After recent comments by Pope Francis that he was considering a visit to Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse has officially extended an invitation for the Pope to visit the island and see the government’s commitment to “ensuring equity, harmony and sustainable economic, social and cultural development”. Rajapakse also said “The Roman Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has played a pivotal role over the years in improving the lives of the citizenry, particularly in the fields of education, healthcare and social service,” “The Church’s services for acceleration of post-conflict reconstruction,...
Newly appointed Army Commander Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake has warned that as the country heads towards ‘political reconciliation’ new forms of threat may emerge against national security. Ratnayake outlined that overseas ‘separatist extremists’ posed a threat to the country and that the army should undergo restructuring and develop innovative strategies to help to combat such threat. The Commander also spoke of progress the Sri Lankan military structure had made in becoming a peace-keeping force, highlighting his intention to, “further expand this project and enable more and more...
The Cultural Affairs Minister TB Ekanayake has said the government is looking at moving the British Garrison Cemetery in Kandy, as it is located at a higher elevation than the Temple of the Tooth . The minister said it is an insult to the tooth artefact, believed by Buddhists to be Buddha’s actual tooth, for a cemetery to be on the land of the temple and it was the government’s responsibility to keep it as an area of purity and sanctity . The cemetery is currently maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the minister has said he already held discussions with British High...
The government is continuing to hope to attract $2bn worth of Foreign Direct Investment in 2013, said Investment Promotion Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene. In the first six months of this year, Sri Lanka attracted $430m of investment mainly from China and India, a drop of 4.8% year on year. “We are targeting a $2 billion foreign direct investment by end of this year,” Abeywardena said. Abeywardena added that a large amount of the investment came from China and Hong Kong mainly for tourism, heavy industries, mix-developments and port related investments. Hong Kong’s Shangri-La, China’s...
Slamming the Sri Lankan government's failure to prosecute those responsible for the killing of 17 aid workers seven years ago and " Sri Lanka's history of inaction on even prominent cases with strong evidence ", Human Rights Watch reiterated the need for " concerted international action ". In a statement published on Thursday HRW, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch, James Ross said: “The Rajapaksa government is good at throwing bones to the international community , but not at taking serious measures to find and punish those responsible for serious abuses,” “If the families of 17...
British University Tamil Societies across London collaborated to hold a Black July remembrance discussion session at the London School of Economics on Monday.
The Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, has rejected Sri Lankan reports that he has confirmed his plans to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November this year. Baird's spokesperson Rick Roth said the Baird was yet to decide either way, and remained concerned about impunity for the allegations of war crimes against Tamils. Roth said : " Canada will continue to monitor events in Sri Lanka and do what we can to try to increase pressure on the government of Sri Lanka to make changes ," "As the prime minister has stated very clearly, we expect our concerns to be addressed prior to the next Commonwealth meeting. However, given the current circumstances, it would be very difficult for this government to fully participate ."
The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) formally confirmed their intention to boycott the upcoming Northern Provincial Council (NPC) elections during a press conference at the party's office on Tuesday. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the TNPF dismissed the idea of provincial councils being able to fulfil Tamil political aspirations and also said that the establishment of the NPC would not in the slightest protect the Tamil nation from attacks by Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism. The TNPF stated that they viewed the 13 th amendment and its implications as measures “attacking the spirit of the...
The Sri Lankan Army organised Pooja ceremonies at the Koneshwaran Hindu Temple in Trincomalee, reported the Ministry of Defence . The Army reported large numbers of people gathering at the temple to wor ship and pay ‘homage to the Gods’.
The Sri Lankan Army has generated over Rs 50m through agriculture on Tamil land. The army is engaging in 6 projects, including in Udayarkaadu, Kandakaadu, Menik Farm, Vellankulam and Nachikkuda, spending Rs 26.16m, according to the Director of Agriculture and Livestock of the army, Colonel Buwaneka Gunaratne . According to the Army, the aim is to promote agriculture that “does not poison the earth or upset the delicate balance of nature, whilst encouraging healthy lifestyles” , reported ColomboPage .