Families of the Disappeared President Brito Fernando gives astatement to the Commission to Investigate into Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) regarding the complin filed lst year alleging “reasonable suspicion” that a bribe has been obtained to withdraw the indictment against former Navy Commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda in the abducion nd killing of 11 Youths by Navy case BY Pamodi Waravita Families of the Disappeared President Brito Fernando gave a statement to the Commission to Investigate into Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on Monday (10), following a complaint the…
Read MoreKilling of Five Tamil Students in Trinco Town: Emblematic Case of Impunity
ByD.B.S.Jeyaraj A solemn, low key memorial event was held in Trincomalee town on Sunday January 2nd. Relatives and friends laid flowers and lit candles and lamps in memory of five Tamil youths killed in Trincomalee town on Jan 2nd 2006. The incident that happened sixteen years ago for which justice was not done is widely known among human rights circles as the “Trinco – 5” case of Sri Lanka. It is regarded as an emblematic case of impunity. So much so that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms.…
Read MoreSeven Tamil Parties Write Joint Letter Seeking Indian PM Modi’s Help to Implement the 13th Constitutional Amendment in Full.
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj In a significant political move, seven political parties mainly representing the Sri Lankan Tamils of the Northern and Eastern provinces have written a joint letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his help to fully implement the provisions of the 13th amendment to the Constitution. As is well known the Provincial Councils scheme was a consequence of the 13th Constitutional Amendment. The 13 A itself came into being due to the Indo-Lanka Accord of July 29th 1987. Salient paragraphs from the joint letter pertaining to the specific…
Read MoreActivating The Dormant 13th Amendment Of 1987
By Thambu Kanagasabai – Thambu Kanagasabai The 1987 13th Amendment, a conceived and delivered baby of India under the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 for adoption by Sri Lanka has been lying in the constitution of Sri Lanka partly implemented and mostly ignored by the Sri Lankan Governments since then. This 13th Amendment is now activated and given new life and blood by the Tamil leaders due to the deteriorating and worsening political situation of Tamils in the hands of the current Government of Rajapaksa’s family. It has to be noted that the election manifestos of…
Read MoreLest You Forget Your Commitments & Accountability Mr. President!
By Chandra Jayaratne – Chandra Jayaratne You committed in the oath of office to comply with your duties and responsibilities as President in an honest manner and as per the Constitution and the Law of the Country. The Constitution you agreed to safeguard and follow states that “in the Republic of Sri Lanka sovereignty is in the People and is inalienable; and that the executive power of the People shall be exercised by the President of the Republic elected by the People”. Thereby it becomes your inalienable duty to safeguard and protect…
Read Moret Is High Time For The British To Recognize Tamil’s Self-Determination
By Kumarathasan Rasingam – Kumarathasan Rasingam It is high time for the United Kingdom to recognize its failure and realize that the sufferings of the Tamils started immediately after the British left Sri Lanka in 1948 and find justice and freedom to the oppressed Tamils who are now at a great loss of lives, land, resources, human rights etc. United Kingdom knows well that Sri Lanka is an Island that once [before the British conquest of Jaffna Kingdom consisted of different Kingdoms – Sinhala and Tamil inhabited from time immemorial by two…
Read MoreA High Level Of Cunning Is Not A High Level Of Intelligence
By Suranimala – The Rajapaksa family cannot be credited with intelligence or wisdom. But, they have village cunning. Cunning can deceive an ill-educated mass who have been led to believe that the Country is in peril, “Buddhism is in danger and the Sinhala race will be a minority”. That is the slogan, which of course is stuff and nonsense, but a great sell. Not done out of belief but out of great convenience. Why? It works for the Rajapaksas. It is pertinent to recall the words of Robert Knox. “The Cingalese have a high…
Read MoreThe Rajapaksas have an almost childlike love for over-the-top accolades. Fortunately for them, the Sinhala-Buddhist Sangha seems to possess an inexhaustible store of such exotic name-boards.
