The main opposition United National Party (UNP) said today it was prepared to support the government to overcome any pressure from the international community in the future. But the government should establish an independent Attorney General’s Department, an independent Judiciary and an independent Police Commission as soon as possible. UNP Senior Vice President and parliamentarian […]

J.JeganaathanThe Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has recently released the much-criticized report of the Commission of Inquiry on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC). The report came in the midst of international pressure on the GoSL for its alleged war crimes and human rights abuses.While the UN panel report focuses primarily on the last stage of […]

National Freedom Front Leader and Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa said yesterday that he and his party were awaiting the decisions of the Parliamentary Select Committee to decide whether to continue as a constituent party of the government.Weerawansa, responding to a question as to whether he and his party would leave the government in the event […]

Colombo District UNP MP Ravi Karunayayake yesterday (Feb. 01) dared the government to come clean on the whopping Rs. 19.5 billion loss that the national carrier SriLankan Airlines has suffered for 2011 and demanded to know from the government as to why these “white elephants” had to be maintained at the tax payers’ expense.Karunanayake said […]

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) yesterday renewed its call for a South-Eastern Provincial Council (PC) in the event of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) winning its demand for a PC with additional powers or 13-A Plus.General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, T. M. Hassen Ali MP yesterday told The Island that there […]

 President Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to terminate the services of Colombo High Court judge W.T.M.P.B. Warawewa.  He had been on one-year extension until yesterday (Jan. 31) following a request by the attorney general last year.  That was to enable him to be a member in the panels that heard the ‘white flag’ case against former […]

”After an extensive deliberations and in the light of our on going request for more detailed information about implementation we have decided to support a UN Human Rights Council resolution in March that will ask for sri Lanka to take more concrete actions towards reconciliation, including on the question of accountability and implementation of the […]

A member of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission has resigned following an internal problem.Former government analyst Dr. Ananda Mendis, who was appointed to the HRC by the president, said he could no longer serve in the commission against his conscience and policies. The president has permitted him to resign with effect from February 01 following […]

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka Even if everything the TNA says is true, it is still making a mistake, or perhaps two or three, and is on the verge of yet another wrong turning in the history of error that marks over half a century of Tamil politics.  If the TNA’s fears of prevarication on the part of […]

“Although Sri Lanka’s judicial system is of a high standard compared to other countries in the region, law reforms need to be introduced to to meet present day challenges, the newly appointed Secretary to the Ministry of Justice Kamalini de Silva said.” We are still observing archaic laws of our colonial masters. We need good […]

On January 26, 2012, the former OIC of Polpithigama Police was convicted under the torture Act by the High Court of Kurunegala. Wijeratne, the former OIC of Polpithigama Police Station, was sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment and was ordered to pay Rs. 25,000/- as compensation to Sujith Priyantha, torture victim.On July 29, 2003, Wijeratne, […]

Denies that he ever told India he would go beyond the 13th Amendment  After promising to go beyond the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution to find a solution to the Tamil ethnic problem, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has done a U-turn and said the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) would now have to suggest a […]

Archaeological traces of heritage, preserved in 25 acres of land in Chuvaami-malai and Kevu’liya-madu villages in Paddippazhai DS division of Batticaloa district, are being destroyed by Sinhala encroachers, who are attempting to construct a Buddhist vihara at the occupied lands, civil sources Paddippazhai said. Condemning the move, Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) member R. Thurairatnam, said […]

Depriving the livelihood of resettled Tamils at 35th Colony, the Sri Lankan government authorities in Colombo have taken charge of the Tamil area, which comes under the Batticaloa district and the Eastern Provincial Council, aiming Sinhalicisation of the border village between the Batticaloa and Ampaa’rai district. The Tamil fishermen, who have been fishing in Navakkiri […]

Frederica JanszLast week a story on the front page of a daily English newspaper caught my eye.  Not for its content but for the sheer absurdity of such a story having made headlines on the front page of a newspaper.  This was the story: Manioc stolen from Horogolla. The article went on to say that […]

Jehan Perera The government’s approach to problem solving after the end of the war has been two fold. One is to set up mechanisms that would give a different perspective on the problem. With the overall improvement in the country’s post-war situation evident to both citizens and foreign visitors alike, the government has its own story to […]

The Colombo Stock Exchange has seen a dramatic reversal from being the world’s best performing stock exchange to the second worst ahead of the Dhaka exchange in Bangladesh.According to country stock exchange data compiled by Bespoke Investment Group based on year-to-date performance of leading indices as of January 26, 2012, Sri Lanka had the second […]