• Protests in Sri Lankan parliament as OMP bill passed without vote

    Aug 11

    The Sri Lankan parliament erupted in anger on Thursday as the government's Office of Missing Persons bill was debated before being passed without vote. A number of parliamentarians from the joint opposition delivered heated statements, as government figures, including the foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera attempted to pass the bill. 

  • Tamils demand release of political prisoners

    Tamils protested in Jaffna on Monday demanding the release of political prisoners.

  • Daya master detained under PTA

    The former LTTE media coordinator, Daya master was detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act by Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division, after being summoned by Vavuniya Magistrate's Court. 

     

     

  • NPC calls for inquiry into 'mysterious' deaths of former LTTE cadres

    The Northern Provincial Council on Tuesday passed a motion calling for a medical investigation into the "mysterious" deaths of former LTTE cadres, stipulating that such an investigation should include international experts. 

  • The 'supreme idiocy' of Sri Lanka's economic policies

    Sri Lanka's president was told by economists that price control policies were destabilising the island's economy as the government continues to struggle with a balance of payments crisis.

    Speaking at an annual economic summit in Colombo, where Sri Lanka president Maithripala Sirisena was in attendance, Razeen Sally head of Sri Lanka's economic policy think tank said, 

  • Eastern fishermen protest tourism development

     

    Local fishermen in Passikudah protested against the development of tourism which they say is threatening their livelihoods.

    The fisherfolk were asked by the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to vacate their anchorage point to make the land available for tourism.

  • French charity calls for justice over 2006 massacre in Sri Lanka

    The Paris based charity, Action Contre la Faim on Thursday called for a credible investigation into the killing of 17 of its local aid workers in Muttur in Sri Lanka in 2006. 

  • Sri Lanka’s massive debt problem

    Sri Lanka’s debt situation is so severe, over 95% of all government revenue is spent on repaying loans, reports Forbes this week.

    In a piece examining the government’s struggle to make repayments, Wade Shepard wrote in Forbes:

    “Sri Lanka’s debt situation is severe. The country is currently in $58.3 billion deep to foreign financiers, and 95.4% of all government revenue is currently going towards paying back its loans.

  • ACF killings show international role needed to ensure justice - HRW
    Marking this week the ten anniversary of the killing of 17 aid workers from Action Contre La Faim in Muttur, Trincomalee, Human Rights Watch reiterated the call for justice and said the massacre underscored the need for an international role in any accountability mechanism by Sri Lanka as the only means to ensuring justice.

    “The failure to provide justice for the ACF massacre is Exhibit A in the breakdown of accountability for serious crimes during Sri Lanka’s civil war,” HRW's legal and policy director, James Ross said.

    “The mishandling of the ACF case shows why a war crimes court needs international involvement to shield it from political pressures.”

    On August 4th, 2006 masked gunmen executed the 17 local staff of the Paris based aid group who had been involved in a post-tsunami rebuilding project. No one has been brought to justice.
     
  • Sri Lanka to appoint another presidential commission over Buddhist clergy rifts

    In the latest of its presidential commission appointments, Sri Lanka's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the government would be appointing another to investigate reported attempts to create rifts within the Buddhist clergy.

  • Sri Lankan govt rejects reports China refused equity offer

    The Sri Lankan government has rejected a report by the Sunday Times that China had refused to convert debts into equity, accusing the paper of trying to disrupt the country's economic development.

    Colombo Page quoted the Government Information Department as saying, "a Sunday Times report that said China has declined Sri Lanka's request to convert into equity Beijing-funded projects including the Mattala Airport and the Hambantota Port was not true."
     

  • Japan grants Rs 14 billion loan to Sri Lanka
    The Japanese government has granted Sri Lanka Rs 14 billion for development projects.

    The soft loan was aimed at ensuring the implementation of the budget proposals made by the Sri Lankan government in the 2016 budget.

    Sri Lanka's finance ministry said this was the first such loan from Japan, Colombo Page reported.
  • Agreement reached on Rs 37 b of unpaid bills to Iran
    Sri Lanka's government has reached an agreement with Iran on its demand that Rs. 37 billion of unpaid bills are settle prior to Sri Lanka buying further crude oil.

    It was agreed during talks in Tehren that the bills would be offset against tea export payments, amongst other measures, reported the Sunday Times.

    See more here.
  • Certificates of Absence to be issued by end of year
    Sri Lanka's ministry of home affairs this week pledged to complete the issuing of  'Certificates of Absence' to families of those reported missing during the armed conflict by the end of this year.

    Ceylon Today quoted the ministry's secretary, J J Rathnasiri as saying the process was already under way but would be complete by December.
  • China declines Sri Lanka's equity request

    China has declined Sri Lanka's request to convert into equity the loans funding projects including the Mattala airport and Hambantota port.

    Chinese ambassador Yi Xianling has told the Sri Lankan prime minister that such a transfer wasn't possible within Chinese laws.

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