• Sri Lanka is taking action to dissuade Muslims from extremism says minister

    Apr 07
    Refuting allegations that Islamic State members were grouping in Sri Lanka, the minister of law and order, Sagala Ratnayaka said the government was taken "adequate measures to prevent foreign terrorist organisations from making use of Sri Lanka".

    Stating that the government had made efforts to "dissuade the Muslim community from joining in extremist activities", the minister said the government had also "prevented the propaganda spread of extremist ideas though social media, and taken proper measures against this by deactivating accounts that spread ISIS ideas, as well as taking legal action against any lecturers or institutions who propagate such extremist ideas."

    "It was found on the internet that a place was found in Dehiwala housing members of the ISIS," Mr Ratnayaka said.

  • Body found in Batticaloa
    The body of an unidentified man was found in in Kalavanchikudi in Batticaloa this week.

    The man is believed to have been in his 40s, Ceylon Today reported.

    A bicycle was discovered nearby the paper added. Kalavanchikudi police will be investigating the incident.

  • Sinhala students assault security guard at Jaffna University hostel
    Sinhala students have reported assaulted a security guard at the Jaffna University hostel, following a confrontation on Tuesday night.

    The two students, reported to be in their third year at the faculty of science, were accompanied by a third unknown person said Ms Vasanthi Arasaratnam, Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna.

    They were caught trespassing into the men’s hostel on Tuesday at around 9pm by the security guard who questioned them. The students allegedly responded by saying they were part of a political party from the South and were there to carry out a political campaign.

    When the guard tried to stop them, he was assaulted.
  • Nothing will impact ‘national security’ pledges Sri Lankan defence minister

    Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardane pledged that nothing would affect “national security” on the island on Friday, at a ceremony to hand out benefit cards to Sri Lankan soldiers.

    According to the Ministry of Defence, Mr Wijewardane said the “government will not allow any person or any organization to impact or influence on the national security”.


    He went on to add that,

    “President Maithripala Sirisena as the Defence Minister is continuously offering guidance and instruction to ensure and to further strengthen national security”.

  • German parliamentarians visit North-East

    A delegation from the German South Asia Parliamentary Group toured the North-East today, meeting with the Chief Minister of Northern Province C V Wigneswaran.

    During their visit to the North-East the delegation also met with Tamil National Alliance leader R Sampanthan, the Bishop of Jaffna, Rev Gnanapragasam and students at the site of new vocational training school in Kilinochchi.

  • Ranil in China as Sri Lanka hopes to restructure $8 billion of debt
    Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe held talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqian on Thursday, as Sri Lanka looked to restructure $8 billion worth of debt to China amidst a worsening debt crisis on the island.

    As the two met in Beijing and signed seven different agreements, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of State Enterprise Eran Wickramaratna told PTI that Sri Lanka was “looking to swap debt to equity”.

    Mr Wickremesinghe was also looking to negotiate the terms of a $125 million compensation package demanded by the Chinese following delays in the Colombo Port City project.

    The state owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) said delays in construction, which was put on hold once the current Sri Lankan government came into power last year, had cost more than $380,000 a day.

    Sri Lanka’s Minister of Megalopolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka told The Wire that his government would look to strategies such as rescheduling payments, admitting, “We can’t pay, we are going to negotiate”.
  • Sri Lankan president ‘totally committed to safeguarding national security’
    Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena told a delegation of German parliamentarians that he was “totally committed to safeguarding national security as well as regional security,” during a meeting in Colombo on Thursday.

    The President’s Media Division reported that Mr Sirisena went on to detail Sri Lanka’s relationship with India, which he said was “built on the firm foundation of the message of the Buddha”.

    The German delegation, which included Ambassador Jurgen Murhad, Niels Annen, Michael Donth, Caren lay and Prof Egon Juttner, also met with Sri Lanka’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Harsha de Silva, as part of an official visit to the island.
  • Sri Lankan minister pledges houses for Sinhala villagers in North-East
    Sri Lanka’s fisheries minister Mahinda Amaraweera pledged to build homes for the 590 Sinhala families who are living in Mullaitivu, following a visit to the North-East on Saturday.

    Mr Amaraweera said he would work towards granting land rights to the Sinhala families, who live in Nayaru and Kokilai villages, stating he had appointed a government committee to look into the issue.

    The Sinhala villagers have reportedly been living in the North-East for 50 years.

    Tamils had earlier protested that the Sinhala families were receiving unfair assistance form the government, including monitoring and protection from the military to venture into areas off limits to Tamils.
  • Britain highlights lack of land release as 'major source of discontent'
    The British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka spoke on the importance of returning land to its rightful owners at the launch of a British funded documentary and report on the Sri Lankan military’s occupation of land in the North-East.

    British High Commissioner James Dauris said his government was pleased to support a new report by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) that found over 12,500 acres of land remained occupied by the Sri Lankan military and called for reparations and the restitution of land to its rightful owners.

    Also supported by the British was a documentary by Kannan Arunasalam entitled ‘Sampur’, examining the struggle of Tamils in the Eastern Province to reclaim back land occupied by the Sri Lankan military.

    “Land is deeply and emotionally linked to family and identity,” said Mr Dauris. “It is not just a socio-economic issue. Land issues unresolved can become major sources of discontent and inhibit efforts to reconcile people and heal wounds.”

    “We warmly welcome the return of land by the Sri Lankan government to its rightful owners,” he continued.

    Watch the full documentary below.
  • TNA MP urges transparency in Sri Lankan govt's housing project
    The Sri Lankan government's proposal to construct 65,000 houses for families affected by the armed conflict in the North-East, was on Thursday queried by a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, urging the process to be undertaken in a transparent manner.

    In a letter to the minister of resettlement, D M Swamination, the TNA MP M A Sumanthiran, said,
  • Mangala tells Australia, Sri Lanka committed to implementing UNHRC resolution
    The Sri Lanka foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera on Thursday said Sri Lanka was committed to implementing the UN Human Rights Council co-sponsored by the government.

    Speaking during an official visit to Australia, Mr Samaraweera pointed to three pillared approach of the government.
    "Parliament will be convening for the first time Constitutional Assembly in order to start the process of designing Sri Lanka’s third republican constitution that will further strengthen parliament, the courts and independent bodies and reduce the centralization of power in the presidency.

  • Army hands out glasses to civilians

  • 61 foot tall Buddha statue to be constructed in North-East

    Plans are underway to construct a 61 foot tall statue of the Buddha in Nainativu, said Northern Provincial Councillors Vinthan Kanagaratnam and Balachandran Gajatheepan in an interview to TamilNet this week.

  • US state dept officials conclude visit to North-East and Sri Lanka
    The US state department's special coordinator for global criminal justice, Todd Buchwald, and the deputy assistant secretary of state for south and central asia, Manpreet Anand, concluded their visit to the North-East and Sri Lanka this week.

    Meeting with the chief minister of the northern province, C V Wigneswaran, the US officials discussed challenges to reconciliations and livelihoods in the North.

  • AR Rahman postpones Colombo concert amid protests in Tamil Nadu
    The internationally renowned music director, AR Rahman has postponed his upcoming concert in Colombo amid protests by activists in Tamil Nadu outisde his home in Chennai, Indian newspapers reported.

    Activists opposing the Sri Lankan government's slaughter and oppression of Tamils have been campaigned outside his home and putting up posters asking how he can shake hands with the country which is accused of killing Tamils.

    The organisers of the concert, HALS studios have however denied that the show was postponed due to protests.

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