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Ahimsa Wickrematunge, the daughter of late journalist and Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, has appealed to the Police Commission to block the appointment of SSP A.R.P.J. Alwis as Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Wickrematunge releasing a statement said that Alwis was ordered to be arrested in connection to her father’s murder and he was unsuited […]

Sunil Jayawardene was a representative for three-wheele drivers. He who went to make a representation to a finance company on behalf of one of the vehicle owners, whose three-wheeler had been taken by agents of that company. Sunil was assaulted by eight or more people in front of the company and murdered. This story is […]

Image@ At the second meeting of the Buddhist Advisory Council, Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed the Task Force led by Secretary Defense . In a letter to President Rajapaksa,  R. Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance says that “In its composition, the  Presidential Task Force for Archeological Heritage Management in the EASTERN PROVINCE, is Pan Sinhala. […]

The Criminal Investigations Department seized the laptop computer belonging to former Sunday Observer Editor Dharisha Bastians last week, a statement from the journalist said. Bastians is also the Colombo reporter for the New York Times. In a statement released today (15) Bastians said the CID had arrived at her residence in Colombo twice and made […]

“In the context of the pandemic, Sri Lanka is at the crossroads with its economy shattered and it is vital that we build confidence – both nationally and internationally – that the country will adopt rational and inclusive policies and approaches, that are transparent and credible responses to this crisis. The crisis is not an […]

 Image Courtesy :torturemag.org ‘So it seems to me that despite so many decisions, torture at police stations continues unabated, in utter contempt of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution…’[1]-Justice Kulatunga A 14-year old autistic boy assaulted by the police.[2] Peaceful protesters arrested using violence.[3]A teenager taken to the police station until his father arrives for questioning.[4] These […]

“From now until the elections, we will not know when, and where, and how the fireball will fall on us, and what the nature of that fireball will be.” Arundathi Roy (Election Season in a Dangerous Democracy – The New York Review of Books – 3.9.2018) The Eastern province is the most ethno-religiously pluralist slice of […]

To those who scoffed that the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Presidency would not come in with a sweepingly heavy hand after the first few months of sweetness and charm, this frightening moment of the iron hand in the iron glove that Sri Lanka is experiencing at its onset must surely teach otherwise. These are admissions that Sri […]

The Rule of Law and Democratic Governance. At the Annual National law Conference 2020 organised by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka 2020, President Gotabaya Rajapakse in the course of his address said “the time has come for all stakeholders including the judiciary, government, legal fraternity, and all other citizens concerned, to work together and […]

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has established an office of the Ombudsman at the presidential secretariat and has appointed Retired Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police S. M. Wickremasinghe as his Ombudsman. The Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman)  is an office established under Article 45 of the 19th Amendment to the  Constitution of the […]

Image: Families of Sri Lanka’s missing thousands fear the government is aiming to curb investigations into unsolved civil war disappearances. (COLOMBO/thenewhumanitarian) Rights groups are warning of a crackdown on dissent and rising authoritarianism in Sri Lanka, raising fears for the future of long-stalled civil war reconciliation efforts. Since President Gotabaya Rajapaksa took office after November elections, […]

The recently established task force, for the survey and preservation of archaeological sites, in the eastern province of Sri Lanka, is a worthwhile endeavour as the preservation of a peoples’ cultural heritage is an important one. The implementation of this project requires a proper understanding of the historical background in which these structures, i.e. Buddhist […]

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) unreservedly condemns the attack by the police on a peaceful protest in Colombo on the 9th of June 2020. This protest was in response to the killing of George Floyd, a US citizen by the police, in Minneapolis, USA. There has been an outpouring of global anger against […]

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL, the Commission) observes that a large number of persons have been arrested and vehicles confiscated for violation of curfew imposed from March, 2020 and thereafter in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Commission fully recognizes the need to restrict freedom of movement in the interests of […]

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a Task Force of the heavy mob, which will press its collective knee into the neck of the new, socially legitimate Parliament that will arise thanks to the Supreme Court judgment which cleared the way for the Election Commission to name a date for voting. Lankans live at the overlap of […]

