Lucien Rajakarunanayake. Come Wednesday night, politics will take a whole new narrative in the post-No Confidence action. The figuring of parliament certainly shows a success for Ranil Wickremesinghe, but our politics is so corrupt that even the best figures could be twisted by the powers of politics and money. Let’s not forget that the defeat […]

Image: They were kept under PTA, the draconian anti-anti Terror law in Sri Lanka. The charges were filed by former Attorney General Eva Wanasundara, who is now a sitting judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka against two young Tamils were dismissed by Colombo High Court  on 27th March 2018. The two suspects, Kanagaratnam […]

Image: Minister Mano Ganesan’s explanations for presenting the draft bill are shallow. (NPC/Press release/ 30.30.18) The National Peace Council welcomes the decision of Minister of National Coexistence, Dialogue and Official Languages Mano Ganesan to withdraw proposed amendments to the Voluntary Social Service Organizations (Registration and Supervision) Act, No. 31 of 1980 following representations made to […]

Image: Sri Lanka delegation at the 37 session of the UNHRC. Minister Amunugana at the left. Minister Sarath Amunugama, who was a member  of the Sri Lanka Government delegation to 37th session of the UNHRC has called for a boycott of UNHRC session in the future.Special Assignments Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama will accompanied the delegation to the […]

Nirmala Kannagara. The DIG had instructed Sugathapala to remove the pages of the GCIB where he had entered the notes  When Sugathapala showed his disapproval, DIG Nanayakkara had warned Sugathapala and revealed that he was following a directive DIG Nanayakkara told him that the IGP had wanted to destroy the evidence leading to Wickrematunge’s murder Nanayakkara had further asked Sugathapala whether he would like to be killed if the IGP’s […]

FMM/28March 2018 /Media Communiqué. Free Media Movement believes that the effort of the government to amend the Voluntary Social Service Act No 30 of 1980 (Voluntary Social Service Act) is a drastic blow to the democracy of Sri Lanka. Under the proposed new amendment, enjoyment of fundamental democratic values such as freedom association, freedom of […]

The “deficiencies of the police” are being investigated. 25 Mar 2018/ Al Jazeera. Police and politicians joined anti-Muslim riots that rocked Sri Lanka’s Kandy district this month, according to witnesses, officials and CCTV footage reviewed by Reuters. Scores of Muslim mosques, homes and businesses were destroyed as mobs ran amok for three days in Kandy, […]

Janeen Fernando and Shamara Wettimuny. Religious violence in Sri Lanka is widely considered a post-war phenomenon that emerged during the former Government’s tenure. Yet recent reports of over a dozen incidents of ethno-religious violence across the country in the past month directed at the Muslim community demonstrate that it is a continuing problem. While anti-Muslim violence […]

  25-March-2018/FMM Media Communiqué . The Free Media Movement vigorously protests to the Sri Lanka Military for intimidation caused towards provincial journalist Shanmugam Thavaseelan, of ABC Media network, who had taken photos of a public protest at A’lampil in the Mullaitivu District. Thavaseelan was detained for more than two hours, and the Free Media Movement […]

One fascinating dimension of the current political developments in Sri Lanka is the maturing power struggle between three groups of the Sinhalese political class. They are led by three prominent political personalities, President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Politics heading for interesting times The last local government election, held a […]

 Kandy, Sri Lanka (Reuters):  Police and politicians backed by the country’s former strongman President Mahinda Rajapaksa joined anti-Muslim riots that rocked Sri Lanka’s Kandy district this month, according to witnesses, officials and CCTV footage reviewed by Reuters. Scores of Muslim mosques, homes and businesses were destroyed as mobs ran amok for three days in Kandy, the […]

Image: It is difficult to disagree with Mr Deshapriya when he categorically dismisses as ‘wrong’, claims that ‘a majority of the Sinhalese’ were against the recent attacks on Muslims. There is a cheery though dangerously complacent view articulated by senior Muslim politicians, (andechoed by others),that the recent communal violence in Ampara and Kandy was perpetrated […]

Image: TNA – GTF members with the US Amb Kelley Currie at the US Mission in New York. A joint delegation of TNA and GTF visited the United States of America at the time when Sri Lanka has been under scrutiny at the UN in Geneva, with appointments secured from the relevant highest levels of authority […]

The Cabinet of Ministers approved on 20 February 2018 a proposal to introduce amendments to the Voluntary Social Service Act (VSSO) No. 31 of 1980. The proposed amendments contain far-reaching consequences on the activities and finances of civil society and if enacted in its present form will have a chilling effect on a range of private […]

