By Nitin A.Gokhale

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former defence secretary of Sri Lanka, former army officer and former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother, was largely seen as the driving force behind Sri Lanka’s Eelam War IV that decimated the Tamil Tigers and ended an intense, quarter century long civil war in the island nation in 2009.
Considered a hardliner in the recently ousted Mahinda Rajapaksa government in Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been accused variously of war crimes, of militarising the Sri Lankan society, of driving Colombo into Chinese arms and much more in the nearly nine years that he headed Sri Lanka’s defence ministry.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who lived in the US before returning to Sri Lanka in 2005 to help his brother fight the LTTE, has been under intense pressure from the new Sri Lankan government that is probing various acts of omission and commission allegedly committed by the previous regime.
Exactly a month after the Rajapaksas lost power in Sri Lanka, Gotabaya agreed to his first detailed interview with long-time Rediff.com contributor Nitin A Gokhale through e-mail.


Although one short interview is not enough to understand the man and his action — “I have to be careful these days,” he says — here’s a short glimpse into his thought process and actions.

Continue reading ‘“It is we who Liberated the Tamil People from the LTTE” States Ex-Defence Secy Gotabaya Rajapaksa in “Rediff” Interview’ »

by Sonal Sher

Sri Lanka’s cuisine has two influential ingredients, fish and coconuts, because of their abundance in this tropical island. The staple food here is Rice and Curry, and Kottu Roti, all of which is sold by many street vendors across the country. But other than the curry plate, the country has a lot to offer. Immerse yourself into a truly gastronomical experience by eating in these restaurants and get ready to taste some red hot spice.

1. Load up on traditional Seafood at Seafood Cove

Traditional Seafood at Seafood Cove, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Continue reading ‘Fifteen Fabulous “Food Paradises” of Sri Lanka in Jaffna, Kandy, Colombo and Galle’ »

BY

STANLEY SAMARASINGHE

The Supreme Court yesterday ordered Nihal Ranasinghe, Controller of Immigration and Emigration, to refrain from deporting Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Leader, Premakumar Gunaratnam alias Noel Mudalige, until 13 February.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice K. Sripavan and Justices Sarath de Abrew and Anil Gunaratne made this order after hearing the submissions of President’s Counsel (PC), Romesh de Silva.

The Court, while making this order, informed the PC to support the Fundamental Rights application filed on behalf of Gunaratnam on 13 February.

Continue reading ‘Supreme Court Suspends Deportation of FSP Leader Kumar Gunaratnam Until FR Petition is heard on Feb 13th’ »

BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA

DOMINANT PRIME MINISTER, SUBORDINATE PRESIDENT
ANALYSING THE DRAFT PROPOSALS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM

“Sovereign is he who decides on the exception”- Carl Schmitt

The proposed changes to the Constitution entitled ‘Discussion Paper on Constitutional Reforms’ (https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/maithri-proposals-on-constitutional-reforms-full-text/) have both good and bad aspects, of which the bad clearly outweigh the good, since they are on matters of grave strategic national importance.

What is good in the draft proposals are the changes pertaining to

• The Independent Commissions
• The Office of the Auditor General
• Guarantee of the Right to Information

It is ironic that some members of the present government enthusiastically supported the scrapping of the very decent 17th amendment and the introduction of the 18th. No matter.

Of grave concern are matters relating to fundamental questions of power and power relations. These are to do with the basic architecture of the state and will if implemented, change the workings of Sri Lanka’s political system in the most dramatic and negative manner.

Continue reading ‘West will Control Sri Lanka Through Ranil who will control Sirisena who will control SLFP’ »

(Text of Press release Issued on February 9th 2015 by Mahinda Rajapaksa Former President of Sri Lanka)

False and misleading statements continue to be made about me by members of the present government. At a recent TV interview, it was said that over Rs. 100,000 million (Koti dahadahak) had been allocated to the Presidential Secretariat for the year 2015 and that it had now been reduced to Rs. 2,720 million (Koti 272). A sum of 100,000 million was never allocated to the Presidential Secretariat.

AFter voting on Jan 8~pic: facebook.com/PresidentRajapaksa

The actual sum allocated for 2015 was Rs. 9,593 million (Koti 959). No less than 25 state institutions such as the National Salaries and Cadres Commission, the National Ocean Affairs Committee etc, were
listed under the vote of the President. Former presidents and their widows are also maintained by the Presidential Secretariat under this vote. The Establishments & Organizations Division of the Presidential
Secretariat serves all the above mentioned institutions and absorbs the bulk of the expenditure. This expenditure therefore represents a large number of institutions and not only expenditure allocated to the President.

The actual sum allocated to the Office of the President (which is only one component of the vote that is designated under the President) for 2015 was Rs. 3,754 million (Koti 375). This included Rs. 1,000 million (Koti 100) which was meant to be spent on the construction of various community projects around the country. If this item is removed, the expenditure on the President’s Office is reduced to the Rs. 2,750 million (Koti 275) that is said to be the new allocation for the president.

Continue reading ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa Reveals Truth about False and Misleading Statements made Against him by Present Govt.’ »

By

Kevin Kariyawasam and Yohan Perera

The Department of Immigration and Emigration has sought the assistance of state intelligence services to locate Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Central Committee Member Kumar Gunaratnam whose visa had expired ten days ago.

Immigration sources said Gunaratnam arrived in Sri Lanka on January 1 on a 30-day tourist visa which expired on January 31 and since then he is said to be in hiding.

Gunaratnam, a citizen of Australia, was summoned twice by the Department of Immigration to record statements about his involvement in local politics.

Sources said the department had confiscated his passport and asked him to return before January 31, to be sent back to Australia but he did not show up and his whereabouts are not known.

Continue reading ‘FSP Leader Kumar Gunaratnam Goes into Hiding in Sri Lanka to Avoid being Deported to Australia After Expiry of Tourist Visa’ »

By Latheef Farook

In the east of the island the destiny of Tamils and Muslims remains intertwined and, inevitably, they share both adversity and prosperity. Thus it goes without saying that it is always in the interest of the two communities for their political parties to work together. Under such circumstance the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, SLMC, entering into an agreement with the United Peoples Freedom Alliance, UPFA, to form the Eastern Provincial Council Administration with a controversial Muslim as Chief Minister, without Tamil participation, is a serious blow to Tamil-Muslim Unity which is bound to have serious consequences.

For centuries Tamils and Muslims in the east lived together in peace and harmony .This harmony was virtually destroyed during the LTTE war to the detriment of the two communities. The main contributory factors were LTTE atrocities and the SLMC’s opportunistic politics.

Numerous issues causing enmity and bitterness between the two communities cropped up during the war.

Since the military defeat of LTTE in May 2009 there arose the need to settle these issues to rebuild confidence and pave the way for better understanding.

In the midst racist elements in the previous government, known for their hostility towards minorities, were manipulating to separate the two communities to facilitate the implementation of their agendas in the east.

Continue reading ‘Muslim Congress Aligning with UPFA to Form Eastern Province Administration Strikes Serious blow to Tamil-Muslim Reconciliation’ »

By

Lahiru Pothmulla

Four political allies of the United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) today expressed sentiments in favour of fielding former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Ministerial candidate at the forthcoming general elections.

They said there was no other hope to defeat incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and added Mr. Rajapaksa had already secured 5.8 million votes in the January Presidential Election.

Continue reading ‘Vasudeva,Dinesh,Wimal and Udaya Want Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Ministerial Candidate Against Ranil Wickremesinghe’ »

By

Chamitha Kuruppu

Minister of Public Order and Disaster Management John Amaratunga is confident the no-faith motion against him will not be presented in Parliament.
“To win it (no confidence motion), they must bring it before the Parliament. That might not happen at all. In three months’ time, there is dissolution in any case,” Amaratunga said, in an interview with the Daily FT.
He added: “I strongly believe that this is not a case for no confidence motion. There is a fight with minor injuries. They say the Police did not take adequate action. Are these grounds for a no confidence motion?”

Following are excerpts of the interview:

Q: What are your remarks about the no confidence motion against you?

A: There is nothing to say. They have presented it. It will go to the Order Paper. The Business Committee of Parliament will decide what to do with it.

I am ready to answer. The charges are frivolous. It does not warrant a no confidence motion at all. This is a normal incident where a brawl has taken place between members of a Pradeshiya Sabha. Although they were hospitalised, the medical reports say they were minor injuries. The police have arrested six people who have been there. They were produced before courts and the case is pending.

Continue reading ‘UNP Minister John Amaratunga says No Confidence Motion against him will not be Presented in Parliament’ »

Media industry personality Krishantha Cooray is among four new Directors appointed to the Board of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT).

The company announced that Cooray has been appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director. The other three are Mohamed Firdouse Farook (Independent Non-Executive Director), Nilanthi Sonia Anne Pieris (Independent Non-Executive Director) and G.C. Chandra Ekanayake of Treasury as Non-Independent Non-Executive Director.

SLT said these new appointees have no relevant interest in shares of the company as of the date of appointment which was 3 February.

Cooray is a private sector professional with an academic background in political science and law.
After schooling at S. Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia, Krishantha read for Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science and Law at the University of Middlesex.

Continue reading ‘Krishantha Prasad Cooray among 4 new Directors appointed to Sri Lanka Telecom Board’ »

By

N Sathiya Moorthy

Former Telecom and Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran, the younger of the two brothers, has said as much and more in defending himself and elder brother Kalanidhi — the founder-owner of the Sun TV Group, after the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested three of the latter’s former aides in a case of misusing the former’s official position to benefit from them illegally.

The three aides are — Sun TV technical head S Kannan, electrician K S Ravi and Dayanidhi’s private secretary Gowthaman, who had also served his late father and Union Minister Murasoli Maran.

The long-pending CBI case, which followed a relatively earlier media expose by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue S Gurumurthy, is that as minister, Dayanidhi had allegedly set up a 323-line telephone exchange at his Boat Club residence in Chennai and had underground cables linked to the Sun TV Group’s headquarters and studios a few kilometres away, to illegally uplink their television video transmissions without having to pay an estimated Rs 400 crore fees.

The Maran brothers have moved themselves away from SpiceJet budget airliner that they had promoted with much gusto and success; but they are also facing CBI investigations into the ‘Aircel-Maxis case’, on yet another charge of cheating.

Continue reading ‘DMK Leader Karunanidhi’s Grandnephews Kalanidhi and Dayanidhi Maran who own India’s Sun TV Group may be Charged for Corruption’ »

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday that Parliament would be dissolved straightaway if the government failed to defeat the no-confidence motion against Public Order, Disaster Management and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga.

He made this remark while addressing the Working Committee of the United National Party (UNP) held at the party headquarters, Sirikotha.

Continue reading ‘Parliament to be Dissolved and Elections Held on April 4th if No Confidence Motion Against UNP Minister Amaratunga is Passed’ »

By Anura Balasuriya

A group of prominent SLFP members has proposed that a leadership council comprising President Maithripala Sirisena, former presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa be appointed to steer the UPFA to victory at the next general election, according to party sources.

The proposal had been forwarded to former President Chandrika Kumaratunga by Chief Opposition Whip W. D. J. Seneviratne and it had been discussed at length, sources said.

Seneviratne has informed the former President Kumaratunga that the majority of party members are of the opinion that there is a need for a leadership council to win the forthcoming election.

Continue reading ‘Prominent SLFP Members want Leadership Council for Party Comprising President Sirisena and EX-Presidents Chandrika and Mahinda.’ »

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) today urged all political parties representing the Eastern Provincial Council to come together in forming a joint administration as it is in the central government.

SLMC Leader and Minister of Urban Development Rauff Hakeem told a media briefing that his party is ready to give ministerial portfolios in the Eastern Provincial Council to all parties representing the council including the United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA), United National Party (UNP) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

Continue reading ‘Muslim Congress Ready to Give Portfolios to UPFA, UNP and TNA in Eastern Province Administration but TNA is Inflexible’ »

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The SLFP is heading for a major crisis with some UPFA constituents demanding that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa be named their prime ministerial candidate immediately.

A spokesperson for Western Provincial Councillor Udaya Gammanpila’s Pivithuru Hela Urumaya yesterday said that UPFA constituents, namely MP Dinesh Gunawardena’s MEP, MP Wimal Weerawansa’s National Freedom Front (NFF) and Vasudeva Nanayakkara’s Democratic Left Front (DLF) would push for Mahinda Rajapaksa’s return.

The spokesman said that the grouping would brief the media today (Feb.9) at the National Library and Documentation Services Board regarding their plans.

Continue reading ‘UPFA Constituents Demand that Mahinda Rajapaksa be Named as Prime Ministerial Candidate Immediately’ »

Nelum Pokuna Mawatha, which runs from Horton Place Roundabout to Public Library Roundabout, is to be named Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha once again Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) sources said today.

The road was renamed Nelum Pokuna Mawatha in 2011 with the opening of the Nelum Pokuna Perfoming Arts Stadium.

Continue reading ‘Re-Named “Nelum Pokuna Mawatha” to Revert back to Earlier name of Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha next week.’ »

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Police headquarters is seeking the advice of Attorney General Yuwanjana Wanasundera as regards its investigation into an alleged attempt by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the then Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to deploy the army to suspend the results of Jan. 8 presidential poll being released.

Well informed sources told The Island that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had recorded the statements of Army Commander Lt. Gen. Daya Ratnayake, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera and IGP N.K. Illangakoon. In addition to them, the CID also questioned the then External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, Western Provincial Councillor Udaya Gammanpila and AG Wanasundera.

Depending on the instructions from the AG, the police would question others, including former Defence Secretary Rajapaksa, sources said. Responding to a query, sources said that the CID had sought the AG’s advice after having brought the current status of the investigation to his attention.

Continue reading ‘Police Seek Attorney-General’s Advice on Proceeding with Probe into Alleged Coup Attempt by Mahinda and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

More Indian trawlers have been allegedly fishing near the northern coastline of Sri Lanka over the past two weeks, Jaffna-based fisher leaders say.

The fishermen from both sides got into a tussle at sea recently, after the nets of those from the northern region of the island nation were damaged. “There was a major problem in Vadamarachchi a couple of days ago when our nets had been damaged by the Indian trawlers,” said Josephpillai Sinthathurai, a fisherman based in Madagal in northern Jaffna.

“Earlier, the [Sri Lankan] Navy took action promptly, but now they seem reluctant to arrest Indian fishermen who are poaching,” he said.

