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.
The wife of missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda has requested Sri Lanka’s army to handover officers connected to the abduction to the CID for investigations. Speaking to media, Sandhya Eknaligoda said she had information regarding a specific officer, who is imprisoned in a camp in Girithale, Minneriya or Batticaloa, the DailyMirror reported. “The Rajapaksa regime is connected to the disappearance of my husband. We fear that he may have been bumped off and we would not be able to listen to his story. Therefore I request the Army Commander to hand over any officer connected to my husband’s...
Australian High Commissioner Robyn Mudie and Defence Adviser Captain Jason Sears recently met with Sri Lanka’s Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Kolitha Gunatilleke, and the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, and congratulate the officers on their recent appointments. According to a press release , the meetings were “useful opportunities to discuss the ongoing cooperation between Australia and Sri Lanka to counter people smuggling and the growing relationship in defence cooperation between the two nations”.
Sri Lanka’s national newspapers carried a United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) election advertisement associating Sri Lanka’s president Maithripala Sirisena with the party. Photograph: Sri Lanka mirror The election poster advert carried a picture of Sirisena above a caption that read, “Victory certain for UPFA – Assurance for future – a Maithri rule.” The news comes after Mr Sirisena earlier announced that he would remain impartial during the election campaign, reports the Sri Lanka Mirror. UPFA says Sirisena cannot stop Rajapaksa from being appointed as Sri Lanka’s prime minister (16 Jul...
Former president Chandrika Kumaratunga says her successor Mahinda Rajapaksa alone cannot claim he won the war on his own, stressing that people should not vote for him just because he won the war. Ms Kumaratunga said people should vote for her and former army chief Sarath Fonseka too, as they also had a role to play, Colombo Gazette reported. Speaking at a rally in Kurunegala, which is Mr Rajapaksa's electoral district, said credit should go to her, the UNP government and the military for the military victory and that it was under her that Jaffna and under the UNP that the east were "freed"...
Sri Lanka’s prime minister Ranil Wickremasinghe called on people to “shed petty divisions to solve problems faced by the country,” reports Colombo Page . Addressing a United National Party election rally on Sunday, Mr Wickremasinghe said, that all communities including the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim had in the past contributed to the development of the country. He added that their cooperation would be required to develop the island in the future. The leader of the UNP Mr Wickremesinghe called on voters to avoid being influenced by influenced by religious extremism or communalism. UNP 'will do...
Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has denied his son Yositha Rajapaksa's involvement in the suspected abduction, torture and murder of Wasim Thajudeen, who played rugby for the national team alongside Yositha. The body of Mr Thajudeen will be exhumed on Monday, 3 years after his death, after allegations that authorities covered up investigations under the previous regime, and passed of his death as an accident, AFP reported. Sri Lanka's press have reported that Mr Thajudeen was killed over a love triangle that involved Yositha. "I welcome the investigation because that will help us to clear...
Approximately 90% of the Agricultural research assistants appointed to the predominantly Tamil Northern Province Council are Sinhalese, said the Northern Provincial Council agriculture minister, P Ayngaranesan. Photograph: Tamil Guardian The NPC minister said that though over 5000 Tamils applied for the positions only 29 of the 361 appointments made were from the Tamil community.