Dissent

Upul Jayasuriya; a unwavering defender of the independence of Judiciary [Photo: Sunday Times] Opposition and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe  making a special statement in the parliament said that the  explanation given by the Commissioner General of Motor Traffic on moter bycle and thre weeler that followed Upul Jayasuriya, President of the Bar Association of Sri […]

Lawyers Collective Adding to a series of unconstitutional restrictions placed on the legitimate activities of the Non-Governmental Organizations, the Director General of the Department of External Resources (DGDER) has now published a Notice, “advising” the public on the legitimate activities of the NGOs. Having examined carefully the contents of the Notice, we state that the […]

A state-sponsored operation is underway to intimidate journalists, civil society activists and politicians who publicly criticize certain actions of the government. Under this operation, neighbours of such activists receive calls, purportedly from the CID, asking them about details of such persons. UNP leadership council member Mangala Samaraweera said there have been many such instances, adding […]

SRI LANKA: AHRC’s position on the proposed law for NGO registration under the Ministry of Defence The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to clarify its position regarding the controversy about the government’s proposal for a law to force the registration of non-governmental organisations with a National Secretariat functioning under the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence […]

The temporary hut that sheltered Rajarata University student protesters was burnt for the third time early this morning. Rajarata University Students Federation member Lasantha Priyankara said a group of men came in a van and hurled a bottle of petrel to blaze the hut. However, students staying inside the hut at the time of the […]

President Rajapaksa’s Code is an eight-page memorandum [presented] by External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris. It calls for significant changes. He has said that the NGO Secretariat (now coming under the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development) and the Registrar of Companies will be tasked “with clearing NGO requests on hosting events and arranging necessary visas […]

Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) Convener Najith Indika said student leaders were subjected to a witch hunt by the Government and this had led to the arbitrary arrest of former IUSF convener Sanjeewa Bandara.  He was produced before the Kandy Magistrate and remanded till July 23 on charges of breaking bail conditions. “Three of our […]

Student hut set o Fire ( lankaviews) The ‘Sathyagraha’ campaign carried out by students of Rajarata University demanding authorities to remove the unjustifiable suspension of classes of 27 students has been attacked by thugs. Today (18th), on the 191st day of the ‘Sathyagraha’, thugs who had arrived early morning in a motorcycle have set fire […]

Former President of Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri has made a complaint to Maharagama Police regarding death threats he has received continuously since the 16th.  Dr. Devasiri’s wife too has been threatened and a telephone call received yesterday (17th) morning has threatened that his daughter would be subjected to an […]

Indirect support form the police The Jaffna Press Club strongly condemns attempts by the State to prevent the knowledge -based development workshops for Tamil speaking journalists tarnishing them with a racist brush in circumstances where the threats against journalists and media organizations from the North of Sri Lanka are already at a very high level.An […]

Gunaratne Former UNP PC member  today lodged a complaint against BBS General Secretary Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera saying the latter called him a “dog” at the Colombo Fort Magistrate Court premises. Gunaratne, who is a lawyer, appears on behalf of Vatareka Wijitha Thera in a court case involving the Bodu Bala Sena and the Jathika Bala […]

CM Ranathunga A mother has been admitted to Colombo National Hospital A & E unit after an attack carried out by the thugs of the Chief Minister, Western Province.This attack was carried on June 5th while all the parents and teachers were agitating against the political interference carried out in Ashoka College, Colombo. Teachers and […]

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Tamil National Peoples Front (TNPF) politicians joined a protest held in front of the Mullaiththeevu District Secretariat on Thursday demanding legal hearings into habeas corpus petitions from the families and relatives of persons, who are reported missing after the families had handed them over to the occupying Sri Lankan military […]

University invaded ‘Names of dons who spoke against Deyata Kirula at Senate meeting were leaked to thugs’The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) yesterday asked the government to stop harassing its members following a recent goon attack on the Ruhuna University students or face a countrywide strike. Addressing a media conference at the Faculty Club […]

Thugs led by MP Jayasuriya University teachers question as to whether S.B. Dissanayake is the minister in charge of higher education, or if not livestock or terrorism affairs.Their association FUTA, at a media briefing in Colombo today (06), charged the government of being behind death threats received by lecturers of Ruhunu University after they condemned […]

