rule of law

 02 June 2011 /By Yohan PereraUnrest at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone had resulted in losses at many factories running into millions of rupees, Inter Company Workers Union President Wasantha Samarasinghe said yesterday.Mr. Samarasinghe blamed the police for the losses and said that in one of the companies losses were high as Rs 50 million. […]

 02 June 2011 / By L.B. SenaratneThe Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter the Most Venerable Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala thera yesterday said, in reference to the trade union action taken by the university academics, that the promises given to learned professionals should be honoured and university lecturers and professors should not be suppressed like university […]

Jun 1, 2011 Colombo: Members of the Joint Trade Union Alliance comprising 26 trade unions staged a massive protest today in Colombo against the pension reforms and the Monday’s police attack on Katunayake Free Trade Zone workers who were demonstrating against the proposed pension plan.The private sector employees marched along a busy street in Colombo, carrying […]

by Melani Manel PereraClashes occurred on Monday when workers were protesting against a draft law that would not guarantee a lifetime retirement pension. Three people are said to have died in the incident.Police used tear gas and prevented wounded from being evacuated to hospitals.Catholic priests and human rights activists have firmly slammed the brutal police […]

 01 June 2011Channel-4’s announcement of screening of an hour-long film on Sri Lanka’s killing fields at UN on 3rd June, and the presentation of video footage to the UN Human Rights Council by the UN special investigator into extrajudicial killings, Christof Heyns, spread a gloomy war-crimes cloud over Sri Lanka making the terror-summit in Colombo, […]

Roshain Shanaka who received gun shot wounds during the protest against the proposed pension bill had died in Ragama hospital.The worker was in Intensive Care since he was shot during the clashes on Monday. Several police officers were also wounded as a result of retaliation by the protesting workers.Earlier Sri Lanka police chief, Mahinda Balasuriya, […]

01 June 2011 Police Chief Mahinda Balasuriya has decided to step down from his post this month, police sources said. An urgent meeting was also held at police headquarters today. The resignation comes amidst the police being criticized over the way they handled the protest by workers of the Free Trade Zone in Katunayake on […]

May 31, 2011/ by Zacki JabbarWhile one Katunayake Export Processing Zone worker remained critical and around 25 were being treated for injuries at the Negombo hospital, as a result of Monday’s clashes with the police, the main opposition, UNP, yesterday accused the government of having created a violent situation by trying to force an unfair […]

‘Workers spurned President’s offer to discuss PSP issue’ May 31, 2011,/By Shamindra FerdinandoUPFA MP Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle says a section of unruly workers had caused Monday’s brawl at Sri Lanka’s largest Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Katunayake and forced the government to shut down the facility on the following day. It could have been easily […]

Police, workers trade accusations – Katunayake EPZ closed todayMay 30, 2011By Lal Gunasekera and Norman PalihawadanaOver a dozen police personnel, including DIG Ravi Wijegoonewardene and many garment workers were injured in clashes between the police and the Katunayake Export Processing Zone (EPZ) workers  yesterday. The police alleged that they had no option but to use […]

By Charles HavilandAn ethnic Tamil policeman from northern Sri Lanka has said he feels hurt that he and 25 colleagues, also Tamils, were excluded from a big parade by the country’s security forces last week.He said they were pulled out at the very last moment with no reasonable explanation.After decades of ethnic tension and militant […]

Trade unions have threatened to go on a general strike at several Free Trade Zones in the country if the police fail to release some garment factory workers arrested today following a protest.Trade union activist and JVP member Wasantha Samarasinghe told reporters that the police will be given a deadline to release all those arrested […]

30.May.2011It is reported that the only remaining suspect who was in hiding in the murder case involving the accused Chandana Kathriarachchi has suddenly been killed yesterday. This murder has occurred at Pusselawa , district. In the preliminary investigations it has been revealed that the chief suspect Nihal Suresh who was in hiding has died not […]

Outdoor thrills and hazards give edge to pre-campus leadership training at Army camps. Nadia Fazlulhaq reportsWild elephants, snakes and ravenous mosquitoes are some of the natural challenges that university students have had to face in their first week of leadership training at Army camps around the country. Hardly five days into their training and students, followed […]

May 28/ by Austin FernandoProf. Rohan Gunaratne- international terrorism expert- addressing the business community last week convincingly and openly cautioned that “India might ‘punish’ Sri Lanka”, if Sri Lanka leans elsewhere to India’s detriment. This is a very serious statement, especially if Indians do not intend doing so.To prove his point, he quoted a meeting […]

