by D.B.S.Jeyaraj October 10th 2021 was the 21st death anniversary of the world’s first woman prime minister Mrs.Sirima Bandaranaike. I am therefore reproducing on my blog an article written about her by me 21 years years ago. It was published in the Indian news-magazine “Frontline” of Aug 19th – Sep 01st 2000 (Vol 17-Issue 17) …
Continue reading ‘Sirimavo Bandaranaike: The Grand Old Lady of Sri Lankan Politics’ »
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Two days after the release of the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had telephoned Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and informed that it is not possible to implement all the recommendations of said …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (This 75th Birthday Tribue to Vijaya Kumaratunga written last year is being re-posted here without any changes to commemorate the actor-politico’s 76th birth anniversary.) Kovilage Vijaya Anthony Kumaratunga, known to the world as Vijaya Kumaratunga, was born in Seeduwa on 9 October 1945. Vijaya was an endearing personality with an enduring vision whom …
BY Pamodi Waravita Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris said yesterday (18) that the work on the proposed new Constitution has been finalised by the experts committee chaired by Romesh De Silva PC, and that a draft of the new Constitution will be presented to Parliament in January 2022.
By Azzam Ameen President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has rejected the request made by 11 allied parties of the government for a discussion on the agreement reached between the Sri Lankan government and US-based New Fortress Energy for latter’s investment in West Coast Power Limited (WCP) – the owner of 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant in Kerawalapitiya. …
By Azzam Ameen Sri Lanka’s Muslim community has suffered consistent discrimination, harassment and violence since 2013, culminating in the adoption of government policies explicitly targeting the minority group, Amnesty International said in a new report published today. The 80-page report, From Burning Houses to Burning Bodies: Anti-Muslim Harassment, Discrimination and Violence in Sri Lanka, traces …
By Meera Srinivasan Dozens of northern fishermen on Sunday set out on boats from the coast of the eastern Mullaitivu district to Point Pedro in Jaffna in the north, demanding that Sri Lankan authorities implement laws banning the destructive bottom trawling method of fishing. The protest comes in the wake of an increase in reported …
By Dinitha Rathnayake and Pamodi Waravita Northern fishermen took approximately 1,000 boats out to sea to participate in a large-scale protest yesterday (17) extending from the seas of Mullaitivu to Point Pedro in the Northern Province, against what they termed the inaction of Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda over Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene If the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe coalition of 2015-2019 was tone deaf to outraged mutterings of the citizenry at the time, surely the Rajapaksa-Rajapaksa-Rajapaksa government of 2020 onwards must be wholly dumb, deaf and blind to the roars of fury exploding in their favoured constituencies in Sri Lanka. On splendid ironies and political victories …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake The Pandora Papers have moved away from the focus of politics and the fight against corruption. We can await the report of the Bribery and Corruption Commission, which has its own way of giving innocence to the guilty; much more than the fighters against corruption ever expect. But that is the stuff …
By Dr Nihal Jayawickrama It was fifty years ago, on October 2, 1971, that the Governor-General, William Gopallawa, assented to the Bill that sought to abolish the Senate, the upper chamber of the Parliament of Ceylon. It was an event that was precipitated by the Senators themselves. The Senate was one of the five constitutional …
(Text of Editorial appearing in the “Daily Financial Times” of October 16th 2021 headlined “Opening the door to international jurisdiction) This week the Attorney General informed the Court of Appeal that his Department had decided to drop its indictments against former Navy Commander, Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda, who was previously named as an …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene First the Panama Papers, then the Paradise Papers, now the Pandora Papers, next will we have the ‘Pappadum’ Papers, a wag may well cynically question? Cold logic of ‘tip of the iceberg’ disclosures That passing query has hidden meaning in Sri Lanka, given that the ‘pappadum’, a flamboyant looking and delicious …
(This article appeared in the Asia section of “The Economist” print edition under the headline “No more Mr Rice Guy”) Staring glumly at his paddy field in the depths of rural Sri Lanka, B. R. Weeraratne sighs. The regular incursions of greedy elephants have been bad enough. But the government’s outright ban on agrochemicals will, …
