangala Samaraweera are believed to have taken part in the discussions to muster support for the Common Presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

Mano Ganesan

Continue reading ‘TNA Leader Sampanthan has Secret Discussions with Opposition Front Leaders Inclding Ranil and Chandrika at Taj Samudra Hotel Claims “Sunday Observer”.’ »

By

Rasika Jayakody

The presidential election is expected to enter into a crucial stage after tomorrow (08), with its two main candidates – President Mahinda Rajapaksa and common candidate Maithripala Sirisena – planning to accelerate their election campaigns following the final date of nominations. Although the common candidate held his first election rally in Polonnaruwa last weekend, his election symbol was not finalized at that time and it made some impact on the final outcome of the rally.

However, Sirisena is yet to conduct his first rally with the election symbol- “swan” – which was also the symbol of former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka when he contested the presidential election in 2010.

Last week we revealed as to how the common opposition took lead in the headline-making game in the mainstream media, outsmarting the propaganda mechanism of the government. This week too, it maintained its success to a certain level, especially with the cross over of former Minister Navin Dissanayake and the revelations he made about alleged cash offers and corruption charges against the government.

Although the common opposition made headway in the battle that takes place in front of the eyes of the media, it is yet to overcome challenges that are still rampant at ground level.

Continue reading ‘Too Many Joint Opposition Front”Cooks” Spoiling the Common Presidential Candidate Sirisena “Soup”’ »

By

N Sathiya Moorthy

It looks as if campaign fever for the January eighth presidential poll is yet to pick up a full fortnight after it all began. At this rate, the poll might conclude without the campaign reaching the conventional climax and the nation getting a new President or a President for a new term possibly without the usually high 75-per cent turnout.

Strange are the ways of politics. It’s thus an irony that President Mahinda Rajapaksa, while in office, has been able to create a contestant from within his camp, not once but twice. The last time round, it was Sarath Fonseka, his trusted army commander who not very long earlier had shared the laurels of the LTTE war victory with him. This time, its’ Maithripala Sirisena, who was a veteran Minister in his government, until the day he unilaterally declared his nomination as the common Opposition candidate.

Stranger still are the ways of political alliances. The long and purportedly strong array of leaders on the Opposition dais with a few more undecided yet on joining them, there is a make-believe that they have in them to upset President Rajapaksa’s electoral apple-cart. They had thought so the last time round. The voter felt otherwise.

Continue reading ‘It’s Rajapaksa vs Mahinda’s Army Chief in 2010 and it’s Rajapaksa vs Mahinda’s Cabinet Minister in 2015’ »

By

Prasad Gunewardene

Last Tuesday Youth Affairs Minister, Dulles Alahapperuma, advised former President Chandrika Kumaratunga to follow the footsteps of the first Executive President, Junius Richard Jayewardene, to learn how to behave after retirement. He said Jayewardene led a peaceful life in retirement and kept away from politics. Yes… the minister is correct to a certain extent. However, JR advised his successors in the UNP in silence and gave directives at crisis times.

Dulles is a friend of mine. He is a leftist from his youth. He is also a fine journalist. During his journalistic days, as a leftist he was very critical of the capitalist UNP. At that time I was covering the UNP and J.R. Jayewardene from 1975. I moved closely with Jayewardene and studied his way of life in person and politics. From him I learnt to command and separate the indisciplined from the disciplined. He was a witty politician and an astute leader. JR was quiet even at turbulent times. He never shirked. Not even when the grenade exploded before him in the Parliament committee room, which killed Keerthi Abeywickreme and seriously wounded Lalith Athulathmudali. The grenade bounced on his table before it exploded. Prime Minister R. Premadasa seated on his right was slightly injured. And so was Minister Vincent Perera on his left. JR watched everything without moving an eye lid and ordered, ‘rush them to hospital’ and left the scene of the explosion with Anandatissa de Alwis.

Continue reading ‘How President Jayewardene Manipulated Prime Minister Premadasa into Submitting his Letter of Resignation’ »

By

Maheen Senanayake

“Heads of Local governments including Pradeshiya Sabha Chairmen are being front-lined by powerful government ministers to spearhead violence against opposition members,” alleged Manjula Gajanayake, National Co-ordinator for the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV).

“We arrived at this assessment after analyzing several incidents. We can cite at least three notable instances when Pradeshiya Sabha members and chairmen are alleged to have been involved in violence against opposition members including blatant thuggery in the presence of hundreds of people and in broad day light,” he further said.

“One such incident occurred yesterday when Jayathilake Bandara, a well known artiste, was attacked in Eppawala during a rally and meeting held to abolish the executive presidency. Onlookers identified several Pradeshiya Sabha Members among the attackers,” he said. “Many have taken video shots of the incident which have been provided to the police.”

Continue reading ‘Elements Led by Pradeshiya Sabha Heads Backed by Govt Ministers Engage in Violence against Opposition While Police Does Nothing.’ »

By

Raja Pakshikaya

The entire nation, it seems, has been caught up in the frenzy of an election which, despite the various Opposition claims of stifling democracy, are being held nineteen to the dozen. And, surprise, surprise, the Opposition has found a ‘common’ candidate, Maithripala Sirisena — from our own party, the SLFP!

My heart goes out to Sirisena. He is a decent man, which is why he was able to rise through the ranks of our party and become its general secretary and stay in that office for ten years.

It speaks for our party too that it gives the common man his due place. He is now the common candidate but my question is, what does he have in common with those who are promoting him?

Continue reading ‘What Does Common Candidate Sirisena Have in Common with the Lady and Gentlemen Promoting his Candidacy?’ »

Several political appointees working as heads of diplomatic missions are being recalled, apprently to handle various aspects of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election campaign, authoritative sources said.

They include Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, High Commissioner in Canberra; Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, Ambassador to Japan; Bandula Jayasekera, Consul General in Sydney; Lakshman Hulugalle, Deputy High Commissioner in Canberra; and Udayanga Weeratunga, Ambassador to Russia.

Continue reading ‘Several Politically Appointed Heads of Missions Being Brought to Sri Lanka at State Expense to work for President Rajapaksa in Re- Election Campaign’ »

By

Dharisha Bastians

A Government Minister has claimed that he was offered a ‘bribe’ by outgoing US Ambassador Michele Sison.
Resettlement Minister Guneratne Weerakoon told a political meeting in Aranwela on Thursday that he had recordings of the discussion, to which the Secretary to his Ministry was also privy.

“She came to meet me and said I was a skilled Minister. She said I had done a good job with resettlement,” the Minister said.

Minister Weerakoon said the Envoy had asked him to remove military camps in the north.

Continue reading ‘Resettlement Minister Guneratne Weerakoon Alleges Outgoing US Envoy Michele Sison Offered him a Bribe of a House in the USA Plus Green Card and Scholarships for his Children.’ »

Declaring he was happy to go before the people, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday expressed confidence of winning the office for the third term, dismissing any real threat from his main opponent.

pic: facebook.com/maithripalas

“I like to go before the people as I have always done,” the President told Editors yesterday during his regular breakfast meeting, probably the last for 2014.