Continue reading ‘Tamil Nadu Fishers Poach in Large Numbers in lankan Waters for Weeks but Sri Lankan Navy Takes no Action’ »

By P.K.Balachandran

M.A.Sumanthiran, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, is currently in Geneva lobbying at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for release of the UN’s investigative report on allegations of war crimes committed in the last phase of the 2006-2009 Eelam War IV in North Sri Lanka.

The TNA is trying to counter the US move to postpone the presentation of the report which has been prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at the request of the UNHRC.

Continue reading ‘TNA Parliamentarian MA Sumanthiran in Geneva to Lobby for Release in March of UN War Crimes Report Against Sri Lanka.’ »

The lacuna of inner democracy in the present day Ilangkai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK) is being exploited by TNA Parliamentary Group Leader Mr R. Sampanthan and TNA’s nominated parliamentarian Mr M.A. Sumanthiran to deviate Tamils from their cause and struggle, accused Vice President and Senior leader of the ITAK, Professor S.K. Sitrampalam in an interview to TamilNet this week.

Professor Sitrampalam also spoke on the danger hatching in any move of postponement of the Geneva process, futility of the 13A – unitary outlooks and Sampanthan participating the ‘Independence Day’ in endorsement of the British designed unitary system and Maithiri regime’s strict adherence to it.

Professor Sitrampalam’s challenge to the continued hoodwink collectively staged by Washington, New Delhi and Colombo Establishments and implemented through Sampanthan-Sumanthiran device, finds wide appreciation in several quarters of the Tamil population, political observers in Jaffna said.

Continue reading ‘Senior TNA Leader Prof.Sitrambalam Criticises Party Leader R.Sampanthan and MA Sumanthiran MP for Attending Independence Day Ceremony.’ »

By

Rasika Jayakody

Before the recently held presidential election, none of the political parties in Sri Lanka had a more sophisticated propaganda mechanism than the United National Party.

The UNP propaganda mechanism was more sophisticated than propaganda machinations of other parties as the UNP was in full control of its message. The ‘message’, more often than not, was created at the top and was passed down to the party’s spokespersons through proper channels and mechanisms.

Vimukthi Kumaratunga

There was no firing all over the place. Messages were nicely articulated and carefully crafted, and the spokespersons were thoroughly briefed by the top rung leadership.

Although the United National Party held press conferences on a daily basis prior to the election, there were no PR blunders or faux pas. Most of their press conferences put the government on the ‘backfoot’ and its (Government’s) spokespersons often put their feet in the mouth when trying counter allegations made by the UNP.

However, after securing power, things have now taken a different turn.

Continue reading ‘Is Vimukthi Kumaratunga son of Vijaya and Chandrika Going to Contest next Parliamentary Elections?’ »

By

C.A.Chandraprema

Each passing week sees a mockery made of the term yahapalanaya. The most surprising episode we have seen yet after the ouster of the Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, is the acceptance of the Chairmanship of the Board of Investment by Upul Jayasuriya the President of the Bar Association. Under Upul Jayasuriya the Bar Association was more politicized than ever before. His predecessor was Wijedasa Rajapakshe – himself a UNP politician. But even he did not politicize the Bar Association presidency to the extent that Jayasuriya did.

There was really no difference between the Bar Assocaition and an opposition political party over the past couple of years. Upul Jayasuriya played a leading role in the evicting of Mohan Peiris from the Supreme Court. Many people including the present writer was amazed to see the president of the Bar Association announcing to the public over TV that the appointment of Mohan Peris was void and that former CJ Shirani Bandaranayake would be reinstated.

If it was the presidential secretariat that had issued the letter declaring Mohan Peiris’ appointment to be null and void, then it should have been at least the Secretary to the President or the presidential spokesman who should have made that known to the public. But here was the president of the Bar Association announcing matters of state to the public! Just days after what was described even by the pro-yahapalana Colombo Telegraph as a ‘judicial coup’ Upul Jayasuriya was made Chairman of the BOI.

How can a top professional chairing the body that represents his profession descend to such levels as to accept a position that was obviously given to him as a token of appreciation for support and services provided to the new powers that be?

Continue reading ‘Bar association President Upul Jayasuriya Appointed as Board of Investment Chairman is a Mockery of “Yahapalanaya”.’ »

By

Rev. Reggie Ebenezer

Amma is 104 not out today (Feb 6th)! Splendid performance, bat on till the Captain Himself calls you to retire! It is a great privilege for me to pen these words as a brief testimony of my understanding of your living faith. My prayer is that someone who reads will be encouraged to face life with fortitude as you have endured for so long. You have inspired us and countless numbers of people by your amazing life saga of service and sacrifice.

Louisa Arulamma Thambyrajah

Louisa Arulamma Thambyrajah or Navajeevanam’s universal “Amma” was born on 6th February 1911 and has entered her 104th year of purposeful, graceful living. She is the last surviving member of the famous Paranthan Pioneer Trio, the Co-Founders of Navajeevanam – Sis Elizebeth Baker, the Revd A. C. Thambyrajah and his dear wife “Amma” Thambyrajah.

Together they tamed the Vanni jungles to establish the Navajeevanam Home in 1959. They laboured relentlessly through many challenges to make the Navajeevanam dream take shape and form.

This true heroine of the Vanni soil and her now deceased companions showed our land that Sinhala, Tamil, Burgher and others can live together in community, in peace and harmony.

This was in the backdrop of a time when the very foundations of our Sri Lankan identity had been shaken and people’s hearts were hurt and scarred by the notorious communal riots of 1958.

Continue reading ‘Louisa Arulamma Thambyrajah the Universal “Navajeevanam Amma” Celebrates 104th Birthday on Feb 6th’ »

By

Udaya Gammanpila

28 January 2015 was the darkest day for the Judiciary of Sri Lanka. Mohan Peiris was the Chief Justice on that day. A group of pro-government lawyers had commenced a protest against the Chief Justice (CJ) in that morning.

It was led by politico lawyers such as M.A. Sumanthiran MP and Sunil Watawela WPC. The mastermind of the operation was Upul Jayasuriya, who is the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) and a strong UNP supporter. He was later rewarded with the Chairman post of the Board of Investment.

Meanwhile, the President sent a letter to CJ Mohan Peiris, informing him that the removal of former CJ, Shirani Bandaranayake was null and void and as a result his appointment was also null and void. The President sent a similar letter to former CJ Shirani Bandaranayake.

Soon after receiving the letter, she left her house to the Superior Courts, to resume duties as the CJ. The protesters were ready with garlands and betel leaves, knowing her arrival in advance. She announced there that she would retire on the following day. After her retirement, K. Sripavan was appointed as the Chief Justice.

The above is not an episode in a mega teledrama telecast recently. Unfortunately, it is a real incident happened in Sri Lanka just a week ago. It is another achievement of the present government within its first 20 days, which gained power promising good governance.

Continue reading ‘Chief Justice Mohan Peiris Being Chased Away was for Judiciary the Darkest Day’ »

By Prof. Gananath Obeyesekere

The newspapers today are full of the welcome news of the possibility of success for the democratic process and the rule of law in Sri Lanka. Some of us might be tempted to forget another important event namely the visit of Pope Francis, a good man, and the hope he represents not only for Catholics but also for Buddhists like me.

Nawagamuwa Devalaya – Dedicated to goddess Pattini-pic: Sundayobserver.lk

For me the new Pope might herald an emergence of a new era of Papal relations, a more democratic and open world that we Buddhists can also join in. I also hope that sometime in the near future the Pope can join my pantheon of leaders who have combined idealism with a sense of the practical world in which we live; among them Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and a few others waiting in the wings, as it were.

pic via: facebook.com/popevisitsrilanka2015

Of course we know that one of the wonderful occasions was the Pope’s visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Madhu and his canonization of Fr. Joseph Vaz. I want to fill in what is missing in the public record of these events.

I am sure the Pope will be pleased to know that Madhu was once a shrine for the Goddess Pattini, another virgin goddess worshipped by Sinhala Buddhists during a long historical period. And as for Joseph Vaz he would never have made it but for the support and encouragement of Kandyan kings, especially the gentle Vimaladharmasuriya II (1687-1707).

It is a pity that no one, as far as I know, has put the public record straight during the visit of the Pope, perhaps out of ignorance of the past, among both Catholics and Buddhists. Or is it something else, such as the vestiges of intolerance that exists among both communities and hard to erase?

My discussion will show that the past not only illumines the present but also hopefully will lead to a sympathetic understanding of inter-religious communication.
Continue reading ‘Shrine for Virgin Goddess Pattini Existed Once in Marudhamadhu area where “Our Lady of Madhu” Catholic Church is now’ »

By

Don Manu

It is in his pathetic attempt to portray himself as the victim of injustice a man terribly wronged; it is in his audacious bid to raise himself to the heights of a former Chief Justice, the much respected Neville Samarakoon; and it is in his bare faced bizarre avowal that the maintenance of the dignity and decorum of the office of Chief Justice were his prime concerns that Mohan Peiris surpassed himself last week to reveal his inherent extraordinary genius to find in fathomless depths a deeper still to sink.

Almost calling upon the storming heavens to deliver the justice he was now impotent to execute, Mohan Peiris, in a statement issued two days after he was declared by the Government as the Chief Justice that never was, presented himself as ‘a man more sinned against than sinning’.

If Mohan Peiris had hoped his pitiful statement would attract rivers of sympathy and cause a surging tide of public opinion to flow in his direction; to swell in outrage at the scandalous wrong done to him and to move the throne of Heaven to rumble in fury over the perfidious assault on his innocence, he couldn’t have been more disappointed nor more forlorn. Enough tears had been shed by the nation two years ago over his controversial appointment by the then President Rajapaksa that there were none to let fall now.

Instead it was met with volleys of mocking laughter; with howls of jeers and derision; and even the blindfolded lady with the scales atop Hulftsdorp Hill may have been forgiven had she evinced a sneering turn of the lip over the fulsome self-praise of impeccable conduct and moral rectitude, the Phantom of the Supreme Court had chosen to pour over himself by the bucket.

Continue reading ‘Downfall of Mohan Peiris the “Phantom of the Supreme Court” who never was the Chief Justice’ »

By

Malinda Seneviratne

President Maithripala Sirisena’s days are numbered. That’s by his own admission, publicly announced in the speech he made immediately after being sworn in as the country’s president. He announced that he will not be sworn in a second time.

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia U.S. Department of State, Mrs. Nisha Biswal, called on President Maithripala Sirisena on Feb 2 at the Presidential Secretariat.

As such he numbered his own days, one can argue. Given that he campaigned for a limitation of the very same powers he would acquire if elected, he essentially argued for a ‘numbering’ as well as a diminishing.

In a post-election context where he did not have a party, Maithripala Sirisena was forced to revert to a 2001 situation with Ranil Wickremesinghe as a calling-all-shots executive (all but in name). A few days later, Sirisena became leader of the party that has the most seats in Parliament.

Ironically, while retaining all the powers enjoyed by his predecessor, the President has not only transferred the un-transferable (at least if one subscribes to basic democratic tenets such a representation) but has by choice turned himself into a mere figurehead.

This may be the historical role that the President has always wanted to play. It could be read as statesman-like and magnanimous, but it would also amount to cheating 6.2 million voters. However, if Sirisena wants to remain relevant even in a presidency that is ‘checked and balanced’, his current wallflower state of being has to be reviewed and altered.

Continue reading ‘Instead of Turning Himself Into a “Figurehead”, President Sirisena must “LEAD” or be Dubbed Political Charlatan.’ »

BY

DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA

SMART PATRIOTISM AND THE MARGINAL MAJORITY

DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA

At 58, I have reached legitimate anecdotage. My parents read Grimm’s Fairy Tales out to me at bedtime, but my maternal grandmother from Moratuwa told me stories in Sinhala and was the only one to do so. She related Martin Wickremesinghe’s story “Rohini” to me. It is a romantic martial tale set within the Dutugemunu saga. She couldn’t have been a Sinhala Buddhist chauvinist. She was a Catholic, originally from Nuwara Eliya, married to a highly literate Buddhist from Panadura. She named her favorite son Athula, after one of Dutugemunu’s warrior-heroes. Far from being a recessive Sinhala xenophobe, Athula wound up a Dean in a North American university and the first non-white President of the World Confederation of Physiotherapists. Those are some part of my roots. That’s where I’m coming from.

Patriotism is love of country. There is dumb patriotism and there is smart patriotism. When the dumb patriot says “my country right or wrong”, he/she means that whether it does right or wrong in the moral sense, he/she will defend it. When the smart patriot says it, he/she means that whether it is in the right or in the wrong, it is his/her country; the only country she really has or belongs to. It is where he is coming from. It is the place he identifies with. It is where he is rooted. It is home. He will not defend everything its government or state does; but defend the country, he will. In that sense the smart patriot loves his/her country unconditionally though it may be a ‘tough love’. Obviously in the case of dual citizenship, this applies twice over, with its necessary modifications and complications.

The dumb patriot thinks his country is the best in the world and even the greatest. The smart patriot does not and his love of country is not based on blind faith or an intrinsic, unwarranted sense of superiority. The smart patriot is constructively critical about his country but is fiercely loyal to it all the same. He will criticize it but will unconditionally defend his country from the hypocritical criticism of foreign powers and institutions responsible for or blind to far worse crimes.

Continue reading ‘“I am a Patriotic Sinhala Nationalist who Detests Sinhala Racism and Sinhala Chauvinism”’ »

Anusha Arumugam

(Anusha Arumugam is a third year law student at the University of Liverpool. This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of the publication “The Malaysian Insider” from which this article is reproduced on this blog)

“It is not the violence of the few that scares me. It is the silence of the majority.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Civilians become victims of war for two reasons: firstly, because of the perpetrators, and secondly, because the communities who had the capacity to stop the crimes have failed to do so.

War crimes, and crimes and humanity and peace were atrocities that plagued the Darfur conflict (2003-2010), the Iraq war (2003-2011), the Gaza war (2008-2009), the Sri Lankan civil war (2009), and the Syrian civil war (2011-present). However, these wars shared another similarity – they witnessed the repetitive systemic failure of the United Nations (UN) in protecting civilians in the conflict zones.

As such, the lack of responsibility portrayed by the UN at international law for failing in its duties questions its fundamental aim of “keeping peace throughout the world”.

This article argues that where the UN has failed in the given responsibility and power to impede crimes against civilian populations, the doctrine of command responsibility should be invoked to hold the UN accountable for its failure before the international community. This would be explored by way of a case study of the Sri Lankan war for reason that it endured the greatest non-interference by the UN during the final phase of the genocide of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: a case study

Continue reading ‘UN must be held Responsible for not Trying to Prevent Genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka-A case study’ »

By

Lucien Rajakarunanayake

Although the flavour of Elephant House ice cream, and the fuzz and taste of Elephant Brand soft drinks are still with us, the once popular restaurant and catering service of Elephant House wound up many years ago. There are many who still remember the service at Fountain Café, that stood out in Colombo as a restaurant well known for its ice cream and short eats with nostalgia for such flavour in food, drink and courteous service.

