• Jaya and Karunanidhi condemn fishermen attacks

    Aug 19
    Following yet another attack on 8 Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK president M Karunanidhi have both released statements condemning the attack and calling on the Indian government to do more to halt the assaults.

    Writing in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa stated,
    "I am distressed to once again have to point out that the incidents of harassment of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy simply continue unabated"
    "The Sri Lankan Navy, emboldened by the soft handling of the issue by the Government of India, is attacking/harassing the fishermen of Tamil Nadu with impunity. The statements at diplomatic level meetings of the two countries stating that "the use of force on fishermen cannot be justified by any means" remain only on paper and are honoured more in the breach by the Sri Lankan Navy, who seem to be making a mockery of the entire diplomatic process"
  • The King has spoken
    The Commissioner of Elections has expressed his pleasure at President Mahinda Rajapksa’s recent intervention that election laws must be abided by and cannot be violated.

    Speaking to Ceylon Today, the Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya stated,
  • Undeterred and still looking to escape
    Despite an increasing number of arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy, asylum seekers remain undeterred in their attempts to flee the island, reported AFP.
  • 8 more fishermen attacked by SL Navy

    Eight Tamil Nadu fishermen from Vellapalam, were found by Vedaranyam on Sunday, with internal injuries, allegedly as a result of an attack by the Sri Lankan Navy, reported The Hindu.

  • SL minister can't understand UK FCO travel update

    Sri Lanka announced that it would be contesting the British Foreign Commonwealth Office's updated travel advice, warning Britons of an upsurge in nationalism, sexual offences and anti-western rhetoric.

  • More than two years gone... Still 49,000 to go
    An Indian housing project for Tamil IDPs has been declared 'on track', despite only 1,000 of the much vaunted 50,000 houses having been constructed, since the scheme was announced more than two years ago.
  • Tamil Nadu fishermen attacked by SL navy in Indian waters

    The Tamil Nadu government asserted that there had been 167 attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy from 1991 - 2011, and those included attacks within Indian territorial waters.

    The attacks had resulted in the deaths of 65 Tamil Nadu fishermen, with 180 injured.

    See here and here.

    The state government's Advocate General Navaneethakrishnan made the submission before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court which included Justice PPS Janarthana Raja and Justice M Vijayaraghavan on Friday.

    According to The Hindu, the Centre's advocate, Additional Solicitor General M Ravindran, argued that there was 'no chance of the Sri Lankan Navy having entered the Indian waters as such movement by the warships would amount to waging a war.'

  • Navi Pillay urges Australia to rethink asylum policy

    Commenting on the recently released report by a panel commissioned by the Australian government, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, urged Australia to rethink its asylum policy, and "break an ingrained political habit of demonising migrants and asylum-seekers".

    The panel's report, which recommended that off-shore detention be employed as it would disuade potentional asylum seekers, has received condemnation and criticism by rights groups Amnesty International and TAG (Tamils Against Genocide).

    Pointing out that there was "no empirical evidence that immigration detention deters irregular migration, or discourages people from seeking asylum", Pillay said that UN Human Rights Office had "long-standing concerns about Australia's mandatory detention regime", and reiterated that immigration detention "should always be applied as a measure of last resort, only permissible for the shortest period of time and only when no less restrictive measure is available."

  • Chinese engineers flown in amid questions of sabotage
    A team of engineers have had to be flown in from China in order to try and repair the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai, after a series of failures have led to power cuts across the country.

    The plant, built using a USD $455 million loan from China's EXIM bank, was constructed by Chinese workers from the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation.
  • Another Chinese project launched
    Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has inaugurated the launch of yet another Chinese-funded project in the country, an irrigation project in North Central and Eastern Provinces.

    The project is estimated to cost US$210 million, with 85% of the funds being provided by China and the construction is set to be undertaken by the China CAMC Engineering Corporation.
  • Sri Lanka says ready to host Commonwealth conference next month

    Sri Lanka is ready to host this years annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) next month, said the current chairman and Sri Lanka's speaker - Chamal Rajapaksa.

    The conference takes placed on 7th- 15th September in Colombo. Over 600 delegates from 54 countries are expected to take part.

  • Second sheriff runs out of town

    A case of demand … and supply.

    The head of Sri Lanka’s market regulator resigned Friday, saying he come under pressure at the behest of powerful stock market players being investigated for stock manipulation. (See Reuters’ report)

    Securities and Exchange Commission chief Tilak Karunaratne had been pushing for investigations into stock market malpractice, including so-called pump-and-dump deals in which investors are lured into apparently cut-price equities.

    "I don't even call them investors. They are crooks. The pressure from those crooks goes elsewhere and then in turn that party is exerting pressure on me," Karunaratne told Reuters.

    Although he did not elaborate, he didn’t need to.

  • Allow Tamils to go to their homes says Jayalalithaa

    Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, urged Sri Lanka to allow the displaced Tamils to be allowed to return to their homes.

    In her Independence Day address, Jayalalithaa said,

  • Ruling party child abuse accused released on bail

    The Tangalle Magistrate’s Court has released a politician of the ruling UPFA and 9 others who were accused of raping a child, on bail.

    ColomboPage reported on Friday that Tangalle District Magistrate Yuresha de Silva released the suspects, including Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Anjana Liyanage, on a Rs 25,000 cash bail.

  • The army taketh and the army giveth

    The Sri Lankan army - the all-rounder, ever expanding security force - has found yet another civilian project to venture into - education.

    A new computer centre, a reading camp, books, stationary and seminars have been bestowed upon Jaffna, the army has proclaimed.

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