This was in response to a question that, given various accusations, whether he regretted the decision to call a snap election. ‘No, not at all, I am very happy to go before the people any time. This is the democratic principle,” the President said.

Continue reading ‘“Real Contest in this Election is Between the Mangala-Chandrika Alliance and Myself”-States President Mahinda Rajapaksa.’ »

By
Dharisha Bastians

Retracting a previous statement, the Bodu Bala Sena yesterday insisted it was not officially endorsing either of the main candidates at the January presidential election.

Speaking at a rally in Hyde Park yesterday, BBS General Secretary Galagodaththe Gnanasara Thero told crowds that the group had decided to act independently at the elections.

“We are not going to sign agreements with anyone. Then we will have to take that agreement forward. We are going to be responsible to the Buddha. We will act independently to defeat the conspiracy against the country,” the controversial priest asserted.

Continue reading ‘Bodu Bala Sena will be Responsible to the Buddha and Wont Endorse Any Candidate at the Presidential Election.’ »

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday returned another stock of gold possessed by the LTTE to the rightful owners at a function held at the Temple Trees.

Nearly 2,000 rightful owners of the gold jewellery either confiscated by the LTTE or pawned to them by the owners during the LTTE’s control of the north were invited to attend the ceremony at the Temple Trees and receive their possessions from the President.

Continue reading ‘President Rajapaksa Hands Back Jewellery Kept by the LTTE to 1960 Identified Owners from the Northern Province’ »

by

K.C. Gopakumar

V.R. Krishna Iyer

Eminent jurist and former Supreme Court judge, Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer, passed away at a private hospital in Kochi around 3.30 p.m. on Thursday. He died due to renal and cardiac failure, hospital sources said. He was hospitalised for a fortnight.

Justice Iyer, known for his forthright views, turned 100 recently. He was sworn in as the judge of the Supreme Court on July 17, 1973 and retired at the age of 65 on November14, 1980.

Born to a leading criminal lawyer V.V. Rama Ayyar in 1915 in Thalassery, Justice Iyer had his education at the Basel Mission School, Thalassery, Victoria College, Palakkad, Annamalai University and Madras Law College. After starting legal practice in 1937 under his father in the Thalassery courts, he used to appear for workers and peasants in several agrarian struggle-related cases in his early years of practice.

Continue reading ‘Legendary Indian Jurist VR Krishna Iyer who Voiced for the Underdog Passes away at the age of 100 in Kochi.’ »

By

Sarath De Alwis

“There are some ideas so wrong that only a very intelligent person could believe in them”: George Orwell.

Reading Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka’s dilemma in the article captioned ‘Who Rules’ in the Weekend FT on Saturday 27 November, I could not help but recall this piece of concise wisdom of George Orwell.

In the current debate on the executive presidency, all pundits ignore the realism of J.R. Jayawardene the author of this Constitution. His last act as executive president was to deprive his successor that miraculous five-sixth majority obtained under a first-past-the-post system of elections.

Well conversant with the Tammany hall political instincts of the man emerging as the winner of the Presidential contest, he dissolved parliament effective midnight of his last day in office. The people confronted the dawn with a new executive President deprived of the five-sixth majority to tamper with the Constitution.

Continue reading ‘Sirisena Candidacy is an Endeavour to Put a Gorbachev in Place of a Brezhnev to Reach a Glasnost Through A Perestroika’ »

By
Shihara Maduwage

pic via: facebook.com/sarathfonseka

Former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka, the leader of the Democratic Party has announced that his party would support the common candidate Mr. Maithripala Sirisena at the upcoming presidential polls. Sarath Fonseka who was the common opposition candidate of the 2010 presidential elections said that his party had taken this decision to defeat the present ruler in the country.

Excerpts:

Q You took part in the MoU signing ceremony with the common candidate, Maithripala Sirisena. So this must mean that your party is supporting the common candidate?
Continue reading ‘“If It is a free and Fair Election,Mahinda Rajapaksa can Never win Against Maithripala Sirisena” says Sarath Fonseka’ »

By

Izeth Husain

First of all let me add my own tribute to all the others on the stunning political skill shown in the choice of Maithripala Sirisena as the common candidate. The tribute for this, according to public perceptions, should go primarily to Ranil Wickremesinghe and Chandrika Bandaranaike. It is worth a song and dance because political skill of a high order has been for the most part been conspicuously absent from our politics.

MS is a true son of the rural soil, to a far greater extent than President Rajapaksa, as Premadasa was a true son of the urban gutter. He has a blameless political record, and can be expected to split the Sinhalese Buddhist vote to a substantial extent.

But he is a rather colourless figure, which raises the question of why it has been so difficult to find a credible common candidate. We have come to a crossroads in our politics at which it is desperately important to choose a new road as the present one can be expected to lead to another doom-laden 1989, as I argued in my last article. The need of the hour is therefore a charismatic leader, but none can be spotted on the horizon.

Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena has a Blameless Political Record but is Rather a Colourless Figure.’ »

By

Dharisha Bastians

“If I was not too Kind,Mahinda wont be President Rajapaksa today”……….”Rajapaksas have massive Complex against the Bandaranaikes.It’s a Sociological Phenomenon,I think”………CBK

Love her or hate her, ex-President Chandrika Kumaratunga is a force to reckon with. Coming out of a nine-year retirement last month, the former Head of State has joined forces with a broad opposition movement attempting to abolish and reform the presidential office that she once held for 11 years.

The declaration of SLFP frontliner Maithripala Sirisena as a common opposition challenger to President Mahinda Rajapaksa has cemented Kumaratunga’s position in the public psyche as polls fever hits the nation. As she struggles alongside Sirisena, the UNP and the civil society movement coalescing around the abolition platform, Kumaratunga is perceived as the leader of the SLFP rebellion that is threatening to crack open the ruling coalition ahead of the 8 January 2015 poll.

Chandrika Kumaratunga and Maithripala Sirisena visiting the Bandaranaike family home in Nittambuwa-Nov 15-pic courtesy of: facebook.com/BBCSinhala

She remains one of the fiercest critics of the Rajapaksa administration, but the fears of her children held her back from contesting as the opposition candidate in this election.

As she lingered over a late lunch at her Independence Avenue residence, before the elections were declared, President Kumaratunga engaged in a frank and laidback discussion with Daily FT about constitutional revolution, SLFP politics and when the hostility with President Rajapaksa began.

The former President laughed about how she sketched the original design of the Nelum Pokuna, her essay-writing skills that she is using towards penning her memoirs and how much she loves being a grandmother.
She also shared what aspects she would try to do-over if she could turn the clock back on her two-term presidency.

Following are excerpts:

Continue reading ‘“56 of the 61 Member Party Politbureau Begged me not to Nominate Mahinda as Presidential Candidate in 2005” – Reveals Chandrika in Interview’ »

by

Shamindra Ferdinando

External Affairs Ministry’s monitoring MP Sajin de Vass Gunawardena asks whether President Mahinda Rajapaksa would have left the country on an official visit to Nepal if his government had been in crisis due to the then SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena’s defection.

