US should monitor citizen Gotabhaya's conduct - Samaraweera

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 March 2007, 12:49 GMT]
Former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera alleged Thursday that Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Ghotabhaya Rajapaksa is an American citizen and the US government must monitor his conduct against freedom of media in Sri Lanka.
Full story >>

SL anti-terror officials detain Sinhala paper director

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 February 2007, 22:10 GMT]
The Financial Director of the Sinhala language weekly "Mawbima", Dushantha Basnayake, has been detained by the Sri Lankan Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) Monday evening at his workplace in Colombo. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, in a televised address, Saturday had charged that the weekly was "pro LTTE." The paper is owned by Tiran Alles, a close confidante of Mangala Samaraweera, the former SL Foreign Minister who was recently sacked by Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse. Mr. Tiran Alles was also removed from Sri Lanka's Civil Aviation Authority this month.
Full story >>

Sacked ministers register complaint with Rights body

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 February 2007, 20:26 GMT]
Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi, two of the three sacked ministers by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse on February 9 Thursday lodged complaints with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) of the death threats they received after they addressed a press briefing in parliament following their expulsion from the cabinet and the reduction of government provided security staff.
Full story >>

Remove Tissa Vitarane from cabinet- JVP

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 11:51 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), marxist, extreme Sinhala nationalist party, said Minister Tissa Vitarane who advocates devolution of power contrary to the provisions in the "Mahinda Chinthanaya" should be removed from the cabinet first if Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is sincere in preserving law and order, media sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Ad Hominem

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 February 2007, 00:28 GMT]
Allan Rock, Special Representative for United Nations Committee on Children and Armed Conflict, came under scathing personal attack in Sri Lanka Government controlled media for his report implicating Colombo for complicity in child recruitment. Ad hominem, a fundamental fallacy much detested in the field of rhetoric, and legal and scientific debate, has become a common tool in Sri Lanka Government's arsenal in confronting bad publicity in matters that have drawn negative international attention.
Full story >>

SL Parliament to meet amid political tension

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 February 2007, 13:12 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament is to meet Tuesday again amid political tension in the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government created by the sacking of three ministers by President Mahinda Rajapakse. Parliament met last time amid tension created by the defection of eighteen parliamentarians from the main opposition United National Party (UNP) to government side, sources said.
Full story >>

SLFP dissidents urge Colombo to prevent Rights abuses

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 04:19 GMT]
Former Sri Lanka's Foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera, and former Port Development Minister, Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi, on Thursday accused the Mahinda Rajapakse government of alleged human rights violations, and warned that Sri Lanka faced international isolation unless steps were taken to stem the tide of disappearances and extra judicial killings, sources in Colombo said. Addressing a press conference at the Parliamentary complex, Mr. Samaraweera said his concern about the growing human rights violations in Sri Lanka was one of the main reasons that he was sacked by Mr Rajapakse.
Full story >>

Samaraweera returns from Singapore

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 February 2007, 22:17 GMT]
Mangala Samaraweera who lost his Ministry portfolio when President Mahinda Rajapakse sacked three ministers in his cabinet last Friday, returned Colombo Sunday evening from Singapore, political sources in Colombo said. Mangala Samaraweera was in Singapore when Mr. Rajapakse sacked the dissident ministers who were critical of the Government.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka President leaves for Maldives

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 February 2007, 12:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse left Sunday morning on a three-day official visit to Maldives amid speculation that he would appoint new ministers to fill the vacancies created by the sacking of Anura Bandaranaike, Mangala Samaraweera, Susil Premayanthand Sripathi Sooriyarachchi on his return, sources said.


Full story >>

SLFP working committee meets

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 February 2007, 07:17 GMT]
Emergency meeting of the working committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has been summoned by President Mahinda Rajapakse, Saturday, following the sacking of three senior ministers of his cabinet. Anura Bandaranaike and Mangala Samaraweera were cabinet rank ministers and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi was non-cabinet rank minister.
Full story >>

Rajapakse sacks dissenting SLFP ministers

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 15:29 GMT]
Shortly after rumblings of discontent amongst the ranks of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) over the recent admission of opposition MPS into his mammoth cabinet, President Mahinda Rajapakse sacked three of the most vocal dissenters on Friday, Presidential Secretariat officials said. SLFP stalwarts Anura Bandaranaike, Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Suriyarachchi were stripped of their portfolios Friday soon after their criticism of the government become public and vocal.
Full story >>

