02/07/2015 - News site for Tamils

Sri Lanka’s UPFA slams door on Mahinda

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena’s party today firmly rejected a bid by smaller allies to make his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate. Former MP, Vasudeva Nanayakkara said talks among leaders of the United People’s Freedom Alliance ended in failure a short while ago as Sirisena did not favour a comeback by Rajapaksa. “Our talks this evening were a complete waste of our efforts,” Nanayakkara said. “We wanted to the UPFA to face the general election with Mahinda Rajapaksa as our leader, but we failed to…

Sri Lanka’s ruling party rejects invitation from ex-president

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

Sri Lanka’s ruling party rejects invitation from ex-president COLOMBO, July 2 (Xinhua) – Sri Lanka’s ruling United National Party (UNP) on Thursday rejected an invitation from former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to work with him at the upcoming parliamentary elections. Rajapakse had invited the UNP and other political parties to join him after he announced his candidacy for the August 17 Parliamentary Elections. However, UNP senior parliamentarian John Amaratunga told Xinhua that the UNP would not consider such a request and were confident of gaining a majority at the…

Imminent MAHINDA faction exit a blessing for SLFP

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

Alluding to a certain split within the SLFP led UPFA, Minister Sarath Amunugama said the SLFP felt the situation came as a miserable pleasure because the gap created by the Mahinda Rajapaksa faction’s exit, could be filled with educated youth in the nomination lists at the upcoming Parliamentary elections.He said when Parliament was dissolved last Friday, the SLFP had 127 members in Parliament. The SLFP had initially decided to give nominations to all sitting SLFP MPs. Therefore, it would have been problematic for the party’s nomination board to accommodate all…

SLMC to contest with UNP

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is planning to contest the general election with the United National Party ( UNP) , its leader Rauff Hakeem said today. Mr. Hakeem who was approached by a few journalists when he was coming out of UNP headquarters Sirikotha last afternoon said he was on his way after a meeting with UNP leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his party had decided to sign an MOU with the UNP soon. The SLMC was originally planning to contest alone but Mr. Hakeem said the…

Rejected Mahinda ready to contest under another party

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa may look at contesting the parliamentary elections under another political party if President Maithripala Sirisena fails to nominate him as the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate. An opposition parliamentarian close to Rajapakse said on the grounds of anonymity that negotiations were still underway between the two groups loyal to Rajapakse and Sirisena in order to reach a settlement for Rajapakse to contest under the opposition United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). However he said that if the negotiations fail, then the former president along with his supporters would be forced…

Following stiff opposition from the SLFP, the President has now decided to fully reject nominations to Rajapaksa.

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

President Maithripala Sirisena has refused to give former President Mahinda Rajapaksa nominations from the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to contest the upcoming Parliament elections. The decision paves the way for a major split in the UPFA which will see several Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) members joining Rajapaksa to contest the polls. The SLFP, which is part of the UPFA, and UPFA party leaders had key talks with President Maithripala Sirisena today. A decision was to be taken at the meeting with regards to giving nominations to former President Mahinda…

TULF seeks to form Tamil common front

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) has called on Tamil Political Parties including those of the South and the Upcountry to get united under one banner to form a common front, as an alternative to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the interest of the Tamil speaking people. TULF General Secretary V. Anandasangaree said that the TULF is the only Political Party that has the moral right to represent the Tamil people in all their activities. Anandasangaree said that the time has now come for all Tamils to get together and demand…

Chamal Rajapaksa to be named as PM candidate?

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

Chamal Rajapaksa to be named as PM candidate? A request has been made to nominate former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Higher Education and Research Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama said. The observation was made at a press conference held in Colombo on Thursday (02). “However, the former Speaker has apprised the President that he is about to retire from politics,” said Amunugama. The Minister also pointed out that the request was made by several Parliamentarians who represent neither pro nor…

Sirisena, Wickremasinghe & Rakapaksa Dilemmas

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

By Sarath Wijesinghe – Political maize in Sri Lanka has further complicated after the dissolution of the Parliament without passing 20A which is a demand and a promise by Sirisena to the people agitated for a change. Whose decision was the snap elections and who runs the country is a mystery and known to few. Some say people now need a change for the changes made due to dissatisfaction and disappointment of the state of affairs today. Sirisena is in a dilemma sandwiched between UNP SLFP (m) SLFP(R) and other…

