Tag: politics

February 9, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president Mahinda Rajapakse on Tuesday sacked the national parliament, clearing the way for a national election two months ahead of schedule, his spokesman said. Rajapakse, who secured 58 percent of the popular vote at the presidential election, has said he hoped to improve his hold on a new […]

February 6, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka faced criticism Saturday for extending a state of emergency giving sweeping powers to security forces to detain suspects ahead of parliamentary elections due by April. A private poll-monitoring body, the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections, said continuation of emergency rule could undermine the vote slated to […]

Feb 06, 2010 (LBO) – A Dutch fortress in Sri Lanka built to withstand solid shot artillery in colonial times but which was damaged by Tamil Tiger guns in a modern insurgency is to be conserved with aid from The Netherlands. Originally built by Portuguese colonial rulers in 1619, the fort was rebuilt and expanded […]

Feb 03, 2010 (LBO) – Results of Sri Lanka’s recently concluded presidential poll was clean, contrary to complaints of malpractices, but election campaigning was unfair, the head of the elections department said. “The campaign period – I’m not satisfied; the election results – I stand by it, elections commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake told reporters at a […]

February 2, 2010 (AFP) – Rights monitor Amnesty International urged Sri Lanka on Tuesday to end what it described as a post-presidential election “clampdown” on the media, political opponents and human rights activists. Pressure on government critics has been mounting since President Mahinda Rajapakse was re-elected on January 26, defeating his former army chief Sarath […]

January 31, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse on Sunday revoked an expulsion order against a Swiss reporter who covered the island’s fiercely fought election. A government spokesman said that “wrong information” had led to the immigration authorities ordering Karin Wenger, of Swiss Public Radio, to leave the country. The department of information […]

Jan 31, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s re-elected president Mahinda Rajapaksa will take oaths for his second term in Kandy when the country celebrates independence from British rule on February 04, a media report said. The Sunday Times newspaper quoting foreign employment minister Keheliya Rambukwella said president Rajapaksa has spoken of his decision at a […]

BRUSSELS, January 29, 2010 (AFP) – The European Union on Friday urged the Sri Lankan authorities to investigate reports of “irregularities” during the country’s recent election and ensure the safety of his defeated opponent. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse won a bruising re-election battle on Tuesday, but the result was rejected by his main opponent, […]

January 29, 2010 (AFP) – Poll monitors and human rights groups on Friday raised questions over elections that drove Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse back to power as his defeated rival demanded a fresh poll. The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission cited counting irregularities, as well as blatant misuse of state resources by Rajapakse, […]

SYDNEY, January 29, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka has not sought asylum from Australia, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said as he urged the government ensure the retired general’s safety. Australian media reported that Fonseka was considering seeking temporary asylum in Australia following his defeat in Tuesday’s polls, which the former […]

January 29, 2010 (AFP) – Police raided Friday the office of defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka as monitors and rights groups criticised the Sri Lankan election that returned President Mahinda Rajapakse to power. The Cinnamon Gardens quarter of Colombo, where Fonseka’s office is located, was cordoned off as dozens of commandos from the elite police […]

January 28, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankans opted for stability in their first post-war presidential poll, but analysts say the results underscored simmering ethnic tensions that could once again tear the country apart. President Mahinda Rajapakse was re-elected with a resounding 57. 9 percent of the vote on Tuesday despite vociferous local and foreign criticism […]