Author: Edi tor

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Mathiaparanan Abraham Sumanthiran was in the eye of a raging political storm some weeks ago due to a YouTube interview given by the 56-year-old President’s Counsel cum politician to the “Truth with Chamuditha” show. A few of the questions and answers in Sinhala were picked up by a Tamil TV – reportedly aligned to a northern politician which… Continue reading "The Plot Within the TNA Targeting Party Spokesman Sumanthiran"

State Intelligence Service Director, Major Genaral Suresh Tuan Sallay, has taken steps to send a Letter of Demand to ITJP (International Truth and Justice Project) Executive Director Yasmin Sooka and the ITJP. The said letter, sent through Major General Sallay’s Lawyer Pasan Weerasinghe, states that on or about 1 June 2020, Sooka, as the ITJP Executive Director, had issued a… Continue reading "Maj Gen Suresh Sallay to institute legal action against Yasmin Sooka, ITJP"

By Paneetha Ameresekere Chinese entities invested almost US$ 12 billion in Sri Lanka between 2006 to 2019 (last year), stated Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute (LKI), a Government think tank, in a recent publication (dated 22 May) released on Saturday (13 June). However, according to a recent report released by Chatham House, a London-based think tank, there are significant environmental and labour… Continue reading "Chinese investments total $12B"

By Easwaran Rutnam The United States (US) today asserted that there was no issue in the relationship between Sri Lanka and the US despite some recent incidents. The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Alaina B. Teplitz said that the “misinformation” with regards to the US Embassy employee who arrived in Sri Lanka and the Police crackdown on a scheduled demonstration… Continue reading "US asserts no issue with Sri Lanka despite incidents"

Former Minister Mangala Samaraweera today slammed the practice of child ordinations as young Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka. In a social media post, the former Minister equalled child ordinations to child soldiers as used by the LTTE and child brides of the Taliban. “Young girls and boys ordained as bikkhus; as shocking and unacceptable as tiger child soldiers and taliban… Continue reading "Child ordinations and child soldiers"

Pakistan says Sri Lanka is not safe from India’s nefarious and hegemonic designs. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that India becoming the non-permanent member of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was ‘not a moment of rejoice, but concern’ as the country blatantly rejected resolutions of the prestigious forum, particularly on Kashmir. The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted… Continue reading "Pakistan says Sri Lanka not safe from India"

By Tisaranee Gunasekara – “From now until the elections, we will not know when, and where, and how the fireball will fall on us, and what the nature of that fireball will be.” ~ Arundathi Roy (Election Season in a Dangerous Democracy – The New York Review of Books – 3.9.2018) The Eastern province is the most ethno-religiously pluralist slice of Sri Lanka.… Continue reading "Politicising Archaeology, Militarising Virtue, Gaslighting The Electorate"

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna will resurrect several sharply divisive themes that helped President Gotabaya Rajpaksa cruise to victory in the November presidential election as the parliamentary election campaign kicks off including a hate campaign targeting Muslims and neo-colonial conspiracies against the West Colombo Telegraph learns. Reliable sources told Colombo Telegraph that law enforcement has been instructed to resume hyper activity on multiple investigations including fake… Continue reading "Mahinda To Revive Anti-Muslim Campaign And Probes Against Opponents As Election Campaigns Kick Off"

There have been allegations of soldiers of the occupying SL Army’s 231 Brigade Headquarters at Kalladi sexually abusing Tamil women for some time. In recent weeks, the issue has become a menace of increasing threat, community leaders in the area complain, on condition of anonymity. The SLA soldiers, who are predominantly Sinhalese, exploit the poverty-stricken families by providing minor jobs… Continue reading "SL Army’s 231 Brigade sexually abuses Tamil women in Batticaloa suburb"

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) leader and Cabinet minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development, Savumiamoorthy Arumugan Ramanathan Thondaman died of a cardiac arrest on Tuesday May 26th 2020. The 55 year old political leader known as Arumugan and Thonda would have celebrated his 56th birthday on May 29th but fate decreed otherwise. Arumugan Thondaman had an accidental fall… Continue reading "When Arumugan Thondaman Clashed With Mahinda Rajapaksa."