May 28, 2011The agitation by university dons for higher salaries is another issue that threatens to upset the applecart. The president of the Federation of University Teacher’s Associations Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri complains that at the discussion held last week with the president, he was not allowed to express his views freely with the president interjecting […]

Priest and five others acquitted of all charges after court hearingMay 27, 2011A Jesuit priest and five other people who were accused of having links with Tamil Tiger rebels have been acquitted after a court hearing on Tuesday.Father Paul Satkunanayagam and the others, all ethnic Tamils, were arrested in Dambulla on February 9. They were […]

‘Even though terrorism was eradicated from Sri Lanka, terrorists living abroad continue to work to destroy our country’ 27 May 2011, / by Mahinda Rajapaksa After uniting the country with the defeat of the most ruthless terrorism in the world, today we were able to hoist our national flag with dignity and honour. Today we […]

28 May 2011/ By K. S.  Fernando.Panadura Police sought to withdraw charges against eleven suspects including a Panadura Pradeshiya Sabha UNP member following objections raised by the counsel on behalf of the suspects. The request for withdrawal was subject to the right to file a fresh plaint in due course.  The suspects were charged before […]

As professionals, we have seen the deterioration of the institutional integrity and rule of law in this country for many years. As lawyers we have, from time to time, urged the succeeding governments to protect human rights of the citizens and establish Rule of Law.    2011-05-25 | Press Statement- Lawyers for DemocracyThe war in […]

SF says felt he couldn’t work with President, Def. Secy, as Gota doubted his loyaltyMay 25, 2011/ By A.J. AbeynayakeFormer Army Chief Gen. Sarath Fonseka on Wednesday (25) said that he felt he couldn’t work with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, as the latter had doubted his loyalty during a […]

26 May 2011/ By Sandun A. JayasekeraSri Lanka would appoint a five member panel of judges to initiate fresh investigations into Human Rights and Fundamental Rights violations in the North-East and report back to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRC), officials said.The newly appointed Chairman of the HRC, retired Supreme Court Judge Priyantha […]

Feizal SamathJust as government troops prepared this week to celebrate the second anniversary of the decimation of Tamil separatist rebels, thousands of young, new entrants to national universities across Sri Lanka on Monday began entering military camps for a three-week training course that has triggered an intense debate as to whether the country is heading […]

R. K. Radhakrishnan People in this friendly town woke up on Monday a full page advertisement in its newspapers mocking U.S. President Barack Obama and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The advertisement reproduced in full below, sought to place in perspective the rationale behind Sri Lanka being questioned for eliminating terrorism in its backyard. The […]

23 May 2011, 8:31 pmThe Friday Forum has demanded that the government ensure that city planning and urban development activities are carried out within a transparent process which takes into account the concerns of people in regard to their homes and property.“We are particularly disturbed at the use of uniformed services personnel to deliver communications […]

The Friday Forum, a group of intellectuals had issued a statement expressing concerns at the steps taken for accelerated development of the city of Colombo.They say the group was formed to consider current issues of public interest with a view to making a contribution to peace, democracy, good governance and social justice in Sri Lanka.“We […]

May 23, 2011,  The Bar Association of Sri Lanka yesterday condemned the assault on the District Judge of Matara by army personnel on Sunday (22).The BASL called upon the IGP and the Commander of Army to bring those suspected of having participated in the assault before the Law. It urged the Secretary to the Ministry […]

24 May 2011By Susitha R. FernandoFive separate fundamental rights applications were filed in the Supreme Court yesterday by the Ceylon Teachers Union and four students who secured university entrance this year challenging the leadership training at army camps for students entering the university.The applications were filed by four students – R. M. Subani Pabasala Ratnayake, […]

  Every month before the meeting of the Council Douglas has what he calls a “pre-Council Meeting” in his office where he gives instructions on how to vote on every issue. The university is thus under Douglas’ complete control. “But Douglas through his ambitions to control the university has injected a new brand of communalism […]

But let us not get side-tracked by the apparent stupidity of the Ministry of Higher Education. This is not about leadership training; this is part of the regime’s plan to control dissent.  Rather than producing young people with inquiring, critical minds; young people who are passionate and who are willing to fight for causes they […]