Yet, quite unknown to us there has been a wide expansion of the Elephant Brand in property and assets, extending from people favoured with the right connections in politics, the outrageous spread of nepotism and extended reach of family bandyism in governance; and, the chaining and corralling of elephants in places of worship far removed in practice from what they preach about compassion and kindness to all beings.

Little did one expect the slogans of Yaha Paalanaya that echoed throughout the country in the run-up to the recent election, which saw the emergence of a new political leadership, lead to the discovery of so many elephants, from babies and adults, in the most unexpected of locations.

They are sprouting out today in so many places that are far removed from the jungles of our land that are the natural habitat of Elephas Maximus Maximus – the Sri Lankan Elephant – and the sanctuary and breeding ground for elephants at Pinnnawela.

Continue reading ‘Emergence of “Hora Ali Panthiya”(Rogue Elephant Class) Turns Country into an “Elephant House”of Elephantine Proportions’ »

By

Malinda Seneviratne

There was a day in the year 1948 when a country was washed afresh by a new breeze. It was called Independence. Freedom was on everyone’s lips. Every heart sang. There were dozens of ‘freedom songs’ composed. Most of them conflated ‘Sinhala’ or ‘Hela’ with what was then Ceylon or ‘Lanka’ in the Sinhala version. ‘Chauvinistic!’ some would howl but not all who howled came from collectives that had suffered as much as that particular group had in the invasions and in the preservation of conquest.

They were all beautiful songs. Lovely lyrics. Lovely melodies. Beautiful rendering by artists who sang with heart. And it didn’t all evaporate in the years that followed when it became clear that what was given and taken was more frill than substance.

Throughout the rest of the 20th century there were many lyricists and singers who came up with catchy patriotic songs that inspired people to appreciate the land into which they were born, encouraged children to be good and productive citizens, and spoke of much better tomorrows for generations yet unborn.

That country is not this country. Those people are no longer the majority of the citizens. Landscapes have changed. Boundaries have been drawn, erased and re-drawn. Invasion has not come as ‘invasion’, the conquistadores don’t name themselves as such. Freedom has been given new meanings not so much in its affirmation but its denial.

Continue reading ‘We Must Write New Songs of Freedom With a Heart That is Truly Ours.’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday clarified that no decision had been taken yet on proceeding with the China-funded port city project coming up in Colombo.

He was responding to a question from Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the Leftist-nationalist Janathā Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). Mr. Dissanayake raised the issue in Parliament, citing Cabinet spokesperson and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne’s Thursday announcement that the government had decided to go ahead with the project.

Contradicting his Cabinet Minister’s remarks, Mr. Wickremesinghe said a separate committee and a Cabinet sub-committee that he heads would look into the details of the project, including its impact on the environment.

Continue reading ‘“No Decision yet on China Funded Port City Project”:Prime Minister Contradicts Cabinet Spokesman’ »

By
N. Sathiya Moorthy

It may still be very disagreeable to some in Sri Lanka to refer to India in the context of giving successful functional shape to the pre-poll administrative and constitutional reforms promised by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Yet, there is no escape for all those celebrating this year’s electoral change in Sri Lanka to look at India’s success story of the past decades for pointers, if not outright guidance, unless they are still in the habit of re-inventing the wheel every now or again, or of cheating themselves and the nation, or both.

On all three major aspects of the 100-day reforms that the Sirisena-Ranil duo has promised Sri Lanka, India has vast and varied experience, from which Sri Lanka can learn quick lessons that are adaptable to its specific constitutional circumstances and political environment.

Size does matter, and to be fair to Sri Lankans critical of India for the 13th Amendment power devolution, they need to do their homework, rather than adapting the Indian or any other model wholesale, or out of sheer spite for fellow stake-holders nearer home, that too in the name of preserving national identity and security.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka can Utilise India’s vast Experience to Implement President Sirisena’s 100 day work Program Successfully.’ »

by

Malinda Seneviratne

What is the defining feature of the Sinhalese?

This is not an easy question to answer.

One could even frame it in other ways, replacing ‘Sinhalese’ with ‘Helas’ or even the ‘Yakshas’. There could be many answers to the question but this would be one of them: ‘inclusion’.

The history of this island can be written in terms of invasions. It could alternatively be written in terms of embrace. There was and is conflict. There was and is post-conflict.

There was and there should be embrace in the ‘after’ of bitterness and anger, suspicion and counter-suspicion, the clash of arms and sorrow, regret and shoulder-shrug.

Continue reading ‘“Namo Namo Thaayae”:Singing the National Anthem in it’s Beautiful Tamil Version’ »

By

Taylor Dibbert

Freedom House recently released their annual report on the state of world freedom. This is a must-read not only for human rights and democracy promotion specialists, but also for anyone interested in world affairs or international politics.

The report is well-written, only 28 pages long and includes a lot of helpful charts and graphs. It’s refreshing to see so much information being presented so clearly and explained so succinctly.

The results for 2014 are in and they are, to say the least, not encouraging.

2014 was not a good year for freedom in the world with negative trends evident in all regions. In fact, global rights declined for the ninth straight year.

Continue reading ‘89 Countries are “Free”, 55 are “Partly Free” and 51 are “Not Free” States Freedom House Annual report for 2014 on World Freedom’ »

By

N Sathiya Moorthy

The euphoria of the new leadership in Sri Lanka towards the northern Indian neighbour may have set the right tone and tenor for further betterment of bilateral relations as in regional and international contexts. The relationship had slackened, and strained up to a point, particularly in the last year of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s 10-year regime and for specific reasons.

The Indian media did not give enough space for the maiden overseas visit of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera for most part, but that should not belittle the hosts’ new-found enthusiasm in engaging with Sri Lanka as a nation, government and peoples.

That the wide-ranging talks between Samaraweera and Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj extended over three hours should speak volumes not only for the commonality of approaches but also the complexities of the issues involved, at some stage. There were serious Indian concerns on the China (submarine-berthing) and Pakistan (ISI basing cross-border terrorism out of Sri Lanka), which the previous government in Colombo seemed to have over-looked but the present one could address squarely, in its own larger national interests.

There are other issues on which both nations need to work with and on others, including existing and emerging stake-holders. Some of them are present, particularly on the Indian side by sheer default and neglect, and they – and their concerns — need to be addressed too – and nearer home. There are yet others, where the solution lies elsewhere, either closer home in Sri Lanka or in faraway global capitals and institutions, starting with the UNHRC in Geneva. These are solutions that could address the Indian concerns and silence criticism from within, particularly southern Tamil Nadu State.

Continue reading ‘Pluses and Minuses in Improving Bi-lateral Relations Between India and Sri Lanka.’ »

by

Karthik Subramanian

There is a certain familiarity to Gautham Vasudev Menon’s films. You already know the characters, even if their names have changed, you know how they behave and, most of all, you begin to anticipate what would happen next.

Yennai Arindhaal, which the director has said is the concluding part of his ‘cop trilogy’ after Kaakha Kaakha and Vettayadu Vilayadu, is a tough act to follow given the success of those films. So the film ends up being highly predictable.

But despite those trappings, at the end of its nearly three-hour run time, Yennai Arindhaal leaves you feeling like having gone back to a well-known play you have enjoyed a few times over. But for one last time.

Continue reading ‘“Yennai Arindhaal” With Ajith Entertainingly Tops the “Cop Film Trilogy” of Gautam Vasudev Menon’ »

By

Sudhir Srinivasan

Genre: Drama Thriller
Director: Gautham Vasudev Menon
Cast: Ajith Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, Anushka Shetty, Arun Vijay
Storyline: A cop, while fighting an old rival, learns about himself.

The kernel of a Gautham V. Menon (GVM) film is its love story. That’s his tour de force. While his romances —Minnale, Neethaane En Ponvasantham, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya — are obvious examples of this, the best parts in even his cop films — Kaakha Kaakha and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu — to me, were the love scenes.

So, in Yennai Arindhaal, when he shows Sathyadev (Ajith Kumar) falling in love with Hemanika (Trisha), a single mother of a two-year-old, you cannot but revel in the delight and ask yourself if there is another Tamil director who so thrives in rubbishing time-tested rules of Tamil film romance.

This is, after all, an industry where the majority of filmmakers, when showing a hero in love with, say, a divorced woman, find it necessary to prove that she is still a virgin, still pure… that some stroke of fortune somehow stopped her from making love (as GVM would call it) to her original partner.

You are in for more delight when the other leading woman in the film, Thenmozhi (Anushka), turns the tables on the guy-stalking-the-girl Tamil film cliché, and woos (he would say this too) the guy.

Continue reading ‘Director Gautham Menon Delightfully Flouts Rules of Tamil Film Romance in his new film “Yennai Arindhal”’ »

A three-day conference on Tamil language computing and Tamil internet will be held in Singapore by the end of May and international experts have started work on their papers to be presented at the event.

More than 500 delegates are expected to attend the 14th International Conference on Tamil Computing and Tamil Internet (Tamil Internet 2015) scheduled May 30 to June 1, organising committee chairman S. Maniam told PTI on Friday.

Government officials, academics and professionals from India, Malaysia, the US, Sri Lanka and Singapore are expected to deliberate on various aspects of internationalising Tamil language computerisation programmes.

Tamil teachers from around the world would also join the conference themed “Natural Language Processing and Mobile Computing.”

Continue reading ‘Over 500 Delegates will Attend 3-Day 14th International Conference on Tamil Computing and Tamil Internet in Singapore’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Backtracking from its pre-election announcement on scrapping the Chinese-funded port city in Colombo, the Sri Lankan Government on Thursday said it would go ahead with the $1.34-billion project.

According to Cabinet spokesman and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne, a report on the environmental impact of reclaiming land near Colombo’s beachfront said “it [the project] was fine”. The impact of the development of the area will be assessed later as “there was more time”, he said, addressing media persons.

The decision comes less than two months after Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe announced, prior to the country’s January 8 presidential elections, that the massive port city project would be scrapped due to concerns over possible environmental damage to the island’s coastline.

At that time, Mr. Wickremesinghe’s remarks came as good news to sections in New Delhi that had been rather concerned about Sri Lanka’s apparently growing proximity to China. New Delhi conveyed its “serious concerns” to Colombo, after a Chinese submarine docked at the Colombo Port twice last year.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan Govt Backtracks from Pre-election Announcement to Scrap $1.34 Billion China Funded Colombo Port City’ »

By

Charu Sudan Kasturi

New Delhi, Feb. 5: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will visit India this month on his first foreign trip in office but his attempts at also assuaging Chinese concerns have sparked worries in New Delhi of a fresh tug-of-war underscored by two greetings Colombo received 45 minutes apart yesterday.

Sirisena is expected to land here onFebruary 16 on a three-day trip he had confirmed soon after his election victory over former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in January.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to return that gesture by visiting Sri Lanka in March – a trip where he may also travel to the northern city of Jaffna that no sitting Indian Prime Minister has visited.

But conflicting signals from Colombo over key pre-election promises quietly cheered by New Delhi have forced India’s diplomatic establishment to temper some of their excitement over Rajapaksa’s defeat as they prepare for Sirisena’s visit, senior officials said.

Continue reading ‘India Worried by New Sri Lankan Govt Continuing with China Built Colombo Port City Project After Pledging to Scrap it’ »

By

Bishop Duleep de Chickera

pic courtesy of: ukinsrilanka

Independence Day reminds us that we are one country called to become one reconciled people.Experience teaches that when addressed, dominant national realities become paths to reconciliation.

1. Economic dignity

The real enemy is not next door but at the economic extremes. Poverty is humiliating; excessive wealth intoxicates.

Since there is enough for all to live a dignified life if each takes a little; poverty can be eradicated. Inclusive economic reform is to begin at the doorstep of the poor. Economic reform that ignores economic justice is immoral. It intensifies violence against the poor.

Recent revelations suggest some correlation between the hoarding of personal wealth and crime and corruption. This echoes a Biblical teaching that the accumulation of excessivepersonal wealth amidst wider social deprivation indicates exploitation of the poor. Consequently, initiatives to eradicate poverty will also require fiscal measures to regulate the excessive accumulation of personal wealth.

2. Justice not revenge

Continue reading ‘Independence Day Reminds us that we are one Country called to Become one Reconciled People’ »

A serious disagreement has been created within the Tamil National Alliance over the decision to attend the Independence Day celebrations, BBC Sandeshaya reported.

TNA Press Conference annoucing support for the then Common candidate & now President Maithripala Sirisena-pic via: twitter.com/Meerasrini

Yesterday’s national celebration saw the TNA leader R. Sampanthan and Parliamentarian MA Sumanthiran in attendance.

This was the first time the TNA (or the old TULF or ITAK) had attended the Independence Day in decades.

Sampanthan told BBC Tamil Service that the present government treats the Tamil people equally and seem to have an authentic intention to find solutions to Tamil people’s problems.

Continue reading ‘Rift in TNA Over Sampanthan and Sumanthiran Attending 67th Independence Day Celebrations Without Party Taking Decision’ »

By

Dharisha Bastians

Colombo’s streets are dressed up to mark this great day. For the island’s 6.5 million population it’s a public holiday. Behind the underlying festivity are the crowd’s somber faces; expectant but not overly excited. Ceylon is taking independence quietly – BBC, Ceylon Gains Independence, 4 February 1948

[Pic: courtesy of sundaytimes.lk]

A few mornings a week, Independence Square receives a VIP visitor. He arrives in an unmarked, nondescript pickup truck, accompanied by two people. One is a personal trainer. The other, a bodyguard. In a glossy blue t-shirt, track bottoms and neon-laced sports shoes, President Maithripala Sirisena could be just another morning walker at the Square.

Feb 4, 2014-pic via: facebook.com/maithripalas

But within minutes, he is flanked by an entourage. Dozens of people begin to keep step with the President as he tries to complete his morning exercise routine. Ladies stop for selfies. Bridal parties insist on an official portrait featuring the President on the steps of the historic Independence Hall. He obliges often, smiling shyly and cutting a strange figure in his exercise outfit, completely overshadowed by the dazzling attire donned by the wedding party.

The desire of citizens to get close to this President, to walk with him, to talk to him, to share their mundane morning routines with him, speaks to the level of citizen engagement his victory in last month’s election is crafting. Politicians and Presidents, with their beefy security detail and their tinted SUVs, have always driven away the citizen, who were either repulsed by the show of strength or feared it to get to close.

