Day: 28 August 2015

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is directly involved in the murder of MP Nadaraja Raviraj?

Karu

Information that has come to light in the course of the investigation into the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda confirms that former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is directly involved in the murder of MP Nadaraja Raviraj and his two bodyguards in Narahenpita. Making submissions to courts earlier, the CID said the then chief bodyguard of former Navy commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda and head of the Navy’s white van gang, Lt. Commander Sampath Munasinghe alias Navy Sampath, had committed these murders. In a confession, Navy Sampath has said that Raviraj was murdered…

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People abducted in the white van were hidden inside Girithale military camp and killed!

Karu

Since the appointment of new regime we are updating more news on what happened to people abducted from the white vans During the Rajapaksa regime people abducted in the white van were taken up to Girithale military camp and detained, tortured and murdered at this camp. Bodies of these victims were hidden inside graveyards located outstations. Mervin Silva, Minister of the Rajapaksa regime stated former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa named as godfather of white van abduction. Several groups were appointed to abduct milliners, journalists, leading businessmen, landowners, trade union activists,…

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Tony Blair identifies seven principles for Sri Lanka’s reconciliation

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Aug 28, 2015 (LBO) – Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair delivering the Lakshman Kadirgamar memorial lecture recently outlined seven principles for a successful reconciliation process. “I think I can identify, based on my experience not only in Northern Ireland but elsewhere, seven principles of successful reconciliation,” First principle is the continued absence of conflict, Blair revealed. “For reconciliation to succeed, you should never lose sight of the fact that the very basis of it is the absence of conflict and that has to be maintained.” he pointed out. According…

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What options for the Tamils?

Karu

Agreat opportunity comes, but rarely and it has come to the Tamils now. The North needs the goodwill of the South to resolve its problems. The South cannot eschew the allegiance of the North if central governance needs to be stable. To convey a truism bluntly, both ethnicities Sinhalese and Tamil need one another to go towards peaceful times and to look for new horizons. Options may seem many, but are limited to a few. Bipartisanship is the name and it is a compulsion. Support from other minorities is sure…

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Political crisis brews over losing 11 foreign nationals in Sri Lanka parliament

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ECONOMYNEXT – Opposition Sri Lanka Freedom Party today acknowledged that they risked losing 11 parliamentary seats as it emerged that its lists of candidates for Galle and Matara districts may have been invalid. SLFP’s new general secretary Duminda Dissanayake told reporters in Colombo that they were consulting legal opinion after it was discovered that two dual nationals had been fielded as candidates from the party for the two districts. In the district of Galle, Geetha Kumarasinghe who was elected as a member of the UPFA (the main constituent of the…

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US policy shift aimed at strengthening new government – Rajiva

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by Shamindra Ferdinando Former UPFA MP Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha yesterday said that the anticipated change in US policy towards Sri Lanka was aimed atstrengthening the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration. The US policy shift was not at all surprising because the Obama administration had, in no uncertain terms, made known its desire to effect a regime change in Sri Lanka, Prof. Wijesinha said. He was responding to the US declaration that it would move a joint resolution in Geneva backing a domestic war crimes probe undertaken by the new administration. The US successfully moved…

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We mapped the plan to defeat MR – Akila Viraj Kariyawasam

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By Subhashini Gunarathna Former Education Minister AkilaViraj Kariyawasam says “We educated the people about the politics of Rajapaksa. I led a very good election campaign throughout the district to defeat him”. Excerpts: ? Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated in some electorates in which he registered victory in the presidential election held in January. What is UNP’s magic in the past six months to achieve such a victory? A: We were able to build up trust about our programme in the district. We educated the people about the politics of…

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Sinister Campaign Afoot To Block Sri Lanka Using Paranagama Report At UNHRC

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By Chris Dharmakirti – The release of the long awaited Paranagama Commission Report, officially known as the Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons that was established in 2013, has now come into sharp focus, because both the UN and the world at large has been stuck with the conclusions of the Darusman Report, (officially known as the Report of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka), released in 2011, namely, that up to 40,000 civilians have been killed by the army in the final…

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US backing SL – What caused the US to soften its stand on Sri Lanka?

Karu

The US has decided to back Sri Lanka’s ‘domestic war crimes probe’. It has also undertaken to move a resolution in Geneva next month, calling upon the UNHRC member states to support that mechanism, we are told. Uncle Sam’s change of heart has come as a surprise! What has really caused the US to soften its stand on Sri Lanka as regards alleged accountability issues? Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal has, addressing the media, attributed the US decision to the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government’s willingness to engage the international…

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Dubious records of Blair and Rajapaksa are equally controversial

Karu

By Chaminda Weerawardhana – Ex British Prime Minister and multi-millionaire Tony Blair’s summer holiday in Sri Lanka has been taking place under privileged conditions, with next to no media exposure. A visit that takes place on the invitation of those holding the reins of power in Colombo, the Blairs were provided with state security and amenities during their visit. Two people who have played a special role in facilitating this visit were, indeed, Mnagala Samaraweera MP andChandrika Kuamaratunga. The former, a clothing design graduate of Central Saint Martin’s in London,…

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Zeid expected in Sri Lanka before Geneva session

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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, is expected to visit Sri Lanka ahead of the September session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Government sources said that Al Hussein was expected in Sri Lanka before September 14 but the dates have not been finalized. The 30thsession of the UNHRC will be held from 14 September – 2 October 2015. Sources said that Al Hussein is expected to present to the Government the report based on the investigations conducted by his office on the war…

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US hopes government confronts the past

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The United States says it hopes the Sri Lankan Government will accept the need to fully and honestly confront the past. US Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski tweeted today saying that when the report on Sri Lanka by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is released, the Government must not be defensive. “When UN report comes hope #SriLanka gov will continue defending country w/o being defensive, accepting need to fully, honestly confront past,” he said in a tweet. Tom Malinowski concluded a…

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TNA Meets US Delegation

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The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) met with the visiting top U.S. officials for discussions on critical issues, before the visiting Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal left the island for India. Members of the TNA met with the visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal, and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski today at the official residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Colombo, Atul Keshap. The TNA delegation included party leader R. Sampanthan, ITAK leader Mavai Senathirajah, Jaffna District MP-elect…

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