By Harim Peiris Meeting President Maithripala Sirisena, earlier this month, for a courtesy call, which lasted longer than originally anticipated, was Jaffna born, Deputy Mayor of the Norwegian capital city of Oslo, Kamzy Gunaratnam. Born in Jaffna, to parents who both hailed from the peninsula, her parents took their young family and fled the fighting up North and the country as refugees, when she was three years old and eventually ended up in Norway. A little over a decade later, Kamzy as a teenager got actively involved in the youth movement of the left of center Labor party and rose up the ranks of its youth movement. As a politically conscious teenager, she was also active in the Tamil Diaspora politics. She sang and danced […]

Facebook12TwitterLinkedInEmailWhatsAppShare12 Share Even though the war ended almost ten years ago, there are still over 16 refugee camps in Jaffna, said National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) Coordinator Anthony Jesudasan. Around 200 families have been sheltered in some camps, but they only have two lavatories, he added. Addressing a press briefing held in Colombo yesterday (22), he said not only the South, but also lecturers of the Jaffna University are unaware of the fact that there are still refugee camps in Jaffna. At the press briefing, civil organization representatives severely criticized the statement made by the President that 90 per cent of military occupied lands in the North and East have been released. They further pointed out that government forces and a number of state institutions […]

By Anuradha Herath Minister of Health Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said the Bond Commission Report does not mention fraud, but a loss only. Following are excerpts of the interview: During the 52-day period, you mentioned on platforms that you were going to abolish the Executive Presidency. Was that view restricted only to those 52 days? A: No, there was a procedure that commenced from the beginning within the amendment to the Constitution programme. Now, it has reached a certain stage. There is a Constitution Compilation Board to compile the Constitution. The Parliament was made a Constitutional Council. There are proposals brought by various factions there. Those were publicised. From here onwards, those proposals will be considered and drafted. Who will be the Presidential Candidate from the […]

The government has drawn heavy flak over the constitutional reform proposals prepared by an expert panel appointed by the Steering Committee of the Constitutional Assembly (CA). The UPFA and the SLPP maintain that the document, presented by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to the CA, recently, is a draft constitution, which Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has condemned as part of a campaign to divide the country. The Opposition has stopped short of questioning the legitimacy of the CA against the backdrop of crucial changes in Parliament during the last several months. One of our columnists has put forth some cogent arguments, in his article published on this page today. One is that the two post-Independence governments which introduced new constitutions (in 1972 and 1978) had a […]

Who will be our presidential candidate? This is the question on the minds of the rank and file of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), or ‘Pohottuwa’ party, that has, since the recent constitutional crisis quietly shed its earlier moniker ‘the Joint Opposition’. It is no secret that many senior leaders of the movement whose last names, not least the residents of No. 117 Wijeyarama Mawatha, are wary of nominating a candidate who cannot be relied upon to use the Executive Presidency as a vehicle to restore former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to his throne. The idea of a candidate with his own ‘sunlight’ or ‘erudite path’ blazing his own trail and leaving the former President in the lurch has long perturbed members of the former […]

President Maithripala Sirisena openly attacked Human Rights activists today for standing in the way of the law enforcement process. “A country cannot be disciplined if we follow what the Human Rights activists preach. If that is the case, we should hand everything, including the government and the law enforcement system to the human rights activists and wash our hands off, ” Sirisena said addressing a Police diploma presentation event. “Especially, when dealing with the underworld, the Police have to take certain actions, ” Sirisena said signaling he had no issue with extra-judicial killings. Ironically, in the same speech, Sirisena explained how he was nearly killed by the Police during the 1971 uprising to which he had no real connection. Sirisena said a Police officer forced him to […]

By Suranimala Umagiliya – Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s recent interview where he attempted to deflect his involvement with the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge is but a futile attempt made to a supine journalist who never asked him any follow up questions. At one point Gotabaya states that he knows who murdered Lasantha and the late Editor’s daughter Ahimsa, who lives overseas must come to him in Sri Lanka to find out who murdered her father. Every once in awhile Gotabaya wakes up to deflect charges against him when there is a gap in the Presidential stakes within the Pohottuwa Group or when a court case against him is set for hearing. This is rich coming from a man, who under oath in the Mt Lavinia Courts said that the MiG deal was a “Government […]

