Source: BBC – Pic – Reuters Excerpts of a letter by Gen Sarath Fonseka to Sri Lanka’s Elections Commission, following his defeat in the presidential poll. The letter has been translated from Sinhala. “Dear commissioner of elections. Before and after handing over the nomination papers, President Rajapaksa’s election campaign has made great use of state […]
Source: BBC President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been declared the winner of Sri Lanka’s presidential poll but the outcome was immediately rejected by his challenger. Gen Sarath Fonseka promised a legal challenge to the outcome of the ballot, the first since Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated after 25 years of civil war. The Elections Commission declared […]
Source: BBC President Mahinda Rajapaksa has won Sri Lanka’s first election since Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated after 25 years of civil war, state TV reports. Although the final results are yet to be declared, Mr Rajapaksa appears to have won more than half the votes cast. About 100 armed troops have surrounded the Colombo […]
Source: The New york Times – By LYDIA POLGREEN COLOMBO, Sri Lanka —As voters streamed to the polls on Tuesday in Sri Lanka’s first election since the defeat of the Tamil Tiger insurgency, the Tamil vote has emerged as the bloc that could decide the winner. The incumbent president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, had hoped for an […]
Source: AFP COLOMBO (AFP) – At least four explosions were heard in Sri Lanka’s ethnic Tamil heartland of Jaffna ahead of Tuesday’s crucial presidential vote, an independent election monitor told AFP. Residents in the northern peninsula counted the pre-dawn blasts, but the source of the explosions was unclear, said Sunil Jayasekara, a monitor for the […]
Source: Lanka Truth Under the present Rajapakse regime the SLFP is being dragged on an undemocratic path that leads to family domination says former President Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaratunga. Ms. Kumaratunga said this to the media after the special discussion she had with the political Common Candidate Gen. Sarath Fonseka today. […]
Onlanka News – By Janaka Alahapperuma The Chief Incumbent of the Birminham Buddhist Vihara, the President of the Midlands Buddhist Association in the UK, the President of the Buddhist Relief Organisation (IBRO) attached to the United Nations (UN) and the Vice President of the Sri Lankan Sangha Sabha of the UK, Venerable Dr. Witharandeniye Kassapa […]
Source: Lanka Truth The noble task of defending sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Motherland he has undertaken cannot be defeated by an army coup or any other conspiracy says apolitical Common Candidate Gen. Sarath Fonseka. He said this at the final press conference he held before the presidential election. Leader of UNF Ranil Wickremasinghe, […]
The last day of campaigning is underway, ahead of Sri Lanka’s Presidential election. President Mahinda Rajapakse and his rival, former army chief General Sarath Fonseca will hold their final rallies later today. Both candidates are confident of victory in the bitterly fought contest. The campaign has been marred by more than 700 violent incidents, including […]
Colombo, Jan 22 (PTI) Sri Lanka today announced to donate 1000 kilogrammes of tea for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti that hit the Caribbean nation on January 12. This donation is in addition to the financial pledge of USD 25,000 made by the Government soon after the news of the earthquake, an official […]
AFP – by Amal Jayasinghe COLOMBO (AFP) – A key opposition activist in Sri Lanka was targeted at home by a bomb attack Friday as violence escalated ahead of next week’s presidential election. The pre-dawn blast destroyed a car and severely damaged the home of Tiran Alles, a wealthy businessman and key ally of the […]
Press TV – A campaign poster for presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka. Sri Lanka’s opposition says it fears the president might use the military to remain in power if he is defeated in next week’s elections. The opposition candidate, Sarath Fonseka, said on Thursday that the government was preparing the ground to hold on to power. […]
Photo: Amantha Perera/IRIN (IRIN) – Concerns are rising that Sri Lanka’s presidential election will be undermined after the deaths of four people in a spate of campaign-related violence in the past week, say election monitors. The incumbent, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is facing an unexpectedly strong challenge from his former army chief, Sarath Fonseka, raising tensions […]
Lanka E News The Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake at a meeting today (19) with the political party secretaries and representatives said, as the State media are not abiding by his orders, and undue pressures are being brought on the competent authority appointed by him, he had relieved the competent authority of his duties with effect […]
Reuters – Melanie Lee and Chris Buckley SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) – Google has postponed the launch of two mobile phones in China which use its Android platform, in the first sign its business in the country is starting to be affected by a dispute over hacking and censorship. The manufacturers of the telephone, which was scheduled […]
Two people have been killed in separate attacks in Sri Lanka ahead of a presidential election next week, officials say. A supporter of opposition candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka was killed in a clash involving ruling party activists in the north-western town of Waryiapola. Later, a ruling party supporter was killed in a nearby town when […]