ANURA NO MORE

SLFP strongman Anura Bandaranaike passed away this afternoon

Born on February 15, 1949 Anura Bandaranaike had the privilege of becoming the only Sri Lankan who had both parents served as prime ministers of Sri Lanka. With a sister who went on to become the first woman President in the country, till his death he was known as the crown prince of Sri Lanka. An old boy of Royal College Colombo Anura was elected to Parliament in 1977 and was the leader of the opposition from 1983 to 1988. In the years 1993 and 1994 he served as the minister of Higher Education. The Bandaranaike junior was elected the Speaker of Parliament in 2000. Following the 2004 general election he was appointed the Minister of Tourism. He last served as the minister of national heritage in the present government.

SRI LANKA JOURNALIST PARAMESWARI'S HOUSE ATTACKED

The Gampola house of journalist Miss. M. Parameswari has come under attack by a group of goons today. She was faced many times many threats fast few months.

Yesterday Sri lanka Rupavahini (telivision) coporation assitant director and union leader hunted by unknown gang. Now still he is in the hospital under treatments.

Another Rupavahini Corporation staffer hunted

Tha latest target hunt down of Sri lanka Rupavahini (television) Corporation stafer is Arunasiri Hettige the chairman of the trade Union.

When Mr. Hettige was waiting at Kotokawaththa junction to go for duty around 7.30 AM today (14), a group of thugs attacked him with a sharp knife injuring his head. He was immediately admitted to Colombo General Hospital with severe bleeding from his head. Media organizations joined with the main opposition launched a massive demonstration before the SLRC on March 11 against hunting SLRC staff. On that day, they declared that the SLRC would strike work continuously if another worker is attacked.
Employees of the Rupavahini Corporation have stopped all live programmes with immediate effect till President Mahinda Rajapaksa intervenes and gives an assurance that spree of violence against Rupavhini employees would be brought to an end. However The President Mahinda Rajapaksha attended this matter. Then live programes goin on.

Media organizations are protest for this matter.

Eastern Provice polls on May 10

The government will hold the provincial council elections in the Eastern Province on May 10; nominations will be called from March 27 to April 3, an official of the Elections Department said yesterday.

The elections will be conducted to establish the provincial administration in the East -- for the first time since it was de-merged from the North following a Supreme Court ruling.

Meanwhile, Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said that his Ministry had already given instructions to the Department to take action in this regard.

With the PC elections coming hot on the heels of the local government elections in Batticaloa, political parties are now bracing up to contest the upcoming PC elections. The JVP has also decided to join in the fray this time.

JVP parliamentary group leader Wimal Weerawansa told that his party would contest the elections in the three districts in the East, but that a final decision had to be taken in consultation with the party hierarchy.

“Most likely we will contest in all three districts,” he said.

The SLMC, meanwhile, said that it remained open for discussions with breakaway Muslim parties to come to an understanding on fielding common candidates for the election.

The party’s general secretary, Hasan Ali, said that the Eastern Province was their stronghold, with a sizeable concentration of Muslims and, therefore, they should not allow the Muslim vote bank to be divided among several parties.

“So we are willing to discuss with the Muslim political parties led by Ministers Amir Ali and M.L.M. Athaulla. If we all reach common ground on the elections, it will increase our chances of winning the council,” he said.

He said that the SLMC would hold a consultation meeting with its organizers at the grassroots level and the Pradhesiya Sabha members to plan out logistics for the election.

The new political alliance comprising the EPRLF (Vartharajah) faction, the TULF led by V. Anandasangari and PLOTE led by D. Sitharthan, has also decided to contest the elections.

EPRLF leader P. Sridharan said that his party was happy about the local government elections in Batticaloa, stating it was conducted in a peaceful manner, unlike the 2004 General Elections in the North-East.

“During that period, the LTTE helped the TNA to increase their votes. No such thing happened this time,” he said.

The main Opposition UNP said that it would decide on the elections soon. UNP National Organizer S.B.Dissanayake said that they urged the government to disarm the paramilitary forces operating in the area and ensure a favourable atmosphere for the elections.

“We were ready to contest the local government elections as well. But some paramilitary groups threatened our prospective candidates. So we gave it up. Anyway we are now doing the groundwork for the upcoming elections. A final decision will be taken very soon,” he said.

Provincial Council elections for East in May 2008

Provincial Council elections for East in May 2008

- President Mahinda Rajapaksa has already decided to go for Provincial Council elections for the Eastern Province in May this year. Nominations will be called at the end of this month or middle of next month, the Construction and Engineering Services Minister Rajitha Senarathne said.. Minister Senarathne said that the Batticaloa Local government election which ended last Monday once again proved the public’s need for the democracy. “In a situation where the Main Opposition party of the country prevented from contesting, voters turn out was almost 60 per cent. It is a victory of the democracy as well the President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s vision for the country”, Minister Senarathne added. He further stated that the United National Party’s decision to boycott the Batticalo election was an unwise decision which could lead to various terrorist activities. He said that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) did not contest the elections as they want to adhere the LTTE ruling. “Anyway it was unfair by the UNP supporters who were waiting to vote in this election after fourteen years”, minister added. Minister Senarathne further satated that the election held after 14 years, defeating terrorist activities in the Batticaloa District, clearly demonstrated the President Rajapaksa’s need to enter into a democratic governing process in the cleared areas of the Eastern Province, under his directions.

