Ramaphosa Two main constituent parties of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and the National Freedom Front (NFF), who were up in arms against the visit of the South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, are now demanding to know as to why he is in the country.  While accusing […]

D.B.S.Jeyaraj Fathima Thahir is a Muslim woman in her forties who manages a small provision store owned by her family in the Colombo suburb of Battaramulla. The store “Fathima Stores”was named after her by her father who founded it in 1949 long before Battaramulla experienced the current scale of urban development.”Fathima Stores” on 192 Main […]

Tibetan spiritual leader says religious attacks in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and Sri Lanka unacceptable.  The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, has reiterated his plea to Buddhists in Myanmar and Sri Lanka to halt violence against Muslims, in a speech to tens of thousands of devotees to mark his 79th birthday. In front […]

(Sanka Vidanagama photo) Victor Ivan’s explanation of Gota’s excesses Kumar David In my piece last week (Black Hand or Manic Folly) I summarised a much canvassed view that a conspiracy was in progress to stir up trouble as an excuse to declare a state of emergency and set in motion a dastardly plot to impose […]

Katchatheevu, shown by the arrow Virtually endorsing the ruling AIADMK’s demand for retrieval of Katchatheevu, BJP on Sunday said the issue of Indian sovereignty over the islet, ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974, has to be revisited.“The issue of Indian sovereignty over Katchateevu has to be revisited,” BJP general secretary P. Muralidhar Rao, […]

The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka has written to the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo asking him to explain the position of the Indian Government on reports of the existence of Muslim terror groups in Sri Lanka. In the latter which was released to the media today, the President of the Muslim Council N.M. Ameen […]

Aluthgama set on fire by BBS Don Manu Talking as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth and he couldn’t say boo to a goose, the Bodu Bala Sena chief, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara on Wednesday tells the waiting media after emerging from the CID headquarters in Fort, where he and his clan had been summoned […]

Sri Lanka Muslims protest Thalif DeenUNITED NATIONS  (IPS) – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the Sri Lankan government to “take necessary measures” to prevent any further attacks against minority Muslims in the country. He said the secretary-general recalls the Human Rights Council resolution of March 2014, which urges the government of Sri Lanka […]

BBS Rule over Police Dayan Jayatilleka What is the role of the regime and state in a multiethnic, multilingual, multi-religious, multicultural i.e. pluralist setting and in a fraught, conflicted, actually or potentially violent situation? How should and how do the regime and state function?Are the UPFA regime and the State a neutral umpire –as it […]

(Newsweek cover photo) Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, NEW DELHI: Security experts have expressed serious concerns over the recent riots in Sri Lanka, and have stressed the need for Colombo to take steps to control the situation, fearing that riots may be exploited by ‘foreign elements’ wanting to carry out a terror strikes in southern states of […]

Victims of war ( JDS) Britain’s House of Lords was informed by the British Government that Sri Lanka’s domestic mechanism to address issues related to the war, had failed to meet expectations. Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in UK, Baroness Warsi, during a debate on Sri Lanka at the House […]

(Photo: Shehan Gunasekara)  The Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) who submitted the postmortem report on one of the victims killed during the Aluthgama violence has been summoned to court after his report was disputed. Lawyers had informed the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court today that the report by the JMO noted that the victim had died of cut […]

The United Nations (UN) refugee agency today raised concerns over reports that a group of Sri Lankan asylum seekers heading to Australia were detained at sea and were most likely to have been sent back to Sri Lanka. UNHCR said it has followed with profound concern recent reports in the media and from the community […]

The United National Party today charged that the administration of the Parliament is deliberately delaying action on privilege issues raised by UNP Parliamentarians.  Speaking to Asian Mirror, UNP Parliamentarian Ajith P Perera said the privilege issue they raised on the clash which took place in Hambanthota has not yet been presented before the privileges committee […]