But this small-made man of simple tastes and quiet speech, lacking in the raw magnetism and popular appeal of his predecessor, is evoking a different response. He will not be addressed as ‘Excellency’. He will not move lock stock and barrel into the Presidential Palace, preferring to reside in his old ministerial quarters at Wijerama Mawatha. He will not purge his office or his security contingent of Rajapaksa loyalists. He has personally tasted the power of the executive presidency, its attraction and appeal. That is why, President Sirisena says at least, it has to go.

Continue reading ‘Independence Day with Difference as Maithripala Sirisena Shapes a Different type of Presidency in First 30 Days’ »

By P.K.Balachandran

COLOMBO: Keeping in view the delicate political situation in Sri Lanka, the United States may ask the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to postpone the taking up of a resolution against that country at its March session, informed sources in the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) told Express here on Wednesday.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Nisha Biswal, had hinted at this during her interaction with TNA leaders on Tuesday, the sources said.

The US is very happy with the exit of the hostile government of Mahinda Rajapaksa and sees a bright future for US-Lanka relations during the tenure of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The US does not want to upset the Lankan apple cart by presenting a strong anti-Lankan resolution at the UNHRC.

Continue reading ‘US Likely to Postpone Resolution Against Sri Lanka at UNHRC March Sessions in Geneva Because of the new Colombo Govt’ »

BY
DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA

“MLECHCHA YUDDAHAYA” OR “SHRESHTA YUDDAYA”? BARBARIC WAR OR GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR?- DECONSTRUCTING INDEPENDENCE DAY DISCOURSE 2015

President Maithripala Sirisena beginning to hoist the national flag at the Independence Day Celebrations-Feb 4, 2015-pic: facebook.com/maithripalas

Independence Day 2015 had several key texts and speeches, all of which constitute a single discourse. There was President Sirisena’s written message and that of the PM. The President’s message was fine but the PM’s failed to mention the armed services even once. More important was the multilingual Peace Message, which was a good gesture. There too however, certain terms were conspicuous by their absence, the most crucial of which was separatism or secessionism. Terrorism was denounced, but the war used terrorism in the service of secessionism. Is the message then that terrorism is bad but secessionism is OK or not bad enough to warrant critical mention on Independence Day? Is this not exactly the perspective of the TNA, namely that it criticizes the methods of the LTTE but not its politics and goal?

Missing in the Peace Message—and not only in—was any mention of the term ‘unitary’. That term was not present at any point of the Independence Day discourse including in the well-delivered speech of President Sirisena. The signal—and the deal—are very clear, at least to me. The new administration will, most certainly after the parliamentary election, make a qualitative shift from the unitary state to one that is federal in all but name. Given that we have already experienced the travesty of the unconstitutional installation of an unelected Prime Minister and Government, the shift to de-facto federalism will probably be without recourse to a referendum.

To some this may seem a risk worth taking, but there are sound historical and geo-political reasons why many countries with an internal, or more correctly, an internal-external ethnic or ethno-religious problem refuse to shift to a federal system (Philippines and Indonesia being examples). It is also not purely coincidental that most islands situated next to a larger (or large) mass of historically hostile co-ethnic or co-religionists of one of its component communities, tend to cleave to unitary systems.

Continue reading ‘Why did President Sirisena Describe the war we won Against the LTTE as “Melechcha Yuddhaya” (Barbaric War) in his Independence day Speech?’ »

By Sam Samarasinghe and Chandrasiri Seneviratne

In the first three weeks of its tenure the Sirisena/Wickremasinghe administration has generally adhered to the principles of good governance in their effort to implement the One-Hundred Day Programme.

President Sirisena’s interview on Rupavahini TV last weekend further buttressed his good governance credentials.

Both President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minster Ranil Wickremasinghe have, on more than one occasion, urged the public to constructively criticize their action.

This article is written in that spirit. It deals with two issues.

The first is the allocation of ministerial functions and appointment of ministry secretaries.

The second concerns provincial governors and provincial councils.

Continue reading ‘Is Sirisena/Wickremesinghe Administration not too Concerned about Devolution of Power and Future of Provincial Councils?’ »

Harim Peiris has been appointed Chairman of the Resettlement Authority, by D. M. Swaminathan, Minister of Resettlement, Reconstruction and Hindu Religious Affairs.

Harim Peiris is a graduate in finance and has an MBA from the University of Texas, USA. He has a wide and varied professional background in both the private and the state sectors, having worked in consulting and investment banking in both Sri Lanka and abroad. He has served on the boards of several private and public corporations.

Continue reading ‘Harim Peiris Appointed Chairman of Resettlement Authority by Resettlement Minister DM Swaminathan’ »

By Norman Palihawadane

Public Order, Disaster Management and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga yesterday said that he was ready to face the no-confidence motion against him proposed by the opposition.

Commenting on the recent statement made by Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva that a no confidence motion would be moved against him, the minister said: “I am not afraid of these challenges which are usual in politics. They can move the motion but that does not mean it will be passed and I will be removed. Truth will prevail and it is good that they try to test me for I know I did nothing wrong.”

Amaratunga said the corrupt politicians of the opposition had swindled public funds during the last regime. “They are under immense pressure as they are facing the threat of being arrested and hauled up before courts. Those who abused the power without giving two hoots for retribution are now frightened.

Under such pressure, they were trying to accuse us of wrong doings thinking that they could get away with their sins,” he said, adding, “investigations against them will not stop even if they manage to remove me from this position.”

Continue reading ‘UNP Minister John Amaratunga Ready to Face No Confidence Motion Proposed by the Opposition Against Him’ »

(Full Text of President Maithripala Sirisena’s address to the nation on the occasion of Sri Lanka’s 67th Independence day Celebrations on feb 4th 2015)

pic via: facebook.com/maithripalas

biggest challenge we face today, is that of bringing together the minds of the people of the North and South, and through a process of reconciliation bring about co-existence and national understanding, and thus take our great Motherland forward as a land rich in human affection and understanding.

“This is the occasion when we celebrate the 67th Independence Day with due honour and dignity.

It is most fortunate that I am able to address you at this historically important city of Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, today, in the precincts of the House of Parliament that confirms the sovereignty of the people.

As we celebrate the freedom obtained 67 years ago, it is our duty and responsibility to remember with honour the heroes who fought to obtain this freedom. The year 1815 when our great Motherland lost her freedom is recalled as a year of great national tragedy. The uprisings of 1815 and 1848 against the forces of colonialism caused great bloodshed, when our soil was dampened by the blood of the heroic patriots and those who loved our nation and country.

As much as we were unable to achieve victory in the uprisings of 1815 and 1848, from then on till 1948 we did not obtain freedom. During the period of 1848 to 1948 our national heroes who continued an unending struggle for freedom and liberation in keeping with their duty and responsibility of achieving the freedom for our land and people.

That struggle was mostly carried out peacefully, and was often one of non-violence, which brought our people together against the colonial administration of the time through protests, demonstrations, and strikes. The results of these struggles for freedom were the activating of the Donoughmore and Soulbury Commissions, that sought to respond to these demands.

Continue reading ‘“Biggest Challenge we face is Bringing Together the Minds of the People of the North and South”-President Sirisena’ »

By

Taylor Dibbert

Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war ended in May 2009, but there are still many concerns regarding accountability for alleged wartime atrocities and persistent tension between the country’s various ethnic groups. Increased authoritarianism from recently ousted President Mahinda Rajapaksa and institutionalized impunity have meant that the country’s wounds of war remain unhealed and that a return to violence in the medium- to long-term is not out of the question.

Voting on Sri Lanka resolution on March 27, 2014 at the 25th Session of the Human Rights Council-pic by: U.S. Mission Geneva/ Eric Bridiers

Mahinda Rajapaksa went for an unprecedented third term in early January, but was defeated by his former health minister and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) general secretary Maithripala Sirisena. Aside from many other SLFP defections, Sirisena was supported by a broad coalition. Rajapaksa’s defeat came as a surprise to many and is a sign that Sri Lankans from all walks of life were tired of a regime plagued by widespread corruption, nepotism and centralization of power. Quite evidently, Sri Lankans prefer a more authentic brand of democracy.

But what about international advocacy efforts vis-à-vis Sri Lanka? How might a change of the guard in Colombo affect things?

Continue reading ‘How Might a Change of Guard Affect International Advocacy Efforts Vis a Vis Sri Lanka?’ »

By

Dr.Kalana Senaratne

In the early weeks of November 2014, it seemed somewhat clear that Mahinda Rajapaksa was set to rule the country for at least another six years. But on January 8, 2015 when he finally went to cast his vote with the media surrounding him, even Mahinda appeared to have realized what the final verdict was going to be.

Ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the campaign trail for the poll that ousted him.

Never before, during the past decade, had he looked so defeated; especially on the day of an election. Clearly, his political spark was flickering. For the first time in years, something strange had happened to this man who was perhaps the most accurate political reader of the Sinhala mindset. The Sinhalese had now begun to read him.
Continue reading ‘Mahinda was once the most Accurate Reader of the Sinhala Mind but now the Sinhalese had Begun to Read him’ »

By

Vishwamithra 1984

There Ravi Karunanayake sat, flanked by the lieutenants of his new fief, gamely fielding combative questions thrown at him by members of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Many of them, including the Chamber’s President Suresh Shah, addressed him simply as ‘Ravi’—no Honourable Minister he.

At the BMICH-Jan 18, 2015-pic via: facebook.com/ranil.wickremesinghe

The atmosphere of the occasion was almost surreal: a sea-change from just one month ago, when even the Rajapaksa Government’s Treasury Secretary, P.B. Jayasundera, acted as if he were God and senior ministers rose deferentially to their feet when one of the President’s offspring entered a room.

The sweeping transformation of Sri Lanka’s political culture in just a few weeks has been absolute and unprecedented. But this new-found freedom, if not nurtured wisely, could still spell its own doom.

No one who witnessed the fall of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government in 2004 could view the present goings on without a cold shudder and a sense of déjà vu.
Continue reading ‘Simple Goal of an Aggressive Opposition is to Install Mahinda as Prime Minister Under an Emasculated Presidency’ »

By

Upul Joseph Fernando

sketch by Hasantha Wijenayake

The first official statement issued by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, after his defeat, appeared in the print media last week. The statement looked to be a sad note from the former President. He regretted that the present government was harassing him and his family members and had added China too, into that sad note. In that statement Mahinda urged the government not to scoff or insult China.

Continue reading ‘If Mahinda is Seeking Chinese Support to Topple the Present Govt then Mahinda is Engaging in a Foolish Exercise’ »

By Risidra Mendis

Kandyan dancers, drummers, acrobats, flame dancers, whip dancers, and colourfully dressed elephants are just a few of the attractions that draw people in the thousands to Kandy, to witness the historic and religious Dalada Maligawa perahera.

The Dalada Maligawa Perahera is held in August every year with its main attraction being the many colouful elephants that take part in the procession. However what most people who come in the thousands fail to understand is the cruelty imposed on some of these elephants at the hands of their mahouts while taking part in the perahera.

As part of the ceremony the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha is paraded through the streets in a casket in order to invoke the blessing of rain from the gods. The sacred relic casket is placed on a majestic Maligawa tusker, and is followed by hundreds of other elephants and tuskers.

But witnesses at last year’s perahera have revealed that some of the baby elephants had their legs tied close to each other with nylon cords when taken in the procession.

Continue reading ‘Were the legs of Baby Elephants in the Kandy Perahera Procession tied up Cruelly with Nylon Cords?’ »

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Sri Lanka in March, the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the island nation in over 25 years. During the visit, Mr. Modi is likely to travel to Jaffna in the Tamil-majority Northern Province, official sources in New Delhi told The Hindu.

The visit has been scheduled a month after the visit of Sri Lanka’s newly elected President, Maithripala Sirisena, to New Delhi in mid-February.

Mr. Modi’s visit will coincide with the 28th Human Rights Council session in Geneva, where progress on a U.S.-sponsored investigation into Sri Lanka’s rights record will be reviewed.

Continue reading ‘Indian PM Narendra Modi will visit Jaffna During his Sri Lankan Trip Likely to Take Place in March 2015’ »

By

DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA

“Sirisena was supported by a broad coalition including leading Tamil and Muslim parties and the United National Party…Rajapaksa still earned more support from the Sinhalese community than Sirisena, the ethnic group that comprises about three-quarters of the country’s population… the Rajapaksa brand isn’t toxic — not yet anyway. He lost a close election and his name will always be linked to the defeat of the Tamil Tigers…”

(‘What’s Next for Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Rajapaksa?’ Taylor Dibbert, The Huffington Post, Jan. 29, 2015)

What kind of democracy do we want: A National Democracy or an anti-national or non-national, Neocolonial Democracy?

What Sri Lanka will be like by Independence Day 2016, depends on which of two contending projects succeed. One is a hegemonic project, that of hegemony over the majority of people, of the citizenry, who happen demographically, to be Sinhalese. This is the UNP-TNA-CBK-Western project of recreating the Ceylon of the colonial and semi-colonial times; a Ceylon serving the West and dominated by a bloc of social minorities, led by the pro-Western bourgeoisie linked to Western markets.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe seen here on January 18th, 2015-To pay last respects to the mother of Nimal Siripala de Silva, The New Opposition Leader-pic: twitter.com/officialunp

The specific project of Tamil nationalism and its Sinhala allies is to recreate the Sri Lanka that would have come into being had essentials of the ‘union of regions’ package, the CFA, the ISGA and PTOMS succeeded.

The executive Presidency is sought to be abolished precisely to prevent that insidious project being overturned by a strong executive President, susceptible to the pressure of the majority.
Continue reading ‘SLFP in Opposition Must not Support Bills Abolishing or Drastically Remodelling Executive Presidency’ »

By

Taylor Dibbert

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was voted out of office in early January. This came as a surprise to many. First elected in 2005, Rajapaksa was widely credited with winning Sri Lanka’s civil war against the separatist Tamil Tigers in 2009. Maithripala Sirisena, a cabinet member in Rajapaksa’s administration who was also acting defense minister during the end of the war, is now president.

Trying to win an unprecedented third term, Rajapaksa called a snap election two years early, thinking he’d be reelected handily. Just a few months ago, it seemed that no one could credibly challenge him or the United People’s Freedom Alliance, the political coalition led by Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Sirisena was supported by a broad coalition, including leading Tamil and Muslim parties and the United National Party. This was a close election and more than 81 percent of Sri Lankans turned out to vote.

