Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickrmesinghe assured the Constitutional Assembly that the clause on religion in Sri Lanka’s constitution would not be changed, reports Colombo Page. Mr Wickermesinghe was speaking at the submission of the constitutional sub-committee reports to the Constitution Assembly on Saturday. Sri Lanka’s current constitution places “foremost place” to Buddhism and pledges to “protect and foster the Buddha Sasana.” The Prime Minister added that a preliminary debate on the reports and recommendations of the sub-committees will be held on the 9th, 10th and 11th of January...
Sri Lanka's justice minister on Friday told parliament that 32 Muslims had joined Islamic State in Syria. "All these [Muslims] are not from ordinary families. These people are from the families which are considered as well-educated and elite," Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said. "There is a greater fear among the public about ISIS," he added. "If somebody tries to spread extremism in this country, we will not allow for that from today. The law of this country is no different to Buddhist monks or ordinary people." Mr Rajapakshe's statement was condemned by the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka...
The International Monetary Fund on Friday announced it had completed its first review of the Extended Fund Facility granted to Sri Lanka, and would approve US $162.6 million disbursement. The three year program was approved in June, allowing US $1.45 billion. "The government’s reform program, supported by the IMF, aims to reduce the fiscal deficit, rebuild foreign exchange reserves, and introduce a simpler, more equitable tax system to restore macroeconomic stability and promote inclusive growth," the IMF said in a statement. "Going forward, there is a need to strengthen the supervisory and...
In a letter to the Sri Lankan president and prime minister the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) reiterated its rejection of pre-fabricated steel homes, and called for proper houses for Tamils displaced in the North-East. "The Parliamentary Group of TNA Which met yesterday, 11.11.16, unanimously decided to address this communication to you, so that you will become aware that all of us are totally opposed to pre-fabricated steel houses and that people be provided with the traditional brick houses in keeping with their culture and way of life," the TNA said in a statement signed by the leader, R...
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremensighe has outlined plans to lease large stake in the Hambantota port to a Chinese Company reports Colombo Page. The Prime Minister said that the government planned to lease the Hambantota port or $US 1.2 billion to a Chinese company China Merchant, in an attempt to aid in Sri Lanka’s Balance of Payments. Addressing concerns that the port would be sold to a Chinese company, Mr Wickremesinghe added, “I also want to address the claims with regards to Hambantota made by the Daily FT. I assure you that we are not, and cannot, sell the Port. What we do have...
Hours after the head of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) organisation in Sri Lanka threatened to incite bloody attacks against Muslim communities unless a Muslim leader was arrested, Sri Lanka’s police arrested the Secretary of Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamath (SLTJ) Abdul Razick. A statement by the police headquarters said that Mr Razick was arrested due to a complaint regarding a comments made by him at a protest last week, reports Colombo Telegraph. The arrest came hours after the BBS leader Gnanasara Thero issued a one day ultimatum before a starting violence against Muslims.
In a situation brief released today titled "Student killings, Aava gang and the Securitisation of Jaffna", the Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (ACPR) raised alarm at the Sri Lankan government's "failure to meaningfully confront systemic policing and military intelligence issues that have once again been brought to the forefront by the recent killings of two Jaffna University students by police." ACPR notes that rather than focus on addressing the systemic security reform required that was highlighted by the killings of Sulakshan and Kajan, the government has instead chosen to arrest...
In an op-ed published this week on Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka , researchers at Together Against Genocide, Vinesh Mistry and Brami Jegan called on the EU not to miss the opportunity "to insist on meaningful transitional justice, rather than giving its blessing to a government whose commitment to human rights deserves serious scrutiny" Full op-ed reproduced below: by Vinesh Mistry and Brami Jegan Between now and January 2017 the European Union will decide whether to restore the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade tax concession to Sri Lanka. This decision will hinge...
The Colombo based Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) on Friday expressed concern over what it described as "a spate of recent events with ominous portents for ethnic and religious harmony and reconciliation in Sri Lanka." Pointing to increasing hate speech against minorities particularly by Buddhist monks and social media uses, as well as the murder of two Jaffna university students at the hands of the Sri Lankan police, the CPA said it was "extremely concerned at the appearance of signs that, yet again, legal reforms aimed at improving our democracy and governance are being undermined by...
The Brussels based media organisation, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Free Media Movement on Friday condemned the attacking of a journalist in Trincomalee on November 15. “The IFJ condemns the attack and threat to journalist in Trincomalee and urges the Sri Lankan authorities to take every measure to ensure punishment to the responsible; and to establish a safe working environment for journalists in Sri Lanka," the IFJ said in a statement. See full statement here . Extract follows: "On Tuesday, journalist Mohammed Geeth was attacked by the workers of a restaurant after...