Addressing a series of meetings at Balapitiya, Ahungalle and Dodanduwa during the past few days, MP Gunawardena said that President Rajapaksa had left for Nepal on Nov. 25, just four days after Maithripala Sirisena had switched his allegiance to what the chief SLFP organiser for Balapitiya called a satanic alliance hell- bent on causing havoc.

Had the government been plunged into crisis as propagated by various interested parties, the President wouldn’t have attended the 18th SAARC summit, the MP said. MP Gunawadena accompanied the President.

Incumbent President Rajapaksa’s victory at January 8, 2015 presidential poll would ensure an undivided country, whereas Maithripala Sirisena’s camp included elements openly supportive of separatist ideology, Vaas said.

Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena Camp Wants to Facilitate LTTE Diaspora Project of Hauling President Rajapaksa Before the International War Crimes Tribunal-Sajin Vaas’ »

By
Ananth Palakidnar

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Provincial Councillor, M.K. Sivajilingam, had thrown the mace of the Council and demanded that a motion brought by him six months ago, calling the alleged war crimes a genocide, should be passed by the Council at the NPC’s 20th sitting yesterday.

Sivajilingam became violent when he was told by Council Chairman C. V. K. Sivagnanam that his motion would be taken for voting in January next year.

However, Sivajilingam was adamant that the motion should be passed by the NPC without any further delay.

Continue reading ‘Ex-MP and Councillor MK Sivajilingam Turns Violent During Northern Provincial Council Meeting and Flings Mace.’ »

By

Shamindra Ferdinando

Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe yesterday said some countries were using the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) as a cat’s paw to destabilise Sri Lanka. But, he declined to name those countries.

Minister Samarasinghe alleged that the government had been relentlessly pursued since the conclusion of the war in May 2009.

He was responding to a query at a media briefing at SLFP headquarters by Colombo based The Hindu correspondent whether Sri Lanka construed Indian National Security Advisor Ajith Doval meeting Opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena, MP and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga as a hostile act. Minister Samarasinghe said: “I don’t want to pin point any country.”

Continue reading ‘Some Countries Using Geneva Based UNHRC as a cat’s paw to De-stabilise Sri Lanka Charges Mahinda Samarasinghe.’ »

by Zacki Jabbar

Some senior government and police officials had been summoned to Temple Trees by President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently and scolded in filth for not doing enough to promote his candidature at the forthcoming Presidential Election, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga alleged on Tuesday.

Addressing a meeting in support of the Joint Oppositions Presidential candidate Maithripala Srisena at Hyde Park, Kumaratunga lashed out at President Rajapaksa for denigrating public servants and treating them like dirt.

The former president said Sri Lanka’s police service had once been considered the best in Asia, but under the Rajapaksas its ranking had dropped drastically.

Continue reading ‘President Rajapaksa Scolded Senior Govt and Police Officials in filth for not Promoting his Candidacy Alleges Chandrika Kumaratunga.’ »

By

Harischandra Gunaratna

General Sarath Fonseka, leader of the Democratic Party (DP) while announcing that it would field its own candidates at the next general election said yesterday that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was making a vain attempt to cover up corrupt deals by threatening to blackmail the parliamentarians who pledged their support to the common candidate by carrying some empty files.

“Family bandyism is the motto of the UPFA and Rajapaksas rule the roost riding roughshod over the SLFP seniors as well as all others who worked hard to bring them to power,” he said.

The President was attempting to hide the fact that there were others who had hundreds of files in their possession pertaining to the Rajapaksa family and the President’s inner circle and they were in a vulnerable position, Fonseka said.

“The Rajapaksas have amassed wealth at the expense of the poor masses through corrupt deals in the name of development and these projects have brought them massive commissions.”

Continue reading ‘Hundreds of Files about Corrupt Deals of Rajapaksa Family and Govt Inner Circle Available warns Gen.Sarath Fonseka.’ »

by

Madura Ranwala

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will hand over a part of recovered gold jewellery belonging to over 2,100 Northerners at Temple Trees today.

Those valuables had been recovered by the army from the ‘Eelam banks’ set up by the LTTE in the North.

Addressing the weekly media briefing at Kollupitiya yesterday, Military and Urban Development Ministry Spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said that the army would provide transport facilities travelling from Jaffna, Vavuniya and other parts of East and North to Colombo to receive their jewellery.

They would be brought to Temple Trees in four trains including Yal Devi.

Continue reading ‘Over 2100 People from North Brought in 4 Trains to Colombo by Army will be Given Back Jewellery Pawned to LTTE at Temple Trees by President Rajapaksa’ »

Common opposition candidate Maithripala today said he would restore civic rights and all military decorations of former Army commander and Democratic Party Leader Sarath Fonseka within hours if he is elected as the Executive President.

“I will restore all rights and military decorations of former army commander within hours of my election,” he said.

Mr. Sirisena gave this assurance at a Democratic Party meeting which was held at Solis Hall this morning. The assurance was given when a member of the Democratic Party requested that Fonseka be given all his rights and decorations once Mr. Sirisena is elected.

Continue reading ‘Sarath Fonseka’s rank as General with Military Honours and Civic Rights will be restored within Hours of Becoming President Pledges Maithripala Sirisena.’ »

By

Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy at WNYC on November 10, 2011. She was on the Leonard Lopate Show to discussed her time embedded among the Maoist rebels in India, which she wrote about in Walking with the Comrades – Credit Melissa Eagan

My father was a Hindu, a Brahmo. I never met him until I was an adult. I grew up with my mother in a Syrian Christian family in Ayemenem, a small village in communist-ruled Kerala in southwest India. And yet all around me were the fissures and cracks of caste. Ayemenem had its own separate “Paraiyan” church where “Paraiyan” priests preached to an “Untouchable” congregation.

Caste was implied in people’s names, in the way people referred to each other, in the work they did, in the clothes they wore, in the marriages that were arranged, in the language they spoke. Even so, I never encountered the notion of caste in a single school textbook.

It was reading Annihilation of Caste, a 1936 lecture by the Indian writer and thinker BR Ambedkar, that alerted me to a gaping hole in our pedagogical universe. Reading him also made it clear why that hole exists and why it will continue to exist until Indian society undergoes radical, revolutionary change.

If you have heard of Malala Yousafzai, who was joint winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, but not of Surekha Bhotmange, then do read Ambedkar.