Crucial talks today on Rs 1000 per day wage demand by tea trade unions

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

By Steve A. Morrell Trade union sources in the tea plantations pressed their demand for a Rs. 1000 per day wage as the jump – off point for for further negotiations with the respective managements. This is to be granted irrespective of plantation losses. Crucial negotiations between the parties today would either continue a period of relative industrial peace or end in confrontation. The Planters’ Association of Ceylon ( PA) said prices for plantation commodities, tea and rubber and rubber based products have reduced. The tea price debacle for plantation…

Rare conjunction of Venus and Jupiter

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=331664

The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter are visible after sunset pass extremely closer to each other from July 1, Astronomy and Space Applications, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies Dr. Chandana Jayaratne said. “This rare conjunction event is visible from July 1 onwards provide a spectacular view in the Sky just after sunset on the western horizon as two bright objects which are closer to each other,” he said. “These objects are none other than the brightest that we see from the earth. One is Jupiter, the biggest…

MS must defeat MR – United Leftists

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

BY Ruwan Laknath Jayakody Members expelled from the Leftist parties attached to the United People’s Freedom Alliance urged President Maithripala Sirisena to give leadership to the civil society struggle and the victory achieved on 8 January. The United Left Front comprising members expelled from the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (amounting to around 75% of the LSSP), the Communist Party of Sri Lanka and the Democratic Left Front called on Sirisena to get out of the corner he had got himself trapped in, in his attempt to save the Sri Lanka…

Monk Vs agents of Satan

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

I once read an article written by Prof. Kumar David in The Island. He says that the interview given by Ven. Maduluwave Sobitha, to the Sunday Thinakural, was the most significant political interview in the last six months. Prof. David says that the interview was a stunner when Sobitha Hamuduruwo said that, if he got elected, within six months he would abolish the executive presidency and the electoral system and step down from the position of President. Prof. David, who has written extensively about the Tamil Diaspora and the LTTE,…

President CBK – A reflection on her politics of Inclusivity and Tolerence

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

In 1994, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, at the age of forty nine years, was elected as the youngest and first ever female President of Sri Lanka. Twenty one years later, in June 2015, as she celebrates her 70th birthday, it is appropriate to look back at the legacy of this amazing lady, who has so significantly impacted and helped shape the contemporary history of our nation. Epilogue The epilogue to the politics of President CBK, is surely her single handed leadership in crafting the politics and creating the rainbow coalition of the…

NM at 110

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

http://books.ideabeam.com/isbn/9789559150046/two-languages-one-nation-one-language-two-nations

This year marked the 110th birth anniversary of Nanayakkarapathirage Martin Perera, better known as Dr. N.M. Perera; Leader of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, popular labour leader, one-time Mayor of Colombo, outstanding Parliamentarian, Marxist, intellectual, sportsman, sometime film actor and above all a man whose life and contribution to our political evolution is commemorated with respect even today, nearly four decades after his death. The life and career of N.M. Perera, that young student from far-away Ceylon, surely made his teachers proud! It will be difficult for those born after…

Campaign issues revolve around leadership

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

By Dr.Vickramabahu Karunaratne Ranil the Prime Minister placed his UNP Working Committee on a serious footing by explaining the difficulties that should not be under estimated. As a leader in full control, he need not neglect anybody with a possible important contribution. Now there are no such complains and all have accepted his leadership. On the other hand there is evidence that a wide split is growing in the SLFP and in the United People’s Freedom Alliance. Hence the general belief in the UNP leadership is, that they could return…

I am not coming – Chandrika

02/07/2015 Karu

Can UNP win without Maithri? When the election results were announced in the 1994 general elections, Chandrika Kumaratunge was in hiding at a secret location. She felt there were threats on her life. Only her confidantes were permitted to visit her. Those confidantes who were with her when the results were announced saw tears in her eyes. “See, having done such a massive campaign and the people’s swing towards us we’ve got only 105 seats in Parliament,” she lamented with deep pain of mind. She only wanted 113 seats to…

Mahinda will be leading opposition group

02/07/201502/07/2015 Karu

Stakes At The Parliamentary Elections At a personal level, it would be foolish for MR to contest. He would soon be a septuagenarian. He entered parliamentary politics in 1970 and completed 45 years. He was a MP, a Leader of the Opposition, a PM and then the President. If not for his attempt for a third term, he could have ‘ruled the country’ until next year. He has certain things for his credit, and certain other things for his discredit. The best thing for him would have been to gloriously…