Day: 27 March 2015

Mahinda Playing Racist card again.

Karu

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a statement read out at yesterday’s rally in Ratnapura, called upon the people to stand united against enemies of the nation as the separatists were still active. Rajapaksa said sinister forces had emerged stronger since Jan. 08. “The time has come for us to tell them in no uncertain terms that though they have engineered electoral losses we are strong in politics. We must make it very clear to them that they cannot rob us of our courage to fight back. “Projects we launched to…

Read More

Atul Keshap named US envoy to Sri Lanka, Maldives

Karu

Washington, March 27 (IANS) After Richard Rahul Verma, who is the US ambassador to India, yet another Indian American has been named the country’s envoy by President Barack Obama. Atul Keshap, a senior Indian-American foreign service official, has been named as ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. “I am honoured that these talented individuals have decided to serve our country. They bring their years of experience and expertise to this administration, and I look forward to working with them,” he said announcing Keshap’s appointment with three others. Currently as…

Read More

President walks 13 plus tightrope

Karu

Every Sri Lankan government since independence has had to deal with its counterpart in India. Sometimes, these relations reached dizzy heights and at other times, they deteriorated to the point where the two countries were engaged in a diplomatic war of words. Indo-Lanka relations were at their zenith when Sirima Bandaranaike and Indira Gandhi were at the helm of their countries. The two ladies, both daughters of two Prime Ministers, had a great personal chemistry between them and this was reflected in the affairs between the two countries at that…

Read More

London Tamil Market on 11th & 12th April 2015

Karu

The countdown has started to the mega “London Tamil Market” shopping festival for the first time in Harrow. Date: 11th April 2015 – 12th April 2015 Time: 10:00 – 20:00 Price: Free Venue: Harrow Leisure Centre, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow, HA3 5BD LTM give hundreds of free entrance tickets to our charities, religious organisation and our community associations to raise money for their worthy causes and also helping our community business. Please see below our Associate Charities are facilitating this trade show and also we’re expecting more charities going to join…

Read More

Preme Minister Ranil refuses to meet Tamil Chief Minister Wigneswaren.

Karu

by Shamindra Ferdinando In the wake of the government giving up a section of the Jaffna High Security Zone (HSZ) last Monday (March 23), Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe will undertake a three-day visit to examine the situation in the Northern Province. The Premier will commence his visit today (March 27) with religious observances at Naga Viharaya. The Premier will briefly meet Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians representing the Northern Province, security forces’ top brass in the North, civil society organizations as well as senior officials handling resettlement and rehabilitated ex-cadres of…

Read More

Ranil lists immediate priorities for Sri Lanka

Karu

Calls for genuine reconciliation and rebuilding along with greater national unity Proper legal action against widespread corruption Urgent constitutional and electoral reforms; hints next Parliament after general election will have to think of a new Constitution Says the interim Govt. has delivered thus far on its promises and some will take time Rs. 400 b payment pending as compensation for land acquisitions for highways; Estimates overall unpaid bills by Govt. to be Rs. 1 trillion Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday shared with editors and owners of media the list of…

Read More

Election 2015: Cameron and Miliband face TV grilling

Karu

Election 2015: Cameron and Miliband face TV grilling David Cameron and Ed Miliband have been put on the spot over immigration, the EU and spending plans in the first set-piece TV broadcast of the election. The PM said he had “turned the economy around” while the Labour leader said he was “tough enough” to be PM. Jeremy Paxman began the Channel 4/Sky programme by grilling Mr Cameron about food banks and zero hours contracts. Mr Miliband said his relationship with brother David was “healing” after their bruising leadership battle. At…

Read More

Ex-Lankan President to head task force for reconciliation of Tamils

Karu

Former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga will head a special presidential task force to identify urgent reconciliation needs of the minority Tamil community, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Thursday. “We are focused in achieving communal and religious harmony,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said. The new government has set up a dedicated office for reconciliation under the Chair of 69-year-old Ms. Kumaratunga, the country’s first woman president. The Presidential Task Force on Reconciliation (PTFR) would identify urgent reconciliation needs that require immediate solutions. The PTFR would also consider proposals from citizens…

Read More

British envoy, denying involvement of UK or US intelligence agencies

Karu

Two British Universities will be set up in Sri Lanka next year under an overseas plan to enable Sri Lankan students to pursue studies here and for those who cannot afford to proceed to UK for higher studies. Students will be able to read for a British degree while in Sri Lanka, said the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka John Rankin addressing the British Scholars Association recently. Referring to education, he said there were 8000 Sri Lankan students studying in the UK some time ago but the numbers had…

Read More