Continue reading ‘India’s Shame: Dominance of the Upper Castes and Deprivation of Lower Castes at Multiple Levels of Indian Society’ »

By

DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA

MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA MUST A BE A DENG HSIAO PENG, NOT A MIKHAIL GORBACHEV

“I hate the goddamn system! But until someone comes along with changes that make sense, I’ll stick with it.” – Clint Eastwood as “Dirty Harry” Callaghan, in ‘Magnum Force’ (1973)

pic via: twitter.com/officialunp

Those who criticize my continued ‘nonaligned’ approach to the Presidential election and the candidates, as well as my refusal to convert unthinkingly to the cause of the joint opposition, make the cardinal error of confusing governance, government and the State. That is not an error a political scientist is permitted; still less one of Marxian and Leninist provenance such as I am. I agree with all the criticisms made by the Opposition of the present regime and even go beyond them in some aspects.

However, those are criticisms about bad governance, and require a solution in precisely that realm. Bad governance must not be confused with the structure and system of the State; the framework of the state.

While I have no problem with the prospect of a Maithripala Sirisena presidency, my problem with the Opposition’s project is that it will not merely displace the regime—which is fine by me—but will weaken the core of the state through the Constitutional ‘shock therapy’ of a 100 day abolition project.

JR Jayewardene’s modernizing revolution was located in the domain of the state system; the form of the state – the shift to an elected executive Presidency. I do not think it should be fundamentally reversed or upended.

Continue reading ‘“Thank God for the MOU Signed with the JHU Which Provides Course Correction to Sirisena Campaign”’ »

By

Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P.

Enemies of the President’s Promise – 20
Sneezy – 1

If G L Peiris moved only gradually into seeing his principal role as advancing the agenda of the Secretary of Defence, his intellectual counterpart in the inner echelons of government, Mohan Peiris, had from the start been associated with Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. He began his rise to the position of Chief Justice by being Adviser to the Ministry of Defence. His reputation at the bar, after he had left the Attorney General’s Department, rested however on his commercial skills, and his main use initially was to advise on arms procurement for the Ministry of Defence.

Gotabhaya had set up a dedicated agency for this purpose, and it seemed an extremely good idea in a context in which, for years, arms procurement had been a cash cow for favourites of the incumbent President. Jayewardene had set the ball rolling, with indulgence of his Secretary, a former very junior public official called Menikdiwela, whose son became a well patronized dealer in arms. Premadasa was exempt from this trait, but Chandrika Kumaratunga allowed free rein to the children of both her Secretary, another not very capable official called Balapatabendi, and her Secretary of Defence, a distinguished public servant called Chandrananda de Silva. Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government took things a stage further, when the offspring of his Minister of Defence, Tilak Marapana, a former Attorney General, also got into the game.

Continue reading ‘Long Association Between Chief Justice Mohan Peiris and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’ »

by

Zacki Jabbar

The Joint Opposition’s Presidential candidate Maithripala Srisena said yesterday that he would win the January 8th Presidential Election but would not step into the President’s House since he was committed to abolishing the Executive Presidency within 100 days.

Addressing a campaign meeting at Hyde Park in Colombo, Srisena, who recently resigned as SLFP General Secretary and Health Minister, said that he was on a mission to rescue the country from the abyss it had fallen into in the post conflict era with chaos and unprecedented lawlessness and corruption griping the country.

“When I am elected President on January 8, I will not go to the President’s House. It is not a place for me because I am seeking a mandate from all Sri Lankans to abolish executive presidency within 100 days of my election and replace it with a parliamentary system of government where the legislature would elect the Prime Minister,” Srisena, who has picked the Swan as his symbol, pledged.

Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena says he will not Step into Presidents House After Winning Elections as he is Commited to Abolishing the Executive Presidency’ »

By

Dasun Edirisinghe

UPFA Nuwara Eliya District MP Navin Dissanayake who crossed over to the UNP on Sunday said yesterday that he had been offered Rs. 100 million by the government to remain in the UPFA coalition.

Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s office in Colombo flanked by Opposition Presidential Candidate Maithripala Sirisena and UNP National Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Dissanayake said that he had been approached by three persons in a bid to bribe him into changing his mind.

“I am aware several billionaire businessmen are spending their money on behalf of the government to stop Ministers and MPs from crossing over and pledging their support to opposition presidential candidate,” he said.

Continue reading ‘Billionaire Businessmen Bribing Govt Ministers and MP’s to Prevent them Crossing Over to Opposition Reveals Navin Dissanayake.’ »

By

Don Asoka Wijewardena

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) General Secretary Susil Premjayantha addressing the media yesterday in Colombo revealed that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election manifesto was being prepared to accommodate major constitutional amendments.

Continue reading ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa will Propose Amendments to the Constitution in his Election Manifesto’ »

By

Maheesha Mudugamuwa

Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday announced that it had decided to extend conditional support to common presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the forthcoming presidential election.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by JHU leader Omalpe Sobitha Thera and Maithripala Sirisena on Monday, the party would support common candidate Sirisena to win the election and for a period of 100 days after he becomes the President, JHU General Secretary Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

Other agreements on the MoU are

Continue reading ‘Jathika Hela Urumaya Extends Conditional Support to Maithripala Sirisena After Signing a 9 point MOU.’ »

Dasun Edirisinghe

Opposition Presidential Candidate Maithripala Sirisena will contest the Jan. 08 election from the New Democratic Front (NDF) under the Swan symbol.

The deposit for contesting election was handed over to the Elections Secretariat at Rajagiriya yesterday by UNP MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe on behalf of Sirisena.

There was earlier speculation that Sirisena would have a different symbol, but finally it had been decided that he, too, should contest under the banner of NDF.

Former army commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka, too, contested under NDF banner unsuccessfully against President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the January 2010 presidential election.

Continue reading ‘Election Deposit Paid for Maithripala Sirisena who will Contest Under New Democratic Front Symbol of Swan like Sarath Fonseka in 2010.’ »

(Text of Press Communique released by European Union – Press and Information Section)

Colombo, 2 December 2014 – The Council of the European Union has decided to appeal the Judgment of the General Court in Joined Cases T-208/11 and T-508/11 (LTTE v. Council) of 16 October 2014.

The Judgement of the General Court of the European Union annulled measures taken by the Council of the European Union against the LTTE, namely the designation of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation and the freezingof LTTE funds.

It is important to remember that this legal ruling was clearly based on procedural grounds and it did not imply any assessment by the Court of the substantive issues of designating the LTTE or of freezing LTTE funds.

Continue reading ‘Council of the European Union appeals the Judgment of the General Court Annulling Measures Against the LTTE’ »

By

Vishwamithra 1984

“I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”
~Harriet Tubman

Maithripala Sirisena’s landmark crossover to the Opposition just weeks before the nomination day of the Presidential Elections captured the imagination of the country. However, Maithree’s crossover does not stand alone in the realm of political crossovers in the last fifty years. But it clearly signifies a real problem Mahinda Rajapaksa has. That is, those who fall out with the President are not in just ‘also-ran’ category or second-tier or third-tier personalities.

In the 2010 Presidential Elections it was his Army Commander who had earlier delivered the country from the throes of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam. This time it’s his own party’s (Sri Lanka Freedom Party) General Secretary. What is this aversion that the President shows to his de facto second-in-command?

