TNA, SLMC to jointly work on N&E issues
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) have decided to join hands and work towards finding a solution to the problems faced by the people of the North and East. Parliamentarians of the two Parties met at the Kalmunai Municipal Council on Friday (30) to discuss the possibility of working together. The SLMC was represented by its Leader and Justice Minister, Rauff Hakeem, and General Secretary, Hasen Ali, while the TNA was represented by Jaffna District MP, Mavai Senathiraja, M.A. Sumanthiran (National List), along with…
By Karuna, LATEST UPDATES, SRI LANKA NEWS
Modi's demand not to be taken lightly
The new Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in his very first meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has called for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment and going beyond in order to address the political aspirations of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Modi's call was predictable and in consonance with the stance of the previous Congress Government in New Delhi. BJP's position on the ethnic question in Sri Lanka has also been made public by its former leader of the Lok Sabha and the current External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj,…
By Karuna, INDIA NEWS, SRI LANKA NEWS
Citizens, Nations And State
By Rajasingham Narendran – "As all men have a right- to be free, so all nations have a right to live freely. However, the larger nations whose freedom is secure still tend to consider freedom a privilege to which they are entitled. This is why even when the 'threat' to the 'free world' is mentioned, only the still free nations come to mind and silence covers the enslaved, their freedom not being a matter of concern. Not genocide alone is the shame of our century! Equally shameful is the silence of the…
By Karuna, SRI LANKA NEWS
Susma to come here, Modi to follow
India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is expected to visit Sri Lanka within the next couple of months while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to follow later, Daily Mirror learns. Ms. Swaraj was previously opposition leader in the Lok Sabha. She headed a parliamentary delegation to Sri Lanka in 2012, and undertook a fact finding mission in the Northern and Eastern Provinces where the delegates interacted with a wide cross-section of society. She visited Batticaloa and Jaffna and met representatives of war-affected people and civil society leaders. In Hatton,…
INDIA NEWS, SRI LANKA NEWS
If Rajapaksa Regime Continues with Broken Promises and Intransigience the "Honeymoon"with New Modi Govt Will Not Last Long
By Dharisha Bastians President Mahinda Rajapaksa may have metaphorically leapt into new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arms this week, but in the beginning there was Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. The Congress Party won Parliamentary elections in 2004, returning the Gandhi family dynasty to the helm of Indian politics after a hiatus of eight years and heralding a new dawn for Sri Lanka's battle against terrorism. The change had come only three years after America had faced its own demons in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and…
By Karuna, INDIA NEWS, SPECIAL NEWS, SRI LANKA NEWS
Going beyond 13 A: GTF
Going beyond 13 A: GTF ponders what Modi's message to Mahinda really meant By Shamindra Ferdinando The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) yesterday said that India should explain what 13th Amendment plus envisaged for Tamil speaking people in post-war Sri Lanka. UK based GTF spokesperson, Suren Surendiran told The Island that the Diaspora grouping wanted to know what newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi really meant by going beyond the 13th Amendment to achieve national reconciliation fully and quickly. Surendiran was commenting on Premier Modi's brief meeting with Sri…
By Karuna, LATEST UPDATES, SRI LANKA NEWS, UK NEWS
UK wants a political solution in Lanka
Britain says it will continue to encourage the Sri Lankan government to respect human rights, promote meaningful reconciliation and agree to a political settlement with the Tamil and other opposition parties. The head of the political team at the British High Commission in Colombo, Daniel Painter, said in a blog posting that the British Government's primary objective in Sri Lanka is to support the development of a stable and prosperous country, not simply because the Sri Lankan people deserve this, but also because it is in Britain's national interest to…
Sushma's appointment a bonus for Sri Lanka
She may not have made headlines in Sri Lanka yet but Sushma Swaraj, the first woman to be appointed as India's Minister of External Affairs will be a key player in forging that country's foreign policy towards Sri Lanka over the next few years.Swaraj was sworn in for the vital portfolio by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and her appointment should be considered a bonus for Sri Lanka which must be relieved at the prospect of a strong government in New Delhi that does not have to bow to…
Despite regime change – India's policy on SL hasn't changed
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, soon after being sworn in, had a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and spelt out his government's policy on Sri Lanka. The media quoted India's Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, as having said that Mr. Modi asked President Rajapaksa to expedite the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. Quoting the Prime Minister, she said the full implementation of the 13th Amendment or going beyond that would contribute to this process.While highlighting the need to strengthen the bilateral relations, the two leaders focused on the entire gamut of…
We will NOT Implement the 13th Amendment
Close on the heels of a meeting between newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mahinda Rajapaksa in New Delhi, where the former called for early and full implementation of the 13th Amendment and to go beyond, the government yesterday said that it was only the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) that could decide on the matter. The Tamil National Alliance has said that it has no faith in the proposed Parliamentary Select Committee and has not yet decided whether it will participate. "We have no confidence in the proposed Parliamentary…
By Karuna, INDIA NEWS, LATEST UPDATES, SRI LANKA NEWS