Oct 28 (ST) As the dramatic developments of Friday night unfolded, there were mixed reactions from supporters of the two main parties. Supporters of the newly appointed PM Mahinda Rajapaksa were jubilant, while UNP supporters expressed anger at the turn of events. Shortly after the swearing in, Mr Rajapaksa, visited the Gangaramaya Temple and then returned to his official residence at Wijerama Road before more..

Oct 28 (DM) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in a letter to the President Maithripala Sirisena informed today that he had received a request asking that the privileges of Ranil Wickremesinghe be protected until the person with the confidence of a majority in Parliament is established as PM. UNP in a letter to Speaker requested yesterday to protect the Privileges of Ranil Wickremesinghe under the Article 42 (4) of the Constitution. more..

Oct 28 (HRW) Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to appoint former President Rajapaksa as PM has raised fears about a return to past abusive practices in the country, Human Rights Watch said. Sudden announcement to sack PM Ranil Wickremasinghe, which he contends violates parliamentary processes and the constitution, was made without informing parliament or the cabinet. more..

Oct 28 (ST) Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan yesterday called on the newly appointed PM Mahinda Rajapakasa and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. The visit came as several countries yesterday expressed concern at developments here, with Britain even updating its travel advisory to warn its citizens of a period of political instability. This came after President Maithripala Sirisena sought to dismiss PM more..

Oct 28 (ST) The main opposition TNA says that in the battle for the Prime Minister’s post, its support will go to the party which will make two key promises on the national question. A TNA spokesman said Opposition and TNA leader R. Sampanthan spoke to Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday and conveyed the message that the TNA was not interested in protecting or promoting individuals but more..

Oct 28 (ST) Mixed views were expressed by legal experts on the legality of President Sirisena’s move to replace Ranil Wickremesinghe as PM. Former Senior Additional Solicitor General Wasantha Navaratne Bandara PC said the President, as the first citizen, has the foremost responsibility to uphold and protect the constitution. “In terms of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, President “shall appoint as PM the MP, who more..

Oct 28 (DM) India Sunday said it was closely following the political developments in Sri Lanka and hoped that democratic values and constitutional process would be respected in the island nation. In fast paced political developments, President Maithripala Sirisena suspended Parliament on Saturday, a day after sacking PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new PM. more..

Oct 28 (PTI) SL media has described as a constitutional coup the dramatic move of President Sirisena to sack PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and appoint former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa as his successor Friday night. The sudden political development came amid growing tensions between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe on several policy matters and the President has been critical of the PM and his policies, more..

Oct 28 (DM) The arbitrary removal of a sitting PM in an unconstitutional manner will plunge the nation into a state of instability, fear and chaos, Diocese of Colombo of the Church of Ceylon said. Issuing a statement over the current political developments, the church said it was of the view that there are no provisions in the present Constitution to remove a sitting PM, as the 19th amendment has reduced the President’s executive powers and transferred such powers to the PM in Parliament. more..

Oct 28 (AD) Two persons have been injured in a shooting incident within the premises of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation at Dematagoda. The injured persons have been admitted to the National Hospital, stated the police. The incident had occurred due to a tense situation arose when former Minister Arjuna Ranatunga visited the premises. The condition of the injured persons has not been revealed yet. A guard of the former Minster Ranatunga had fired the gunshots. more..

Oct 28 (AD) The European Union joined the U.S. and the U.K. on Saturday in urging the political parties in Sri Lanka to abide by the Constitution and refrain from violence. “The Ambassador of the European Union as well as the Ambassadors of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and the U.K., are closely following the events as they are unfolding in Sri Lanka. We urge all parties to fully act in accordance with Sri Lanka’s Constitution, to refrain from violence, more..

Oct 28 (DM) Due to the prevailing political situation in the country, the All Island Canteen Owners’ Association (AICOA) has decided to reduce the price of food and plain tea with effect from tomorrow. AICOA Chairman Asela Sampath said the price of a packet of lunch and kottu would be reduced by Rs.10 while the price of a plain tea would be reduced by Rs. 5 making the plain tea available at Rs.15. “Now there is a promising ambience. We have complete confidence in the President's more..

Oct 28 (DM) Govt would pursue stern action against anyone obstructing Ranil Wickremesinghe from functioning as the PM, Mr. Wickremesinghe's Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka said. He said the PM's position was rightfully Mr. Wickremesinghe’s. "We are the constitutionally appointed govt of SL, with a clear majority in Parliament. Any person, be it a politician or a state official, trying to obstruct us more..

