• TNA and SLMC hold talks with Indian high commission

    Nov 13
    The leader of the Tamil National Alliance and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) met with the Indian high commissioner to Sri Lanka last week.

    In depth discussions that lasted over 3 hours regarding the upcoming presidential elections took place reports Ceylon Today.
  • Sri Lankan state enterprises lose billions of rupees

    Sri Lankan state-owned institutions have lost billions of rupees in the last year alone according to a report from the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE).

    COPE, a parliamentary run committee headed by Minister D E W Gunasekera, stated that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, National Paper Company and Sri Lanka Airlines generated a combined Rs.40.2 billion loss from May 7 to September 26, 2014, reported ColomboPage.

    Meanwhile, Transport Minister Kumara Welgama told Parliament that Sri Lanka Railways had also suffered a loss of over Rs. 5 billion in the last year.

    See more from the Island here.

  • Vatican confirms Pope Francis visit to Sri Lanka

    The Vatican has confirmed that he Pope's visit to Sri Lanka will commence on the 13th of January.

    Pope Francis will call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the first day of his visit, before travelling to the North-East.

    He will lead prayers at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary at Madhu, in the district of Mannar.

    Sri Lanka's Church previously said it would reconsider the visit in view of the poll, as it would be “inappropriate” for the pontiff to visit during the election period.

  • Colombo uni lecturers call on youth to counter 'threat of foreign forces'
    A senior lecturer at the University of Colombo warned of "impure groups in the country are joining foreign forces to snatch back the freedom won in 2009".
  • Gunmen assassinate former LTTE policeman in Mannar
    Unidentified gunmen shot dead a former member of the LTTE Police Department in Vellankulam in Mannar district on Wednesday night.

    The victim, 34 year old Naguleshwaran Krishnasuwamy, was in his own backyard working towards constructing his own home when the gunmen entered his house and shot him at 8.30pm, his wife, Kavitha said.
  • Common candidate must pledge end to militarisation and land grabs in Tamil areas - TNA
    The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said the party would only endorse a common opposition candidate to run against President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who would demilitarise the North, resettle displaced Tamils in Valikaamam North and Sampur, and end land grabs by the state and military.

    "It may be Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge, Ranil Wickremesinghe or Karu Jayasuriya, they should assure that they would resettle the people who are yet in welfare centres in the North and East, vacate the military from the North and stop illegal acquisition," TNA MP Suresh Premachandran said on Monday, speaking at the memorial event of the assassinated TNA MP Nadarajah Raviraj.

    "These assurances can be rarely given by any of the candidates who are in the list," he added, reports Ceylon Today.

  • Evangelical leaders discuss rising religious intolerance in Sri Lanka with Pope
    Pope Francis and representatives of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCCU) met with Evangelical community leaders in Sri Lanka to discuss matters concerning matters of religious freedom and justice last week.
  • No decision taken on presidential pardon of death row fishermen - Sri Lanka

    The Sri Lankan government says that President Mahinda Rajapaksa did not grant a pardon to the Indian fishermen sentenced to death last month, contrary to an announcement made by a deputy minister on Tuesday.

  • Tamil refugees to be settled in Brazil

    The UN has given Tamil refugees, who were languishing in a United Arab Emirates port for over two years, a permanent home in Brazil, The National reported.

    The 7 refugees were the remainder of a larger group of 45 Tamils who were rescued when the ship they were fleeing Sri Lanka in ran into trouble on the way to Australia.

    “I feel like I am being reborn,” said Ramanan Gunaseelan, 37, who will board a flight to Brazil, accompanied by his wife Meera and their daughter Tharanika, 5.

    The refugees expressed their fear of life in Sri Lanka but said they will always long to return to their homeland.

    “We fled Sri Lanka because we were scared for our lives and our safety. Now we can finally hope for peace.

  • Opposition leader criticises Sri Lanka's failure to defend EU proscription of LTTE
    The leader of the opposition United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremesinghe, revealed that he had called for the European Council to appeal against the European Court of Justice decision to lift sanctions against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
  • India's Army War College learns from Sri Lankan warfare experiences says SL army commander
    A delegation from India's Army War College called on the Commander of the Sri Lankan army Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake this week, said the Sri Lankan military in order to learn from Sri Lanka's warfare experiences.
  • Govt coalition party slams UN Human Rights chief's criticism
    A Sri Lankan government coalition partner slammed criticism of the country by the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein on Tuesday, accusing Zeid of distorting the truth.

    Speaking at a press briefing, the spokesperson for the National Freedom Front (NFF) said Zeid's condemnation last Friday of Sri Lanka over its refusal to cooperate with the UN inquiry into mass atrocities against the Tamil people, were 'distortions of the truth', reports Colombo Page.

    The spokesperson, Mohammed Muzammil, accused the UN Human Rights Council of drawing a conclusion ahead of the publishing of the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka (OISL) report, which is due in March 2015.

  • UN Committee Against Torture condemns Australia's treatment of asylum seekers
    The UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) condemned Australia's treatment of asylum seekers in the country's off shore detention centres as effectively "cruel, inhuman and unlawful punishment", during the second day of Australia's review at before the UN panel in Geneva.

    “Healthcare services are not denied to asylum seekers,” the Department of Immigration and Border Protection told the UNCAT on Tuesday.

    “International Health and Medical Services are required to deliver healthcare that is the best available in the circumstances and broadly comparable with the health services within the Australian community," he said, adding that Papua New Guinea and Nauru were legally responsible.

    On Monday however, the UNCAT's chairperson, Claudio Grossman rejected Australia's claim of lack of responsibility.

  • Rajapaksa pardons Indian fishermen, after India files appeal

    Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has pardoned five fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who were convicted of drug trafficking offences in October.

    The men will be released without conditions in the next few days, said Deputy Minister of Telecommunication and Information Technology Prabha Ganesan, who conveyed the news to the Indian high commission in Colombo.

    The move comes soon after the Indian government said it is filing an appeal against the sentencing.

    India’s external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said to reporters earlier on Wednesday that the government “gives high priority to the issue of the five Indian fishermen” and “will pursue all avenues”.

    “I can confirm to you today that on behalf of those five Indian fishermen an appeal in the Sri Lankan Supreme Court has been filed,” he said, adding that a top Colombo lawyer had been hired for the case.

  • Buddhist shrine built by military in Kilinochchi

    The Sri Lankan military has completed the construction of a new Buddhist shrine in the headquarters of the 7 Sri Lanka Artillery division in Kilinochchi, the former de-facto Tamil capital.

    The shrine was constructed using funds collected from members of the security forces and civil officials, the army's official website reported.

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