Day: 10 May 2015

Ranil invites Kanchi Sankaracharya to visit SL

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(Telegraph.lk): Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has invited the Sankaracharya of Kanchi, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, to visit Lanka to advice the government on Hindu religious affairs and the training of Hindu priests. The invitation was conveyed to the Sankaracharya by Saman Athaudahetti, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, when he met the Seer at the Kanchi mutt earlier in the week, the New Indian Express reported. “At the meeting we sought his advice on ways and means of protecting Hindu religious customs and places of worship in  Sri Lanka,…

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Sanga hassled by UK immigration officer

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Sri Lanka cricket star Kumar Sangakkara, currently in England turning out for the English county Surrey, had to taste the bitter side of the United Kingdom Immigration Department in London. Sangakkara, who was in London during the final week of April to play Surrey’s Division II match against Essex at the Kennington Oval, is believed to have been questioned by an immigration officer when he returned to London yesterday. But it is unclear at which airport he was taken to questioning in London. “I understand the need for vigilance completely…

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Maithripala Hails Cameron’s Win

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President Maithripala Sirisena termed as ‘splendid’ the victory at the UK elections by British Prime Minister David Cameron. Sirisena also said that Sri Lanka looks forward to deeper ties and cooperation with Britain following Cameron’s re-election as Prime Minister. “Congratulations on your splendid victory. Sri Lanka looks forward to deeper ties and cooperation with the UK. – Maithri,” the President tweeted. Following his re-election, Cameron announced his new cabinet but most Ministers who were in his former cabinet were appointed to the same posts.

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Smaller parties unhappy with Sri Lanka electoral reform plan

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Sri Lanka’s smaller political parties representing minority communities have expressed opposition to the proposed 20th amendment to the constitution which incorporates reforms to the electoral system. “We are opposed to the move of bringing electoral reforms as an urgent bill. We are for reforming the system but we want the next election to be held under the existing system of proportional representation,” said Mano Ganesan, a leader of a Tamil political party. Tamil and Muslim minority political parties and the third largest majority Sinhala party, JVP or the People’s Liberation…

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UN Group on missing confirms visit

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The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has confirmed the dates of its visit to Sri Lanka this year. The Working Group, which is currently meeting to review almost 400 cases of enforced disappearance from 30 countries, said it will visit Sri Lanka from 3 – 12 August 2015. The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances had sought approval from the former Government to visit Sri Lanka but the visit was never approved. However the new Government approved the visit for August this year. Meanwhile the…

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SL now ready to overcome EU fish export ban

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SFEASL-Spokesman Colonel Channa Weeratunga by Randima Attygalle The task force appointed by the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe in early January this year to work towards the lifting of the European Union’s (EU) ban on the local fisheries export to the region which was imposed in mid January this year has completed its work and listed all legislative requirements in line with EU’s requirements. Speaking to Sunday Island, Spokesman for Sea Food Exporters’ Association of Sri Lanka (SFEASL) and Executive Director, Global Fisheries (Pvt) Ltd, Colonel Channa Weeratunga said that the…

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‘Questions Unanswered’ from Mahinda to Maithri

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Families of those reported missing visited the Welikada and Boosa prisons last week with the hope of obtaining answers to their questions, but it was to no avail. Following a request made by the families of the disappeared, the Minister of Public Order John Amaratunga said that he instructed the authorities at Boosa and Welikada to let the families visit the prisons to confirm if those who claimed to be missing are in custody. The Chairman of the Presidential Commission appointed to inquire into incidents of missing persons, Maxwell Paranagama,…

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Namal challenges Mangala

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WikiLeaks: “Mr. Ten Percent”  Basil Is Corrupt $4.5-Million Dollar Home for Basil in California Many voters saw the Rajapaksa family as corrupt (85 percent) and the president himself as corrupt (80 percent) Basil charging 10% and Namal competing with 12 ½ % ”There was a time (under President Mahinda) when any large house or hotel being built in Colombo or anywhere else in the country was supposed to belong to the members of my (Rajapaksha) family” says Namal Rajapaksa BY GAGANI WEERAKOON Responding to allegations levelled against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa…

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It was the family cabinet that governed the country using the presidential system – Sirisena

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Attempts made by a substantial section of SLFP parliamentarians to make former president Mahinda Rajapaksa the prime ministerial candidate of the party at the forthcoming parliamentary elections under the leadership of President Sirisena could be seen as an endeavour to wipe out the country’s political developments during the past six months and ignore the momentous event of January 8. No doubt the SLFP which ruled the country for a near decade with utmost confidence and appeared to be steaming ahead for many more years has within a very brief period…

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Ball In Maithri’s Court

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The meeting between the defeated president and the winning president was given as much hype as was possible for a team that has very little access to media institutions. Yet what the meeting has achieved is give a few column centimeters to newspapers and several seconds of news coverage. Essentially it was, as a regular observer said, “nothing but a damp squib.” The fact remains that for all the exhortations by Mahinda Rajapaksa supporters, Mahinda knows that there is absolutely no chance of Maithripala Sirisena giving him the Prime Ministerial…

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BUILDING GENUINE PEACE

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  The military came under mention a second time when Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed former and current senior military personnel on the future orientation of the country’s armed forces and urged them to be open to broad international co-operation so that global and national security are complementary and not contradictory. On the one hand, the Prime Minister argued that the armed forces must be appreciated and nurtured in their role as protectors of the security and integrity of the country. At the same time, the Premier held out the…

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