Tag: lankabusinessonline

April 25, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka may scrap the state of emergency laws that gave sweeping powers to police and troops during the island’s long ethnic conflict with Tamil rebels, a newly appointed minister said Sunday. Peiris, who was appointed on Friday after recent parliamentary elections, said he wanted to address concerns from the […]

Apr 23, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa retained the finance and defence portfolios in a new cabinet appointed after parliamentary polls and added the ministries of ports, aviation and highways seen as critical in a post-war revival. A government statement said the cabinet consists of 37 ministers and 39 deputies, much smaller […]

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2010 (AFP) – The United States called on Sri Lanka’s new government Wednesday to use its mandate to pursue a “healing process” as the island recovers from decades of war. Sri Lanka’s new parliament is set to convene Thursday after Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s allies won just short of a sweeping […]

April 22, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s detained former army chief briefly emerged from custody Thursday to attend the opening of parliament and used the opportunity to launch an attack on President Mahinda Rajapakse. Sarath Fonseka last year led troops to victory over Tamil Tiger rebels after decades of ethnic conflict on the island, but […]

April 20, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party has won a near two-thirds majority in parliament at national polls, the elections commission said in final results announced Wednesday. The parliamentary election was held just two months after presidential polls in which more than 75 percent of the electorate cast their ballots. The two nationwide […]

Apr 21, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has won 144 seats just six seats short of a two thirds majority while the main opposition trailed with 60 seats, final results show. The ruling coalition won a re-poll yesterday in Kandy in central Sri Lanka and the […]

Apr 21, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party has appointed an economist and a banker to parliament while a minority party has appointed a lawyer experienced in commercial litigation. Tissa Vitharana and G L Pieris, former university professors, were re-appointed by the ruling United National Freedom Alliance. Both are ministers in […]

April 21, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, who cemented his grip on power Wednesday, is set to clash with his arch-rival former army chief Sarath Fonseka when the new parliament opens this week. Final results of parliamentary elections showed Rajapakse’s United People’s Freedom Alliance had secured 144 seats in the 225-member assembly […]

April 21, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party on Wednesday named plantations minister D. M. Jayaratne, a close ally of President Mahinda Rajapakse, as prime minister of the new parliament. The job of prime minister is largely ceremonial in Sri Lanka but, in the event of the president’s death, the holder would be expected […]

Apr 21, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party named its most senior member Disanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayaratne as the prime minister amid speculation that a cabinet of ministers that is now taking shape will be re-shuffled by year-end. Rajapaksa has pledged to trim the cabinet to about 35 ministers after running his previous administration with […]

Apr 22, 2010 (LBO) – A senior lawyer, M A Sumanthiran, practising in Sri Lanka’s supreme court, court of appeal and commercial high court and district courts in a variety of civil litigation is entering parliament as an appointed legislator. Sumanthiran is coming as a ‘national list’ or as an appointed member representing the minority […]

April 20, 2010 (AFP) – The court martial of Sri Lanka’s former army chief Sarath Fonseka was on Tuesday adjourned until after the opening of the country’s new parliament, in which he won a seat this month, officials said. The three-judge military court postponed the case until May 4 after a brief hearing on Tuesday, […]