WEbsite offices sealed; journalists arrested in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka government has become tough on media that is critical on it. The offices of two websites were raided and several journalists were arrested on June 29.


Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) raided the offices of Sri Lanka Mirror and Sri Lanka X News websites by 11 a.m. yesterday and arrested eight persons, reports say.


The government says that the websites were illegally run. Director General of Media Center for National Security Lakshman Hulugalla said that the websites spread false news that insult the country and they were sealed based on a court order.

Sri Lanka X News website is run by United National Party (UNP) Media Unit. Sri Lanka Mirror website is also linked to the chief of UNP Media Unit MP Mangala Samaraweera. However, sources say that Sri Lanka Mirror was registered under the Ministry of Information and Media.

Meanwhile, a coordinator of MP Mangala Samarawera, Ruwan Ferdinandus, who is also the editorial adviser of of Sri Lanka X News website has told to media that persons claimed intelligence officials came to search his house when he was away.

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Sri Lanka suspends its small scale export of rice to regulate price

Sri Lanka Ministry of Trade says that the export of rice has been suspended until the next bounty harves is yielded. Sri Lanka recently had a surplus of rice stocks and they were exported in minor scale.

Accordingly, the country will not export rice until the first quarter of 2013 in which the Maha harvest is yielded.

The decision to suspend exports has been taken under the instructions of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, says the Ministry of Trade.

The Ministry aims a price regulation in the local market with the suspension of exportation.

Sri Lanka is expecting decline in harvest in the Yala season due to drought.
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Organizers of the Udith Narayan show of Colombo to be brought to books

Colombo Municipal Council sources say that the municipality will take legal action against the organizers of the Udith Narayan musical show held in Colombo CH & FC grounds on June 16.

Colombo Municipal Council sources say that the organizers have evaded paying the 10% entertainment tax although they sold a large number of tickets at the crowded show.

The tax valuers that visited the venue of the show have evaluated that the organizers must pay Rs. 2.3 million as entertainment tax.

However, the organizers have paid only Rs. 500,000 so far, sources said.

Udith Narayan's show in Colombo is believed a tremendously successful one.
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Fundamentalist Buddhist groups clash in Sri Lanka

Siriwardhana

Sri Lanka police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd on June 24 at a remote town called Wanduramba in Galle district. Six persons were arrested in suspicion of violence, said the police later.

The crowd was attacking a religious center situated in Wanduramba. Around 2000 people led by hundreds of orthodox Buddhist monks were protesting against a new sect of Buddhism introduced by a layman called Siriwardhana. The person claims he is an incarnation of next Buddha the Maithri angering a section of fundamentalist Buddhists.

The mob had thrown stones at a seven story Buddhist center named as Sumedha Sangamaya run by this Siriwardhana. The angry mob accused that the religious faction was spreading ideology that Buddhism was wrong.

The agitation was held after a meting held in Wanduramba town and a Buddhist monk famous for violence led the conference.

Buddhist fundamentalism is on the rise in Sri Lanka as many groups of violent nature emerge and they appear chauvinistically threatening the existence of other religions. Clashes among these fundamental groups erupted at several locations earlier as well.

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Minister S.B. Disanayaka argues closure of rural schools in Sri Lanka is a characteristic of development

Sri Lanka Minister of Higher Education S.B. Disanayaka argued that the closure of the rural schools is a characteristic of development.

The Minister addressing a meeting held in Udunuwara to mark distribution of school equipment to the children of low income group people, the Minister said that around 2300 schools country wide had not received a single application for Grade 01 admission last year.

However, the Minister pointed out that the number of students admitted to Grade 01 in 2012 has slightly increased to 321,000 in the same year.

The Minister said that the country is gathering momentum to take a leap in development.
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Former women's political wing leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) sent for rehabilitation by Sri Lanka judiciary

Colombo Chief Magistrate Rashmi Singappuli today ordered the Prisons Department to send former women's political wing leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) for rehabilitation.

Accordingly, former women's political wing leader of LTTE Subramanium Shivathavi, a.k.a. Thamilini is to be transferred to the Punthottam rehabilitation camp of Vavuniya.