by Tisaranee Gunasekara “There is something in human history like retribution; and it’s a rule of historical retribution that its instruments be forged not by the offended but by the offender himself.”Marx (The Indian Revolt) The 2015 presidential election; as analysts and astrologers proclaimed and predicted a Mahinda Rajapaksa victory, a beggar in Galle made a bet that the winner will be Maithripala Sirisena. At the 2010 presidential election, the beggar had voted for Mahinda Rajapaksa. In the after years, whenever President Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Rajapaksa or Parliamentarian Rajapaksa was…
Read MoreIndo-Lanka Accord, Thirteenth Amendment and the Tamil March of Folly
ByD.B.S.Jeyaraj Much concern is now being shown by political parties representing the minority (numerical) ethnicities of Sri Lanka over the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. As is well known it is the 13th Constitutional Amendment which ushered n a certain quantum of devolution to the country through the setting up of Provincial Councils. 13 A itself was due to the historic India-Sri Lanka agreement signed by Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President Junius Richard Jayewardene on July 29th 1987. The Indo-Lanka Accord at that time brought an…
Read MoreDo Not Touch A Hair Of Their Heads, Do Not Give Them A Drop Of Water
Nevertheless, one must realize that change does not come spontaneously; it does not manifest itself without proper and clear leadership. If allowed to grow at its current pace and character, one might have to live with anarchy instead of the change that he or she so willfully expected. This is precisely the dilemma the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) today faces. The people’s awareness of changing political realities and the emergence of impromptu social media pundits and spontaneous beginnings of ‘movements’ are the very fuel a clever and inspired leader would not ignore…
Read MorePresident’s plans and Tamil timing
There is a possibility of defeating the regime in 2022, which doesn’t necessitate the interesting proposal of lawyer Sunil Watagala of the JVP, of the early dissolution of Parliament, nor does it depend entirely on ceaseless street demonstrations over economic grievances. That possibility will be provided by the President’s project of a new Constitution. It will be perfectly possible to call for and win a massive ‘No’ vote at a referendum in this year of the avoidable economic torture of the citizenry. Not even Augusto Pinochet was able to survive…
Read MoreAmbassador Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage presents copies of credentials to the Republic of Belarus
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Russia, Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage, concurrently accredited to the Republic of Belarus, presented copies of her Credentials to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Nikolai Borisevich on 07 December 2021. In the course of amicable conversation the sides discussed the prospects of strengthening relations between Sri Lanka and Belarus in the spheres of trade, tourism, education and others. The Sri Lankan community in Belarus is represented by more than 1 000 students mostly residing in Minsk, Grodno, Vitebsk and…
Read MoreArushi to meet Dinara in the Under 14 final – The Island
Newstead Girls’ College player Arushi Thomas will meet Dinara de Silva of St. Bridget’s Convent, Colombo in the Under 14 girls’ singles final of the Tennis National Championship after they won their semi-finals at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts on Tuesday. The third seed Thomas beat Inuki Jayaweera 7-5, 6-1 in her semi-final, while second seed de Silva overcame a set defeat to beat Onali Samarawickrama in her match (2-6, 7-5, 10-8). On her way to the semi-final Thomas beat Annaya Norbet (Round of 32: 4-0, 4-0), Piumi Hansika…
Read MoreDaily count of Covid-19 cases climbs to 673
The daily count of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Sri Lanka moved to 673 today (December 21) as 215 more people were tested positive for the virus, the Epidemiology Unit said. MORE.. Thank you
Read MorePolice HQ urges public to inform suspicions of illegal assets
The Police Headquarters urged the public to immediately report any information related to assets suspicious of being acquired illegally or indicative of an extraordinary nature, following observations of illegal assets being acquired in various ways throughout the country. Such information can be reported via the 1917 hotline, the Police HQ said in a statement, revealing that the hotline operates 24/7. A new Investigative Unit has also been opened in this regard, namely the Illegal Assets and Property Investigation Division, functioning under the Deputy Inspector General…
Read MoreMen’s and women’s volleyball teams leave for Bangladesh
Sri Lanka national men’s and women’s volleyball teams left for Bangladesh yesterday to participate in the Central Asian Challenge Cup Volleyball Championship to be held from December 23 to 28 in Dhaka. While the women’s team is captained by Thilini Vasana, Lasidu Methmal skippers the men’s team. The men’s team will meet Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Maldives and Nepal in a round robin tournament before the top four teams clash to decide the first, second, third and fourth places. Women’s team: First row (from left) Thilini Vasana (Captain), Krishanthi Jayawardena (Manager), Kanchana…
Read MoreOfficial reserves will remain above USD 3 Bn by end of 2021
The measures being taken at present will ensure that by the end of 2021 official reserves will remain above US dollars 3 billion, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said today (December 22). Despite the headwinds of the economic impact of COVID-19 and challenges posed by adverse developments in the external sector, the Sri Lankan economy showed resilience throughout 2021, a statement issued by the CBSL noted. “Also, Sri Lanka successfully met its debt obligations by repaying foreign loans, including the payments of the International Sovereign Bonds.” Since the beginning…
Read MoreSubmission to IMF may sack public servants: Akila Ellawala
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Ratnapura District MP Akila Ellawala said he is deeply saddened as a Ruling Party MP by the recent fuel price hike. The MP, nevertheless, commented that there is no other option but to increase the price of fuel. Despite the Opposition’s criticism that the fuel price has been soared to an unbearable level, Sri Lanka still has the lowest fuel prices in South Asia, he added. He added that many who suggest the submission to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)…
Read MoreChange in gas composition main cause of explosions
Presidential Committee contradicts Litro Chairman By Rathindra Kuruwita and Shamindra Ferdinando A simmering controversy over gas-related explosions has taken an unexpected turn with Prof. Shantha Walpolage, the Chairman of the Committee appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to probe the recent gas explosions, concluding that the change in the composition of gas was the primary reason for the recent gas-related explosions, They came to the conclusion following theoretical and on-site inspections, Prof. Walpolage said. “The composition of the gas had changed but cylinders, regulators, stoves and other equipment have not,” he noted.…
Read MorePresident appoints new secretaries to two ministries
Two new ministerial secretaries have been appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President’s Media Spokesman said. Mr. D.M.L.D. Bandaranayake has been appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture. Meanwhile senior Sri Lanka administrative officer Mr. Anusha Palpita has been appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media with effect from January 01, 2022. Palpita had previously served as Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) as well as the Additional Secretary to Ministry of Home Affairs. He was appointed as the Secretary…
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