Is Sri Lanka’s Sovereignty For Sale? Port City & Its Geopolitical Impact; Can Sri Lanka Navigate The Stormy Waters?
“Liberty isn’t a thing you are given as a present. You can be a free man under a dictatorship. It is sufficient if you struggle against it.” ~ Ignazio Silone
Gone are the days of the dreaded cold war. Ever since the cessation of the World War2 (WW2), the global marketplace became a playground for arms dealers financed by the then two super powers, United States of America (USA) and Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the eventual victors of WW2. On May 7, 1945 the German Instrument of Surrender became a binding legal document that effected the extinction of Nazi Germany and ended World War2 in Europe. Yet, the USA, under the pretext of putting an end to Japanese aggression, which was still continuing after May 7, unleashed the most destructive manmade weapon in history. They dropped the atom bomb on Japan. Men, women and children in Hiroshima and N
Sarath Weerasekera Dictates Terms Over Rishard’s Parliamentary Attendance; House Erupts
A fierce debate raged over the fate of opposition lawmaker Rishard Bathiudeen in parliament on Wednesday (5), after the Public Security Minister and Viyathmaga frontliner rear admiral Sarath Weerasekera told the Speaker to prevent the MP from attending sittings on the basis of “national security”.
Weerasekera
Bathiudeen was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act on April 24, as the Government was coming under heavy criticism for failing to act against the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday bombings after putting the bombings at the center of its 2019 presidential election platform.
President’s Counsel and TNA Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran flagged the unprecedented nature of Weerasekera’s demand before the Speaker. For the first time ever, a Minister had stated that someone who is detained by an administrative detention order cannot be brought to Parliament, the TNA legis
Mad King Nandasena Arrests Man For “Organizing” Honking Protest At Chinese Defence Minister’s Motorcade
In another sign of President Nandasena Rajapaksa’s growing insecurity complex, the 31 year old identified as being the organizer of the honking protest during a road closure for a VVIP traffic movement on Tuesday (27) night has been arrested by the police.
He was arrested on charges of unlawful assembly and obstructing the duties of police officers, Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana said. The arrested man would be produced before the courts and charged under the Penal Code, he added. The police spokesman claimed that under the terms of the Vienna Convention, Sri Lanka had to provide maximum security to envoys such as the Chinese Defence Minister.
Frantic Nandasena Demands SJB’s ‘Confidential Easter Attacks Report’ Handed Over To Catholic clergy
The CID has made a “polite request” from the Executive Director of the Center for Society and Religion (CSR) in Maradana, Colombo for the confidential report handed over to Catholic clergy by the main opposition delegation that met them earlier this week.
SJB MPs met with a group of Catholic clergy on Monday (26) to hand over a confidential report on the April 21, 2019 bombings to catholic priests and brief them on the contents. The Catholic clergy were also provided with transcripts of recent revelations made in parliament by SJB MPs Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando. Nanayakkara said they had urged the Board of the Archbishop to grant them a meeting so the matters could be explained in greater detail.
Foreign Ministry Fumbles Playing Cheap Media Games With Damning And Confidential UN Report
In an unprecedented move, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has openly leaked a version of a scathing report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights sent confidentially to the Government of Sri Lanka for comments ahead of its release just before the 46th Session of the Human Rights Council Session in Geneva, Switzerland.
Michelle Bachelet, the HCHR transferred her ‘draft’ report on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka to the government on 12 January 2021 for comments on any errors in fact or law.
The High Commissioner is mandated by a Human Rights Council Resolution in 2017 to report on the progress made by Sri Lanka on post war reconciliation efforts. Customarily, the High Commissioner schedules the release of country reports just ahead of the UNHRC Session. It is usual diplomatic practice and courtesy to send such draft reports to the country concerned to provide an opportunity