Rajapaksa still earned more support from the Sinhalese community than Sirisena, the ethnic group that comprises about three-quarters of the country’s population.
Continue reading ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa is a savvy, charismatic political operator and the Rajapaksa brand isn’t toxic — not yet anyway.’ »

(TEXT IN FULL OF SPEECH IN PARLIAMENT BY FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER MANGALA SAMARAWEERA ON THE REMOVAL OF MOHAN PIERIS FROM THE OFFICE OF CHIEF JUSTICE)

pic via: facebook.com/pages/Mangala-Samaraweera

Honorable Speaker, in a statement issued yesterday by Mohan Pieris in The Island, he said “maintaining the dignity and decorum associated with the office of the Chief Justice and ensuring its respectability and propriety is [his] prime concern. As the pinnacle of our judicial administration, it should be safeguarded in its pristine purity; now and for the future – in the need to preserve justice as a wholesome entity.” Like a harlot extolling the virtues of virginity, Mohan Pieris, who brought international disrespect and condemnation to our judicial system by his scandalous appointment two years ago, and his conduct since then, is now shedding tears for the ‘pristine purity’ of the office of the Chief justice.

Two years ago, on the night of Monday 14th January 2013, a large contingent of military personnel occupied the Supreme Court complex, and from the early hours of the following morning, the Supreme Court was cordoned off, and riot squads, barricades and water cannons put in place. All this and more to enable Mohan Peries to be driven into the courts complex through its “exit” – the most appropriate entry for a fake judge. Outside the court gates, lawyers who had challenged the illegal and immoral eviction of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake lit candles in daylight. It was the beginning of ‘darkness at noon’.

Mohan Peiris

There are reasons both substantive and procedural – which others today have gone into in greater depth – for why Mohan Peries was not lawfully appointed to the office of Chief Justice. Since he claims to be an expert of ‘unconstitutional processes’ then he is well aware of the degree of unconstitutionality that attended the eviction of the legitimate chief justice from her rightful chair and by which he, escorted by STF and armed guards, took up that seat and functioned there, in an manner equally unconstitutional as his ascension. He is also well aware then of all that he has done to degrade the judiciary, its dignity, independence, objectivity and reputation for over two years.
Continue reading ‘Mohan Pieris Talking of the “Pristine Purity” of the Office of Chief Justice is like a “harlot extolling the virtues of virginity” -Mangala Samaraweera’ »

By Somapala Gunadheera

As a life member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), I am personally interested in the affairs of that outfit. I admire the relentless effort the BASL has made to stand by Justice Shirani Bandaranayke (JSB), through the vicissitudes imposed on her by a contrived process of law. I am glad that the lady has regained the position she was removed from, thanks to the strenuous efforts made by the BASL, among others.

At the same time, I am relieved that JSB has called it a day soon after her reentry. The farsightedness and the humility shown by the lady in doing so, has saved her and the country from another imaginable, unpleasant legal tussle.

However, as a humble student of the law, I find it difficult to agree with the manner in which Mr. Mohan Peiris (MP), who functioned as the Chief Justice for all intents and purposes, ever since the removal of JSB was replaced.

As far as I know, not even the President can remove a judge of a superior court at his will and pleasure by a letter under his name, much less under his Secretary’s.

Continue reading ‘Not Even the President can Remove a Judge of the Superior Court at his will and pleasure by a letter under his name.’ »

By Saman Indrajith

Parliament sittings were suspended for 10 minutes yesterday as opposition MPs staged a protest during the debate on an adjournment motion moved by them against the removal of Mohan Peiris from the office Chief Justice.

Pic by-Ishara Kodikara, President Maithripala Sirisena during a fitness session at Independence Square Jan 30, 2015

An uproar from the Opposition drowned government voices when Housing and Samurdhi Minister Sajith Premadasa told the House that those who shouted “Sirisena kotiya” (Sirisena is a Tiger) were now saying “Sirisena saranam gachchami” (I go to Sirisena for refuge).

facebook.com/sajithpremadasa

Continue reading ‘“Those who said “Sirisena Kotiya” (Sirisena is a Tiger) are now saying “Sirisena Saranam Gachchami” (I seek Refuge in Sirisena) – Sajith Premadasa’ »

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The SLMC is expected to secure the post of Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council soon in accordance with its agreement with the SLFP-led UPFA.

An SLMC nominee will succeed UPFA appointed Chief Minister M. N. Abdul Majeed, a member of the SLFP.

SLMC leader and Minister Rauff Hakeem told The Island that political parties represented at the EPC were in the process of finalising arrangements.

The minister said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the UNP, too, were supportive of the move. The TNA consists of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi, TELO, PLOTE and EPRLF.

Responding to a query, the SLMC leader asserted that the arrangement at the EPC could be a rehearsal for forming a truly national government in the future.

Continue reading ‘Muslim Congress Nominee with SLFP endorsement and UNP-TNA Support will be new Eastern Province Chief Minister says Rauff Hakeem’ »

By Norman Palihawadana Dasun Edirisinghe

Former General Secretary of the United National party and Health Minister of the ex-UPFA government Tissa Attanayake was taken into custody by the CID around noon yesterday over charges of producing an allegedly false document against then Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

After the crossover

Later he was produced before the Colombo Fort magistrate Court and remanded till Feb. 11 for further investigations after the CID informed the court that they had obtained the report of the Government Analyst and they had evidence that the document shown by him (Attanayake) to the media before the Presidential Election was forged.

A senior police officer said Attanayake had been arrested on a charge that he had forged the signatures of Sirisena and Wickremesinghe after preparing a document claiming that to be a secret pact between the UNP leader and alliance led by Sirisena in the run-up to the Jan. 08 presidential election.
Continue reading ‘Tissa Attanayake Arrested by CID and Remanded Over Revealing Allegedly false Secret Agreement with Forged Signatures of Ranil and Maithri.’ »

By

Rossana Favero-Karunaratna

Dual citizenship is the simultaneous possession of two citizenships. Due to the tension implied within this definition not all nations recognize that their citizens are entitled to possess that privilege or right. The 2015 Budget reintroduces the system which involves through a process of evaluation along with a payment of Rs. 500,000.00, amount that is quite high for many.

The key issue is for the citizen to clarify his/her allegiance. Some experts are of the opinion that naturalized citizens as a class are less reliable and bear less allegiance to the new country than do the native born. This basically is an assumption but it continues to be a matter of discussion in many forums regarding national security.

In addition, a person’s dual citizenship may hamper efforts to provide diplomatic or consular protection when the person is abroad. This may arise as majority of countries do not recognize dual citizenship. That is, their governments do not recognize a person’s prerogative to the rights, privileges, or immunities that may be the prerogatives of citizens of the other nation.

It has been clear now that if a citizen possesses dual citizenship he/she has to renounce the foreign one and regain his/her Sri Lankan citizenship if interested in participating in politics or filling a public post. This is quite fair and correct from the point of national interest. China is a country which is very strict on this matter.

Continue reading ‘The Concept of Dual Citizenship and the Sri Lankan 2015 Budget Provisions’ »

By

Deepal Warnakulasuriya

A major crisis was averted when former Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne and the previous United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government maintained silence and vacated the offices gracefully after the presidential election, former Chief Justice Sarath. N. Silva said in an exclusive interview with The Nation.

Silva said that the way in which Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe became Prime Minister cannot be accepted. “The incumbent Prime Minister should step down or he or she should be removed and then only can a new Prime Minister and Cabinet of Ministers be appointed,” Former Chief Justice Silva said. He also praised the way in which former Prime Minister and Cabinet of Ministers accepted the decision which the country had taken at the presidential election.

Continue reading ‘Ex-Chief Justice Sarath Silva Faults President Sirisena over Appointing Ranil as PM and Rendering Mohan Peiris “null and Void”.’ »

By

Ranga Jayasuriya

Changes that have taken place in the country during the past three weeks are simply unbelievable.

Many democratic reforms currently underway were not possible even in the wildest dreams, two months ago.

Justice Sripavan, the senior most Supreme Court Judge would not have ever expected to be appointed the Chief Justice purely based on his seniority.

Shirani Bandaranayake, former Chief Justice would not have thought she could get her name cleared without entering into some behind –the- curtain deal with the political overlords.

On the other hand, Duminda Silva, MP may not have believed that he would be investigated for his alleged links with drug kingpins. Messrs Dammika Perera and Ravi Wijeratne, the two casino moguls in the country and the leading financiers of the previous regime may not have expected Rs. one billion tax on casinos.

But, I am rather wondering what former president Mahinda Rajapaksa is thinking about the reformist agenda of his successor.

We know for sure that Mr. Rajapaksa believed that none of those measures would be possible in his lifetime- because, he was the one who stood in the way of those measures. In many other issues, his thinking is not clear.
Continue reading ‘What is Mahinda Rajapaksa now Thinking About What is Happening in the Country now Under President Sirisena?’ »

By

C.A.Chandraprema

Nobody will have any objection to Justice K.Sripavan being elevated to the position of Chief Justice. He has been as non-controversial a member of the judiciary as one could wish for. It is our hope that his lordship will be able to bring some calm and quiet to an office that has known nothing but controversy and turbulence over the past 15 years. However, no one can possibly approve of the events that preceded his appointment. Last Thursday was a black day in the history of the judiciary of this country.

Swearing in ceremony-Jan 30, 2015-pic: facebook.com/maithripalas

Ever since President Mahinda Rajapaksa was voted out of office, during the past three weeks there were demonstrations by lawyers and various agitators for the resignation of the chief justice. This reached a highpoint when a group of agitators invaded the chief justice’s official residence on Wednesday night and allegedly threatened him demanding his resignation.

The next day, a large demonstration was organized outside the Supreme Court complex and participating in it were not just lawyers but members of the teachers and nursing trade unions. At the forefront of the agitation were lawyers who were members of the lawyers collective and some lawyers who were closely associated with foreign funded NGOs.

The former Chief Justice Shrirani Bandaranayake arrived at the Supreme Court complex while a letter had been sent from the presidential secretariat saying that her removal in January 2013 was null and void. At the same time a letter was issued to the incumbent Chief Justice Mohan Peiris to the effect that he had in fact never been appointed chief justice! These are events we would never have believed possible in this country.

Continue reading ‘Public Image of Maithripala-Ranil Administration Deteriorates from “Yahapalanaya” to “Yama-Palanaya”’ »

Namal Rajapaksa

Those who know me and my two brothers know well how deeply we love the sport of rugby.

Namal Rajapaksa at Mademulana polling station with brothers Yoshitha Rajapaksa & 1st time voter Rohitha Rajapaksa-Jan 8, 2015-pic via: facebook.com/NamalSL

Having begun playing around the age of six, we played during school, during college, captained university teams and finally represented Sri Lanka internationally.

In addition to enjoying the game, in recent years, we also tried to do whatever we could to elevate the sport in Sri Lanka for younger generations that will follow us in the years to come.

In this effort, we brought down internationally-acclaimed rugby players to Sri Lanka and worked to get access for our players to obtain playing experience abroad.

Continue reading ‘My Brothers Rohitha and Yoshitha were Informed by Telephone not to Attend Rugby Practice Without any Reason Given’ »

By Shamindra Ferdinado

President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday (Jan. 31) declared that though he was the leader of the SLFP, he wouldn’t undermine the UNP in the run-up to the forthcoming parliamentary election.

Similarly, the SLFP, too, wouldn’t be let down, President Sirisena emphasised while explaining the difficulties experienced in tackling what he called an unprecedented situation. The President was responding to interviewer, Upul Shantha Sannasgala, in a recorded interview telecast by Rupavahini.

The President asserted that whatever the outcome of the next parliamentary election, the two major parties, the SLFP and the UNP would have to work together for the greater good of the country.

Rupavahini aired the interview in the wake of UNP leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declaring in Kandy that the next parliamentary election would be held in June, 2015.

Continue reading ‘President Sirisena Tells “Rupavahini” that he wont Undermine UNP or let down SLFP as both Major Parties have to Work Together for Country’s Sake.’ »

by S Venkat Narayan

Animal lovers in the Czech Republic are rejoicing these days: Janita, a Sri Lankan elephant cow, is expecting her first baby in the Prague Zoo! It will be the second time that an elephant calf will be born in the world’s seventh best zoo since it came into existence in 1933. Donna from Vietnam delivered the zoo’s first calf—-a female—-in February 2013.

Breaking the news of the pregnancy to The Island here a few days ago, Prague Zoo’s excited Director Miroslav Bobek said: “I am delighted to disclose Janita’s pregnancy for the first time to a newspaper from Sri Lanka—-her country!”

Eleven-year-old Janita was mated a little over six months ago. After exhaustive and detailed tests of her blood and hormones, it was only recently confirmed that she is pregnant. Her calf is expected to arrive in the summer of 2016 after 22 months of pregnancy—-the longest period of gestation for a mammal on earth.

Tamara, the 10-year-old second Sri Lankan elephant cow, is now being mated, and Bobek expects to confirm her pregnancy by August.

Continue reading ‘Animal Lovers in Czech Republic Ecstatic as 11 Year old Sri Lankan Elephant “Janita” in Prague Zoo Becomes Pregnant.’ »

Former Attorney-General Mohan Peiris, whose appointment as Chief Justice was declared null and void by the government of President Maithripala Sirisena, yesterday insisted that he had not vacated his position as Chief Justice but has been ‘displaced from office by an unconstitutional process’.

Mohan Peiris being sworn in as the 44th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka – Jan 16, 2013-pic: InfoLanka

In a statement issued to the media, Peiris stated, “I have not retired, resigned or vacated my office of Chief Justice, but due to exertions by external forces reinforced by an extra judicial chain of events, find myself displaced from office by an unconstitutional process having functioned continuously in my appointment for over two years.”

In a lengthy statement, Peiris added “There are times when might overtakes right and the helpless have to succumb to injustice”.

Continue reading ‘“I have not Retired, Resigned or Vacated Office but am Displaced as Chief Justice Unconstitutionally”-Mohan Peiris’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

To affirm that the independence of the judiciary is secured by individuals is just plain ludicrous. The integrity of an institution depends on processes and procedures that are hallowed by convention as well as by law. They are held sacred to the extent that an individual, even at the highest level of that institution, should not be able to subvert the same in fear of the awful consequences that follow.

