By  David Brewster, ANU. It is no exaggeration to say that 2015 will be remembered as a major turning point for Sri Lanka as a nation. The Sri Lankan people made a decisive choice towards democracy and good governance, towards communal reconciliation and for moving the country back towards its traditional foreign policy orbit. It was […]

The proposed anti-hate speech Bill currently on hold would be reintroduced with amendments, Deputy Minister of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Karunarathna Paranawithana said. “The government has observed a surge of communally harmful sentiments in the recent past. The proposed law was put on hold after considering views expressed by the media and other civil […]

( President meeting IDPs in Jaffna) President Maithripala Sirisena Sunday (20) assured the displaced people in the North languishing in the welfare camps that they would be resettled soon in their original homes. Addressing the state Christmas Celebrations in Jaffna, President Sirisena said a Presidential Task Force will be appointed immediately within the next 6 […]

Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen lodged a complaint at Cinnamon Garden Police on Saturday against the National Sanga Council for making false accusations against him. Bathiudeen demanded Rs. 1 billion as compensation from the National Sanga Council and its Secretary Ven. Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara thera, if they fail to prove the charges made against […]

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s law makers are entitled to duty free cars and heavily subsidised five-star meals in addition to a retinue of personal staff all paid by the state, but they are now being offered free spa treatment too. The members of parliament elected at the August elections were told that they have access […]

Three persons involved in the murder of ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen have been identified after analyzing CCTV footage. Among these are two persons attached to the Navy. The Computer Department of the University of Colombo is further analyzing the footage and CID has called Senior DIG S.K.D.S. Gunawardane, who was in charge of Colombo during the […]

(Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered the Sujata Jayawardena memorial oration 2015 at the BMICH on December 11.) Here are excerpts: “Let me first thank the Alumni Association of the University of Colombo for inviting me to address the Annual Sujata Jayawardena Memorial Oration 2015. I consider it a great pleasure to deliver this oration on […]

( J.R. Jayawardena, Colvin R.De Silva and Ranil Wickremesinghe) by Rajan Philips. Time will tell if Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Sujata Jayawardena Memorial Lecture, on December 11, 2015, will become a historical companion to JR Jayewardene’s December 1966 address to the Ceylon Association for the Advancement of Science (CAAS, now SLAAS), and Dr. Colvin R […]

By C. A. Chandraprema. Speaking during the committee stage debate on the budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Mass Media and Parliamentary Affairs, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that a compensation plan would be implemented for 44 media persons who were killed due to political reasons under the former regime. He said that President Maithripala […]

In the wake of general elections earlier this year, Sri Lanka has emerged with a renewed emphasis on economic reforms and fiscal consolidation, which has allayed concerns for many local and foreign investors. Until August, election delays had effectively created a wait-and-see approach in the private sector, with investors pressing pause on several high-profile projects. […]

T. Ramakrishnan. The Sri Lankan government has decided to establish a secretariat to coordinate activities of various players engaged in reconciliation. The proposed secretariat will develop a plan on institutions such as the Office on Missing Persons and the Truth, Reconciliation and Prevention of Conflicts Commission. It will follow up the progress of implementation of […]

Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has written to the Government of Sri Lanka advising to that the Government withdraw the proposed amendment to the penal Code and substitute it with the relevant  provision of the  ICCPR Act of 2007. The letter sent by the HRC-SL  to the  PM  is given below: Hon. Prime Minister, […]

In a rather disturbing development well-known human rights lawyer J.C. Weliamuna has come forward to defend the government’s proposed hate speech law in the face of growing opposition to the draft law as a suppressive act. Issuing a joint statement group of concerned civil activists and organisations called on the government to withdraw the bill, […]

India is set to build a sea bridge and tunnel connecting Sri Lanka while a pact has been inked with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal for seamless flow of traffic and passenger vehicles, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday. “The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is ready to fully finance a bridge-building project […]

Issuing a Advocate Letter  ARTICLE 19 says that Right to Information Act put forward by the cabinet of Sri Lanka, which if passed as is, would be one of the best in the world. It has urged the lawmakers to pass the act. The Advocacy Letter reproduced here in full: ARTICLE 19 urges the Sri Lankan […]

