Tag: politics

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, […]

April 19, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former army chief Sarath Fonseka appeared in the dock at a court martial on Monday for the first time since winning a parliamentary seat in elections earlier this month. Fonseka last year led the military to victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels but later fell out with President […]

LONDON, April 15, 2010 (AFP) – The BBC World Service announced Thursday the resumption of FM programming in Sri Lanka, 14 months after they were taken off air due to interference. World Service programmes in English, Sinhala and Tamil language, which had remained available on shortwave, will be reinstated on the SLBC national broadcaster, said […]

April 16, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s detained ex-army chief and opposition leader Sarath Fonseka is likely to be convicted early next week to prevent him appearing in parliament, his party said on Friday. Fonseka, who won a seat in parliament while in custody, is in custody in the capital Colombo and faces a court […]

April 15, 2010 (AFP) – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged Sri Lanka to respect human rights and heal its communal divisions as the island emerges from decades of ethnic bloodshed. In a message marking Sri Lanka’s New Year and released by the US embassy in Colombo on Thursday, Clinton said the government […]

April 13, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse Tuesday appealed for unity as the country prepared for its first traditional New Year after the end of a 37-year civil war. Rajapakse said he was seeking peace and reconciliation between his majority Sinhalese and the ethnic Tamil minority ahead of celebrations for Wednesday’s New […]

JAKARTA, April 12, 2010 (AFP) – Indonesia said Monday that Australia’s decision to stop processing asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will be “positive” for the region’s fight against trafficking. Foreign ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said the tough new policy, which has been condemned by rights watchdogs and refugee supporters, would have a direct […]

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 […]