On the military front, General Sarath Fonseka was his second-in-command and on the political front it was Maithripala Sirisena who was his second-in-command. The only answer, whichever way one looks, is that President cannot but look to his immediate family and nowhere else. The typical mentality of those who are intoxicated with power and driven by its irrational parodies seems to have seized the psyche of the Rajapaksas.

Continue reading ‘Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Champika Ranawaka Must Play in Common Opposition Team to Defeat Rajapaksa Eleven!’ »

By

Lakna Paranamanna

JVP Leader and parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake predicts the upcoming polls will be the most violent Presidential elections ever to be held in the history of Sri Lanka. Despite admitting it would be a tight battle for power, the JVP has refused to pledge their support to any of the factions that have formed around the candidates due to run for Presidency. Their message to the voters however is clear – topple the Rajapaksa regime and rally to re-establish democracy. In an interview with Dailymirror Mr. Dissanayake spoke on the JVP’s position on the upcoming polls and why Sri Lanka needs a change in leadership. . .

Q:The JVP has asked the voters to support any candidate but Mahinda Rajapaksa. Is there any change in this stance?

No, there is absolutely no change because there is no need to further strengthen the continuation of the Rajapaksa regime. Their (the Rajapaksas) actions so far have indicated aspirations of establishing a dictatorship as evidenced by the weakening judicial system and parliament, rampant corruption and bribery and absence of rule of law. The continuation of Rajapaksa governance will only further deteriorate this situation.

So this regime must change; there is no doubt about it and to that end, a democratic front should be established. The JVP therefore, calls for the Rajapaksa regime to be ousted and for the common man to rally to protect democracy.

Continue reading ‘Bodu Bala Sena Supporting Govt is like Gota Declaring Support for Mahinda – Anura Kumara Dissanayake’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

If the Indian Ocean has to contribute to the prosperity of different nations, it is necessary that it remains a zone of peace, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said on Monday.

He was delivering the keynote address at the ‘Galle Dialogue’, held in Sri Lanka’s southern coastal town of Galle. Evoking a 1971 UNGA resolution, on the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace,

Mr. Doval said it was important to revisit the resolution mooted by Sri Lanka then “calling upon great powers not to allow escalation and expansion of military presence in the Indian Ocean.”

Continue reading ‘India Wants to Re-visit Proposal Made by Former Sri Lanka Premier Sirima Bandaranaike Decades ago to Maintain the Indian Ocean as a Peace Zone’ »

BY

S VENKAT NARAYAN

NEW DELHI, December 1: Tamil Nadu opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) President Muthuvel Karunanidhi and MDMK General Secretary Vaiko have slammed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for wishing Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa success in the January 8 presidential election.

Continue reading ‘Tamil Nadu DMK and MDMK Leaders Karunanidhi and Vaiko Angry with Indian PM Modi for Wishing Mahinda Success at Polls.’ »

By
Shamindra Ferdinando　

The Catholic Church yesterday strongly denied Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga’s claim that Pope Francis’s visit to Sri Lanka wouldn’t take place in January as scheduled.

Spokesman for the Church Information and Media Secretariat, Rev. Father Cyril Gamini Fernando told The Island that Gampaha District MP Amaratunga had declared at a public rally at Wattala on Sunday that the visit wouldn’t take place.

Continue reading ‘Catholic Church Denies Claim by Chief Opposition whip John Amaratunga that Pope Francis Visit to Sri Lanka Wont take Place in January.’ »

By

Ranil Dharmasena

General Secretary of the UPFA Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha made a deposit at the Election Secretariat yesterday on behalf of the government’s presidential candidate incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the forthcoming Presidential Election scheduled to be held in January 8 next year.

Five parties have deposited money so far for the presidential election. The parties are Janasetha Peramuna, United Socialist Party, Okkoma Vasiyo Okkoma Rajavaru Party, Socialist Alliance and the UPFA.

Continue reading ‘UPFA Gen-Secy Susil Premajayantha Makes Deposit on Behalf of Presidential Candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa at Elections Secretariat.’ »

By

Shamindra Ferdinando

Sri Lanka’s former ambassador to Teheran M.M. Zuhair, PC has pledged his support to Opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

After having signed the ‘Common People’s Agenda for Just, Democratic and People-friendly Governance’ at Vihara Maha Devi park yesterday, Zuhair told The Island that he recently formed a new political outfit-National United Front (NUF) to promote the interests of all communities.

Zuhair served as a PA National List MP (1994-2000) during Chandrika Kumaratunga’s tenure as the President. Subsequently, he served as Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Iran during the conflict.

Zuhair played a significant role in arranging an Iranian credit line that helped Sri Lanka to obtain fuel supplies on concessionary terms at a critical stage of the war against the LTTE.

Continue reading ‘National United Front Formed by MM Zuhair to Promote the Interests of all Communities in Sri Lanka.’ »

By

Dharisha Bastians

Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena yesterday formally pledged to abolish the executive presidential system by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with major opposition parties across the ideological spectrum to lock in their support for his election bid.

pic via: facebook.com/chandrika.bk.12

‘The Common People’s Agenda for Just, Democratic and People-friendly Governance’ was signed by Sirisena and the common opposition movement led by the United National Party at a colourful event held at the Viharamahadevi Open Air theatre in Colombo last morning.

“I pledge to protect the trust the people have placed in me. I promise to fulfill this commitment,” Sirisena said, after he placed his signature on the document.

Fundamental aspects of the agreement include constitutional reform within a 100-day period following Sirisena’s election, which will end the executive presidential system and replace it with a parliamentary model of governance.

The parties have also pledged to repeal the 18th Amendment and restore independent commissions to depoliticise and oversee elections, police, judicial services and the public service in the country.

Continue reading ‘36 Parties and Groups Come Together Under Slogan “Ekwemu”(Let’s Unite) and Sign Memorandum at Viharamahadevi Theatre in Colombo.’ »

A Common People’s Agenda for Just, Democratic and People-friendly Governance

As Sri Lankans we face several grave challenges. The country, which was once seen as a model of democracy, has degenerated in recent years into a place where its citizens cannot live with dignity and in safety. Among the manifestations of this situation are:

• the total breakdown of the Rule of Law,
• the erosion of democratic institutions essential for governance,
• an unprecedented widening of social disparities and social injustices,
• severe strains on co-existence between different ethnic and religious communities and increasing disharmony and distrust.

In this situation, the following program is presented so as to re-establish democracy, good governance, social justice and the rule of law. Accordingly, it is proposed that the present authoritarian and corrupt regime be defeated by fielding a common candidate acceptable to all those in agreement with the programme. The immediate tasks will be implemented within a hundred days, including abolition of the current executive presidency and the re-establishment of a parliamentary form of government. Through a new Parliament the rest of the programme will be fulfilled.

To fulfill the immediate tasks and objectives given below, an All-Party Government will be formed for a period of not less than two years.

Immediate Tasks

1. The present executive presidential system will be abolished within a hundred days and replaced by a Parliamentary form accountable to the people. Under the Parliamentary system, the President will symbolize national unity and have duties and powers appropriate to the position.

