13 petitioners presented affidavits when the hearing regarding the Matale mass grave was heard in Matale magistrates court today (8th). They asked through affidavits to carry out a test regarding the skeletal remains unearthed from Matale mass graves as they suspect the skeletal remains could be their relatives who disappeared during the 88 – 89 period.

Magistrate Ms. Chathurika Silva said the 13 petitioners would be accepted as parties to the case. She also ordered the CID to record statement from the 13 petitioners. A

Police are looking for two unidentified persons for kidnapping a Sri Lankan housemaid and robbing her money (KD 200) and cell phone in Kuwait, reports Al-Shahed daily.

The incident happened in Al-Rowdah. According to the victim’s narration, the men forced her into their car and demanded KD 500 to release her.

The maid reportedly asked the kidnappers to allow her to go to her sponsor’s home to get the money and as soon as she reached the house, she saw the driver working for the same sponsor.

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 In the wake of Faculty Board refusing to admit nine fee paying students to the Peradeniya Medical Faculty, lecturers have asked the Higher Education Ministry to stop the controversial move and ensure that students are admitted only in keeping with the University Grants Commission criteria.

Addressing a media conference at the Colombo University Faculty Club, President of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations, Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said that the government had already planned to admit fee paying

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday in parliament, demanded to know from the Government whether the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act would continue to be used to suppress opposition politicians.

Making a special statement, on the arrest of National Unity Alliance General Secretary Azath Salley, the Opposition Leader said that the present conduct of the government raises serious questions. "The conclusion we can arrive at through this conduct is that the government is abusing the Prevention of Ter

The Tamil Diaspora is a diverse ethnic group. Amongst it, the majority are strongly connected to their kith and kin in the island of Sri Lanka.

Arguably, the Tamil Diaspora is also a very powerful body. It reflects the aspirations and the grievances of the Tamil people in the island of Sri Lanka who continue to live under severe suppression, in an open prison. Considering the Sri Lankan state’s oppression of the Tamil people on the ground, the interaction between them and the Tamil Diaspora, though invisible, is very ef

If Azath Salley is a terrorist in the making – a terrorist who has to be pre-empted by recourse to detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act – or a promoter of fanatical, fundamentalist ethno-religious hatred, he comes with the strangest of profiles.

Salley cruelly tossed about

Far from being born into and raised in anything like a backward, fundamentalist with a religiously fanatical background, his father was a Communist (as comrade D.E.W. Gunasekara could confirm) who later became a Maoist

The Queen will miss the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting for the first time since 1973, Sky News has learned.

Sources say Prince Charles is set to be announced as the member of the royal family to attend the meeting on her behalf in Sri Lanka later this year.

It is unclear why the Queen, who is the Head of the Commonwealth, has chosen not to attend, but many will see the decision as part of a move to transfer some responsibilities to her heir.

Former Colombo Deputy Mayor and Founder Leader of the National Unity Front Azath Salley is currently held at the Police CID Fourth floor headquarters in Fort on a detention order for 90 days issued under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

When Azath Salley was arrested on Thursday May 2nd the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) Director General Lakshman Hulugalle was reported by the State controlled “Daily News” newspaper as saying that he was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Departm

Top economist Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy has been appointed Consultant to the Government to work on substantive issues on the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Colombo in November this year.

Dr. Coomaraswamy has been hired by the Commonwealth Secretariat to perform this role, and as per the arrangements made by the Secretariat, will be required to work closely with senior Government officials at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. The Commonwealth Secretariat traditionally attaches its

General Secretary of the Commonwealth has had a meeting with the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission on promoting human rights in Sri Lanka.

Commissioner of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission Dr. Prathiba Mahanamahewa says that under this discussion, a special human rights programme will be implemented aiming the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.