report in Daily News, Sept 30, 2023Former President Mahinda Rajapaska yesterday said that there should be a change in the leadership of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), if the need arises. When the former President was asked about the veracity of the news on social media about imminent change of the SLPP leadership, said that he is not aware of any change in the leadership. The President was speaking to the media after calling on…
Posts published in “Sri Lanka”
by Rhiannon Ingle in Lad Bible, Sept 29, 2023 at 10:19 hrs BST A British woman has been trapped in Sri Lanka for 13 months and is now left ‘out of hope’. Kayleigh Fraser, 35, from St Andrews, was visiting the country to study botanical medicine and began sharing videos online of the ‘Aragalaya’ (‘Struggle’ in Sinhalese) protests. Fraser, who had been living abroad for over a year, had her home on the South Asian…
by Sahan Tennekoon in The Daily Morning, Sept 29, 2023The increase in the number of Sri Lankan migrants who enter the Sultanate of Oman on visit and tourist visas has caused inconvenience to the procedures of the Sri Lankan diplomatic corps in Oman, The Daily Morning learns. In the wake of around 130 illegal migrant workers being stranded in Oman at the moment, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Sultanate of Oman, Ahamed Lebbe…
by Kelum Bandara in Daily Mirror, Sept 29, 2023China, more than any other country in the region or elsewhere, offers exchange programmes to the parliamentarians from Sri Lanka. In the previous Parliament, all 225 members were offered chances to undertake familiarisation tours to China and to engage with the Communist Party of China (CPC) as part of its international engagement. A fair number of MPs from the current Parliament has also travelled to China currently,…
By Shamindra Ferdinando in The Island, Sept 28, 2023Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on National Security, Rear Admiral (retd.) Sarath Weerasekera has told Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena that the US should not deny a visa to an MP nominated by the Sri Lankan Parliament to join an official delegation unless he/she posed a threat to US interests. In a letter dated 25 Sept., 2023, the former Public Security Minister has informed Speaker Abeywardena the…
By Prageeth Janaka in The Island, Sept 26, 2023Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has called on the government to ensure a credible, transparent investigation into the Easter Sunday terror attacks. He has said the need for an international probe could be avoided if the inquiry is carried out with integrity and devoid of political influence. Addressing the media during the golden jubilee celebration of St. Michael’s Church, at Embilipitiya, on Sunday (24), the Cardinal expressed…
by Kelum Bandara in Daily Mirror on line, Sept 26, 2023The U.S. Under Secretary Victoria Nuland, in her meeting with Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, is reported to have raised concerns about the upcoming visit of Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 6. Minister Sabry briefed her that Sri Lanka, as a neutral country, had worked out the Standard Operating Procedure (SPO) to be followed by foreign ships and aircraft in carrying out any activity in Sri…
by Shamindra Ferdinando in The Island, Sept 25, 2023Controversy surrounds an alleged suggestion by the US that Parliament name a member from a minority community to represent the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on National Security, as incumbent Chairman of the committee Rear Admiral (retd.) Sarath Weerasekera, MP, cannot be issued a visa in time for him to join a parliamentary delegation visiting Washington later next month. The National Democratic Institute (NDI) has, with USAID funding, organised…
by Buddhika Samaraweera in The Daily Morning, Sept 25, 2023The Catholic Church yesterday (24) stated that they do not intend to initiate fresh legal action based on the allegations made by the British-based broadcaster Channel 4 regarding the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019 in a recent documentary. However, the Church stated that they are resolute in their pursuit of a fresh and transparent investigation into the terror attacks which claimed the lives of 269…
report in Daily FT,, 23 September 2023The Lawyers’ Collective, a civil society group consisting of legal practitioners in Sri Lanka issued a statement yesterday condemning the recently proposed Anti-Terrorism and Online Safety Bills which were published through gazette announcements this year. The collective said the Government has failed to respond to the serious and fundamental concerns raised about the Anti- Terrorist Bill and adopt any transparent and accountable process through which the bills were explained,…