Day: 4 January 2015

Rajapaksa facing defeat in Sri Lanka elections?

Karu

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa: Sri Lanka north ‘not just for Tamils’ President Mahinda Rajapaksa hopes to be re-elected to a third term in Sri Lanka’s election on Thursday. But what sort of a country has Sri Lanka become under Mr Rajapaksa and his brothers? One day last month six astrologers were brought onto government television to discuss the prospects for the presidential election. All six declared that not only would President Rajapaksa “secure a fabulous victory” but “nature” would “completely work against” anyone challenging him. For nearly a decade Mahinda Rajapaksa has…

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Concerns Over Troops Withdrawl

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There have been concerns over the idea of troops withdrawal from the North if the opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena comes to power. Some claimed that the Tamil parties extended their support to the common opposition candidate based on a promise to withdraw troops from the North. However, the election manifesto of the the opposition common candidate Maithripala Sirisena does not include any such policy or addressing concerns related to Tamil national issue. He had also clearly stated in a rally that he would not withdraw army from the North that…

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UK Envoy Discusses Polls

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By Megara Tegal British High Commissioner, John Rankin, visited Jaffna on Friday (Jan 02) six days ahead of the presidential elections. The High Commission said that meetings were scheduled with the Jaffna Security Forces Commander, the Jaffna Deputy Inspector General of Police, the Government Agent and the Northern Province Chief Minister regarding the upcoming presidential elections. Meanwhile the team of nine Commonwealth election observers arrived in Sri Lanka on Friday as well. In a statement released earlier this week, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma stated, “Genuine democratic elections are an expression…

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‘Surveying’ The Ground For Victory

Karu

Sri Lanka is four days away from it seventh presidential election and it is clear that it would be the closest and tightest presidential contest in the country’s electoral history. Both candidates, namely President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena have expressed full confidence over the victory of the presidential election and the ‘election heat’ has already reached its zenith. Just a week away from the election, two of Sri Lanka’s prominent state universities released survey results on the possible outcome of the presidential election. One survey was conducted…

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”I have ‘NO’ Files on any one” says Confused Mahinda

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Interviewed by the “Sunday Island” and other weekend newspapers at “Temple Trees” last Wednesday shows that the President Mahinda is Confused and not telling the truth He has no idea of what’s in HIS Manifesto He required his Secretary Weerathunga and Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal to answer the questions. ”What Independent Commissions? When did we have Independent Commissions in Sri Lanka?” asks President. President Defends ”Cross overs of MP’s” President Defends ”building mansions and developing his family at the expense of the country” President with 2/3 majority says that reason for the delay…

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TNA extending its fullest support to the evolution of a just and reasonable solution within the framework of a united and undivided Sri Lanka.

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Major parties and civic action groups rally behind Maithripala, while crossovers continue MR confident of victory, says good governance means good results Opposition expresses concern over ‘computer jilmart’ and police powers being given to armed forces The month long campaign for Thursday’s presidential poll ends at midnight tomorrow (Monday) and the main contenders are equally confident of victory. “It is likely my victory this time would be with a larger majority than in 2010,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the Sunday Times. He said, “People know I have an impeccable record…

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Will Sri Lanka Stick To Its “Known Devil”?

Karu

(The writer is a political columnist, a lapsed historian and a committed conservative.)There is a section of the ubiquitous “international community” that has thrived on the misfortunes of Sri Lanka. At the risk of sounding heartless, I would suggest that a tribe of human rights activists, aid workers and an ever-swelling diaspora have developed a vested interest in keeping the bitter conflict that devastated the island for 30 long years alive. If not the civil war, they sense an advantage in keeping the memories and post-war recriminations alive.   You…

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Tamil Vote: Disaster For Rajapaksa With Low IQ UPFA Propaganda Admitting Mass Murder

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By Ratnajeevan H. Hoole – Bad News for the UPFA. The TNA has decided to support the Common Candidate, Mr. Maithripala Sirisena. It is good news indeed for all of us who are excited about a common opposition to the Rajapkse family regime that is built on a return to democracy, good governance, an independent judiciary, etc. Mr. Sirisena is expected by TNA analysts to get 75% of the vote in the North. The EPDP has a fixed vote bank of about 30,000 voters, most of whom will vote. For…

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Tamil Nadu extends ban on LTTE

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The Tamil Nadu Government has extended the ban on the LTTE following the opinion of a Tribunal which found that the LTTE is still active overseas. According to the Tamil Nadu media, the Tribunal had found that the LTTE demand for a separate Tamil State in Sri Lanka remains and the LTTE is looking to gather support for this goal in Tamil Nadu. The ban on the LTTE first took effect in 1991 following the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and has been extended since then. The Indian…

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Sri Lankan Presidential Elections 2015 – Deception, Dishonesty And Disbelief

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By Bishop Kumara Illangasinghe – We believe that the Presidential Election in January 2015 is an opportunity given to all people in Sri Lanka to make an important, significant and a creative decision, in respect of the future of their own country and her people. The run up to the election thus far has not been satisfactory or acceptable at all, from the point of view of the people of the country. It appears that the people have been taken for granted and are being treated as objects with no…

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Presidential Candidate wants army in baracks in North.

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Presidential Candidate Siritunga Jayasuriya has urged the Elections Commissioner to ensure that the military remains in the barracks, at least from midnight tomorrow till the election is over. Jayasuriya said that during a visit he had undertaken to the North, he found that a feeling of insecurity and possible intimidations prevail very strongly in the Northern Tamil psyche with armed security and para military groups moving freely in those areas. “Their past traumatic and frightening experiences with the military occupying North and East do not allow them to feel secure…

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Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa’s Eelam Delusion

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by Nilantha Ilangamuwa   ( December 31, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) We were all ‘happy’ when the long term civil war which nearly destroyed the country, came to end in 2009. We all applauded despite the fact that it left thousands of civilians dead that even today, cry out for justice. Despite the general jubilation at the end of the war there was one man who was not quite so happy. The war was a cause for fear that he was happy to use to justify extra-judicial methods of…

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