Lanka Journal

Behind the photograph: the human face of Pakistan’s deadly flood

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:23:19 +0000

The photograph that went round the world. The Guardian tracked down the child with the bottle, two-year-old Reza Khan, and spoke with his mother about her family’s struggles. Photograph: Mohammad Sajjad/APIt was an image that conveyed the human cost of the Pakistani floods – and the failure [...]

Sri Lanka president set to cement grip

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:19:02 +0000

Sri Lanka’s parliament will vote Wednesday on constitutional reforms enabling President Mahinda Rajapakse to seek a third term, in changes critics say point to the country’s slide into autocracy. Under the proposed amendments, the two-term limit will be scrapped, allowing the populist Rajapakse, who was resoundingly re-elected for the second time [...]

18th Amendment through American eyes

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:17:20 +0000

The 18th Amendment will fundamentally transform Sri Lanka’s political system, stripping away the façade of democracy. The 18th Amendment will end presidential term limits, eliminate the Constitutional Council, increase the Executive’s control over appointments, and give the President the power to regularly attend and address Parliament. Its effect will be to remove vital checks on [...]

Sri Lanka Supreme Court approves amendments to Constitution

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:15:30 +0000

Paving the way for the current President Mahinda Rajapaksa to seek reelection for a third term, Sri Lanka`s apex court has ruled that the proposed constitutional amendments are consistent with the country`s Constitution and can be approved with a two-third majority in the parliament , the Speaker announced today to the [...]

Sri Lankan Tamil refugees spark racism row in Canada

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:14:34 +0000

Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper. He has threatened to seek a change in the law to deal with further refugees. Photograph: Adrian Wyld/APThe arrival off the west coast of Canada of a rusty boat containing nearly 500 exhausted Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers has sparked an angry debate about racism [...]

Stop idle rhetoric, KP tells Tamil Nadu leaders

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:34:09 +0000

The detained LTTE arms smuggler and international funds manager, Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, has appealed to Tamil Nadu politicians to “refrain from idle rhetoric and instead help Tamils in Sri Lanka to live in harmony and prosperity with others.” In a phone interview to DBS Jeyaraj published in Daily Mirror on Saturday, KP said: “We need [...]

Sri Lanka win Micromax Tri-Series 2010

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:32:11 +0000

Sri Lanka’s three senior batsmen stepped up their game in front of a clamorous full house in Dambulla to end their four-tournament losing streak at home to India. Tillakaratne Dilshan will grab the headlines for his maiden century in Sri Lanka, which he celebrated by running halfway to the dressing room and pointing to his [...]

Maid torture report arrives in Kingdom

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:29:54 +0000

RIYADH: The Sri Lankan Embassy received on Saturday the medical report regarding the Sri Lankan housemaid who was found with 24 nails and needles embedded in her legs, arms, hands and forehead, allegedly pushed into her body by the Saudi couple she worked for as a method of punishment. A video [...]

Lord’s Test at centre of fixing allegations

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:25:14 +0000

The fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s is at the centre of a police investigation into spot-fixing, after a 35-year-old man was arrested after allegedly being caught offering to bribe Pakistan’s bowlers to bowl no-balls on demand. According to a report in The News of the World, Mazher Majeed accepted £150,000 to arrange [...]

Basil Rajapaksa on way to New Delhi

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:26:30 +0000

A senior Sri Lankan minister is heading to New Delhi on Tuesday to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Indian officials during a two-day visit. Economic Development minister Basil Rajapaksa, who is also President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother, is expected to apprise Singh about developments in the war-ravaged northern districts of Sri [...]