President Rajapakse and Ayatollah Khamenei (Fars News Agency)
President Mahinda Rajapakse met with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei on Friday, on the sidelines of the 16th Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran.
The Ayatollah praised Sri Lanka for standing up against ‘colonialists’.
He said hegemonic powers try "to portray themselves as invincible, but Iran and Sri Lanka's experiences show that resistance against colonialists and hegemons [sic] is possible".
The Supreme Leader also praised Sri Lanka’s support for the Palestinian cause and its ‘respect’ for the Muslims on the island.
See here, here and here for the 'respectful' treatment of Muslims in Sri Lanka.
Rajapakse and his Iranian counterpart President Ahmedinejad (Colombo Page)
The Sri Lankan president welcomed Khamenei’s proposal for a nuclear-free Middle-East, made during the start of the summit and added,
"We are ensured that we can overcome many problems through your aid and assistance."
Rajapakse also met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and discussed the Uma Oya development project, which is funded by a US$450 million loan from the Export Development Bank of Iran.
Rajapakse shakes hands with Afghan President Hamid Karzai (Colombo Page)
The Sri Lankan government has expressed concern over a recent Memorandum of understanding, signed between the US Embassy in Colombo and the Trincomalee Urban Council, to establish an ‘American Corner’, a public information centre.
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Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has interrogated members of the German NGO the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, for allegedly working beyond its legal mandate.
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A Sri Lankan military soldier is suspected to have perpetrated the rape of a 7 year old girl in Nedunkeni, Vavuniya, reports Uthayan.
The incident led to a protest by local Tamils, demanding that the culprit be arrested.
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Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapakse has warned the government of the consequences in case the TNA wins the Northern Provincial Council polls, due to be held later this year.
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A ruling government coalition party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), have submitted a motion proposing a 19th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution, earlier on Thursday.
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Sri Lanka's Public Relations and Public Affairs Minister, Mervyn Silva, has decided to launch a hotline for public complaints, reports Colombo Page. The hotline would allow the user to choose their language of choice,
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Amidst discontent over Sri Lanka's hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Sri lanka will launch a campaign to ‘promote’ the Colombo ahead of the meeting.
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