• Amnesty urges Sri Lanka not to impede ongoing investigations

    Amnesty International urged Sri Lankan authorities not to impede ongoing investigations following the transfer of Nishantha Silva, the Officer-in-Charge at the Criminal Investigations Department who had been responsible for the investigation of the abduction and murder of 11 Tamil youths by Sri Lankan navy personnel. 

    Silva was given a transfer order to ordinary duties in Negombo, reportedly on the orders of the Sri Lankan president. 

  • UNP and allies submit motion to suspend Rajapaksa's expenditures

    The United National Party, together with its coalition partners within the UNF alliance submitted a motion today to suspend Mahinda Rajapaksa's expenditures. 

    The motion would see staff salaries and other costs taken away from his budget. 

    The motion is expected to be debated on November 29. 

    The TNA spokesperson, M A Sumanthiran and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the JVP leader and Chief Opposition Whip, have said they will support the motion. 

  • Speaker orders report on parliamentary violence

    Sri Lanka's Speaker today ordered authorities to investigate and present a report on last week's violent scenes in parliament, the Daily Mirror reported. 

    Video footage from parliamentary sittings showed fist-fights, objects being thrown at fellow MPs and police officers, including chilli water, as well as an MP wielding a knife and another slapping a police officer. 

  • Buddhist militaries, both accused of crimes, meet to pray

    The head of Myanmar’s navy paid a trip Kandy last month, where he met with a senior Sri Lankan military commander and visited the Temple of the Tooth.

    Admiral Tin Aung San, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar’s Navy led a delegation to meet Major General T J Nanayakkara, before both parties visited the “inner chamber for veneration,” according to an official military website.

  • Sri Lankan military sets up new checkpoint by Madhu shrine

    The Sri Lankan military police announced that it had set up a new checkpoint by the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu in the Mannar district, as militarisation of the North-East continues, despite sustained opposition from locals.

  • Sri Lankan president apologises to Sinhala extremist BBS monks waving racist flags

    Sri Lanka’s president has apologised to a group of Sinhala extremist monks from Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), after police launched tear gas at a protest held by the organisation earlier on Monday.

    The monks, who were seen posing with a racist Sri Lankan lion flag, were calling for the release of jailed BBS leader Galagodaatte Gnanasara.

  • Sri Lanka’s parliament ends session after 10 minutes

    Sri Lanka’s parliament met on Monday morning, amidst a week of violence in the chambers, with the session ending after just 10 minutes.

    In a relatively peaceful sitting in comparison to last week's clashes, Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri presided over the brief proceedings. He declared parliament adjourned until Friday the 23rd of November.

  • Parents of Maaveerar honoured in Batticaloa

    Parents of Maaveerar (fallen LTTE cadre) were honoured in Batticaloa on Saturday evening ahead of Tamil Remembrance Day (Maaveerar Naal) on November 27. 

    The parents of over 50 Maaveerar were given parcels of household items by members of the Tamil National People's Front. 

  • Tamil youth arrested in Jaffna

    A 25 year old Tamil youth was arrested on Friday for allegedly being in possession of heroin. 

    The youth, who has not been named, is from Navatkuli, Jaffna. 

    The police allege 250mg of heroin was found on his person. 

     

  • Sri Lankan soldiers hold Buddhist ceremonies in North

    Sri Lankan troops reportedly “threw their full weight behind” a series of Buddhist ceremonies in Jaffna and Kilinochchi last month, as the military continues to assist in attempts of further Sinhalisation of the largely Tamil North-East.

  • CID official investigating navy abductions and high profile cases handed transfer order

    A police official responsible for the investigation of the abduction and murder of 11 Tamil youths by Sri Lankan navy personnel has been handed transfer orders, Sri Lankan journalists have reported.

    Nishantha Silva, officer in charge of the organised crimes division at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was given a transfer order to ordinary duties in Negombo, reportedly on the orders of the Sri Lankan president.

  • Sri Lanka’s crisis underscores need for international war crimes inquiry - C V Wigneswaran
    <p>“The world community should now realise why we insist on international input into the war crimes’ inquiry,” said Chief Minister of the Northern Province CV Wigneswaran amidst the deepening political turmoil on the island which saw MPs attack each other in parliament last week.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>
  • IMF program in Sri Lanka ‘on hold’ - reports

    The International Monetary Fund’s program has been suspended due to the ongoing political crisis on the island, according to a report in The Morning on Sunday.

  • Sirisena's cross party talks fail to break deadlock
    <p>Cross party talks called by the Sri Lankan president ended in deadlock, prolonging the country’s political crisis.</p> <p>Despite both ousted UNP prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sirisena’s de facto prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa appearing at the president’s office for a meeting of over two hours, a solution was not reached, AFP reports.</p>
  • Dozens killed as Cyclone Gaja hits Tamil Nadu
    <p>Dozens of people have died after Cyclone Gaja hit Tamil Nadu early Friday morning, pounding the state with extreme rainfall, 125kmph cyclonic gusts and widespread flooding, as per the Indian Metereological Department, which declared a Red Alert for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.</p> <p>The state urged residents residing in coastal towns to evacuate immediately and move inland, with 46 reported deaths and several more injuries as of Tuesday.</p>
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