Category Archives: Sri Lanka

At least 27 people were killed and a senior police officer seriously wounded in a gunfight in Sri Lanka’s biggest prison that began when police came under fire from inmates, prisons minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera told parliament on Saturday. The army brought the violence under control before dawn and freed staff held hostage at the Welikada prison in the capital Colombo, jail officials and military said. The violence erupted when officers from the Special Task Force (STF), Sri Lanka’s elite police commandoes, were searching the jail for drugs and illegal mobile phones. “When they were coming out, prisoners started to attack them with stones. The STF used teargas and the prisoners … Continue reading →

By Nalaka Rupasinghe Former Sri Lankan army commander Gen Sarath Fonseka, who was last month released from prison after being pardoned by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, seems to have received a partial pardon that forbids him from participating in the 2016 country’s presidential and general elections. Gen Fonseka who was widely credited with the 2009 military victory of the Tamil Tigers rebels, was jailed for corruption two years ago. In 2009, he had been made Chief of the Defence Staff after overseeing the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). But he made a mistake when he tried to build on his military victory by resigning the army and … Continue reading →

By Our Correspondent A massive protest was held by Sri Lankans just in front of TV Chanel 4, this week (17th July) to express their anger about the programme, ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’. It was presented by Chanel 4’s most popular and well known presenter Jon Snow on the 14th June (last month) at 11.00 pm. The documentary contained very disturbing images and video footages about the final stages of the war (2009) that defeated the separatists Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). Jon Snow warned at the beginning: ‘This film contains very disturbing images, depicting death, injury, executions and evidence of sexual abuses.’ Since it was aired, newspaper headlines … Continue reading →