Day: 13 July 2015

National Lists of UPFA, UNP and JVP revealed

Karu

The National Lists of the United National Party (UNP), United People’s Freedom Alliance and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have been released. All three lists contain some familiar faces as well as many new ones. The UPFA National List sees the inclusion of both loyalists of Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena. The UNP National List also includes the likes of Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera and Athularaliye Rathana Thera, formally of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and who have aligned with the UNP as part of United National Front for Good Governance.…

Read More

Weerawansa is being accused of abusing the powers of the office held by him in order to earn millions!

Karu

Wheeler Dealing á la Weerawansa Weerawansa’s palatial house at Hokandara By Nirmala Kannangara – (With supportive documents) The renegade Marxist politician, former minister Wimal Weerawansa has now been exposed as a wheeler-dealer engaged in money making tactics through various deals. Employees attached to institutions that were under Weerawansa’s purview when he was the Housing and Construction Minister have now come out openly and accuse him of offering tenders to the highest bidders disregarding government rules and regulations, simply for financial gain. Weerawansa is being accused of abusing the powers of…

Read More

MAHINDA will lose at next poll

Karu

The Gods that sent former President Mahinda Rajapaksa home on January 8th this year, will never allow him back to power, said Indika Thotawatta. The visually handicapped soothsayer, Thotawatta became a popular figure during the last Presidential election as the only astrologer who openly predicted a definite defeat to the then President Rajapaksa at the last Presidential election. He told The Sunday Leader that according to astrology, Rajapaksa will never be able to come back to power. Thotawatta said that he will not ‘sell’ a prophecy to earn money and…

Read More

Lankan Bigwigs To Fight It Out In Colombo District

Karu

COLOMBO: Colombo district, Sri Lanka’s most populous electoral district with a 1.5 million strong electorate and 19 seats, will see top leaders of the various political parties fight it out in the August 17 parliamentary elections. The United National Party (UNP) is fielding Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Justice Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakse, Power Minister P.Champika Ranawaka, and four junior ministers. The party is also fielding two Indian-Origin Tamils, Mano Ganeshan and S.Kuhavaradhan, and three Muslims, Mujibur Rahman, Feroza Muzammil and S.M.Marikkar. It has  fielded two popular women…

Read More

Maithri’s Options: From Sensation To Reality

Karu

By Harindra B. Dassanayake – Since the last presidential election, fun begins from the nominations stage. This time round, however, nominations of both sides exceed mere ‘fun’ and borders on black humour – would you imagine Mahinda Rajapaksa runs under Maithri’s list and fiery Champika Ranawaka to camp in Ranil’s backyard? So, the proverbial ‘desperate situations call for desperate solutions’. May be. The central plot of the drama so far is the nomination for the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa from the UPFA list. And it was given. However, those six…

Read More

Former Sri Lanka leader to run for prime minister in August elections

Karu

A coalition led by Sri Lanka’s president has nominated war-time leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to run in elections next month, official documents showed on Monday, with allies saying he will stand for the post of prime minister. President Maithripala Sirisena defeated Rajapaksa in a bitterly fought election in January. He was forced to give the former leader the nomination in the face of strong demands from his party or risk a split. Rajapaksa’s crushing of a 26-year Tamil Tiger insurgency in 2009 won him support among the island nation’s Sinhalese majority,…

Read More

Objections filed against Sri Lankan election candidates holding dual citizenship

Karu

COLOMBO, July 13 (Xinhua) — Objections were filed on Monday against some political candidates who were nominated to contest the August parliamentary elections after it was alleged that they held dual citizenship. The objections, which were filed in the Matara District in southern Sri Lanka, were against former minister Dallas Alahapperuma and provincial councilor Manoj Sirisena from the opposition United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). They were filed by members of other political parties who claimed that according to the 19th amendment to the constitution passed in parliament recently, dual citizens…

Read More

On The Situation In The North & East: An Open Letter To UN HR Chief

Karu

By Brian Senewiratne – 12-Jul-15 His Excellency Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Excellency, Sri Lanka: The situation in the North and East I am a Sinhalese from the majority community in Sri Lanka. My cousin, Chandrika Kumaratunga was a former President. I am one of a very few Sinhalese, in or outside Sri Lanka, to campaign for the cause of the Tamil people to live with equality, dignity and safety in the country of their birth. I have…

Read More

Board the Elephant – Rajitha – Champika – Rauff – Mano – Arjuna

Karu

BY RATHINDRA KURUWITA It is the responsibility of all citizens in the country to safeguard the victory of the 8 January revolution by defeating former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister Rajitha Senaratne said after signing a MoU with the United National Party (UNP) to contest the coming general election yesterday at Temple Trees. “The defeat of Rajapaksa was a golden moment in our history. With his defeat we safeguarded our freedom. The UNP and its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe made great sacrifices to make this happen,” he said. He added that those who…