Image: If enacted the act will  make collectives like Purawesi Balaya (Citizens Power) illegal of bring them under control. Ruki Fernando. On February 20, 2018, the Cabinet decided to publish the repressive Draft Act to Amend the Voluntary Social Service Organizations (Registration and Supervision) Act no. 31 of 1980 (LDO 32/2011) to a gazette and present it to Parliament for […]

This statement is on behalf of Macedonia, Montenegro, the United States and the United Kingdom as main sponsors of HRC resolutions 30 / 1 and 34/1. We thank the High Commissioner for his update. Through co-sponsorship of resolution 34/1 last year, Sri Lanka reaffirmed its commitment to implementing all the reforms in resolution 30/1. The […]

Mahamewna Buddhist Monastery has issued a statement to its devotees urging not to allow people from other religious and racial communities to cook meals for Buddhist monks. The official Facebook page of the monastery has confirmed that it has issued such a statement. purely as an internal document. The reason for the statement is the […]

The United States welcomes the delegation from Sri Lanka. We welcome the Government’s decision to accept our recommendations on full implementation of HRC resolution 30/1 and on accountability for the government’s, including the security forces, human rights violations and abuses, as well as accountability for those responsible for harassment and violence against members of religious […]

Meera Srinivasan. Senior leader Sampanthan reminds Sirisena theTamils “unstinted support” to him in 2015. Reminding President Maithripala Sirisena of the “unstinted support” that Tamils extended to him in 2015, senior Tamil politician and Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan on Monday urged him to “rise as a statesman” and resolve Sri Lanka’s ethnic problem. “We want […]

Image:Ravinatha Aryasinha. Speaking at the adoption of Sri Lanka UPR report at the 37th session of the UNHRC, Permanent Representative Ambassador   to the UN, Geneva listed human  rights achievements of the present government. They include: Acceding to the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, and designated the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka as the […]

Racism is a political theme that has attracted a great deal of public attention in Sri Lanka last week. The attacks on the life and property of Muslim citizens in several locations in the Kandy District by Sinhalese mobs has provided the context for renewed public attention on the negative and destructive consequences of racist […]

Ruki Fernando. This story is based on visits to both sites and testimonies of at least 10 survivors and about 5 eyewitnesses present As Sinhalese – Buddhist mobs were escalating violence against Muslims around Digana on March 5, the Hijrapura mosque in Digana had just finished afternoon prayers around 4 pm that day. As usual, devotees were […]

The government is attempting to suppress civil society organizations under the pretext of amending the Voluntary Social Service Organizations (registration and supervision) Act, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) and Centre for Human Rights (CHR) said issuing a joint press release. The draft bill to amend the act, which had been passed by the […]

Image: The main suspect Gotabhaya Rajapaksa arriving at FICD for an inquiry.  A near three-year investigation by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) into the procurement of MiG-27 fighter jets for the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has bared some startling details. Firstly, what was touted as a “Government-to-Government” Agreement between Ukrinmarsh, a military goods […]

“In Geneva, Sri Lanka will unveil a host of measures taken over the past year to reckon with a violent past in line with its UN Human Rights Council commitments, including the operationalisation of the Office off Missing Persons, the enactment of the Enforced Disappearances Act, ongoing discussions on the draft counter-terrorism legislation to replace […]

The Sri Lanka Chapter of the South Asian Free Media Association welcomes moves to curb abuse of internet social media but warns that State interference may only open new ways to suppress freedom of expression. We say: let the industry self-regulate social media. SAFMA Sri Lanka is alarmed at the continued use of internet social media […]

(CPA /16 March 2018)Sri Lanka’s last state of emergency lasted for 28 years, and was terminated in August 2011, having continuously been extended by governments since it was first declared in 1983. On March 6th 2018, President Maithripala Sirisena declared a state of emergency in order to address and contain the violence unfolding in the Kandy district, where violent attacks […]

Image: Ceylon Today cartoon by MD Weeraratne. As the violence that affected parts of the Kandy District quietly moves into the history of ethno-religious confrontation in the country, society is faced with a new situation and issue of considerable importance that arose from the violence of recent days. It is the issue of handling Social Media, […]

Camelia Nathaniel. Former Senior DIG Prasanna Nanayakkara who is currently in custody, had been involved in concealing evidence and displacement of the diary of journalist Lasantha Wickramatunge and for the removal of pages of the police report, the CID told court yesterday. This was revealed when the case relating to Lasantha Wickramatunge’s killing was taken […]

Introduction.  With less than two years to the next Presidential election, Sri Lanka is facing one of the most serious political crisis in recent times. In the Local Government elections in February 2018, the party of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa secured the majority of votes in many constituencies, pointing towards a possible political shift. Sri […]