Day: 9 November 2014

BUDDHIST MONK DONATES CATTLE TO 100 LOW INCOME FAMILIES OF JAFFNA!

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  The leader of Jathika Hela Urumaya party Rt Hon. Omalpe Sopitha Thero distributed 100 cows to low income families in Jaffna. Jaffna Army Commander Major Jeneral Uthaya Perera also took part in this donation by the Buddhist organisation JHU. With view to promoting economy of destitute people of Jaffna while strengthening North-South ethnic and religious bond, Sri Bodhiraja Foundation, Colombo donated 100 head of cattle among 100 low income families of Jaffna Thursday (06) morning at Jaffna Mutaveli ground.

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Poppy memorial at Tower of London – The tribute to the 888,246 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died between 1914 and 1918

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 Queen leads Remembrance Sunday ceremony at Cenotaph Poppy memorial designer’s delight at extension for Tower of London display Two-week reprieve granted to parts of the display before they tour country and go to war museums Tom Piper, the designer behind the most significant public spectacle of recent years – the poppy memorial to the dead of the first world war – voiced his delight last night as the prime minister announced a last-minute stay of execution at the Tower of London for part of his display this weekend. The wave…

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On Safeguarding Security And Sovereignty

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By C.V. Wigneswaran – Gurur Brahma ….. Honourable Chairman, distinguished guests, my dear Bharathian brothers and sisters! We are gathered here today to remember one of India’s greatest human rights’ leaders and jurist – the late Mr.K.G.Kannabiran. He was the President of your People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) from the year 1994 to 2008. His period of office saw PUCL climbing to great heights as a human rights’ organisation. He was, I am told, deeply humble and humane as a person, passionately and intensely committed to protecting democracy and…

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Majority of Lankan students are outstanding

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RAVI LADDUWAHETTY REPORTING FROM KANDY Visiting Vice Chancellor, President and CEO of Monash University, Malaysia, Prof. Helen Bartlett, said yesterday a majority of the Sri Lanka students studying at heruniversity were simply outstanding in their academic performances and that they were aspiring for leadership positions.”Sri Lankan students are visible and forthcoming. Some of them were outstanding, but they have issues in adjusting themselves to the new environment,” she said. Prof. Bartlett was addressing a two-day annual conference hosted by The International Schools of Sri Lanka (TISSL) at the Earl’s Regency…

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Let Malaysians support justice, freedom beyond borders, Anwar tells Putrajaya

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Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged Putrajaya to stop treating activism against human rights violations in other countries by Malaysians as objectionable, as it does not interfere with other nations’ affairs. Throwing his support for those highlighting atrocities against Tamils in Sri Lanka, the PKR de facto head said Malaysians should be allowed to help promote freedom and justice wherever abuses occur. “If there is gross injustice, the killings must be stopped,” he said at the closing of the Penang International Tamil Conference in George Town. “That is…

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State violence in Sri Lanka continues: CM Wigneswaran

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Slamming the central government and Supreme Court in his country, visiting Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province C V Wigneswaran today claimed “state violence” in the island continued and the judiciary too played a role in foisting a second-class citizenship on Tamils. On his first foreign visit after taking over as Chief Minister of the Tamil-populated Northern Province, he also stressed thatIndia had legal and moral obligations to ensure the welfare of Sri Lankan citizens. “State violence in Sri Lanka continues. Tamils, though the worst affected by far, are…

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Luxury sex trade invades Jaffna from Colombo

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Officers attached to the Kodikamam police station have arrested a group of personnel alleged to have engaged in a Sex trade racket that is going on in rest houses around Jaffna town. During interrogations it has been revealed that most of these women have been brought from Colombo. It is said that these women are being used as call girls at various guest houses in Jaffna. Though prostitution as a business is not that popular in the Northern province, there are a large number of women in the North who…

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Thalpahewa assume duties as new Deputy HC in London

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Talpahewa takes over Nonis in London by Sujeeva Nivunhella in London Dr. Chanaka Thalpahewa, the newly appointed Deputy High Commissioner to London assumed duties last Thursday. He was serving as the Deputy High Commissioner in Maldives when he was asked to move to London following the resignation of High Commissioner Chris Nonis. Thalpahewa replaced Neville de Silva who completed his term as the Deputy High Commissioner in London recently. On assuming duties, Thalpahewa addressed the staff and sought their cooperation to achieve the goals set by the External Affairs Ministry. “I expect…

