Sri Lanka's incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa has defiantly reiterated claims that Sri Lanka has not violated international humanitarian law or committed any human rights abuses, in an interview with the Financial Times. In response to questions from the Financial Times about the upcoming presidential polls, Rajapaksa remained confident of victory, saying, “first of all, I won’t lose... I am confident we will come out victorious”. The Sri Lankan President also rejected reports of human rights violations, saying, “I can also decisively say that Sri Lanka has not violated any international humanitarian laws or abused human rights as claimed by some.” He went on to add, “I think, over time, that the criticisms in relation to human rights would get weaker and would lose traction altogether.”
Defections from Sri Lanka's ruling party have led to Sri Lanka stocks edging down on Tuesday reports Reuters, with presidential polls set to take place in January, Sri Lanka's main stock index fell 0.19 percent, or 13.52 points, to close at 7,238.05. A stockbroker was quoted by Reuters as saying, "Sentiment is down due to defections yesterday... Going forward, the market may be sluggish and weaker with more defections expected from the ruling party raising concerns about political stability."
The Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF) has refused to endorse either presidential candidate in the upcoming Sri Lankan elections. In a statement released on Tuesday, TCSF said that Tamil suffering under Mahinda Rajapaksa affirmed that "the question of Tamil people voting for the incumbent President just does not arise," while also highlighting that regime change has not historically resulted in improvements for Tamils. "Both main candidates have not and do not want to take a position on those issues that affect the Tamil people. In fact they are in denial of those problems and have taken positions contrary to Tamil interests. Hence the Tamil people do not have to take a collective stance at the forthcoming elections. To explicitly call for a vote for either of the main candidates will be tantamount to accepting a unitary constitution and to rejecting international investigations," the statement said.
The editor of the Daily News, Rajpal Abeynayake, has referred to Muslim MP Rishard Bathiudeen as “a pig”, after his defection to the common opposition. Abeynayake expressed his disgust at the defection in a tweet on Tuesday morning. The MP was industry and commerce minister under President Mahinda Rajapaksa until yesterday, when he announced his decision to join the common opposition, alongside recently appointed national list MP Ameer Ali.
A Sinhala nationalist policy will be pursued regardless of which presidential candidate assumes power, warned a report by a leading global political risk research and consulting firm. The Eurasia group further warned that “incidents of political violence are likely to increase in the immediate run-up to voting as Rajapaksa tries to sue security forces to depress opposition turnout.”
A senior cabinet minister from the ruling coalition defected to the common opposition, becoming the sixth member of the Rajapaksa cabinet to leave the government in the last few weeks. The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rishad Bathiudeen, said he had made a “crucial career call of his political life,” stating that a “need for national unity underpins his crucial decision.” “The decision was made having our community and national unity in mind,” Colombo Page quoted Bathiudeen as saying. Bathiudeen previously commended Basil Rajapaka for making peace between the Bodu Nala Sena and the ruling coalition party. The recently appointed national list MP for the UPFA, Ameer Ali, also defected to the opposition, resulting in the ruling UPFA coalition losing the 2/3 majority in parliament on Monday.
The External Affairs Minister GL Peiris has called on the opposition’s presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena to provide a clarification on the domestic panel he said he would appoint to investigate war crimes allegations against the military, reported the Daily Mirror . “This is a matter that will have far-reaching consequences. A clear statement is certainly required from the opposition candidate with regard to the nature of the investigation which he proposes to undertake, the powers and scope of the tribunal he plans to appoint, and the use he plans to make of the findings,” Peiris said.
The current British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives will be replaced in April 2015. James Dauris will replaced the current British high commissioner, John Rankin, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) announced on Monday. Dauris joined the FCO in 1995, and has worked in London on South Asian, European Union and others issues, whilst also serving overseas in Russia and Colombia. Speaking on his appointment as the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Duairs said, "I am really pleased to have been appointed to be the United Kingdom’s next High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. Our two countries enjoy and benefit from a long and broad relationship. We see this in our close people to people, trade, investment, education, sporting, tourism and other links. I am excited about taking our relationship forward at an important time and to working with Sri Lanka on issues that matter to both our countries. And I am looking forward to working with the many British companies that are doing business and investing in this growing South Asian market."
In less than a month’s time, Sri Lanka will choose a president. In the south of the island the poll is one of the most anticipated in the country’s recent history, with the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena, and his extensive coalition, encompassing the right to the left of Sinhala politicos, widely seen to be a serious challenger to incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Maithripala’s defection from the SLFP led government, and pledge to abolish the executive presidency and tackle corruption, is being seen by many in the South as an opportunity to effect change on the island and to end Rajapaksa’s reign, which has been characterised by corruption, repression of freedom of expression, nepotism, and an autocratic, despotic leadership style.
International election monitors at Sri Lanka's presidential election on January 8, will require clearance from the Ministry of Defence to visit the Northern Province, reports the Sunday Times.lk . “We have not lifted the restrictions on travel to the North. Foreign nationals will not be allowed to visit the North under ‘blanket approval’ without obtaining necessary clearance from the Defence ministry,” the military spokesperson Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya said on Saturday. The monitors will require a recommendation from the Election Commissioner, including their passport details, to the Ministry of Defence, prior to being granted permission to travel. “If there is no recommendation from the Commissioner, we will not know the purposes of these visits by the foreign nationals. If not, they have to follow the same procedure in place,” he added.