Author: TELO Admin

A university campus in northern Sri Lanka has become the latest flashpoint in the country’s long-running ethnic tensions, after police interrogated student leaders over a protest in which the national flag was replaced with a black flag on Independence Day.

Students at the University of Jaffna boycotted lectures and took to the streets on Thursday (19) in solidarity with three of their peers, who spent five hours being questioned at the Jaffna Police Headquarters over the incident, which took place on 04 February.

On that day, students had removed the Sri Lankan flag and hoisted a black flag in its place, an act of defiance that mirrored similar protests across the North and East, where Tamil communities raised black flags to signal that Independence Day holds little meaning for them while their political aspirations remain unrecognised.

Earlier this month, officers from the Crime Prevention Division entered the university campus and questioned the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar for around three hours, recording their statements.

Students condemned the move, objecting both to the presence of police on university grounds and to the prolonged questioning of senior academics.

The summoning of student leaders added further fuel to the anger.

The President of the Jaffna University Students’ Union and the President of the Faculty of Arts Students’ Union were called in for questioning through a letter dated 13 March, instructing them to appear on the 16th.

However, the letter was only handed to the students on the 17th.

After clarifying the situation with police, the students appeared at Jaffna Police Headquarters on Thursday morning, where they were questioned for approximately five hours before their statements were formally recorded.

Police said further steps would be taken after seeking the advice of the Attorney General.

What has particularly angered students is that a parallel university inquiry had already been conducted at the direction of the University Grants Commission.

A committee comprising the professor in charge of the university’s racial reconciliation unit, the Student Disciplinary Officer and the Chief Security Officer investigated the matter and submitted a report to the Commission.

That inquiry identified 30 individuals, including two female students, as being directly connected to the incident.

During that internal process, students were clear about their intentions.

They stated that their actions were meant to convey that Sri Lanka’s Independence Day carried no significance for Tamils as long as the aspirations of the Tamil people continued to go unrecognised.

For many students, the police investigation running alongside a completed internal inquiry amounts to a second punishment for the same act, and a warning shot aimed at silencing dissent on campus.

The Government is exploring mechanisms to enable Sri Lankans living overseas to cast their votes, with initial discussions currently underway among key institutions.

Sources close to the matter said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had initiated a round of stakeholder consultations with line ministries, focusing on a comparative analysis of overseas voting models.

However, it is learnt that large-scale models used in some foreign countries are reportedly not being considered at this stage.

Authorities are also examining which categories of overseas Sri Lankans will be eligible to vote. One proposal under consideration is an in-person voting system conducted through Sri Lankan embassies.

It is learnt that some officials have advocated for a mandatory advance registration system, along with mechanisms to verify citizenship and electoral eligibility prior to voting.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that many Sri Lankans living abroad, particularly those working in the Middle East, had retained their Sri Lankan citizenship and contributed significantly to the national economy.

“They have a right to choose their leaders,” the spokesperson said, adding that internationally, several countries already allowed their citizens to vote from overseas through their embassies.

“In such instances, the Foreign Ministry facilitates the process by providing the necessary support, including arrangements such as security at polling locations,” the spokesperson explained.

The spokesperson confirmed that a committee had been established to study the legal frameworks and assess how such a system could be implemented in Sri Lanka. The committee includes representatives from the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Election Commission (EC).

Discussions are currently ongoing, with the process still at a preliminary stage.

Meanwhile, the EC also confirmed that a separate committee tasked with recommending the necessary legal and procedural reforms was continuing its deliberations.

The committee had earlier invited views and suggestions from Sri Lankan citizens living abroad, civil society organisations, and Sri Lankan missions and embassies as part of efforts to establish a mechanism for overseas voting.

EC Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake told The Sunday Morning that discussions on this matter were currently underway.

The Cabinet had previously appointed the committee to study possible amendments to existing laws, as Sri Lankan citizens residing overseas are currently unable to vote under the country’s electoral framework.

Following its appointment, the committee issued a public notice calling for written submissions from stakeholders, including Sri Lankan missions abroad, civil society organisations, and overseas Sri Lankan citizens, with a view to developing a more democratic, transparent, and efficient system.

Submissions were sought on key areas such as voter registration, election campaigning and advertising, voting procedures, and the counting of votes and declaration of results.

The deadline for submissions closed on 15 February.

Establishing a formal mechanism for overseas Sri Lankans to exercise their voting rights is a pledge in the manifesto of the National People’s Power.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake informed Parliament today (20) of the reasons behind the Government’s decision to deny permission for Iranian naval vessels to enter Sri Lankan territorial waters.

