By D.B.S.Jeyaraj November 27th 1989 was the day on which the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)first observed its annual “Maaveerar Naal” or Great Heroes Day (GHD). The LTTE and its leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran are no more after the military defear of the tigers in May 2009. Yet the Great Heroes Day(GHD) continues to commemorated on …
Continue reading ‘Gotabaya Govt’s Pre-emptive Strike Against LTTE “Maaveerar Naal”’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Patabandi Don Nandasiri Wijeweera known to the world at large as Rohana Wijeweera was killed 31 years ago on 13 November 1989.The revolutionary leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) or People’s Liberation Front was 49 years old at the time of his death. The mastermind behind two bloody insurrections – in 1971 …
Continue reading ‘Sensational Capture and “Unofficial” Execution of JVP Leader Rohana Wijeweera.’ »
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene As Sri Lanka hurtles down the precipice of covid-19 contagion coupled with unprecedented economic devastation, bitter and biting anger at our plight can scarcely be contained. ‘Organised propaganda’vs public opinion State health agencies tasked with handling the pandemic stamme and stutter while a militarised command continues to elbow out a professionally …
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi The head and four others of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) were sacked on Friday afternoon by Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi with the removal letters being delivered halfway through the SLMC’s monthly meeting which had started at 1 p.m. The dramatic removal of SLMC President Prof. Harendra de Silva and others …
By Ranjith Padmasiri and S. Rubatheesan In the North and East, courts have issued orders preventing any form of commemorative events to mark the ‘Maveerar Naal’ or Great Heroes’ Day, a day declared by Liberation of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to remember its cadres who died in the near-three-decade separatist war. On Thursday, the Jaffna Magistrate’s …
By Dr.Asanga Welikala With the enactment of the 20th Amendment, Sri Lanka embarks yet again down the fraught path of authoritarian presidentialism. Whether this latest adventure ends in a democratic nightmare, or is as fleeting as its two predecessors, the 18th and 19th Amendments, remains to be seen. The legitimacy of both these previous constitutional …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj An overwhelming feeling of relief has descended upon the world – not merely the US- after the Presidential elections of the United States of America ended. Joseph Robinette Biden jnr known as Joe Biden is the new US President-elect. Biden’s creditable, credible electoral triumph has ensured that decency, dignity and decorum will once …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj November 17th 2020 was the birth centenary of popular Tamil cinema actor Gemini Ganesan. In a career spanning more than five decades Gemini Ganesan made his mark in Tamil films as the romantic hero par excellence. Gemini Ganesan was regarded widely as the greatest romantic lover in Tamil cinema. In fact he was …
Hanging above the desk of Emmanuel Arnold, the mayor of Jaffna, are images of three Hindu deities, as well as the Buddha, Jesus and the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina. He has to respect all the religions of his city, he explains. Most Sinhalese, the country’s biggest ethnic group, are Buddhist; Tamils, who predominate …
By Meera Srinivasan Many Tamil families living in Sri Lanka’s north and east on Friday marked ‘Heroes Day’ — an annual commemoration of LTTE cadre who died in the civil war —by lighting lamps in the quiet confines of their homes, after the government obtained a court order banning the remembrance. Petitioning different courts in …
Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan Courts ban events forCommemorative LTTE cadre on ‘ Heroes Day’’ »
(Text of Jaffna District TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran’s Speech in Parliament on the 25th of November 2020 during the budget vote for the Foreign Affairs Ministry.) Honourable Presiding Member, I am happy to follow the Minister himself as we discuss the votes on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister is an experienced parliamentarian and …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the Presidential Elections on 16 November 2019. He was formally sworn in as President two days later at the Ruwanweliseya in Anuradhapura. Today 18 November is the first anniversary of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assuming office. Incidentally the President’s elder brother, former President and current Prime Minister Mahinda Percy Rajapaksa …
Continue reading ‘LTTE’s Abortive Attempt to Assassinate Gotabaya Rajapaksa 14 Years Ago.’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj More than eleven years have passed since the War between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) organization concluded. The lengthy conflict described at one time as South Asia’s longest war came to an end after the military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009. Many of the military …
By Victor Ivan The process of the old stock of political leaders and their parties losing the recognition they have enjoyed so far can be described as an integral part of the historical process of ending the old era of the political history of Sri Lanka. The loss of recognition enjoyed by Ranil Wickremesinghe, the …
