Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran was the sole opposition lawmaker to attend a meeting convened by Sri Lanka’s president regarding engagment with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday, as he broke a boycott against the global body’s “hard reforms”. The Opposition SJB and JVP parties had both declared they would boycott the meeting, which was organised by Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss his government’s engagement with the IMF. Sri Lanka is in the midst of receiving a bailout loan from the global financial body, which is desperately needed given the ongoing...
The residents of Pallimunai in Mannar and Pungudutivu in Jaffna took to the streets last week to protests over the Sri Lankan government’s failure to address their grievances on a range of issues, from Sinhala settlers disrupting their livelihood through sea cucumber farms to illegal sand mining. The protest was led by the Pallimunai St.Lucia Fisherfolk Cooperative Society and galvanized the support of several residents in the area who marched up to the Mannar District Secretariat. Reporters say hundreds of people had participated in the protest adding that they had brought up these concerns...
Out of the thousands of acres of land forcibly retained by the Sri Lankan military in the North-East, 70 acres in Valikamam North and 40 acres in Kilinochchi were ceremoniously released this weekend, even as the state continues to engage in further land grabbing attempts. At the event held over the weekend, the National Security Advisor who is also the Chief of Staff to President, Sagala Rathnayake, issued the deeds (land titles)of the 70 acres of land in Valikamam North and 40 acres in Kilinochchi. They were released to the relevant Divisional Secretariats. The grand ceremony was attended by...
(File photo) Just weeks after the US government pledged to gift another cutter to the Sri Lanka Navy , Ambassador Julie Chung said Washington was continuing to monitor legislative developments in Sri Lanka that could challenge its progress on human rights, reconciliation, and civic space. We continue to monitor legislative developments in Sri Lanka that could challenge its progress on human rights, reconciliation, and civic space. Our recent Core Group joint statement from the 55th session of the UNHRC, and statements made by local and international organizations,… — Ambassador Julie Chung (@...
Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) MP Sivagnanam Shritharan has called on Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe to release the eight individuals who were arrested by Sri Lankan police during the observance of Shivarathri at the Vedukkunaari Hill Athi Sivan temple on Friday. Last week, Sri Lankan police stormed Vedukkunaari Hill Athi Sivan temple in Vavuniya North as Tamils gathered to mark Shivarathri. 8 worshippers were arrested whilst Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) MP Selvarajah Kajendren was assaulted by Sri Lankan police. In his letter to the president, Shritharan stated that the...
Despite repeated pleas from civil society organizations, environmentalists, and locals over the construction of a wind power plant in Eastern Mannar, the government of Sri Lanka announced that it would forge ahead regardless and call for tenders this week owing to ‘growing interests from investors.’ Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekara told the media earlier this week that ten wind and solar projects poised to attract local and foreign investors are being worked off. One of these is the wind power plant in Mannar for which “plans are underway to release a tender notice next week...
A protest was held in Jaffna this morning to condemn the violence and arrests by Sri Lankan police that disrupted Shivarathri celebrations at the Vedukkunaari Athi Sivan temple on Friday.
Mannar Magistrate Court has summoned the Chief Judicial Medical Officer and other experts to attend the next hearing on the Sathosa mass grave for failing to provide a comprehensive report on the excavations. The lawyers representing the families of the disappeared persons V.S. Niranjan told reporters outside the courts that the reports furnished by the Chief JMO Dr. Saminda Rajapakshe are incomplete and contain no information relating to the evidence that has been gathered so far. Details such as the cause of death, their age, and other important evidence were missing the lawyers argued. The...
Sri Lanka’s Religious, and Cultural Affairs Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka told a gathering of Buddhist monks that steps would be taken to raid unregistered religious centres that are reportedly “engaged in religious conversions,” in a move that looks to strengthen Sinhala Buddhism on the island. His remarks came just a day following an overnight police raid at the Vedukkunaari Temple where Maha Shivarathri observances were taking place in Vavuniya The Minister instructed the Commissioner General of Buddhist Affairs to inform the police chief to carry out the raids on these “unregistered...
The residents of Keppapulavu marched to the District Secretariat in Mullaitivu where they handed over letters addressed to president Ranil Wickremesinghe and other officials requesting the return of their lands which are occupied by the Sri Lankan military. The residents who met the District Secretary informed him that although some land had been released in the past, many homes, schools, primary health care centres, temples, churches, and even municipal halls remain under military control, impeding their ability to go about their day-to-day lives. They also informed him that many of these...