Oct 28 (DM) The Haputale Police has busted 58 suspects including a female who were engaging in illicit behaviour at a holiday resort in Beragala Road in Viharagala in Haputale at a function organize by the Facebook fan community this evening, police said. On a tip-off received police officers attached to the Haputale Police Station had raided the resort and arrested suspects with narcotics including cannabis, hashish, tablets and intoxicated stamps in their possession. more..

Oct 28 (AM) UNP Badulla District Parliamentarian Vadivel Suresh mas met newly sworn-in Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning and has pledged support to him in Parliament. Rajapaksa's media unit confirmed the meeting and released a picture taken this morning. Sources close to Rajapaksa's said with Suresh's defection, the former President has the support of 100 MPs in the House. However, he is still short of 13 Parliament to show a simple majority in Parliament. more..

Oct 28 (AD) Issuing a press release PM Mahinda Rajapaksa stated that the country is in a state of uncertainty. He states at this moment of national peril he accepted the invitation extended by Prez Sirisena to assume the position of PM, as the people expected their leadership and protection. Rajapaksa says that they will eschew hate politics and set up an interim govt that will protect the human rights of all citizens and more..

Oct 28 (ST) Police and the Special Task Force (STF) personnel have been placed on standby in and around Colombo City while leave has been cancelled for all police officers. The STF has been deployed to safeguard strategic locations in and around Colombo City. They include the state electronic media institutions, the Speaker’s residence, the Presidential Secretariat and the residences of both PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and the newly appointed PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

Oct 28 (NR) UNF MP, President’s Counsel Jayampathy Wickramaratne says the 19th Amendment to the Constitution does not include any Article that vests power with the President to remove a sitting PM. MP Wickramaratne said according to the 19th Amendment the President cannot remove a Minister or a Deputy Minister either. He noted prior to the enactment of the 19th Amendment, the President was vested with powers under Article 44, to remove a sitting PM. more..

Oct 28 (Hindu) DMK president M.K. Stalin on Saturday said the overnight mysterious changes in Sri Lankan govt and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s swearing-in as the PM of the country without majority had posed a major threat to Tamils, who had been denied their rights and subjected to repression. In a statement here, he said it was the responsibility of PM Narendra Modi to clear the air, since the changes had more..

Oct 28 (AM) UNP MPs gathered at the meeting room of Temple Trees began signing an impeachment motion against Prez Sirisena, today. The impeachment motion against the President will be presented mainly for violating the constitution by appointing former President Rajapaksa as the PM, UNP sources said. They also added that a No-Confidence motion is likely to be presented against Rajapaksa as well. NFF Leader Wimal Weerawansa last evening demanded PM Wickremesinghe more..

Oct 28 (AM) The state-controlled weekend newspaper The Sunday Observer has been taken over by the SLFP/SLPP affiliated trade unions and all prominent stories on its front page indicate support to President Maithripala Sirisena and his Prime minister-appointee Mahinda Rajapaksa. The top story of the week, taking a strong pro-Rajapaksa line, says 20 UNPers will cross over to the SLFP-SLPP alliance to support Mahinda Rajapaksa's appointment as the PM. more..

Oct 28 (AD) Govt Information Department issuing a special statement affirms that tomorrow (29) has not been declared a public holiday. The SMS news alert that is being spread across the public stating that the Presidential Secretariat has issued a gazette declaring tomorrow (29) a public holiday is completely false. Accordingly, public is to be informed that tomorrow is a general working day, stated Govt Information Department. Ada Derana wishes to clarify that more..

Oct 28 (Island) The Friday Forum condemned strongly, the manner in which President Maithripala Sirisena has attempted to sack the duly appointed Prime Minister of the country and install former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the PM. "It is a matter of great concern for the nation that in doing so, he has failed to follow Constitutional procedures that required him to ensure that the PM had lost the confidence of Parliament, and could not hold this office. more..

Oct 28 (GV) There were three dramatic announcements on Friday evening from the Presidential Secretariat, which occurred in the following order: (a) the announcement of the withdrawal of the UPFA from the govt; (b) the swearing-in of Mahinda Rajapaksa before President Maithripala Sirisena as the PM; and (c) the announcement that the President has informed Ranil Wickremesinghe in writing that he has been more..

Oct 28 (AD) Posting on Twitter MP Mangala Samaraweera has called out on Prez Sirisena stating that the Prez has ordered the removal of vehicles and security of former PM Wickremesinghe. He says that the relevant vehicles and security has been ordered to be given over to the fake PM Rajapaksa. Relevant Twitter message of MP Samaraweera is as follows: “President @MaithripalaS orders the removal of vehicles and security of @RW_UNP and to be given over more..

Oct 28 (AD) New acting chairpersons have been appointed for several state media institution, stated Department of Govt Information. Accordingly, acting chairpersons have been appointed for the following institutions. Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) – Sarath Kongahage Independent Television Network (ITN)/Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) – Dr. Somaratne Dissanayake. Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Lake House) – Wasantha Priya Ramanayake more..

Oct 28 (DM) Governors of all provinces expressed their unstinted support and cooperation to President Sirisena and the new PM Mahinda Rajapaksa today. They told the media in Colombo that the action taken by Prez to sack PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa as the PM save the country at the last moment. President of the Governors’ Collective, Southern Province Governor Hemakumara Nanayakkara said Prez more..

Oct 29 (CT) Australian Advocacy for Good Governance in SL (AAGGSL) strongly condemns the President’s abrupt removal of the incumbent PM on the night of 26 Oct. It is our considered view that the President’s irresponsible and unwarranted action is illegal, unconstitutional and a severe blight on SL’s democracy. The changes brought about by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, overwhelmingly passed in April 2015, removed the President’s power to dismiss the PM, more..

Oct 29 (CT) The present turn of events undoubtedly is not ideal for the country, but perhaps inevitable. If the UNP could have changed the leader, Ranil Wickremasinghe, as he was straying away from democratic norms and interests of the country, it would have been a better option, much earlier than the present. However, that was unfortunately not the situation given the poor internal democracy within our political parties. Equally worrying is the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM, more..

Oct 29 (SO) After nearly 200 years after the arrival in SL, estate workers can still be considered as a community which does not possess the rights and privileges of other ordinary citizens of the country, forcing them to live a miserable life which can only be compared to the conditions of the pre-Independence era. In fact, their grievances are heard only upon signing collective agreements once in two years while their struggle for life more..

Oct 29 (ST) It’s not often fortune falls upon Lankan Presidents to bless them with the opportunity to appoint a chief justice to the Supreme Bench not once, not twice, not even thrice but four times during his first tenure in office. And all within not even four years at the helm. One Chief Justice per year, so to speak, being the average. What a scorecard Sirisena holds in his hands. And one that’s unsullied. The first president under the present constitution J. R. Jayewardene could only score more..

Oct 29 (ST) If just a quarter of the time reserved by the UNF for juggling with the 19th Amendment by mediocrities of the day professing to be constitutional experts, cosseting Colombo’s privileged inner circles and crooning over applause by the int'l community had been spent in reaching out to SL’s rural and provincial constituencies to rebuild a shattered deficit of trust, it may not have had to face the constitutional (and perhaps) existential crisis that erupted this Friday. more..

Oct 29 (Roar) SL was plunged into a constitutional crisis on October 26th, when President Sirisena appointed former President Rajapaksa as PM in a move that took the nation by surprise, even while UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe continued to function in that position. His move was preceded by the withdrawal of the UPFA from the unity govt. According to a tweet by Rajapaksa’s son, MP Namal Rajapaksa, this was the basis for more..

Oct 29 (SO) The UN last week requested the SL Govt to recall the Commander of the SL UN Peacekeeping Force in Mali following the UN review of his Human Rights records. The Govt will comply with the request of the UN and recall the Commander, but the Army has decided to file an appeal to prove he had not violated Human Rights. Prez Sirisena expressed his deep concern over the UN decision and advised the Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take up more..

Oct 29 (CT) US Author Seymour Hersh made a startling revelation in 1983 in his book The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House. He alleged in the book that former Indian PM Moraji Desai and two Deputy PMs Jagivan Ram and YB Chavan had been paid agents of US foreign intelligence agency, popularly known as the CIA. According to Hersh, Desai have provided sensitive State secrets to the US during the Johnson and Nixon administrations. more..

Oct 29 (GV) We are a group of Sri Lankan students currently pursuing our education overseas. We write today to express our deep concern about Sri Lanka’s ongoing constitutional and political crisis. Since 1931 SL has had an imperfect and fragile, yet electorally and legally mandated, democracy. On Friday (26), for the first time since SL’s independence, an unconstitutional and illegal transfer of power occurred. President Maithripala Sirisena, violating his oath of office more..

Oct 29 (FT) Amnesty International warned that human rights must not become a casualty of the current political crisis in SL. Responding to this weekend’s political crisis in Sri Lanka, Amnesty International’s Senior Director – Global Operations Minar Pimple said: “Human rights must not become a casualty of SL’s political crisis. The authorities must ensure that key freedoms are respected and protected at this time. People should be allowed to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, more..