WHAT'S HOT IN SRI LANKA

ARCHIVE FEBRUARY

NSLJA express concern on post election violence

2010-02-02

Jayalath Jayawardena reveals how Sarath Gunaratne rigged the poll in Negombo

2010-02-02

UNP parliamentarian Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena has revealed how the government ministers created the necessary environment to rig the Presidential poll by chasing away UNP members and organizers from the counting centers on election day.

Dr. Jayawardena says that after experiencing first hand the government terror unleashed at the counting centers he had lodged a complaint at the police post at the Teacher Training College in Paththala Gedara in the early hours of the morning.

JVP asked not to leave the opposition alliance

2010-02-02

JVP sources said the party leadership was under pressure not to leave the opposition alliance and to continue to fight for democracy together with the joint opposition alliance formed during the Presidential election.

The JVP at the outset of the Presidential election said that although party worked together with the UNF at the Presidential election, it would contest separately at the general election. The party in this backdrop has already commenced discussions with several political parties and organizations to form a separate alliance to contest the general election.

Jackson to contest from Gampaha District and Somaratne to enter parliament through national list

2010-02-02

Sources from the SLFP Headquarters said the President has agreed to allow Jackson Anthony contest the general election from the Gampaha District and to include Somaratne Dissanayake’s name in the national list.

Sources said Fisheries Minister Felix Perera has already objected to the decision to field Jackson Anthony from the Gampaha District at the next general election.

Tobacco Company in a quandary over enhanced revenue without increase in sales

2010-02-02

The Ceylon Tobacco Company’s explanation that the increase in its revenue was not due to an increase in cigarette sales has reportedly backfired.

The Company it is said has been faced with this predicament when trying to respond to a query by the government to show how it earned revenue without increasing its cigarette sales.

The Ceylon Tobacco Company, which is an affiliate of the British American Tobacco Company, has recorded an increase in revenue in 2009 in comparison to 2008 even under the government’s “Mathata Thitha” programme. The Company has recorded a 49% increase in revenue.

The Company has earned a revenue of Rs. 4.1 billion.

IDP children protest in Vavuniya requesting for schools

2010-02-02

Children and parents in IDP camps including displaced persons living outside IDP camps held a protest yesterday (1) outside the Additional Provincial Education Director’s office in Vavuniya requesting for a school for displaced children.
Education authorities earlier decided to stop the evening classes held for children in IDP camps and to allocate Gamini Maha Vidyalaya in Vavuniya to the displaced children from February 1.

The protest was held yesterday due to the inability of education authorities to make the necessary arrangements at Gamini Maha Vidyalaya for the displaced children to commence their education work from the 1st as decided earlier.

Sri Lankan lawyers in Australia take General Sarath Fonseka’s problems before the International Human Right Commission

2010-02-02

Sri Lankan lawyers residing in Australia are reportedly planning to take the harassment meted out against General Sarath Fonseka by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa before the International Human Rights Commission.

A lawyer from the group told Lanka News Web that a copy of the complaint has been handed over to the head of the international tribunal Hisashi Oveda.

14 Senior Army Officers are sent on Compulsory Leave - Charges : Supporting a conspiracy against the Government

2010-02-02

Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse has ordered to send senior Army Officers on compulsory leave with effect from yesterday (01st February 2010). The charge against these officers is aiding a conspiracy against the Government.

There are five officers in the rank of Major General, Five Brigadiers, Two Colonels and Lieutenant Colonels and two Captains among the group of officers who are sent on Compulsory Leave. This is the first time in the history of Sri Lankan Army, such a large number of officers are sent home in one go.

Sri Lanka: End post election clampdown on dissent - Amnesty International

2010-02-02

Amnesty International today called on the government of Sri Lanka to immediately end its crackdown on journalists, political activists and human rights defenders after last week’s presidential election.

Opposition supporters and journalists have been arrested, several prominent newspaper editors have received death threats and trade unionists and opposition supporters have been harassed following the election.

Marked Ballot Papers found in a Garbage Dump in Ratnapura

2010-02-02

Lanka News Web exclusively report the finding of a large heap of marked ballot papers favouring General Sarath Fonseka in a garbage dump near the Technical College in Ratnapura. UNP Member of Parliament Thalatha Athukorala reported this incident to our web site a few hours ago. She has found a large number of marked ballot papers being set on fire at this dump.

The best find in the catch is that more than 60% of the ballot papers taken into the MP’s hands are marked in favour of General Sarath Fonseka. All these ballot papers bear the signature and the official stamp of the officials who conducted the Presidential Election on the 26th January. It was also noted that the election officials have

CJA CONDEMNS TREATMENT OF JOURNALISTS IN SRI LANKA

2010-02-02

The Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) is deeply concerned at the disappearance of Sri Lankan journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda and appalled that Sri Lanka's 'democratic' government continues to persecute journalists for committing the 'sin' of criticizing the ruling party.

Ranil to be Prime Ministerial candidate and General to become Deputy Leader of UNF

2010-02-01

A senior UNP parliamentarian told Lanka News Web that the UNF leadership has decided to field UNF Leader and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the alliance at the general election and General Sarath Fonseka is to be appointed as the Deputy Leader of the UNF.

The parliamentarian said that although the General was asked in an unofficial level to join the UNP and accept the post of National Organizer, General Fonseka had expressed his desire to join the UNF with the party he contested the Presidential election, the New Democratic Front.

Massive rally on the 3rd against the fraudulent Presidential election

2010-02-01

The joint opposition has decided to hold a massive rally on the 3rd at 3 p.m. at Hyde Park in Colombo against the allegedly rigged Presidential election. The rally is being organized by opposition parties and members who supported Common Presidential Candidate General Sarath Fonseka.

A UNP parliamentarian said the rallies would also be held island wide as well. He said the Opposition Leader was also in the process of garnering the support of other political parties and organizations supportive of safeguarding democracy in the country for the planned protest campaign.

JVP to form new alliance to contest the general election

2010-02-01

JVP sources said the party was looking at forming a new political alliance headed by the JVP to contest the next general election and the party’s central committee is scheduled to meet shortly to make a final decision on the matter.

However, no decision has been made on the symbol of the alliance, which is expected to include many multi ethnic parties and intellectuals.

UNF appoints people’s commission to inquire into Basil’s poll rigging

2010-02-01

UNP sources said the Opposition Leader has decided to appoint a people’s commission to gather information about the alleged alteration of Presidential election results with the intervention of Basil Rajapaksa and to take the necessary legal action with the findings.

Sources said that most information related to the rigging of the polls has already been received. It is also being alleged that the help of several Indian IT and communications experts had also been sought to rig the polls.

The UNP is planning to inquire from the Elections Commissioner as to why the IT Department of the Colombo University was not used to enter election results into computers and why it was handed over to another company.

Post Election Challenge for Country

2010-02-01

President Mahinda Rajapaksa won a second term at the Presidential Election of Janumary 26 with an unexpectedly big majority although this election result has been called into question by the main opposition candidate, General Sarath Fonseka. The election results telecast by the state media as they stand demonstrate a schism in the thinking and expectations of the ethnic minorities and ethnic majority populations.

President Rajapaksa obtained a smaller proportion of votes in the North, East and central hills where Tamils and Muslims predominate and also in the capital city of Colombo where the proportion of Tamils and Muslims is high.

Sri Lanka’s Malays want more political space on the island

2010-02-01

In Sri Lanka’s ethnic cocoon, the minority Malay population is searching for more political space to voice their socio-economic rights.

An estimated 50,000 Malays, mostly descending from the Indonesian archipelago and southern Malaysia, are the minorities among the minorities in the country’s 20 million population.

In postwar Sri Lanka, the Malays are worried their social-political mobility would be stifled without proper political representation in the island’s multi-ethnic make-up, as a bulk are still in the economically-backward segment.