”Government Ministers, MPs, politicians, supporters and groups backed by the government appeared to behind almost all the reported incidents. On several occasions, Police watched by and refused to take action as these government politicians and allies attacked and threatened opposition politicians, journalists and a prominent Buddhist Monk advocating for religious freedom and harmony. As in […]

Four Allied Science Student leaders arrested Four activists of Allied Health Science Faculty students’ Union were arrested during the mass agitation held opposite University Grants Commission today (16th) against the move to reduce the period of the Allied Health Science degree to three years. The President of the Peradeniya Students’ Council, the President and Vice […]

The Frontline Socialist Party (FLSP) has condemned the closure of the Jaffna University for a week starting from today and the government’s alleged ban on any programmes to commemorate the LTTE cadres killed during the North East conflict. The politburo of the FLSP, in a statement released to the media yesterday, said that banning of […]

Not allowed to speak up! African delegates protest at BMICH  A protest was conducted by a group of African delegates participating in the World Conference on Youth (WCY) at the BMICH yesterday against the refusal by Minister Dullas Alahapperuma to allow them to hold a press conference.  The ordeal had taken place around 12:30 in […]

A protest march from University Grant’s Commission to the Temple Trees, headed by the Inter University Students’ Federation was held on 7th May 2014 with the participation of thousands of students. The protest demanded for the reinstatement of the four year Allied Health Sciences degree and dropping the unjust suspensions against 27 student activists of […]

Rallied to promote terrorism,Trying to destabilize country’s reconciliation process – Daily News In passing numerous resolutions and adopting them in the Northern Provincial Council demanding the withdrawal of the ban imposed by Sri Lanka on foreign terrorist organizations and individuals that have links with the Tamil Diaspora, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) members have committed […]

Tamils vote for autonomy ( photo Hindustan Times) Bob Rae  Vote reveals Sri Lanka’s unavoidable truth: Other voices must be heard The results are in for the provincial election in Sri Lanka’s northern most province, the area around Jaffna, and they are clear as a bell: nearly 80 per cent of voters, despite much evidence […]

 As you know by now, we as a group have been for the past two months campaigning to raise 20 million SL rupees (US $ 154,000 apprx.) to keep the “Ravaya” weekend Sinhala newspaper independent, the way it stayed over 25 years and, still better.As most of you know, over the past 25 years, there […]

FOCUS We are perfectly entitled to be antagonistic towards the government So is humiliating or being antagonistic towards the Government the latest excuse that will be used to invoke the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA, 1979) against critics?This question is unfortunately self-explanatory as we entered into the theatre of profound absurdity last week with the […]

Azad Sally A prominent Muslim politician and government critic arrested today in Sri Lanka must be immediately released or charged with an internationally recognizable criminal offence, Amnesty International said.Azad Sally, the leader of Sri Lanka’s newly formed Muslim Tamil National Alliance, was reportedly taken into custody on Thursday morning by the intelligence services for unknown […]

Sri Lanka: Activists  campaign for the release of two disappeared colleagues ( C 4 Photo) Jonathan Miller Foreign Affairs Correspondent    Amnesty International says Sri Lanka should not host November’s Commonwealth heads of government meeting unless it stops “systematic violation of human rights”.Amnesty International brands Sri Lanka’s government a regime There has been a surge of […]

The Sri Lankan government is intensifying its crackdown on critics. The Sri Lankan government is intensifying its crackdown on critics. © AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena The Sri Lankan government is intensifying its crackdown on critics through threats, harassment, imprisonment and violent attacks, Amnesty International said in a report released today.The document, Assault on Dissent reveals how […]

National United Front General Secretary and former deputy Mayor of Colombo Azath Sally had been interrogated by the CID on yesterday, Mr. Sally said in a media communiqué. It is reported that the inquiry was conducted with regard to alleged spreading of racial and religious discord through cell phone short messages. During the inquiry, Mr. Sally had […]

 Harim Peiris Last weekend, Judicial Services Commission (JSC) Secretary Manjula Tilakaratne was brutally assaulted by an armed gang outside S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavina, where he was waiting after dropping his son there for a sporting event. The assault occurred after Mr. Tilakaratne on the instruction of the JSC had issued a much publicized press statement, […]