February 2018

Containing Mahinda’s Racist & Kleptomaniacal Neo-Populism; Crisis Of Govt & Latent Crisis Of State By Kumar David – Prof. Kumar David Danger has surfaced, there is a threat of a return to authoritarianism which may harden into semi-fascism. The dark side is unifying and mobilising. Those who are for democracy, the Jan 8 Movement, the left in all its complexions, national minorities and liberals must prepare to join battle. In 2015 we decided on a common candidate to use as a lever to resolve a Single Issue, restoration of democracy. Democracy has been restored; the lever MS has rotted and been discarded; no problem. If the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, then the people must reawaken every time peril returns.    About half the LG councils […]

A minister of the United Kingdom has spoken to Foreign Affairs Minister Tilak Marapana regarding the incident involving Sri Lankan Military Attache Brigadier Priyanka Fernando who made a throat slitting gesture in front of a group of British Tamils of Sri Lankan origin, in London, on Feb. 04, President Sirisena, ordered that he be reinstated. The Brigadier displayed this as a warning, during a demonstration on February 4 by LTTE activists in front of the Sri Lankan High Commission in London. The incident led to controversy, with pressure for removal of the Brigadier from office by British MP’s because publicly threatening to kill someone is against the law of the country. This behaviour of this Sri Lankan Ex Army commander proves that Tamils throats were slit by […]

A Pillaiyar temple in Chemmani, Jaffna was vandalised this week, with the statue of the deity smashed. The attack, by unknown persons, occurred on Thursday evening. The police are reportedly investigating the incident, which is the latest in a series of incidents of vandalism targeting Hindu and Christian places of worship across the North-East. Related Articles: 13 February 2018 : 3 Hindu shrines vandalised in Mannar 21 November 2017 : Hindu shrines attacked in Mannar 02 November 2017 : Hindu temple in Vavuniya attacked overnight

Britain’s Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific said the UK government was treating the incident of Sri Lanka’s UK defence attache Brigadier Priyanka Fernando threatening Tamil protestors “very seriously” and confirmed that he has been ordered back to Colombo. Brigadier Fernando was filmed on February 4 making a throat slitting gesture at Tamils protesting outside the Sri Lankan High Commission in London. Clive Efford MP for Eltham stated that if “somebody else incited hatred in that way on our streets, they would be interviewed by the police” and asked the minister if Brigadier would be “interviewed by the police about that crime”. In response, Mark Field said that the “UK takes this incident very seriously”. He stated that he had spoken with Sri […]

Law & order ministry to Fonseka? Mahinda faction worried! We reported on the 16th that Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka is to be given the law and order ministry, and that there have been several requests to the president to appoint him to the position.   This has caused worries for the Mahinda faction and those connected to corruption in the previous regime. The government has failed to fulfill the 2015 promise to punish the corrupt, murderers and plunderers. The law and order and justice ministries did not make sufficient attempt to do so and was one main reason for the votes against the recent mini polls.   Both Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa and Sagala Ratnayake have been accused of indirectly protecting Mahinda Rajapaksa and his henchmen. This […]

Opposition Leader and TNA MP R. Sampanthan today said that the government was bound to implement the UNHRC resolution both in spirit and letter and called on the international community to ensure it was fully implemented. Highlighting the delays that have occurred in implementing the resolution he said that the International community must take necessary steps to ensure that the government is held accountable for the commitments made to the international community and to the people in Sri Lanka on implementing Cosponsored resolution at the UN Human Rights Council. He made this statement when he met  with the visiting United States member of Congress F. James Sensenbrenner and His Chief of Staff Mr Matt Bisenius today at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition […]

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry on Thursday stressed the country’s High Commissioner had not resigned, rejected media reports she had terminated her contract.  “High Commissioner Wijewardene will conclude her contract on her own volition by 31 March 2018,” the ministry said in statement. The Sri Lanka’s High Commission in London has faced increased scrutiny over recent weeks after the country’s defence attache to the UK, Brigadier Priyanka Fernando was filmed motioning a death threat to Tamils protesting outside the building on February 4. Brigadier Fernando was recalled yesterday for “consultations”, the army spokesperson said. The army has subsequently made clear no disciplinary action will be taken over the incident.  Related Articles: 22 February 2018 : ‘No disciplinary action’ for Sri Lankan brigadier over death threat confirms army […]

