Tag: lbo

April 11, 2010 (AFP) – It seems Sri Lanka’s president, Mahinda Rajapakse, just can’t stop winning. His ruling party’s landslide triumph in parliamentary elections this week capped a trio of historic victories following the military defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels a year ago, and a thumping presidential re-election win in January. Now with his ruling […]

Apr 10, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother Basil pulled in 425,861 ‘preferences’ from voters becoming a top draw in a parliamentary poll that also saw an army general, popular cricketers and a television star elected. Sri Lanka’s former military chief Sarath Fonseka now facing a court martial after running for presidential […]

SYDNEY, April 10, 2010 (AFP) – Australia’s decision to temporarily block asylum-seekers from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka could face a legal challenge, lawyers said Saturday. On Friday, Canberra announced it would immediately stop taking fresh applications from asylum-seekers from those two countries, as it attempts to thwart people smuggling operations. But the Australian Lawyers Alliance […]

April 10, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party on Saturday celebrated its landslide victory in the country’s first peacetime parliamentary polls since crushing separatist Tamil rebels, but the opposition cried foul. Government supporters carried national flags as they paraded through the streets and lit firecrackers, despite an official week-long ban on public celebrations. President […]

April 9, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party is running well ahead of the fractured opposition, early results showed Friday, in a vote marked by record low turnout and reports of violence and voter intimidation. President Mahinda Rajapakse’s United People’s Freedom Alliance was leading in 21 out of 28 polling divisions declared so far […]

April 9, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party claimed victory Friday in parliamentary polls, as counting showed them well ahead after a ballot marked by record low turnout and reports of voter intimidation. With more than a fifth of ballots counted, President Mahinda Rajapakse’s United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) had secured 62. 1 percent […]

April 09, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party claimed victory Friday as results showed a sweeping victory though re-polling in two districts over poll violence and voter intimidation will delay the official result. The ruling party is tipped to get more than 125 seats in the 225 seat legislature though it may be short […]

GENEVA, April 9, 2010 (AFP) – The UN refugee agency revealed on Friday that it is reviewing the handling of Afghan and Sri Lankan refugees after Australia suspended asylum applications from those states. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) declined however to make a “judgment” on Australia’s move to stop accepting new asylum seekers […]

April 9, 2010 (AFP) – Veteran cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya and Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga have won seats in parliament, a local official said Friday. Ranatunga represented the opposition Democratic National Alliance and secured 27,792 votes to enter parliament. He joined politics after retiring from cricket. Jayasuriya contested Thursday’s polls for […]

April 9, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday his party’s resounding parliamentary victory was a vote of confidence in his socialist economic policies. The president, who was not a candidate at Thursday’s vote, said the landslide for his United People’s Freedom Alliance was a vote for his economic and social vision […]

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 […]