UN urged not to ignore Rajapakse regime

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 12:58 GMT]
The UN security council working group which is set to study underage recruitment in Sri Lanka later Friday should not ignore the practice of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse’s regime in the practice, a senior columnist with The Guardian newspaper wrote in Friday’s edition on Guardian's 'Comment is Free' section. And condemning political movements for the violence they turn to, “whilst ignoring their complaints and the degree of support they command leads only to political stalemate and more bloodshed,” Jonathan Steele said in his column. He criticised President Rajapakse for destroying the 2002 truce by trying to reoccupy the areas recognised as under Tiger control.
Full story >>

No confidence on Police inquiry - SL Minister

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 February 2007, 10:49 GMT]
Anura Bandaranaike, the Sri Lankan Minister of National Heritage, in a Question of Privilege, raised in the Sri Lankan Parliament Thursday, charged that there were "forces within the government," surrounding the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, conspiring against Bandaranaike family. Mr. Bandaranaike, who did not directly point the finger at the Sri Lankan President, said some persons close to Mr. Rajapakse, with "American passports" were behind the death threats issued against him and Mangala Samaraweera, the minister of ports and aviation. He further told the Lankan parliament that he had no confidence that the police would hold proper inquiry into his complaint.
Full story >>

Anura Bandaranaike receives death threat

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 February 2007, 12:13 GMT]
Anura Bandaranaike, the Sri Lankan minister of National Heritage, and the brother of former SL President Chandrika Kumaratunga, has complained to law enforcement authorities in Colombo that he has received telephone death threats from anonymous callers. The threats are reported amidst speculation that relationship between Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and Anura Bandaranaike has been severely strained since the latest cabinet reshuffle when Mr. Bandaranaike lost his Tourism Ministry portfolio.
Full story >>

SL parliament to meet Tuesday amid tension

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 February 2007, 02:23 GMT]
Sri Lanka parliament meets Tuesday amid unease among a section of parliamentarians of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government over the allocation of ministries in the cabinet reshuffle that took place last week, parliamentary sources said.


Full story >>

UNP dissidents, SLMC join UPFA government, appointed ministers

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 January 2007, 09:28 GMT]
The first major cabinet reshuffle of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government took place Sunday morning in the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat. Dissident parliamentarians of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) joined the Sri Lankan government. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) led by Rauff Hakeem also joined the government. UNP dissident Karu Jayasuriya becomes Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister, Milinda Moragoda, the new Minister of Tourism and G.L.Peiris, Minister of Export Promotion and International trade. Mangala Samaraweera loses his Foreign Ministry portfolio. Rohitha Bogollagama has been appointed new Foreign Minister.
Full story >>

"Anyone can join or leave SLFP"-Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 January 2007, 00:27 GMT]
"Every one has the right to join or leave the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). I will not object to any one leaving the party or joining it," said Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse addressing the meetings of SLFP executive committee and all island working committee held Friday at Temple Trees.
Full story >>

Arson destroys book shop in Kathankudy

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 January 2007, 13:54 GMT]
Unidentified persons set fire to the book shop belonging to a Muslim trader in kathankudy Town, and completely destroying the building, at Kathankudy Thursday around 3:00 a.m, Kathankudy police said. Officer-in-charge of Kathankudy police, I. P. Samaraweera, said that the arson was the result of the intra-Muslim religious conflicts prevailing within in Kathankudy.
Full story >>

Kohona assumes duties as Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 January 2007, 23:19 GMT]
Dr. Palitha Kohona, the current Secretary General of Sri Lanka Government's Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP), assumed duties as Sri Lanka's new Foreign Ministry Secretary Wednesday. Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, Foreign Minister, did not attend the function held at the Foreign Ministry Wednesday morning.
Full story >>

NorthEast demerger, breach of International Treaty- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 January 2007, 06:53 GMT]
“Not only the Tamil speaking people but also the International Community are unhappy with the de-merger of NorthEastern province. Though the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka told that former President J. R. Jayewardene’s step was defective and invalid, the Sri Lanka's President Mr. Rajapakse who wants to share no powers with Tamils, seized the opportunity quickly and declared the de-merger amidst the opposition from many of his own cabinet ministers and Members of parliament. Mr Rajapakse has not only betrayed the Tamil people, but also breached an international treaty, R. Sampanthan told in the Sri Lankan Parliament Wednesday.
Full story >>