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed court that instructions have come from the Attorney General to commence the rehabilitation of Thamilini.

CID was granted permission to visit her in prison and to seek her consent regarding rehabilitation. Court reported her consent for the rehabilitation programme to the court today.

Thamilini was arrested three years ago after the end of war as she was in a refugee camp with her family.
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Witnesses identify the suspects of political murder of Sri Lanka

hree out of the four witnesses of the political double murder of Katuwana, Sri Lanka identified the suspect G.G. Amarasena alias Julampitiye Amare at the identification parade held at Walasmulla court today.

Julampitiye Amare surrendered to court on June 19 after the witnesses of the political double murder gave evidence that he was present among the attackers.

Two supporters of Marxist People's Liberation Front (JVP) including a woman was killed in an attack by unidentified thugs at a political meeting of the JVP.

JVP accused that the government politicians were providing security to the suspects of the case and agitated for their arrest.
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Sri Lanka's senior Minister surrendered to court and granted bail

A Sri Lankan court granted bail today to a senior Minister who surrendered to courts.

The Senior Minister Athauda Senevirathna was granted bail of Rs. one million by Warakapola magistrate Awantha Lakmal Wikramasuriya.

Senior Minister Athauda Senevirathna surrendered to Warakapola magistrate court for a case against him over trespassing a private property and damaging machinery there.

The Minister was ordered to appear in Warakapola police on each Sunday. Minister Senevirathna recently entered into a drinking water bottling plant with a group of villagers and he is accused of damaging property. there.
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Sri Lnaka decided to bury recently discovered pre-historic skeleton for safety

Sri Lanka Director General of Archaeology Dr. Shiran Deraniyagala said at pre-historic Pahiyangala cave in Kaluthara district yesterday that the Department of Archaeology has decided to bury the recently found human skeleton back for its safety.

The Department has prevented the public display of the skeleton.

The Department further says that the removal of the skeleton from the place it is deposited is a comples task.

Carbon tests conducted have proved that the skeleton is 37,000 years old, says the Archeological Department.. International assistance has been sought for the excavation.

Excavations conducted by the Archaeology Department of Sri Lanka led to the recovery of a pre-historic human skeleton. from a huge cave in Pahiyangala in Kaluthara district.

Two pre-historic human skulls were recovered earlier from this cave. They have been found 37,000 years old. An ornament created with a tooth of a shark was also recovered.

Sources say that this is the first time a complete skeleton of a pre-historic human was recovered.

Pahiyangala gets its name from the famous Chinese traveler monk, Fa-Hein who came to this country in the 4th century A.D. in search of Buddhist scriptures. He is said to have stayed in this cave whilst on his way to Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak)
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Sri Lanka punishes persons who harmed an elephant at famous orphanage

A Sri Lankan court yesterday punished four persons for torturing and killing an elephant at a state run orphanage.

The persons penalized were three mahouts and a security guard who were employed at Pinnawala elephant orphanage in Kegalle district.

Kegalle High Court judge Menaka Wijesundara sentenced each person for a year and fined Rs. 100,000 each.

They were accused of torturing and killing an elephant who was in their custody on January 17, 2011.

The elephant had 96 injuries of which six were serious caused by ball, the post mortem revealed.

Environmentalists and animal lovers agitated against this inhuman act of the officials of the Pinnawala elephant orphanage.
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Pre-historic human skeleton recovered from Sri Lanka

Excavations conducted by the Archaeology Department of Sri Lanka has led to the recovery of a pre-historic human skeleton.

The skeleton has been recovered from a huge cave in Pahiyangala in Kaluthara district.

Two pre-historic human skulls were recovered earlier from this cave. They have been found 37,000 years old. An ornament created with a tooth of a shark was also recovered.

Sources say that this is the first time a complete skeleton of a pre-historic human was recovered.

Pahiyangala gets its name from the famous Chinese traveler monk, Fa-Hein who came to this country in the 4th century A.D. in search of Buddhist scriptures. He is said to have stayed in this cave whilst on his way to Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak).

