The Sri Lankan military has constructed army camps on top of the destroyed houses of displaced Tamils in Jaffna, reports the Uthayan . The discovery was made after the military granted permission for a small group of Tamils to view their land in Palai Veemankamam, which had been seized by the military. “They built army camps on lands where our homes were,” said one of the Tamils who was granted access to their land. One home, belonging to 74 year old Mr Kanthasamypillai, has been completely destroyed, with an army camp now stood in its place.
The Tamil National Alliance and the Sri Lankan Muslim Congress (SLMC) called on the government to avoid implementing the delimitation of electoral boundaries in the Northern Province for the next 10 years, until displaced people are resettled in their original lands, including those that fled the country due to conflict. The TNA parliamentarian MA Sumanthiran, in a meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday, said that if a delimitation process was carried out now, the representation of Tamil members in Parliament would be substantially reduced, reports the Sunday Times .
(Security Force Headquarters East) The Sri Lankan military organised an awareness programme on traffic law to students of the Methodist Tamil School in Pothuvil earlier this week. The lecture was delivered by a police officer from Pothuvil police station, and army officials and teachers of the school were also present. The military's ongoing involvement in Tamil affairs almost 6 years after the end of the armed conflict has been widely condemned by Tamil politicians and activists, with numerous calls for the new president, Maithripala Sirisena to demilitarise the North-East.
The Tamil struggle stands on its own and own arguments and does not need justification, said that a former anti-apartheid activist who works in on promoting justice, reconciliation and democracy around the world. Speaking to Ceylon Today in an interview on Friday, Dr Ivor Jenkins, highlighting that Sri Lanka had a chance to find a solution to bring stability to the island, said, “The Tamil ethnic question can indeed be resolved through talks and negotiations to everyone’s satisfaction.” Dr Jenkins added that any solution must ensure that the “process is all inclusive and not an externally...
Sri Lanka’s state owned National Savings Bank (NSB) lost millions of rupees through investments in the Colombo Stock Exchange, said the government’s finance minister Ravi Karunanayake. ColomboPage reported Mr Karunanayake telling reporters that investments by the NSB resulted in losses amounting to Rs.1.1 billion, after Rs.2.6 billion from bank funds were used to make investments. An investigation is being launched into the matter added the minister.
Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force (STF) provided weapons training to a politician and 10 other businessmen, reports the Sunday Leader . According to the paper, defence sources stated the training was provided after applications were submitted to obtain firearms. “The training is given as per the instruction issued by the Defence Ministry and it includes training in every weapon that is in used (sic) at present,” the official said.
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa said the government will not be reviewing the country’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) until after 19th Amendment has been approved by parliament. The Sunday Leader reported the minister as saying the government’s “full attention is now being given to passing the 19th Amendment” and matter such as the PTA will be taken up afterwards.
The United States wished warmest greetings to those marking Tamil and Sinhala new year on April 14 and expressed hope for change. "This New Year is marked by the extraordinary positive change that has occurred in Sri Lanka over the past several months and represents a renewed opportunity for the people of Sri Lanka to join together in the spirit of reconciliation, tolerance, and peace," the US Secretary of State, John Kerry said in a statement on Friday.
Three Indian nationals were arrested on Saturday for accused of violating their visas and engaging in trade illegally, reported the Daily Mirror . The men, aged 24, 38 and 52, were arrested by the police in Kandy following a tip off by a member of the public, the paper said.
Sinhala Ravaya announced that it will be filing a petition in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court against an announcement to allow the Sri Lankan national anthem to be sung in Tamil. Sinhala Ravaya chairman, a Buddhist monk called Akmeemana Dayarathna, said Sri Lanka’s National Executive Council (NEC) cannot make such a decision as it is illegal under the constitution, and his organisation will file a petition in the Supreme Court next week.