Month: July 2016

Responding to Former President and Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa’s statement on the Office on Missing Persons, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera today said MP Rajapaksa is trying to score political points at the expense of the grieving mothers and the future generations. Following is the full statement of Minister Samaraweera. – See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/113359/Enough-is-enough-Mangala-responds-to-MR#sthash.3WnM2kzK.dpuf

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The marathon protest march “Jana satana Pada Yathra” launched by loyalists of former President and current Kurunegala district MP Mahinda Rajapaksa is currently underway in Sri Lanka. The march organized by pro – Mahinda polititical stalwarts known as the Joint Opposition began in Kandy on July 28th 2016. The five day march is scheduled to conclude in Colombo on August 1st 2016. The Kandy to Colombo march has revived memories of another Opposition march that was organized almost sixty years ago. Unlike the present Kandy – Colombo march…

By Dasun Edirisinghe The Jaffna University re-opened a few days but its Science Faculty remains closed due to lack of students. University sources said that more than 50% of the Jaffna Science Faculty comprised Sinhala students and they had not returned so far after a violent incident on July 16. The entire university was closed indefinitely following a clash in the Science Faculty during a welcoming ceremony. Meanwhile, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Highways and Higher Education P. G. Jayasinghe said the attendance of the Jaffna University was at…

By Jehan Perera – Jehan Perera The ethnic fault line in society was exposed in the clash between two groups of students at Jaffna University last week. The immediate cause of the dispute was a late request by Sinhalese students at the university to perform the traditional Sinhalese Kandyan dance at a ceremony to welcome incoming new students. This request was turned down by the organizers of the event. However, the following day when the event took place a Kandyan dancing troupe made its appearance which was resisted by the…

by Thushari Nathaniel United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) member and Minister of Sports, Dayasiri Jayasekera said that although the government wants to bring in a new constitution, there are certain issues that need to be sorted out before such a decision can be taken. In an interview with The Sunday Leader he said that even with regard to the holding of the LG elections, the government had obtained the approval of the parliament to hold the elections under the new system. However, there were unexpected issues such as the delimitation.…

According to the ICRC study, of all the 395 families interviewed, 36 per cent believed their loved ones to be dead. As many as 31 per cent said the missing persons were still alive while the remaining 33 per cent expressed uncertainty. An overwhelming number of families of those who reportedly went missing during the 26-year-long civil war in Sri Lanka, demands “more detailed information” from the authorities on the fate and whereabouts of missing persons. This is the highlight of a study undertaken by the International Committee of the…

By S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole – Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole C.V. Wigneswaran’s Accusation – Leading Nowhere The NP Chief Minister in declaring open a housing scheme by a chartable member of the public in Achchuvely about a month ago, made a startling claim. He said in public from the stage that: A foundation in Singapore had donated Rs. 90 million for the furtherance of Tamil studies and so far the university has seen only Rs. 30,000 of it. As proof of his source, he pointed to Aru Thirumurugan who…

COLOMBO: The sober media coverage of a recent Jaffna University fracas in which Tamil and Sinhalese students violently clashed over the organization of an annual event, indicates that a “pro-reconciliation” sentiment has gained “moral currency” in Sri Lanka, says Verite Research in its analysis of the way the government, political parties and the media reacted to the incident of July 16 and its aftermath. “In the post-2015 context, calls to desist from inciting racism have gained a degree of moral currency in the press. This development reflects the media’s reorientation to shifts…

By Dasun Edirisinghe The Joint Opposition (JO) yesterday vowed to go ahead with the Pada Yatra as scheduled from tomorrow despite threats of disciplinary action and other obstacles. Addressing the media at Dr N.M. Perera Centre in Borella, JO National Organiser and Matara District MP Dullas Alahapperuma said their protest march starting from Kandy was not against the SLFP policies and it would be a joke to take disciplinary action against SLFP parliamentarians who participate in the march. “Our Pada Yatra is based on SLFP policies and it represents the party’s objectives,”…

http://www.cricket.com.au/news/streaker-nude-one-week-prison-kandy-australia-sri-lanka-first-test/2016-07-27 Brisbane local fined and jailed for indecent exposure following ill-advised escapade on day one of first Test File this one under ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time’. Australian cricket fan Alex James has been fined 3,000 rupees ($A28) and sentenced to a week in prison after completing a nude run during the washed-out final session on day one at the Pallekele Stadium. Quick Single: SLv Aus scorecard James made the questionable decision to seek some entertainment of his own as the afternoon rain rolled in over…

By Ishara Rathnakara Colombo High Court (CHC) Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke yesterday (26) ordered that a hearing with evidence be held on 02 September to decide whether the case against three suspects, charged in connection with the assassination of former Member of Parliament Nadaraja Raviraj and his Security Officer Lakshman Lokuwella, be heard without them since they have gone missing. The suspects who are missing are Sedhian Thusain, Palanasami Suresh and Shivakanthan alias Charan.The other defendants in this case, Prasad Chandana Kumara, Gamini Seneviratne, Prageeth Chaminda have been remanded until the hearing…

A Hindu temple in Jaffna has been demolished by the Sri Lankan military, who have built a statue of the Buddha in its place, said a priest earlier this month. Saivite priest  P S G Sri Ayyappadasa Sampasiva Shivachariyar said that the temple, which was located in the village of Veemankaamam has been completely destroyed by the military, in an interview with LankaSri earlier this month. The Pillaiyar temple provided a place of safety for the local Tamil population during more than 30 years of war, said the priest. Its…