Month: September 2020

As the Twentieth Amendment Bill is brought before Parliament – and challenged in the Supreme Court – there are two critical sets of questions we need to seriously consider. These are, firstly, how will the Bill once passed change the nature of Sri Lanka’s constitutional democracy, and secondly, does the government have a mandate to make these changes? There reflections… Continue reading "Some Reflections on the Twentieth Amendment Bill"

An operation has been launched to unite all Tamil MPs in the current parliament into one organization. Political sources say that discussions are underway regarding this. But Dougles, Pillayan, Viyalendran and Angajan Ramanathan, the first ever Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MP elected from the Jaffna electorate will not join and they will work for the Sinhalese and support the… Continue reading "‘Tamil MP’s who split and contested the election’ was the master piece of Rajapakshe!"

Former IGP Pujith Jayasundara testified for the third day yesterday (24) that the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter attack had yet to uncover many undisclosed facts. Accordingly, Jayasundera requested the Commission to find out who was the intelligence officer who went to meet the terrorist about half an hour before the bomb was detonated at the Dehiwala Tropical… Continue reading "Who was the intelligence officer who went to meet the terrorist half an hour before the Dehiwala blast?"

Former President Maithripala Sirisena has to take the sole responsibility of the coordinated terror attack that took place on April 21, 2019, and the tragic incident was a well planned attack, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara yesterday informed the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks. Testifying before the Commission Mr. Jayasundara added that after he had received the report about the April… Continue reading "Former President Maithripala Sirisena solely responsible for Easter Sunday carnage : IGP"

The ruling made by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene not to allow Akkilai Illangai Tamil Congress ( AITC) MP Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam to raise a question relating to holding a remembrance of late LTTE member Rajasuriya Patheepan (Thileepan) caused an uproar in Parliament today. The uproar began when Speaker said the MP cannot be allowed to raise the question as there was… Continue reading "Uproar in House over MP Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam’s question"

Party to compile report  Discussions will take place in next two weeks, will consider different opinions among party members  Says there is time to discuss and make decision Condemns all Easter Sunday attacks opinions targeted at former President Sirisena  By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) will decide its stance on the proposed 20th Amendment to the… Continue reading "SLFP admits 20A proposals require improvement"

By Yogan Yoganathan – If anything, the TNA may be blamed for resting on its laurels. The party was so sure that Tamils would march to their tune that they hardly campaigned for the vote at the last general election. They even engaged in backbiting. In bed with the UNP, they hardly challenged the UNP when it neglected the people. Party leaders… Continue reading "The TNA Wakes Up To Challenge Centralization & Autocracy"

(Washington D.C.; September 24, 2020) — PEARL is deeply concerned by reports that a Sri Lankan court has banned commemorations of Lt. Col. Thileepan, who died while conducting a hunger strike for Tamil rights in 1987. PEARL condemns the arrest, pursuant to the ban, of those involved in organizing remembrance activities and stands in solidarity with the protests planned in… Continue reading "PEARL condemns Sri Lanka’s latest assault on Tamils’ right to remember"

Following the report of UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Pablo de Greif, the UK Human Rights Counsellor, Matthew Forman, expressed ‘concern’ and ‘profound disappointment’  over Sri Lanka’s progression on transitional justice. In the statement, Forman reiterated the UK’s “profound disappointment” at Sri Lanka’s decision to withdraw support for resolution 30/1. Read… Continue reading "UK Human Rights Counsellor questions Sri Lanka’s ‘commitment to transitional justice’"

Former Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said today that the Opposition in Parliament is now playing the ‘race card’ like the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) did when it was in the Opposition earlier. In a Tweet, he also said that what Sri Lanka needs is an alternative vision and not a duplicate of the present regimes xenophobic and racist/majoritarian policies.… Continue reading "Opposition now playing ’race card’ like SLPP did earlier: Mangala"

The Actg. Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka at UN replying to the United Nations Special Rapporteur’s report during the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non- recurrence on 17 September 2020, said that the United Nations reports was “unacceptable” Madam President, As this Council is aware, in November last year, the… Continue reading "Not a reflection on the situation currently prevalent in Sri Lanka"

By Dr.Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Most importantly it set limits on the power of the president to dissolve parliament, removed his/her legal immunity and required that he consult with the prime minister before acting in a number of instances as well as that the President’s Office and that of the Prime Minister be audited by the Office of the Auditor General. Consultation… Continue reading "Should the 19th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution be tampered with?"

