• Sri Lankan army commander stresses no plan to remove camps in North


    Sri Lanka's army commander, Lieutenant General Crishantha de Silva this week rejected statements made by politicians that military camps in the North would be scaled back, stating that no decision had been made. 

  • Scottish judge criticises British PM over Tamil asylum case

    One of Scotland’s most senior judges had criticised the current British Prime Minister for dismissal of a Tamil asylum claim last year.

    Former Lord Advocate Lord Boyd of Duncansby said that then Home Secretary Theresa May had “acted unreasonably” and was “too ready to dismiss” letters from the asylum seeker’s family who insisted his life was under threat in Sri Lanka.

  • Abducted Muslim businessman found murdered

    The body of a Muslim businessman who was abducted last week has been found, some 100km north of the southern capital Colombo.

    Mohammed Sakeem Sulaiman, a 29 year old from Bambalapitiya, was reported missing on Sunday. He had recently complained to the CID about fraud committed by other business people amounting to Rs 70 million, the Daily Mirror reported. The abductors had kidnapped him from his home.

    His body was discovered on Wednesday.

  • Sri Lankan president demanded bribe for Australian construction projects

    A major corruption scandal has revealed that Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena demanded a “political donation” be paid by an Australian company, in order to secure construction contracts on the island.

  • Tamil IDPs end Paravipanchan hunger strike after Sampanthan calls Defence Secretary

    Displaced Tamil families in Paravipanchan, Kilinochchi last week ended their hunger strike against the Sri Lankan military's occupation of their land, after the Tamil National Alliance leader, R Sampanthan assured them the land would be released within two weeks. 

  • Referendum on new constitution says Sri Lankan minister

    A new Sri Lankan constitution would be put to a referendum after being presented in parliament, the leader of the House, and the minister of higher education and highways, Lakshman Kiriella said last week. 

  • Surveying halted in Mannar amid protests against landgrabs

    Attempts by officials to survey land in Pallimunai, Mannar were halted on Tuesday after villagers protested against further land grabs and refused entry to the officials. 

    The land which originally belonged to 19 Tamil families is currently under the the military's control and houses a navy base. 

  • Detaining Tamil political prisoners 'impedes reconciliation' - TNA

    Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R Sampanthan called for the release of Tamil political prisoners, stating that their continued detention was impeding hopes of reconciliation and criticised Sri Lanka's draconian Prevntion of Terrorism Act.

  • Another Hindu festival sees Sri Lankan soldiers watching over


    A Hindu festival in Vaharai saw Sri Lankan soldiers overseeing proceedings last week.

  • US Secretary of Navy visits Trincomalee

    The United States Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visited Trincomalee on Monday, where he met with the commander of the Sri Lankan navy.

  • ‘No compulsion’ to implement UN resolution insists Sri Lankan president

    Sri Lanka’s president said his government was under “no compulsion” to implement a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling for an internationalised accountability mechanism, as he addressed a gathering of Sri Lankan soldiers on Monday.

    The official Ministry of Defence website quoted Maithripala Sirisena as telling the soldiers “it is his duty and responsibility to protect war heroes who fought to bring freedom to the country”.

  • Ranil: China's bank to set up South Asia branch in Sri Lanka

    China's bank is to establish its South Asian branch in Sri Lanka the country's prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, told parliament on Tuesday. 

    “China agreed to set up the branch here in Colombo at the proposed financial city,” Mr Wickremesinghe was quoted by the LBO as saying. 

  • Speaker signs Office on Missing Persons bill

    Sri Lanka's Speaker, Karu Jayasuriya, signed the Office on Missing Persons Bill on Tuesday, making it into a legal act, Colombo Page reported. 

    The bill has received criticism from Tamil families who expressed concern about the lack of adequate consultation prior and lack of emphasis over justice for disappearances. 

  • Tamil and Muslim students attacked at Peradeniya University

    Muslim and Tamil students at the University of Peradeniya were attacked by Sinhala students on Monday night.

    The group, made up of 15 Tamil students and one Muslim student were set upon by a gang of Sinhala youths as they made their way back from a Hindu temple and a mosque. Female students in the group were told to leave the scene by the gang before they assaulted the Tamil-speakers with clubs.

  • Rally in Kilinochchi demands justice for Tamils

    A protest march was held in Kilinochchi on Monday, demanding justice for the thousands of disappeared Tamils and an end to the creation of Sinhala-Buddhist settlements in the Tamil homeland.

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