The Federation of National Organisations (FNO) demanded that Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe reiterate his stance on whether an international investigation into reports of war crimes would be allowed to take place. The FNO’s Representative of expatriate Sri Lankans Nuwan Bellanthurawa told The Island that the postponement of the release of an OISL report into mass atrocities until September, was part of a strategy to increase international pressure on former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in the event he was elected as prime minister later this month. Mr Bellanthurawa went on to state that a leaked document from the United Nations named 47 people, who he described as “war heroes”, as responsible for violations of international humanitarian law, including Mr Rajapaksa. The National Freedom Front's Wimal Weerawansa also warned this week that the United National Party, led by Mr Wickremesinghe, would allow an international war crimes probe to take place. Earlier this year the UNP declared that it would protect Mr Rajapaksa from any potential war crimes probe.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena praised government minister and general secretary of the JHU Champika Ranawaka, calling him an “intellectual” who would “take the country forward”. Speaking at the launch of Mr Ranawaka’s book last week, Mr Sirisena thanked the minister for his support in the presidential elections and in helping “make the transformation required by the country and usher in a new era”. The president went on to say “the knowledge and experience of the intellectuals such as Minister Champika Ranawaka would help take the country forward”. Mr Ranawaka is currently the minister of technology and research in Sri Lanka and general secretary of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a Sinhala nationalist party led by Buddhist monks.
Sri Lanka will offer a compromise that will allow recently halted Chinese infrastructure projects to recommence said Sri Lanka’s finance minister Ravi Karunanayake. Speaking to Reuters on Monday, Mr Karunanayake said , the government was in the process of negotiating a deal that would, if it remains in power after elections, “help bring financial understanding that will bring a win-win situation.” Sirisena’s government, once coming to power in January, put a temporary halt on most foreign funded infrastructure projects to reevaluate if they were in the island’s best interests.
A senior military official has confessed to interrogating the abducted journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, the first admission by a member of the security forces that the cartoonist was detained. The sergeant major, who was arrested on Sunday, told CID interrogators that Mr Eknaligoda was questioned on one of his publications and on his alleged connection to former army general Sarath Fonseka, the Daily News reported. He had said a senior Army officer, a major, who was also at the camp in Girithale, took Mr Eknaligoda away after the interrogation, saying the journalist had to “go somewhere”. The suspect told the CID that he did not receive any news about him thereafter.
The Sri Lankan government has decreased its foreign debt since the beginning of the year, while maintaining the foreign reserve at US$ 7.5 billion. Sri Lanka has borrowed Rs43bn in the first 6 months of this year from foreign countries, which, according to the Ministry of Finance, is due to the efficient manner in which reforms introduced by the new government to public administration and financial management. According to the treasury, the total outstanding government debt increased by 8.8% to Rs7,390bn by the end of 2014, from Rs6,793bn in 2013. See more here .
Photograph Shalin The chief minister of the northern province, C V Wigneswaran, reiterated his neutrality over the upcoming general election, stating that he would remain silent until after the election. Asked by reporters in Jaffna on Tuesday, Mr Wigneswaran said, "I will remain mute until the election", before being driven away. Mr Wigneswaran's comments come as the election campaigning between the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) intensified, with only a few days left till the Tamil people go to the polls.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader, R Sampanthan left his phone seemingly engaged during the final stages of the armed conflict in May 18th 2009, as the LTTE political heads, P Nadesan and S Pulithevan reached out to the TNA representatives for help, said the then TNA MP and current Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) leader, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam. 2009 மே18இல் நடந்தது என்ன?மாவையும் நானும் கண்ணீர் விட்டோம் இது என் தாய் மேல் ஆணை-கஜேந்திரகுமார் பொன்னம்பலம். Posted by Vigneswaran Kajeepan on Tuesday, 11 August 2015 Mr Ponnambalam made this statement at a press briefing at the Jaffna Press Club on Tuesday, where he made an angry rebuke of an accusation made by the TNA candidate Mavai Senathirajah at an election rally on Sunday that Mr Ponnambalam had secretly struck up a deal with the former government minister and brother of the then president, Basil Rajapaksa. Stating that he had spoken with Mr Senathirajah during those crucial moments, Mr Ponnambalam stated that the TNA leader, R Sampanthan had refused to answer his call despite knowing the situation was dire.
The National Freedom Front's Wimal Weerawansa warned that the United National Party and Tamil National Alliance would join together and allow an international war crimes probe to take place in Sri Lanka. Speaking at a press conference alongside former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Mr Weerawansa said that over 40 military officers and two civilian leaders were at risk of facing war crimes charges. "If the UNP forms a government with the help of the TNA it would have to grant the wish of the latter which has called for an international war crimes probe," he warned. "This has been part of their strategy and the onus is on the people to ensure the safety of these leaders who fought for us to elect the UPFA."
A local business association has challenged Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe over a recent statement that the Sri Lankan government was “seriously looking at fast-tracking” negotiations with India on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), reports The Island . Chairman of the Maubima Lanka Foundation, Ariyaseela Wickremanayake, wrote to the prime minister stating “the CEPA is a very serious threat to the interests of local businessmen” and urged Sri Lanka not to sign the agreement. “The Maubima Lanka Foundation, an umbrella organisation for the protection of interests of local business community, has opposed the CEPA and demands that Sri Lanka should not become a signatory to the agreement in its present form," continued the letter.
Sri Lankan government minister Karu Jayasuriya said the United National Party had “re-established” the country’s reputation after it had been tarnished on the international stage, as he urged voters to elect his party later this month. The minister said the UNP was the only party that could “face the present day challenges and capable of winning both local and international support”. "The country’s image which had been tarnished in the international arena has now been re-established,” he continued. Sri Lanka is currently under investigation by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights over reports that Sri Lankan troops committed massacres and violated international humanitarian law during the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009.