At least six people have been declared missing after heavy floods burst irrigation tanks in Mullaitivu, as flooding affected many parts of the North-East this week.

The Sri Lankan military has reportedly been deployed in the region, as flooding from heavy rains has affected as many as 647 people.

Namal Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan parliamentarian and son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, has joined the Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) leading a potential exodus from Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).

“I am joining the [SLPP] effective immediately,” Namal tweeted on Saturday. “We will strive to create a broader coalition with many stakeholders under the leadership of [Sirisena and Mahinda Rajapaksa] to face the upcoming General Election and come out victorious.”

<p>The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is set to take legal action against the sudden dissolution of parliament by Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena.</p> <p>The party’s spokesperson and MP, M A Sumanthiran said the party would be going to the Supreme Court to challenge the dissolution.</p> <p>The 19th amendment to the constitution makes it ‘crystal clear’ that the president did not have the authority to dissolve parliament before it had passed its four and a half year term, Sumanthiran said.</p>

Sri Lanka’s United National Party (UNP) has met with the elections commission and plans to take action in the Supreme Court against the dissolution of parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena.

“The emerging tyranny of Maithripala Sirisena will be fought in the courts, in Parliament and at an election,” Mangala Samaraweera, the UNP’s finance minister said.

The UNP MP and state minister Harsha de Silva said the party had conveyed to the elections commission that they expected the commission to “act according to the law” and to “do what [they] had to, to save our democracy from [Sirisena] and illegal government.”

<p>Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena on Friday brought the Department of Government Printing under his power, announcing an extraordinary gazette notice to that effect.&nbsp;</p> <p>The move came as Sirisena dissolved parliament, sacking all 225 lawmakers and calling fresh parliamentary elections on January 5, 2019.&nbsp;</p> <p>Despite international criticism and calls to reconvene parliament, Sirisena has vowed not to bow to such pressure.&nbsp;</p>

The TNA MP Raviraj was remembered in Jaffna today on the 12th anniversary of his assassination.

TNA MP, Mavai Senathirajah, fellow party members and local residents took part in a commemorative event by the statue erected in his honour. 

The United States, UK, Australia and Canada were swift to express their concern at the Sri Lankan president's decision to dissolve parliament yesterday, warning that the move would undermine the country's international reputation.  

"The US is deeply concerned by news the Sri Lanka Parliament will be dissolved, further deepening the political crisis.  As a committed partner of #SriLanka, we believe democratic institutions and processes need to be respected to ensure stability and prosperity," the US State Department's South and Central Asia desk tweeted. 

The US embassy in Sri Lanka warned there was much at stake and the latest move would serve to jeopardize Sri Lanka's economic progress and international reputation.

 

<p>Ambassadors of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, UK, Norway and Switzerland yesterday warned that Sri Lanka's political crisis risked damaging its international reputation and could deter investors.&nbsp;</p> <p>The country plunged into turmoil last month after the president sacked the prime minister and appointment the former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place.&nbsp;</p>

Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena today issued a gazette notification dissolving parliament and sacking all 225 lawmakers. 

The gazette notification, released this evening, states elections will be held on January 5, 2019, almost two years ahead of schedule. 

<p>Sri Lanka’s United National Party (UNP) is planning to mount legal action against Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and his snap dissolution of Parliament.</p> <p>Managala Samaraweera, Finance Minister in the ‘fallen’ UNP government, and one time Foreign Minister, described Sirisena as a “menace” to Sri Lanka and its “democratic traditions”.</p> <p>Speaking to The Hindu, Samaraweera also said the UNP would move an impeachment motion against President Sirisena. It is unclear as to how an impeachment motion could be brought without a sitting parliament.</p>