• Abbott calls on Sirisena for 'continuing cooperation' on boats

    Jan 11
    Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called on the newly elected Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena for his continued cooperation in tackling asylum seekers fleeing the island, in a congratulatory phone call on Saturday.

    Abbott's office said that he had emphasised  Australia and Sri Lanka’s “continuing cooperation” on people smuggling, as well as praising outgoing president Mahinda Rajapaksa's “positive role in supporting a peaceful transition of power.”

    In the run up to the election, Phil Lynch from the  International Service for Human Rights had earlier criticised Australia's "misguided approach to 'stopping the boats', which actually involved close cooperation with alleged war criminals".

  • From this moment forward' Sirisena must address human rights, says Kerry
    US Secretary of State John Kerry said that there are “still real challenges” in Sri Lanka and called on the newly led government to begin addressing issues such as human rights immediately.

    Speaking at a press conference at the Vibrant Gujarat summit in India yesterday, Kerry told reporters,
    “We offered very immediately to engage in a dialogue to begin to work at guaranteeing that the problems with respect to human rights, the problems with inclusivity, challenges with respect to governance, are going to be addressed.”

    “We will engage in that conversation from this moment forward, and hope that we can now forge a different outcome in Sri Lanka."
    Kerry said that he had talked to the newly elected Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, adding "we are very hopeful that, in the days ahead, we can make some progress on all fronts.”
  • I planned the entire operation' states Fonseka
    Former army general Sarath Fonseka claimed responsibility for conducting Sri Lanka's military campaign during the armed conflict, stating he had “planned the entire operation” and rejected cooperating with an United Nations inquiry into mass atrocities.

    In an interview to the Times of India, Fonseka criticised former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa for claiming he would engage in peace talks in 2005, saying,
    “Every President wanted to finish the war. But in the 2005 election manifesto, Rajapaksa said he will have peace talks with Prabhakaran.”
    Fonseka went on to claim responsibility for the culmination of the armed conflict, which ended with the systematic shelling of civilian hospitals and execution of those who surrendered, saying,
    “When the army was chasing the LTTE, he didn't even know what was happening on the ground in 2007. He did not even allocate money for ammunitions. I was recruiting additional 85,000 army men. When I became commander I recruited 4,000 men in a month. Earlier only 3,000 people joined the army for a year.”
    “I planned the entire operation and I was communicating with all levels of army persons.”
  • UN Sec General discusses 'post-war agenda' with new president
    The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon discussed Sri Lanka's "post-war agenda" with the new president Maithripala Sirisena in a telephone conversation on Monday, just a few days after President Sirisena took office.

    Congratulating him on the campaign, Ban Ki Moon also raised the issue of Sirisena's 100 day plan for reform.
  • New govt policies maybe seen as 'investor unfriendly' says global banking group
    Pledges made by Sri Lanka's new president introduces some economic uncertainties said a leading international banking group, Standard Chartered Bank, stating that President Sirisena's manifesto was "perceived as investor unfriendly". 

    "While the election removes near-term political uncertainty, we believe it also introduces some economic uncertainty," it said in a global report, entitled, 'Sri Lanka - A Change of Guard'.

    "Sri Lanka's fiscal deficit is high compared with its 'B-' rated peers and faces a heavy external debt amortization burden of 3.5 billion US dollars in 2015," it added, reported Economy Next.

  • TNA raises issues on land grab and detention of Tamil youth with Sirisena
    The Tamil National Alliance, called on Maithripala Sirisena to address land issues faced by the people in the North-East and release detained Tamil youth, in their first official meeting with the new president of Sri Lanka on Monday, reports BBC Tamil.
     
  • Maithri won on Eelam vote says Rajapaksa

    Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa attributed Maithripala Sirisena's victory to the votes from "Eelam", referring to the Tamil votes.

    While addressing his supporters in Medamuluna, Rajapaksa told crowds said that he was only defeated in the North, East and Estate districts.

    Asked by a member of the crowd "Sir, why didn't you kill and take it? Why didn't you kill and win?", Rajapaksa replies, "we can't do that.. there should be democracy in the country. Remember, they got the majority of the votes.. from Eelam or wherever."

  • New govt to reopen inquiry into killing of Lasantha
    Sri Lanka's new government is to re-open the investigation into the killing of the editor of the Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge, President Sirisena's spokesperson said.