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Sri Lanka government in an attempt to undermine the killing of JVP activists

Propaganda secretary of Sri Lanka's major opposition United National Party (UNP) asked the Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to resign since the police has failed to arrest the culprits of a shoot out in Katuwana in which two members of the opposition People's Liberation Front (JVP) died.

Samaraweera said that the police has so far not arrested anybody although police has been given information regarding the suspects involved in the attack. Samaraweera accused that the government is in an attempt to undermine the incident.

Marxist JVP politburo member Anura Kumara Disanayaka speaking to media today accused the government is providing safety to the culprits of the shooting incident.

Addressing a media briefing yesterday the Disanayaka urged the police to arrest and produce the culprits in court immediately. He also named a suspect called Julampitiye Amare. Share this article

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Sri Lankans quarrel for land they love to leave for residency in West

Benin, a country like a key - a key to open the doors to Canada

148 Sri Lankans that were deported from the Benin state of Africa returned to Sri Lanka to yesterday.

They arrived in the home country around 2.30 p.m. in a special flight.

They have been destitute in Benin after failed attempts to migrate to Canada from there.

They have arrived in the African state via India, Dubai and Adis Ababa. The deported group of people included 10 children also. The majority of them are ethnic Tamils, sources say.

Some of them have been in Benin for years.

Sri Lankan Tamils are a community migrating out of Sri Lanka. Their focuses of migration are Canada, Australia and Europe. The ethnic problem that remain unresolved in the country pave way for this mass migration of Tamils.

Although they face lot of difficulties as a community, the prime aim of migrating is seeking green pastures. The majority Sinhala community also does the same whenever they have a chance.

They quarrel for land very stubbornly for many decades making the land miserable and migrate to Western nations seeking citizenship there.

Even the members of the ruling family of Sri Lanka are citizens of US thus migrated and engaged in minor jobs there.

Rulers have plundered this nation for many decades and the life for the ordinary people has become a hell. I think international community should take up Sr Lanka in a different point of view. Sri Lanka's problem is not sheer Tamil problem.

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Many elders' homes in Sri Lanka likely to be closed making more elders destitute

Sri Lanka Secretariat for Elders say that the government has decided to penalize the persons who do not take care of the elders.

Secretariat for elders has opened a hotline with the number 011 2 824 082 for the public to lodge complaints regarding incidents of not taking care of the elders.

The Director of the Secretariat for Elders J. Krishnamurthy says that the public can lodge complaints regarding such instances to the divisional secretary as well.

Sri Lanka Ministry of Social Services has brought new regulations to register all elders' homes that provide lodging for more than five elders under the Secretariat for Elders. Registration means standardization of services.Most of the elders' homes lack funds for this and will have to be closed with this move perhaps putting some elders from from pan to fire.

The secretary of the Ministry R.M.S. Rathnayaka said that Sri Lanka has 240 elders' homes and of them only four are government run while the other organizations are run by charity organizations.

Sri Lanka has a fast growing elderly population and a large number of elders are destitute. The government does not possess a proper programme of elderly care. Some charity organizations are accused by the government and other sections regarding mismanagement of the Elders' homes.

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US Embassy of Sri Lanka stands for Ambassador-designate's statement

US Embassy of Sri Lanka said in a statement that the recent testimony of US Ambassador-designate to Sri Lanka Michele J. Sison is in complete accordance with U.S. policy as well as previous statements made by U.S. Officials on Sri Lanka.

The statement further said that Sison reflected the issues discussed during Secretary Clinton’s meeting with Minister of External Affairs G. L. Peiris last month in Washington.

It added that testimony also noted the need for a broad range of partnerships between the United States and Sri Lanka.

Sison testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as part of her confirmation process as nominee for Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives and called on Sri Lanka to further demilitarize the north, hold provincial council elections in the north and also establish a mechanisms to deal with outstanding human rights issues.
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Sri Lanka's murder suspect MP granted leave for three months by parliament

Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra

Sri Lanka parliament approved three months leave to the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Duminda Silva.

This is the third consecutive three months leave approved to MP Duminda Silva and the leave is to be active since June 24.

Silva sustained severe injuries at a shoot out in Kaduwela on October 08, 2011. President Mahinda Rajapaksa's oficial Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and several others was killed in the incident.

