The former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga recently attempted to distinguish herself from the Sinhala ethnonationalism of Buddhist monks stating that she was what described "a good Buddhist", and the racist ideology was perpetuated by a "minor group" of Buddhist monks. “I am a good Buddhist. What is more regrettable is the fact that a group of Buddhist monks indulge in extremism. That is a minor group. A majority of monks are good," she was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. "Yet, what is highlighted most is the extremist voice from a few. We should not stop doing what is...
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka rejected any assistance from a German NGO to develop an awareness programme on constitution making after members protested against the arrangement. The BASL had previously accepted the offer from Democracy Reporting International (DRI). Explaining the situation the BASL Chairman U.R. De Silva was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying that DRI had "never tried to force its way on us.” The protest by BASL members against the involvement of the German NGO comes after the BASL expressed concern that the proposed new constitution would pave the way for federalism.
The Sri Lankan military showed no sign of scaling back its involvement in civil life in the North-East this month, after troops paid a visit to an adult care home in Jaffna last month, where they hosted a party for the “inmates”, according to an official military website.
Sri Lanka’s president and prime minister inaugurated the Seventh Buddhist Summit of the World Buddhist Supreme Conference at Temple Tress in Colombo this week, as the government released a special stamp to mark the occasion.
Sri Lankan soldiers “should not be allowed to wear the blue helmet” of United Nations peacekeepers, said Canadian parliamentarian Gary Anandasangaree in a piece published in The Star this week. Writing ahead of the United Nations Peacekeeping Conference taking place in Vancouver later this month, the Liberal MP said the Sri Lankan military “has a long record of rights violations”. He went on to cite reports of Sri Lankan peacekeepers deployed to Haiti by the UN who ran a sex ring operation with children, some as young as 12. “Some 134 members of the Sri Lankan military were implicated, with...
The clearing of destroyed LTTE cemeteries continues in the North-East in the run-up to Maaveerar Naal.
Soldiers from the Sri Lankan army carried out repairs on the roof of a school building in Jaffna last week, as criticism over its involvement in civilian activites in the North-East continues.
Two STF intelligence officers have been arrested in connection with the murder of a Tamil man in Ariyalai last month. The intelligence officers attached to the Jaffna Pannai Special Task Force camp were arrested this morning after the weapon and vehicles believed to have been used in the murder were recovered from the camp on Wednesday. Don Bosco Rikman, a 24-year-old Tamil fishermen from Uthayapuram in Ariyalai East was shot on October 22nd. He died in hospital from internal bleeding caused by the shooting injuries. CCTV footage near the scene identified the three-wheeler and motorcycle used...
A delegation of European Parliament members currently visiting Sri Lanka met with the Northern Province governor to hear his thoughts on how reconciliation could be achieved between Tamils and Sinhalese, and how the North could be developed. The governor Reginald Cooray told the delegation that a key concern in the North was a lack of job opportunities, especially among young graduates, and said that employment opportunities must be created in order to develop the Province. On reconciliation, the governor said that the language barrier was an obstacle for reconciliation and shared his...
S. P. Thamilselvan, the head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was remembered by the Tamil National People's Front on Thursday, on the tenth anniversary of his assassination by the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF).