Tag: politics

OLOMBO, June 16, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse pledged Sunday to proceed with the first-ever provincial polls in the island’s former war zone but his government said the powers of the elected council will be clipped.The councils were established in line with an agreement with neighbouring India, which promised to rein in […]

June 07, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s businesses had been warned on the future effects on liberty in the island following attempts to impose fresh controls on the media through a ‘code of ethics’. Government officials have said it does not amount to a new law but critics say the island has a history of […]

COLOMBO, May 28, 2013 (AFP) – The UN human rights chief has been invited to Sri Lanka in August, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, months after Colombo reacted angrily to her request for a war crimes probe.The High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has been invited to the country as part of Colombo’s “continued, […]

May 27, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa has begun a state visit to China meeting top leaders on wide ranging issues including economic, international affairs and defence, his office in Colombo said. President Rajapaksa will also attend inaugural ceremonies of the Global Service Forum Beijing Summit and the 2013 International Conference of […]

COLOMBO, May 26, 2013 (AFP) – About 200 Sri Lankan Buddhists blocked traffic in the capital Colombo on Sunday to protest after authorities rejected a state funeral for the country’s first ever monk to self-immolate.More than 110 Tibetan Buddhists have set themselves ablaze since 2009 to protest China’s rule of the Tibetan plateau, rights groups […]

May 25, 2013 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan Buddhist monk died Saturday of severe burns a day after setting himself on fire to protest the slaughter of cattle, an official said.Bowatte Indaratna, 30, succumbed to his injuries at the National Hospital in Colombo where he was rushed Friday after his self-immolation bid in front of […]

May 25, 2013 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan monk was fighting for his life Saturday, a day after setting himself on fire to protest the slaughter of cattle, an official said. Bowatte Indaratna, 30, was flown to the main National Hospital in Colombo from the pilgrim town of Kandy where he doused himself with gasoline […]

May 24, 2013 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan monk set himself on fire on Friday to protest the slaughter of cattle, in the country’s first attempt at self-immolation by a monk, police said.More than 110 Tibetans have set themselves alight since 2009, with most dying of their injuries, in demonstrations against what they view as […]

May 23, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will not buy new limousines for the Commonwealth summit in Colombo and instead visiting heads of government will travel in cars taken on loan from ministries and departments, cabinet spokesman Anura Yapa said today.The minister denied reports that the government planned to import a dozen brand-new Rolls Royce […]

COLOMBO, May 18, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition Tamil party Saturday defied a military ban and staged a commemoration of their war dead as the government celebrated the fourth anniversary of defeating Tamil Tiger rebels.The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said it staged the remembrance in the northern town of Vavuniya for those who […]

May 13, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has been invited to invest in textile plants in Uganda an exporter of cotton, where the companies from the island are already building mini hydro plants, during a state visit by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.Talks with Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni had focused on agriculture, energy and trade, Sri Lanka’s […]

May 11, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa has begun a four day trip to Uganda arriving at Entebbe International Airport accompanied by a business delegation, his office said. President Rajapaksa is due to have talks with President Yoweri Museveni, and attend a Commonwealth conference on local government. He will also visit a […]