By Charumini de Silva Cinema owners yesterday described 2020 as the worst year while lamenting that they were still in the dark over reopening, as delay was piling up financial losses. On 15 October, the Government announced that all cinemas would be closed till 31 October, as a measure to deal with the COVID-19 second …
By Rathindra Kuruwita National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) and its leader Zahran Hashim supported Former President Maithripala Sirisena and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) at the 2015 elections, former Eastern Province Governor M.L.A.M Hizbullah, on Tuesday night, told the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday attacks. Hizbullah was giving evidence before the PCoI for the second …
By Meera Srinivasan National Security Adviser will hold talks with Sri Lanka and Maldives National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will be in Colombo on Friday for trilateral discussions among India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Maldivian Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi will also travel to Colombo, while the Sri Lankan side will be represented at …
Former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen was released on bail by the Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Fort Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage released Bathiudeen on cash bail of Rs. 100,000 with two sureties of one million rupees each. The Magistrate also imposed a travel ban on Bathiudeen and said that the guarantors should be his close relatives. The Magistrate …
By K.K.S.Perera An article published in a popular Sinhala daily by a prominent political monk prompted me to respond. Verse 9 in the Yamakavagga of Dhammapada, Anikkasàvayo vattha paridahessati…., The pure are worthy of the yellow robe but not the impure. Whoever, unstainless, without self-control and truthfulness, should don the yellow robe, is not worthy …
By Prof. S.Ratnajeevan H. Hoole Australians and the world had much to celebrate. More than 26,000 Australian uniformed personnel were sent to Afghanistan to fight alongside US and allied forces against the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other Islamist groups. Australian troops inducted into the Afghan War as allies of the US after the 9/11 attack in …
By Gehan Gunatilleke When he was taken into custody on 14 April, his friends and family, and some within his fraternity, decried the obvious injustice. They were quickly told to quieten down and ‘let the justice system do its work’. They were told not to interfere with the investigation. They were told to be patient, …
By Chandani Kirinde President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is to take over as the Minister of Defence and a newly created Ministry of Technology shortly. A new subjects and functions Gazette was issued by the President, bringing several institutions under these ministries while a new Ministry of Public Security too, has been created. State Minister of Provincial …
The Government said on Saturday a mechanism for the regulation of websites is to be implemented within the next two weeks. The upcoming move was made public by Keheliya Rambukwella during the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Mass Media. He also said the Press Council Act should be amended in a way that would protect the …
The Jaffna Magistrate Court was tense on Friday when Jaffna’s Headquarters Inspector explained to the court why the Police were seeking an order to ban commemorative events to remember the ‘war’ dead. During his submission, Inspector Prasath Fernando said that “we (government) made it possible for those who ate pittu and vadai those days to …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Out of the welter of distasteful controversy surrounding the transfer of a colossal sum of Rs. 600,000,000/= from the public fund of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL), to the account of the Secretary to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to distribute ‘sil redi’ or white cloth to Buddhist devotees …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake From cremation calls, to a huge ban on imports, we are moving to the Rajavasala Vimukthiya. Those who still use the Vimukthi line in politics had better be on the watch. Amidst all the burdens of the Covid-19 pandemic that has now taken hold in Sri Lanka, there is a raging debate …
By Ambika Satkunanathan ‘…on the 18th of September (2010) the deceased was taken out of the police station at night to recover a weapon hidden in the deceased’s plantain grove…on the way the deceased had struggled with (the police officer) to snatch his rifle and he was killed as a result of a single shot …
(Following is the full text of the address to the “Sinhala” nation by Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa broadcast over all television and radio channels on November 18th 2020) Ayubowan. A year ago, more than 6.9 million voters in this country elected me as your new President. It is no secret that the majority who …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “When I am president…human rights will be at the core of US foreign policy” – Joe Biden, The New York Times In its first year the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Presidency has made avoidable strategic blunders, tracing a trajectory which when extrapolated, indicate that it will wind up a one-term wonder, like the otherwise …
By Krishantha Prasad Cooray When Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban said in September that rooting for the re-election of Donald Trump was his “Plan A”, he was probably echoing the sentiments of most of the world’s populist, autocratic leaders. They hoped for four more years of Donald Trump because he made the world a safer place …
