• India is always 1st choice says Sirisena's foreign minister

    Nov 08
    <p>Sri Lanka's newly appointed foreign minister, Sarath Amunugama reassured India that it would always be "Colombo's first choice" during an interview to <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/exclusive-india-will-always-be-co…">India Today</a> this week.&nbsp;</p> <p>Amunugama, who was appointed by President Sirisena following the sacking of Ranil Wickremesinghe last month and appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place, said "No Chinese submarine can dock here. Sri Lanka will protect its sovereignty."</p> <p>"Just because we take loan from China, it does not mean we will subscribe to their strategic interests."</p> <p>"We don't want to be dragged into the military and strategic interests of any country."</p>
  • Journalists thinking of quitting after Rajapaksa's return
    <p>Journalists and media workers told Al Jazeera they now lived in fear following the return of Rajapaksa to the political scene.&nbsp;</p> <p>Several journalists with Sri Lanka's public media company said they &nbsp;"are thinking of quitting their jobs because of increased government censorship".&nbsp;</p> <p>"We have been taken hostage," a journalist at Lakehouse told the news agency.</p>
  • UNP looks to oust Sirisena
    <p>The United National Party's (UNP) spokesperson said it was looking at ways of ousting the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena.&nbsp;</p> <p>The country was thrown into political turmoil last month after Sirisena sacked the prime minister, UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa.&nbsp;</p>
  • Ranil says he is willing to work with Sirisena
    <p>Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was sacked as Sri Lanka's prime minister on October 26, said he would still be willing to work with the president, who appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new premier.&nbsp;</p> <p>Asked by The Hindu whether he would be willing to work with President Sirisena, Wickremesinghe said, "I’ll have no problem working with him, that’s a question you must ask him."&nbsp;</p>
  • Foreigners continue to exit Colombo Stock Exchange
    <p>With Sri Lanka's political crisis ongoing, foreign selling and exiting from the Colombo Stock Exchange continued at a staggering rate.&nbsp;</p> <p>Over Rs3 billion was sold on Monday, prompting the UNP's state minister for economic affairs, Harsha de Silva to tweet, "Once again massive dumping of shares by foreign investors from #SriLanka stock market. Over LKR 3 billion today. Where is the confidence the #FakePM said they brought in? #CoupLK @RW_UNP"</p>
  • Coalition govt failed to sufficiently address Tamil issues says TNA
    <p>Sri Lanka's coalition government did not sufficiently address the issues faced by the Tamil people, the TNA leader R Sampanthan told the new US ambassador, Alaina Teplitz yesterday.&nbsp;</p> <p>Highlighting the issues of political prisoners, disappeared persons, resettlement, military occupation of land and rehabilitation of former cadres Sampanthan told Teplitz that progress had been very slow.&nbsp;</p>
  • US State Dept warns uncertainty undermining Sri Lanka's reputation
    <p>The US State Department today urged Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena to "reconvene parliament immediately" warning that the uncertainty was undermining the country's international reputation.&nbsp;</p> <p>"We urge #SriLanka’s President to reconvene parliament immediately to resolve the political crisis. Further delay compounds uncertainty in Sri Lanka, and undermines its international reputation and the aspirations of its people for good governance, stability and prosperity," the US State Department spokesperson, Heather Nauert tweeted.&nbsp;</p> <p>Sri Lanka's parliament was prorogued last month by Sirisena, after he sacked the prime minister and appointed the former president, who oversaw the killing of tens of thousands of Tamils, Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new premier.&nbsp;</p>
  • UK FCO is 'deeply concerned' about Sri Lanka

    The UK's Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mark Field said the FCO was "deeply concerned by the political situation in Sri Lanka". 

  • Sri Lanka police force acting under President Sirisena's orders
    <p>The Sri Lankan police force follows the orders of the Sri Lankan president, the force’s top chief has said, as the country’s political crisis over who is the rightful Prime Minister continues.</p> <p>Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara made the comments at a media briefing at the police headquarters in Colombo. He said that Sri Lanka Police would operate according to the gazette notification issued by President Maithripala Sirisena.</p>
  • Over 230 skeletons and counting unearthed from Mannar mass grave
    <p>The skeletal remains of at least 232 people have been unearthed from a mass grave in Mannar, with over 100 days of excavations having taken place thus far and more bodies reportedly still to be discovered.</p>
  • IMF is ‘monitoring situation closely’ in Sri Lanka
    <p>The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated it was “monitoring the situation closely” in Sri Lanka, political turmoil in Colombo continues.</p> <p>"The IMF is not in the political realm but clearly we take note of recent developments," IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice said.</p> <p>"We are monitoring the situation closely and we remain in contact with our counterparts at the technical level."</p>
  • ‘No action’ on MCC program as US assesses situation in Sri Lanka
    <p>The United States has said that “no actions” were being taken on Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) funding worth several million dollars, as political turmoil continues to rock Sri Lanka.</p> <p>“No actions are being taken either to move the compact forward or to suspend it while we assess the situation,” press secretary Laura Allen told the Tamil Guardian on Tuesday.</p> <p>“MCC is closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka to determine its potential impact on the proposed compact,” she added.</p>
  • Gotabhaya hits out at critics and denies that ‘a single Tamil journalist was killed’

    Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa denied that any Tamil journalists were killed during his tenure and lashed out at critics in an interview this week.

    Speaking with Johan Mikaelsson, Rajapaksa claimed he was “100% sure” that no Tamil journalists were killed or disappeared and lamented that “there is no end to complaints”.

  • Sinhala monk storms Muslim-owned store in Trinco over Buddha print fabrics

    A Muslim-owned textile boutique in Trincomalee was the centre of tensions on Saturday for selling fabrics bearing prints of the Buddha’s face.

    Tensions rose to a head after the head monk of a nearby Buddhist vihara turned up at the popular boutique in Trinco town on hearing word of the fabrics being sold.

  • BBS and Buddhist monks slam ‘Western interference’
    <p>A group of Buddhist monks and leaders from the extremist Bodu Bala Sena organisation have slammed Western countries for “unnecessary interference and influence” amidst calls to reconvene parliament as Sri Lanka’s political crisis continues.</p>
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