10th September 2016

By Ifham Nizam Leader of the Tamil Ealam Liberation Organisation (TELO) and Deputy Chairman of Committees in Parliament Selvam Adaikalanathan says President Maithripala Sirisena is doing his utmost to put Sri Lanka on the map once again. He stressed that unfortunately former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the joint opposition have become a stumbling block to President Sirisena. “Those who lost their powers are going all out to hamper the efforts of President Sirisena…this is not rosy for the nation,” he added. Following are excerpts of the interview: Q:  Do you think a split within the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) would affect the country or overall politics in Sri Lanka A: No…not at all. A split within the SLFP will not cause problems for the […]

President Maithripala Sirisena says all must unite to create a strong opinion in the society about preventing drug consumption, which destroys the entire society and increases poverty among the people of the country. He made these remarks participating at the Eighth phase of the “Drug Free Country” National Drug Prevention Program, held at the Jaffna Outdoor Stadium, today (09). The President requested all to fulfill their respective duties towards the Motherland and the nation while contributing to the initiatives taken by the Government to build a drug free country. President Sirisena also pointed out that the most serious social menace that prevails in the North today is the drug menace and all should unite to save the people from this danger. In 2015 the people […]

The aftermath of the visit of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has evoked mixed responses from within the Northern political front. The Secretary General visited the country last week and had met with several political figures in the Northern Province, including Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentary Group Leader R. Sampanthan and Northern Province Chief Minister, C.V. Wigneswaran. Such visits by a diplomat or a UN high ranking official get mixed views from the Sri Lankan populace. There are those who detest foreign visits of this nature while there are some who welcome these dignitaries with open arms. The final phase of the war, and the sentiments shared by the UN on it had evoked mixed reactions from people and politicians alike. Some are against, […]

The issue of civilian land being held by the military in the North and East seems to be heading towards a final solution following the visit to Sri Lanka by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week. President Maithripala Sirisena told a group of newspaper Editors and media heads on Friday that the government’s intention is to return the remaining privately-owned lands in the North to the rightful owners within the next three months. He said that while vast extents of land have been returned to the original owners, State land is to be given to those who are landless and living in welfare centers or with friends and relatives. The President also accused extremist Tamil elements of attempting to prevent the land issue from being resolved. […]

He came, he saw, he concurred, but did it mean anything at all for Sri Lanka? Last week’s visit of United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is being hailed by the powers that be as a great diplomatic victory for Sri Lanka but is it, really? True, there was nothing controversial about moon’s visit this time around, in stark contrast to his previous visit in 2009. That was undertaken barely a fortnight after the war with the Liberation Tigers Eelam (LTTE) had ended, when the world was coming to terms with the enormity of what had just happened. While Sri Lanka was rejoicing–along with a few trusted and tested allies such as China, Russia and Pakistan – at ending a thirty-year war that had […]

National Delegates’ Conference of Affected Families Over 200 family members of persons gone missing due to enforced disappearance from different parts of the country, who assembled as the ‘National Delegates’ Conference of Affected Families’ on the International Day of the Disappeared last week, resolved to lobby the government and international community for a better efficient and independent mechanism than the OMP to investigate the missing. They were critical and voiced disappointment in how the OMP Bill was pushed through parliament without any opportunity given to them during the drafting process to present their needs in establishing it. The conference had representation from North, East, Kandy, Passara, and Colombo. Many delegates said, this is the first time in post war Sri Lanka, they attend a conference […]

By Manekshaw Major General Kamal Gunaratne, who had been one of the field commanders of the final phase of the battle against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and made the outfit to meet its ‘waterloo’ at Nandikadal in Mullaitivu, with the death of its illusive leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran, released his autobiography titled ‘Road to Nadikadal’ on his retirement last week. Major General Kamal Gunaratne’s book Road to Nandikadal more than highlighting Sri Lanka Army’s remarkable victory over one of the most deadliest militant outfits in the world, had clearly outlined the impression of a Lankan soldier on the long drawn out separatist war which had lasted for three decades traumatizing the entire country. The author of Road to Nandikadal joined the Army as […]

5 INFANTS, 42 CHILDREN UNDER TEN, 85 WOMEN AND 28 OLD PERSONS WERE AMONG THE 184 VILLAGERS WHO WERE MURDERED AND BURNT BY SRI LANKAN ARMY. The 1990 Batticaloa massacre, also known as the Sathurukondan massacre was a massacre of at least 184 minority Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, including infants, from three villages in the Batticaloa District by the Sri Lankan Army on September 9, 1990. The village of Sathurukondan is in the northern suburb of Batticaloa. At 5:30 p.m. on September 9, 1990, armed men in uniform and in civilian clothes came into the area and ordered everyone to come on to the road. They were then marched to the army camp in the vicinity after being told that they would be questioned and released. Most of those who were left in the village that day were elderly, […]