The duo reportedly clashed as the polling of the local government election was under way and Duminda Silva is under arrest warrants in suspicion for the killing of Bhratha Lakshman Premachandra and others. Silva is reportedly being treated in a hospital in Singapore.

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Many worried due to lack of transfer policy in public service of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) says that the doctors of the Northern and Eastern Provinces will hold a token strike on June 12 in protest of not granting appointments to the doctors who have completed their internship.

The new doctors have consented to go to service in difficult areas and around 200 doctors presently working in these areas are yearning for transfers after completing more than one year difficult service, a spokesman of the GMOA said.

Around 600 doctors are waiting for appointments in government hospitals. GMOA Assistant Secretary Nalin Ariyarathna accused the government that the appointments got delay due to the inefficiency of the officials of the Ministry of Health.

Similar transfer issue prevails among the teachers whose trade unions are less in strength but high in number. The problem is in many other sectors as well.

Thousands of teachers who were appointed to difficult areas await for transfers to their villages and this time the Ministry of Education has decided to appoint the teachers that passed out from the national colleges of education to these districts.

However, for the last few years, the teachers passed out from the national colleges of education were given appointments mostly in their home districts causing severe injustice to those who did not have that chance earlier and later.

The public service lacks of a proper transfer policy. There are certain public servants who have never served in difficult areas while some have had many drawbacks in their personal life due to sacrifices they had to do.
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High security zones minimized; problems persist

Sri Lanka's Sinhala daily The Divaina newspaper reported yesterday quoting an unnamed senior government official that the government has taken steps to reduce the high security zone of the Jaffna peninsula in the Tamil dominated Northern Province by 40%.

He said that the high security zone that stretched over 4000 hectare before the end of war has now been reduced by 1515 hectare.

The official further said to the newspaper that the reduction of high security zone was not due to the demands of the Tamil politicians. He further pointed out that removing high security zones was a government decision.

High security zones maintained by the military in the Northern and Eastern Provinces are a major drawback in reconciliation and normalcy of the Tamil dominated areas.

Still a high presence of hostile Sinhala language speaking soldiers is prevalent in the Tamil heartland Jaffna peninsula amidst demands from people and international community reduce them.

However, Sri Lanka government which has taken few or no steps for permanent reconciliation with Tamils appears adamant in maintaining the military suppression over a possible re-emergence of Tamil armed struggle that raked the country for three decades until the military wiped out the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam in May 2009.  

High security zones include people's land, roads, houses, industry and cultivations.

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What is China not doing in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka's Colombo Fort magistrate Kanishka Wijerathna fined three Chinese national women today for vagrancy.

The three Chinese women were arrested by police in the night as they were walking on streets in Colombo in the middle of the night.

Police said to the court that the women have not employed in the positions mentioned in the passports during the time they had stayed in the country.

The magistrate imposed a nominal fine to them under vagrants ordinance. The fine was just Rs. 10 per each Chinese woman.

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Police officer who made junior officials his servants indicted in Sri Lanka

A Sri Lankan court summoned a police Deputy Inspector General for misappropriation of public assets.

The relevant police official is Deputy Inspector General of Galle Hector Dharmasiri. He was asked to appear in court for an offence he is charged of committing in 2007.

The police officer is charged by the Bribery or Corruption Commission that he has employed five home guards and two police constables in construction of a private house belonged to him.

The house was situated in Minuwangoda. By the time the police officer committed the office, he was the Senior Superintendent of Police of Matale.

The DIG was ordered to appear in Colombo High Court on July 21. He is indicted under counts against him.

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Is Sri Lanka's Hambanthota harbour becoming a worthy investment

Sri Lanka government seems succeeded finally in making its white elephant Hambanthota Port a worthy place where business occurs.

The port is a massive corruption which swallowed public money due to craze of politicians who filled in it with water before the completion of blasting rock at the mouth of the harbour cut into the land. The pit was filled in with water to mark the President's birthday and later a sum similar to around a fourth of the entire cost for the construction was spent in addition to blast the rocks. Waste of public money borrowed mortgaging generations of people of the country. Anyhow, it is good to see the crazy harbour becomes a worthy place.

