Observers from the Commonwealth will monitor the forthcoming presidential elections in Sri Lanka. The group of nine monitors, led by former president of Guyana Bharrat Jagdeo, was formally invited by elections commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya, and will observe both pre-election preparations and the electoral process itself. Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma reiterated the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, to which the Commonwealth is a signatory, requesting a transparent, level playing field for the people to exercise their right to vote. “Genuine democratic elections are an expression of sovereignty, which belongs to the people of a country, the free expression of whose will provides the basis for the authority and legitimacy of government,” he said.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he had “strong expectations” that the Sri Lankan government will ensure “the peaceful and credible conduct” of the presidential election, during a telephone conversation with External Affairs Minister GL Peiris. The secretary general also reaffirmed the UN’s continued support for accountability, political dialogue and reconciliation, noting the importance of inclusive participation of all voters, including from minority communities, in the election process without fear. Election related violence has already erupted in some locations, as the race between...
The common opposition has accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government of colluding with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and pledged to recover the organisation's assets from abroad. Jathika Hela Urumaya General Secretary Champika Ranawaka, a key member of the opposition coalition the New Democratic Front, said they would arrest and punish all remaining “LTTE terrorists” once they come into power. Ranawaka said the government maintained links with former LTTE members Kumar Pathmanathan and others, and allowed the Global Tamil Forum and the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam to flourish.
The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) organisation, said that the TNA was supporting the common opposition candidate to accomplish their aim of spreading 'Tamil extremism' in the country. The BBS general secretary, Galagodaathe Gnanasara, accused foreign embassies of making promises to help the TNA achieve their aims under Sirisena's presidency.
Around 100 MDMK protesters were detained on Monday, after attempting to disrupt a television telecast of an interview of the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa. The protesters gathered outside the headquarters of the television channel "Daily Thanthi," alleging that the telecast was being used as a platform for the 'false propaganda' of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Updated 29 Dec 2014 Latest reports from the Disaster Management Centre, suggest that 30 have died and 15 disappeared. Over 1 million people have been affected, with several thousands displaced reports the Uthayan . The heavy rainfall is expected to last in the region for longer than expected Thousands have been displaced by the heavy flooding in Batticaloa. In Mannar, 8,979 people including 2,434 families have been displaced, reported the Jaffna based newspaper Uthayan. Thirty-nine temporary welfare centres have been set up. Heavy rainfall since the 22nd December has damaged thousands of homes, with hundreds being reported as irreparable. From the Vakarai division alone, 8234 people are reported to be sheltering in public buildings, with a further 16,661 seeking refuge with friends and family. TNA calls on government to assist flood victims in East (26 Dec 2014) Displacement and deaths as heavy rains and flooding continue in East (26 Dec 2014)
The leader of the Bodu Bala Sena has accused Rauff Hakeem, the head of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress of being a “political prostitute” and accused him of conspiring to separate the country, together with opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena and the Tamil National Alliance. Speaking a day after the SLMC’s defection to the opposition , BBS leader Galabode Gnanasara said Hakeem had done the same thing in 2005 and 2010, when he also defected to the opposition. “This time he is halfway through, and repeated the same move,” he charged.
A Tamil family who were removed from an asylum centre in Perth, Australia will not be sent to a government detention centre in Nauru, announced Australian authorities. The Tamil couple and six month old baby girl were being held at Darwin, from where they were to be sent to Nauru detention centre, where they were originally being held. The young couple were moved to Perth for the woman to give birth. Following the birth of their daughter, the whole family were to be sent to Nauru detention centre. Their removal from Perth sparked protests, as activists blockaded the driveway of the Perth centre where they were being held. Since then, the Australian government has announced that 31 babies, including the girl born in Perth, and their families would not be sent back to Nauru.
The National Bhikku Front, an organisation of Buddhist monks, has called on members of the security forces to vote for the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena. The ultra-nationalist organisation reassured the military that Sirisena would never conduct an internal or international investigation into war crimes, as he said in his manifesto, which proved that soldiers were safe.
The Bollywood actor Salman Khan and Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez are currently in Colombo campaigning for Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, reports the Indian Express . The two actors, who were invited by Rajapaksa's son Namal, were seen campaigning with Mahinda Rajapaksa, and are set to appear on stage with the Sri Lankan President, with a host of other Bollywood actors. This is the first time that a Bollywood actor will be campaigning for a Sri Lankan leader. Speaking to DailyMirror.lk , Salman Kahn said that "the president is an amazing man and he is one of the most...