Category: Politics

February 2, 2010 (AFP) – Rights monitor Amnesty International urged Sri Lanka on Tuesday to end what it described as a post-presidential election “clampdown” on the media, political opponents and human rights activists. Pressure on government critics has been mounting since President Mahinda Rajapakse was re-elected on January 26, defeating his former army chief Sarath […]

January 31, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse on Sunday revoked an expulsion order against a Swiss reporter who covered the island’s fiercely fought election. A government spokesman said that “wrong information” had led to the immigration authorities ordering Karin Wenger, of Swiss Public Radio, to leave the country. The department of information […]

Jan 31, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s re-elected president Mahinda Rajapaksa will take oaths for his second term in Kandy when the country celebrates independence from British rule on February 04, a media report said. The Sunday Times newspaper quoting foreign employment minister Keheliya Rambukwella said president Rajapaksa has spoken of his decision at a […]

BRUSSELS, January 29, 2010 (AFP) – The European Union on Friday urged the Sri Lankan authorities to investigate reports of “irregularities” during the country’s recent election and ensure the safety of his defeated opponent. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse won a bruising re-election battle on Tuesday, but the result was rejected by his main opponent, […]

January 29, 2010 (AFP) – Poll monitors and human rights groups on Friday raised questions over elections that drove Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse back to power as his defeated rival demanded a fresh poll. The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission cited counting irregularities, as well as blatant misuse of state resources by Rajapakse, […]

SYDNEY, January 29, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka has not sought asylum from Australia, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said as he urged the government ensure the retired general’s safety. Australian media reported that Fonseka was considering seeking temporary asylum in Australia following his defeat in Tuesday’s polls, which the former […]

January 29, 2010 (AFP) – Police raided Friday the office of defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka as monitors and rights groups criticised the Sri Lankan election that returned President Mahinda Rajapakse to power. The Cinnamon Gardens quarter of Colombo, where Fonseka’s office is located, was cordoned off as dozens of commandos from the elite police […]

January 27, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president, who won a second term Wednesday, said he was keen to repair relations with Western nations that have been at odds with Colombo over its human rights record. President Mahinda Rajapakse said most of the “misunderstandings” between Colombo and Western nations stemmed from the island’s conflict with […]

January 28, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankans opted for stability in their first post-war presidential poll, but analysts say the results underscored simmering ethnic tensions that could once again tear the country apart. President Mahinda Rajapakse was re-elected with a resounding 57. 9 percent of the vote on Tuesday despite vociferous local and foreign criticism […]

Jan 28, 2010 (LBO) – The United States congratulated Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa on his election to a second term in office but said the safety of candidates and campaign workers should be protected and allegations of electoral abuse probed. “The United States congratulates Sri Lanka for the first nationwide election in decades and […]

UNITED NATIONS, January 27, 2010 (AFP) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday voiced relief that Sri Lanka’s presidential polls went off relatively peacefully and urged the country’s political parties to abide by the official results. “I had been concerned at the level of violence during the campaign,” Ban told reporters here. “I am relieved […]