Author: TELO Admin

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) leader Basil Rajapaksa, alongside former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is set to hold talks with President Ranil Wickremesinghe this evening to explore potential political collaborations ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Basil Rajapaksa, returning from the United States, will engage in discussions at a pivotal time when electoral alliances are being forged across parties in anticipation of the impending national elections. Amidst these deliberations, the sequence of elections is also under scrutiny.

A faction within the SLPP, led by MP Nimal Lanza, has already pledged support to the President, organizing rallies nationwide to rally public backing. Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga has echoed the sentiment for SLPP to endorse the President.

Despite these inclinations, the SLPP as an entity has yet to make a formal decision. Previous disagreements surfaced when Mr. Rajapaksa conveyed his dissatisfaction to the President regarding direct engagement with a splinter group within the party.

Insiders reveal that tonight’s meeting aims to address lingering issues, including the sequence of elections, within the backdrop of potential collaboration between the parties involved.

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced the release of a book titled “The conspiracy to oust me from the Presidency”.

He said the book reveals the political campaign to oust him from the presidency.

“I wish to announce the publication of my book titled “The conspiracy to oust me from the Presidency”. Foreign intervention has weighed heavily on Sri Lanka since we won the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009. From the time I was elected President in November 2019, certain foreign and local parties were intent on removing me from power,” he said in a statement.

Rajapaksa said that the entirety of his two and a half year tenure in power was spent combating the Covid-19 pandemic that swept through Sri Lanka and the whole world soon after he took office.

“Conspiratorial forces commenced the political campaign to oust me from the presidency at the end of March 2022 after the pandemic had been brought under control and the vaccination campaign had been concluded and just when the economy was beginning to recover,” he said.

Rajapaksa said that foreign intervention and the manipulation of internal politics has become a fact of life in Sri Lanka today in a manner never experienced in the first sixty years of independence of this country.

“The political campaign to oust me brought in a new element into the politics of Sri Lanka which has since independence experienced only peaceful transfers of power following elections,” he said.

Rajapaksa said the events of 2022 are fraught with serious implications for the future of this country.

“What this book explains is the first hand experience of an internationally sponsored regime change operation. As such I believe this book will be of interest not only to Sri Lankans but also to foreigners,” he said.

Rajaoaksa said that his book will be available in both English and Sinhala at leading book stores from Thursday the 7th of March 2024.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa was removed from power in 2022 following major street protests.

Ambassadors of six countries met leader of the National People’s Power Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the head office of the JVP this afternoon (6), party sources said.

Ambassador of the State of Palestine Dr. Zuhair M.H. Dar Zaid, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey Ms. R. Demet Sekercioglu, High Commissioner of the Republic of Bangladesh Tareq M.D. Ariful Islam, Ms. Dewi Gustina Tobing, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, Heru Prayitno, Head of Chancery of the Embassy, Badli Hisham Bin Adam Malaysian High Commissioner and Ms. Fathimath Ghina, Acting Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives attended the meeting.

National Executive Members of the NPP Bimal Ratnayaka, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Dr. Rizvie Salih and Muditha Nanayakkara represented the NPP.

The NPP representatives briefed the foreign diplomats about the principles and functioning of the National People’s Power and discussed the political and economic situation in the country at length. Also, at the meeting, they expressed to the foreign diplomats the readiness of the National People’s Power to deal with all countries based on mutual respect and cooperation.

An official investigation has been initiated in response to an incident at the Nawalapitiya railway station, where two foreign tourists were reportedly assaulted by two railway employees.

Two British nationals, who were traveling on the Podi Manike train from Colombo to Badulla, found themselves embroiled in an ugly incident.

Their journey commenced at the Kandy railway station.

Upon investigation, Railway Superintendent N.M.J. Idipola revealed that the duo had been removed from the train, citing that despite holding third-class tickets, they had occupied seats in the first-class compartment.

Sumeda Somaratne, President of the Sri Lanka Railways Station Master’s Association, confirmed that a railway guard had instructed the foreign passengers to disembark.

Despite these instructions, the two foreigners had refused to vacate the train compartment, and Sumeda Somaratne noted as a result they were removed from the train.

The Nawalapitiya Police indicated that no possibility of arresting foreigners exists in this context.

Meanwhile, H. M. K. Bandara, the General Manager of Sri Lanka Railways, has directed the railway security department to conduct an investigation and submit a comprehensive report regarding this incident.