by Vijitha Yapa (Vijitha Yapa is the Founder Editor of the “Sunday Island” and “The Island”Daily. Both publications launched in October and November 1981 celebrate their 40th anniversary this year) The person at the other end of the phone calling from Nallur was very angry. “Mr Editor, you have killed me in your paper today”. …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Pandora Papers are a series of papers being continuously published since October 3rd 2021 by the Washington based International Consortium of Investigative Journalism(ICIJ).The ICIJ is a worldwide network of 280 Investigative journalists and more than 100 Media organizations from many different countries spanning the globe. The Pandora papers are based on 11.8 …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj United National Party Leader and National list MP Ranil Wickremesinghe has expressed concern over the continued detention of Wanni District Parliamentarian, All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) Leader and former Cabinet Minister Rishad Bathiudeen. Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has been a MP without a break since July 1977, said in Parliament on 4 October that …
Continue reading ‘Rishad Bathiudeen Targeted in Witch Hunt After his Fall From Rajapaksa Grace’ »
By A Subramani & Neeraja Ramesh Jayalalithaa’s first hero and veteran actor, Srikanth, passed away in Chennai on Tuesday. He was 81. Srikanth’s demise was first announced by Nadigar Sangam (Actors Association) on Tuesday evening. Srikanth debuted with Jayalalithaa in Vennira Aadai (1965) and went on to do memorable roles in a series of K …
By M.A. Sumanthiran (The writer is a President’s Counsel and a Member of Parliament representing the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi) Sri Lanka is blessed with rich natural resources and a manageable population. We were ruled by foreign powers for 450 years, yet when we attained independence in 1948, the country’s fiscal position was very sound. …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Gamini Fonseka was the uncrowned king of Sinhala cinema for nearly three decades. He was the first and arguably the sole super star of Sinhala cinema.Notwithstanding the brilliant creators of our times who have raised the standards of Sinhala cinema, one is unable to imagine or visualise Sinhala cinema without thinking of Gamini …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike known as S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was the fourth Prime Minister of Independent Sri Lanka known then as Ceylon. SWRD who was born on 8 January 1899 died due to assassination on 26 September 1959. This year therefore marks the 112th anniversary of his birth and 62nd anniversary of his …
Continue reading ‘SWRD Bandaranaike’s Flirtation With Federalism.’ »
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Strong people don’t need strong leaders” – Ella Baker (quoted in ‘Moving the Mountain’) – Berlin, 20 February 1933 – 24 men, the crème de la crème of German industry, gathered to listen to the country’s brand new chancellor, Adolf Hitler. The meeting was a top secret, but posterity has the transcripts. …
Businessman Thirukumar Nadesan, one of two Sri Lankans named in the Pandora papers exposé, has written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declaring his innocence and requesting an impartial investigation. “It is commonly believed that all persons whose names have been [divulged in the Pandora papers] are in some way guilty of wrongdoing. “I assure Your Excellency …
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapksa has ordered the Bribery Commission to immediately investigate Sri Lankans named in the Pandora papers, cabinet spokesman Minister Dullas Alahapperum said. The president had issued the directive to the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption this morning. Alahapperuma said the Commission is required to …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (The Doyen of Tamil Film Actors “Nadigar Thilagham” Sivaji Ganesan was born on 1 October 1928. This article was written a month ago to commemorate Sivaji’s 20th death anniversary.It is being reposted without any changes to denote his 93rd Birth Anniversary) Sivaji Ganesan, M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) and Gemini Ganesan comprised the triumvirate that …
Continue reading ‘Sivaji Ganesan Made Many Tamils Appreciate Their Vibrant Language More’ »
By Scilla Alecci In early 2018, workers in a London warehouse carefully loaded an oil painting of Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth, onto a van bound for Switzerland. The painting, by 19th-century Indian master Raja Ravi Varma, depicts the four-armed goddess clad in a red sari with gold ornaments and standing atop a lotus …
By Meera Srinivasan There is an “urgent need” to understand the “weaknesses and strengths” of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution and “act accordingly”, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday told Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, while expressing a desire to revive the spirit of the relations of the 1960s and 1970s. Mr. Shringla …
