Day: 25 March 2016

The Presidential commission to investigate into complaints regarding missing persons began fresh public sittings in the Mullaitivu District today. Secretary to the Commission Hewa Wasalage Gunadasa said that the commission will hold sittings in Mullaitivu for three days. Following the public sittings in Mullaitivu, the commission will record statements from the public in Mannar and Vavuniya.  Gunadasa said that the commission has invited 1600 people to record oral statements over a 6 day period in Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya regarding family members reported missing during the war. (Colombo Gazette)

Sandhya Eknaligoda, wife of missing Journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, yesterday charged Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera,MP Wimal Weerawansa and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa of disrupting the investigations into her husband’s disappearance. Addressing a news conference, she said Mr. Rajapaksa and the others frequently visit the imprisoned army personnel who were arrested in connection with the disappearance, influencing the case. “Gnanasara Thera even threatened me on several occasions. It’s uncertain who are behind them,” she said. She requested the President, Prime Minister, the UN and relevant authorities…

Speech is silver, silence is golden.” If there is one occasion where this dictum does not seem to apply, it’s in political negotiations of every kind. This does not mean that every stake-holder together should create a Tower of Babel all at once. It only implies that those that have demands should speak up, and in time – for other stake-holders, to hear and act upon, at least some of them. It has become the practice with the nation’s Tamil polity to sit back and watch the ‘fun’ as other…

Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa insists that a proper investigation should be carried out into the murder of Founding Editor of The Sunday Leader Newspaper Lasantha Wickrematunge, but has hinted the government will never hold a transparent investigation, as a minister in the present government is connected to the incident. Rajapaksa made these remarks following Minister Sarath Fonseka’s maiden speech in parliament where he said that an international probe should be conducted as stipulated in the Geneva resolution into the Editor’s murder and that an investigation must be carried out…

The battle between Rajapaksas’ and the Maithri-Ranil Government has now reached the stage: Get-Set-Go. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last week stated that all fraud and corruption of Rajapaksas’ would be made public within the next three months and urged the Rajapaksas’ to be ready with their lawyers from now on. Even before Ranil issued that warning, the Rajapaksas’ are busy on a daily basis seeking legal advice to cover them from charges of fraud and corruption levelled against them. The lawyers consulted by Rajapaksas’ have reportedly advised them that the…

The Government says land in the North needed for security will not be returned to the owners. Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi said that land in some areas in the North are required by the military for security reasons. He said that those lands will not be released but the owners will be compensated by being paid more than the actual land value.  The Defence Secretary expressed these views at a press briefing in Colombo today. (Colombo Gazette) 1. ETHNIC CONFLICT, HORIZONTAL INEQUALITIES AND DEVELOPMENT POLICY: THE CASE OF SRI LANKA, November 2013…

Former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been noticed to appear in the Special High Court — set up to hear the cases connected to LTTE terrorist activities — on May 3 by Commissioner Irangani Perera. He has been asked to be present in Court to give evidence in the case filed against five LTTE suspects on charges of aiding and abetting a ex-LTTE suicide carder charged with attempting to kill Mr. Rajapaksa. The Attorney General has filed the case against them on charges of conspiring with Balasingham Vijayakumara alias Anbumani…