Category: Interviews

38-year-old Saraswathi wakes at 5.30 am to send her children to school before she heads to work.  In this video, produced by Selvaraja Rajasegar of Maatram, she readies her children for school, in doing so addressing issues highlighting the obstacles to education that the Malaiyaha Tamil community is faced with.  Parents often find it difficult to provide the meals required for children under the government’s… Continue reading "A Day in Saraswathi’s Life (VIDEO)"

A fund to enable rehabilitated LTTE combatants to begin afresh consequent to their social re-integration will be established. Rehabilitation, Resettlement, Northern Development and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister Douglas Devananda, on his recent tour in the Jaffna district said he will take action to help former LTTE combatants in their social integration. Under the state rehabilitation programme, close to 13,000 former… Continue reading "Fund to help ex-combatants integrate into society"

Mahinda have already started to fool the Plantation workers by not keeping to his promise to increase the basic wages to 1000 Rupees (£5) per day. Minister of Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development  Arumugam Thondaman urged the plantation workers to call off the 7 November protest stating that newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed him… Continue reading "Mahinda tells Thonda NO to promised basic wage Rs 1000"

Wimal Weerawansa Says Indian National Suspected of Being Involved in Assassination Plot is an Operative of the Indian Espionage Agency Research and Analysis Wing, Named Rajendrakumar Bearing RAW ID Card No – RB317217/VJ.   By Kalathma Jayawardhane The Joint Opposition (JO) today said the Indian national, who claimed of a plot to assassinate President Maithripala Sirisena, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and… Continue reading "Wimal Weerawansa Says Indian National Suspected of Being Involved in Assassination Plot is an Operative of the Indian Espionage Agency Research and Analysis Wing, Named Rajendrakumar Bearing RAW ID Card No – RB317217/VJ."

Police Tell Courts That Former Navy Chief Wasanta Karannagoda Knew About Abduction and Murder of 11 Youths by Navy Personnel and is Allegedly Suppressing Evidence. The investigation into the abduction and the murder of 11 children has taken a new turn with fresh evidence showing the involvement of former navy chief Wasantha Karannagoda, a magistrate has been told. Criminal investigators… Continue reading "Former Navy Chief Wasanta Karannagoda Knew About Abduction and Murder of 11 Youths by Navy Personnel"

Mangala claims to have halted UN investigation and saved RajapaksaFinance minister Mangala Samaraweera claimed his government was able to halt a United Nations investigation into human rights violations committed by the military and saved former president Mahinda Rajapaksa from facing trial at an international tribunal – Tamil Guardian.Sri Lanka’s police chief pulls out of controversial visit to ScotlandA controversial visit to… Continue reading "Sri Lanka News Update 05 October 2018"

This is the only OP ED that matters and firmly sets out the course Her Majesty’s Government will plot at the March 2019 UNHRC session, while many light weight diaspora media actors and impotent Tamil politicians in Sri Lanka publish poorly written articles in their own name to attract attention.   Meanwhile those involved in working very closely with the… Continue reading "Why Does Reconciliation In Sri Lanka Matter To The UK?"

By Shamindra Ferdinando A furious Kurunegala District UNP MP Thushara Indunil Amarasena yesterday accused his party of not taking advantage of the much-hyped adjournment debate on Chinese funding in support of the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s 2015 re-election bid. Amarasena expressed deep disappointment over the way, his party allowed the Joint Opposition (JO) to force the Chair to call off… Continue reading "Debate on Chinese funding – Ranil and Maithiri trying to cover up the crime and save Mahinda, WHY?"

Northern Province Minister of Women’s Affairs, Ananthy Sasitharan, commenting on former State Minister of Women and Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran’s statement, said, “We must first consider curbing the escalating crimes against women and children in the North. These incidents have risen due to the increase in alcohol and drug consumption in the region. We should first consider these social issues… Continue reading "Violence against Northern children increasing – ananthy sasitharan"

Six-year-old raped and murdered in Jaffna. It led to an uncharacteristic public outburst by the Deputy Minister whose portfolio included protecting women and children. * Rape and murder of 18-year-old Sivaloganathan causing massive public outcry in Kilinochchi, Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Mullaitivu and Jaffna. The accused allegedly filmed the gang rape. * Seya Sadewmi was a four-year-old Sri Lankan child who… Continue reading "Revolt against rape"

By Shamindra Ferdinando Top constitutional lawyer Manohara de Silva, PC, yesterday said that the Attorney General could file an indictment in accordance with Article 157 A against State Minister for child affairs, Vijayakala Maheswaran. President’s Counsel De Silva said so when The Island asked him what action the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government could take against Maheswaran for call for the revival of… Continue reading "‘AG can be compelled to indict Vijayakala’ Call for reviving LTTE"

  By James Dauris  The recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London brought together leaders representing the interests of 2.4 billion people, nearly one third of the world’s population.  Sri Lanka is no stranger to CHOGM.  It hosted the meeting in 2013 and President Sirisena led the delegation to London this year. 46 Heads of Government, over 50 Ministers and 15,000… Continue reading "Towards a Common Future: a revitalised and relevant Commonwealth"

Among rural Sinhalas, the belief that former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was cheated out of a victory in the last presidential election held in January 2015 resonates strongly. Many even believe that Rajapaksa’s defeat was a conspiracy hatched by the western powers. Apparently, these voters were largely responsible for the victory of the political party backed by Rajapaksa in the local… Continue reading "Sri Lanka: The return of Rajapaksa"