By Chandani Kirinde *Aims at 5.5% growth in 2021 amidst COVID-19 impact *Increase Govt. revenue from 9.7% to 14.1% *Budget deficit 8.9%, up from 7.9% for 2020 *VAT unchanged at 8% for biz with turnover of Rs. 25 m or above *Personal Income Tax to apply on earnings only if it exceeds Rs. 250,000 per …
By Ranga Jayasuriya When your country is doing something totally different from what the rest of the world does, literally in exact opposition to the common sense practised and adopted by 194 countries in the world, things aren’t just right. That is what the government should reckon of its flawed policy of compulsory cremation of …
By Lakmal Sooriyagoda The Court of Appeal yesterday ruled that deforestation of the northern sanctuary of the Wilpattu National Park Forest for the re-settlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) had been made contrary to law and ordered former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen to bear the full the cost of the tree planting programme in these areas …
By S Venkat Narayan Kenya is one of China’s largest trade partners in Africa. It owes $6.5 billion to China, which is 22 percent of its total external debt. China’s interest payments represent 87 per cent of the cash used to service debt expenditure in 2019. Kenya is yet to work out an arrangement with …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene The fearsome sight of armed motorcycle riders, clad in black, complete with sunglasses and masks completely obscuring their faces conducting covid-19 temperature checks on the public in Colombo and then roaring away in a concerted cloud of darkness as it were, raises an unfortunate analogy to mind. Symbolism is important in …
By Kshama Ranawana Environmentalists, Conservationists and the political opposition are strenuously objecting to the decision by the government to hand over the management of “Other State Forests (OSF)” to Divisional/Districts Secretaries alleging the move would be disastrous for the forest cover and biodiversity in the country. It was in July this year that the Cabinet …
By Victor Ivan This is not an issue which has received adequate attention. Yet, I am of the view that one era of the history of Sri Lanka which commenced since independence in 1948 has come to an end in 2020. It simply means that the State and its associated socio-political system that was bequeathed …
By Alan Keenan and K. Mudiyanse Sri Lanka, long-plagued by political violence and near-complete impunity for crimes by the state and pro-state forces, now faces a new assault on justice and the rule of law. There is a systematic attempt to rewrite the history to make politically-connected criminal suspects into victims, and investigators and legal …
(Summary of Speech Made by Tamil National Alliance Jaffna District Parliamentarian Mathiaparanan Abraham Sumanthiran in Parliament on 12.11.2020) “Rule of law, it has been said is the bedrock of democracy. Even rule by law is undesirable. But what we have now is far worse: it is rule by executive diktats! That is what we have …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” – John (1:5) Let us remember George Floyd. Now the American people can begin to breathe. So can humanity. When Obama won, I wrote a piece from Geneva entitled ‘Barack Obama: History’s High Note’ (https://groundviews.org/2008/11/06/barack-obama-historys-high-note/) Maybe I should call …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara We are closed in, and the key is turned On our uncertainty…” – Yeats (The Stare’s Nest by my Window) What kind of government reduces expenditure on health in the midst of a global pandemic? In the first week of October, the Lankan Cabinet approved the Appropriations Bill for 2021. Of a …
By Sanja de Silva Jayatilleka A glass ceiling shattered in the United States of America just after 8:30 p.m. on 7 November, as Kamala Harris, Vice President-elect walked on stage in Wilmington, Delaware to thunderous applause to deliver her acceptance speech, just ahead of her boss, President-elect of the USA, Joe Biden. The sound of …
By P.K.Balachandran US-Lanka relations will have to be seen in the context of US-China relations because as in the case of Trump, containment of China will be Biden’s focus in his policy on Asia, including South Asia. Therefore, Sri Lanka, with its growing economic ties with China, may continue to feel the pinch. But Biden’s …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa achieved a significant victory last week when the 20th Constitutional Amendment was passed in Parliament with 156 MP’s voting in support and 65 Voting against. The 20th Amendment which has now become law restores full-fledged powers to the executive presidency. Earlier the 19th Constitutional Amendment passed in …
Continue reading ‘Murder of Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and Conviction of Duminda Silva’ »
By Ranjith Padmasiri Attorney General Dappula de Livera has raised objections over ignoring senior members of his department for vacancies in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal which are to be expanded in terms of the 20th Amendment. The move came as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who is now empowered to make appointments to …
By Asela Premachandra and sisters When the five-bench apex court confirmed the death penalty on Duminda Silva and his criminal cohorts for killing Bharatha Laksman Premachandra and three others, his political supporters screamed saying that they would bring “sir” to the presidency and get their leader released from prison. There was also a relentless and …
Despite Northern health authorities expressing severe concerns over the conducting of a meeting with ministers and officials visiting from Colombo, a high-level meeting was held on Friday at the Jaffna District Secretariat (DS), disregarding COVID-19 health regulations.