By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka I am proud that the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka, of which my father was the Founder-President, was one of nine media industry bodies/organisations to express “deep concern” over aspects of the 20th Amendment and their potential to “negatively impact Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions”. Mervyn de Silva would have endorsed the statement, had he lived. He founded… Continue reading "Sinhala society is building a Sinhala-Buddhist Sri Lanka"

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) appointed to probe the Easter Sunday terror attacks today issued stern warnings to former President Maithripala Sirisena and three others. The former President, his private Secretary and the three Auxiliary Bishops of Colombo were warned to refrain from making statements to media refusing remarks made by witnesses testifying before the Commisison. The PCoI yesterday issued… Continue reading "PCoI on Easter attacks warns Maithripala"

Democratic People’s Front and Tamil Progressive Alliance Leader  Mano Ganesan What is the Tamil Progressive Alliance’s (TPA) stance on the 20th Amendment? Before we go into the rest of your questions, let me establish the fact that the Tamil Progressive Alliance is now working closely with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), which is a political party that Sajith Premadasa, Patali Champika Ranawaka,… Continue reading "Debating draft 20th Amendment | Minority parties weigh in"

The 19th Amendment transformed the office of President, which was previously vested with absolute executive power, into a constitutional Head of State who was required to act on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Constitutional Council in respect of his constitutional functions. It also required the Cabinet of Ministers to be drawn only from among Members of Parliament.… Continue reading "The 20th Amendment Bill – Lest We Forget"

By Ameer Ali – Dr. Ameer Ali The rapid erosion of that historic image of Sri Lanka, as peaceful, beautiful, resourceful and tolerant multiethnic and multicultural island may said to have reached its nadir when thugs in saffron robes are allowed to roam around the country as Buddhist priests slapping priests from other faiths and beating and locking up government officers, while… Continue reading "Thugs In Saffron"

ECONOMYNEXT – The government is determined to follow procedure and not make any changes to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution before it reaches the Committee stage in Parliament, a highly placed source in the Prime Minister’s office said. “The legal process is that the proposal is gazetted and once approved by Cabinet it can be tabled before Parliament,” the… Continue reading "20 Amendment – the Government determined to stay the course"

By Gajalakshmi Paramasivam 24 September  2020 On 22 September, my media Energy took me to the Rediff article ‘India’s Dilemma in Sri Lanka’ by Dr Badrakumar. How I got there – I cannot remember. Why it came to me – I know through my own assessment of myself through my true Sri Lankan position. I accumulated Energy through the Hindu… Continue reading "19th Amendment is Rajepakshes protection from handing over Sri Lanka to the Chinese."

By Veluppillai Thangavelu – Veluppillai Thangavelu The whereabouts of thousands of persons missing after arrest by the armed forces during the war remain unresolved. The government continues to give the stock answer that there are no persons in custody and, therefore, presumed to be dead and not among the living. The mothers and relatives of the missing persons have been holding demonstrations and… Continue reading "Ghosts Of Mullivaikkal Will Continue To Haunt The Rajapaksas Till They Depart To The Other World!"

