Month: January 2016

ALSO READ Sri Lanka opposition demands joint Indo-Lanka naval patrolsSri Lanka minister resigns over floating armoury scandalSirisena pledges new era of ‘consensual politics’ in Sri LankaSri Lanka’s rival party members part of new consensus CabinetSri Lankan parliament begins process to adopt new Constitution   Sri Lanka’s main Tamil party today demanded devolution of powers in the new Constitution to resolve ethnic issues. “The only solution to the national problem could be the devolution of power. We hope the new Constitution will address this issue,” Tamil National Alliance (TNA) front line parliamentarian…

Opposing the release of a Tamil film based on the life of a slain Sri Lankan Tamil journalist Isaipriya, titled ‘ Porkalathil Oru Poo ’, her mother and sister have approached the Madras High Court seeking to restrain the director from releasing the film. Isaipriya’s mother Veda Ranjana and sister Dharani on Thursday moved a plea to implead them in the petition moved by the film’s director, K. Ganesan, challenging the order of Film Certification Appellate Tribunal refusing certification to the movie. In his original petition, the director submitted that…

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The premier political configuration representing the Tamils of Sri Lanka in the Northern and Eastern provinces is the Tamil National Alliance(TNA). According to newspaper reports the TNA seems to be disappointed over perceived delay in setting up an appropriate mechanism to draft a new Constitution for Sri Lanka. It is also worried about what it sees as a potential dilution of the Constitution making exercise. Views have been expressed to this effect by TNA spokesperson and Jaffna district Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran at a press conference held last week…

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremessinghe today in Parliament slammed some media institutions on the manner they had reported the issue over the involvement of foreign judges in the accountability process on the war. He insisted that the government will not agree to an international war crimes tribunal on the Sri Lanka issue. “We have not signed the Rome statute,” he said. The Prime Minister said that he met President Maithripala Sirisena and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday and discussed the issue. He said at the meeting it was agreed that the government position on the…

BY Ishara Ratnakara Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya yesterday ordered the CID to launch a probe into the discovery of skeletal remains in the underground prison named ‘Gunside’ located within the Ocean Science Faculty premises of the Naval Command in Trincomalee, during the visit there of an overseas monitoring group that was probing disappearances in the East. The CID also told Court that a Dolphin Mitsubishi vehicle bearing number 6021 had also been discovered in the underground prison. Inquiries carried out on the chassis number had revealed that the vehicle…

“The resolution co-sponsored by our government at the United Nations Human Rights Council is a mutual agreement entered into by Sri Lanka, as a sovereign member state of the UN, which recognises our responsibility to embark on a process of reconciliation among communities that will foster peace and prosperity.” says the Friday Forum. Issuing a statement last night the Friday Forum said; “This resolution is an opportunity to do what is right, by ourselves and for ourselves, and for our future generations. Over many decades, including the post-war period, there…

International community should not demand an international process to investigate war crime allegations, pointed out Faiszer Musthapha, Minister of Provincial Council and Local Government.  “Generally you call for an international process when you don’t have faith in the domestic mechanism. President Sirisena has put a very independent judicial mechanism in place. I don’t think the international  community should have any doubt over the judicial system which is in place which was further strengthened by the 19th Amendment,” he said, in an interview with the Daily FT. He made these remarks when asked about the much-discussed interview…

Homagama Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake today rejected the bail application filed on behalf of Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera and informed that he intended to withdraw from the case. The Magistrate informed the court that he had already sought the Attorney General’s advice regarding the possibility of withdrawal from the case. “I will not change a decision I have taken, even if someone holds a gun to my head and threatens me” the Magistrate said, announcing his rejection of the bail application. “If I am wrong, anyone could…

Bail application filed at the Homagama Magistrate’s Court for the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) organisation, Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, who was arrested and remanded for contempt of court has been rejected. Attorney-at-law Sumudu Hewage had filed the bail application on behalf of the Bodu Bala Sena organization, Ada Derana reporter said. The prisons spokesman said that the Buddhist monk was admitted to the hospital based on a request by the latter regarding his blood pressure. Gnanasara Thero was remanded in custody until February 9 for…

In stark violation of prison regulations, the officials of the Welikada prison had allowed more than 50 visitors to meet Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Glaagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera who is currently in remand. According to prison regulations, only three visitors are allowed to visit a suspect in custody, on a daily basis. In addition, any Parliamentarian can visit the prison at any time of the day without prior approval. It is now clear that Prison officials have not followed these standard procedures when it came to the BBS General Secretary…

Opposition questions contradictory comments on war crimes probe The opposition today questioned the contradictory comments being made by the Government on the war crimes investigation. Joint opposition member and Mahajana Eksath Peramuna leader Dinesh Gunawardena said that while the Foreign Ministry had told the UN international judges will be allowed to assist the probe on the war in Sri Lanka, President Maithripala Sirisena had said the opposite in an interview with the BBC. Gunawardena told Parliament today that the contradictory statements by the Government has resulted in the Government being criticized by human…