A statue of the former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi was found vandalised on Wednesday morning near the Tirupur district in Tamil Nadu. According to PTI a letter was found nearby calling on the Indian government to boycott the CHOGM later this month.
The Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma has gone on the defensive once again in an interview with Channel 4. Sharma told Jon Snow of the decision to go ahead with CHOGM in Sri Lanka: "In the time to come, I trust that people will see… that indeed very significant advances have been made in the interests of the people of Sri Lanka," See Channel 4's interview video below.
Demonstrations against the Centre over its participation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka continued in Tamil Nadu today. 13 activists of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) were arrested for allegedly burning effigy of the Minister of State for Commerce after he reportedly made remarks favouring India’s involvement at CHOGM. The Tamil Nadu Federation of Traders Association, a body of retail traders, also announced a strike planned for the November the 12 th . Outlining the reasons behind the strike the head of the Federation, T Bellaiyan, stated, “Sri Lanka...
Two fishermen from Tamil Nadu drowned off the coast of Rameswaram after being chased by the Sri Lankan Navy, reported TOI . Thirty fishermen were arrested, after the Sri Lankan Navy accused them of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line. According to the injured fishermen, the Navy pelted their boats with stones, and cut all the fishing nets. Rejecting the accusations made by the fishermen, the Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson, Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya, said : "As a recognised force protecting the territorial waters of Sri Lanka we have arrested 30 fishermen and handed them...
The Leadership Council of the UNP, a body appointed just yesterday in order to save Sri Lanka's faltering opposition party, lost yet another member today. The Ratnapura District parliamentarian, Thalatha Atukorale withdrew her membership stating that the Council did not reflect the hopes and expectations of the party's majority. The Hambantota District MP, Sajith Premadasa, withdrew his membership of the Council on Monday, as Karu Jayasuriya was appointed as chair of the nine-member committee.
India has denied a visa to the director of No Fire Zone, Callum Macrae. Speaking to TOI , Macrae said: "I am due to fly out on November 6 for a screening of my documentary in Delhi the next day. I find it extraordinary that I still do not have my visa, despite the fact that I first applied more than eight months ago," "I know that the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the last few months of the civil war in Sri Lanka are a matter of considerable concern to the government in India. And I am at a loss to understand why they are giving the impression they want to prevent me...
British television channel Channel 4's broadcast of No Fire Zone - Callum Macrae's third documentary about the final months of the war in Sri Lanka - on Sunday night sparked an array of social media response pushing #NoFireZone to the top of the UK Twitter trend list. Below we've shared a selection of Tweets from among the thousands of twitter responses to the film. Explore fully using #NoFireZone on Twitter .
The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) will exhibit Sri Lanka at the World Travel Market (WTM) this week. The 4 day travel and tourism event commenced today, at the Excel Exhibition centre in London. The SLTPB will conduct various promotional activities to highlight the country's ‘attractions’ to the potential tourists under the title ‘Wonder of Asia’. The Bureau will campaign with the slogan ‘One Island- Thousand Experiences’, and use the event to promote Sri Lanka as the host nation of the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The Sri Lankan High Commission is backing the...
Addressing a function at Kandy, the External Affairs Minister, G.L. Peiris outlined that the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will be a good opportunity to clear negative perspectives of the country. Labelling the event as a historic event for Sri Lanka, Peiris reiterated the vast amount of world leaders and country delegates that were visiting the country, stating , “This will bring huge investment opportunities to our country.”
The Commonwealth's secretary-general Kamalesh Sharma told BBC News that the Commonwealth does not "look away from the hard and difficult questions" regarding Sri Lanka, while also writing off calls for an independent investigation into war crimes as "impractical". See here for video of Sharma responding to news anchor George Alagaiah's question "what have you got to show for [engagement]?"