Day: 14 June 2015

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera on Friday clarified that there was no discussion on the issue of lifting of ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the recent meeting between the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in London. Mr. Samaraweera, who was present in the meeting, gave the clarification in response to questions raised by Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Nimal Siripala De Silva, on the floor of the House. [In January 2009, four months before the end of the Eelam War IV,…

In order to overcome the drug menace and the excessive consumption of alcohol in the Province, the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) joined hands with the Northern Provincial Council (NPC). Consequent to a directive from President Maithripala Sirisena, a formal meeting between NPC Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and NDDCB officials was held in Colombo early this week, to formulate policies on controlling the current situation of drug usage and consumption of alcohol in the Province which has increased the need of a treatment center just like the location in…

Mahinda appears to be increasing his speed in the effort to be the next Prime Minister. Govt. plays T20 with 20A while 76 play for Mahinda While the 20A was played as a T-20 game finally last Friday agreeing to enlarge the capacity of Parliament from 225 members to 237, Friday also marked another significant feature in the deep South where over 70 UPFA/SLFP Members of Parliament and a host of Provincial Councillors gathered to attend a public rally organized by the faction supporting former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Unlike at…

Yet another attempt by the Government for Parliamentary approval of the three members from civil society, picked to serve on the Constitutional Council (CC), failed this week, after Opposition legislators sought written assurances that ministers will not be appointed to the CC after the term of this Parliament lapses. The UPFA objects to the choice of Ministers Champika Ranawaka and Wijedasa Rajapaksha as members of the CC, and want them to be replaced by lawmakers sans ministerial positions.Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday moved in Parliament a motion seeking confirmation…

The crowd at the pro-Mahinda rally held in Matara last Friday was even larger than the crowd in Nugegoda. The number of parliamentarians on the stage was variously mentioned as 76, 77 and 78. As far as the pro-Mahinda camp is concerned, there is nothing more to be said, no more points to be made. Matara has six UPFA parliamentarians and of them, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene, Hemal Gunasekera, Sanath Jayasuriya and Vijaya Dahanayaka hold portfolios in the government and did not attend the meeting. Indeed the last two were given…

The political landscape in Sri Lanka continues on its uncertain journey. The Prime Minister was clearly for having an early dissolution whilst his current political partner of sorts, President Sirisena insisted on achieving the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. The problem with that was that the President also said that there was no need for the 20th to be made an ‘urgent’ bill and that ‘there was time for these matters’ indicating on one hand an unhurried approach whilst on the other keeping his political partners hopeful of early dissolution…