December 2018

Two Naval Intelligence Officers Sitting Among Litigants at Fort Magistrates Courts While Being Supposedly on Duty at Welisara Base Were Arrested By Police On Suspicion of Conspiracy to Murder Chief Investigator Nishantha Silva the Key Witness in Case Against Navy Personnel on Ransom and Murder Charges. Sri Lanka’s police detained two navy intelligence officers at the Fort magistrate’s court Wednesday amid fears of a threat to the life of a key detective investigating the abduction and killing of several people allegedly by navy officers. Police spotted two navy men identified as N. M. W Janaka (38190) and A.S.N. Tony (103183) sitting among litigants and were reported to the magistrate who ordered their questioning. The men were duly detained and their statements were recorded at the […]

Tamil National Alliance Makes Written Submissions to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya Outlining Several Reasons as to why Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa Should not be Recognized as Leader of the Opposition. (The Tamil National Alliance has made written submissions urging the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya not to recognize Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa as Leader of the Opposition. The TNA Outlining several reasons fir taking up yhis position has requested that a Parliamentary Select Committee be appointed to go into the matter and arrive at a final decision. The full text of the submidsion sent on behalf of the TNA by Jaffna district MP and party spokesperson M.A. Sumanthiran PC is reproduced here) December 19, 2018 Hon Speaker, Parliament, Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte. Hon Speaker, Post of Leader of […]

Former LTTE cadres scapegoated while police killers roam free – TNA MP The former LTTE cadres currently detained in connection with the murders of two police officers in Batticaloa are being scapegoated while the real perpetrators roam free, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP has said. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Batticaloa representative G Sirinesan said those being targeted by police and security forces were innocent, while the killers were still at large. Earlier this month, Sirinesan had said that the killings in Vavunathivu was an act to incite racism and create problems for the Tamil people. The two former cadres arrested over two weeks ago in connection with the killings are being held under a 3 month detention order granted by the Sri Lankan […]

Crisis at Sri Lanka’s Core https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/crisis-sri-lanka’s-core Almost four years into the ‘good governance’ government, Sri Lanka’s image of stability and progress unravelled last month in a day. President Sirisena’s sacking of Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa followed by the dissolving of parliament and call for fresh elections, ended any semblance of stability. Revealed instead was disregard for the country’s constitution and rule of law, bribery, violence and an entrenched racism which habitually blames Tamils for the state’s woes. Sri Lanka’s latest descent into turmoil highlights once again the simmering crisis of unresolved ethnic conflict that remains at the island’s core. Whilst the timing was surprising, the implosion of the coalition government was not. Formed only from a shared dislike of Rajapaksa, the coalition’s promises of land release, accountability and resolving […]

Judging Sri Lanka’s Credibility & Commitments to Human Rights By: Thambu Kanagasabai – LLM [Lond.] Former Lecturer in Law University of Colombo, Sri Lanka UN Human Rights Council’s March 2019 Sessions is poised to debate and discuss the Council’s Final Reports on Sri Lanka’s progress in implementing its 30-01-2015 Resolution which had more than 25 core recommendations. A Resolution as to Sri Lanka’s record of performance and its obvious failings with appropriate recommendations is also expected to be passed, and later to be forwarded to United Nations and UN Security Council if warranted for further steps and action. This Session is particularly crucial for the victimized Tamils who have pinned their hopes only on UNHRC and United Nations to deliver justice and remedy their political […]

ARTICLE OF BAHU DAILYNEWS 22nd DEC. 2018 The gigantic mass uprising for Ranil and democracy that happened last week is probably unique in the third world. It is unique with national unity abandoning racism and communalism. In the Gale face green, it was inspiring to see people of all kind in a spirit of solidarity. They expect the arrival of Lankan nation and defeat of fascism. Free and fair elections are, no doubt, central to a democracy; but when conducted in the wake of the questionable sacking of Parliament, they may be anything but.  Lanka is at a crossroads where it has to make a crucial choice between democratic consolidation and a retreat to authoritarianism. The judiciary has a crucial task at hand; so far […]

President Sirisena Re-appoints Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and then Tells him and UNP that in his Opinion Ranil Should Not Have Been Appointed Premier Again. President Maithripala Sirisena, yesterday, told newly appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and other UNP MPs at a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat, that he was still of the view that Wickremesinghe should not have been appointed Prime Minister. A media statement issued by the President Secretariat, yesterday quoted President Sirisena as having said: “When I said that I would not appoint Wickremesinghe PM even if all 225 MPs supported him that was my personal opinion. That hasn’t changed. But as someone who respects parliamentary traditions and democracy I have decided to appoint him Prime Minister. Neither Parliament nor courts, to […]

The committee appointed to probe the violent incidents that had taken place during the recent parliamentary sessions, is currently scrutinizing the CCTV footages of the Chamber, stated the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ananda Kumarasiri. He said that the members of the committee have been paired up to inspect the CCTV footages separately. Accordingly, two members of the committee, Parliamentarians Bimal Rathnayake and Mavai S. Senathirajah will be scrutinizing CCTV footages tomorrow (18). More video footages pertaining to the tense situations in the Parliament would be obtained from private media companies, the Deputy Speaker Kumarasiri added. These video clips are slated to be inspected by a senior officer of Parliament and a special group of police personnel. The Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya appointed a committee to probe […]

