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Parliamentarian of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), M.A. Sumanthiran says the incumbent government is marring the national reconciliation process. Speaking to the media of the government’s decision to sing the national anthem only in Sinhala at the upcoming National Day celebration, the parliamentarian said, this indicates the direction in which this government is moving in order […]

Issuing  a statement the National Peace Council has listed three issues that can have  impact upon inter-community relations with the state. The statement says that “at this time we want to express our concerns about several matters that could potentially impact upon inter-community relations with the state. “The first is the president’s statements that development […]

The United National Party (UNP) today teamed up with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to launch a joint struggle against what they called ‘witch-hunt of opposition MPs’. Image: The front was formed since MP Rajitha Senaratne was facing imminent arrest. UNP MP and party General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, MPs Ajith P. Perera, Ravi Karunanayake, […]

Image: A Sri Lankan Tamil refugee cleans utensils outside her house in a refugee camp in Perambalur district, about 250km (155 miles) from Chennai [File: Nathan G/EPA] Nearly 100,000 Sri Lankan refugees living in India are not eligible for citizenship under a new law, sparking concerns they may be forced to return to the island nation they […]

By Arjuna Ranawana | RepublicNext. They have been eyeball to eyeball, staring each other down over the past month, but as of this week, Sri Lanka and Switzerland will begin the long-slow dance to step back from further confrontation towards normalizing relations. This is not because it is the season of good cheer, but both […]

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has issued a Gazette Extraordinary calling upon the armed forces to maintain public order across the country with effect from today (22). The President issued the gazette notification yesterday (21) by virtue of the powers vested in him by Section 12 of the Public Security Ordinance (Chapter 40). Accordingly, the Army, Navy […]

(World Bank Blogs ) Our hearts sank as we looked at the Hurricane Katrina-affected house, now the Flooded House Museum in the City of New Orleans, United States. Our team from the World Bank was accompanying Sri Lankan officers visiting New Orleans in October 2019, to learn from the city’s post-Hurricane Katrina flood risk-management efforts. We […]

Free Media Movement condemns the obstruction of journalists’ from carrying out their professional activities  The Free Media Movement strongly condemns the attack on journalist Prasad Purnamal Jayamanne and the obstruction in carrying out his professional media activities.  According to the reports received, Prasad Purnamal Jayamanne who was photographing a protest by villagers against a tipper […]

Colombo, Dec 20 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said he cannot entertain the 2015 UN Human Rights Council resolution co-sponsored by the previous Sirisena government on alleged war crimes during the country’s three-decade long civil war with the LTTE in its current form. Commenting on the Tamil demand for political autonomy, Rajapaksa on […]

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed International Relations expert Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage to the post of Additional Secretary to the President for Foreign Relations. Admiral Colombage served the Sri Lanka Navy for a period of 36 years and retired as the Commander of the Navy on 1 July 2014. Admiral Colombage is the 18th Commander […]

Once again we celebrate international migrants day on the 18th of December as declared by the United Nations. The migration movement has seen many shifts over the years especially since 2015. People move from countries for multiple reasons such as poverty, hunger or food insecurity and unstable economic outlooks, geopolitics, national and national and regional […]

SC orders State to pay Rs. 1 m in compensation, Rs. 250,000 each from four Police officers Read full judgment here: Embilipitiya SC order sc_fr_577_2010 The Supreme Court yesterday directed the State to pay Rs. 1 million in compensation to a woman whose husband died in Police custody in September 2010, and ordered four Police […]

Professing to stand up for party ally MP Patali Champika Ranawaka in the event of any injustice, the United National Party (UNP) today charged that the family of the MP’s former driver were unlawfully detained in the early hours of today (16). Presenting a united face, a host of parliamentarians representing both sides of the […]

Image: Swiss embassy staffer, in pink shawl, being escorted to a court in Colombo.   | Photo Credit: AP . Meera Srinivasan. Sri Lanka’s reputation as a constitutional state at stake: Bern. Sri Lanka police on Monday arrested a local employee of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo, who has been at the centre of a diplomatic controversy, […]

Press release, 16.12.2019. An employee of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo has today been detained on the grounds that she allegedly made false statements. The FDFA (Federal Department Foreign Affairs) of  is concerned about this development and calls on the Sri Lankan judicial authorities to ensure better protection of its employee’s personal rights in any […]