2. The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution will be repealed and the independence of institutions essential for democratic governance, such as the judiciary, police, public service, election authorities, Attorney-General, Auditor-General and independent Commissions re-established and further strengthened.

3. The current preferential voting system will be abolished. The new electoral system will provide for the just representation of all communities and political opinions and will be a mix of the first-past-the-post system, which ensures that every electorate has its own Member of Parliament, and proportional representation.

4. The oppressive burden of the cost of living of the people will be reduced through granting of a commensurate increase in salaries of the public service and the private sector; strengthen the industrial, agricultural, plantations, fisheries and small industries components of the economy and guarantee a fair price for local produce; develop an effective social safety net for marginalized groups and the poor and, in particular, for women and children, the elderly, pensioners and disabled persons.

In addition, measures will be initiated in the first hundred days to:

• immediately prevent, through greater transparency and accountability, the present unprecedented large scale fraud, corruption, bribery and earning of commissions as well as the wastage of public funds; take action according to law to deal with abuses that have been committed

• guarantee the primacy of the Rule of Law, restore democracy on a sustainable foundation of good governance, secure and advance fundamental rights and freedoms, strengthen the right to freedom of expression inclusive of media freedom and the Right to Information, and ensure the right to live in human dignity

• further develop the right to live in human dignity through re-establishment of the welfare state, and in particular guarantee the right to high quality free education and health services

• empower youth to successfully meet the challenges of the rapidly changing world, in particular through providing essential technical knowledge and skills and training required for high level employment

• guarantee dignity and equal opportunity for all citizens in the social, cultural, economic and political spheres

• create a civilized and moral society and in particular reform the political culture of the country that has sunk to unprecedented depths.

The political parties, groups and citizen’s organizations that are committed to this People’s Agenda shall dedicate themselves towards achieving its objectives.

Maithripala Sirisena

Maithripala Sirisena, the man who is set to challenge incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the January poll, once spent more than 18 months in jail over suspected links with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)– a link that was later proved, he did not have.

He has avoided grooming his children or family members to follow in his political footsteps.
Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena was Falsely Implicated as having JVP Links and was Imprisoned for 18 Months.’ »

By

Nadia Fazlulhaq

“Api Mahindata” (We are for Mahinda), “Ape Janapati” (Our President), “Api Hambantota” (We are Hambantota) – the thousands of banners and life-sized cutouts of President Mahinda Rajapaksa across villages, cities and expressways will soon be joined by thousands more, just by public demand, the Government says.

pic courtesy of: twitter.com/Rathgamaya

There are almost 1800 election cutouts of the President in Greater Colombo alone, some cemented to the ground, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) Director Keethi Tennakoon said.

Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya says he is unable to remove the banners and cutouts. He can only act after December 8, when nominations for the presidential election must be handed in.

Continue reading ‘“MAHINDA EPIDEMIC” Spreads Across Country as Banners,Posters and Life sized Cut-outs of President Rajapaksa Proliferate in Public Spaces.’ »

The Master of Ceremonies for the papal visit to Sri Lanka will arrive in the country on Wednesday as the Catholic Church yesterday expressed confidence that the visit would take place despite an intensive campaign for the Presidential election.

pic via: twitter.com/ucanews

The Master of Ceremonies will meet Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, bishops and other members of the organising committees. Arrangements are due to be finalised by him.Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini, director of the Media and Information Centre for the Pope’s vist, said the Church was confident the visit would take place as scheduled.

“We have always said the papal visit will take place as planned despite the election and we stand by that. All the preparations are being made as planned,” he said.
Continue reading ‘Pope Francis Visit will take place as Scheduled Despite his Image Being Used in Posters for Mahinda’s Poll Campaign.’ »

By Francis Lam

In the atlas of “Little” neighborhoods — the Little Italys, Little Tokyos, Little Indias of the world — New York’s Little Sri Lanka may be the littlest.

Chicken Kottu Roti Credit Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Pamela Duncan Silver.

It’s just one and a half blocks, and its groceries and restaurants share the Staten Island North Shore streetscape with bodegas and an Albanian pizzeria. But around here is where you’ll find one of the largest Sri Lankan communities in the United States — roughly 5,000 people, many of whom came to escape their homeland’s decades-long civil war, starting in 1983.
Continue reading ‘Taste of Sri Lanka in Staten Island, NY via Kottu Rotti Making Couple’ »

With under two months for the Presidential election, violence is widespread islandwide. The most brutal of these cases is reported from Maggona, where a United National Party (UNP) supporter was shot and critically injured. The victim was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Colombo National Hospital and remains in a critical condition.

Police say they have identified the car used for the shooting and investigations are under way to arrest those involved.

Police spokesperson SSP Ajith Rohana admitted that in the recent election related violence nobody has been arrested, but they have taken sufficient security measures to ensure a violence free election.

Meanwhile, raising concerns to the Election Commissioner, UNP Leadership Council Chairman, Karu Jayasuriya said this week that more UNP supporters and members are being targeted in these election violence.

Continue reading ‘Violent Acts Against Opposition UNP Increase but Police Refuse to take Action Despite Information Being Given.’ »

By

Shamindra Ferdinando

A UN investigation team has obtained a comprehensive analysis of Sri Lanka’s accountability with regard to war crimes from the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).

Among the high profile investigations undertaken by ECCHR is one on the conduct of the British army in Iraq as well as the accountability on the part of political leadership. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague recently reopened preliminary investigations into the liability of British military officials for the torture of detainees in Iraq.

Sandra Beidas, formerly of the Amnesty International is coordinating the investigation into Sri Lanka’s war under the supervision of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Continue reading ‘ECCHR Provides Detailed Report on War Crimes by Sri Lankan Govt and Armed Forces to the Probe Conducted by UN Human Rights Commissioner.’ »

By
Rohana R. Wasala

The Maithripala Sirisena affair reminded me of a silly character in a Sinhalese teledrama I watched some years ago. It was a good-natured simpleton who was being looked after by his brother. In one episode this man is shown husking coconuts in a well-to-do neighbour’s compound, and he is heard saying to an inmate of that house standing nearby: “If you have any more coconuts to husk, bring them to me. Today I came here to escape from my brother. If I stayed at home he’d make me work”.

Something that seems to have slipped the mind of many who talk about the Maithripala defection drama is the fact that had it not been for Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa he would have been more of a nonentity than he is today vis-à-vis both those whom he has betrayed and those whom he has buddied up with. In fact, the government’s staying power is mostly due to the popularity of the president.

Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena was a Nobody who Became a Somebody Because of Mahinda Rajapaksa.’ »

The actor-politician says the party worked for a unified India without resorting to “colour” or “caste.”

Ms. Kushboo

Setting herself firmly against ‘saffronisation,’ actor-politician Kushboo said she definitely joined the Congress for her “sensibilities” and for a secular country.

