Day: 8 May 2016

The anonymous source behind the leak of the Panama Papers has spoken for the first time, offering to help law authorities make prosecutions in return for immunity. In a 1,800-word statement, “John Doe” reveals he has never worked for a spy agency or a government.  He starts the statement by citing “income equality” as a motive. The Panama Papers have shown how some wealthy people use offshore firms to evade tax and avoid sanctions. The papers belonged to the Mossack Fonseca law firm. It denies any wrongdoing and says it…

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KULATHUPUZHA (KOLLAM): “What difference does it make whether we live here or there? Life is life after all,” feels 88-year-old Anchala, an innocent smile nestling in her eyes. Ask her whether she wants to return to the land where she was born — she pauses for a moment and back comes the enigmatic smile on her wrinkled face. Anchala belongs to one of the first batches of Tamil repatriates from Sri Lanka that came to Kulathupuzha in the late 70s. The Rehabilitation Plantation Estate at Kulathupuzha, near Thenmala in Kollam, where…

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Hundreds of Tamils killed in Mullivaikal, are to be remembered at events organized by Northern Provincial Council member M.K Sivajilingham commencing from later this week. Sivajilingham said that there was an attempt to block the events but yet the events will go ahead as planned. He said that events to commemorate the Tamils killed during the final stages of the war in Mullivaikal will begin on May 12 and will be held for one week in the North and East.  Sivajilingham said the main event will be staged in Mullivaikal…

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Human Rights Action Plan etc. called for; talks in Brussels next week In its haste to regain the GSP Plus facility, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has agreed with the European Union (EU) to implement a sprawling list of 58 conditions linking human rights, national security and other domestic concerns with trade, a document obtained by the Sunday Times shows. Among the 58 conditions imposed are To revoke the Prevention of Terrorism Act, To expedite cases of remaining detainees, To introduce a new Human Rights Action Plan, Review the status…

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Rajapaksas are government’s chief obsession *May Day review *Credit rating agencies issue cautionary notes *A ‘right to withhold information’ law? From the reports and comments about last Sunday’s May Day rallies that have been appearing over the past week, it became obvious that The Island was the only newspaper or media organization that had a staffer monitoring the crowds in all three main rallies held in Colombo. This year, what was important was not the speeches being made but the crowds present at each of the May Day rallies. This…

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Those were hectic days for the media as well as the whole of Sri Lanka when Minister Sarath Fonseka was dragged to jail by his junior officers, just weeks after he had led the Army into smashing the LTTE. Many sections of the people were thunder struck by the then government’s action. Trumped up charges, saw the General being dragged shamelessly to Court, and thence on to a 3- year prison sentence. Much of society was numbed by the speed with which the nation’s war hero was seen dragged bodily…

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No government anywhere in the world is lily white and it is foolish for anybody to claim otherwise. The people of Sri Lanka are well aware that this is especially true of our own governments, whatever their political complexion. When he recently met editors, publishers and electronic media heads, President Maithripala Sirisena, without naming his predecessor, did not pull his punches on the corruption and thuggery of the previous Rajapaksa regime that was well known. Sirisena hit harder than he had ever done before and this has been attributed by…

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