A reversal of fortunes

This week, Sri Lanka saw the horrendous consequences that ensue when subversion of the judicial institution takes place through and under the Constitution, by the executive, the legislature and indeed, by the judiciary itself. Under orders of the Rajapaksa Presidency, a Rajapaksa majority dominated Parliament passed a flawed motion impeaching Chief Justice 43 Shirani Bandaranayake in January 2013. The army took charge of entry points into the superior courts complex peering into lawyers’ vehicles perchance to see if Chief Justice 43 was hiding under the seat. It was a heart-stopping day. Many pondered if she would refuse to leave her office and consequently if Sri Lanka would have two individuals occupying the Chamber of the Chief Justice. In practical terms, this did not transpire.

This Wednesday, this scenario came to play in all its manifest absurdity as the Office of the President and the Cabinet declared that Chief Justice 43 was the ‘legal’ Chief Justice and she resumed her seat even as (de facto) Chief Justice 44 Mohan Peiris refused to quit. Prudently enough however, he was not physically present in the court premises at the time. As this remarkable reversal of fortunes occurred, Chief Justice 44 was declared ‘as if he had never been’, a decision welcomed by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.

Continue reading ‘Recent “Chief Justice Drama” No Guarantee that Independence of Sri Lankan Judiciary has been Secured’ »

by

Vrinda Gopinath

pic via: facebook.com/narendramodi

1. Let’s face it, Narendra Modi’s exuberant bear hugs, vigorous handshakes, lingering hand-clutching and uncontrollable waving with US President Barack Obama as a desi version of “Gimme Five” was ludicrously over the top. The bear hug and hand shaking on the tarmac at Delhi airport where Modi broke protocol to personally receive Obama to more handshakes and waves at Rashtrapati Bhavan, to another bear hug and more vigorous handshakes and clutches before and after the press meet at Hyderabad House, then at the Indo-US CEO forum, Republic Day Parade etc etc, must have left Obama thanking the Lord that the bump and grind hadn’t reached 7 Race Course Road yet.

Now, we know the touchy-feely M.O.D.I Luvin’ was for telly marketing and photo ops for millions across the country, but could Modi have been so effusive with Asian, Latin-American or Anglo-Saxon world leaders? Apart from the standard, vigorous handshake (and a bit of backslapping with Australian prime minister), Modi was certainly trying to get into the groove with Cool Obama, who has famously fist- bumped and high-fived his way across the world. Modi must give Bro Obama a big thank you for the slammin’ and jammin’ the way only Obama can. For real cool, it’s time Modi rapped “America avi gayo”.

Continue reading ‘How Narendra Modi Tried to “Match Up” to Barack Obama and Failed Miserably.’ »

By Dharisha Bastians

Kanagasabapathy Sripavan, the country’s most senior Judge was sworn in as the 44th legitimate Chief Justice of the Republic yesterday, marking the end of a two year drama in the Supreme Court.

Justice Sripavan, 62, took oaths before President Maithripala Sirisena last evening, the Presidential Media Unit said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakse were present at the swearing in at President’s House yesterday. Justice Sripavan’s family members were also present during the small oath-taking ceremony.

Justice Sripavan had been appointed “44th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka,” the Presidential Media Unit said.
The recognition of Justice Sripavan as Chief Justice No. 44, following Chief Justice Bandaranayake who was No. 43, the Government appeared to have erased the memory of controversially appointed Chief Justice Mohan Pieris from the annals of Sri Lankan judicial history.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka’s Most Senior Supreme Court Judge Kanagasabapathy Sripavan Sworn in as 44th Chief Justice’ »

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday directed the Minister of State for Defence, Ruwan Wijewardene, to conduct a full investigation into the operation of a veritable private army run by the state-backed Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Limited (RALL) and Avant Garde Maritime Security Services Limited (AGMSL) after disclosures made in the Sunday Times (Political Commentary) last week.

“Did you leak the story to the Sunday Times?” asked a journalist from Wijewardene when a few of them, mostly representing outlets in New Delhi, surrounded him at India House, the official residence of the High Commissioner at Thurstan Road. The occasion was the celebration of India’s Republic Day. “No, no. I also read it from the Sunday Times. I treat all the media fairly and equally,” he replied.

In what took the air of an impromptu news conference, Wijewardene had to answer a volley of questions. He revealed that he had met the directors of the RALL. “They were contradicting each other,” he said. In response to a question, one of the directors had said that their partner AGMSL was running a floating armoury in ‘international waters’ and added that they were docking in the Galle Harbour only for re-fuelling purposes. A director had at first explained that they were unable to have on board Navy personnel to protect the weapons since that would, in the international context, become a vessel of war. When he later questioned the directors what would have happened if the armoury was seized by someone, Wijewardene said “he replied that the Navy was on board.”

Continue reading ‘Premier Ranil Directs State Defence Minister Ruwan to Conduct Full Probe into “Private Army” run by RALL and AGMSL’ »

By Rasika Jayakody

Ranil’s Budget

The interim budget statement, presented to Parliament by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake on Thursday, was election, oriented in more ways than one. At the same time, it is different from the election, oriented budget presented by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in October, last year, just days before he announced the presidential election.

Pictured during the budget presentation-pic via: facebook.com/maithripalas

Finance Minister Karunanayake’s budget strongly challenges the neo-liberal outlook of the United National Party, making it look like a “populist” and “people-friendly” party rather than a “business-friendly” party. All in all, a noticeable cut-down is visible on overall state expenditure, but recurrent expenditure has increased significantly due to salary hikes and other benefits that have been given to strengthen the ‘poor’ and the ‘vulnerable’. The budget, a brainchild of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, has focused a lot on bringing in more revenue through innovative measures on the tax front while curtailing expenses.

The most significant aspect of the interim budget is the way it taxes the large corporates and big businesses. It is clear that the UNP-led government, just a few months away from the general election, is trying to create a new avenue of income through Robin Hood policies. For instance, under Supergain tax, any company of which the profit exceeded Rs. 2000 million will be taxed and this will include all the large corporates who are considered as ‘long-standing friends’ of the UNP.

If we look at names of the corporate giants who have been hit with the “supergain tax”, we can understand the picture better.

Continue reading ‘Ravi Presents “Ranil Budget” with Populist and People Friendly Measures Aimed at Boosting the UNP in Elections.’ »

Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees about 100,000 in India, as other refugees in the world, are living with a hope of ending their refugee status.

Change in government in Sri Lanka has brought in refreshing changes, important among them doing away of war-centric approach. The refugees have broadly welcomed this.

They are now, awaiting a durable package, assurance from governments (India, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and Provinces in Sri Lanka) and an MoU that guarantees orderly repatriation, resettlement and reintegration.

Selliah Arumugam, 1,000th Sri Lankan refugee to return home with the help of UNHCR in 2011. He and his family left Sri Lanka in 2006 due to the conflict and spent the last five years in a camp in Tamil Nadu, India-courtesy pic via: UNHCR.org-by S. Perera

Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees have been quietly contemplating, discussing and taking the important decision of ending refugee status. They are considering options that would better their economic status, particularly in the interest of their children.
Continue reading ‘Awaiting a durable package and assurance from governments-Voice of Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in India’ »

For the thousands of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees accommodated in the government run refugee camps across Tamil Nadu, refugee return remains the strongest hope of finding an end to their protracted refugee situation. During the consultation process across the camps, it soon became clear that refugees recognized their right to return home as the durable solution. Having overcome the dilemma of “whether to stay back in India or return to Sri Lanka?”, they are expecting the right time to return back to end very long exile.

Refugees worked out a rehabilitation package to ensure a well considered, safe, dignified voluntary and sustainable return. The return, resettlement and rehabilitation package is estimated approximately for a family comprising of four members and is classified into seven components.

Continue reading ‘SEVEN STAGES OF RETURN: Return Package to Facilitate refugees to take an informed and voluntary decision to come back to Sri Lanka’ »

Introduction


The Sri Lankan Tamil refugees have lived in the camps of Tamil Nadu since 1983. Depending on the situation in Sri Lanka they have moved back and forth. Since 1991 refugees have lived in the camps of Tamil Nadu with the assistance of the Government of India (GoI) and the Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN).

File pic via: PTI

Over the years with the patronage of GoTN, they have been able to survive the hardships of refugee life. During their stay in India, they have been able to access the benefits of health and education. As a result of this, currently there are 3,812 graduates, diploma holders and skilled personnel. With the war in Sri Lanka coming to an end in 2009, refugees have been contemplating on durable solutions. Over 8,000 refugees have returned to their motherland and have been able to restart their lives, whereas the vast majority of the refugees still remain in camps thinking about their future.

In this context, OfERR, an organization of the refugees, conducted seventeen rounds of discussions with the refugees from all the 110 camps located in 25 districts in Tamil Nadu over a period of nine months. It brought together a cross-section of the population in order to ensure a collective representation of the future thinking. The consultation process facilitated refugees diving deep into their current experiences, aspirations and hopes along with the fears and concerns. Refugees discussed a range of options, starting from staying in Tamil Nadu, emigrating to a third country and returning to Sri Lanka.

During the consultations process across the camps, it soon became clear that refugees recognized their right to return home as one of the solutions, but had a range of concerns. Refugees firmly resolved that the only durable solution to end the refugee status was to rebuild their homeland. Additionally, it would extend itself to rebuilding their lives.

This document reflects challenges likely to be faced by the refugees before return in India and on their return in Sri Lanka. The following are the list of the requests refugees have placed in front of various stakeholders in order to ensure a safe, dignified and sustainable return.
Continue reading ‘Asserting the Right to Seek Durable Solutions The voice of the Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in the camps of India’ »

By

Sanjayan Rajasingham

Being a New Sri Lanka – Part 2

(This is Part 2 of a series of articles Titled “Being a New Sri Lanka”. It was sent by the writer to be posted on this blog)

3. Stay aware

I’ve often heard the refrain “I’m not interested in politics”. If “politics” here means the latest political gossip – what X’s son did, who Y snubbed, etc – I’m not too interested either! However, if it means how our rulers use the power we have given them, we need to think again. Their power is public power, and they hold it for us. If we don’t keep an eye on them, they will probably abuse it.
Continue reading ‘Making a New Sri Lanka Will not be Easy and it Won’t be Quick but it is Possible: Being a New Sri Lanka – Part 2’ »

By

Saman Indrajith

Mohan Peiris courted favour from President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President Chandrika Kumaratunga in a bid to retain his position as the Chief Justice after the new government came to power, Parliament was told yesterday.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe

Those included unscheduled visit by Peiris accompanied by his wife to President Sirisena on the night of January 21 only to be turned away, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said, making a special statement in response to a query raised by Leader of the Opposition Nimal Siripala de Silva and MEP Leader Dinesh Gunawardena the previous day.

The Prime Minister in a lengthy statement to the House explaining the circumstances that had led to the removal of Peiris and reinstatement of Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake as the Chief Justice said that Peiris had offered to give any judgment in favour of the new government if he was retained as Chief Justice till April this year.
Continue reading ‘Prime Minister Ranil Issues Special Statement in Parliament About Removal of Mohan Peiris and Re-instatement of Shirani Bandaranayake as Chief Justice.’ »

by

N. A. de S. Amaratunga

As there seems to be an unending stream of baseless accusations thrown at the Rajapaksas who ruled this country for the last ten years it is nothing but fair that their performance is assessed objectively. This scurrilous well orchestrated derogation no doubt is undertaken in view of the upcoming election.

Yet it is reprehensible and the Rajapaksas whatever their faults were do not deserve it. They do not spare even Mrs . Shiranthi Rajapaksa. It isn’t keeping with the promises made about ‘yahapalanaya’ etc.

If politics is to be cleaned up this is the last thing the new government should be doing. But their performance in this regard seems to be much worse than that of the previous government.

If there had been any corruption committed by the previous government then a prompt and thorough investigation has to be conducted. But what is happening is mudslinging of the worst kind.

There is no disagreement on the fact that Rajapaksas got together and defeated the LTTE and eliminated terrorism in the country and paved the way for peace and economic development the benefits of which are being enjoyed by the people everywhere in Sri Lanka; North and South, East and West.

Continue reading ‘Nothing but Fair to Objectively Assess Performance of Rajapaksa Regime’ »

New Delhi, Jan. 30: Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will tomorrow confront his first big diplomatic test as foreign secretary – mollifying an upset Beijing after the clearest signal by any Indian government that New Delhi’s vision for China’s neighbourhood converges with that of Washington.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar-pic: PTI

Jaishankar will tomorrow fly to Beijing with foreign minister Sushma Swaraj for a four-day visit that has been in the pipeline for months, but has now evolved into a trip critical for India to recalibrate ties with China and ascertain the concerns of that country’s leadership.
Continue reading ‘New Indian Foreign Secretary Subramanyam Jaishankar to Undergo Baptism of Fire in Beijing’ »

by Saman Indrajith

“Robin Hood” Mini-Budget presentation by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake

* Public sector receives Rs. 10,000 salary increase

* Rs. 1 mn mansion tax on palatial houses

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake making a special statement on the 100-day programme of the new government told Parliament yesterday that the government would increase the salaries of public sector workers by Rs. 10,000, half of which would be paid with their February salaries and the balance would be paid from June this year.

Finance Minister Karunanayake said that the government had also requested the employers of the private sector to increase salaries by Rs. 2,500 a month. The government would increase the pension payments by Rs. 1,000 in addition to the increments granted to them by the previous government’s last budget.

The price of a domestic gas cylinder would be reduced by Rs. 300, 400 grammes of milk powder by Rs 61 and 400 grammes of Sustagen milk powder by Rs 100. The price of a kilo of wheat flour would be reduced by Rs. 12.50 and that would help reduce bread prices by Rs. 6.00 a loaf the minister suggested.

Continue reading ‘Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake Presents Interim Budget Dubbed as “Robin Hood” Budget with many Welfare Measures’ »

By

Upul Jayasuriya

My lady the Chief Justice and other Judges of the Supreme Court, President Court of Appeal and other Judges of the Court of Appeal, learned High Court Judges and other Judicial officers, it is with overwhelming pleasure I rise today on behalf of the unofficial Bar to convey our deepest gratitude to your ladyship for a battle that you fought at great sacrifice that put two years of your life in to hibernation with much anguish and pain.

It is with pleasure and pride in the profession that I warmly welcome your ladyship’s return to your rightful place as the Chief Justice

It is common knowledge that the unwavering stand of the Bar was that the purported removal of your ladyship was unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void and of no force or effect in law and that any purported appointment done placing reliance on your ladyship’s purported removal was also necessarily unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void and of no force or effect in law.

The Bar has always urged the Government to take the necessary corrective action and we are relieved and happy that at long last justice has prevailed and the illegality has been rectified with your ladyship resuming your rightful and lawful position as Chief Justice. The Bar always fought for this day and the Bar has been vindicated.