In her “homecoming” speech at the TNCC headquarters here on Saturday, the actor said only the Congress worked for a unified India without resorting to “colour” or “caste.”
Continue reading ‘“Congress is Against Terror Outfit like LTTE but friendy Towards Sri Lankan Tamils”-Actress Khushboo’ »

By

Sumanasiri Liyanage

Power and tradition destroy good people. In Sri Lankan standard, Maithripala Sirisena (MS) is a good politician. Resigning from the post of the General Secretary of the SLFP and announcing that he would stand against President Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) at the forthcoming presidential election would appear as a very courageous decision. Nonetheless, the events as unfolded may also give the impression that MS has become a secondary actor moved by other powerful political forces.

In the political arena we have seen in the last ten years two parallel conflicts. Dynastic politics is not uncommon in this part of the world. Since Independence we have witnessed many a political conflict between leading dynasties, Senanayaka- Bandaranaike, Bandaranaike-Wijewardena after the decline of Senanayakas in the late 1960s. Since 2005, we have seen the emergence of a rural small dynasty that was ‘nobody’ and did not go beyond its power of influence from remote Giruwa Pattu as a leading political dynasty in Sri Lanka.

Continue reading ‘Traditional Chandrika and Ranil Dynasties have set up “Commoner”Maithripala as Candidate to Combat “Nouveau” Rajapaksa Dynasty.’ »

by

Sandun A Jayaekera

Presenting an interesting political theory, Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera yesterday said voters must not topple this government as chances are minimum for corruption among UPFA members as they may have amassed ill lucre enough by now and if the UNP came to power, they would start afresh to make a killing.

Responding to a journalist at yesterday’s media briefing at the SLFP head office, Minister Amaraweera admitted that there may be corruption and irregularities in the UPFA government but the voters must not make it a reason to topple this regime.

Continue reading ‘Disaster Minister Mahinda Amaraweera Admits Openly that UPFA Ministers Have Amassed so much of Money that there is no room for more Corruption in the Govt’ »

By

Danushka Godakumbura

“In my Cabinet there are no Ministers who can be bought with dollars or pounds. The West is keen to see that the country is run by a spineless leader who is ready to dance to their tune. Certain countries want to create a puppet regime here. But, I must say that our people are not ready to elect such a person as their leader to run the affairs of this country.”

PIC: facebook.com/PresidentRajapaksa

“I will win this Presidential election. No one is a challenge to me and I am confident of winning, no matter who comes from the Opposition,said President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The President was speaking at a well attended meeting to felicitate Investment Promotion Minister Lakhsman Yapa Abeywardene who completes 25 years in politics. The Rajatha Mahima Felicitation ceremony to fete Minister Lakhsman Yapa Abeywardene was held at the Sanath Jayasuriya Sports Esplanade in Matara yesterday.
Continue reading ‘“I will win this Presidential Election; No one is a Challenge to me” – Mahinda Rajapaksa at Matara Rally’ »

By

Dharisha Bastians

The political week looked poised to get off to a dramatic start with Minister and Nuwara Eliya District MP Navin Dissanayake quitting his portfolio and announcing his support for common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

Navin Dissanayake, who is the son of late UNP Leader Gamini Dissanayake, will rejoin the United National Party at its Sirikotha headquarters in Pita Kotte today.

“I have resigned from all my positions in the Government. Hope to join the movement for democracy tomorrow. The country must be free from family corruption and nepotism,” the former Minister of Public Management Reforms tweeted yesterday, announcing his resignation.
Continue reading ‘Navin Dissanayake – Son of Gamini D and Son in Law of Karu J – Resigns as Minister and Crosses Over from Govt.’ »

By

SHALIKA WIMALASENA

M. K. D. S. Gunawardena

Former Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs M. K. D. S. Gunawardena says that Twenty-three government MPs were to cross over with us. But they had to reconsider their decision after they saw the threats we faced.

Q:
Do you feel happy now that you quit the government?

A: Frankly, I am happy

Q:
Who was it that first suggested this quitting?

A: Well, I was planning it over the last two years.

Q:
Why? Was the situation getting that bad?

A: The UNPers who engaged in the murders of the likes of Nalanda Ellawala the relation of former Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike and the killers of Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra were absorbed into the government ranks. Some were let loose to attack even the SLFPers after amending the judgments to attack. They are really disgusting.

Continue reading ‘“23 Govt MP’s were to Cross Over but Postponed Decision After Seeing Threats Against us”-KDS Gunawardena.’ »

By Skandha Gunasekara and Lankesh Gooneratne

Satellite communication is a method of communicating around the globe via a satellite. A satellite sent to space for the purpose of telecommunication, receives and retransmits the signals sent from a satellite phone, back to Earth. The ground area that receives the retransmission is called a satellite footprint.

In Sri Lanka, for an individual to own and use a mobile satellite phone, requires a licence. Therefore, although it is legal to use and operate a satellite phone, mobile or otherwise, the device must first be registered with the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL).

Hence, when government defector, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, declared that their breakaway faction coordinated through satellite mobile phones, the question arose how they avoided the detection of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).

Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena Used Satellite Phones to Avoid Detection by Govt Intelligence while Planning Defection Moves.’ »

By

Don Manu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mahinda Rajapaksa

Last Wednesday, November 19, India sent a signal to the world’s drug mafia that they could patently use Indians, posing as Tamil Nadu fishermen, to smuggle drugs into Lanka confidently without fearing any reprisals. If their couriers were caught, convicted and jailed, even sentenced to death, India would stand as guarantor to get them off scot free. A little bit of arm twisting followed by a presidential pardon were all there was to it.

Out of eight Tamils, five of them Indians and three Sri Lankans, convicted and sentenced to death by a Lankan High Court on October 30 for smuggling heroin into Lanka, the five Indian Tamils walked free after India stooped to deploying street smart thuggish tactics of a new India under her much acclaimed street savvy prime minister, to force the hand of the Lankan president to issue a presidential pardon effecting their immediate release.

As the Lankan President said in an interview this Wednesday with the Hindu newspaper when asked whether he pardoned the five fishermen because he thought they were innocent. “Absolutely not. I was absolutely sure that they were guilty, as our courts had convicted them. But I felt that our friendship with India was more important.”

Continue reading ‘Narendra Modi Humiliates Mahinda Rajapaksa by Forcing him to Pardon and Release Five Convicted Narcotics Smugglers.’ »

By

Rasika Jayakody

A week into the presidential campaign, the common opposition, led by candidate Maithripala Sirisena, has shown progress on some fronts while experiencing certain setbacks internally.

The major progress on the part of the common opposition during the first week of the campaign is taking an early lead in the propaganda war – which plays an important role when determining the final result of the election. At this stage, the opposition is making headlines in the mainstream media every single day, putting the government and its propaganda mechanism on the backfoot. That was one reason why the common opposition did not want the SLFP defectors to cross over en masse to the opposition, along with Maithripala Sirsena and Rajitha Senaratne.