This National Policy Framework (NPF) of the government constitutes of 10 key policies aimed at achieving the fourfold outcome of a productive citizenry, a contented family, a disciplined and just society and a prosperous nation. There is no mention of strengthening democratic governance, reconciliation  or human rights in the 10 point programme. Bring to justice […]

Sri Lanka Brief. – Post Presidential Election Update No 03/16 December 2019. Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa presented a cabinet paper in the first week of December for the establishment of a Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry (SPCOI), under the SPCOI Law (1978) to investigate government officials who had conducted ‘witch hunts’ […]

Gotabhaya Rajapaksha administration, having appeared as an interim government, has shared almost all the important institutions among the three Rajapaksha Brothers. There are 168 important institutions, 88 the highest number taken by prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksha, 39 the second highest by Chamal Rajapaksha and president Gotabhaya Rajapaksha has retain 31 for himself as the Minister […]

“The tragic paradox of the electoral route to authoritarianism is that democracy’s assassins use the very institutions of democracy – gradually, subtly, and even legally – to kill it.” -Stephen Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt (How Democracies Die) “As if our democracy was nothing but a short-lived dream,” says Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa in The Edge of […]

Image: A journalist attached to the Lankadeepa newspaper and his family were attacked by a group of men. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday assured that media freedom will not be hindered in any form during his tenure, according to a statement from his office. Addressing heads of local media institutions, he said that […]

Image: Sri Lanka’s recently elected president Gotabaya Rajapaksa (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Newly-elected Sri Lankan president, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, has made several significant appointments of former military officers since the November 16 poll to bolster his already extensive powers and give greater control to the armed forces. One of the most important was his selection of retired […]

The CID yesterday informed Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne that there was no evidence to show any connection to an alleged abduction of the Swiss Embassy employee Garnier Banister Francis. The CID in its report said it was revealed from the statement given by Ms Francis to the CID that there had been no such […]

The normal operations of the office of the Consortium of Non-Governmental Organisations in Ampaa’rai district has been thoroughly disrupted by the frequent-inspections and questionings conducted by the ‘Terrorist’ Investigation Division (TID) of occupying Colombo, the representatives of the member organisations in the district told TamilNet on Wednesday. The TID was questioning particularly about the activities […]

Image; Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma. Colombo Magistrate Lanka Jayarathne has asked the Senior Counsel appearing on behalf of the victim of the Swiss Embassy case, to provide the CID with material where he was verbally attacked for appearing for her. Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma, who appeared on behalf of the victim, Ganiya Banister Francis, complained that he […]

Image: Ajith Prasanna, a retired Army officer now practising as a lawyer, has specifically named Colombo Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne, Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake, Udesh Ranathunga and the Mt Lavinia magistrate Lochana Abeywickrema as being politically influenced. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) is condemning “statements made with reference to concluded cases, pending litigation, the […]

Fall Armyworm larva feeding and damaging maize plant. Credit: FAO. By Rémi Nono.  A new USD 500 million initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is leading the way. ROME, Dec 11 2019 (IPS) – Dealing with transboundary pests is tricky at the best of times. Standards, practices, capacity levels and engagement […]

The task of Buddhist monks is to uplift the minds of their followers and not to change governments (Ven. Galkande Dhammananda Thera)   President GR should be ever indebted to the Sangha, because without its tireless canvassing he would not have achieved what he did on 16 November. Given the volatile ethno-religious cleavages and unpredictably shifting […]

Former Editor of the Digital and New Media Unit of the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. (Lake House) and founder of popular social media page ‘Madyawediya’ Madhuka Thaksala Fernando has been attacked and issued death threats by the President of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) trade union of Lake House and a number of […]

Image: Pro Rajapaksa media has been publishing photos from different angles trying to capture the alleged victim. Aftermath and reportage of incident involving alleged abduction of Swiss Embassy employee. 11 December 2019, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is deeply concerned with recent events in the aftermath of the incident in which an […]

The mainstream media coverage of the the Swiss Embassy employee who was allegedly kidnapped and later released has come under criticism for unethical behavior. Many pro government media has published the victims photograph without her consent. She appeared before the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for the 3rd day today reports Colombo Gazette. Even before […]