• Ranil requests updates into investigations of Rajapaksa era murders

    Sep 06
    The Sri Lankan prime minister and UNP head, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has called for progress reports on domestic investigations into key murders which took place during the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa, reports Colombo Page.

    According to the paper, official bodies including the attorney general and the Terrorism Investigation Division have been instructed to give details "at the earliest".

  • Sirisena warns of 'Eelamists' abroad
    The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena warned those gathered at the United National Party's (UNP) 64th anniversary celebratory event to be beware of 'Eelamists' living abroad who are trying to separate the country.
  • Extended national government MoU to include protection of 'war heroes'

    The constituents of the new national government says it will extend the parameters of its Memorandum of Uderstanding to include a common, formal response to the report of the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL).

  • Fonseka praises China for support during armed conflict

    Sri Lanka’s former commander of the army praised China for supporting the government during the armed conflict, stating that without it “we would not have been able to finish the war”.

    Sarath Fonseka, who was recently promoted to Field Marshal, told Xinhua that Chinese support for Sri Lanka’s war effort was crucial and praised their “historic relationship” with the government.

    "Without China's support we would have not been able to finish the war, basically," said the former army commander on Friday. Fonseka led the Sri Lankan army during the final phases of the armed conflict where tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed. An upcoming UN report into the final weeks of the war is due to be released later this month, with many of the deaths due to Sri Lankan government shelling.

    China sold large quantities of military hardware to the Sri Lankan government, including Jian-7 fighter jets, anti-aircraft guns and JY-11 3D air surveillance radars.

  • ‘I identified Sirisena’ claims CBK
    Former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Bandarnaike Kumaratunga said that she had identified Maithripala Sirisena to contest in the island’s presidential elections earlier this year, as she sought to oust her successor Mahinda Rajapaksa.
  • Sampanthan as opposition leader is threat to national security claims NFF

    The National Freedom Front claimed that measures taken by the new government, including appointing the Tamil National Alliance leader R Sampanthan as leader of the opposition, posed a threat to national security.

    NFF spokesman Mohammed Muzammi told a press conference at party headquarters that "the national government has removed the check point at Omanthai and the High Security Zone as well as the Sampur army camp while releasing the LTTE suspects who were in remand".

    Mr Muzammi went on to single out Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Patali Champika Ranwaka for remaining silent on issues of “national security” and warned that the present government was “paving the way for separatism”.

  • Ranil promises no divisions in island by 60 months
    The new Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe promised to create a new country without divisions of race and religion by 60 months, reported Colombo Page.

    "The country should not be mired with racism, religious extremism and other petty politics," Mr Wickremesinghe was quoted as saying, whilst speaking at an event marking the 69th anniversary event of the UNP at its party headquarters in Sirikotha on Sunday.
  • US Embassy to hold lecture on right to information

    The US Embassy in Colombo is organising a public lecture on the right to information, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Press Institute, Colombo Page reported.

  • Protest in Tamil Nadu against US support for domestic probe
    Objecting to the US' decision to support a domestic probe by Sri Lanka into war crimes against the Tamil people at the end of the armed conflict, the group, Ilaiya Thalamurai Koottamaippu, demonstrated outside a KFC outlet in Ashok Nagar on Saturday, reported The Hindu.

    The youth threw rotten chicken waste into the shop in protest, before attempted to hold a protest in front of the US consulate building.
  • Sri Lanka army commander makes trip to Mullaitivu base
    Sri Lanka's army commander, Lieutenant General Crishanthe de Silva visited Mullaitivu on Friday to address troops deployed in the region.

    The visit comes just before the release of the OHCHR inquiry into Sri Lanka at the end of this month.
  • European Union committed to a ‘healthy democracy’ in Sri Lanka
    The European Union stated it was “committed to supporting a healthy democracy” in Sri Lanka, at a press conference on the island, earlier this week.

    European Union Observation Mission (EU EOM) held an event to mark the distribution of more than 50 laptops, 15 tablets, 75 phones and other office equipment to civil society groups in Sri Lanka.
  • Sri Lankan police in Jaffna halt signature campaign

    Update 2300 GMT


    Sri Lankan police officials have reportedly attempted to stop a signature campaign in Jaffna calling for an international accountability mechanism to examine mass atrocities committed during the final stages of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, where tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed.

    The campaign, launched yesterday, had entered its second day and was taking place in locations across the North. In Nallur, whilst temple festivities were taking place campaigners set up a stall and collected signatures from the Jaffna public.

    The president of the Tamil National People's Front Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam tweeted that Nallur police officials had subsequently arrived as signatures were being gathered and “ordered it to be stopped”.



  • Indian fishermen strike demanding Sri Lanka release arrested men

    Approximately 50,000 Indian fishermen have launched an indefinite strike today demanding the Sri Lankan government release their arrested colleagues.

    Fishermen from Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, three days after the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 16 fishermen and detained 3 of their boats.

    Leaders from 11 different fishing associations met and announced the strike, as well as appealing to the Indian government to take steps to ensure that the fishermen are protected from the Sri Lankan navy.

  • We will talk to govt about national question straight away says TNA
    The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said it would talk to the Sri Lankan government straight away regarding resolving the national question, stating that it was one of the objectives of the government.

    “We will talk to the government straightaway with a view to resolving the long outstanding matter,” the spokesperson of the TNA, M A Sumanthiran, told the Daily Mirror.
  • Ranil to visit India this month

    Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will visit India and meet with Indian premier Narendra Modi.

    The prime minister will be in New Delhi from September 14-16.

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