Kalani Kumarasinghe/thediplomat. On Tuesday afternoon, June 9, a small crowd began to gather opposite the United States Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Holding placards bearing slogans like “Racism is a deadly virus,” the protestors donned face masks as per the latest health guidelines issued by the government. They were members of the Front-Line Socialist Party […]

In the first few days, as America burned, the world looked on amazed and bewildered, wondering what this would mean for the immediate and long-term future. As the protests settled down and drew larger crowds with an overwhelming number of young people, one began to think of other movements in Hong Kong, in India, with […]

Image: Ishini Divyanjalee One of the protesters,   manhandled by Police has to be hospitalised. ( Image: LankaViews) The killing of George Floyd, who was brutally murdered by the Minneapolis Police in the United States, has launched worldwide protests against the racism, brutality and repression of the police. We strongly condemn the violence by the police […]

Sri Lanka Brief Fact Sheet: Militarisation and Securitization of Government and Governance in Sri Lanka. June 2020. Here is the list of military appointments made by president Gotabhaya Rajapaksa outside the military establishments. 1. Major General (Rtd) Kamal Gunaratne: -Secretary of Defence (November 2020)i -TRCSL- Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka – The Regulator of […]

Mangala Samaraweera informed the people of Matara who had courageously provided him protection and placed their confidence in him for three decades  that he would be stepping down from the politics of being a member of parliament from today. Accordingly, he requests the people of Matara to refrain from casting their preferential votes for him […]

The Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) is concerned by threats to democracy and the rule of law in Sri Lanka as the government of Sri Lanka responds to the Covid-19 crisis. Recent developments could lead to interference in civilian parliamentary governance by the military, and to a disregard for Constitutional rules and the Rule of Law.  […]

The elections Commission of Sri Lanka has gazetted preferential numbers of all candidates contesting the upcoming general elections. Most probably the election will be held in August this year, the exact date will be announced this week. The 500 page plus  gazette is here as a PDF document:PG_2020PE_E

Colombo based Think Tank the Centre for Policy Alternatives has published  a highly critical  discussion paper on the presidential Tasks Forces (PTF) appointed by the president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The discussion paper looks at the recently established two PTFs from strictly legal point of view. Excerpts form the discussion paper follows: Introduction Sri Lanka has witnessed […]

The Gazette notification on the SL Presidential Task Force (PTF) for Archaeological Heritage Management in East has particular instructions on allocating lands to archaeological sites. It is a move to give legal force to the dubious archaeological claims made by the Sinhala Buddhist groups in the East, commented Jaffna-based Attorney, academic and civil society activist […]

The worst economic crisis since Independence is upon us. For some decades now the grim clouds of debt, waste and corruption have been gathering over our island. Now – as this fearsome storm of the Corona virus unleashes its fury – anguish and desperation, grief and sorrow, fear and rage, will engulf us all.  Hundreds […]

The Sri Lankan government has blocked access to renowned Tamil news website Sankathi24.com, as the state continued with its tightening of the Tamil press. The website – www.sankathi24.com – became inaccessible for those on the island on May 28th last month, with no warning or explanation given by the Sri Lankan state. “No reasons were given,” said Seraman, […]

In his tribute to Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa on completion of fifty years in politics, the leader of the Tamil National Alliance R. Smnpanthan has wished him an ever more successful political future. The statement follows: TRIBUTE TO HON. MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA ON COMPLETION OF FIFTY ( 50 ) YEARS IN POLITICS I am extremely glad […]

In what must surely count as one of the most hilarious, unintentionally ironic and terrifying proclamations ever uttered by a modern head of state, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has established a task force to “create a virtuous, disciplined and lawful society” in the country. Terrifying: the body, led by Defense Secretary Kamal Gunaratne, consists almost exclusively […]

A Tamil father who has spent more than a decade searching for his forcibly disappeared son passed away in Vavuniya today, without ever knowing the fate of his child. Sinnachami Nallathambi was aged 71-years-old and just days ago had taken part in a protest marking 1,200 days of continuous demonstrations by Tamil families of the […]

5th June 2020, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is deeply concerned with the appointment this week of two Presidential Task Forces by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. These appointments came soon after the Supreme Court refused leave to proceed to all petitioners on the subject of the dissolution of Parliament for more than […]