Foreign diplomatic missions in Colombo had finalized various agreements with local NGOs running into millions of dollars, some of which might not have been in the best interests of the country, due to failure on the part of successive governments to effectively monitor such deals, Government sources said yesterday

These sources told The Island that in spite of severe criticism of some projects undertaken by NGOs, since 2002, there hadn’t been any initiative to inquire into what was going on.

“The BBS will take immediate steps to form a ‘Cane Force’ against those who act in a manner insulting to Buddhism during the Wesak season”.
Rev. Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thero (Lankadeepa – 17.5.2013)

Pro-democracy demonstrators protesting against the flawed Iranian Presidential Election of 2009 feared one enemy above all other – the Basij, Iran’s religious police. As the ‘Protectors’ of the values deemed valuable by Iran’s ruling Ayatollahs, Basij is generally occu

One should make no apologies to celebrate the victory over one of the most egregious terrorist groups that ever walked the earth.

On the sunny Saturday morning, tanks rolled on the Galle Face Green, Kafir interceptors flew overhead and the Navy gunboats paraded in the adjacent sea on the fourth anniversary of Victory Day. (One boat capsized, during the ceremonial preparations). Even months before that momentous feat in the Nandikadal Lagoon, the text book-styled annihilation of the Tamil Tigers looked like a mere wild fantasy.

The Sri Lankan government has commenced a campaign to promote the country ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo this November.

Secretary of the External Affairs Ministry Karunatilaka Amunugama said the government will also attend a meeting to be held at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London this week.

He has explained that Media Ministry Secretary Charitha Herath would be heading the publicity team in Sri Lanka while Sri Lankan High Commission missions overseas are also carrying o

Sri Lanka's Tamil National Alliance (TNA) says that the United States is looking into the progress made by the government following the resolution adopted at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March this year.

TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran has been quoted in the local media saying that US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michele J. Sison has met with TNA representatives last week to discuss the UNHRC resolution and see what progress has been made since it was adopted.

More than 20 alleged enforced disappearances were reported in Sri Lanka last year, the annual human rights report released today by the London based Amnesty International (AI) said.

The victims included political activists, business people and suspected criminals.

The report slammed Sri Lanka saying that Government officials and supporters harassed and threatened human rights defenders, journalists and members of the judiciary who spoke out about abuses of power or advocated human rights accountability.

The unfortunate reality is that the support of the Sinhalese
majority for the government’s celebrations will not be matched by any kind of equivalent support from the Tamil minority.

There have been weeklong rehearsals at Galle Face Green to prepare for the victory day celebrations of May 19. This is special to Sri Lanka. Not all countries would celebrate the end of a war that pits two armies representing two sections of their people as a victory. An example would be Canada which today is taking the lead in the

Jaffna Commander Maj. Gen. Hathurusinghe meets  UN representative Asekenye-Ooyu

Head of the United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Agnes Asekenye-Oonyu, on Tuesday flew to Palaly, where she discussed the issue with Security Forces Commander, Jaffna, Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe. Ms. Asekenye-Oonyu was accompanied by the deputy head of the mission, Mark Prasopa-Plaizier.  

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Krishnaswami Ramachandran was arrested on suspicion of his involvement in the bomb blast at Daladha Maligawa in 1998. He was tortured and the charges were based on the confession he was forced to give under duress.

In 2003 he was sentenced to death by the Kandy High Court. Ramachandran states that he was not given a fair trial. He further states that the trial was held in Sinhalese which is not his mother language and due to this he was unable to follow

It is reported that the CID has interrogated an activist of world famous “Fredric Newman Foundation” voluntary organization, Ms. Sagarika Delgoda yesterday (22) for 10 hours.The German funded organization had organized a workshop for MPs and the interrogations were based on the accusations made by the media calling it a conspiracy to overthrow the Govt.

 However, UNP media head MP Mangala Samaraweera said in a media meeting yesterday (22) that this is the most recent incident the Govt has violated the article