The formation of an alliance led by the UNP and including Sinhala-hardliners the JHU, and some members of the SLFP, was approved earlier today at a special convention in Colombo. Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the new alliance, named United National Front for Good Governance, would take steps to develop the country and fight corruption when in power. “We will provide one million job opportunities within five years and create 48 economic zones,” he said. The prime minister further said a new government would devolve powers to the provinces. Mr Wickremesinghe said that he believes every community in every part of the country should be able to enjoy equal rights and that land acquired during the war will be returned to the rightful owners in the North and East, as well as in the South.
A fleet of 17 MI17 helicopters from Sri Lanka's air force has been deployed in South Sudan as part of the UN mission in the (UNMISS). A total of 104 personnel are deployed in the permanent base of the Sri Lanka aviation unit in Bor, alongside the aircraft. The UN continues to employ peacekeeping troops from Sri Lanka on its missions, despite the credible reports of mass atrocities committed by the forces during the armed conflict on the island and the reports of sexual abuse during a mission in Haiti. A UN review recently called for a ban on countries to serve as peace keepers if their troops were involved in the sexual abuse of children.
Sri Lanka has lowered its economic growth rate of 2014 to 4.5 per cent from the earlier 7.4 per cent. The change in the base year from 2002 to 2010 and the methodology of calculation, according to a release issued by the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) caused the drop. With 2010 as the base year, the value of GDP at constant price was about Rs 64,13,668 mn, which went up to Rs 78,46,202mn in 2013 and last year, 81,95,979mn. The pace of growth, which was 8.4 per cent in 2011 and 9.1 per cent in 2012, slowed down subsequently with the rate being 3.4 per cent in 2013 and 4.5 per cent...
Marking 20 years since the Sri Lankan air force's bombing of Navaly Church, Together Against Genocide (TAG) called for an investigation and prosecution of those responsible. Over 2500 Tamil civilians had gathered inside the church to take refuge after they were forced to flee their homes in Jaffna away from advancing Sri Lankan army troops. "Together Against Genocide [TAG] commemorates the victims of the aerial bombing of St Peters Church and Safe Haven in Navaly by the Sri Lankan air force, 20 years ago today. We continue to call for the investigation and prosecution of those with command responsibility for this heinous war crime," the group said in a statement.
Two young men have been admitted to hospital after an unexploded bomb went off in Jaffna on Saturday in land that people were recently resettled into by the Sri Lankan army. The bomb was found in the Valivai region of Valikamam North, which was under army control and reported to have been cleared before resettlement began.
Northern Provincial Councillor Ananthy Sasitharan will contest the general election in Sri Lanka independently, after the Tamil National Alliance refused to nominate her. Ms Sasitharan is reported to have filed her nomination papers for the Jaffna electoral district on Thursday. The councillor, who won the highest number of votes after Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran in the NPC elections, said she would stand on behalf of those directly affected by the armed conflict. In an interview with Shakthi TV, the Ms Sasitharan said she attempted to gain a nomination through the main TNA constituent party, ITAK, but that this was rejected by the TNA leadership. The EPRLF, the party of TNA spokesperson Suresh Premachandran offered to give her the nomination, however ITAK chief Maavai Senathirajah rejected this, she further said.
The general secretary of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) stated that the coalition would not allow a “diaspora festival” to be held, in response to questions about the year ahead. UPFA General Secretary Susil Premjayantha told The Island that if the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, currently headed by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, were to come to power, then a festival that was designed to engage with the Tamil diaspora would not be allowed to take place. "We’ll not allow planned Diaspora festival later this year,” said Mr Premjayantha. “The question doesn’t arise as we’ll be in power."
A new cruise service will travel between Colombo and Kochin in Kerala. Luxury cruise liners from Colombo-based Herbilan Cruises Lanka Pvt Ltd will commence operations on October 2 and will go on till March 2017. “The cruise ship will call on the Kochi Port on October 3. and it can carry 590 tourists and 260 staff.” the Chief Executive Officer, HCLPL, Ivan De Almeida, who was in the capital for discussions with the tourism officials, told The Hindu . The shortest route to the island from India would be between the Tamil Nadu city of Rameswaram and Talaimannar in the Tamil-dominated North-East, however despite repeated demands, including by the Northern Provincial Council, a ferry service has not been started, after it was halted in the 1980s due to the escalating armed conflict between Tamils and the Sri Lankan government.
Photographs Tamil Guardian The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) filed its nominations for Jaffna electoral district today for Sri Lanka's upcoming general election to be held on August 17. Nominees included: Mr Mavai Senathirajah, Mr Suresh Premachandran, Mr Thirumalingam Siddharthan, Mr MA Sumanthiran, Mr K N Shrikanthan, Mr S Sritharan, Mr E Saravanabhavan, Mr Arunthavapalan Kandiah, Mrs Muthini Nelsan and Mr Anantharaj Nadarajah.
The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) files its nominations for the upcoming Sri Lankan general election in the Trincomalee electoral district today. The TNPF filed its nominations in Amparai on July 6, and will be filing nominations for Batticaloa, Jaffna and Vanni on Monday. In an unprecedented move, the TNPF's nominations is set to include a number of women, with at least two female candidates being put forward in each electoral district.