• Case fixed for Raviraj murder suspects

    Dec 07
    The case against seven men accused of being responsible for the assassination of the former TNA MP N Raviraj was on Tuesday fixed for January 4, the Daily Mirror reported.

    Three of the seven suspects, including Palana Sami Suresh, Prasad Hettiarachchi, Gamini Seneviratne, Pradeep Chaminda, Sivakanth Vivekanandan, Fabian Royston Toussaint and Sampath Munasinghe are in absentia.

    The prosecution has reportedly sought the assistance of Interpol to find two of the men who are believed to be out of the country.

  • GTF activities will be investigated says Sri Lanka govt
    Sri Lanka's state minister for defence, Ruwan Wijewardene on Tuesday said that the Tamil diaspora organisation, the work of the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) would be investigated.

    Mr Wijewardene made these remarks following criticism by an opposition MP of the government's decision to de-proscribe the GTF, despite the organisation allegedly continuing to display of the Tamil Eelam map on its website.

    "De-proscription was welcomed if the organizations which are de-proscribed had given up separatism, but the government should be alert if these organizations continued to hold such views," the opposition MP, Dullas Alhapperuma was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying.

  • Former president needs more security says spokesperson
    The former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, requires more security said his spokesperson on Sunday, stating that his life was in danger as former LTTE cadres had been released from prison.

    "the release of hardcore LTTE cadres posed a serious threat to the former leader and those who had spearheaded the war against the LTTE," his spokesperson, Rohan Weliwita, was quoted as saying.

  • Sri Lanka's missing persons commission to meet in Jaffna on Friday
    Sri Lanka's domestic Missing Persons Commission is set to meet in Jaffna on Friday, despite government announcements that the process was to be scrapped in October.

    Colombo Gazette reported that the commission was set to hold sittings in Jaffna, Nallur, Vadamarachi and Vallikamam later this week.

    However in October, Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, who is also minister for the Buddha Sasana, announced the abolition of the commission, admitting that “even locally, most of the people are not happy with the Commission and they have no faith in its process”.
  • Mangala denies existence of secret detention centres in Sri Lanka
    Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera denied the existence of secret detention centres on the island, in a speech made to parliament last week.

    "As we have mentioned before, there are no secret detention centres in operation in this country under this Government," said the minister.

    "If anyone in Sri Lanka or overseas has any information regarding any such facility that may be in operation, the Government will take upon itself the task of ensuring that such facilities are examined and action is taken under the due process of the law," added Mr Samaraweera.

    His comments come after the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances  (UN WGEID) visited the island and announced that it had discovered a “secret underground detention cum torture center”, calling on the government to reveal the existence of other such centers if any existed.

    The minister though seemingly denied the group's findings, stating that their visit "proved to those both within the country and outside the country who allege that there are still secret detention centres in operation in this site, that there are no such detention centres in existence anymore in the Navy Base in Trincomalee".
  • Bar Association of Sri Lanka calls for accountability mechanism 'within framework of constitution'

    The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) said an accountability mechanism to deal with crimes committed during the final phase of the armed conflict must take place "within the framework of Sri Lanka's Constitution" in a statement released last week.

  • Jaffna political prisoner declares hunger strike

    A Tamil political prisoner has declared a hunger-strike to highlight the ongoing delays in the release of Tamil political prisoners.

    Currently being held at the Jaffna Prison, 36-year-old S. Jeleepan is undertaking the hunger strike, which has already come to the attention of the Commissioner General of Prisons.

  • EU announces housing project for war victims in North-East
    The European Union will invest 14 million Euros to build houses and improve infrastructure in 9 divisions of the North and East.

    The EU programme will seek to benefit over 300,000 people in Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya and Batticaloa.

    The Habitat for Humanity project aims to construct at least 16,000 houses for conflict affected persons, minimise debt and provide holistic development support.
  • Sri Lanka to heighten security at Colombo international airport
    Sri Lanka’s Civil Aviation Authority Director General HMC Nimalsri announced that Sri Lanka will heighten security measures at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo to combat terrorism.

    The official said that Sri Lanka was mandated to use body scanners to screen passengers at airports and would use the body scanners depending on the security threat level and if there was a need.
  • Sri Lanka rejects calls for re-merger of Northern and Eastern provinces
    Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake rejected the idea of a re-merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

    Responding to a question by The Hindu on whether the two provinces be merged, Mr Karunanayake said,
  • TNA constituent party will not back budget unless Tamil prisoners are freed
    The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), a constituent party of the Tamil National Alliance, announced that it would not back Sri Lanka’s 2016 budget in parliament unless the Tamil political prisoners were freed.

    The TELO leader, Selvam Adaikalanathan informed the Tamil National Alliance of his decision today, reports Colombo Gazette.
  • Sri Lankan army constructs new Buddhist temple building in Eastern Province

    The Sri Lankan declared open a new building for a Buddhist temple in Batticaloa last week, according to an official army website.

    The new building at the Sri Pantharma Temple in Vellaveli in the Eastern Province, was opened on November 27th, as Tamils across the North-East and the world marked Tamil remembrance day.

  • Dead bodies spotted floating off Trincomalee coast

    At least six dead bodies have been spotted floating off the coast of Trincomalee on Sunday, reported the Sri Lankan harbour police.

    Trincomalee harbour police informed the Sri Lankan navy about the finding, who reportedly launched a search operation on Sunday evening.

  • Sri Lankan troops place 28 Buddha statues in new vihara building in Kilinochchi

    Troops from the Sri Lankan military orchestrated a religious ceremony and placed 28 Buddha statues in a newly constructed Buddhist vihara building in Kilinochchi last week.

  • ‘No one can put pressure on us’ states Sri Lankan prime minister

    Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe brushed off claims that his government had come under pressure to sign the Rome Statue and join the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    Colombo Gazette reported the prime minister as saying,

    “No one can put pressure on us and no one has put pressure on us”.

    He went on to state that Sri Lanka would not be joining the ICC and reports of mass atrocities, as outlined in a UN report earlier this year, would be addressed through a domestic accountability mechanism.

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