News: politics

The Rajapaksas are determined to win the upcoming local government election in the North – by whatever means necessary. The Northern election season commenced on an ominous note: a very public attack on a TNA meeting by a group of soldiers. That outbreak of violence and the authorities’ failure to apprehend the culprits set the tone for the Northern election campaign.

A senior leader of Sri Lanka's main opposition says that the challenge by the United Nation's Committee report could only be defeated by concerted efforts of all political parties along with the release of former army commander Sarath Fonseka.

A new volume, with three chapters dedicated to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, will be added to the Mahavamsa -- a historical poem written in Pali language describing reigns of Sri Lankan rulers, Cultural Affairs ministry said today.

What we have seen for a long time within Tamil politics is two dichotomously opposed discourses – a discourse that supported the LTTE, come what may and its reflection, die hard criticism of the LTTE, come what may. Both sides have been exhausted now. We were told repeatedly that cross-ethnic, progressive, mass based movements is the alternative and we need to know how we are doing on this front. We need to hear more nuanced criticism of the powers that haunt the Tamil community and broadly minorities in this country today, for the power that was born in response to the ‘initial source of power’ and oppression is no more. The initial source of power remains, and has become even more oppressive, in a nuanced and sophisticated way. As much as we need the pro-LTTE discourses and groups to rethink their options we also need the anti-LTTE discourses and groups to rethink their ways. We need UTHR (J) reporting more than before now. More SLDF activism on the ground now.