• Sri Lanka plays down Basil visit to India

    A Sri Lankan minister has played down the importance of a trip to meet with Indian officials over the 13th Amendment, saying they were only keeping India informed.

    Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said Basil Rajapakse had flown to New Delhi to meet with officials including Manmohan Singh and will explain plans to devolve power to Tamils.
  • Indian Security advisor to enter talks with Rajapaksa
    The Indian National Security Advisor, Shiv Shankar Menon, will visit Sri Lanka on the basis of holding tri-lateral talks between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, announced the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS).

    According to the MCNS director, Lakshman Hulugalla, the Indian National  Security Advisor will call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya.  

  • No sincere effort by SL govt says GTF 

    Speaking to the Island the Global Tamil Forum said it was not possible to comment on whether South Africa could be a facilitator in talks between the TNA-GTF and the Sri Lankan government. 

    GTF spokesperson Suren Surendiran said: 

  • Malaysian No Fire Zone screening raided by police

    Human rights activists that helped set up the screening of the ‘No Fire Zone’ documentary were detained by the Home Ministry in Malaysia today.

  • SL asks US to lift travel advisory

    The Sri Lankan government has called upon the US to lift warnings about travelling to the island, after an update to the travel advisory by the State Department.

  • The Buddha pops up in Muslim school playground
    Residents of Oddamavady, Batticaloa have been disturbed by the appearance of a Buddha statue in the middle of the playground of a Muslim faith school reports BBC Tamil.

    While the district is home to a mainly Muslim population, the school is located close to a Buddhist vihara, with which it has reportedly experienced many years of dispute regarding land rights.

  • Sri Lanka bans Time July 1st issue

    The July 1st issue of Time magazine has been banned in Sri Lanka, due to its cover sotry -  "The Face of Buddhist Terror".

    According to the AFP, the spokesperson for the Customs Department Lesley Gamini said the issue was banned as it 'could raise religious tensions in the country'.

    Gamini said:

  • Uthayan’s “racist” writing sowing hatred – SLFP member

    A former MP and member of President Rajapakse’s SLFP has slammed the Tamil newspaper Uthayan’s content, saying it is attempting to sow communal hatred.

    The paper had recently carried comments by a catholic priest and a former judge, who had criticised the oppression and militarisation in the Tamil homeland.

  • Sri Lanka makes nuclear agreement with Russia

    Sri Lanka and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate vocational training for Sri Lankan nuclear scientists in Russia, reports Colombo Page.

  • Defining response

    The attack on Tamil ‘Boycott Sri Lankan Cricket’ campaigners by Sri Lankan cricket fans at the Oval on June 17th was truly shocking. What began as Sri Lankan fans shouting and spitting at activists, swelled into anti-Tamil taunting followed by physical assaults, where Tamil activists were punched and kicked by a mob. This attack was not alcohol fuelled sporting hooliganism; nor was it pro-government Sri Lankans attacking anti-government activists - as the attackers’ taunting made clear, the activists were targeted solely because of their Eelam Tamil identity, not for their campaigning. The attack was racially motivated violence by ordinary Sri Lankans against Eelam Tamils on the streets of London.

  • Monk held over death

    A Buddhist monk has been remanded in prison for the killing of a man.

    Saman Kumara Tillakaratne died during a visit to a temple, after the monk allegedly attacked him with a cricket bat and a brick.

  • Sri Lanka strikes deals with the Seychelles

    Recent bilateral discussions between Sri Lanka and the Seychelles have resulted in three new signed agreements that look to bolster air links, defence cooperation and vocational training, reported Colombo Page.

  • US ambassador summoned
    Sri Lanka's Ministry of External Affairs has summoned Michele Sison, the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, to seek clarification about a US State Department travel note on Sri Lanka.
  • Rajapaksa refuses entry to Norwegian ambassador's partner

    Mahinda Rajapaksa has allegedly refused entry to the new Norwegian ambassador to Sri Lanka partner, as the pair have had a same-sex marriage, reports LankaNewsWeb.

  • Time magazine stopped by Sri Lankan customs

    The New York Time magazine were stopped by Sri Lankan customs at the Bandaranaike International Airport, reported Ceylon Today.

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