(Text of Press Release Issued by the High Commission of India in Colombp regarding the Visit of Foreign Secretary of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla to Sri Lanka) 1. Foreign Secretary of India, Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Sri Lanka for a 3-day Official visit from 02-05 October 2021. This was his first visit to Sri …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa explained the relationship between China and Sri Lanka to Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla in a comprehensive manner and informed Shringla not to have any doubts about it, according to a press release by the President’s Media Division yesterday (5). President Rajapaksa had also emphasised that Sri Lanka would not be …
By Azzam Ameen In letter to sent to former Minister Nirupama Rajapaksa and her husband Thirukumar Nadesan, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reporter Scilla Alecci posed a series of questions to the duo, giving them the opportunity to respond to the findings of the Pandora papers. As extracted from the letter, the questions posed …
By Meera Srinivasan India on Monday underscored the need for early conclusion of bilateral projects in Sri Lanka, and the enhancement of connectivity by air and sea between the neighbouring countries, which are seeking to reset ties amid a strain in ties. Visiting Sri Lanka on a four-day visit beginning October 2, Foreign Secretary Harsh …
By Meera Srinivasan India has urged Sri Lanka to hold elections to its provincial councils without further delay, according to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) whose delegation met visiting Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday. Also India does not appreciate any “third party presence” in the Tamil-majority north and east, where New Delhi had …
BY Dinitha Rathnayake and Pamodi Waravita Former Water Supply and Drainage Deputy Minister Nirupama Rajapaksa, who is also the niece of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, and her husband Thirukumar Nadesan, have been named in the recent International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ (ICIJ) “Pandora Papers” files leak. The …
BY Pamodi Waravita United National Party (UNP) Leader and Parliamentarian Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday (4) urged Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to inquire from Attorney General (AG) President’s Counsel (PC) Sanjay Rajaratnam about the nature of the evidence against Samagi Jana Balawegeya (SJB) Opposition MP Rishad Bathiudeen to justify his prolonged detention in prison.
BY Buddhika Samaraweera The Special Trial-At-Bar appointed by Chief Justice President’s Counsel (PC) Jayantha Jayasuriya at the request of Attorney General (AG) Sanjay Rajaratnam PC in connection with the main case of the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019, served indictments yesterday (4) on 24 accused over the attacks, including against Mohamed Naufar …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake We have moved to the new Dudley Era. Dudley Senanayake saw the rise of his era with the political handling of rice. It was to beat the rice control strategy of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. We are now in the Dudley Sirisena era – also with rice as the operative, with both …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka The signs are there and they aren’t good. It started weeks ago. Minister Sarath Weerasekara and Secretary/Defence Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratna’s responses to the questions and criticisms by the Cardinal and the Catholic Church were hardly respectful and were rather testy. They were also irrelevant. Their truculent defence was that a large …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Lohan Evindra Ratwatte is a Sri Lankan politician who is often under the media spotlight for the wrong reasons. The 53 year old Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna(SLPP) Kandy district MP- known generally as Lohan – received a great deal of negative publicity last week over an incident in which he reportedly humiliated and …
By Anila Dias Bandaranaike, Ph. D. My father, Sam Wijesinha from Getamanne, a village in Hambantota District, took pride in his Southern heritage. He knew D.M. Rajapaksa (DM), his brother, D.A. (DA) and their families well. Sam was Secretary General of Parliament for almost two decades till 1981, and the first Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration …
By Prof.Tissa Vitarana Prof.Senaka Bibile, a great Sri Lankan professor of Pharmacology, died 44 years ago on September 29, 1977, and this brief article is written in his memory. In my view he is one of Sri Lanka’s greatest products and a top achiever and all Lankans, especially the young, should know what he did …
It was a power struggle of a different kind, rarely seen in the country. It was not political. It was not a trade union struggle. It was not an armed struggle. An Executive Presidency, a two-thirds parliamentary majority, a 20th Amendment that gave more powers to the President, even a state of emergency and the …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene When a ‘full time member’ (or its head, have it as you will) of Sri Lanka’s Consumer Affairs Authority records receiving death threats following his resignation over disclosures of multiple corruption scandals at Sri Lanka Sathosa, ranging from rigged sales of garlic, flour, undu and sugar to millions spent on the …
