The Sri Lankan Minister for National Languages and Social Integration Vasudeva Nanayakkara has reportedly ‘promised’ that Tamil prisoners can receive their judiciary proceedings in Tamil, according to ColomboPage. Hundreds of Tamil political prisoners have been languishing in jails, with legal proceedings being carried out against them entirely in Sinhalese. Cases of Tamil political prisoners being attacked and killed by security forces have also occurred this year. However the Minister assured the prisoners that Tamil language proceedings would be provided, noting that special courts have...
The Sri Lankan Army has held an education programme in Jaffna, helping pupils who are studying for their O-Levels, prepare for their upcoming exams. The seminars and lessons were organised by the Army’s 52nd Division and consisted of revision for Science and Maths papers.
Sri Lanka will wants greater involvement in the the monitoring mechanism of Kudankulam nuclear power plant, reports the Sunday Times. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Karunatilleke Amunugama, secretary to the ministry of external affairs, said, "More diplomatic efforts will be made soon to enable Sri Lanka to get more involved in the monitoring mechanism at the plant which has caused serious concerns in both countries," Whilst Sri Lanka feels that India has a right to take forward its own atomic energy progression, it believes it is entitled to pursue its 'safety interests', commented the Times...
Gotabhaya Rajapakse has spoken to Uthayan , during his trip to India , regarding his stance on the 13th Amendment, and questions of demilitarisation in the North. Extracts translated below: Uthayan: Are you absolutely firm in your position [regarding the 13th Amendment]? GR: Absolutely. My opinion on the 13th Amendment is firm. The Amendment was only introduced to solve Prabhakaran’s problem. But even Prabhakaran rejected it. Then the TNA had nothing to say, and it’s amusing that they are now raising their voices and crying out for the 13th Amendment. Uthayan: Are you saying in that case,...
The price of bread may rise to Rs. 60, speculated the Island on Saturday, after bakers at the Association of Bakery Owners met on Friday. On Friday, officials at Sri Lanka's two main milling companies - Prima and Serendib - said that the price of wheat flour had been raised by Rs.6 and Rs. 4 per kilo, respectively. Both companies said the price hike was due to losses during the importing of wheat flour, following the depreciation of the rupee, and increased transport costs. Speaking to The Sunday Island, bakers said : "We don’t want to burden the people, we feel it too. But what can we do with the flour price going up?" "Everything is going up.. and it is the people who will suffer"
The National Freedom Front (NFF) has written to several parties across Sri Lanka, calling on them to rally together and form an alliance against the implementation of the 13th Amendment. The party, which is a member of the ruling alliance, has written to 11 political parties, including Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), United National Party (UNP) Marxist People's Liberation Front (JVP), JVP splinter party Frontline Progressive Party, Jathika Hela Urumaya, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna and other leftist parties in the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) coalition. The Tamil National...
The Iranian government has offered Sri Lanka the opportunity to purchase crude oil without opening Letters of Credit as a means of bypassing American sanctions on Iran, reported the Island . Quoting the Iranian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mohammed Nabi Hassanipour, it was reported that the arrangement was part of a package proposed to Sri Lanka to overcome the embargoes imposed by "insensitive global policemen". The Ambassador reportedly stated that the Ceylon Petroleum Company could write directly to the Iranian Embassy in Colombo with their purchase requirements, who would then forward the...
A church in Trincomalee was vandalised and mosque in Anuradhapura were both damaged and vandalised by unidentified persons on Friday and Satruday night respectively, reported TamilNet. A statue at the church, located in Paazhaiyoottu in the Trincomalee district, was defaced with its hands destroyed and lights decorating the statue removed on Friday night. A mosque in Anuradhapura was set alight, in a case of arson, forcing the Muslim clergy to shift prayers for the Hajji festival to a nearby house. See the report from TamilNet here .
Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has said that the US should "compensate" Sri Lanka, due to the adverse effects its sanctions on Iran are having on Sri Lanka, reported the Daily Mirror . Petroleum Minister Susil Premjayant said that the US sanctions on Iran had cost Sri Lanka an extra $1.2 billion, for importing crude and refined oil from other countries. Premjayant added that Sri Lanka's oil bill had now reached a total of $5 billion.
The Sri Lankan defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, met with the Indian Defence minister AK Anthony, after being invited to India by the country's National Security Advisor, Shivshankar Menon. According to the Indian Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma, the pair discusses military relations, and agreed that joint military training would continue away from the southern states.