Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne had not handed his resignation letter from the post before traveling to the US for medical treatment although Presidential Secretary had requested for it, a senior government minister said.
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UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa had telephone UNP parliamentarian Ashok Abeysinghe and said that he would fall at Ranil Wickremesinghe’s feet and ask for forgiveness and join him if Abeysinghe and several others continued to support and follow Sarath Fonseka. Premadasa had said that Wickremesinghe had not done any wrong to him and that he had got angry with him because of the others. He had noted that there would be no option for him but to go back to Wickremesinghe.
The President has decided to remove the Secretary of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), former Magistrate, Manjula Thilekaratne, who recently issued a controversial statement about the challenges faced by the Commission, a senior government minister said.
A private security company is engaged in setting up a floating armory in the seas off Galle, sources from the Navy headquarters said.
Avern Guard Offshore Services (Pvt) Ltd has requested for permission from the Defence Ministry to set up this armory. The company is owned by retired Army Major, Nishshanka Senadhipathi. During the tenure of the UNP government, the Major built close ties with government ministers and got contracts to provide security to state institutions. He had even provided security personnel working for him to attack university students at the time.
Rear Admiral Jayanath Sirikumara Colombage who is to assume duties as the Navy Commander on the 26th has been accused of adultery, sources from the Navy headquarters said.
Minister Basil Rajapaksa has told several ministers that former Chief Minister of the North Central Province Berty Premalal Dissanayake has overstepped his limit and that steps could be taken to send him to prison like Sarath Fonseka.
The President has decided to appoint Rear Admiral Jayanath Sirikumara Colomboage as the new Navy Commander, sources from the Navy said. Current Navy Commander Somathileka Dissanayake who is to retire from the service from the 26th has been promoted as Admiral.
A report filed by an independent researcher based on eye-witness accounts from twelve United Nations humanitarian workers during the last phases of war ending in May 2009 on the policies implemented by Colombo, leading to starvation, deprivation of medical supplies, indiscriminate bombings of hospitals and schools in violation of UN Security Council resolution 1612 amounting to war-crimes and crimes against humanity, accuses the United Nation's officials' inaction, failure to speak out and willingness to acquiesce with the Rajapakse government's rights violations and state sanctioned killings of tens of thousands of unarmed civilians.
The President has decided to limit the maximum term of a Chief Justice to five years, it is reliably learnt.
The President has told several of his advisors on the 22nd that it was not good for one person to hold such an important post like the Chief Justice for too long.
UPFA national list MP, actress, Malini Fonseka has told a journalist after handing her letter of resignation from parliament that it was the stubborn actions of Minister Basil Rajapaksa that had created a mess with regard to the chief ministerial post for the North Central Province.
The threats faced by the judiciary have come to the attention of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL). The BASL had held a meeting on the 22nd and had unanimously adopted several resolutions on the matter after a lengthy discussion.
Overview
In the six months since the Human Rights Council’s March 2012 resolution on “Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka”, the government of Sri Lanka has taken no meaningful steps to implement the resolution’s core requirements or otherwise address the country’s culture of impunity and deepening crisis of the rule of law.
The Free Media Movement of Sri Lanka has issued a press statement ( 20th Sep) condemning the death threats to one of its EX- CO member, journalist and web editor Mr. Janith Vipulaguna.
The President has decided to remove Major Chandana Pradeep Soorasena from the Army Intelligence Unit, who was assaulted by Minister Mervyn Silva’s son, Malaka and later came forward to save the ministerial son. The decision to remove has been made in order to cover the negative impact the incident has had on the government and the military.
The UNP leadership has laid down a condition to Sarath Fonseka that persons sacked from the UNP or facing disciplinary inquiries should not be taken in to his Democratic Party if he wanted to join a joint opposition alliance.