Read More

Ranil putting country before party – Rainbow reunites against Rajapaksa

Karu

8 January rainbow coalition regroups; will contest parliamentary poll as united front Maithri’s SLFP allies Rajitha, Arjuna, MKDS, Earl Gunesekera join alliance JHU signs MoU with UNP, Rajitha hails Ranil for putting country before party Sri Lanka will not go back to that dark era: Patali Champika Prime Minister and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe and the JHU’s Athuraliye Rathana Thero sign the agreements along with JHU General Secretary and Minister of Power and Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka, UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim and others at Temple Trees  By Dharisha Bastians The…

Read More

Candidacy confirmed – Mahinda Rajapaksa’s name has been included

Karu

Candidacy confirmed Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s name has been included in the nomination list of UPFA for the Kurunegala district. Even though UPFA ann… No nominations for 4 former MPs Former parliamentarians Duminda Silva, Sarana Gunawardena, Sajin Vass Gunawardena and Mervin Silva have not been given nominations from the UPF… Nominations restore Susil’s health UPFA General Secretary Susil Premjayantha arrived at the Colombo District Secretariat a short while ago to hand over the UPFA nominations for C… . Ravi and Wijedasa arrive with UNP nominations Ravi Karunanayake and Wijedasa Rajapaksa…

Read More

Selfish Vasu Happy to drop his friends!

Karu

Former Member of Parliament and Leader of the Democratic Left Front (DLF) of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Vasudeva Nanayakkara,is happy because he has been granted nomination from the Ratnapura District. Although nominations had been requested for six candidates from six  districts including Colombo, Gampaha, Moneragala, he pointed out that a situation has arisen where none of them will be given nominations. Nanayakkara further said he was happy that atleast he has received nominations from the Ratnapura District on UPFA as his friends or himself will never win a seat…

Read More

Nominations lists for Colombo

Karu

Political parties today handed over their nominations lists to District Secretariats and the lists of mainstream political parties contesting for Colombo District are as follows. United People’s Freedom Alliance Susil Premajayantha Dinesh Gunawardane Wimal Weerawansa Bandula Gunawardane Mohan Lal Grero Gamini Lokuge Thilanga Sumathipala Geethanjana Gunawardana Rohitha Bogollagama Chandana Kathriarachchi Janaka Weliwatta Kanthi Kodikara Dhanasiri Amaratunga Malsha Kumaratunga Prasanna Wimal Jagath Kumara Vajira Mapalagama M. Almeida K. Guruparan Udaya Gammanpila Hameed Mohammed Jayantha Ketagoda United National Party Ranil Wickremesinghe Ravi karunanayake Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha Harsha de Silva Rosy Senanayake Eran Wickremaratne…

Read More

MR’s nomination has benefited the UNP: Minister

Karu

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s nomination to contest the general election benefited the United National Party (UNP), Minister John Amaratunga said today. He said many SLFP front-liner including ministers had decided to join the UNP but had missed out on the nominations because by that time the list of candidates had been finalised. The minister told a media briefing at the UNP headquarters, Sirikotha that President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to satisfy the SLFP by giving nomination to the former president has directly and indirectly benefited the UNP. “Some say the President…

Read More

Major political realignments as nominations end

Karu

Major political realignments as nominations end UNP forms new alliance with JHU, former UPFA stalwarts and SLMC; will contest as United National Front for Good Governance Sirisena under severe pressure; gives various reasons for Rajapaksa’s re-entry but assures he won’t betray Jan. 8 mandate Fonseka’s party also seeks alliance with UNP, but demand for six slots in Colombo District rejected The […]……….Read More Battle for Kegalle The United National Party (UNP) is bringing back some of its old guard to fight the general election this time, hence Kegalle will once…

Read More

Who really controls the UPFA nominations?

Karu

Who really controls the UPFA nominations? The looming nomination deadline on July 13 has drawn attention to the power struggle within the UPFA coalition. On reading the UPFA constitution, I will show that President Sirisena’s power to singularly drive nominations is limited and that his control rests on his ability to negotiate with the executive committee of the UPFA. The UPFA […]……………… Read More Ranil, et al paint greener picture for Lanka at UNP Convention Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the United National Party (UNP) yesterday their choice at the August…

Read More

US tells Wigneswaran to work with Govt, scale down genocide talk

Karu

Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran received “tough tuition” from the US State Department during talks last Thursday, the Sunday Times learns.  He was asked to soften his ‘genocide’ rhetoric and instead work with the Central Government in matters relating to reconciliation and the development of the province. The Chief Minister is on a tour of the United States and Britain. He had, however, obtained permission from President Maithripala Sirisena for the visit and informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as protocol demanded. His office deemed it as a private…

Read More

Anti-Rajapaksa Parties Pledge to Carry Forward Jan 8 Revolution

Karu

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan political parties ranged against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday formally launched the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) to carry forward the “January 8 Revolution” which was meant to restore and strengthen clean public life, democracy and ethnic reconciliation. It was the January 8, 2015 Sri Lankan Presidential election, in which the Joint Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena beat sitting President Mahinda Rajapaksa, which ushered in democracy and a climate for ethnic reconciliation. But the “revolution” is now threatened by the re-emergence of Rajapaksa as a…

Read More