SL Navy officer caught by locals in Vadamarachchi East over attempted rape

Photographs Tamilwin A Sri Lankan navy officer was caught by locals in Vadamarachchi East after he entered a woman's house in the Kattaikaadu region in an attempted rape during the early hours of Wednesday. The officer tried to escape after entering when he was seen by the woman's husband, who tried to catch him, Uthayan reports. He was eventually reprimanded after neighbours, who had heard the screams from next door, helped the woman's husband.

BBS calls for Mannar Bishop arrest

The Buddhist monk organisation, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), called for the prominent Tamil civil society activist, the Bishop of Mannar, to be arrested after Bishop Rayappu Joseph publicly stated his refusal to participate in the Sri Lankan government's domestic commission on disappearances. The Mannar Bishop Rayappu functioning in such way to betray the country, the BBS said, questioning why the government was delaying in his arrest, the Uthayan newspaper reports. “Bishop Rayappu Joseph is continuously expressing comments against Sri Lanka and its military, nationally and internationally. The government is watching all of this but continues to remain silent," the BBS leader, the Buddhist monk Galagoda Gnanasara reportedly said.

Senior judge questions legality of Australian govt asylum seeker procedure

A senior Australian judge questioned whether the government was allowed to detain asylum seekers at sea and transfer them to another country, reports Reuters , after 157 asylum seekers fleeing Sri Lanka were held at sea for over 4 weeks before being transferred to Nauru. Judge Kenneth Hayne gave the government and the legal team representing the 157 asylum seekers one week to prepare their cases during a hearing on Thursday. “My concern is whether the government had power to take people from the contiguous zone to a place outside Australia,” Hayne was quoted by The Guardian as saying on Thursday. “It may be that that is not the only legal issue,” he said, adding, “I’m concerned with the question of power."

Navi Pillay is trying to influence OISL – Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan government has accused the outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay of seeking to influence the OHCHR Investigation in Sri Lanka (OISL). In a statement released on Thursday, the External Affairs Ministry said it “regretted” comments made by the High Commissioner earlier this week , saying that the access to Sri Lanka was not necessary for the investigation to be credible. “The High Commissioner who is scheduled to leave office at the end of this month making public pronouncements to the media on an investigation which has commenced only recently is a clear indication of personal bias. It is evidence of an attempt to influence the investigation process and make it follow a preconceived trajectory,” the statement said. Sri Lanka criticised the “prejudiced” High Commissioner for attempting to create a “distorted impression" of Sri Lanka.

Indian activists protest against Swamy visit to Sri Lankan military conference

Activists in Tamil Nadu have protested against the BJP's Subramanian Swamy who announced he would be travelling to Sri Lanka to attend a military conference next week. Dozens of activists staged a mock funeral procession in Puducherry, with an effigy of Swamy and BJP flags being beaten with slippers. Despite the controversy, earlier this month, Swamy stood firm in his decision to travel to Sri Lanka, telling reporters "I would definitely participate in the conference." The conference, which Sri Lanka says is the concept of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, will be running from the 18th-...

President Rajapaksa announces $1mn aid to Palestinians

Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced on Thursday that the government will provide $1mn in financial aid to the Palestinians. The government’s official news portal said that the president “has been a long-time supporter of the Palestinian cause and is the Founder President of the Sri Lanka Committee for Solidarity with Palestine”. Earlier this year President Rajapaksa visited Palestine, where he met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestinian leader praised the “good relationship” between the nations and conferred the ‘Star of Palestine’, the highest honour award by the...

Sri Lanka’s Geneva envoy in talks with military chief

(Pictures: TamilWin) Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ravinath Aryasinha, held talks with the commander of the Sri Lankan Army, General Daya Ratnayake, at the army headquarters on Tuesday. Aryasinha, who is also Sri Lanka’s Consul General to Switzerland, and Ratnayake discussed “matters of relevance and various world-wide developments taking place in relation to Sri Lanka”, according to the army's website .

District office collects details of households in Jaffna

Officials from the Jaffna District Office have collected details of households over the last weekend, reported the Uthayan . Residents were asked by regional secretaries to list individuals in each household, and details were collected about empty houses, rented houses and the homeless. No explanation was given to the local population.

BBS deplores Sri Lanka's failure to stop pro-Palestine protests, threatens to counter

The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) after noting Israel’s support to Sri Lanka during its ‘successful war against terrorism,' warned that a counter protest would be launched if pro-Palestine protests occurred in Sri Lanka, reports the island.lk . A senior spokesperson, on Monday, told the paper that, though the organisation had no relationship with the Jewish state, it felt the Sri Lankan government could not forget the assistance it received from Israel during the conflict. Condemning the Sri Lankan government’s failure to prevent anti-Israel protests by Muslim groups, the spokesperson said that the...

2 Tamil women injured in clashes with police in Batticaloa

Armed soldiers at scene after being drafted in to assist police during clashes with locals in Batticaloa. Photograph Tamilwin. Two Tamil woman have suffered injuries after an incident involving clashes with Sri Lankan police in Kaanjiranguda Panaiyaruppan, Batticaloa on Tuesday night. The women, Valliyamma, aged 52 and 24 year old Sarojini Arumguam have been admitted to Batticaloa Teaching Hospital with injuries, reports Batti News .

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