The extrajudicial killing of civilians, surrendering soldiers and dissident journalists under the direction of the Sri Lankan government has been alleged by a former general in the Army who was extremely well-placed to comment on military activity during the island nation’s bloody civil war. The source, whose name is withheld for reasons of safety, had high-level ...

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Media organisations in Sri Lanka have urged the authorities to investigate all recent attacks on media personnel and institutions. The watchdogs say they will stage a protest on 25 January in Colombo against a series of attacks against media personnel in recent years. It will especially mark “Black January” during which many prominent media personnel ...

The newly elected president of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has once again has predicted that at least five years will be needed to resolve its financial crisis. Upali Dharmadasa, who was elected uncontested on 03 January, said the SLC will get a considerable amount of income from future tours of other Test playing nations by ...

I go to the trouble of writing to the Editor of The Sunday Leader because an aspect of Tissaranee Gunasekara’s journalism I have long admired has been her concern with exactitude. I am afraid, however, that her assertion that “the GMOA with 40 other institutions connected to the medical professions wrote  to the President… requesting ...

By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Nothing is closer to the law of the jungle than a system of distorted laws and procedures” Haaretz Editorial (2.1.2012) President Rajapaksa won the Eelam War, with the help of countless others (including the imprisoned Gen. Fonseka). In fairytales, the hero who saves a country from some deadly peril is rewarded with ...

Below is an interview with Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleke published in the French Diplomatic Review – La Lettre Diplomatique (The Diplomatic Letter) Two years after the end of a three decades conflict, the lifting of the emergency rule in late August 2011 confirmed the beginning of a new era for Sri Lanka. With the recent discovery of ...

BBC: Hoteliers in a popular tourist destination in Sri Lanka have accused a local politician of blackmailing them and demanding ransom from hotels at the peak of a tourism season. The Hikkaduwa Hoteliers Association (HHA) told BBC Sandeshaya that the town’s Mayor, Winnie Kariyawasam

Reuters: Asian factory output remained weak in December, with Chinese manufacturers narrowly avoiding contraction and South Korea’s industrial production shrinking the most in almost three years, while Europe data this week is expected to point to a recession. India, however, saw strong factory activity in December that defied recent weakness in Asia’s third-largest economy. Meanwhile,...

“…by clever and persevering use of propaganda, even heaven can be represented as  hell to the people, and conversely the most wretched life as paradise”. Hitler (Mein Kampf) By Tisaranee Gunasekara Impunity is illimitable.   If the law was allowed to take its normal course after the Kolonnawa mini-war, the Christmas Eve murder of a ...

More than 26,000 displaced people are yet to be allowed to resettle in their ancestral lands occupied by high security zones (HSZ) in Jaffna, according to Sri Lanka's main Tamil political party, the BBC reported.   The BBC reported that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has submitted a report

The BBC's Swaminathan Natarajan reports on escalating fears about a crackdown on media and political freedom in Sri Lanka.

Srilankamirror - The International Cricket Council (ICC) has said it is currently discussing with the international cricket players union to look for a solution to the non-payment of Sri Lanka player salaries. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has told the BBC Sinhala service in October that the players

Colombo is beefing up security ahead of the delivery of the verdict in the controversial white flag case against former army commander General Sarath Fonseka. While there are reports that a key witness against Fonseka has fled the country in fear on a Cathay Pacific Flight bound for Hong Kong, police have also moved in a ...

(Srilankamirror) - Silvio Berlusconi has resigned as prime minister of Italy, after dominating the country's politics for 17 years. President Giorgio Napolitano accepted his offer and is likely to appoint technocrat Mario Monti his successor. Mr Berlusconi lost his majority amid an acute debt crisis that threatens the eurozone. He promised to go once MPs had approved new austerity meas...

Following is the address delivered by Senior Minister for International Monetary Cooperation Dr. Sarath Amunugama at the fourth South Asia Economic Summit (SAES IV) Plenary Session: In the aftermath of the global economic crisis, there has been a noticeable shift in economic clout, moving from the USA and the debt-plagued countries of the Eurozone, to ...

During the Leaders’ Forum of the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference held on 26th October this year, Prof. Tissa Vitarana, Senior Minister for Scientific Affairs, made a statement based on the theme of the discussion “How does UNESCO contribute to building a culture of peace and to sustainable development”. Speaking at a plenary ...

The cabinet today approved a proposal to open diplomatic relations with the western African country of Mali.   The Cabinet proposal by External Affairs Minister G.L.Peiris said that the country is highly dependent on gold mining and agricultral exports for its revenue.   The BBC profile

OCTOBER 17, 2011: Status: Not Free Legal Environment: 23 Political Environment: 30 Economic Environment: 18 Total Score: 71 Despite the end of the government’s long-running war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group in May 2009, media freedom remained restricted in Sri Lanka, with journalists subject to myriad forms of legal harassment and physical intimidation. Altho...

Impunity lies at the heart of the Kolonnawa killings “A foul, dishonourable crew….” Giaccomo Leopardi (To Angelo Mai III) By Tisaranee Gunasekara In the Rajapaksa Security State, insecurity is the common condition of the rest of us… Impunity makes jungles out of civilised societies, where the big and the powerful prey on those smaller and ...

British defence secretary Liam Fox is facing renewed political pressure after emails and video footage emerged appearing to contradict his explanation of his working relationship with a close friend, Adam Werritty. BBC reports that video revealed Mr. Werritty, who has no official role

Party convention of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will be convened soon to discuss the current political turmoil. JVP leader Somawansa Amerasinghe admitted to the BBC Sinhala Service that there...

Party convention of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will be convened soon to discuss the current political turmoil. JVP leader Somawansa Amerasinghe admitted that there is an internal conflict in the party as reported by the media, BBC reports. .

Al Gore, the former vice president of America and environmental campaigner, tells the BBC about his latest efforts to reinvigorate global action

The plantation sector in Sri Lanka is “in turmoil” as a result of the recent hike in workers’ salaries, tea traders say. Jayantha Keragala, the chairman of Ceylon Tea Traders Association (CTTA) has told BBC Sandeshaya that the industry is not faced with an immediate crisis due

A son of Muammar Gaddafi, previously reported captured, made a surprise appearance with jubilant supporters in Tripoli overnight, urging loyalists to fight off rebels who say they control most of the Libyan capital. Saif al-Islam, seen as his father’s chosen successor, visited the Tripoli hotel where foreign journalists are staying to declare that the government ...

By S. V. Kirubaharan - in France Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.” — Julius Henry, Groucho Marx, American comedian and film star (1890-1977). When life is smooth and everything goes in the right direction, normal civilians can become President, Prime Minister ...

An effort made to harm the reputation of Sri Lanka using the Channel 4 documentary has failed. Sri Lanka was cleared of the allegations at a meeting held to raise awareness amongst all member countries of the UN regarding the Channel 4 documentary. The conspirators were made speechless by the answers offered by Sri Lanka. ...

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has sought financial help from the government and state banks. SLC treasurer Sujeewa Rajapakse told the BBC that the board has sought a grant from the two bodies. .

By Tisaranee Gunasekara Nazism offered….a society that had been scarred by deep divisions…a sense of lofty purpose, almost a national mission….” — Michael Burleigh (The Third Reich – A New History) Barring a last-minute judicial-intervention, the Rajapaksa plan to make ‘leadership training’ by army officers mandatory for all university-entrants will become a reality, this month. ...