(Reuters) – United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay has accused Sri Lanka of “gross interference” in the judiciary, warning that its removal of the chief justice could jeopardise efforts to prosecute war crimes. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed a close ally as chief justice on Tuesday, two days after sacking the previous top […]
By Janaka Alahapperuma – Pix by: Chandana Perera President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared open the Dikkowita Fisheries Harbour constructed at a cost of 850 million rupees this morning on 18 January. It is reportedly the largest fisheries harbour in South Asia situated about 10 kilo metres north of the Capital, Colombo. […]
By Walter Jayawardhana Commenting on the impeachment of Dr. Shirani Bandaranayaka, the Wall Street Journal warned that it gives the United Kingdom and other members of the Commonwealth a small quantity of leverage to require that the President of Sri Lanka uphold the rule of law if he wants to sit among polite company at […]
(Reuters) – An Iranian-flagged cargo ship has fled Sri Lanka’s waters after weeks of detention by its navy, acting on a court order obtained by Germany’s DVB Bank (DVBG.F), officials and a lawyer acting for the bank said on Thursday. The Sri Lankan navy last week fired warning shots to prevent the MV Amina from […]
By Shenali Waduge To sufficiently address a global and local campaign that has as its clear objective to project Buddhists in Sri Lanka as extremists, chauvinistic and even militant is not easy and impossible given that the gavel has concluded its verdict. Then there is also the notion that the Sinhala Only was the […]
By Walter Jayawardhana – Pix by University of Buckingham Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, Director of the Buckingham Center for Astrobiology in the United kingdom will fly to Sri Lanka for obtaining further information of the Polonnaruwa Meteorite and meeting some Sri Lankan scientists for discussions over his team’s findings over this weekend. […]
By Janaka Alahapperuma – Pix by: Sudath Silva The National Thai Pongal Festival was held on a very grand scale under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa at the Temple Trees yesterday on 16 January. The celebration area was decorated with flowers and other colourful traditional decorative items and Kolam […]
By Walter Jayawardhana India’s influential newspaper the Hindu said in a hard hitting editorial that the Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has placed his and and his regime’s interest over that of the country and its institutions when the Sri Lankan Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayaka was impeached and replaced. […]
“I was forced to take to politics due to wrong decisions of the government. Former CJ Shirani Banadaranayake has also faced the same fate. I am ready to join hands with her to fight to protect democracy for the sake of the people and the country,” Democratic National Alliance leader Sarath Fonseka said, speaking to […]
By Walter Jayawardhana Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper said that Canada appeared to be one step closer to boycotting this year’s Commonwealth leaders’ summit Monday as Prime Minister Stephen Harper bluntly called on the Sri Lankan government to reinstate the country’s fired Chief Justice, Shirani Bandaranayaka. […]
By Walter Jayawardhana Expressing that there are serious questions about the health and future of Sri Lanka’s democracy over the impeachment of Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayaka the United States warned that any action that undermines an independent judiciary would impact on Sri Lanka’s ability to attract foreign investment. […]
JVP heavyweight Lal Kantha yesterday asserted that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government had suffered serious injuries, though it emerged victorious in its battle against Chief Justice, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake. Therefore, he, too, would not survive the crisis caused by the impeachment of Dr. Bandaranayake, Lal Kantha said. […]