The Ambassador said that the US Justice Department has announced a full criminal investigation into the circumstances of Floyd’s death. She also noted that since the end of the US civil war more than 150 years ago, the US has confronted a legacy of racism. Nonetheless, she said Americans continue, despite setbacks, to build the “more perfect union” envisioned by… Continue reading "US envoy to Sri Lanka asserts accountability a must over Floyd killing"

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed alarm at the clampdown on freedom of expression in parts of the Asia-Pacific, including in Sri Lanka, during the COVID-19 crisis, saying any actions taken to stop the spread of false information must be proportionate. She said that in Sri Lanka, the Acting Inspector General of Police threatened to arrest anyone who… Continue reading "UN human rights chief raises concerns on Sri Lanka"

Says rift between UNP and SBJ will be added advantage Rift with UNP began with bond scam PCOI Says 19A has mixed outcomes, wishes powers of independent commissions were better defined Reiterates 19A creating three leaders made governance more complicated By Nuwan Senarathna Former President Maithripala Sirisena was yesterday optimistic of winning more seats at the upcoming Parliamentary Elections due… Continue reading "Sirisena confident of sweeping polls"

By Saman Indrajith Former Prime Minister and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said that he knew the Supreme Court would dismiss fundamental rights violation petitions challenging the date of the election and that was the reason why the UNP had not resorted to legal action. Wickremesinghe said that both the TNA and the JVP had been aware of the situation… Continue reading "Ranil says SC decision came as no surprise, laughs at SJB"

By Minoli Ediriweera – Minoli Ediriweera Have you ever thought about why racism is unhealthy? As a Sri Lankan living in the United States, I found that it was a common topic of discussion in the classroom. We spent hours learning about the Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I have a dream” speech and studying riots caused by the civil rights movement in the… Continue reading "Doctors often chose to treat whites over blacks who needed more attention."

The Sri Lankan President has promoted to Major General, former military intelligence director, Tuan Suresh Sallay, who allegedly forced a Tamil doctor in custody in 2009 to give false testimony by denying him medical treatment and threatening him. Dr. Thurairajah Varatharajah was a government doctor who served in the war zone in 2009 and was then detained for approximately 100 days… Continue reading "President appointed Prasanna de Alwis as the new Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, who is another close ally of the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa also alleged to be complicit in torture."

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to appoint a presidential task force “to build a secure country, disciplined, virtuous and lawful society” signals a major shift towards authoritarian leadership on June 2, 2020, the very day that a constitutionally mandated deadline lapses for the convening of Parliament, legal and political observers noted. With the Supreme Court decision on June 2, 2020 paving the way for… Continue reading "Gota’s Junta Consolidates After SC Ruling: Task Force For Disciplined Society Ready For Action"

We saw the huge crowds that had gathered at his residence to pay their last respects showing scant regard to physical distancing and the wearing of face masks while some of those wearing them having the masks round their necks. We even saw the Prime Minister disregarding the often repeated health guidelines by embracing the late minister’s son prompting many… Continue reading "Let’s get set for elections"

This was probably because Thondaman was a politician and not a trade union activist One occasion when Thondaman showed his prowess was when he crushed a rebellion with the congress Thondaman had a bigger role to play than sticking merely with the Tamil Estate labourers’ salary issue The death of Minister Arumugam Thondaman (56) a few days ago is sure to affect the struggle… Continue reading "Arumugam Thondaman A struggle left incomplete"

Sri Lanka has been inundated with requests to open Special Deposit Accounts (SDAs) declared by the government in April with everyone from foreign monthly wage earners to high net worth individuals cashing in, in a mad rush to invest. Many bankers are hoping that this won’t be a funnel for inventive black money moguls to pump in fresh sums into… Continue reading "Rush for “no questions-asked” foreign exchange deposits"

Member of the Election Commission (EC) Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole said he was unaware as to why the Government Printer had been instructed to print ballot papers. “Since there was no clear date set for the election, I feel it is a bit premature to order the printing of ballot papers. What if the nominations are cancelled and need to be… Continue reading "Order to print ballot papers: Hoole perplexed"