Anti-corruption is important to get FDI, make maximum use of GSP+ Stability, transparency and incentives would attract more investors European investments could help Govt. tackle debt Diversification of SME’s is a must to attract more EU investors By Ruwandi Gamage Putting in place anti-corruption policies would assist in attracting investors to Sri Lanka and also encourage maximum use of GSP+, said the European Union Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives Tung-Lai Margue on Tuesday. Sri Lanka and Maldives European Union Ambassador Tung-Lai Margue – Pic by Lasantha Kumara Speaking at the Breakfast Meeting hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ECCSL), he said he believed Sri Lanka has room for improvement. “There’s still too much corruption in the country, and there’s room […]

The Sri Lanka Army said today that neither the Army nor Brigadier Priyanka Fernando had been informed with regard to any court case filed against the Brigadier in Britain. News reports said the Westminster Magistrate’s Court has issued an arrest warrant on Brigadier Fernando for allegedly violating the British Public Order Act. The case has been filed against the Brigadier, who was the then Defence Attache in the Sri Lankan High Commission in London, for allegedly making a threatening gesture at a group of pro-LTTE protesters outside the High Commission on February 4 last year. When contacted, Army Spokesperson Sumith Atapattu said they contacted the Sri Lankan High Commission in London over the incident after seeing media reports. “The High Commission said a case had […]

Former Chief Minister of the Northern Province, CV Wigneswaran said that he did not establish the Tamil People’s Front (TPF), a political party he created last year, to create divisions in the Tamil National Alliance (TNA.) Addressing the media in Jaffna after a meeting with the central committee members of the TPF yesterday, Wigneswaran urged the North-based political parties to join him instead of following the TNA. The TPF also elected a new 20 member central committee during the meeting. Wigneswaran told media that he had left the TNA as it was impossible for him to work with the party. “This was due to differences in policies. There were also attempts to remove me from the party. However, I have not changed my decision to contest […]

Outspoken JVPer reappointed COPE Chairman;  tells Parliament political apathy is protecting offenders   Recalls multiple investigations by Committees and Commissions with no legal action  Questions why even reports tabled in Parliament have not yielded results  Says both SLFP and UNP complicit in protecting loyalists   By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent Newly appointed Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) Chairman Sunil Handunnetti yesterday delivered a blistering indictment of top politicians from both the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP),charging they were protecting those responsible for corruption and insisting it was pointless to conduct investigations unless the guilty are punished. Sunil Handunnetti MP Handunnetti, who was unanimously reappointed on Tuesday to beCOPE Chairman for another term, wanted action taken on reports published rather […]

Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF 2019), the largest ever trade fair and international exhibition in Northern Sri Lanka, will be held for the 10th consecutive year in the capital of Northern Province, a media release stated. The annual Jaffna International Trade Fair, named the ’Gateway to the North’, will be open from 25-27 January at the Municipal Grounds in Jaffna. The Jaffna International Trade Fair will bring together some of Sri Lanka’s favourite brands and services. The range of products for sale and display will give an opportunity for all stakeholders to enter one of Sri Lanka’s largest untapped markets. The trade fair is organized by Lanka Exhibition & Conference Services (LECS) together with the Yarlpanam Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCIY) with the support […]

Last year, President Sirisena promised to return occupied lands in the North and East by December 31, 2018. When this promise was broken, Keppapulavu residents marched to the Army camp and demanded their land. The Army refused to speak to them. In subsequent discussions with government officials, an Assistant Government Agent (AGA) had promised them their land would be released by January 25, 2019. “We want to sleep, cook, eat in our own house and farm our own land” 700 days is a long time for a day and night protest outside an Army camp. Since March 1, 2017, the people of Keppapulavu, located in the Mullaitheevu district in Northern Sri Lanka, have been doing just that. They have had to brave intimidation and harassment from the […]

Why Mahinda Is Reluctant To Endorse Maithripala As Presidential Election Candidate For 2019 Polls By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The greatest political surprise or upset in Sri Lankan politics last year was the political re-alignment of President Maithripala Sirisena and Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. In a bizarre political twist Maithripala joined forces with his ex-leader to launch an unconstitutional and undemocratic attempt to remove Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replace him with Mahinda Rajapaksa as Purported Prime Minister. The backdoor bid to grab power failed miserably. The reasons for the debacle are well known. What is of interest now is the prevailing state of political relations between President Sirisena and the recently recognized Leader of the opposition Rajapaksa.The tactical alliance formed last year to oust Ranil Wickremesinghe is yet […]