(Text of Statement issued by Rajavarothayam Sampanthan Member of Parliament for Trincomalee District and , Leader Tamil National Alliance) TNA leaders, Members of Parliament, and other functionaries generally reside in their respective districts of the North and East. The Corona Virus has been an impediment to personal meetings and group discussions. This has led to …
BY Meera Srinivsan As many as eight Tamil prisoners in Sri Lanka’s Anuradhapura prison on Thursday petitioned the country’s Supreme Court, seeking relief after a ‘gun-wielding’ Prisons Minister allegedly threatened them a fortnight ago. The prisoners stated that they fear for their lives, asking to be transferred to a prison in the Tamil-majority Northern Province. …
By Nirupma Rao (Nirupama Rao served as India’s ambassador to America in 2011-13. Earlier, she was the country’s foreign secretary and its ambassador to China, among other diplomatic roles.) In south asia and the Indo-Pacific, we see ourselves as a region in churn—the geopolitical pathways wind their way to conflict and to peace; they crisscross …
By Daniel Alphonsus “This is not a Sinhala-Buddhist country.” This war cry, triumphantly proclaimed in the deepest south after the Easter bombings, were probably Mangala’s most famous words. And rightly so, for theycaptured the essence of the man. The attacks unleashed a volcano of fear and hate, which no one could stop. Most were silent, …
By Otara Gunewardene I am deeply saddened and disappointed by the recent release of 15 elephants that were in the care and custody of the state; back to persons who are alleged to have unlawfully captured them or purchased the said elephants from those who have unlawfully captured them. These young elephants were taken into …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene As President Gotabaya Rajapaksa accompanied by his spouse paid tribute a few days ago to Americans slain in 9/11, both with white roses in their hands at the memorial in New York, it is hard not to imagine how powerfully symbolic that gesture would have been if replicated on this country’s …
By: Colonel R Hariharan (The writer served as the head of intelligence with the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka 1987-90) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his first-ever address at the 76th UN general assembly session on September 22 spoke about transitional justice and reconciliation. But his widely reported readiness to have a dialogue with …
Leading press freedom organisations have taken the case over the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge to The Hague. In an unprecedented effort to achieve justice for the killing of journalists, three leading press freedom groups have established a People’s Tribunal to investigate their murders and hold governments accountable. The Tribunal, a form of grassroots justice, …
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj (This article was first published seven years ago to commemorate the 25th death anniversary of Dr.Rajini.It is re-posted here without any changes to denote her 32nd death anniversary) It was 25 years ago on September 21st 1989 that Dr. Rajini Thiranagama nee Rajasingham was killed in Jaffna. She was 35 years old …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike, the fourth Prime Minister of Independent Sri Lanka known then as Ceylon was the target of an assassination attempt on September 25th 1959. He succumbed to his injuries a day later on September 26th. This Article written last year is being re-posted without any changes to denote the 62nd death anniversry of …
Continue reading ‘Murder Most Foul: Assassination of Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike’ »
BY Pamodi Waravita A number of Muslim Opposition Parliamentarians have filed complaints with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana D. Wickramaratne, the Police Headquarters (HQ), and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) regarding the alleged hate speech propagated by Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera in a number of electronic media interviews …
By Shreen Abdul Saroor The reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA)that Muslim women have been demanding for over four decades,is back on centre stage. Interestingly, the Muslim elite and religious and political representatives who were instrumental in continuously stalling any reforms now say they want reform; one needs to take this with …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardena Are we a nation of savage beasts that a drunk State Minister, ironically tasked to oversee prisons reforms, can ‘allegedly’ (a caveat that we are duty bound to enter) lurch into the Welikada and Anuradhapura prisons on sight-seeing expeditions to ‘show the gallows’ to his acolytes in one instance and threaten …