Senior Officer of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) revealed Zahran Hashim’s list of reasons for choosing Sri Lanka as the location of the attack, to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing the bombings that took place on Easter Sunday 2019. Some of the reasons cited, in previously unreleased video footage of the bombers, was revenge for the Christchurch mosque shooting… Continue reading "Zahran’s rationale behind Easter attacks revealed"

A headline in a newspaper of May 23rd quoted the Prime Minister as having said, “President and Cabinet can efficiently manage the country without parliament” (Daily Mirror May 23, 2020). The President has stated, and has been quoted many times in the media, as saying that he will not in any circumstances re-summon the dissolved ‘old” Parliament. Both the President… Continue reading "General Elections 2020: A Defining Moment for Sri Lanka Friday Forum"

Says STF will be in high demand in countering drug mafia Says the STF has a greater responsibility in countering radicalized religious extremist groups Commends the sacrifices made by STF troops during the war against LTTE terrorism Defence Secretary Maj.Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said the Special Task Force (STF) has a major role to play in countering extremism and organised… Continue reading "STF has a major role in countering extremism and combating organised crimes – Defence Secretary"

Recently the Colombo Telegraph exposed how a Rs 700,000 personal air ticket bonanza was given to Sri Lanka’s current High Commissioner in London, courtesy tax payers by Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha. Saroja Sirisena Colombo Telegraph can now reveal that the actual financial ‘gifts’ to Saroja Sirisena from Aryasinha is in the range of at least 13 million rupees and were billed to the Lankan tax-payer… Continue reading "Sirisena’s 13 million rupee medical procedure who has access to free healthcare at the UK NHS."

A six day funeral for CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman, the SLPP aligned upcountry politico has sparked outrage with thousands of people violating curfew and flouting social distancing regulations in the Hill Country and Colombo to pay respects with the police turning a blind eye to the fiasco. According to official police figures more than 65,000 people have been arrested throughout the… Continue reading "Gota’s ‘One Country One Law’ Doctrine In Shambles"

The head of Sri Lanka’s army, who is currently barred from travel to the US over his role in overseeing war crimes, met with a Sinhala Buddhist monk who has repeatedly spread hate speech and was caught on camera assaulting a Christian man, as he visited the Eastern Province last week. Shavendra Silva, the former head of the army’s 58… Continue reading "Sri Lankan war criminal meets racist Buddhist monk"

Responding to reports that 36 Sri Lankan workers were stranded at Bucharest Airport in Romania, the Sri Lankan envoy to Romania said the situation had arisen as most of the employees had refused to go back to their workplace. Sri Lankan Ambassador to Romania accredited from Warsaw, Poland C.A.H.M Wijeratne said the workers had refused to report to work after… Continue reading "Embassy says SL workers refuse to report to work"

Has President Rajapaksa Appointed Defence Secretary Gen.Kamal Gunaratne as Head of Task Force to Implement “nationalistic” project to establish, through archaeological excavations, that the multi-ethnic Eastern province was once a Sinhala-Buddhist habitat ? By P.K.Balachandran Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to entrust the survey and preservation of archaeological sites in the ethnically-mixed Eastern Province to a Presidential Task Force… Continue reading "Gotha turning Eastern province to a Sinhala-Buddhist habitat ?"

The trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges has opened in Jerusalem, days after he began a new term in office. Mr Netanyahu, 70, is the first standing leader to face trial in the country’s history. He denies accusations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Arrived at the courthouse for a brief hearing, he said the… Continue reading "Israeli PM Netanyahu goes on corruption trial"

Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) leader Arumugam Thondaman passed away today. He was 55 years old. Thondaman, the Cabinet Minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development had been rushed to the Thalangama base hospital. Hospital sources said that Thondaman suffered a heart attack at his home and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Earlier in the day Thondaman… Continue reading "CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman passed away"

On the eleventh anniversary of the end of the war in Sri Lanka, the President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, intentionally promoted officers to the rank of Major General who should have been vetted and screened out of any official position, in accordance to Sri Lanka’s commitments under UN resolution 30/1 to security sector reform. “The choice of these individuals is a highly politicised… Continue reading "“The message to army officers – and diplomats – is if you go around the world insulting and threatening the Tamil diaspora you will be rewarded,”"