Ports Authority (SLPA) announced that the import and transshipping operations of vehicles will begin at Hambanthota Mahinda Rajapaksa Port today. The ship Fricia is to arrive in Hambanthota harbour today with 15 vehicles, says Ports Authority.

Another ship will arrive in Hambanthota harbor with 1000 vehicles from Chennai and the vehicles are to be transshipped to Algeria. The ship with vehicles bound Algeria will leave harbor on June 15. The government decided to divert all vehicle shipments to the southern harbor to ease the heavy traffic congestion in Colombo harbour.

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Why do people migrate out of Sri Lanka?

Indian media reported that a group of more than 150 Sri Lankans have been arrested by Indian police at Kollam beach of coastal line of Kerala state of India.

They are suspected of attempting to migrate to Australia via sea.

The arrested group comprised of nineteen women and twenty two children. They have revealed that they paid Rs. 500,000 each for the risky sea journey.

The skipper of the boat,the agent and an accomplice of his who handled the operation have also been arrested.

Why do people still try to migrate out of the country even when the war has been finished almost three years ago.

The end of physical war has led to launch of more wars. People suffer now mainly due to corruption and undemocratic politics of the rulers.

There are issues pertaining to reconciliation. No or very few steps have been taken towards reconciliation.

The lives especially of Tamils are still miserable as their livelihoods have collapsed. Sri Lankans irrespective of race and creed do not see good future for their kids.

Not only that. Still war haunts in north.

Sri Lanka police reported the death of an under aged child in Jaffna due to an unexploded ordinance.

The 15 year old boy succumbed to injuries sustained when a hand grenade he was handling exploded.

The equipment had been found by the boy in the beach of Jaffna. The incident took place in the beach of Nagadeepa, a n islet where a famous Buddhist temple is located.

Kayts police is investigating the incident.

Sri Lanka police media spokesman Superintendent of Police Ajith Rohana said that 12 guard points maintained by Sri Lanka Army were handed in to police since June 03.

The guard points handed over to police are situated in Colombo city. But the issues related to military involvement in civilian life is in Northern and Eastern Province Tamil dominated areas.

The move was due to international pressure but it is only an attempt to hoodwink via media.

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World governance should deal with all hooligan rulers of the world

Egyptian former President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced for life for killing his countrymen in protests against him in 2011. His Minister of Home Security also went to jail with him. His sons are yet to see their destiny after lavishly eating public money for their luxuries.

Liberian former President Charles Taylor was sentenced for over 50 years for exchanging arms with terrorists in Sierra Leone for diamond.

These two African leaders should become an example to all the leaders of the countries around the world.

Rulers, especially in the third world think their country is free of the gravity of world governance and they and their families are free to kill their own people and they can do whatever they want with the public money.

They hoodwink their subjects with blind patriotism spreading fear among them of a false threat of imperialist invasion.

These hooligan leaders need to be thoroughly dealt with to discipline the world. What they cover to is the war against terror of US led capitalist West. But one thing US does not commit is killing its own people. These notorieties know only killing their own people and robbing public money.

US must change the strategies against so called 'war against terror' which rationalize the state terror and plunder of numerous third world leaders. Their argument is 'Why can't we, if US can?'

World governance must be upheld. US, EU nor any other so-called 'super power' should not outstand and outwit in a world democracy.

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Sri Lanka's major Tamil alliance to have a supreme council

Sri Lanka's major Tamil coalition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has decided to form a supreme council as the governing body of the party.

TNA is not a registered political party yet. It was formed as a coalition of several Tamil political organizations in 2004 under the influence of the Tamil Tiger rebels. However, the party seems independent now as the remnants of the Tamil Tiger elements failed to elect in 2004.

It is under pressure to register as a political party despite the major party of the alliance Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) held its 14th annual convention recently expressing determination to exist as a separate entity. ITAK belongs to the major Tamil political stream that origins from Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), a party name of which the ownership was claimed by lone pro-government politician Ananda Sangaree.

At a meeting of the leaders of the TNA held in Colombo  on June 01, the party leaders of the TNA agreed to have further discussions on the composition of the supreme council.
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