By Chandani Kirinde Defending a man charged with the murder of a Prime Minister is not the most popular or easiest thing to do. More so when the slain Prime Minister happens to be S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike who, in April 1956, less than three-and-a-half years before his killing, had led a coalition of parties headed by …
BY Dinitha Rathnayake and Azzam Ameen The report of the Prisons Department investigation into alleged incidents of drunkenness and threatening of Tamil political prisoners by former State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte, whilst at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons, is to be handed over to Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya …
By Azzam Ameen and Ruwani Fonseka Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress (AITC) MP Selvarajah Kajendren was arrested by the Jaffna Police today (23) while he was attending a memorial held for Rasaiah Parthipan, commonly known as ‘Thileepan’. Thileepan was a Tamil Eelam revolutionary and member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Video footage circulating …
BY Pamodi Waravita Justice Minister, President’s Counsel (PC) M.U.M. Ali Sabry, whilst “unequivocally and unconditionally” condemning the incidents which had occurred at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons complexes involving former Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, said yesterday (22) that a retired High Court (HC) Judge will be appointed to independently inquire …
(Text of Speech made by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the 76th UN General Assembly in New York on September 22, 2021) Mr. President, Secretary General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ayubowan. I am honoured to represent Sri Lanka at this august gathering today. Let me first congratulate His Excellency Abdulla Shahid on being elected President of …
(Text of Speech made in Parliament on Sep 22d 2021 by TNA Jaffna District MP Mathiaparanan Abraham Sumanthiran during the adjournment debate on the UN process ) Thank you presiding member for the time allocated for me to speak a few words on this adjournment motion. The problem with the government seems to be its …
BY CANADIAN STANDARDS the election campaign was the ugliest in many years. Protests dogged the candidates of the main parties. Loutishness went “beyond the typical uptick” for federal elections, said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It came especially from anti-vaccine activists. This month someone threw gravel at Justin Trudeau, the Liberal prime minister, who says …
By Buddhika Samaraweera Claiming the ongoing investigations into recent incidents involving the former Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation State Minister Lohan Ratwatte are not at a satisfactory level, the March 12 Movement (M12M), which advocates for a clean political culture, has requested that an independent committee with a membership respected by society be appointed to …
(Text of a Press Release Issued by the President’s Media Division) The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that the UN will provide its full support to Sri Lanka in moving forward to promote unity among different communities. The UN Secretary-General made these remarks during the meeting he held with the …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (Legendary Muslim Congress Leader MHM Ashraff was killed on September 16th 2000 in a Helicopter crash.This article was written last year for the “Political Pulse” column in the “Daily Financial Times” to Commemorate his 20th death anniversary. It is being re-posted here without any changes to denote the 21st death anniversary of “Marhoom”MM …
Continue reading ‘Legendary Muslim Congress “Thalaiver” MHM Ashraff and the Tamils of Sri Lanka’ »
By Azzam Ameen Following the alleged incident where former State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte entered the Anuradhapura Prison and attempted to degrade and punish Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suspects by ordering them at gunpoint to kneel down in front of him, The Morning learns that the detainees affected …
By Pamodi Waravita Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader and National People’s Power (NPP) Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (19) claimed that the Government of Sri Lanka had signed an agreement with US-based energy company New Fortress Energy Inc. past midnight on Friday (17), transferring the Treasury’s 40% stake in the Yugadanavi Power Station in Kerawalapitiya …
By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya Installation of CCTV cameras in the Welikada prison is currently underway and only three prisons in the country are equipped with CCTV camera system, the Prisons Department said . In the wake of recent incidents at Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons involving State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, concerns were raised whether the controversial …
