Category: Politics

Apr 21, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has won 144 seats just six seats short of a two thirds majority while the main opposition trailed with 60 seats, final results show. The ruling coalition won a re-poll yesterday in Kandy in central Sri Lanka and the […]

Apr 21, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party has appointed an economist and a banker to parliament while a minority party has appointed a lawyer experienced in commercial litigation. Tissa Vitharana and G L Pieris, former university professors, were re-appointed by the ruling United National Freedom Alliance. Both are ministers in […]

April 21, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, who cemented his grip on power Wednesday, is set to clash with his arch-rival former army chief Sarath Fonseka when the new parliament opens this week. Final results of parliamentary elections showed Rajapakse’s United People’s Freedom Alliance had secured 144 seats in the 225-member assembly […]

April 21, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party on Wednesday named plantations minister D. M. Jayaratne, a close ally of President Mahinda Rajapakse, as prime minister of the new parliament. The job of prime minister is largely ceremonial in Sri Lanka but, in the event of the president’s death, the holder would be expected […]

Apr 21, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party named its most senior member Disanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayaratne as the prime minister amid speculation that a cabinet of ministers that is now taking shape will be re-shuffled by year-end. Rajapaksa has pledged to trim the cabinet to about 35 ministers after running his previous administration with […]

Apr 22, 2010 (LBO) – A senior lawyer, M A Sumanthiran, practising in Sri Lanka’s supreme court, court of appeal and commercial high court and district courts in a variety of civil litigation is entering parliament as an appointed legislator. Sumanthiran is coming as a ‘national list’ or as an appointed member representing the minority […]

April 20, 2010 (AFP) – The court martial of Sri Lanka’s former army chief Sarath Fonseka was on Tuesday adjourned until after the opening of the country’s new parliament, in which he won a seat this month, officials said. The three-judge military court postponed the case until May 4 after a brief hearing on Tuesday, […]

April 19, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former army chief Sarath Fonseka appeared in the dock at a court martial on Monday for the first time since winning a parliamentary seat in elections earlier this month. Fonseka last year led the military to victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels but later fell out with President […]

LONDON, April 15, 2010 (AFP) – The BBC World Service announced Thursday the resumption of FM programming in Sri Lanka, 14 months after they were taken off air due to interference. World Service programmes in English, Sinhala and Tamil language, which had remained available on shortwave, will be reinstated on the SLBC national broadcaster, said […]

April 16, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s detained ex-army chief and opposition leader Sarath Fonseka is likely to be convicted early next week to prevent him appearing in parliament, his party said on Friday. Fonseka, who won a seat in parliament while in custody, is in custody in the capital Colombo and faces a court […]