Addressing the House, the President stated that a request had been received on February 26 for Iranian naval vessels to visit Sri Lanka between March 9 and 13 to strengthen bilateral cooperation, a proposal which the Government had been considering.

He further noted that on the evening of the same day, the United States had also requested permission for two fighter aircrafts belonging to US Navy to land at the Mattala Airport.

The President emphasized that, in line with Sri Lanka’s policy of strict neutrality, the Government decided to decline both requests in order to uphold the country’s non-aligned stance.

The US special representative for South and Central Asia, and US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, who is currently visiting Sri Lanka, met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake this morning (19) at the Presidential Secretariat.

During the meeting, discussions were held on further strengthening bilateral relations between the United States and Sri Lanka, said the President’s Media Division.

The President briefed the delegation on Sri Lanka’s position regarding the ongoing conflict situation in the Middle East, as well as the challenges faced by the country in light of these developments, the statement said.

Also in attendance at the meeting were Secretary to the President, Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake; Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Dr Harshana Suriyapperuma; Senior Economic Adviser to the President, Duminda Hulangamuwa; Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Roshan Gamage, along with members of Sergio Gor’s delegation.

Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) informed court on Thursday (20) that former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena has stated that a sum of Rs. 60 million was paid to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on three separate occasions in connection with the controversial Airbus aircraft transaction.

The disclosure was made when the case related to the Airbus deal was taken up before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.

According to the Bribery Commission, the claim was revealed through a statement made by Chandrasena, who is a suspect in the case.

During Thursday’s proceedings, the Magistrate ordered that Kapila Chandrasena be further remanded until April 2.

Here’s a background to this story:

On the 12th of March, former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena was arrested upon arriving at the Bribery Commission this morning to provide a statement.

Why was Kapila Chandrasena arrested?

Investigations are underway regarding a corrupt transaction involving the planned purchase of 10 Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines during the 2012-2013 period.

The investigation into this transaction is being conducted in coordination with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

During the 2012-2013 period, a proposal was submitted for the removal of 13 aircraft from SriLankan Airlines and replace them with 14 brand-new aircraft.

A contract was signed with the French Airbus company, to purchase 6 A330 aircraft and 4 A350 aircraft among those.

Who uncovered the fraud in this transaction?

Information regarding a serious fraud in this deal was revealed in January 2020.

This came to light following the disclosure of details from an investigation conducted by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of the United Kingdom.

Investigations revealed that the French Airbus company had promised to pay a bribe of US$ 16.84 million for the deal to purchase the 10 Airbus aircraft.

Was it revealed that bribes were paid?

Yes.

The investigation conducted by the British Serious Fraud Office (SFO) revealed that $2 million of this money had been credited to an account in Brunei belonging to a company owned by the wife of the then CEO of SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena.

According to investigative information, the funds received by the Brunei-based company in his wife’s name were transferred by Kapila Chandrasena on several occasions through a Singaporean account to his own account in Australia.

Further investigations have revealed that money from Singapore had also been transferred to two accounts within Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Shamindra Rajapaksa, the son of former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, has been named as the third suspect in this case.

This follows the disclosure that a sum of 160,000 US dollars was credited to a bank account belonging to him in 2013.

Source:Newsfirst.lk

The government has decided to extend tourist visas by one month for visitors who have already obtained visas to travel to Sri Lanka but have been unable to arrive within the expected time frame, Tourism Minister Ruwan Ranasinghe announced.

The Minister said that a number of tourists have already secured visas and are awaiting the opportunity to arrive in Sri Lanka on their scheduled flights. However, due to prevailing circumstances, several days have elapsed since their visas were issued, creating difficulties for these travellers.

“As a government, we have taken a decision to extend their visa validity by one month,” the Minister said. “From the date their visa is due to expire, it will be extended by a further one month. This facility has been provided to enable them to come to Sri Lanka without difficulty.”

Meanwhile, the Tourism Minister also revealed that a request has been made to the Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy to grant increased fuel quotas for those engaged in the tourism sector.

He said the request seeks to provide double the standard petrol or diesel quota to tourism-related businesses and individuals who are able to present valid registration certificates issued by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority or other acceptable forms of identification.

The measures are aimed at supporting the tourism industry during the current period by easing travel-related concerns for visitors and addressing fuel requirements for tourism operators to ensure the continued functioning of the sector.