• Gota says no civilians went missing

    Jan 24

    The Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse has claimed that no civilians at all went missing during the final phase of the armed conflict and that ICRC records tallied with those of the army, reported the Daily Mirror.

  • Bilingual anthem is against constitution - JHU
    Buddhist monks within the government's coalition party - the JHU, said that the inclusion of Tamil verses in the national anthem would violate the country's constitution.

    Speaking to the media, the JHU Deputy General Secretary Udaya Gammanpila said that the national anthem should only be sung in Sinhala during national ceremonies as Sinhala is the native language of Sri Lanka.
  • Army advises govt to make its own rules of war
    In its report on implementations of the LLRC, the Army's Board of Officers has advised the government to the create its own rules when dealing with 'internal war situations'.

    In its report, the Board of Officers said:

    “The Board observes that at present, International Humanitarian Law (IHL) principles, applicable to internal war situations have not adequately addressed various complex issues and the existing rules are seemingly applied to state actors only. Further, there are no specific guidelines with regard to the role of international humanitarian agencies in internal war situations. Hence, the Board recommends to formulate new domestic rules, covering internal war situations.”

    “With regard to the presence of Military bases in the North and East, the Board observes that the Government has an absolute right to maintain its armed forces anywhere in the Island, according to the country’s strategic and security needs."

  • Education in the South needed to shape the future of Sri Lanka

    Speaking at a function at St Mary’s College in the southern district of Kalutara, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapksa said his government will take measures to uplift the schools in the southern rural areas to eliminate the disparity in education between the Colombo and the rural areas around it.

  • MR pledges talks with India over fishermen

    The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa pledged to hold talks with the Indian government in order to resolve the fishermen arrests and the crossing of territorial waters.

    Addressing the General Fisheries Federation (GFF), Rajapaksa said:

  • TGTE appoints Dr Sittampalam and Robert Evans as Senators
    The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam announced the appointment of Dr Arjuna Sittampalam and Robert Evans, as two further Senators to its Upper House, earlier this week.
  • No Fire Zone - The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka'
    A trailer for a new documentary entitled "No Fire Zone - The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka" has been released earlier this week.

    Plans for the documentary were revealed in October 2012 by director of "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields" Callum Macrae.
  • Independence day celebrations in Trincomalee

    The preparations for Sri Lanka's 65th independence day ceremony in Trincomalee are in full swing and all arrangements are in place.

  • SL extends detention without charge to 48hrs

    Legislation that allows the police to detain suspects without charge for upto 48 hours without a warrant was passed on Tuesday.

    The previous limit was 24 hours.

    Presenting the bill in parliament, the Environment Minister Anura Priyasharshana said:

  • US 'disturbed' by attacks on civil society

    The US Embassy in Colombo has released a statement, expressing concern over a "series of threats and attacks against legal defenders, civil society organizations and activists".

  • UK still undecided on CHOGM
    The British government has stated that it is “too early” to decide on whether or not they will be attending this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka this year.

    The statement was made in response to a Foreign Affairs Committee report, entitled “The role and future of the Commonwealth”, which called on British Prime Minister David Cameron to boycott the event.
  • Sri Lankan resettlement

    The Sri Lankan government plans to settle two thousand Sinhalese families in the Vavuniya South Divisional secretariat division situated at the border of the Northern province, reports Seithy.com.

  • Provincial Chief Minister calls for bigger Sinhala families
    Sabaragamuwa Province Chief Minister Mahipala Herath has called for more Sinhalese families to reproduce, expressing concerns over the apparent slow growth rate of the Sinhalese population.
  • US Ambassador to ‘promote’ bilateral relations

    The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michelle Sison has said that the US is looking to increase investment in the country.

    Speaking to the Hambantota Chamber of Commerce, the ambassador said she will do her ‘modest bit’ to build bilateral relations between the two countries.

  • Two Jaffna Uni students released

    Two of the four students held by the Sri Lankan military following the marking of Maaveerar Naal two months ago, were released on Tuesday.

    The president of the Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU) V Pavananthan and the member of the Science Faculty, S Solomon were released in Vavuniyaa.

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