Category: News

Tamil parties from the north and the east have decided not to act individually or on party basis in government-initiated dialogues on constitutional formulation and matters relating to the ethnic issue.

Meeting in Colombo on 02 March under the auspices of the Tamil Lawyers Forum (TLF), they reached common ground that a federal constitution should allow for Tamils’ sovereignty and self-determination in order to find a lasting solution for them.

The Tamil parties decided to formulate a draft inclusive of basic aspects of a federal system of governance in order to reach social consensus among the Tamil and Sinhala communities.

Participants at the discussion were TNPF’s Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, secretary Selvraja Gajendran, ITAK secretary M.A. Sumanthiran, Sivagnanam Sridaran, Thurairasa Raviharan, TELO leader Selvam Addailakalanathan, secretary Govindan Karunakaran, media spokesman Suren Gurusamy and EPRL leader Suresh Premachandran.

The TLF coordinators of the event were K.S. Ratnavel, V. Puvidaran, Prof. S. Sarveshvaran, Suganthi Rajakulendra, V.S. Niranjan, G.K. Ranitha and M. Jude Dinesh.

The process initiated will be taken forward on several fronts, the TLF said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath has met with India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.

Posting on X, Minister Herath said they had a warm and constructive meeting, during which they reviewed progress in Sri Lanka–India cooperation and exchanged views on regional developments.

He further stated that Sri Lanka values India’s continued partnership.

Did the Ceylonese Government at the time of the Independence Act agree to have the Standard (a flag used as the symbol of a person, group, or organisation) of Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe on the flag when our national flag was finalised?

This was keeping with the proposal made by Sinna Lebbe, the MP of Batticaloa.

MP Lebbe rose in parliament and said: “This house is of the opinion that the Royal Standard of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinhe which depicts a yellow lion holding a sword in its right paw and placed in front of a red background, be adopted as the official flag of Sri Lanka.

The original flag was removed to England after the Convention of 1815.

But the personal flag of the King is very different from the flag brought by E.W. Perera from England and published by the Dinamina newspaper in 1915.

That was something new to the people of Ceylon and no one questioned it with due respect to E.W. Perera and D.R. Wijewardene, for their roles in bringing the flag of the Lion to Ceylon.

Three flags from ‘Ceylon’ were hanging on the Great Hall of Chelsea Hospital.

It was a common sight to view the flags of nations, claimed to have been captured by the British, to be hung over the pews of the Chelsea Hospital. It was a Chapel until World War II broke out and afterwards the flags were folded and left at the Tower of London until the cessation of hostilities. When they were removed after peace was achieved, the flags were in a damaged state and hence could not be flown. The British Army made drawings of what was left and they are today on the walls of the hall.

Out of the three flags, one was the standard of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe as depicted below.

The Chelsea Royal Hospital founded by King Charles II, was a military hospital. And three Kandyan flags taken away by Captain William Pollock were found there. These flags hung alongside other captured flags and colonial trophies from the colonies. The flags were dusty, threadbare and faded. They were placed with their identities.

During the birth of the Republic, Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike made a request in keeping with the request made MP Sinna Lebbe.

The late Dr. Roland Silva, former Director General of Archaeology, while taking the new design to Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike for approval, noticed that the lion in the logo had been masculinised. They didn’t have time to remove the addition made to the flag. So they explained the issue to Madam Bandaranaike, who saw no problem with the additions and approved the logo. This indicates that a new flag was designed for the Republic, but what came of it is unknown. Perhaps the design included the Royal Standard of Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe.

The design made by the Late Roland Silva was an amendment to the flag for the Republic. Plaques on the wall of Chelsea Hospital help in identifying them. He had proposed to have the Royal Standard of the King which is said to have been placed in the middle of the three flags. The Flag of the King was taken earlier to the Headquarters of the British Army in India to be shipped to London, to be laid at the feet of the King of England.

Source:Daily Mirror.lk

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding off the coast of Sri Lanka as a second Iranian vessel has been reported stranded near Panadura, carrying nearly 300 children in desperate need of supplies.

The Iranian Embassy in Colombo has issued an urgent appeal to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence, requesting 24-hour access to a local port to secure essential food and drinking water for those on board.

Sources indicate that while the request was initially met with administrative silence, a high-profile diplomatic intervention has since cleared the way for the vessel to dock.

The situation came to light earlier today during a visit by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe to the Iranian Embassy.

Mr. Wickremesinghe had arrived to sign the book of condolence following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

During the visit, embassy officials reportedly briefed the former president on the stranded ship’s dire circumstances and the pending request for humanitarian assistance.

Following this meeting, the Governor of the Western Province, Hanif Yusoof, reportedly intervened to apprise the President of the situation.

Current reports suggest that, following this high-level mediation, the vessel has finally been granted permission to enter a Sri Lankan port on humanitarian grounds.

This latest maritime incident adds a layer of complexity to an already volatile regional situation.

Only yesterday, an Iranian naval vessel was reported in distress approximately 40 nautical miles off the coast of Galle.

The incident coincided with a provocative claim from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said that an Iranian warship had been struck and sunk by a torpedo in the Indian Ocean.

The leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has called for a presidential commission to investigate killings and crimes committed against journalists from all ethnic communities in Sri Lanka.

Speaking at a memorial event for Tamil journalist Bharathi Rajanayagam, SLMC leader MP Rauff Hakeem said the role played by journalists in the struggle for the rights of Tamil-speaking communities should not be forgotten, especially in light of the many media workers who were killed.

Hakeem said that while numerous commissions of inquiry had been appointed in the past concerning media institutions and political actors, there had been no dedicated mechanism to investigate crimes committed against journalists.

“The contribution of journalists to the journey toward the liberation of the Tamil-speaking community cannot be overlooked,” he said. “At the same time, when we think of the many journalists who were unjustly killed, there is only one thing we can say on their behalf at this moment. Many commissions have been appointed for media institutions and politicians. But we need a commission specifically to investigate crimes committed against journalists. Separate attention must be given to victims from all ethnic communities.”

Hakeem described the killing of journalists as one of the most serious crimes linked to Sri Lanka’s long-running ethnic conflict.

Bharathi, who died in February 2025 at the age of 63 after a period of ill health, spent four decades in journalism. He began his career with the Jaffna-based newspaper Eelamurasu before later working with several Tamil-language publications including Murasoli and Eelanadu.

Over the course of his career he also served as editor of the Tamil newspapers Thinakkural and Virakesari. At the time of his death, he was heading the Jaffna office of the Virakesari newspaper.

Bharathi was widely known as a journalist who advocated for media freedom during the years of Sri Lanka’s civil war, campaigning against the disappearance, killing and intimidation of journalists and civilians in both the Northern and Eastern provinces as well as in the capital, Colombo.

44 journalists

According to a report compiled by the media rights organisation Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, at least 44 journalists in the country were subjected to killings, abductions or other forms of persecution during the period when Gotabaya Rajapaksa served as defence secretary.

Many of those targeted were Tamil journalists working in the north of the country, and none of the cases have so far resulted in justice for the victims, the report notes.

Hakeem said the appointment of a presidential commission to investigate the killing of journalists over the past half century could help expose the conspiracies behind those crimes and contribute to a fuller historical record.

“Today we see even senior intelligence officials being arrested, and investigations are underway into the conspiracies behind incidents such as the Easter Sunday attacks. In the same way, a commission must be appointed to investigate the journalists who were killed over the last four or five decades. That would allow an important chapter of history to be written and the conspiracies behind these killings to be revealed,” he said.

Several high-profile cases involving attacks on journalists remain under investigation.

In October 2024, responding to a question from a journalist, the then cabinet spokesman Vijitha Herath said that a number of so-called “emblematic cases” were being examined, including the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge and the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda. However, local authorities, including the government, the police and other state investigative bodies, have yet to publicly disclose progress in those investigations.

Norway State Secretary/Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik signalled a push for a “modern, forward-looking” partnership with Sri Lanka, emphasising stronger trade, maritime cooperation, and green energy collaboration.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily FT during his two-day official visit, Kravik said the visit was aimed at setting new priorities and revitalising political engagement after several years without a high-level Norwegian delegation.

“Last year, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Norway and Sri Lanka. It is important to commemorate that milestone and use it as a springboard to look ahead, building on what we have achieved and setting new priorities for the relationship,” he said.

He assured that Norway would continue development cooperation through agencies such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), while supporting civil society initiatives on labour rights, human rights, and judicial standards.

Noting that Sri Lanka is no longer in conflict, Kravik acknowledged that post-war reconciliation challenges still remain. He said discussions with Tamil representatives and talks with Government leaders would focus on strengthening minority rights, rule of law, and judicial safeguards.

Reaffirming Norway’s human rights-centred foreign policy, Kravik underscored the importance of multilateral institutions and international law, arguing that smaller nations must “lean in” to strengthen global systems amid growing geopolitical polarisation.

The Deputy Minister also said beyond governance, Norway is seeking expanded economic engagement. “Attracting Norwegian capital would depend on predictability, adherence to rule of law and respect for human rights,” he said, adding that these factors were closely linked to sustainable economic growth.

Maritime industries were highlighted as a priority sector, with scope for collaboration in fisheries management and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing through improved monitoring systems and legal frameworks.

In addition, energy cooperation, particularly in renewable and sustainable solutions, was also identified as a major opportunity, alongside technology, research, and university partnerships.

Despite the brief nature of the visit, Kravik expressed optimism about deepening ties, noting the presence of a valued Sri Lankan diaspora in Norway and “significant potential” for expanded collaboration in the years ahead.

The Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Air Force launched a joint rescue operation after an Iranian vessel IRIS Dena, a Moudge-class frigate in the Southern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, sent out a distress call off the coast of Galle.

Navy Spokesman said that a rescue mission was initiated to evacuate the crew on board, as the incident occurred within Sri Lanka’s search and rescue area

It was reported that the vessel had sent out a distress call after it was hit.

Accordingly, 30 crew members of the vessel were rescued and admitted to the Karapitiya Hospital. It was also reported that at least 180 crew members are aboard the vessel.

The vessel also participated in the MILAN 26 fleet review at Visakhapatnam, India, recently.