In the face of headline-making developments in the opposition camp occurring almost on a daily basis, the propaganda mechanism of the government has gone into a “lull” of some sort – so to speak. This underscores the fact that the government’s propaganda machination should bounce back fast where the mainstream media is concerned – without confining itself to Facebook pages and several gossip websites that have been started afresh, ahead of the presidential election.

Continue reading ‘Chandrika, Mangala, Ranil, Rathana Thera-Who was Really Responsible for Maithripala Sirisena’s Defection?’ »

By

C.A.Chandraprema

Last Thursday, at the UNP executive-committee meeting held at Sirikotha in Kotte to welcome the common candidate of the opposition, Tissa Attanayake made a brief speech that probably catapulted him from being merely the party general secretary to being a national leader of the UNP in his own right.

The most thunderous applause and shouts of approval at that meeting were reserved for Tissa. In the presence of Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sajith Premadasa, Ravi Karunanayake, Karu Jayasuriya, Maithripala Sirisena, Rajitha Senaratne, and Mangala Samaraweera, who were all present on stage, Tissa said:

“People criticised and even vilified me in the recent past, but I will always say what has to be said. If someone thinks that we can go on this journey forgetting the UNPers, I have to say that cannot be done. (loud cheers and applause) If anyone says we can go on this journey without the green colour then I say, forget this journey. It is only with the UNP, the green colour and the elephant symbol and our support that this journey can be successful. I got calls from our organisers who said that unless the green colour comes to the fore, it will be difficult to mobilise grassroots support…. Sajith Premadasa called me this morning and spoke to me about my pain of mind. I told him that the only pain of mind that I have is whether justice will be done to UNPers. That is the only pain of mind I have (loud applause) For the past six months the websites have been attacking me because I worked indefatigably to get Sajith his rightful place which I did with the concurrence of the party leader. I repeat, with the concurrence of the party leader. (thunderous applause) The UNP will be strengthened only if the leader and Sajith Premadasa go forward together.“(applause)

Continue reading ‘Tissa Attanayake Reflects UNP Discontent at Grassroot Level Over the “Common Candidate Sirisena” Project.’ »

Even without a name and symbol being chosen, the main Opposition candidate Sirisena will launch his polls campaign today(Nov 30) with a public rally in Polonnaruwa, his constituency. He is expecting to swing the significant farmer vote against the Rajapaksa regime.

In the paddy fields during Rice Harvest. Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka-pic by/courtesy of: Gwenael Piaser

This is while the UPFA launches the second phase of its campaign with public rallies countrywide. A schedule is now being prepared by the Elections Committee of the Alliance. The first phase came when large groups from different parts of the country were to travel to ‘Temple Trees’ for a meal and an address by President Rajapaksa.

Maithripala Sirisena

There is little doubt that the UPFA ranks have been jolted by the entry of Maithripala Sirisena as the main presidential rival to Rajapaksa. Voter enthusiasm on all sides of the political spectrum appears to be gathering momentum even before nominations on December 8.
Continue reading ‘UPFA Ranks Jolted by Entry of Maithripala Sirisena who Launches Campaign with Aim of Swinging Farmer Votes Against Rajapaksa Regime.’ »

Adding to the squabbles last Thursday were reported remarks by Mangala Samaraweera at a news conference that the abolition of the executive presidency after Sirisena’s victory would not see Ranil Wickremesinghe as an “executive Prime Minister.” The remarks were to cause concern at the highest levels of the UNP leadership.

Raising issue with Samaraweera was Wickremesinghe confidant Malik Samarawickrema who is calling the shots on behalf of the UNP. He was to note that the UNP leader was not happy with the way the remarks had been reported. Samaraweera was later compelled to clarify his remarks.

This is what he said: “In a Parliamentary democracy executive powers are vested in Parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers. The Prime Minister is, as the term implies the ‘first among equals’.

Continue reading ‘UNP Raises Concerns About Reports of Mangala Samaraweera Saying Ranil Wickremesinghe wont be an Executive Prime Minister.’ »

Opposition political groupings backing Maithripala Sirisena as the presidential candidate against Mahinda Rajapaksa are still in search of an identity.Names of different political fronts and even going it alone as an independent candidate are not being ruled out as the squabble continues.

The hot favourite appears to be the Apey Jathika Peramuna (AJP) or Our National Front (ONF) with the telephone as its symbol. The search by opposition leaders in consultation with groups of lawyers has been a laborious process with careful scrutiny of the polls laws in force.

Continue reading ‘Divided Opposition Unable Still to Unite Over Name of Front and Election Symbol for Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena’ »

By

Arthur Wamanan

The highly anticipated stance of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on the upcoming Presidential polls and the Common Candidate of the Opposition will only be revealed after the main candidates publish their respective manifestos.

The TNA has been quiet ever since the announcement of the common candidate and had not expressed its opinions publicly. It had, however, has stated that it would back a candidate who was agreeable to their demands and conditions, which means that there are possibilities that they would back Sirisena in the elections. This would also mean that there are possibilities of discussions between the TNA and Sirisena in the near future.

Continue reading ‘Tamil National Alliance Adopts “Watch and Wait” Policy on 2015 Presidential Poll to Avoid 2010 Election Fiasco.’ »

by

Nishthar Idroos

The deference an iconic brand elicits from its loyal customers is simply mind boggling. The near stampede witnessed to acquire the brand while queuing at eerie hours expending precious energy and paying big bucks may sound crazy for some, but not for hardcore loyalists. Living in Toronto the writer knows firsthand how brave hearts defy frigid weather just to lay their hands on the newest contraption. It’s a eureka moment for diehards. The next minute they’re on social media flaunting with a mission accomplished pose “we’ve got it and we were the first” – The iPhone 6 Bigger than bigger.

Apple as a brand is indelibly etched in the minds of most people. A company with a vision to be radically disruptive. A blue-chip American Corporation once led by the inimitable Steve Jobs who famously said “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”. Its dominance attributed to Indispensability – you cannot leave home without it. User friendly – remarkable design. Simplicity – the only unique all in one. Experiential Marketing – great customer service and in-store experiences. Leadership – reinvent, relax, and rejoice. Futuristic- Be ahead of the competition. These core competencies difficult to copy or imitate.

Continue reading ‘Branding of Mahinda and Maithripala for Political Advantage on the rise as Presidential Elections Gather Momentum.’ »

Nearly one week after the presidential election was announced, Asian Mirror can now reveal that two more Cabinet Ministers have already pledged support to the common opposition and will cross over at any time.

With them, two highly popular female Provincial Councilors of the ruling party will also extend their support to the common candidate, highly placed political sources said last night.

Continue reading ‘Two more Cabinet Ministers and Two Woman Provincial Councillors Ready to Cross Over from Govt Next?’ »

By

Dharisha Bastians

Opposition presidential challenger Maithripala Sirisena will stand against an international investigation into allegations of war crimes committed during the final phase of the war.

His Government would act according to the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), Sirisena said.
Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena Announces he would not Allow President Rajapaksa or the Security Forces to be Hauled up Before an International War Crimes Court”’ »