By Azzam Ameen As the five-year term of the first Right to Information (RTI) Commission will be coming to an end this month, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has exercised the right given to it under and in terms of Section 12(1) (a) of the Right to Information Act No. 12 of 2016 …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake What a gem of a minister he is! Who? Who else, State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, the gem and jewel of today. Why? He resigned from his Prison Portfolio, not having done anything wrong, as he says it. He has gone beyond the stuff of any politician. He truly deserves to be given …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Tamil National Alliance(TNA) is currently in a state of turmoil. The current TNA crisis is linked up with the United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHRC) in Geneva. The issue is that of writing letters to the UN Human Rights Commissioner Ms. Michele Bachelet. As is well-known the TNA is the premier political configuration …
By Jamil Husain State Minister of Gem and Jewelry Related Industries Lohan Ratwatte who has pushed the government into a hot soup over allegations that he threatened a group of Tamil prisoners over the weekend, yesterday denied all accusations leveled against him saying he was ‘not stupid’ to resort to such action. Breaking his silence …
By Sheain Fernandopulle Referring to the recent incident transpired in the Anuradhapura Prison involving State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, Industries Minister Wimal Weerawansa said Lohan set an example for political culture by resigning from the post following the incident. He told reporters that it was obvious for people to make mistakes, but what is important is …
BY Dinitha Rathnayake The Prisons Department and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) have commenced investigations into incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons which involve former Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, while the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is likely to begin its own investigation on the matter today …
By Ruwani Fonseka Attempts have been made to delete CCTV footage at the Anuradhapura Prison, Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners Chairman Attorney at Law Senaka Perera alleged at a press conference held on SEp 15. He made such statements with regard to Former State Minister of Prisons and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte’s alleged offences …
By Ruwani Fonseka The Human Rights Commission in Sri Lanka (HRCSL) visited the Anuradhapura prison on Sep 15 following the incident that took place last Sunday in which Former State Minister of Prisons and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte was allegedly involved, The Morning learnt. During this visit, the HRCSL was able to the speak to …
By Meer Srinivasan Sri Lanka’s prisons minister resigned on Wednesday, following allegations that he asked Tamil prisoners to kneel, threatening them at gunpoint. A statement from the Presidential Media Division said: “Lohan Ratwatte, State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation has tendered his resignation, acknowledging his responsibility for the incidents”. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa accepted …
By JAMILA HUSAIN State Minister of Prison Management, Lohan Ratwatta has resigned from his portfolio a short while ago. He has sent his resignation letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The President’s Media Division in a statement said Ratwatta had tendered his resignation acknowledging his responsibility for the incidents that took place at the Welikada and …
Responding to reports that Sri Lanka’s State Minister for Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation, Lohan Ratwatte, forcibly entered a state prison in Anuradhapura on 12 September and held Tamil prison inmates incarcerated under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) at gunpoint and threatened to kill them, Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director said: “These dumbfounding …
By Lakmal Sooriyagoda The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) today called for the immediate resignation of State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte for the authorities to initiate a credible investigation into the alleged incidents, and action taken without fear or favour. In a statement, the CPA stated that it was deeply …
(Text of Statement Delivered by UK’s Ambassador to the UN and WTO in Geneva, Simon Manley on behalf of the Core Group of Sri Lanka at the 48th Session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 14th 2021) Thank you Madam President This statement is by the Core Group on Sri Lanka comprising Canada, …
(Text of Statement by Prof G.L.Peiris Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka at the 48th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 14 September 2021) < strong>Madam President, Let me begin by reiterating our strong and continued cooperation with this Council and the United Nations mandated human rights system, in keeping with …
