Month: July 2015

Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, who accused former President Mahinda Rajapaksa of bribing the LTTE at that time, challenged him to prove his innocence if possible. Addressing an election meeting, Mr. Ranawaka, who is contesting the upcoming election on the UNP ticket, said he would challenge Mr. Rajapaksa to make an announcement on the allegation regarding the bribing of the LTTE with money. He alleged the Rajapaksas used the ‘white van culture’ to achieve their personal gains and all would be be exposed before the people. he said…

Maithri: From Waterloo to Watershed?   Politics & Society by Prasad Gunewardene The general belief in the country is that most of our politicians are comedians. Most of our politicians do act like comedians time and again. In the previous regime Mervyn Silva was outstanding. He tied a government official to a tree. Later, it was told that the victim performed that act himself. Mervyn staged a drama both inside and outside the Rupavahini Corporation. Finally he won the award titled ‘Minister of Public Affairs and Public Relations’ for his outstanding “public…

Matale police are looking for Matale District Mahinda’s UPFA candidate and former Deputy Minister Lakshman Wasantha Perera and a group of his supporters for allegedly abducting a man and assaulting him for launching a campaign against the proliferation of ethanol and printing a set of posters to be pasted in public in that regard. The police said the victim had been assaulted allegedly at the UPFA candidate’s house. It is alleged that the supporters of the politician had arrived in a car and abducted the victim near a printing press…

By Easwaran Rutnam An investigation launched by the Ministry of Mass Media and Parliamentary Affairs has revealed that the State owned Independent Television Network (ITN) had violated regulations in place when accepting advertisements for the last Presidential election under the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. ITN Chairman, Prof. Dhammika Ganganath Dissanayake told The Sunday Leader that three separate committees had been appointed to investigate the allegations against the former management of ITN. He said that a committee appointed by the Media Ministry, a committee appointed by ITN and a Presidential Commission had…

The JVP is for socialism with modern Sri Lankan characteristics Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva, in an interview with the Dailymirror , said his party opts for socialism with modern characteristics rather than deviating from the party’s original principles, policies and objectives.  Excerpts of the interview:The JVP, played a role in the 100-day government by participating in the deliberations of the National Executive Council (NEC). What would be the JVP role after the General Election? At the January 8th Presidential Election, our focus was to defeat the authoritarian…

Kurunegala district UPFA candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa is insulting the intellect of the voters by giving very silly promises to voters including youth to deceive them and capture power by hook or crook. People have not forgotten the manner he suppressed student rights without any shame showing his 10 year oppressive rule, State Minister of Defence and Gampaha district UNP candidate Ruwan Wijewardena said in a statement issued yesterday. The statement added that when the student community demanded the previous government to increase the Rs. 2,500 Mahapola Scholarship in proportion to…

Minister of Food Security Gamini Jayawickrama Perera this week said that widespread abuse of State resources by Mahinda Rajapaksa during his tenure as the President is still under probe and recent political statements of the latter are just to hoodwink the masses. “Investigations are proceeding on allegations of fraud and corruption against him and his henchman.  Therefore, it becomes a joke when he makes payment for the use of his official vehicle and boasts of it. It is a political fraud.  However, we can be happy of the fact that…

The National Bhikkhu Front (NBF) explained that they would be supporting the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) at the General Election and called on all to elevate the JVP to a status of power beyond the main Opposition and being its Leader. Secretary of the NBF Ven. Wakamulle Uditha Thera said that in arriving at the said decision, their civil society organization had looked at three criterion primarily revolving round whom the three main political parties, namely, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), the United…

By Nirmala Kannangara in the Southern Province – Pictures by Lalith Perera The Southern Province is yet to feel the election heat with the three main political parties in the province conducting their campaigns on a low profile. Politicians in the Hambantota district have set an example for their counterparts in other districts on how to conduct an election campaign without displaying large cutouts and banners. The situation in Matara and Galle districts are not the same as there were a few hoardings and cutouts in the town centers. Most of the…

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that he is pleased to face the court case filed against him and five of his colleagues if the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa alleges to send a demand notice for slandering him. He said if there is a court case filed that he will get an opportunity to tell the former president’s face about his robbing of public funds. Anura Kumara said “The former president is telling that he is going to file a court case. I am too waiting for that opportunity to…