Tagged: Sri Lanka

There were four main winners in the battle over 19th Amendemnt. Of them, the second biggest winner was President Sirisena who was able to retain much of his power while balancing adroitly between the two contending components of his power base: his ally the UNP and his party the SLFP. The biggest winner however, was not President Sirisena. It was a dead man, President Junius Richard Jayewardene. His 1978 Constitution proved so robust a structure, that it successfully resisted the joint attempt of his distant nephew Ranil Wickremesinghe and his old rival Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga to upend its center-piece, the executive presidency.

Power that the people had given go to President Maithripala Sirisena was being used by others, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Saturday.

The former President, addressing a Daham Hamuwa, at Kacchiwatte Purana Rajamaha Vihara in Galle said: “I was told by one of the participants at this ceremony short while ago that during my tenure the number of members in the cabinet was high but now the number of executive presidents in the country was high. There is some truth in that saying. There is a national executive council. There is no provision for such a thing even in the Constitution. That council has become a play pen of the JVP and TNA members. The JVP has become a branch of the UNP today. Not all the JVPers approve this situation. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has a room in Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office. That was revealed to our members none other than the incumbent president. Although I cannot believe this, we have to accept it when it is said by the President!

84 Tambrook Drive                                                                                                             Agincourt, Ontario
M1W 3L9  Canada

April 27, 2015

His Excellency, Maithripala Sirisena
President of Sri Lanka
 and Minister of Mahaweli  Dev & Environment
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo 1       
                                    Copy to: Hon. Ranil Wickremasinghe
                                                    Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

Your Excellency,

Continued Rape of the Wilpattu National Park and Establishment of Unauthorised Settlements  

I am writing to bring to your notice the continuing rape of the Wilpattu National Park that is taking place at this very moment, whilst the authorities responsible for the conservation of forests and protection of the environment are hibernating in their comfortable offices in the capital city.  When this matter was brought up earlier by another group of concerned citizens with photo evidence, they pointed a finger at a minister of the state whom I believe was
Mr. Rishad Badthiutheen, as being the person responsible for the encroachment and construction of houses for settling members of his community.  I note that Mr. Badthiutheen is once again holding a cabinet rank in your administration as well.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has challenged the government to substantiate its claim that he, his wife, Shiranthi or sons, Namal, Yoshitha or Rohitha maintained ‘illegal or secret offshore accounts in any foreign bank’

The following is the full text of statement issued by the former President: “Prominent members of the government have been spreading rumours about billions of Dollars stashed abroad in secret offshore accounts by me, my wife and sons. The allegation is refreshed from time to time through strategically placed media reports about American and Indian financial intelligence bodies joining in the search and special teams being sent to the Seychelles to look for the hidden money. Some weeks ago, the cabinet spokesman had told Reuters that a member of a ‘leading family’ had $1064 million in a secret account in Dubai.