Heiner Bielefeldt GENEVA (2 July 2014) – Three United Nations experts on freedom of religion, minority issues, and summary executions today called on Sri Lanka to adopt urgent measures to stop the promotion of racial and faith-based hatred, and violence against Muslim and Christian communities by Buddhist groups with extremist views, and bring perpetrators of […]

Jumma Mosque In a fresh instance of vicious religious hatred unknown anti-Muslim elements have sent a warning letter and pieces of pork to a famous long standing Mosque in the heart of Colombo city. The historic Fort Jumma Mosque on Chatham Street was the latest target in the anti-Muslim wave currently engulfing the country. It […]

Manisha Gunasekera lied to UN ◾Council fires letter to External Affairs Minister ◾Alleges Govt. informed Council in Geneva that violence was instigated by Muslims ◾Govt. statement in Geneva similar to versions propagated by ‘anti Muslim interests’ ◾Geneva statement missed golden opportunity to stand against hate speech, violence: Council Dharisha Bastians A prominent Muslim civil society […]

The European Union (EU) today called for the full implementation of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and advancing a sustainable political solution saying they are essential for peaceful growth and stability in Sri Lanka. “We welcome the appointment by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, of three renowned experts – […]

Gnanasara “UNP, Foreign Diplomatic missions and Muslim extremists behind Aluthgama incident” The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) yesterday admonished the government, the Opposition and the police, to not touch them, as it would be a move tantamount to digging their own grave. The United National Party (UNP), certain powerful foreign diplomatic missions and Muslim extremist organizations […]

Ivan With the defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa being blamed following the calamity in Aluthgama and Beruwala, it seems that he had informed Gnanasara Thera of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) to call a media briefing and distance him from the organisation, advisor of the Ravaya newspaper – senior journalist Victor Ivan  says. It is mentioned […]

A Muslim Lady was attack last sunday(29) 10.00pm at Battarmulla Junction Her Name Ms. Pathima has a small shop at Battramulla some elements thrown a stone she said she has narrowely escaped her face and eyesided affected this lady very innocent very poor. She every day selling Bettel (Buleth) this laday staying here last 65 […]

”Mobs armed with swords and sand bottles, and so forth were on road sides about a kilometre from the Aluthgama fair while police was looking on. I drove the vehicle. There were five small kids, two pregnant women, three mothers, a girl, a boy and altogether there were 16. A police mobile was driven ahead […]

Harim Peiris Late last week we witnessed the scenario where the Army spokesman, a brigadier in rank, made the unusual claim that current UNP spokesman and former Rajapakse Administration Foreign Minister, MP Mangala Samaraweera had compromised national security by alleging at a press conference, that state intelligence agencies or at least some intelligence chiefs, were […]

Aluthgama  burned garage The United National Party (UNP) today accused the government of imposing “unofficial censorship” on media to espouse racism at it pleases and to recreate its image after pushing the country towards destruction. “The Rajapaksa regime is looking to completely destroy media freedom today,” Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe said, speaking to reporters after […]

A mosque in Colombo Fort received a threatening letter on Saturday with raw pieces of pork ordering the Mosque authorities to halt the reconstruction of the mosque.A priest attached to the  Mosque who was present at the time had opened the threatening letter. Eye witnesses said he was disturbed after seeing the letter and the […]

An extremist Buddhist group has taken steps to expel Muslims from the island kingdom, silencing dissent through propaganda and intimidation. After three Sri Lankan Muslims were killed and thousands more were forced to shelter in mosques and schools, many having lost everything in the worst communal violence in decades, the minister of Public Relations, Mervyn […]

(Photo:Tableaux of Aufidius) “In several World Bank reports we have pointed out that Sri Lanka under invests in education. Sri Lanka’s investment in education as percentage of GDP is one of the lowest in the region and in the world in terms of middle income countries.” “Each country has to decide what percentage of the […]

”The report presented by Ms. Manisha Gunasekera, Deputy Permanent Representative gives figures of casualties that are ridiculous to say the least. She, like the Inspector General of Police is implying that the Muslims were the cause of the violence as they have cast the first stone when the procession was allowed to go through a […]