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Video: Prelates against Presidential system

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A campaign to pressurise the President to abolish the Executive Presidency and implement the 19th Amendment would be launched by Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) President Venerable Athuraliye Ratana Thera on November 12 at a mass rally at the Muttaiah Park in Colombo, the prelates announced today. The campaign would force the government to abolish or reform the Executive Presidency without holding a Presidential Election. Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera was mentioned along with several others until recently as a possible common candidate at a future Presidential…

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Monks warn Sri Lanka president to reform or lose support

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Sri Lanka’s main party of Buddhist monks warned President Mahinda Rajapakse on Sunday it would withdraw support if he refused to loosen his grip on power before a snap election. The JHU, or National Heritage Party, said it wanted Rajapakse to honour a promise to rewrite the constitution and allow civil servants, judges, police and the elections chief to function independently. “If the next election is held without carrying out the promised reforms, we will do our best to defeat President Mahinda Rajapakse,” JHU legislator and Buddhist monk Athuraliye Ratana…

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ECJ to review lifting of LTTE ban before 15 Jan

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BY SULOCHANA RAMIAH MOHAN The next hearing on the annulling of the restrictions imposed on the LTTE at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will take place before 15 January 2015, according the French Ambassador, Jean-Paul Monchau. The French Envoy said before 15 January, the matter will be reviewed and brought forth in Brussels. He added, that annulling of the restrictions on the LTTE is the decision of the ECJ at the moment. “What you should know is that justice is totally a separate power in the EU countries and…

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Poll advanced to Jan 2, common candidate CBK or Ranil

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Merely Expelling Doubts – Keheliya Rambukwella The government says that the incumbent president can ask for the presidential election to be held on the best possible date for him after four years in office as long as it is within the legal framework. Many also questioned whether it is fair for the president to seek a determination on contesting for the third time from the Chief Justice given that he was appointed by the President. In response, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told The Sunday Leader that it has been the standard…

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Selecting A Candidate To Beat Mahinda Rajapaksa

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Selecting A Candidate To Beat Mahinda Rajapaksa The Opposition’s search for a common candidate to challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming presidential election has proved to be elusive, so far. But it should not be likened to the proverbial search of blind men in a dark room searching for a black cat which isn’t there. There are candidates with proven political potential to be chosen but the choice has been difficult due to the disparate views held by contending parties………..READ ALL Karu’s candidacy dream disturbed by Chandrika’s shadow Common Opposition…

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The Tragedy Of Racial Politics: Ampara

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The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) recently passed a resolution demanding a separate administrative district for Muslims in the Ampara District claiming that the Muslim majority in the Ampara District face certain difficulties having administrative capital in Ampara and having to deal with most of the administrative activities in Sinhala. Speaking to The Sunday Leader, many political parties including some Tamil political parties took a complete different stand on the matter and opposed the view of the SLMC.   ‘We Are Totally Against’ Udhaya Gammanpila – Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) MP…

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NGOs Slam Australia Over Sri Lanka

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By Easwaran Rutnam Human Rights Groups and NGOs have, in a joint report submitted to the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT), accused Australia of failing to protect even legitimate Sri Lankan asylum seekers. The report, endorsed in whole or in part by 77 NGOs, was submitted to CAT which is currently meeting in Geneva and considering Australia’s compliance to international laws dealing with torture. The report notes that the Australian Government’s lack of commitment to core human rights principles under CAT is illustrated by a statement made by Australian Prime…

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Why Can’t Sri Lankans Keep to a Constitution? current one has been amended over twenty times!

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by Legal Watch It is a long-standing joke that anyone who wants to peruse Sri Lanka’s Constitution is referred to the “periodicals” section of the Library. This is because since 1932 this Island nation of 25,000 square miles has had four different constitutions, and the current one has been amended over twenty times. As this is not intended to be a history lesson, the salient features of the previous constitutions will only be summarized. The “Donoughmore Constitution” (pre – Independence) was the result of a Special Commission designed to give…

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