Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force arrested five people in the town of Muttur in Trincomalee, after the reported discovery of explosives on Saturday. A joint raid was carried out by STF commandos and Special Operation Unit members of the Trincomalee Police, reports The Island . The arrested were all Tamil and Muslim, police added. The raid was reportedly set in place following a tip off. Police claim to have recovered 17 kilograms of explosives in total, from two different houses in Sampur and Muttur.
Photograph: ColomboPage Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the Tamil National Alliance has agreed to ensure Buddhism is protected and continues to hold the foremost place on the island, in a speech this week, a charge that the party has denied . Reassuring a group of Buddhist monks in Kolonnawa, Mr Wickremesinghe said, “We do not have a problem with regard to giving priority when protecting Buddhism”. “All Parties in Parliament today, including the Tamil National Alliance, have agreed to keep the articles protecting Buddhism unchanged in the Sri Lanka Constitution," he...
India is planning on building a sub-sea power cable to Sri Lanka, the country's Union Power Ministry told The Hindu on Sunday. “Currently, we are supplying power to Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar and importing power from Bhutan. Now we are also thinking to supply power to Sri Lanka through sub-sea underground cable. We haven’t started as yet, but we have found a new technology for sub-sea cable,” the Union Power Secretary PK Pujari was quoted as saying. Stating that the project had previously been considered but deemed not viable due to the lack of technology Mr Pujari added, “at that time,...
The UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák-Ndiaye arrives in Sri Lanka today on a 10 day visit. “Experience has shown that the recognition and promotion of minority rights are critical, if not requisite, in achieving long-lasting peace and reconciliation, particularly in countries such as Sri Lanka that were once divided by ethnic conflicts,” Ms Izsák-Ndiaye said ahead of her visit. “Considering the long-standing grievances that were at the roots of the 25-year civil war in Sri Lanka, any efforts towards accountability and reconciliation must include a careful examination of the...
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) warned Sri Lanka's new anti-terror act which was intended to replace the widely criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) "may even by worse than the PTA". Describing the new act as "old wine in a new bottle", the TNA spokesperson, M A Sumanthiran warned it would likely include indefinite detention and the acceptance of confessions told to police officers at time of arrest. He told the New Indian Express on Sunday, “It may even be worse than the PTA going by the influence of the Security Establishment on government’s thinking on these matters." “The Law...
The British Tamil Conservatives hosted their annual reception at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham on Tuesday. Held in the prestigious Castle Fine Art gallery, the BTC event has become a popular fixture in the conference calendar, and as customary was attended by several MPs and high-profile Conservatives who expressed their support for the Tamil community in their struggle for human rights.
Sri Lanka’s president assured Sinhala Buddhist monks that his government would not pass any laws affecting the clergy, without agreement from them. Any decision regarding laws on the Buddha Sasana would be passed “only with the blessings of the Sangha led by the Mahanayake Theras,” The Island quoted Mr Sirisena as saying. Speaking after attending a Buddhist religious ceremony in Peradeniya, Mr Sirisena explained that the passing of a law around the Buddha Sasana has been postponed until advice has been sough from senior Buddhist monks. “Our country is in an important position in world because...
The Sri Lankan army declared open new buildings at the military headquarters in Mannar last month, according to an official army website . The commander of the Sri Lankan security forces in Vanni Major General MHSB Perera was present at a ceremony alongside the Colonel of the Regiment of Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment, as they opened a newly constructed Officers’ Mess, Corporals’ Club and Other Ranks’ Mess at Periyavalayankadu in Mannar. The ceremony saw the presence of Sinhala Kandyan dancers, whilst military officials cut a ribbon to declare open the buildings. The buildings “were a long due...
Scottish police strengthened ties with their Sri Lankan counterparts on training for the management of public peace. In a conference held in Sri Lanka on Friday, Sri Lanka's Inspector of General of police, met with the Superintendent of Police, Mark Anderson. Scotland's police force has been criticised by human rights groups for their previous links to Sri Lanka's police which is accused of the routine practise of torture. See more here .
The Northern Provincial Council this week urged security to be provided to the chief minister CV Wigneswaran due to death threats by Sinhala nationalists. Making the request in a letter to the Inspector General of Police, the chairman of the NPC CVK Sivagnanam said Mr Wigneswaran was receiving further threats from Sinhala groups in the South following the mass Tamil rally, Ezhuka Tamil last month.