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene As the world watches transfixed in amazed horror, the spectacle of ‘these United States’ seemingly heading into a meltdown over the peaceful transition of power with the 2020 Presidential election racing to an unnerving photo finish, the clash here is not purely of civilizations a la Samuel Huntingdon, (Christianity versus Islamic). …
By Gamini Weerakoon It is a matter of grave doubt whether any national leader or scoundrel would have had a varied and colourful record of achievements and debasements as Donald Trump in contemporary history. Trump confounded critics when he contested the American presidency four years ago, ridiculing and slandering what had been considered the sacred …
By Tassie Seneviratne (The writer is a Retired Senior Superintendent of Police) On September 26, the President decreed: “It is the law because I say so.” And he went on to explain that his verbal orders must be considered as circulars coming from the ‘Executive President.’ Public Administration circulars that may contravene his verbal orders, …
by Dr. Ravi Rannan-Eliya The increasing COVID-19 deaths in the past few days is a sign that the outbreak may be larger than our current constrained PCR testing is able to track. As I and others warned six months ago, we needed to ramp up PCR testing to keep the virus at bay and prevent …
The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) in a statement has expressed concern at reports of the continued detention of prominent human rights lawyer, Hejaaz Hizbullah, under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and urged his release. “BHRC urges the Sri Lankan Government to release Hejaaz Hizbullah from detention, to uphold …
The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on Wednesday held an advanced seminar on governance via video, strictly abiding by the health guidelines of both countries. Minister Song Tao of the International Department of Central Committee of CPC, Party Secretary Liu Cigui of CPC Provincial Committee of Hainan Province, …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake What a great nation we are! We have a Cabinet Minister – the one in charge of health – offering to sacrifice herself to the sea, to save this country from the Covid pandemic. Shouldn’t we feel safe? Is she in fact offering to make this self-sacrifice to atone for the overall …
By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s whirlwind visit last week has left in its trail many unanswered questions. It’s clear that for the US, this trip was all about signing up allies in its all-but-declared war against China, under the rubric of what it calls a ‘free and open Indo Pacific.’ The …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday said it was both impractical and difficult to close down the country until a cure for COVID-19 is found and therefore the public should be ready to return to normal lives while following health guidelines. The President made these remarks while participating at the launch of a new digital platform to …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka Sri Lanka is currently experiencing two crises which will trigger the third. They stem from a common source and therefore can be resolved only if rectification takes place at that source, that root. One crisis is the second wave of COVID-19. It is manifest and acknowledged but its dimensions are played down …
Never say Gotabaya Rajapaksa leaves things to chance. After decisively winning the presidential election last November, putting family in charge of important government departments, suspending Parliament and finally winning postponed elections in early August in a landslide for his Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (slpp) and supporting parties, still the president insisted that “obstacles” to his …
By Meera Srinivasan Pooling their manpower and expertise in a joint overnight operation, Sri Lanka’s navy, coast guard, local volunteers and conservation experts have rescued nearly 120 stranded whales back into the deep sea. On Monday afternoon, residents of Panadura — some 25 km south of Colombo on the island’s west coast — reported sighting …
By Prof. S.Ratnajeevan H Hoole Sri Lanka’s 1978 Constitution kept the existing immoral foremost position for Buddhism and introduced a strong presidency that every government promised to abolish but once elected, never did. It allowed the Rajapaksa family – Mahinda, son Namal, brothers Basil and Gotabaya – to do egregious wrongs. Mahinda had a deal …
By Col R Hariharan Overview The month of October was an eventful one for Sri Lanka. The 20th Amendment to the Constitution (20A) empowering the President was passed in parliament with two-thirds majority. The Covid-19 pandemic made a dramatic comeback in a second wave, to boost the virus-affected numbers which stood at 9,791 with 19 …
By Harsha Gunasena US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Sri Lanka after the recent visit of a high-powered Chinese delegation, led by senior Chinese leader and top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi, who is a member of the Communist Party of China’s Politburo and the Director of the Central Committee’s Foreign Affairs Commission US …
Acknowledging the need to restrict freedom of movement and liberty of people in the interests of public health and public order during an extraordinary health emergency such as that facing the country at present, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has in a letter addressed to Health Minister Pavitra Wanniarachchi and Army Commander …
