17th November 2014

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI) on missing persons is collecting written statements related to alleged war crimes and human rights abuses as part of its extended mandate, a spokesman of the Commission said. Secretary to the Presidential Commission H.W Gunadasa said that statements will be accepted till December 31 this year and a notice to this effect had already been issued. He said that once the deadline of accepting written statements ends the COI will begin making inquiries into the statements and take the next step. President Mahinda Rajapaksa had in July expanded the mandate of the Presidential Commission on mission persons and appointed international experts to advice the commission. The Government had said that the President was of the opinion that the Commission of […]

By Niranjala Ariyawansha The Central Committee of the Sri Lanka Communist Party, was divided over whether to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa or not, at the forthcoming Presidential election. Of the 51 Central Committee members, 26, along with Minister DEW Gunasekera, supported the proposal to back President Rajapaksa while 14 members voted against. One member was absent. In an interview with Ceylon Today, Minister Gunasekera explains the Party’s present crisis:  Q: Is it true the Communist Party is divided over the decision to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the upcoming Presidential election? A: The Communist Party is not divided. But there can be different views. At our central committee, 26 members voted in favour of supporting President Mahinda Rajapaksa, while 14 voted against it. One member was […]

Development of the post war Northern economy Tamil Diaspora did not contribute even a Rupee – Douglas Devananda There are still around 35% of the people who are still unemployed. BY RAVI LADDUWAHETTY Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) Leader and Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development, Douglas Devananda, in startling revelation, alleged that the Tamil Diaspora had not contributed a single cent for the development of the North in the post war era. They pumped in billions to the LTTE at the time of the war, but they have not contributed a cent or a Rupee for the welfare of the North, that they were shedding crocodile tears, the EPDP Leader and Minister said. He also said that there were over a million […]