Your ladyship has endured this extremely difficult period with immense courage and unfailing dignity and all your ladyship’s actions and words during this period, despite immense pressure being brought to bear on your ladyship, have kept in mind the paramount need to protect the dignity of the Judiciary. We respectfully commend your ladyship for your fortitude and your wisdom.

Continue reading ‘We marched towards independence of Judiciary. It is a triumph of the values that we stood for’ »

By

Dr.Shirani Bandaranayake

Today marks 746 days since I left office on the basis of an unlawful and illegal impeachment. I am glad that I am able to see before me today those who stood with me since then, in the struggle to achieve an independent Judiciary in our country.

It is not in my nature to accept felicitations of this kind, hence why I declined a ceremonial sitting in 1996 as well as in 2011. However, on this occasion, which I believe is safe to say, a momentous occasion, I could not refuse the kind invitation extended to me by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.

I suppose it is both opportune and my duty to begin, therefore, by appreciating the diligent and unwavering efforts of the learned and able team of counsel, led by President’s Counsel Mr. Romesh De Silva, who selflessly appeared and stood on my behalf from the very inception, since the time of the impeachment years ago and still continues to do so, the members of the Bar Association, headed by its incumbent President Mr. Upul Jayasuriya, who fought fearlessly throughout with vigour, the lawyers who stood by me and continue to do so, on every occasion that I was made to defend myself in the Bribery Commission and in the Magistrates Court on baseless allegations and those who actively took part amidst great adversity throughout these 746 days, including the countless civil society activists, here and abroad, whom on numerous occasions, selflessly risked their lives for the benefit of the cause I stood for.

I am fortunate to have had such unwavering and continued support, which was my biggest strength throughout this entire period.

Continue reading ‘Today would be remembered as a day in which, time and nature brought about justice!’ »

(New York, January 29, 2015) – The Sri Lankan government stepped up pressure in 2014 on human rights activists and journalists, particularly those urging justice for past war crimes, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2015 released today.

A new government, elected in January 2015, should order investigations into arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and killings since the final military operations in 2009.
Continue reading ‘“Rajapaksa Govt’s Post-conflict Years Seriously Marred by Oppression of the Tamil Population” – Human Rights Watch’ »

By

Pani Wijesiriwardena

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declared last week that his government would implement the 13th amendment to the country’s constitution. After nearly three decades, the amendment, which provided for the limited devolution of powers to the Tamil elite on a provincial level in the island’s north and east, has never been carried out fully.

Wickremesinghe made the statement on January 19 while explaining the government’s agenda to the first parliamentary sitting following Maithripala Sirisena’s election as president on January 8. Sirisena appointed Wickremesinghe, leader of pro-US United National Party (UNP), as prime minister based on a new ruling coalition, the National Democratic Front, which includes a number of right-wing parties.

Wickremesinghe’s promise to implement the 13th amendment is in the first instance a pitch for the support of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the main Tamil bourgeois party. More fundamentally, however, it underscores the shift in foreign policy toward the US and India that was ushered in by Sirisena’s election. India, supported by the US, has repeatedly demanded the amendment’s implementation as part of a “political solution” to the protracted Sri Lankan civil war that ended with the defeat of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

The presidential election had the character of a regime-change operation backed by both the US and India against former President Mahinda Rajapakse. Sirisena, a key cabinet minister and general secretary of Rajapakse’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), defected to the opposition as soon as the election was announced in a move orchestrated by Wickremesinghe and ex-President Chandrika Kumaratunga. Washington was hostile to Rajapakse’s ties with Beijing in conditions where it is seeking to strategically encircle China as part of the US “pivot to Asia.”

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan government promises “devolution pact” to woo Tamil elite’ »

By

Don Manu

If oil is refined, alcohol is distilled and grain winnowed to separate the wheat from the chaff, then what folly will it be to add the crude discarded back to the resultant product, cleansed of its impurities.

As the new Government embarks upon cleaning up the system and paving the way to restore the old cherished values and morals this nation was robbed of along with its wealth by the corrupt and degenerate regime that was, the new President Maithripala Sirisena will be committing a grievous error if he even pauses for a moment to entertain the idea of taking back the blackguards who, having supped at the Rajapaksa high table and gormandised to the full, now show alarming signs of wishing to puke upon the white linen presently being laid at the people’s buffet.

Far divorced from the realities of the ground situation, far removed from the sufferings of the masses and far gone beyond the ambit of honour and decency, these were the parasitical creepers who clung to the diseased Rajapaksa family tree and continued to perpetrate the fraud on the masses by protracting its existence in the belief that their life supporting trunk could never be brought down and that their happy days of endless sunshine would never end.

But it did. And when the unthinkable happened, look how swift the metamorphosis. After having praised Mahinda to the hilt and denigrated Maithri to the pits, they have had no qualm to damn their deposed leader Mahinda the moment he lost and change their tune and sing songs of praise to Maithri the moment he won.

Continue reading ‘Disgraceful Dayasiri Jayasekera Deserts Mahinda and Defects to Maithripala’s feet After Defecating on him Earlier’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

The fact that the now deposed Mahinda Rajapaksa Presidency set the standard so deplorably low for good governance and democracy should not deter the Sri Lankan public from demanding that the incumbent Government fulfill election pledges to the highest extent demonstrable.

We should not lapse into a mindset of settling for less purely due to the undeniably nightmarish possibility of a Rajapksa-return, with its minders now eagerly waiting and watching in the wings. Indeed, it is only if the Sirisena Government fails that this eventuality will arise in any event. There is therefore a grave need for judicious pressure to be exerted to ensure that such failure is averted.

Continue reading ‘Many Proverbial “Bad Eggs”of the Previous Rajapaksa Regime now form part of the Current Sirisena Dispensation.’ »

The British Government must be willing to hold the Sri Lankan authorities to account if they reject the findings and recommendations of the forthcoming United Nations report into alleged war crimes and human rights violations on the island, according to Siobhain McDonagh MP.

Speaking during a debate on Sri Lanka in the UK Parliament on Wednesday 28th January, the Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden and the Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils said no measures should be taken off the table by the British Government, including possible sanctions and travel bans, if President Maithripala Sirisena’s Government fails to comply with the inquiry.

Continue reading ‘British Government must ensure accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, says Siobhain McDonagh MP’ »

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s sons Yoshitha and Rohitha are to be removed from the captaincy of the Rugby teams of the Navy and Army respectively, on the instructions of a highly placed official, informed sources said yesterday.

Instructions had been issued to the relevant officials in this regard.

Continue reading ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Sons Yoshitha and Rohitha to be Removed as Captains of the Navy and Army Rugby Teams on Orders from the Top’ »

Senior Supreme Court Judge Kanagasabapathy J. Sripavan will be appointed as the next Chief Justice, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne told the Cabinet briefing this morning.

President Maithripala Sirisena was sworn-in by Justice Sripavan bypassing Chief Justice Mohan Peiris.

Continue reading ‘Seniormost Supreme Court Judge Kanagasabapathy J.Sripavan to be Appointed as 44th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka’ »

Participating in her ceremonial sitting today (29), Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake said that justice was restored to her after two years.

“I fought for two years not only for myself but for the independent legal system of the country and against corruption”, she said.

Continue reading ‘43rd Chief Justice Dr.Shirani Bandaranayake Participates in Ceremonial Sitting of the Supreme Court Before Retiring’ »

By
Dharisha Bastians

Eventually, it all ended the way it began.

Chief Justice – pic courtesy of: AlJazeera

The high domed, iconic red roofs of the Superior Court Complex shimmering in the scorching sun. A gathering of black coats outside the gates at noon. Activists and demonstrators, their protest ended, chatting in small groups. Journalists, cameras poised, standing by the gates endlessly waiting for the footage of the day.

Dressed in a simple grey Kandyan sari, Shirani Bandaranayake returned to Hulftsdorp Hill to resume duties as the lawful Chief Justice of Sri Lanka last afternoon. Received with a bouquet of flowers, Bandaranayake was escorted into the premises by Attorney at Law and TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran and Bar Association President Upul Jayasuriya.

Present on the scene were several other key activist lawyers including Dr. Jayampathy Wickremaratne PC and attorney at law J.C. Weliamuna.

For the legal fraternity, it has been a two year struggle to reinstate her. Her reinstatement, even symbolically, is seen to be the culmination of a battle waged with all the power they could muster against her illegal sacking in 2013. The Rajapaksa state overrode every constitutional roadblock, every moral and ethical argument against the impeachment of Bandaranayake two years ago.

Continue reading ‘How President Sirisena Used his Powers to Remove Mohan Peiris and Restore Shirani Bandaranayake as Chief Justice’ »

By

Prof. Carlo Fonseka

In The Island of 19 January 2015, N. Amarasekera of Colombo writes: “It was the late Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru who pooh-poohed astrological predictions as inspired guesses, but as there is a saying that a sucker is born every minute one may have to give in to the majority’s wishes!” If I understand NA correctly, what he is saying is this:

“Although JN pooh-poohed astrology he nevertheless gave it to his people because most of them were born suckers”. JN read natural sciences – chemistry, botany and geology – at Trinity College, University of Cambridge. In 1910 at the age of 21 he took the natural science tripos with second class honours. His public persona was that of a scientific, agnostic, socialist, secularist public intellectual. He was, however, born a Hindu, lived a Hindu and contrary to his expressed written wish that no religious ceremonies should be associated with his funeral, was given the last rites of a traditional Hindu King. There is evidence that during the 17 years he led India, Hindu occultism and astrology pervaded his governing circle. Such was the power that the culture into which he was born, exerted even on a famous, powerful public intellectual who had read natural sciences at Cambridge University.

Transfer of Power

The transfer of power from Britain to India was arranged to take place at the stroke of midnight on the 14th of August 1947. The explanation for the ungodly hour at which the transfer took place had to do with unmitigated astrological superstition. It so happened that Britain’s last Viceroy of India Lord Mountbatten who presided over the event insisted that the 15th of August 1947 should be the day of transfer of power. This was because he regarded the 15th of August as his ‘lucky day’ for the simple reason that the Japanese Army had surrendered before him on the 15th of August 1945. But Hindu astrologers considered the 15th of August 1947 as a very “unfortunate and unholy day “and demanded that the transfer should take place on the 14th of August. Thus, the problem that JN was obliged to solve was how to satisfy the superstitious Indian astrologers and the equally superstitious Lord Mountbatten. His solution was simple and brilliant. He knew that according to the western calendar a new day begins at the stroke of midnight, whereas in Hindu astrology a new day begins at sunrise of each day. Therefore the stroke of midnight of 14th would be the 15th of August for Lord Mountbatten but would remain the 14th of August for Indian astrologers.(One is reminded of Caesar’s taunt to the soothsayer in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar: “The ides of March are come” and the soothsayer’s riposte, “Ay, Caesar, but not gone.” ). In the event, JN summoned the Constituent Assembly in the afternoon of the 14th of August and continued the session until the stroke of midnight when the 15th of August dawned according to the western calendar. Then he gave memorable utterance to those immortal words: “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge… At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom”. Permit me to say irreverently that in all honesty, after the phrase “India will awake to life and freedom” JN should have added the words “at a time decreed by Hindu astrology.” There is evidence that JN who condemned astrology publicly, consulted astrologers privately. Those are the inevitable acts of harmless hypocrisy that politicians are obliged to perform. Let us understand them and forgive them. After all, if they are worse than us then why did we freely elect them?

The Bandaranaikes & Astrology

To my knowledge in our country the influence of astrology on politicians surfaced during the premiership of SWRD Bandaranaike, JN’s Oxford- educated contemporary and friend. Astrologers openly predicted that the second half of 1959 was “fatally bad” for SWRDB. One of those who predicted it was Dr. David Jansz, my Cambridge- educated physiology lecturer in the Colombo Medical School. I have recounted elsewhere how Dr. DJ gloated with glee on the 25th of September 1959, not because SWRDB was shot but because his astrological prediction came true!

Continue reading ‘From SWRD to Mahinda: Influence of Astrology on Sri Lankan Political Leaders’ »

By K. Ratnayake

Fresh evidence has emerged pointing to a concerted international effort behind the defeat of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse in the country’s presidential election on January 8. Reuters reported on Sunday that the Colombo station chief for India’s external spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), was recalled to New Delhi before the election, following complaints by the Sri Lankan government that he was helping the opposition parties.

India rejected any suggestion that it meddled in the Sri Lankan election. External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin insisted that the diplomat was recalled as part of a “normal transfer” after a three-year tour of duty in Colombo. The Reuters report, however, based on “political and intelligence sources” in India and Sri Lanka, said Colombo asked New Delhi to recall the agent “for helping gather support for joint opposition candidate Maithripala [Sirisena] after persuading him to ditch Rajapakse’s cabinet.”

Sirisena, a senior cabinet minister, defected to the opposition in November, immediately after Rajapakse announced the date for an early presidential election. Sirisena declared that he would run as the joint opposition candidate. The move was prepared well in advance by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, head of the pro-US United National Party (UNP). UNP leaders discussed this “election strategy” with senior US and UK diplomats in Colombo during early November.

Continue reading ‘Evidence of India’s involvement in regime change in Sri Lanka’ »

By Wasantha Rupasinghe

The new Sri Lankan government of President Maithripala Sirisena held a meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) last Thursday to discuss a “100 day-work program,” which is supposedly about establishing “democracy” and providing “relief for the masses.”

Sirisena and the opposition parties that backed him, including the right-wing United National Party (UNP), promised this program during the campaign for the January 8 presidential election. The measures are nothing but an attempt to exploit the deep discontent among working people against former President Mahinda Rajapakse and cover up the new government’s reactionary agenda, including its pro-US foreign policy.

Apart from the ruling National Democratic Front—comprised of the UNP, the Sinhala extremist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), former army chief Sarath Fonseka’s Democratic Party (DP) and the All Ceylon Muslim Congress—other parties participating in the NEC included the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who engineered Sirisena’s candidacy, and the National Movement for Social Justice, an NGO led by a Buddhist monk, also took part.

The NEC is a right-wing coalition that the JVP initially proposed as a mechanism for marshalling support for the new government. Both the JVP and TNA refused to join the government, but are backing it indirectly through the NEC. After the meeting, JVP leader Anura Kumar Dissanayake boasted to the media that the council “can act above the cabinet.”

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan government discusses phony “100-day work program”’ »

(Compiled From News Reports in the “Asian Mirror” Website)

‘Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake was purportedly removed from her post under the process set out in Standing Order 78A’

President Maithripala Sirisena has accepted Shirani Bandaranayake as the legal Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.