ECONOMYNEXT – The arrest of a retired senior Deputy Inspector-General has revealed how the police scuttled its own investigations to protect military intelligence men who carried out the assassination of editor Lasantha Wickrematunge. Senior DIG Prasanna Nanayakkara who is currently in remand custody has allegedly instructed his juniors to not only botch the investigation, but also destroy evidence gathered from the crime scene, according to a confession by Senior Superintendent Hemantha Adhikari. It was Adhikari who led the investigation into Wickrematunge’s assassination in January 2009 under the immediate supervision of DIG Nanayakkara who at the time was in charge of Western Province (south). Fearing his own arrest, Adhikari, who is currently serving as a security officer of the Dhammika Perera-owned Hayleys Group, made a length […]

Former Senior Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Hemantha Adhikari yesterday made a confidential statement regarding the murder of former Sunday Leader Editor late Lasantha Wickrematunge before Mount Lavina Magistrate Mohamed Mihail. The statement was made in the Magistrate’s Chamber. When the case was called, on previous hearing (February,16), the CID informed Court that former Senior DIG Hemantha Adhikari, who held previous investigations into the murder of Mr Wickrematunge, had volunteered to make a statement to the Magistrate regarding the murder. Earlier, the Court had impounded the passports of former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jayantha Wickewmaratne, former DIG Prasanna Nanayakkara and former Senior DIG Hemantha Adhikari following submissions made to the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court by the CID regarding the investigations follows into the […]

By Ranga Jayasuriya Sri Lankan politics is cheap. The depth of that cheapness is proof in the two stark choices that the people have now been given. One is the return of the old regime with all its nastiness. Forty four per cent of the voters had chosen that. And the other is to continue with the UNP under the leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose incompetence, should, more than anything else, be blamed for the resurgence of the Rajapaksas. Through his indecisiveness in governance, Mr. Wickremesinghe de-legitimized the whole spectrum of yahapalanaya. Yet, even with his worst mistakes, the other alternative is cringingly terrifying. Mr Rajapaksa if given a chance will destroy even the modest achievements that this administration has so far achieved, and set communities […]

By Manushi Silva The Minister Counsellor (Defence) attached to the Sri Lanka High Commission in London, Brigadier Priyanka Fernando, has been recalled to Sri Lanka by the Sri Lanka Army. Accordingly, He will arrive in Sri lanka today or tomorrow, said Army Spokesman Brigadier Sumith Attapaatu today (21). A video appeared on social media depicting Brigadier Priyanka Fernando making certain gestures aimed at members from the Tamil community who were engaging in a protest outside the Sri Lankan High Commission in London on Sunday (4), as Sri Lanka marked the 70th anniversary of independence. In this connection, instructions were sent to Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in London on Tuesday (6), to suspend the Minister Counsellor (Defence) from work, with immediate effect, the release said, adding that […]

The power struggle between President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe ended with both being badly bruised, but the acrimony also exposed the failure of their long-term political strategies. The run-up to the February 10 local government elections deepened the differences within the uneasy coalition and saw Sirisena declaring that his government was more corrupt than the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. In sharp contrast, Wickremesinghe desisted from criticising the junior coalition partner and even moved to rein-in his United National Party young bucks who tried to snipe at Sirisena. What was at stake was not just the 341 local government bodies. At stake was the general elections of 2020. A new president must be in office by January 2020 while the earliest a parliamentary election […]

Lotus Bud will bloom into Eelam Speech made by Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan in Parliament on Feb. 19 I thought I would say a few words on this debate. The people have delivered a verdict and, in a democracy, the people’s verdict must be respected. The Hon. Member who moved the Motion and the Hon. Member who seconded the Motion have referred to various matters. I think, Sir, I will primarily do a brief analysis of the result of the Local Authorities Election held on 10th of February. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna polled 44.69 per cent of the votes cast at that election. The United National Party polled 32.61 per cent. The United People’s Freedom Alliance polled 8.90 per cent. The Sri Lanka Freedom […]