Trincomalee’s Urban Council member, S Nanthakumar, has urged the government to allow international and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support the resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sampur. Over 2,000 people were moved into IDP camps from the Tamil-majority Sampur in 2006, after the government declared it a High Security Zone. The IDPs were not paid any subsistence allowance and foreign and local NGOs are still not allowed to help the refugees, Ceylon Today reported. Mr Nandakumar appealed to civil authorities to allow local and international NGOs to help...
The Sri Lankan government has vowed to streamline processes to obtain investment permits, in order to lure more investments from Asia and Africa, according to The Jakarta Post . Executive director of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, Dumida Ariyasinghe, said his country was working on a one-stop permit policy, post-investment services and a tax holiday incentive for foreign investors, with the hope it will boost business on the island. “Investors from any country can enjoy the facilities that can boost business [in Sri Lanka],” Ariyasinghe was quoted by Antara news agency during the Asian...
Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has more support than he had in the presidential elections and should be elected as the prime minister to save the country, said the former defence secretary Gotobaya Rajapaksa, noting that 100,000 people had been rendered jobless since the new government was elected. Speaking in an interview with the New Indian Express , Gotobaya called on president Sirisena to call parliamentary elections and appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister to “save the country.” Accusing the new government of stalling economic progress and development, Gotobaya said, “All economic development projects initiated by the Rajapaksa government have been brought to a standstill. In the construction sector alone, over 100,000 workers have been rendered jobless.”
Sri Lanka’s government assured parliament that it would not call the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in front of a bribery commission after MPs protested in parliament and Rajapaksa supporters protested outside. MPs who protested in parliament overnight ended their protest on Tuesday, after the government it would not question Mahinda Rajapaksa over bribery allegations, reports Colombo Page . Several supporters of the former president, protested outside parliament on Tuesday, whilst a petition signed by 113 opposition MPs, demanding the resignation of the director of the Bribery Commission...
Sri Lanka’s parliament decided to delay the debate on implementation of the 19th Amendment after protests against summoning of Mahinda Rajakapsa to the bribery commission disrupted proceedings on Tuesday. The 19th Amendment, which looks to curb the powers of executive presidency will be taken up for debate on the 27th of April and voted for on the 28th, reports Colombo Page . The 19th Amendment to the constitution faced opposition from several MPs, with Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ruling that parts of it would require a referendum in parliament to be passed.
The Sri Lankan police announced that blood samples collected from the suspected killers of TNA MP Nadarajah Raviraj are to be sent for DNA testing, more than 8 years after the parliamentarian was gunned down in Colombo. Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigations Department (CID) made the announcement , stating the the blood samples of Sri Lankan navy personnel suspected of carrying out the execution had been dispatched for testing. It follows the arrest of three members of the navy, including two officers, for the November 2006 murder.
The Sri Lankan President, confirmed that the next general parliamentary elections will be held after the 19th and 20th amendments to the constitution were implemented, reports Colombo Page . Implementation of the 19th amendment to the constitution, which abolishes powers of the executive presidency has faced opposition by Sri Lankan parliament, with the supreme court recently ruling that parts of it could only be implemented after a referendum. The 20th amendment to the constitution has also faced criticism from the Tamil National Alliance, who claim that it will reduce representation of the...
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) passed a resolution stating that the situation in Sri Lanka remains a “matter of concern”, calling for the restoration of lands seized from Tamils and the implementation of the 13th amendment. The 21st Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday said that though the Sri Lankan government has “promised and has taken certain steps... it is a matter of concern that the old situation continues by and large”, for the Tamil people on the island. The resolution called for the withdrawal of the Sri Lankan army from Tamil regions of the island,...
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe defended comments he made stating that Indian fishermen could be shot by the Sri Lankan navy, whilst on a visit to India this weekend. Speaking to reporters after visiting the Sreekrishna Temple, Mr Wickremesinghe was pushed on his earlier comments, where he justified the shooting of fishermen from Tamil Nadu. “The Sri Lankan government primarily represents the interests of Sri Lankans,” said Mr Wickremesinghe. Last week former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga said Mr Wickremesinghe was only “joking” when he made the statement.
Over 60 MPs in Sri Lanka staged a protest against the summoning of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa by the bribery commission in parliament today. The MPs, including Mr Rajapaksa's son Namal Rajapaksa, sat on floor and disrupted proceedings, causing the adjournment of parliament until Tuesday. We are protesting in Parliament today against the Bribery Commission summoning @PresRajapaksa . #SriLanka pic.twitter.com/74mbmFT18t — Namal Rajapaksa (@RajapaksaNamal) April 20, 2015 They handed over a petition urging a written assurance from President Maithripala Sirisena that the former president will be safe. The UPFA MPs objected to the bribery commission's summoning of Mr Rajapaksa to appear before it on April 24, on charges he promised a ministerial post to former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake for his cross over.