(Oral Update on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka at the 48th session of the Human Rights Council by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, 13 September 2021) Distinguished President, Excellencies, I am pleased to update the Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka and the trends and issues identified in …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Sri Lanka’s Jacqueline Fernandez who has made a name for herself in India as a successful film actress was very much in the news last week for reasons unconnected to her cinematic career. The luminous star of Sri Lanka who has been illuminating the Hindi cinematic firmament for several years was summoned by …
Continue reading ‘Jacqueline Fernandez; Sri Lankan Jewel in Indian Hindi Filmdom Crown’ »
By Shamindra Ferdinando Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne says certain interested parties are propagating lies that the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks had been carried out to influence the electorate at the 2019 presidential election. Gen. Gunaratne says attempts are being made to drag President Gotabaya Rajapaksa into the controversy. The former General Officer Commanding (GoC) …
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa never sought an audience with Pope Francis during his visit to the Vatican, the foreign ministry said after the head of the country’s Catholic church Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith claimed the visit was an attempt to mislead the Vatican about the 2019 Easter attack probe. “At no stage has …
By Yohan Perera Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, today alleged there were moves by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to mislead the Pope and international community over the Easter Sunday investigations during the Prime Minister’s visit to Italy which will begin tomorrow. Opposing the move by the government to brief the Vatican about …
By Meera Srinivasan On August 30, 2021, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, using powers vested in the country’s Public Security Ordinance, declared Emergency regulations pertaining to the distribution of essential food items. The regulations sought to empower authorities to provide essential food items at a “concessionary rate” to the public by purchasing stocks of essential …
Continue reading ‘What is the Emerging ‘food emergency’ in Sri Lanka?’ »
Basil Rajapaksa yesterday, in his first speech in Parliament as Finance Minister, painted a bleak picture of the economy and said that, amid the foreign exchange crisis, the country had lost around Rs. 1.6 trillion in Government revenue due to the COVID pandemic. “The country is facing a serious foreign exchange crisis. Similarly, revenue has …
By Ranga Sirilal and Ayeshea Perera Sunil Perera, one of the stalwarts of Sri Lanka’s baila genre – a memento of Portuguese colonisation – died on Monday aged 68, his family said. He is believed to have died of Covid-related complications. Along with his band The Gypsies, Sunil wrote and performed songs with catchy tunes …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Saumiyamoorthy (spelled sometimes as Saumyamoorthy or Saumiamoorthy) Thondaman was the legendary co-founder and long-time leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC). Thonda, as he was widely known, played a prominent role in the country’s post-independence politics for many decades. His political life was intertwined with the vicissitudes of the Indian Tamil people of …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene In decades of the dreaded Public Security Ordinance (PSO) in Sri Lanka, this is perhaps the first time that the use of this law has been justified by the Office of the President as necessary to ensure the availability of staples such as rice, dhal and sugar to the populace at …
The Sri Lankan national shot dead inside a shopping mall in Auckland on Friday after he attacked several locals has been identified as Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen, a 32-year-old from the Eastern town of Kattankudy. He went to New Zealand on a student visa in 2011 and then asked for political asylum claiming he and …
Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris this week handed over to UN Head in Sri Lanka Haana Singer-Hamdy the first copy of a 13-page response to obviate criticism over non-implementation of key elements in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution passed early this year. The 13-page note prepared on the eve of the forthcoming UNHRC sessions …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (Veteran Trade Union Leader Philips Balendra Tampoe passed away at the age of 92 on September 1st 2014.Comrade Bala Tampoe as he was generally known created Trade union history by being the general secretary of the Ceylon Mercantile Union for an unbroken period of sixty – six years.To denote the seventh death anniversary …
A man has been fatally shot by police officers and six shoppers have been injured – including three critically – in horrific scenes at a West Auckland supermarket this afternoon. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was a terrorist attack carried out by a known threat, who was under constant police surveillance. “What happened today …
