• Army to build a 5-star hotel

    The Sri Lankan Army is to take part in construction work, building a 5-star hotel in Colombo according to reports.
  • Sri Lankan Navy pelts Tamil fishermen with stones

    Six Tamil Nadu fishermen were injured when Sri Lankan navy personnel pelted the fishing boats with stones. Upto ten boats were damaged, and fishing nets cut by the navy during the attack.

    The Tamil Nadu Fisheries department has said one of the fishermen suffered multiple injuries from a broken window glass pane, caused by the stoning.

    The fishermen came under attack near the Katchatheevu islet on Sunday.

    The attack come less than just over a week before Sri Lanka is due to host a maritime conference - Galle Dialogue.The delegates will be welcomed by Vice Admiral DWAS Dissanayake - Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy.

    Presentations include a paper by a member of the Indian Navy on "Indian Navy’s Perspective on Regional Maritime Cooperation; The Way – Ahead", and a paper by Rear Admiral JSK Colombage, the Commander Eastern Naval Area, Sri Lanka Navy on
    "Cross Border Fishing; Impacts and Challenges".

  • Sri Lanka looks to appease China as hotel deal collapses
    A Chinese state-owned defence company has been awarded a contract to construct a university department on Colombo, days after a major hotel deal was cancelled by the Sri Lankan government.

    The deal to construct a hotel on the illustrious Galle Face Green with the Chinese defence contractor China Aviation Technology Import-Export Corporation (CATIC), was worth $500 million and was hailed as one of the island’s single biggest foreign investments.

    See our earlier post: ‘Sri Lanka’s defence ministry and tourism investment’ (June 2011)

    The Sri Lankan Government, anxious to placate the Chinese investors, were reportedly looking for alternate land and have now offered the university project worth $89.6 million.

    The contract was cancelled after the Sri Lankan government came under intense scrutiny from opposition parties over the sale, who claimed the deal was not done transparently.

    They also questioned why the “best property in Sri Lanka” was being sold to an arms company that owns only a few hotels in China and not a well reputed international chain, reportedly with not a single cent of tax being charged. CATIC does however, export military aeroplanes to Sri Lanka.

    The announcement comes as Sri Lanka faces increased pressure from China for loan repayments, leading to Sri Lanka trying to swap some of its debt for equity with Chinese firms, starting with the Norochcholai power plant in the North-West.
  • Government not serious about political settlement- TNA


    The TNA have condemned the Sri Lankan government's failure to investigate war crimes and the forestalling of bilateral discussions to address the Tamil peoples leigtimate grievances.

  • Expropriation bill claims first victim

    Supporters of President Rajapakse’s government have stormed a private sugar company owned by an opposition MP.

    Sevanagala Sugar Industries was one of the 36 private companies ear-marked for nationalisation by the government for under-performing, a move made possible by the controversial expropriation bill.

  • ‘Competent authorities’ for takeover appointed

    The Sri Lankan government has appointed six “Competent Authorities” that will handle the 37 enterprises that are due to be taken over by the recently passed Assets Acquisition Bill.

  • Militarising Cricket

    The Sri Lankan sports ministry has announced that the three biggest cricket stadiums on the island will be maintained by the military from this month.

  • Sri Lanka provides aid to Pakistan flood victims

    Sri Lanka is to provide flood relief goods such as tea, biscuits, sleeping bags, bed sheets, exercise books and medicines to those affected by the floods in Sindh province of Pakistan.

    According to the Sri Lankan government's official news portal, Mahinda Rajapaksa personally instructed G.L. Peiris, the Minister of External Affairs, to arrange for the donation.

  • An open letter to ‘Shooty’

    "Dear 'Shooty',

    I've just watched our Prime Minister talking about shared Commonwealth values in Perth. My mind turned at once to you and your solitary, late-night death in Villawood detention centre last week.”

  • Lost opportunities at the Commonwealth

    "The second major issue for the meeting concerned the civil war in Sri Lanka and whether both the government and the Tamils had committed war crimes in the conflict's final years. The question, however, was virtually ignored."

  • Sunday Leader editor threatened by ‘Sinha Regiment’

    Reporters Without Borders have expressed concern after Frederica Jansz, the editor of The Sunday Leader received death threats from the “Sinha Regiment”.

  • Sri Lanka seeks Indian and Pakistani army advice on demining

    Indian army officials visited the Sri Lankan army's Security Forces Headquarters in the Vanni region on Wedesday, during a six day tour of the country.

  • No place for politics in crimes against humanity
    “Last week Attorney-General Robert McClelland halted the possibility of the arrest and charging of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and in my view undermined similar ''citizens arrests'' of individuals against whom it could be said there is a prima facie case of crimes against humanity.”
  • Tamil on death row dreams of Eelam

    One of the suspects on death row in Tamil Nadu for his alleged role in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi still dreams of an independent country for Eelam Tamils.

    39 year old Perarivalan, also known as Arivu, was convicted for assisting the alleged killers of Rajiv Gandhi by providing them with batteries in 1991.

  • When Dutugemunu met the Queen...

    Sri Lanka blocked access to the anti-government website Lanka-e-news this week, drawing criticism from the US.
     
    Perhaps this is the story that prompted the move: 'doctored photographs'.

     

Subscribe to Tamil Affairs