Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Brendan O’Connor today announced another group of Sri Lankan irregular maritime arrivals were flown home from Christmas Island to Colombo.

The Australian High Commission in Colombo said that a group of 20 people were advised of their status and they were subject to removal from Australia as none of them raised issues that engaged Australia’s international obligations.

Without a valid visa they had no legal right to remain in Australia, the Australian Hig

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha urged Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to skip the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka from November 15 to 17, the New Indian Express reported

Addressing a hall meeting on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue in Chennai, Sinha said India was the pivot of the Commonwealth body. “If India does not go there, CHOGM cannot be held,” he said.

Two incidents of lawlessness and violence last week highlight a dangerous breakdown of the Rule of Law. The first was a mob attack on a political meeting of the opposition TNA in the northern town of Kilinochchi. Although the official security personnel assigned to protect the four MPs were all present in addition to local police, they did nothing to stop the mob that disrupted the meeting. The police are by law required to prevent any acts of violence which take place within their sight. The second incident was a mob attack on a clothin

Networking for Rights cautiously welcomes President Mahinda Rajapakse’s recent statement that his government will not tolerate racism and religious intolerance.

According to a report in The Hindu newspaper of March 31 this statement had been made by him at a religious gathering in Werehena. He had added “This is a democratic country with non-Buddhists having equal rights and freedoms. While we safeguard the rights of Buddhists, it is the responsibility of the Buddhists to be exemplary and protect the rights of othe

Pyongyang announced it had approved nuclear attack on the US , shortly after the US said it was preparing to deploy an advanced missile-defense system to Guam. Meanwhile there are reports that North Korea is moving a mid-range missile to its east coast. The reports by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency did not indicate whether the missile was mounted with a warhead.  It’s not yet clear whether Pyongyang was planning to fire the weapon, or was just displaying it as a show of force.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) University teachers’ Union is said to have lobbied the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa to get a candidate of their choice appointed to the post of Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo and got an assurance that their wish will be granted. Hence, it is expected that any time soon the President will sign the letter of appointment for this candidate. It is said that if the President accedes to the demand of Gotabaya Rajapaksa the person thus appointed will be the one who got the

The continuous attack carried out against “Udayan” press is a death alarm to the Sri Lankan Tamils freedom of expression was said by Tamil National Alliance Secretary Mawai Senathiraja.
 
He said  "Udayan" which is one of the media establish the national emotions of Sri Lanka Tamil people, has once again come under violence attack.
 
The "Udayan" regional office located at Jaffna Kandy main road, Kilinochchi, was attacked by a gang of thugs with batons at around 5.00 am an

Eppawala Police arrested 12 suspects planning to hunt for artefacts in an archaeologically significant location in Pothanegama and rescued a four-year-old girl on Tuesday.

The suspects had brought the girl as human sacrifice with the intention of obtaining a treasure, the Police said.

Public Health Inspectors in the Polonnaruwa District threatened to strike today if the Secretary of their union was not released from the Hingurakgoda MoH office to engage in trade union activities.

Doctors attached to hospitals coming under the North Central Provincial Council in the Polonnaruwa district struck work on Tuesday demanding an investigation against the PHI union’s secretary and his immediate transfer. They suspended the strike on an assurance from provincial health secretary, but they vo

SRI Lanka has opened its first fully operational embassy in Bahrain.

Newly appointed Sri Lankan Ambassador Anura Mudiyanselage Rajakuruna said yesterday that the embassy was up and running following months of delays.

The diplomatic mission, located in Mahooz, will work towards boosting ties between the two countries and support its 20,000-plus community members.