Category: Politics

COLOMBO, June 18, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s parliament Wednesday rejected a UN-mandated investigation into alleged war crimes while crushing separatist Tamil rebels five years ago.Ruling party lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to resist a probe by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in line with a US-initiated censure move in March. […]

ALUTGAMA, June 18, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s police arrested 49 people overnight over deadly anti-Muslim riots in a tourist region where Buddhist hardliners have set shops and homes ablaze, a senior officer said Wednesday. Both Buddhists and Muslims were arrested during a police crackdown in the southern resort towns, where two nights of violence […]

June 16, 2014 (LBO) – The United States has condemned nationalist violence that has left at least three people dead and dozens injured with Muslim house and shops burnt. The statement is reproduced below: U S. Embassy Statement on Aluthgama & Beruwela Violence The U.S. Embassy condemns the violence that has spread over the weekend […]

ALUTGAMA, June 17, 2014 (AFP) – More deadly violence flared in a Sri Lankan coastal resort where Buddhist hardliners set shops and homes alight for a second night running in defiance of a curfew, police and residents said Tuesday.Amid mounting international concern at the unrest, residents of a town which has borne the brunt said […]

ALUTGAMA, June 16, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police extended a curfew in a popular tourist region Monday after at least 80 people were injured and dozens of Muslim-owned shops and homes torched when a Buddhist mob went on the rampage. Authorities said the curfew would stay in place for a second night running in […]

ALUTGAMA, June 16, 2014 (AFP) – Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in southern Sri Lanka has left three people dead and at least 78 others seriously wounded, the justice minister said Monday. Police fired teargas and imposed a curfew but were unable to prevent several dozen shops and homes being attacked. Both areas are popular […]

COLOMBO, June 11, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lankan media rights activists Wednesday accused the government of a new crackdown against reporters as the country faced a UN-led international war crimes probe. Dozens of pro-government supporters threatened violence and broke up an investigative journalism training workshop at the weekend, said Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) which […]

The outcome of LokSabha (lower house of the Indian Parliament) elections on May 16th was unexpected and unprecedented over the last three decades. The trend towards more fractured and fragmented outcomes has been reversed decisively. The third benefit for Sri Lanka from a Modi government will emerge from India reverting back to a high growth […]

COLOMBO, June 3, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse has ordered the release of 29 Indian fishermen held on poaching charges, officials said Tuesday, in a move to ease tensions over illegal fishing. Rajapakse on Tuesday asked for the latest batch of arrested fishermen to be released without trial although the navy had […]

MATARA, May 18, 2014 (AFP) – President Mahinda Rajapakse led celebrations at a major victory parade Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of the end of Sri Lanka’s Tamil separatist war, after banning commemorations for its victims.As the envoys of Western nations stayed away from the parade, a defiant Rajapakse insisted he would not bow […]