Police in New Zealand shot and killed a “violent extremist” after he stabbed and wounded at least six people in an Auckland supermarket. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the incident was a “terrorist attack” carried out by a Sri Lankan national who was under police surveillance. The man, who has not been officially named, was …
What do we know about the New Zealand attacker? The man, whose identity cannot be revealed due to court suppression orders, arrived in New Zealand in October 2011. He became a person of national security interest in 2016. He had been under round-the-clock monitoring and heavy surveillance due to concerns about his ideology. He was …
by Phil Mercer, BBC News This callous act in Auckland will stir painful memories of the deadly mosque attacks in Christchurch in 2019. In that attack, a lone gunman – a self-confessed white supremacist – murdered 51 worshippers. Once again, New Zealand’s geographic isolation and peaceful reputation have proved to be no defence against extremism. …
Continue reading ‘Extremism rears its head again in New Zealand -An Analysis’ »
By Arun Janardhanan An ongoing National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the seizure of 300 kg heroin, five AK-47 rifles and 1,000 live rounds of 9mm ammunition off the coast of Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram has led to speculation that an international drug running and weapon trading racket is aimed at reviving the Sri Lankan Tamil …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Our Hero who works, loving motherland forever If anyone is protecting the country, that noble man is you” – Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidential campaign theme song – The warnings were clear. Churches will be attacked on Easter Sunday. Authorities turned a deaf ear. The massacre happened. 269 innocent lives were lost. Three days …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake This lockdown is not as tough as it was expected to be. There is plenty of traffic on the roads, and very little stopping by the Police. People are also moving about, and most of those who called for a lockdown see it as a play of presidential politics: giving what you …
By Chanchala Gunewardena Mammi had many achievements in the telecom sector. My favorite of these was the installment of dial-up in my parents’ home, a personal windfall. When I was old enough to access a search engine I browsed my way through the good, bad, and mean spirited about my family. From both back in …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawrdene As much this millennium’s devastating global pandemic has brought deaths, destruction of livelihoods and mindless misery to millions across borders, there is a harsh mirror that it holds up to us. Political braggadocio and military might does not stop this virus; sensible public health leadership does. It is as simple as …
By Alim Kheraj When Priya Ragu signed her record deal, her parents told her not to give up her day job. “I thought: ‘I can work and do the music at the same time,’” says Ragu. The problem was that she was employed as a technical purchaser buying aircraft parts – hardly the sort of …
By Chandri Peris When one hears a single bell toll, the message become clear. Someone within your community has passed. In the last few weeks, we have been hearing the bell toll over and over again with increasing rapidity until it reached a deafening crescendo this morning, Mangala is no more! “Stop all the clocks …
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday, August 27, announced a welfare package of Rs 317 crore, which includes rebuilding houses, for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in the state. A committee would be set up soon for their welfare, which shall, among other things, work towards long term solutions on matters like citizenship …
A powerful bomb blast struck the perimeter of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday, as civilians continued to seek to escape on flights from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. At least 95 people were killed and 150 others wounded. The Pentagon confirmed 13 US service personnel were among those killed. The bombing came hours after Western governments …
AS THE AUGUST 31st deadline to conclude the evacuation of Afghanistan loomed, the drumbeat of warnings grew louder. On August 24th President Joe Biden warned of an “acute and growing risk” of a terrorist attack, by the local branch of Islamic State (IS), against Kabul’s airport, thronged by thousands of Afghans desperate to escape the …
By JAMILA HUSAIN Yoshita Rajapaksa ,Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has denied rumors that he slapped musician and song writer Iraj Weeraratne, which is why Iraj submitted his resignation as director of the National Youth Services Council (NYSC). Yoshitha told Daily Mirror that such rumors being circulated on social media were baseless …
By Henry Kissinger THE TALIBAN takeover of Afghanistan focuses the immediate concern on the extrication of tens of thousands of Americans, allies and Afghans stranded all over the country. Their rescue needs to be our urgent priority. The more fundamental concern, however, is how America found itself moved to withdraw in a decision taken without …