Senior UNP member, MP Ravi Karunanayaka, called on Sajith Premadasa to take a lead at the Southern Provincial Council election next year, whilst announcing his intention to contest as UNP, for the Western Provincial Council. Sajith has repeatedly undermined attempts by UNP members to establish a Leadership Council in order to address the party's decline and its leadership crisis, prompting a warning from Buddhist clergy last month that threatened "stern action". (See 'UNP's saffron party whip ') The plea comes as reports , citing government sources, state the Western and Southern Provincial...
The head of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, has said that neither he nor any of the bishops on the island will indulge in politics or affiliate themselves with a political party or group, reported The Island . Tamil bishops and other members of the clergy have been outspoken on human rights abuses and have involved themselves in Tamil nationalist political matters, while Cardinal Ranjith has himself come out with political statements in support of the government. See below for related links: Sinhala Archbishop - 'foreigners should not tell...
Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force (STF) has the provision to expand to up to 10,000 troops stated the STF Commandant earlier this week, as training continued to take place with more troops being recruited. Speaking to the Island , STF Commandant DIG R. W. M. C. Ranawaka stated that 300 were undergoing training at the moment, with provision for recruitment for a further 600 troops next year. There are currently 7,800 STF officers, with Ranawaka adding that the government had the provision to expand to 10,000. When asked about increased deployment in the Northern province, Ranawaka went on to...
Despite a recent announcement by the head of Sri Lankan Army in Jaffna, that armed personnel would not enter inside the premises of the University of Jaffna, two armed, uniformed soldiers were seen inside the university grounds today, reported the Uthayan . According to the paper, the two soldiers were seen at 2.30pm walking around the memorial in front of the Kailaasabathi Hall. When questioned by university staff, the two soldiers reportedly said that they were instructed to come by their seniors. They left shortly afterwards. Last month on the 27th and 28th, coinciding with Tamil...
India’s ministry of defence has called on the lower house of Parliament to disallow a debate on the issue of training Sri Lankan Armed Forces personnel, in a memorandum. The Hindu reported that the note, issued on 13th of December by Defence Minister A.K. Antony, stated, “The training assistance to the foreign countries, including Sri Lanka, based on their request, is a part of ongoing defence exchanges with a number of friendly foreign countries. Such requests are considered keeping in view our national interests. The participation of the foreign armed forces personnel in the training...
A new agreement was made today , between the Chinese travel channel and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board, to start an aggressive tourism campaign from next month. Under the agreement the Travel Channel will broadcast over 2,500 advertisements and screen over 500 minutes of feature programs and interviews about Sri Lanka in the month of January 2014. The Sri Lankan tourist board will further facilitate a visit for the Chinese Travel Channel TV crew to produce a film on Sri Lanka. Places that will be included on the film include Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Yala, Negombo, Pinnawala, Kandy,...
Sri Lanka’s deputy minister for labour and labour relations called for a ban of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on Tuesday, reports the Island . Speaking in parliament, Sarath Weerasekara claimed that the TNA were still propagating the ideology of the LTTE and said: "We are paying the price for not banning them then and we made a mistake by not doing so as can be seen clearly now.” Presumably alluding to MP Sritharan’s remarks in Parliament on the 26th November, comments from which the TNA’s leadership launched a defensive to distance the party, Weerasekara called for the TNA to make a...
A Sri Lankan minister has refuted allegations of war crimes while talking to Japanese envoy Yasushi Akashi, reported the Colombo Telegraph . Akashi had criticised Sri Lanka's failure to act on human rights issues during his visit. Technology, Research and Atomic Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka told Akashi that no war crimes occurred and that the number of dead was under 8,000, according to the census carried out by his government. “It is unfair that a massive campaign is going on against the country based on baseless figures of deaths during the latter part of the war, “The LTTE...
During a visit by the head of the Pakistan Navy, Sri Lanka and Pakistan held discussions regarding improving the security relations over the weekend. Pakistani Naval Chief Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila held a meeting with the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage, and other senior Naval officers where he was given a guard of honour. The discussion was reportedly centred around counter-terrorism and maritime security. See our earlier post: Pakistan Navy chief arrives in Sri Lanka (12 December 2013)
Villagers in Mullaitivu have been embroiled in a land-grab dispute after 20-acres of land was fenced off illegally, reports Uthayan . The land in the village of Naayaaru belonging to Tamils living abroad was fenced off by a Sinhalese man from the south. Northern Provincial Councillor Ravikaran visited the site of the dispute and discerned that the owners of the land were reportedly in the midst of proceedings to donate the land to the villagers. The person reportedly occupied the land with the help of surveyors and told the villagers that he did not plan to leave and was unconcerned about...