Category: Politics

April 8, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankans were voting Thursday in a parliamentary poll that is widely expected to see President Mahinda Rajapakse’s ruling party march to a comfortable win over the fractured opposition. For many Sri Lankans, it is the first parliamentary election in which they can vote without fear of Tamil Tiger violence […]

April 8, 2010 (AFP) – A shooting incident and reports of intimidation — mostly by ruling party supporters — marred Thursday’s parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka, independent election monitors said. The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) reported 160 incidents of poll-related violence during the first four hours of balloting across the country. A shoot-out […]

MERAK, April 7, 2010 (AFP) – Indonesia moved Wednesday to end a six-month stand-off with scores of Sri Lankan migrants who have refused to leave a rickety boat after they were intercepted trying to reach Australia. Foreign ministry official Sujatmiko said the 205 migrants camped at the port of Merak, Java island, since October were […]

April 7, 2010 (AFP) – South Asia is no stranger to political dynasties, and Thursday’s parliamentary polls in Sri Lanka could mark President Mahinda Rajapakse’s first step in securing a legacy for his own “first family”. Rajapakse, 64, has campaigned for his eldest son, Namal, who is contesting the election in the family’s home constituency […]

April 7, 2010 (AFP) – On the eve of Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections, the main opposition accused the ruling party Wednesday of campaign abuses and said it did not expect polling to be free and fair. The opposition United National Party (UNP) said President Mahinda Rajapakse’s administration had used state-owned vehicles and buildings for campaigning […]

April 6, 2010 (AFP) – A doctor who drew world attention to civilian deaths during the Sri Lankan army’s defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels last year is to contest polls this week for a party that backs the man behind the offensive. Veerakathipillai Shanmugarajah, 40, was detained following the army’s final victory over the Tigers […]

April 5, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, accused by critics of stifling dissent and persecuting the opposition, looks set to consolidate his hold on power in parliamentary elections this week. Rajapakse called Thursday’s vote two months ahead of schedule after his thumping re-election in January and his Freedom Alliance party is in […]

April 4, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka placed nearly 20,000 troops on alert to reinforce police as violence escalated ahead of parliamentary elections, a police spokesman said Sunday. Police said they had received 270 polls-related complaints and 200 people had been arrested. The private Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) reported 325 minor incidents of […]

April 3, 2010 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan woman taken into custody last month for writing books about her conversion to Islam from Buddhism is being investigated for possible links to Islamic extremists, police said Saturday. Last weekend, police said the woman, identified as Malini Perera, was taken into custody under tough emergency laws over […]

April 3, 2010 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan woman taken into custody last month for writing books about her conversion to Islam for Buddhism is being investigated for possible links to Islamic extremists, police said Saturday. Last weekend, police said the woman, identified as Malini Perera, was taken into custody under tough emergency laws over […]

JAFFNA, April 1, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse reached out on Thursday to the country’s ethnic minority Tamils as he made his first visit to their cultural heartland since his re-election. Rajapakse, on a trip to battle-scarred Jaffna, the former stronghold of separatist Tamil rebels in the island’s north, promised to work […]

March 29, 2010 (AFP) – The wife of Sri Lanka’s detained ex-army chief Monday accused authorities of preventing her husband from receiving vital medical treatment and said he could die in custody. Sarath Fonseka’s health had deteriorated since he was held at the naval headquarters in Colombo after his arrest on February 8 and was […]