“Mr. President accepts Shirani Bandaranayake as the legal Chief Justice,” President Sirisena tweeted from his official Twitter account, a short while ago.

In his election manifesto, President Sirisena said that CJ 43 Shirani Bandaranayake will be reinstated in her position as the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.

This morning, the President and his Cabinet acknowledged Bandaranayake’s right to resume duties as the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka as her impeachment was flawed and there illegal.

Continue reading ‘President Sirisena who Voted for Impeachment of Shirani Bandaranayake now Endorses her as the Legal Chief Justice’ »

by P.Krishnaswamy

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) frontliner M.A.Sumanthiran MP in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer spelt out the TNA’s needs – their stance with regard to a lasting solution to the Tamil problem, the immediate measures that they have insisted over the livelihood and rehabilitation of the conflict-affected Tamils, the current controversy over the post of Chief Minister (CM) of the Eastern Provincial Council (PC) and the Government’s measures to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in full.

He said that the Maithripala administration which the Tamils exuberantly supported has already initiated measures to resolve their outstanding issues and expressed optimism that the current political trend signals harmony and mutual understanding among the different communities in the country.

MA Sumanthiran MP

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: Do you believe that the overwhelming support that the Tamils of the North and East, represented by the TNA, and also the Muslims gave to elect the new government to power signals harmony and mutual understanding among the different communities of the country?

Continue reading ‘“Full Implementation of the 13th Amendment is no Lasting Solution”-MA Sumanthiran MP’ »

BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA

PRE-INDEPENDENCE DAY THOUGHTS 2015: THE FUTURE STATE OF THE NATION

In the run-up to Independence Day 2015, we must thank God for Mr. Sumanthiran. He is indubitably a moderate and an intellectual. Let us give thanks also for the Sunday Observer, which is a state-run newspaper not given to running stories or distorting them in a manner inimical or embarrassing to the government of the day. Therefore, when Mr. Sumanthiran says something to the Sunday Observer, I take it seriously because I know I am on safe ground. Mr. Sumanthiran tells the newspaper that the TNA doesn’t expect much movement on addressing the Tamil political question during the Hundred Day program. That is realistic –and anyway, who’d want to affect the UNP’s chances at the General election by pressing home Tamil political demands? He also says that the full implementation of the 13th amendment would be a good first step. Then comes the bottom-line: “The PM said that devolution will now be given under the 13th Amendment which the previous government was blocking. But we have clearly said that the full implementation of the 13th Amendment is no lasting solution.” (‘Current political trend signals harmony among communities’ – M.A.Sumanthiran MP, by P.Krishnaswamy, Sunday Observer, January 25th 2015)

MA Sumanthiran MP

There’s always that ‘but’ isn’t there? There’s always that ‘but’ even for a moderate Tamil nationalist intellectual. The truth as disclosed or rather, reiterated by the cosmopolitan, Colombo based Mr. Sumanthiran is that the proposed removal of the roadblocks to the full implementation of the 13th amendment just isn’t enough. This is because “full implementation of the 13th amendment is no lasting solution”.

Some readers may think I am making something of a mountain out of a molehill, but interestingly and appropriately the caption of the interview when reproduced on the website of veteran (expatriate) journalist DBS Jeyaraj reflected what was most newsworthy about the story: “Full Implementation of the 13th Amendment is No Lasting Solution- MA Sumanthiran, MP”.
Continue reading ‘Tamil Nationalism has Never Accepted that a Lasting Solution Could be Arrived at Through Full Devolution Within a Unitary State.’ »

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday alleged that a concerted effort was being made to tarnish his image and that of his family as well as the previous UPFA government. The former SLFP leader emphasized that a spate of baseless allegations including an alleged attempt to launch a military coup had been made since the conclusion of the presidential poll.

Birthday Selfie via: twitter.com/RajapaksaNamal ~ “Happy Birthday Ammi. Hope you have a blessed day and year ahead”-January 23, 2015

The following is the full text of the open letter to the nation written by the former President and issued in the form of a statement-

To the Venerable Maha Sangha, all Reverend Clergymen and the People of Sri Lanka

“Numerous allegations have been levelled against me, my family and my government both before and after the recent presidential election. If there are allegations of wrongdoing against anybody, there are established procedures that can be followed. What we see instead is a media blitz meant to vilify me and to mislead the public. I wish to state my position on these matters so that the people will not be misled by this unprecedented campaign of vilification by interested parties.

The allegation has been made that I attempted to launch a military coup in the early hours of the 9th January.

On the contrary, I conceded defeat and having discussed matters with the then opposition leader Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, left Temple Trees several hours before the final results were announced. The accusation that I sought the Attorney General’s advice on how to remain in power illegally is by its very nature, an absurdity. I was saddened by the comments made about this alleged incident and other matters by the incumbent president at a rally in Polonnaruwa. It is with deep regret that I state that I am not being allowed to spend my days in peace even after leaving office.
Continue reading ‘“Outrageous and Totally Unsubstantiated Accusations Against Me” – Ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa’ »

By Col R Hariharan

THE recently concluded Sri Lankan presidential elections belied President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s confidence as he was beaten by Maithripala Sirisena, former health minister and a long- term colleague of his. People seem to have preferred “unknown angel” Sirisena to “known devil” Rajapaksa, as he described himself in an election rally.

Rajapaksa was so confident of winning the people’s mandate for a third term that he advanced the election by two years before his second term ended. But Sirisena, general sec- retary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), emerged as a challenger on the eve of the election announcement.

According to the official results, Sirisena won by a 3.7 percent margin over the more crafty Rajapaksa and was preferred by 51.38 per-cent of the 121 million voters.

This may not appear to be a bad performance if we consider that in 2005, Rajapaksa’s scrapped through with a wafer-thin 1.86 percent majority over his rival Ranil Wickremesinghe to become president. But a decade later, Rajapaksa went to the polls with the enormous executive powers of a serving president.

In 2009, he used the popularity he earned after the victory in the Eelam War to gain two- thirds majority in parliament for his United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) coalition and also handsomely wIn the presidential election for a second time in 2010.

Despite these advantages, Rajapaksa seemed to have lost direction and that cost him this presidency. But the central reason for his electoral debate has been the loss of support within his own party and the people at large, particularly minorities.

Continue reading ‘The Spectacular Fall of Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Marvellous Rise of Maithripala Sirisena.’ »

By Dharisha Bastians

After an eight-year hiatus, Mangala Samaraweera is back at his old office in the historic Republic Building, which once housed prime ministers. In this third stint as Sri Lanka’s top diplomat, he appears to take to the role with increasing comfort, confidence and a strong compulsion to reform the system of professional diplomacy that he says has crumbled under the previous regime over nine years.

The new Foreign Minister sat down for a discussion on politics, foreign policy and Sri Lanka’s post-Rajapaksa future, shortly before heading to Brussels.

Following are excerpts of the discussion:

Q: There’s a famous story that when you first walked into this Ministry after Minister Kadirgamar’s assassination, you are reported to have said those were big shoes to fill. What’s it like this time around?

A:When I took over as Foreign Minister in 2005, I found the task daunting because I had to follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest and finest foreign ministers Sri Lanka has ever had. But today again returning to the same room and the same desk seven years later, I find the task daunting for exactly the opposite reason. Foreign policy has totally been dashed to the ground. To revive the foreign policy in order to ensure that Sri Lanka is a respected country in the community of civilised nations will take some time.

Continue reading ‘UN Probe Report May Be Concluded in March and Referred to Lankan Domestic Mechanisms for Necessary Action-Mangala’ »

By

Mirudhula Thambiah

Minister of Resettlement, Reconstruction and Hindu Culture, D.M. Swaminathan said he was working with all Tamil political parties to resettle the people of Valikamam –North during the 100 day programme.Commenting on the Sri Lankan refugees in India, he said “There are more than 100,000 Sri Lankan refugees in India. Earlier, when these people came to Sri Lanka, they were grilled during security clearance by the previous government. They were kept in custody for more than 24 hours. This procedure has reached the refugees in India and they lost interest to return to their home country. We are trying to make it more flexible, we will check on the security, but we will not grill them.”

Following are excerpts of the interview:

Q:
How do you view the resettlement programme in the past? Do you feel it was successful?

A: According to figures I have received, 280,000 families have been resettled so far. These people were resettled in the areas they were entitled to resettle. There are various other issues connected to resettlement issues. Once people are resettled we have to provide them with sanitation, housing, schooling and livelihood. I have not received any information with regard to these issues. I don’t want to comment on the previous government and waste my time. I will only look at the future on what I can do. Criticizing another government is not part of my job. I’m in this position to execute my responsibilities.

Continue reading ‘“I cannot interfere with the Army occupation in the North but I will look into Resettlement”-DM Swaminathan, Resettlement Minister’ »

By

Sumanasiri Liyanage

As I mentioned in a previous note, it is imperative to reread and revise 100 days program of President Maithripala Sirisena reflecting the aspirations and hopes as they were expressed by the people at the election. Of course, different peoples have had different expectations and hopes. At least their priorities may be different. The interests of the urban middle class might have been democracy and good governance. Almost all might have been despised bribery and corruption.

pic courtesy of: ukinsrilanka

However, numerically small nations would have seen election as a space of raising the issue of security and protecting their identity. It seems the government is now working on bringing in 19th Amendment to the Constitution by repealing the infamous 18th Amendment that negated independent commission set up by the 17th Amendment. Also it allowed president to hold office more than twice. We still do not know for sure what would be included in the 19th Amendment, but it seems it will be in line with the proposal submitted by Ven. Athuraliya Rathana, MP and his pivithuru lowak movement. As the 100 day-programme was careful in even mentioning the national question, the issue may not be specifically be addressed in the 19th Amendment.

Continue reading ‘35 Member Second Chamber Proposed with 15 for Sinhalese, 15 for Tamils and Muslims and 5 for Others Like Veddahs, Malays, Burghers, Colombo Chetties etc’ »

By

Upul Joseph Fernando

No doubt Presidential Advisor on Foreign Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala is now in Geneva to met UNHRC High Commissioner, Zeid Hussein to discuss the issue of the war crimes probe against Sri Lanka. The UNHRC is expected to present a report in March which may contain the necessity to initiate such a probe against Sri Lanka and the refusal by the previous Rajapaksa government to permit the probing team passage to Sri Lanka to conduct investigations. Dhanapala’s mission to Geneva could be to make amends before that report is presented to the UNHRC and assure that an internal mechanism would be put in place to probe alleged war crimes.

The talk in many circles is why Dhanapala and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera have mediated in the deep crisis Sri Lanka faces at international level with regard to alleged war crimes. Some debate that Dhanapala is engaged in that exercise due to his experience and links with the United Nations. While Dhanapala took wing to Geneva, Mangala flew to Brussels to resolve the issue of the ban imposed on Sri Lankan fish exports. Prior to that, Mangala flew to India to meet Indian Premier Narendra Modi. It was a successful visit; an Indian Prime Minister meets a visiting foreign minister rarely. The Mangala-Dhanapala relationship dates back to the 2004-2005 Chandrika Kumaratunga regimes.

Continue reading ‘Intriguing “Partnership”of Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Presidential Adviser on Foreign relations Jayantha Dharmapala.’ »

by Harim Peiris

The new government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been proceeding without a major hiccup and the issue making the most news daily has been the ongoing revelations of corruption against the former Rajapaksa regime and extending up to its highest levels.

The most newsworthy post election development was the collapse of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) into the lap of its longtime former General Secretary, President Maithripala Sirisena.

Mahinda Rajapaksa has delusions of making an immediate political comeback. Barely was the ink dry on the official president election results than he was visiting the SLFP office at Darley Road and summoning Central Committee meetings. Within forty eight hours or so of that meeting, the SLFP Chairmanship rested with President Sirisena.

Continue reading ‘The delusion of a Rajapaksa come back and the general election stakes’ »

by

Rohana R. Wasala

These days, the phrase ‘good governance’ reverberates across the media reporting on Sri Lanka. It refers to a vague concept that is being used by the West and their opportunistic allies as a very effective weapon against our country to keep it destabilized for their own purposes, while trying to alienate us from the relatively more sincere friends in the region that we have had for over a thousand years. (Human rights violation charges are another weapon. Even when there are some genuine reasons for raising issues such as poor governance and rights violations, these are blown out of proportion to suit the attacker’s need.) We are in the ridiculous position of a dog that snaps at a stone thrown at it, being too distracted to see the stone thrower.

A nuanced understanding of ‘good governance’ is a cogent necessity at this critical time. (The adjective ‘nuanced’ here means characterized by attention being paid to a number factors such as the different shades of contextual meanings that the phrase ‘good governance’ expresses, the usual assumptions that the idea is based on, the feelings behind it, the tone or attitudes it reflects, the intentions it probably conceals, and the subtle change of one shade of meaning into another as in the border between any two colours in the spectrum, etc.)

I have long believed that Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa and Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, despite their personal human failings, are the two most prominent non-communalist national political leaders that we can’t do without until they are made redundant in their roles by equally good or better ones. Both are national assets being products of long years of training (experience) in politics in this multicultural multiethnic country; they have both held responsible positions of political power and proved their mettle.

Continue reading ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe Despite Personal Failings are the two most Prominent non-communalist National Political Leaders’ »

BY UDENI SAMAN KUMARA AND BANDARA MUDIYANSE

after 835 years that a national leader came to power from Rajarata. I am no Dutu Gemunu, Devanampiyatissa or Parakramabahu;

“If I lost the presidential election, my dearly beloved people of Polonnaurwa would most probably have missed seeing me from the very next day as I would have ended up in a grave somewhere, together with the members of my family,” said President Maithripala Sirisena addressing a felicitation meeting held in his honour in Polonnaruwa.

“The last presidential election was the most corrupt election held so far in this country. All the political powers and State resources were misused at unprecedented levels, hitherto not seen resorted to by any political leader in this country.

“The Prime Minister and I, in consultation with other party leaders in our Common Opposition Front, can dissolve this Parliament even at midnight today. But, we are not going to do it because it would retard the progress of our much prized 100-day programme. In such case, we will not be able to fulfil our much-needed constitutional amendments within the time frame we have stipulated; what is more important and relevant at this stage is to fulfil what we have promised to the people, with the support of all progressive elements in the SLFP and other parties,” the President reiterated.

Maithri felicitation (Janabhinandana) ceremony was held in Thopawewa Sports Stadium, Polonnaruwa, presided over by the newly-elected President, Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, with the participation of thousands of well-wishers.

Continue reading ‘“A National Leader from Rajarata After 835 Years but I am no Dutu Gemunu,Devanampiyatissa or Parakramabahu”-President Sirisena in Polonnaruwa’ »