• Sri Lanka’s ‘glorious’ revival

    Delivering the keynote address at a university symposium, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa claimed that Sri Lanka was experiencing a “national revival that will restore it to its rightful place on the world stage” and that the government’s challenge was to “facilitate this resurgence”.

  • Indian fishermen – ‘Government has let us down’
    The South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association has lamented the lack of action by the Indian government, after 6 more Indian fishermen alleged that they were attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday.

    K.Bharathi, President, South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association told India Today,
  • UN - ‘Significant unmet humanitarian needs in North’
    Marking World Humanitarian Day, the United Nations has stated that there is still much more that needs to be done in the North, at a ceremony in Sri Lanka.

    UN Humanitarian Resident Coordinator Subinay Nandy told an audience,
    There remain significant unmet humanitarian needs among communities in the north.

    These range from basic assistance such as clean water, shelter and food security in resettled areas to more sophisticated issues such as sustainable assistance to obtain livelihoods, rights and return to more normal life as part of durable solutions on par with international standards”.
    Acknowledging that Sri Lanka received more than $1 billion in humanitarian assistance from 2006, and $89.9 million from the UN in 2011, Nandy said that contributions were now beginning to dwindle and called for more.

    However, simply throwing money at the problem will not make it disappear.

    See our comment from Dec 2010: '
    The state is the main obstacle to developing Tamil areas'
  • Government shuts down universities

    The Sri Lankan government has shut down most universities on the island, after an ongoing row over government interference saw widespread strikes by teachers.

  • Claiming the moral high ground

    The actions of the French tourists posing with a statue of the Buddha, have led to much outcry.

    The police spokesperson, Ajith Rohana told AFP:

    "If we had not arrested them and prosecuted them, they would have taken the pictures abroad, published them and gloated."

    "They had not only broken Sri Lankan law, but they have also violated universally accepted norms of respecting religious symbols of others. We condemn this and urge tourists not to make religious offence."

  • GL Peiris briefs Japan on the ‘reconciliation’ process

    The representative of the Japanese government for peace building, rehabilitation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, held discussions with External Affairs minister, GL Peiris, to review the progress of the reconciliation process and other issues related to the conflict.

  • Tourists convicted for insulting Buddhism
    Three French tourists have been handed down suspended jail terms for taking allegedly insulting photographs with a Buddha statue.
  • Over 1,000 asylum seekers arrested by Navy this year

    Sri Lanka arrested 69 asylum seekers on Tuesday, pushing the total number of people arrested by the navy this year to over 1,000.

    The latest arrests took place off the town of Negombo, with those on board being handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

    Out of the 69 arrested on the fishing trawler, 48 were Tamils.

  • 12 breakdowns since power plant opening

    The faulty Norochcholai power plant has allegedly broken down 12 times, since its opening in March last year.

  • No 3rd party intervention on internal matters' - SL

    The Sri Lankan government will not accept any "third party intervention" on "internal matters" the External Affairs Ministry's secretary, Karunathilaka Amunugama said on Monday.

    Quoting the defiant words of Mahinda Rajapaksa, Amunugama said:

    "The government of Sri Lanka will not accept any mediator or facilitator roles by foreign governments or organisations in finding solutions to its internal problems."

    "President Mahinda Rajapaksa's position was very clear in this regard right from the beginning of his office as the President."

  • GL Peiris - 'no justification' for FCO update

    The External Affairs minister GL Peiris met with the British High Commissioner on Monday, protesting against the FCO's recent travel advisory update.

    According to the Daily Mirror, a government source said,

    “The minister asked that the travel advisory be amended in keeping with the developments in the North."

    "We mentioned that there was no justification for such a travel advisory because there is stability and security in the country."

  • EROS office in Batticaloa attacked

    The office of the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS) in Batticaloa was attacked by a group of unidentified people on Sunday morning, reported the Colombo Page.

  • SL plans for Mullivaikal to be transformed as a tourism hot spot

    Plans are underway to transform Mullivaikal, Mullaitheevu into tourism hot spot, reports the Uthayan.

    According to Uthayan, 22km of coastal line, stretching from Nayaru to Alampil is being prepared for the establishment of tourism resorts. The stretch of land encompasses Ampalavan Pokkanai, West Mullivaikal, East Mullivaikal, Palaya Mathalan, Puthumathalan, Valainarmadam and Vadduvakal.

    Two meetings have already been taken place at the Mullaitheevu Political Headquarters, headed by Mullaitheevu GA, Nogalingam Vethanayakam. Discussions included deciding what portion of the land in this area is government owned.

  • IMF expresses concern over hounding out of SEC chief

    The International Monetary Fund has expressed concern over the resignation of the head of Sri Lanka's Securities and Exchange Commission, after stock market players he was investigating complained to Mahinda Rajapakse.

    Thilak Karuneratne stepped down after powerful traders sabotaged probes into corrupt practices.

  • GSP + ‘A closed chapter’
    The European Union representative in Sri Lanka has stated that aid to the country was “unlikely” to increase and trade concessions revoked from the country will not be reinstated, urging the country to “move on” from the issue.  

    Bernard Savage, Head of the Delegation of the EU in Sri Lanka stated that,
    “We have had no request from the government for a new facility.”

    “To use the words of the Minister of External Affairs (GL Peiris) this is a closed chapter (in our relationship). The fact is that GSP+ was withdrawn and there has been no further discussion on that issue and Sri Lanka has not re-applied. We need to move on.
    The statement comes as the withdrawal of the concessions from 2010 begins to take hold, with garment exports to the EU falling 10-15% this year, and further falls predicted.
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