by Saman Indrajith Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa was told in Parliament yesterday not to play the race card with the sensitive issue of cremating Muslim COVID-19 victims to score political points by rousing communal disharmony. Justice Minister Ali Sabry said that the issue had been very sensitive to Muslims as cremation was in violation of …
By A Senior Lawyer (The writer is attached to the Sri Lanka Study Circle) I refer to the article appearing in the Daily FT on 22 October titled ‘History repeating – Are we going to lose MCC or not?’ by an international development expert. It is understandable if a non-lawyer does not understand the legal …
By Tamara Kunanayakam (Former Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva) In fact, a military alliance between the US and Sri Lanka already exists. By signing ACSA in 2007, and renewing it in 2017, Sri Lanka committed its strategic entry points – ports and airports, our armed forces, our military installations, food, oil, and …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forcibly expelled the Tamil-speaking Muslim people from the Northern Province in October 1990. Within a few days the Muslims were chased out of their homeland where they had lived for many, many centuries. This year 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of this cruel, inhuman episode in …
Continue reading ‘Mass Expulsion of Muslims From The North By The LTTE Thirty Years Ago’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The controversial 20th Amendment to the Constitution has been passed with a two-thirds majority. 156 MP’s voted in favour while 65 voted against. Among those who voted for 20 A were eight MP’s from the opposition. Widespread speculation about the possibility of some dissidents within Govt folds voting against it and preventing a …
Continue reading ‘From JR’s 2nd to Gota’s 20th: A Tale Of Two Constitutional Amendments’ »
By Krishantha Prasad Cooray The upcoming presidential election in the United States of America has brought the world to the edge of our seats. It has exposed the dark underbelly of the American political system and left us all wondering whether America, the world’s oldest modern democracy, will indeed prove to be a democracy at …
By Don Manu The levelled playing fields of Lanka were queered this week when two titans – one the world’s superpower, the other its regional counterpart – chose to turn the tended turf to a muddied battlefield where invective missiles against each other were fired at will from their local silos, with scant regard to …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Eyebrows are being raised over the 20th Amendment to the Constitution’s inclusion of provisions at committee stage to increase the number of judges in Sri Lanka’s superior courts of record, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. Justified by the Justice Minister on the floor of the House on the …
By Vanessa Thorpe Sean Connery, one of Britain’s greatest screen stars, has died at the age of 90. The Scottish actor, forever linked with the role of James Bond and regularly saluted as the best to play the famous part, was mourned by the entertainment industry and his many fans on Saturday as the news …
By Shamindra Ferdinando President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had assured the Cabinet of ministers that his government wouldn’t sign the MCC (Millennium Challenge Corporation) agreement, National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa yesterday (29) said. The Cabinet had received that assurance before US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo arrival in Colombo on Tuesday, 27, he added. Addressing …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka “You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” – Jesus Christ (Luke 12: 56) – I watched the second and final Trump-Biden debate on CNN after I had spent the two previous days watching the …
By Chandani Kirinde Visiting US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo sought to draw a contrast between what China seeks in Sri Lanka as opposed to the manner in which the US operates and controversially labelled the Chinese Communist Party a “predator”. At a joint press event Pompeo addressed with Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at …
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Sri Lanka will not compromise its independence and sovereignty when conducting foreign relations but is open to working with the US to improve bilateral engagement including investment. According to a statement released by the President’s Media Division (PMD) US Secretary of State Mike …
By P. K. Balachandran Although there is uncertainty about the return of the belligerent Donald Trump regime in the US in November, what is certain is a general trajectory towards military tension, if not war, in Asia from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. Last Friday (23), the Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that the …
By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 cases continued to surge, taking the total number to nearly 8,000, as more contacts linked to two new clusters identified this month were tested for the coronavirus over the weekend. The total number of deaths rose to 16. On Monday, authorities said Sri Lanka’s Parliament would be shut for …