- P

UNITED NATIONAL PARTY HANDS PETTION AGAINST PROVINCIAL POLLS IN EAST

United Nation Party today handed over a petition to the Polls Chief calling on him not to hold Provincial Polls in the east.

UNP leader Ranil Wickramasingha took part in a protest opposite the Elections Commission today urging the commissioner not to hold a provincial council election in the East.

At the press conference held in Opposition Leader's official residence to clarify the stance of the UNP on Batticaloa poll, the MP said that the UNP would reject the result.

MP Kiriella(UNP) said that the government would not be able to cheat the international community through elections contested in connivance with armed groups. He said that the election of the Eastern Province would add to the long list of human rights violations such as killings and abductions

After 14 years voted for local government election in northern Batticoloa district

Voting in the Batticaloa District in Northern province Local Government polls has ended peacefully. A notable feature was the conduct of the polls sans violence. Election officials said polling was satisfactory. People voted after 14 years for local government election.
Counting Centers have received the ballot boxes. Counting is now in progress. Our correspondents said voters enthusiastically exercised their franchise. 270,471 were eligible to vote.50% voted at the polls. Polling took place at 287 booths. Six recognized political parties and 22 independent groups fielded 831 candidates. 101 members will be elected to the nine local bodies.

TNA MP dead following claymore attack

SRI LANKA

TNA Jaffna district MP K. Sivanesan died following a claymore attack targeting his vehicle at Kanagarayakulam in Wanni this afternoon. His driver also died in the attack. He was on his way to Killinochchi at the time of the blast.

SRI LANKA RUPAVAHINI COOPERATION female employee slashed

MEDIA
SRI LANKA RUPAVAHINI COOPERATION female employee slashed

A female employee of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation was slashed on her back with a razor blade by an unidentified man in Peliyagoda, while traveling in a bus after work last evening -- just weeks after Minister Mervin Silva stormed the SLRC premises.

Ranjani Herath, the Assistant Director of the SLRC Library, was on her way home, seated in a Kadawatha bound bus. As it was passing Kelaniya Bridge she had felt a pain in her back. “I had dozed off, and when I turned, a young man in an orange T-Shirt who was seated just behind me was doing something with his hand,” she said.

She added that, as she turned around further, the man had cut her again. “I did not see what sort of weapon he used, but as soon as he cut me he ran and jumped out of the bus,” she said; adding that she had cried out for someone to stop him, yet no one in the bus come to her aid.

Soon afterwards, Herath, the mother of a nine-year-old girl, was rushed to the Colombo National Hospital, where she was given the necessary treatment.

She described her assailant as being about 28 years of age and wearing a white cap pulled down over his face. Police are conducting further investigations into the incident.

Meanwhile, five media organizations condemned the attack, saying that this was the fourth incident in which SLRC employees had been subjected to various ordeals since January 26, when a Senior SLRC Producer was hacked by two unidentified persons. After that the houses of two SLRC employees, Duleep Dushantha and Piyal Ranjith, were broken into by armed gangs who had threatened them.

The media organizations held the government responsible for not taking any action against the intruders, including Mr. Mervin Silva, who had stormed the SLRC premises and created disorder.

Spokesman for the five media organizations, Mr. Sanath Balasuriya, said, “the fact that no police action had been taken against Minister Mervin Silva and his supporters makes us disbelieve that these incidents are the result personal disputes”.

71 rescued from human smuggling vessel, 20 dead

71 rescued from human smuggling vessel, 20 dead Sri Lanka Navy has rescued 71 people from a large trawler which was engaged in human smuggling and went disabled at sea off Mullaitivu. This was revealed after the suspicious ship was towed to Trincomalee. There had been 91 nationals from Burma and Bangladesh and 20 had died due to hunger and the bodies had been thrown into the sea. Navy to the rescue...

One of the survivors who was rescued from a drifting vessel today is pictured here being fed by a sailor on board a Sri Lanka Navy Ship in the middle of the high seas off Mullativu. Pic courtesy Sri Lanka Navy

HRW urges UNHRC to intensify engagement on Sri Lanka

NEWS UPDATING 24 HOURS -- FROM SRI LANKA HRW urges UNHRC to intensify engagement on Sri Lanka

Human Rights Watch says the UN Human Rights Council which is meeting in Geneva today, should intensify its engagement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sri Lanka and Burma. Several reports in the session will draw attention to the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka, HRW said adding that among them the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances will present its 2007 report in which Sri Lanka has the highest number of new cases of “disappearances” reported in the world.