• New Sri Lankan govt continues Rajapaksa's website registration

    Mar 01
    The new Sri Lankan government, which was elected on a promise of good governance and press freedom, on Wednesday continued the Rajapaksa regime's regulation of the press, issuing a warning against unregistered websites.

    The state run paper, the Daily News, on Wednesday featured an advertisement warning websites that they must be registered by the end of March, failure to do so would be considered "unlawful".

  • Families in Jaffna call for immediate release of Tamil political prisoners


    Families of Tamil political prisoners protested in Jaffna on Wednesday, urging the government to release them immediately.

  • Normality remains elusive in Sri Lanka's North - Joshua Hammer
    Seven years after a brutal war, peace and tourism have returned to Sri Lanka’s north, but normality remains more elusive, concludes New York Times travel journalist Joshua Hammer.

    See full article below.
  • Sri Lanka finance minister dismisses Fitch Ratings downgrade
    Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister and Central Bank Governor dismissed the recent downgrading of Sri Lanka’s ratings by global ratings agency Fitch Ratings, reports Economynext.com

    Speaking to reports in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s finance minister Ravi Karunayake said,
    “That’s only one institution. These are only perceptions of certain institutions.”

    Fitch ratings lowered Sri Lanka’s ratings from ‘BB-‘ to ‘B+’ stating that Sri Lanka faced “increased refinancing risks on account of high upcoming external debt maturities on foreign exchange reserves” and an increased “likelihood of Sri Lanka requiring external liquidity support from the IMF and other multilateral institutions.”

    The rating agency added that Sir Lanka’s budget did little to address the of Sri Lanka’s gross general government debt (GGGD).

    Sri Lanka to hold discussions with IMF in March-April     (29 Feb 2016)
    IMF and Sri Lanka 'hammering out a way forward' from debt (26 Feb 2016
    Sri Lankan govt considers IMF bailout conditions (16 Feb 2016)
  • The dangers of trade deals with the Sri Lankan military - Andreas Scheuller
    Unscrutinised investment from the European countries “risks reinforcing ethnic discrimination and hindering reconciliation in Sri Lanka,” writes the head of the International Crimes and Accountability program at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights Andreas Schueller.

    Adding that the biggest economic actor in Sri Lanka’s “heavily northern and northeastern regions,” Mr Schueller expressed concern that trade agreements and investment could end up “profiting the military and thus strengthening its position in the region, denying the resettled Tamil population any development opportunities.”

    See full piece below.

  • International community has an important part to play in Sri Lanka's reconciliation - UK High Commissioner

    The international community has an important part to play in Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process,  said the British High Commissioner whilst visiting the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy.

  • Missing LTTE cadre identified by parents as captured alive
    The parents of a missing LTTE cadre on Monday told the President's Missing Persons Commission in Chavakachcheri their son was one of the LTTE cadres photographed alive under the custody of the Sri Lankan military at the end of the armed conflict.
  • Sri Lanka to hold discussions with IMF in March-April
    Sri Lanka will hold discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the next two months, reported LBO.

    The discussions will be aimed at gaining an endorsement of the government's fiscal consolidation plan and at establishing a support mechanism for its balance of payments.

    Depending on the outcome of the discussions, Sri Lanka may seek to raise up to 1.5 billion dollars from international markets this year.

    See here.

  • Myanmar to seek legal expertise from Sri Lanka
    A team of lawyers from Myanmar will be visiting Sri Lanka next month in order to seek legal expertise.

    Meeting with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and attended a BASL organised conference, the Myanmar team will learn how to set up a legal system.

    See here and here.

  • US expresses commitment to support Sri Lanka in implementing UNHRC resolution
    The United States expressed support to Sri Lanka in implementing its commitments to the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on accountability and reconciliation, in a joint statement with the Sri Lankan ministry of foreign affairs.

    The below statement was released by the Governments of Sri Lanka and the United States of America after the first annual US – Sri Lanka Partnership Dialogue was held on February 26 2016 in Washington DC. 
  • Sirisena upset at Sri Lanka's foreign minister's international statements – Ceylon Today
    Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena is upset with his foreign minister’s openness to international involvement into an alleged war crimes probe reports Ceylon Today.
  • International role in justice mechanism of 'utmost importance' says Amnesty
    Amnesty International urged UN Human Rights Council's member states to ensure justice is delivered to victims in Sri Lanka and highlighted the "utmost importance" of international role in justice mechanism.
  • Police constable stabbed after entering Batticaloa home at midnight
    A Sri Lankan police constable was stabbed after he attempted to enter a home in Batticaloa at midnight, dressed in civilian clothes, BattiNews reported.

    The incident occurred on February 24 at around 11.30pm in Kommathurai in Batticaloa.

    Hearing someone attempt to enter the house, the residents called out. The police constable reportedly tried to run away.

  • Resolution passed demanding Sri Lankan military leaves Kilinochchi
    A resolution was passed by the Kilinochchi district coordinating committee on Saturday demanding the military leaves the district.

    Speaking at the event along side the chief minister of the northern province, C V Wigneswaran, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, S Sritharan said Kilinochchi was under military rule which was preventing the development of the area into a true city.

    "The military is selling black lentils, selling pulses, selling rice, selling white flour. The military is leasing land. It's the military that's building schools here. Do you know what the military is doing? It's doing everything. It's running pre-school. The military has everything. So what then, it is military rule that is happening here," Mr Sritharan said.

     

    கிளிநொச்சியில் எங்கும் இராணுவம் எதிலும் இராணுவம்.....

    Posted by Shritharan Sivagnanam on Saturday, 27 February 2016


  • Wigneswaran calls on India to pressure Sri Lanka for federal political solution
    The Chief Minister of the Northern Province CV Wigenswaran said that he had sought India’s intervention to set up a federal government system in the Northern and Eastern provinces.

    Speaking at an event to welcome back Tamil academics from the Northern Province who went to India to further their studies, Wigneswaran said that India understands that a federal government is the only political solution for the Tamil people.
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