The Bodu Bala Sena on Tuesday met with the governor of Sri lanka’s Central Bank, Arjuna Mahendran, to oppose the recent launch of Islamic financial services by a private bank. General Secretary of the organisation Galagodaathe Gnanasara questioned why parliamentarians were quiet on the issue. The prominent monk said Sharia Law had made its way into the school system as well as into the legal system smoothly, without being screened, and blamed the previous government for not taking action on "the spread of sharia law". “We directly blame the previous government for not taking actions on the spread of Sharia Law as we showed them, who are behind these moves. An immediate discussion was called with the CB Governor to discuss the issue, which is a threat to Sri Lankan society,” he said, according to the Daily Mirror .
The US military has resumed training exercises with Sri Lanka's navy after suspending the cooperation while the previous government was in power, The Island reported. The US Navy’s Sea, Air and Land Forces – commonly known as SEALs – are taking part in the exercise, which involve the elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and Fast Attack Craft (FAC) flotilla off the coast of Trincomalee in the North-East of the island. According to the paper, the navy headquarters confirmed the resumption of exercises with the US.
A Tamil child has been reported missing in Kilinochchi since Sunday. Three-year-old Jerusha Santhyakumar went missing while waiting for her mother by an irrigation channel. Civil society activists have accused police of failing to take the disappearance seriously and have called for intensified efforts to find the child. Campaigners against sexual and gender-based violence report that Jerusha's mother, Selestina, was violently assaulted by the police while trying to file a complaint, allegedly for having been married three times. Jerusha Santhyakumar, aged 3
Sri Lanka will become the first country to purchase the JF-17 Thunder, a fighter jet developed jointly by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation of China, reported Pakistan’s 92NewsHD . However Air Force Spokesperson, Wing Commander Gihan Senevirathne, speaking to the Daily Mirror , denied that a deal had been reached. Sri Lanka was reported to have ordered 18-24 jets, also known as FC-1 Xiaolong or "Fierce Dragon”. Reports at the 51st Paris Air Show last week indicated that first contract for the sale of the JF-17 had been signed with "an Asian country."
A former Sri Lankan diplomat has denied reports that he helped to channel weapons to pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. Udayanga Weeratunga, Sri Lanka's former Ambassador to Russia, told BBC Sandeshaya that the allegations were “a complete lie”. “I am in possession of a certificate issued by the Internal Affairs Ministry to the effect that I am not being investigated for any crime within Ukraine," said Mr Weeratunga, who had reportedly gone missing and had his diplomatic passport withdrawn. "Had I supplied arms to Ukrainian rebels, I would not have been able to live here," he added, stating that he remained in Ukraine.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa called for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s “personal intervention” to secure the release of 31 Indian fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy this weekend. "I urge your personal intervention... And request you to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan authorities at the highest level to secure the immediate release [of the arrested fishermen]" said the chief minister. Ms Jayalalithaa went on to add "the recurring instances of apprehension of our fishermen while they are engaged in fishing in...
Sri Lankan State Minister for Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said the present government was capable of stopping “terrorists” and would not do anything to endanger national security, as he addressed youth in Colombo. Speaking at Temple Trees, Mr Wijewardene reminded the gathering of the UNP’s history in the ethnic conflict, stating , “UNP led governments too fought the LTTE in the past, even the late President D. B. Wijetunga was able to wipe out the terrorists from the East”. “We too are capable of stopping them in the event they try to regroup,” Mr Wijewardene added, stating the present...
Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena said he aims to form an SLFP government which will include former presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chandrika Kumaratunga. Speaking to SLFP members in Nuwara Eliya, the president said some elements, who threatened to split from the SLFP-led the UPFA and form different political fronts, were doing a great injustice to the party, but that he and his team would never allow the party to split. Mr Sirisena said votes from Sinhala Buddhists alone would not be enough to win the elections and an action plan to win over the Tamil and Muslim voters will be devised.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe said Sri Lanka will regain the EU’s GSP+ trade concessions after the UN Human Rights Council session in September. The concessions were withdrawn by the EU over human rights concerns in 2010. “We earlier thought that the concession applies only to apparel industry but eventually the fish products were also included in the tax concessions,” Mr Wickramasinghe said . “Now we are working on getting back the GSP plus after the Human Rights Council sessions which are to be held in Geneva in September by solving the existing issues.” The EU also banned imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka, its second biggest importer in the sector, in order to "tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing”.
Sri Lanka and China commenced a three week long joint military training exercise on Monday, reports Colombo Page. The exercise was inaugurated by the chief guest Major General Jagath Dias, who was recently promoted to Head of Armed forces by the new Sirisena government. A few areas that the training is set to focus on include: weapons handling, sniper firing, ambush drills, jungle warfare and vehicle ambush drills. The promotion of the accused war criminal Major General Jagath Dias to Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka’s army has been labelled as a major setback for peacebuilding by several NGO’s...