Resigned Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said that Ministers of the new regime had individually undertaken to monitor the affairs of each and every media institution in a bid to suppress media but the media had a responsibility to act without allowing the country being divided. “Each Minister is appointed to each newspaper for media control according to the information published recently. That is at the time of presenting 20th Amendment, That is their final decision. The media and we have a responsibility to prevent the country from being divided,” he said. Mahinda who came to power through the back door unconstitutionally with the help of president Maithiri on the 26th October and ruled Sri Lanka for 7 weeks even after several no confidence was passed in […]

My dear Mahinda maama, It was only three weeks ago that I wrote to you last, but I feel I must write to you again, especially as much has happened since then, and because of those events, you are likely to go down in history, in the midst of all your other achievements, as the nation’s shortest serving, fifty-day Prime Minister. Please don’t get me wrong, Mahinda maama, until the events of that Friday night in late October, you were by far the most popular and most marketable politician in the country, far ahead of the Green Man, Aiyo Sirisena and any of the ‘rathu sahodarayas’. Even now, you still remain quite popular. That is precisely why we were taken aback when we were told that Aiyo Sirisena had suddenly sacked […]

A new UNP-SLMC “national government” to be formed A Vote on Account to presented before yearend Mahinda Rajapaksa may be Leader of the Opposition Motion in Parliament on December 18 to expand Cabinet President Sirisena to swear in Ranil Wickremesinghe as Premier today Many are the untold stories during the days when President Maithripala Sirisena held secret talks with his predecessor and arch enemy Mahinda Rajapaksa paving the way for a new government. It ended the same way it began — in chaos. The final stages of such talks took place at the Battaramulla residence of S.B. Dissanayake, the juggler of words that he is. He first denied that such meetings took place. Two weeks ago, however, he was self-congratulatory and took pride that he […]

Ranil Wickremesinghe has to seek the help of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to pass the 2019 Budget, Parliamentarian Rohitha Abeygunewardena said, adding that therefore, the TNA has the power and control over the new government. He expressed these views at a Media briefing held yesterday (15) at Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) head office. “Ranil Wickremesinghe should give the post of ‘Chief Government Whip’ to the guardian of democracy, MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, for his support to the United National Front (UNF) during the past 6 weeks,” he said. He added that all appointments which had been made in past six week by Mahinda are legal and therefore no changes will take place in the State sector.  He further stated that the SLFP and the […]

President Sirisena Offers Prime Minister Position to Karu Jayasuriya, Sajith Premadasa, John Amaratunga and Daya Gamage To Deprive Ranil Wickremesinghe But UNP Stalwarts Stand Firmly Behind Party Leader Who will be Taking Oaths for the Fifth time as Premier By the “Daily FT” Special Political Correspondent Lord Denning M. L., the 20th Century British Judge and Jurist, in his famous book ‘The Family Story’, remarked: “Every Judge, on his appointment, discards all politics and all prejudice. You need have no fear. The Judges of England have always in the past – and will – be vigilant in guarding our freedoms. Someone must be trusted. Let it be the Judges.” The principle duty of a Judge, especially of the apex court, is to suppress force and […]

Mahinda Rajapaksa Signs a “Resignation Letter” At His  Residence After Clinging On to Power For 7 Weeks As the First and Only Purported Prime Minister in Commonwealth History Sri Lanka’s disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has signed what was called a ‘resignation’ letter at his residence in the capital Colombo, ending an extraordinary saga in the country’s parliamentary history where he clung on to power despite suffering no-confidence motions. Rajapaksa was appointed Prime Minister by President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Rajapaksa Prime Minister on October 26, triggering a constitutional crisis, banking on buying over corrupt or disgruntled members to build a parliamentary majority. However even members of his United National Party who opposed the unpopular actions of Wickremesinghe’s so-called ‘cronies’ as well as a section of the […]

CONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has signed what was called a ‘resignation’ letter at his residence in the capital Colombo, ending an extraordinary saga in the country’s parliamentary history where he clung on to power despite suffering no-confidence motions. Local televisions station interrupted normal programming in mid-morning Saturday, to bring visuals of what was said to be him signing a ‘resignation’ letter. Rajapaksa was appointed Prime Minister by President Maithripala Sirisena on October 26, triggering a constitutional crisis, banking on buying over corrupt or disgruntled members of incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to build a parliamentary majority. Wickremesinghe famously lacks people skills, and has uneasy relations with the parliamentary group, other members of his party and the general public. Ranjan Ramanayake, […]

I have no intention of remaining as Prime Minister without a general election being held (I am saying this after 7 weeks, because the  Supreme Court has delivered a judgement against the holding of the general election) The TNA now holds the remote control in Parliament. Under the provisions of that draft constitution, this country will be divided into nine semi-independent federal units.  We appreciate the difficult and bold decision that the President made on October 26. We borrowed money to develop the country and that development is visible. But the UNP borrowed money only for consumption.  The most important thing that happened during this period was that the two thirds majority in Parliament that was available to the UNP to be used at will, is […]