A controversial monk in Batticaloa threatened Government officials over a delay to demarcate archaeological reservation land in Chenkalady. The Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thero threatened officials of the Department of Archaeology yesterday (Monday) in the presence of the media saying their delay to demarcate the land has resulted in part of the land being acquired for cultivation. The Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana… Continue reading "Batticaloa monk threatens Government officials"

The clause relating to the dual citizenship which was introduced in the 19th Amendment should be retained in the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, Democratic Left Front (DLF) Leader Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara said today. He said he could not totally reject the 19A as there were several positive aspects in the 19A which could be retained. “Some aspects such as provisions… Continue reading "Clause on dual citizenship should be retained: Vasu"

While Attorney General Dappula de Livera said earlier this month that the draft of the 20th amendment could be passed in parliament and did not require a referendum, Sabry said that people’s opinions would be respected “at all costs.” “Separation of powers will be enshrined and the proposed amendment will be discussed at all levels before it is enacted,” he… Continue reading "Sri Lanka minister claims constitutional changes meet people’s aspirations"

Former defence secretary by Rathindra Kuruwita Former President Maithripala Sirisena has not allowed immediate action against the Sri Lankans who had returned after fighting for the Islamic State (IS) and extremist foreign preachers because he feared upsetting Muslim politicians, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, on Friday, told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks. Fernando told… Continue reading "Sirisena didn’t want immediate action against Muslim extremists for political expediency"

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that Sri Lanka expects that the United Nations will place due emphasis on non-interference in the domestic affairs of other states. The President expressed these views in a pre-recorded statement, at the High-Level Meeting to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations today (21). “At a time when the world is facing a common and… Continue reading "UN cannot interfere in domestic affairs of Sri Lanka says President Gotha."

Think of it as the Rajapaksa fairy tale. Mother Lanka is captured by the messy and wobbly monster called Democracy. The Rajapaksa brothers and sons rescue her by slaying the Democracy monster with the magic sword called 20th Amendment. Then they all live happily ever after. If anyone is still confused about the why and what of the 20th Amendment,… Continue reading "And Then They Ruled Happily Ever After?"

On September 16, media reports revealed that United Nations (UN) investigators had emphatically stated the government of Venezuela committed egrarious (outstandingly bad or shocking in normal parlance) Crimes Against Humanity. In a damning report quoted by the BBC, UN investigators said that cases of killings, torture, violence and disappearances were investigated in a fact-finding mission for the UN Human Rights… Continue reading "UNHRC: To be or not to be?"

Sometimes it is hard to believe that not even six years ago the late Venerable Sobitha Thera had given  fiery voice to the war cry ‘Down with the Executive Presidency,’ and had stirred, inspired and galvanised the people into battle to bring down President Mahinda Rajapaksa from his presidential throne and drag his draconian 18th Amendment to the dust. And… Continue reading "Did the people really vote for a constitutional one-man show?"

It is important to note that even in the 1940s the Tamil leadership had not taken the issue of Regional Councils and devolution of power to regions into their hands.  S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike offered a scheme of 60:40 as a basis of representation.  Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact, three decades prior to the 13th Amendment. The UNP, which took to the streets in opposing… Continue reading "Betrayal of Tamils by Sinhala governments continue…."

After the Rajapaksas’ win in the November 2019 presidential polls and the August 2020 general election, the spotlight has fallen on two key legislations in Sri Lanka’s Constitution. One, the 19th Amendment, that was passed in 2015 to curb powers of the Executive President, while strengthening Parliament and independent commissions. The Rajapaksa government has already drafted and gazetted the 20th… Continue reading "The 13th Amendment"

ECONOMYNEXT – The government is not in a position to fully accept the remarks made about Sri Lanka at the 45th sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this week, co-cabinet spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. Since the end of civil war in 2009 the UNHRC has been making false allegations about war crimes, he said, trying to… Continue reading "Sri Lanka not in a position to “fully accept” UNHRC remarks: Keheliya"

Rita French, the UK International Ambassador, speaking on behalf of the Core Group, which includes the UK, Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, and Montenegro on 15 September 2020, reiterated the group’s ‘profound disappointment’ over Sri Lanka’s withdrawal from UN Resolution 30/1 and expressed skepticism over the ‘new domestic process’ for addressing issues of reconciliation. The statement also raised concerns over the… Continue reading "Core Group pays tribute to the people of Sri Lanka"