Wimal and Nil Balakaya preparing to control the opposition

2010-02-01

Wimal Weerawansa it is learnt has been assigned to justify the operation launched by the governing party to control the opposition after the presidential election.

Wimal has been given full access to state media to carry out this task.

The operation is said to have been launched due to the inability of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s supporters to control opposition supporters due to a directive issued by the IGP preventing political processions from taking place for a period of one week before the election.

The operation it is also learnt is also targeting the general election.

Over 64,000 British Tamils say yes to Tamil Eelam

2010-02-01

The British Tamil Diaspora overwhelmingly endorsed the principle of Tamil Eelam in two days of polling this weekend. With over 64,000 votes cast, over 99% voted in favour of an independent and separate state of Tamil Eelam.

British Tamils were asked if they endorsed the principles contained in the Vadukkoddai Resolution that was first put to a democratic mandate in 1977. In that historic election the Tamil polity in Sri Lanka voted overwhelmingly for an independent and sovereign state of Tamil Eelam in the traditional Tamil homelands.

Election result is the biggest ever unpatriotic crime – Bahu

2010-02-01

Common Left Candidate Vickramabahu Karunaratne called the declared result of the presidential election in Sri Lanka as the biggest ever betrayal of the country.

Addressing a media briefing in Colombo on Sunday, Dr. Vickramabahu said that the result has been manipulated using sophisticated computer technology to show the world that the Sinhala electorate is totally racist and against any agreement, while the Tamils are not prepared to work alongside the Sinhalese. He said that the spread of variance in the declared result appears unnatural.

MEDIA MATTERS: Time for an independent press?

2010-02-01

Take immediate action to stop post election violence – Tissa Attanayake

2010-02-01

UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake has requested the President to stop any attempt to harass and prevent employees attached to government departments, corporations and state media institutions from being engaged in their work as part of the post election violence that is being carried out in the country unabated.

In the letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Attanayake has alleged that pro opposition employees of government institutions such as Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority were to be prevented from reporting for work and were to be harassed in various ways when they report to work on the 1st after the weekend.

UNP Deputy Leader’s security removed

2010-02-01

The 18 strong security contingent provided to UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya has been reduced to four and his back up vehicles have also been withdrawn with immediate effect.

A source from the Opposition Leader’s office said that Jayasuriya played a key role in the opposition candidate’s election campaign by also expressing views to local and foreign media and has therefore earned the wrath of the governing party.

Former Chief Justice gets death threats

2010-02-01

Former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva who extended his support to Common Presidential Candidate General Sarath Fonseka is reportedly facing a threat to his security due to several anonymous death threats received by him over the telephone and several unidentified persons roaming around his residence.

It is also learnt that several government ministers have requested the former Chief Justice to go overseas for protection since the government has launched a campaign to destroy opposition activists with the help of various paramilitary groups.

Brigadier Manawadu who handled operation “Trans Asia” was punished by the General

2010-02-01

It was one Brigadier Manawadu who commanded the battalion of troops that surrounded the Cinnamon Lake Side Hotel, formerly the Trans Asia, where opposition political leaders stayed on the night of the election.

Brigadier Manawadu was punished by then Army Commander Sarath Fonseka for giving wrong orders to his troops in Mullaitivu during the Eelam War IV which resulted in the death of 117 soldiers. He was transferred to the Army Headquarters in Colombo as punishment by Fonseka. He had since then harbored anger towards Fonseka. The Defence Secretary, who was aware of this situation, had used the

Protecting Democracy Post-Election: An end to political violence and revenge

2010-02-01

A series of recent events connected to the presidential election last week give rise to extremely serious concerns about the state of democracy in Sri Lanka today. The campaign period, the election and its aftermath were marred by unprecedented disregard for the Constitution and the law, resulting in not only violence and large-scale abuse of public resources, but also in setting a number of disquieting precedents with regard to the respect for constitutional authority and democratic values.

ARCHIVE DECEMBER

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