By Marc Jones LONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s government bonds fell heavily on Friday after the United States urged the country’s government to make “difficult but necessary choices” regarding its ties with China. Worries that this year’s COVID-19 crisis could see the country struggle to pay its debts have already seen its bonds …
By P.K.Balachandran The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who will be here on October 28, is expected to ask Sri Lankan leaders, point blank, to review relations with China; consider the options US is offering; and accept American advice on domestic and foreign policy. A top foreign ministry official told Daily Express on Sunday, …
Sri Lanka’s parliament erupted in a heated debate over bringing last-minute changes to bills in the so-called committee stage by bypassing judicial review, in a country that no longer has post-enactment reviews of legislation by the court. The constitutional amendment raised the number of Supreme Court justices from 11 to 17 and Court of Appeal …
By டி.பி.எஸ்.ஜெயராஜ் எம்.எச்.எம்.அஷ்ரபை நினைவு கூருதல் (This is the Tamil Version of the English Article “ Remembering SLMC Leader M.H.M. Ashraff by D.B.S.Jeyaraj in the “Political Pulse”Column of the “Daily FT”on September 16th 2020 to commemorate Mr. Ashraff’s 20th death anniversary on Sep 16. The Tamil version is being posted on this blog to denote the …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj 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 I liked, admired and respected very much. He was a man who envisaged the transformation of Sri Lanka into an inclusive, multi-ethnic, egalitarian and …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawrdene As Sri Lanka’s Parliament passed the 20th Amendment Bill enhancing the powers of the Presidency on Thursday while the country erupted in covid-induced flames, there is delight in watching the Rajapaksa brotherhood being hoist with its nationalist petard. A Government which had marched triumphantly into power blaring its Sinhala-Buddhist credentials was …
By S. Rubatheesan Sri Lanka’s diverse minorities are not getting essential, urgent public health information from the state as soon as they are released, despite the massive flare-up in the coronavirus every day across the island and patients in their areas, and ever-changing curfew hours and lockdowns. There is a severe shortage of translators in …
The controversial 20th Amendment to the Constitution – with amendments to the original draft – was passed at the second reading with a two thirds majority in Parliament on October 22nd 2020.. One hundred and fifty six MP’s voted in favor while sixty -five voted against. The 20th Amendment will restore full-fledged executive powers to …
By Chandani Kirinde The 20th Amendment (20A) to the Constitution Bill was passed in Parliament last night with 156 MPs voting for the Bill and 65 against. With support from seven MPs from minorities and main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Assistant Secretary MP Diana Gamage, the Government secured the two-third majority in the 225-member …
By Sakuntala Kadirgamar (The writer is the Executive Director at Law and Society Trust.) The Ministry of Justice issued an invitation to the public to submit proposals for consideration by an expert committee established to draft a new constitution to replace the Second Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka. The public is requested to submit proposals …
By Meera Srinivasan The controversial 20th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution that envisages expansive powers and greater immunity for the Executive President was passed in Parliament with a two-thirds majority, following a two-day debate. The 20th Amendment was the Rajapaksa administration’s first big test in the legislature, since it triggered concern and resistance from not …
The Sri Lankan parliament on Thursday passed the controversial 20th Amendment (20A) to the Constitution by 156 votes to 65, eight votes more than necessary to pass it with the required two-thirds majority. The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) had 148 MPs out of the total, current, House membership of 223. One ruling party …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka Call it the COVID-19 Constitution or the Corona Constitution—because it is advancing under cover of corona. The public has been given a deadline of 30 November to send in suggestions for the new Constitution. Seriously? The public is hardly in a state of mind to reflect on such issues. The draft of …
By Chandani Kirinde The debate on the 20th Amendment (20A) to the Constitution Bill got underway in Parliament yesterday with Government MPs speaking in defence of it while Opposition MPs called on fellow lawmakers to defeat the Bill when it is put to a vote today. Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MPs led the protest against …
(Text of a statement by former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya who is the chair of the National Movement for Social Justice) The attempt to reform the constitution to make it possible for those holding citizenship in other countries to make law and run the administration in Sri Lanka is deplorable. No person who is concerned about …
By Saman Indrajith Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, yesterday (21), in writing, requested Director General Health Services and the Prisons Commissioner to make arrangements for SJB lawmaker Rishad Bathiudeen, now in remand custody, to attend Parliament today (22). This follows a party leaders’ meeting, chaired by the Speaker.
