Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) leader Mano Ganesan has accused the National People's Power (NPP) government of hypocrisy over the arrest of Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), pointing to NPP politicians who had themselves circulated songs glorifying the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during election campaigns.
Sangeethsan, known…
The president of the Philippines boasted that his Sri Lankan counterpart Maithripala Sirisena told him he would follow his lead in conducting a brutal crackdown on drug use and “kill the bastards”, in a speech in Davao City this week.
<p>Senior United Nations officials have reportedly lodged a complaint with Sri Lankan authorities stating that one of their staff was threatened at gun point by two members of the army in Jaffna last year.</p>
<p>The Sunday Times reports that two people who claimed to be from the army entered the residence of a UN official in Jaffna, pointing a pistol at the staff member and warning that an investigation was underway against them.</p>
<p>The military has not taken any action on the case, denying that any members of the security forces were involved in the incident.</p>
Sri Lanka’s prime minister has once again reiterated his government’s pledge to “do more work” to protect Buddhism on the island, as talks over a new constitution continue.
A Sri Lankan court has further remanded a group that was arrested last year, accused of vandalising a Buddha statue in Mawanella, in the south of the island.
The group of eleven people have now been remanded until February 27. Amongst those being held are people who were arrested for providing accommodation to some of those accused of vandalism.
Whilst Tamils in the North-East continue to protest for the military to leave their lands, the Sri Lankan army organised a tennis tournament at its occupying military base in the Vanni last week.
Sri Lanka’s prime minister has faced criticism from Tamils after telling them to “forget the past and move forward” at an event in Kilinochchi last week.