( Joseph Pararajasingham funeral procession ) Former Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathirai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan was today re-remanded after being produced in Court in connection to the murder of former Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham. Pararajasingham was shot dead in December 2005 at St. Mary’s co-cathedral church in the Batticaloa town while attending Christmas […]

Colombo Pettah was virtually inundated with a sea of people when bank employees who staged a one day strike against the budget held a protest opposite Fort Railway Station yesterday (15th). Employees of 8 state banks and 13 private banks joined strike action against the budget for removing pawning and leasing from state banks, slashing […]

by   T. Ramakrishnan. Even as the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government at the Centre is about to launch the process of drafting a fresh Constitution with devolution of powers to Provincial Councils being one of the key issues, Chief Minister of the Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran, on Tuesday criticised it for “seeking to centralise” powers. Referring to […]

( Fishermen in Sri Lanka; Image Quest Tours) The United States says the success in rebuilding Sri Lanka and reconciling the people will be an example to the rest of the world. Visiting US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Designate) Thomas Shannon, speaking in Trincomalee today, said that during his visit it was […]

(Symbol  of anti-Muslim hate speech in Sri Lanka: BBS Gnanasara) We the under signed organizations and individuals are deeply concerned about two Bills tabled in Parliament on Friday, 11th December 2015 ostensibly to criminalize hate speech and the instigation of communal violence and disharmony. One such Bill tabled is an amendment to the Penal Code […]

The  computer  literacy  related  statistics  of  persons  who  are  in  age  group  of  5 –69  years  and  characteristics of households have been released by the Department of Census and Statistics for the first  half  of  the  year  2015,  based  on  Computer  Literacy  Survey  2015;  conducted by  the  Department. Computer Literacy Survey is a yearlong sample […]

The Right to Information Bill approved by the Sri Lanka cabinet of Ministers are now available on the Media Ministry website. The PDF version is given below. The Ministry has called for  views, proposals, and comments on the draft Act on Right to Information to the following address or email address. Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary […]

( Muslim politician Asath Salley was arrested and detained under Section 2(1)(h) , now included in the bill) The Tamil National Alliance is deeply concerned about the proposed Penal Code (Amendment) Bill placed on the Order Paper of Parliament on 11 December 2015. The said Bill was placed on the Order Paper by the Minister […]

 A planned island-wide strike by a collective of government, semi-government and private sector trade unions scheduled for tomorrow have been called off after talks with the government. Representatives of the trade unions earlier held a discussion with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and government officials regarding theirs objection to certain proposals made in the 2016 budget. […]

Ruki Fernando, A prominent human rights defender has written to Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on imminent violation of his  rights guaranteed under article 14 (1) (a) of the constitution, through some provisions in the alleged two bills tabled by the Minister of Justice on 11 December 2015, to bring hate speech law. One […]

(Christof Heyns) Encouraged by the government’s progress on human rights in Sri Lanka, a top UN rights official has said he wants to visit the country as it has become more “receptive” to working with the world body. Christof Heyns, the UN Special Rapporteur on extra judicial, summary or arbitrary executions said he is awaiting […]

Dr L M K Tillekeratne, Retired Professor in Chemistry, USJP. Before 1970, coconut oil was freely used in USA and in Europe for baking and frying food without any health complaints. However, starting in the 1970s, some very powerful groups in the U.S., including the American Soybean Association (ASA), the Corn Products Company (CPC International), […]

Two Bills to introduce anti-hate speech laws and criminalizing the instigation of communal violence and disharmony that were presented in Parliament  on 11th December has come under serious criticism by informed circles. The Ceylon Today reported that two bills in relation to hate speech were presented by the Media Minister Gayantha Karunatilake on 11th December. The […]

( US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Thomas Shannon) The Foreign Ministry says that the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Thomas Shannon, will arrive in the country on Monday, on a two-day official visit. The Government Information Department said that he will be accompanied by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for […]

The owner of the Uthayan newspaper, Tamil National Alliance member and parliamentarian E Saravanbavan queried as to why the Government was only investigating the murder of editor Lasantha Wickrematunga and disappearance of cartoonist Pargeeth Eknaligoda and not the attacks on scribes in the North. While addressing Parliament yesterday, he commended the Government’s move to make […]