By Uditha Jayasinghe and Chandani Kirinde The highly contentious 20th Amendment with changes approved by Cabinet on Monday comes up for a two-day debate from today onwards in Parliament amidst mounting criticism by the Opposition, certain sections of clergy, civil society and professionals. Ahead of the parliamentary debate, Cabinet approved three changes including maintaining the …
By Ranga Jayasuriya It takes an extra dose of cavalierness to bulldoze through Parliament a Constitutional Amendment intended for personal aggrandizement while the rest of the country is perilously close to a second wave of the novel coronavirus, better known as COVID-19. More so, when the earlier assessments of the reach of the virus appear …
By P.K.Balachandran The US$ 2.5 billion Indian film industry, which churns out more than a thousand movies a year and is watched by millions, is now facing an intense political heat it faced only once before, in 1975-77, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a State of Emergency to tackle an uncontrollable opposition agitation. The …
TNA Jaffna District MP M.A Sumanthiran yesterday handed over a Private Member’s Bill to the Secretary General of Parliament to provide for the declaration of a State of Public Health Emergency and for the adoption of special measures in the interests of public health. The draft bill contains a provision allowing Parliament to declare a …
By Asiri Fernando Suspected drug baron Samarasinghe Arachchige Madush Lakshitha, alias ‘Makandure Madush’ was shot dead yesterday morning. Madush is the latest in a long list of organised crime related suspects who have been killed while in custody, raising questions about custodial deaths in the country. His death caused controversy yesterday, as a number of …
By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera
By Norman Palihawadane and Hiran Seneviratne Police yesterday commenced a special operation to arrest those who had been aiding and abetting former minister and SJB MP Rishad Bathiudeen to evade arrest, Police Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said. Bathiudeen was remanded yesterday evening after being arrested in Dehiwala. DIG Rohana said seven persons including a …
By Lahiru Pothmulla The Government today reiterated that it would make several changes to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution at the committee stage including an amendment to allow citizens to challenge the President’s action by filling Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions, Education Minister Professor G.L. Peiris said the President’s immunity was constricted by the 19th …
By Asiri Fernando The Colombo Fort Magistrate yesterday remanded former Minister of Industry and Commerce and All Ceylon Makkal Congress Party (ACMC) Leader Rishad Bathiudeen, until 27 October, following his arrest by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) at a residence at Ebenezer Place in Dehiwala. The CID also arrested seven persons for aiding and abetting …
Former Cabinet Minister and Wanni district MP Rishad Bathiudeen was arrested in Dehiwela by the Police in the early hours of Monday October 19th announced Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana. According to Police sources the ex-minister who is also the leader of the all Ceylon Makkal Congress(ACMC) was arrested by a special Police team following …
By Norman Palihawadana Expressing confidence of pushing through the 20th Amendment to the Constitution in Parliament, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said the government is determined to ensure its safe passage. “Whatever opposition there may be from any quarter, we will duly present the constitutional amendment to Parliament and see to its adoption as a progressive …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Even as frightened and hapless garment workers slaving in the multitude of factories in the Gampaha District, the epicentre of Sri Lanka’s calamitous covid-19 spread, were herded into trucks and taken like cattle to ill equipped and unsanitary quarantine camps under the impatient watch of the military this week, deeply fundamental …
By Gamini Weerakoon Religion and politics have been a heady mix with the potential of creating vast empires, great civilisations, magnificent monuments and tinpot-dictators. The history of empire building is too vast a subject for this columnist to take on and we will begin with the severance of this country from the British Empire with …
By Victor Ivan The people are the real owners of sovereignty both in terms of the classical liberal opinion and the domestic and international law. In other words, State power lies with society and the rulers elected by the people are subject to the will and the control of the people. In this context, the …
Amnesty International in a statement yesterday urged Sri Lankan authorities to release prominent human rights lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah, who has been held in detention for more than six months under the country’s repressive Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) without charge or any credible evidence being put before a court. It said a notable Government critic, …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka Remember ‘A Country Free from Corona’? The crucial tourist sector must be hard hit by the second wave, as also the factories and supply chains. We are in a vortex of geographically spattered, seemingly randomised corona-proliferation. The virus is a faster-spreading, more virulent variety, observed Dr. Sudath Samaraweera and Dr. Jayaruwan Bandara. …
Lawyers of MP Rishad Bathiudeen has filed a writ application at the Court of Appeal seeking an order to prevent his arrest. The Attorney General had directed the Police to arrest and produce him in court for Criminal Misappropriation of Public Funds and Violation of Election Laws in 2019.