    Lasantha Wickrematunge, a Sinhala journalist who was very critical of the former President Rajapaksa,     was killed in January 2008.

    Promising freedom of the press, the     new prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe said on Friday, the media is "free to report whatever you want without the fear of being abducted", The Guardian newspaper reported.

  • TNA assures Ranil it will not allow 'LTTE activities' in North
    The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) assured the new prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, that it would not allow "LTTE activities of protests against the army in the North", reports Colombo Gazette.

    According to the news site, Wickremasinghe said "he had also spoken to the TNA and the TNA was also against the LTTE flag being raised in the north and also want all issues resolved within a united Sri Lanka."

  • Ranil assures Buddhist clergy security tight in Jaffna, probe to be launched
    New government meets with Buddhist clergy in Kandy. Photographs @AHemmathagama


    Sri Lanka's new prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, assured the chief Buddhist clergy that security was tight in the Tamil area, dismissing reports of stones being pelted at army bases and the hoisting of Tamil Eelam flags shortly after the election victory of the common opposition's candidate, Maithripala Sirisena.

    Meeting the Buddhist clergy at a religious ceremony, along side President Sirisena and Chandrika Kumaratunge, in the Temple of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy, Ranil said that such reports were "false and baseless".



  • Sirisena assures Rajapaksa of state protection
    The new president Maithripala Sirisena has assured the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family of full state protection, reports The Island.

    The new prime minister Ranil Wickremasinghe reiterated these assurances, stating that Rajapaksa and his brother, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa would continue to receive the same level of security, the paper added.

  • Maithri won because TNA worked on separatism says Rambukwella
    The new president Maithripala Sirisena won because of the support of minority political parties that "basically worked on separatism" said the SLFP member and former government's spokesperson, Keheliya Rambukwella.

    Asked by the Sunday Leader what went wrong for Rajapaksa in the election, Rambukwella replied:
    "Nothing went wrong. If you look at the map won by President Maithripala you can see that is also very much equal to the Eelam map. That speaks all about it. It is not an accusation. Everybody has the right to vote. It is a matter that minority political parties basically worked on separatism. Because Sampanthan is seriously talking in parliament about the division of the country and at the same time they talk about full autonomy and federal system. Chandrika being a champion of federalism I won’t be surprised at the outcome. That made the difference. 450,000 votes came from the North and East."
  • We will punish war crimes locally, no one will be handed over to international inquiry says Sirisena spokesperson
    President Maithripala Sirisena's spokesperson, Rajitha Senaratne, said Sri Lanka's new government will not hand over anyone to the international inquiry investigating allegations of war crimes committed against the Tamil people, but instead would hold a domestic independent inquiry and punish those found guilty locally.

    "I heard Sarath Fonseka say that mistakes happen during a war, but if accepted international laws are violated - like shooting people with white flags, killing those who surrendered - they will be punished, because you cannot kill those who have surrendered," Senaratne told BBC Sinhala, when asked what the new government would do if the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka found former president Mahinda Rajapaksa guilty of war crimes.

    "Even during the WW2 the fascist Japanese and Germans were given a trial and not shot against a wall. So no one can murder like that, there are local laws and international laws, but we will not hand over anyone for an international inquiry. We will investigate locally and do the needful here," he added.

  • TNA councillor appeals to Pope over disappearances
    Tamil National Alliance councillor Ananthy Sasitharan appealed to Pope Francis for assistance in locating a missing Catholic priest who was taken by the Sri Lankan army in 2009, alongside thousands of other cases of enforced disappearances.

    Writing ahead of the Pope's visit on January 13, Sasitharan said,
    "As a member of the Northern Provincial Council and as one of the affected victims, I urge Your Holiness to reach out for us in demanding a clear answer from the Sri Lankan Government and its military on what had happened to Rev Fr Francis Joseph, the hundreds of our family members and relatives who were taken into SLA custody on 18 May, 2009."
  • JHU - it was us, not TNA or SLMC, that won it
    The Buddhist monks' political party, the JHU, rejected analysts stating the Tamil and Muslim vote was the deciding factor in Maithripala Sirisena's presidential win, claiming instead it was their voter base that was key.

    The JHU was part of the newly elected president's coalition of opposition parties along side the     Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Sri Lankan Muslim Congress (SLMC).

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