• TNA councillor appeals to Pope over disappearances

    Jan 10
    Tamil National Alliance councillor Ananthy Sasitharan appealed to Pope Francis for assistance in locating a missing Catholic priest who was taken by the Sri Lankan army in 2009, alongside thousands of other cases of enforced disappearances.

    Writing ahead of the Pope's visit on January 13, Sasitharan said,
    "As a member of the Northern Provincial Council and as one of the affected victims, I urge Your Holiness to reach out for us in demanding a clear answer from the Sri Lankan Government and its military on what had happened to Rev Fr Francis Joseph, the hundreds of our family members and relatives who were taken into SLA custody on 18 May, 2009."
  • JHU - it was us, not TNA or SLMC, that won it
    The Buddhist monks' political party, the JHU, rejected analysts stating the Tamil and Muslim vote was the deciding factor in Maithripala Sirisena's presidential win, claiming instead it was their voter base that was key.

    The JHU was part of the newly elected president's coalition of opposition parties along side the     Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Sri Lankan Muslim Congress (SLMC).

  • Japan hopes for promotion of 'reconciliation, democracy and economic development'
    The Japanese government says it hopes for the promotion of "reconciliation, democracy and economic development" under the newly elected Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, in a statement congratulating him on his election victory.

    The statement also former president Mahinda Rajapaksa for the smooth transition of power, after he gave up office the day the election results were announced.
  • No threat to military in North says military
    The Sri Lankan military's spokesperson, Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya rejected reports of army camps being stoned and the Tamil Eelam flag being raised in Jaffna following the presidential win of Maithripala Sirisena, and stressed that there was no threat to the military in the North.

    "Information spreading about several incidents like hoisting the L.T.T.E. flag in Jaffna, groups pelting stones at army camps and  explosions are merely rumours spreading through social media," Wanigasooriya told Ceylon Today.

  • Tamil Nadu parties demand Sirisena allow access to UN investigators

    Parties across Tamil Nadu have reiterated demands for a United Nations investigative panel to be allowed access to Sri Lanka, in the wake of newly elected president Maithripala Sirisena taking office.

    Their statements come as India's opposition Congress Party spokesman Sanjay Jha tweeted hailed former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's defeat, saying "majoritarian politics has a limited shelf-life".

    In another tweet, he added, "President Rajapaksa was intoxicated with arrogance".

    Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) founder Vaiko called for UN investigators to be allowed into the country, but added he does not expect Sirisena to deliver justice to the Tamil people.

    Noting that Sirisena was a member of the ruling party until just a few months ago, Vaiko added Sirisena's election pledges included not demilitarising the Tamil North-East. Vaiko concluded by calling on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "stop his attitude of betrayal" towards Tamils on the island.

  • UPFA reminds Maithripala of its parliamentary majority whilst committing to 100 day programme
    The former ruling party which was defeated at Friday’s presidential polls, the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), stated that it will support president Maithripala Sirisena’s 100 day work programme to abolish the executive presidency, whilst noting that a new cabinet would need approval of the majority in parliament.

    Noting that the UPFA hold majority in parliament, UPFA parliamentarian Dinesh Gunawardena, commenting on appointing a new cabinet, said,
  • A cell in The Hague, the nightmare for Colombo’s rulers' - Trevor Grant

    Sri Lanka's new president Maithripala Sirisena will do "everything he can" to stop former president Mahinda Rajapaksa to be taken to the Hague and face charges of war crimes said Trevor Grant, author and convenor of the Tamil Refugee Council (TRC).

    In an opinion piece written in the wake of Sri Lanka's presidential election, Grant says "as acting minister of defence, including during the closing weeks of the war, [Sirisena] sat high in the command structure, and thus in culpability for war crimes and crimes against humanity."

  • KP missing, govt to press for prosecution says Sirisena spokesperson
    Sri Lanka's new government said it is seeking to prosecute Kumaran Pathmanathan (known as "KP"), who was reported missing shortly after the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa at the presidential election.

    KP, who was a former member of the LTTE, was apparently arrested by the Sri Lankan government in August 2009 before being welcomed by the then Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

    "We heard he escaped through the airport's VIP lounge. We are investigating,"     the  spokesperson for President Maithripala Sirisena, Rajitha Senaratne, was quoted by The Hindu as saying.

  • Rajapaksa attempted to deploy military before conceding power
    Mahinda Rajapaksa attempted to persuade the Sri Lankan army chief to deploy troops when it became clear that he would lose the elections, reports Reuters.
  • UPDATE: Presidential Election - Maithri leads as Rajapaksa closes gap
    Updated 00:35 GMT

    The common opposition's presidential candidate, Maithripala Sirisena is currently in the lead at 53.48% (116,300,5 votes) to incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa at 45.20% (982,967 votes), as of 06:00 local time.

    Votes are still being counted in several districts with     results are awaited from Trincomalee, Puttalam, and other districts in the south, including Colombo.

  • Rajapaksa concedes election defeat - latest reports
    Updated 0155 GMT

    According to latest reports by AFP, Sri Lanka's incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa has conceded defeat in the presidential election to opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

    Reuters quoted an official at the president's office as saying,
    "The president conceded defeat at a meeting with opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and the new president will be sworn in this evening."
  • Maithri wins presidency, to be sworn in today
    Last updated 07:56 GMT

    The common opposition's candidate, Maithripala Sirisena claimed victory on Friday, as the next president of Sri Lanka.

    Maithri, who was endorsed by a coalition of parties, including the UNP, JVP, TNA and SLMC, won 51.28% (6,217,162 votes), beating incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa, who won 47.58% (5,768,090).

    With just under 4 million votes having been counted, Rajapaksa conceded defeated, vowing to "ensure a smooth transition of power bowing to the wishes of the people".

  • TNA congratulates Maithri
    The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which openly endorsed the now president-elect, Maithripala Sirisena, who ran as a candidate representing a coalition of opposition groups, extended its "warmest congratulations" to the new president.

    "The TNA extends to the people of Sri Lanka – in particular to the people of the North-East – its sincere thanks for extending their overwhelming support to President-Elect Mr Maithripala Sirisena in accordance with the advice of the TNA," the TNA leader R. Sampanthan said in a statement.

  • Look forward to working with Sirisena for 'inclusive, democratic' SL says Kerry
    The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, commended incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa for accepting his election defeat, and said he looked forward to working with president-elect Maithripala Sirisena to ensure Sri Lanka was "inclusive" and "democratic".

    "I look forward to working with President-elect Maithripala Sirisena as his new government works to implement its campaign platform of a Sri Lanka that is peaceful, inclusive, democratic, and prosperous," Kerry said in a statement.

  • Modi congratulates Maithri
    The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, congratulated the newly elected president, Maithripala Sirisena on his election victory.

    “I spoke to Shri Maithripala Sirisena and congratulated him. I congratulate the people of Sri Lanka on the peaceful & democratic poll process," Modi tweeted.

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