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Afghanistan
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Sri Lanka
Report:2018
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Date
Incidents
January - 4 
Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) on January 4 said that HRCSL received 5,614 complaints in the first three quarters of 2017 and 1,174 of them have been incidents of unlawful arrest by Police and torture, reports Colombo Page. The Chairperson of the Commission, Dr. Deepika Udagama sa
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Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) on January 4 said that HRCSL received 5,614 complaints in the first three quarters of 2017 and 1,174 of them have been incidents of unlawful arrest by Police and torture, reports Colombo Page. The Chairperson of the Commission, Dr. Deepika Udagama said at a media briefing at the Commission that HRCSL has received 770 complaints on neglect of administrative responsibilities. Out of those, 436 complaints were against the police and 334 were against other government institutions for not noting the complaints made. In addition, state officials have lodged 1002 complaints of administrative injustices they encountered within their own institutions.
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January - 20 
Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its 2018 World Report said that Government made little progress on transitional justice initiatives in 2017, reports Colombo Page on January 20. HRW said while the general openness for media and civil society groups that emerged after the electoral defeat of the
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Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its 2018 World Report said that Government made little progress on transitional justice initiatives in 2017, reports Colombo Page on January 20. HRW said while the general openness for media and civil society groups that emerged after the electoral defeat of the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government in 2015 continued in 2017 under the administration of President Maithripala Sirisena, action stalled in 2017 on Sri Lanka's pledges to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) made in October 2015 to address accountability and political reconciliation emerging from the country's 26-year civil war with the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The report said the government's response to the report of the Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms prepared by civil society leaders, appointed by the government, after conducting nationwide consultations in 2016 has also been disappointing.
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February - 12 
Australian authorities have issued deportation order for Sri Lankan Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suspect seeking asylum in Australia, reports Colombo Page on February 13. The deportation order issued by the Australian Border Force for suspected LTTE asylum seeker Shantaruban say
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Australian authorities have issued deportation order for Sri Lankan Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suspect seeking asylum in Australia, reports Colombo Page on February 13. The deportation order issued by the Australian Border Force for suspected LTTE asylum seeker Shantaruban says he will be deported on February 22. He will not be permitted any visitors at the airport when he is removed and he will be escorted on his flight to Colombo. He has refused to sign the order. Shantaruban has fled Sri Lanka fearing repercussions from Government security forces for his involvement with the LTTE. He arrived in Australia by boat in 2012. Having been released to live in the community, he was re-detained in 2015 and has remained in immigration detention since.
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February - 13 
The United National Party (UNP), Sri Lanka's majority party in Parliament, on February 13 decided to continue the current National Unity Government (NUG) for the remainder of its term without any changes and the Ministers of its coalition partner, Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), can decide on th
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The United National Party (UNP), Sri Lanka's majority party in Parliament, on February 13 decided to continue the current National Unity Government (NUG) for the remainder of its term without any changes and the Ministers of its coalition partner, Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), can decide on their own whether to stay with the Government or not, reports Colombo Page. Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has conveyed his party's decision to President Maithripala Sirisena at a special discussion held at the President's Residence between the President and the Prime Minister along with the UNP Ministers.
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February - 18 
One of the major parties in Sri Lanka's coalition Government, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led by President Maithripala Sirisena on February 18 decided to leave the National Unity Government (NUG), reports Colombo Page. It has been reported that the decision was taken after a discussion h
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One of the major parties in Sri Lanka's coalition Government, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led by President Maithripala Sirisena on February 18 decided to leave the National Unity Government (NUG), reports Colombo Page. It has been reported that the decision was taken after a discussion held between the United National Party (UNP) leaders Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and the President at the President's official residence. Accordingly President Sirisena will seek the Supreme Court opinion on appointing a new Prime Minister, a SLFP MP and deputy speaker Thilanga Sumathipala has told.
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February - 19 
Meanwhile, ending the political crisis resulted after the local government elections, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party led by (SLFP) led by President Maithripala Sirisena on February 19 decided to stay in the National Unity Government (NUG) with the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United Nation
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Meanwhile, ending the political crisis resulted after the local government elections, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party led by (SLFP) led by President Maithripala Sirisena on February 19 decided to stay in the National Unity Government (NUG) with the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), reports Colombo Page. A discussion was held between the President and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) members at the Presidential Secretariat to discuss the current political situation.
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February - 19 
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader and leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R Sampanthan speaking at the adjournment debate in Parliament on February 19 slammed the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa for misleading the public on the ethnic issue during the Local Government election campaign for &qu
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Meanwhile, Opposition Leader and leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R Sampanthan speaking at the adjournment debate in Parliament on February 19 slammed the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa for misleading the public on the ethnic issue during the Local Government election campaign for "cheap political gain", reports Colombo Page. He noted that the "Parliament is not constituted on the basis of votes cast at the local authority election. Parliament is constituted and President was elected on the basis of the presidential election and parliamentary election held with that purpose in keeping with the constitution and the laws of this country. The constitution and the laws of this country cannot be subverted by your claiming benefits under local authority election to your advantage the way you please."
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February - 19 
The Delimitation Committee for the conduct of Provincial Council elections on February 19 handed over its report on the delimitation of electorates to the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Faizer Mustapha, reports Colombo Page. With the enactment of the Provincial Council Ele
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The Delimitation Committee for the conduct of Provincial Council elections on February 19 handed over its report on the delimitation of electorates to the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Faizer Mustapha, reports Colombo Page. With the enactment of the Provincial Council Elections (Amendment) Act No. 17 of 2017 a new mixed voting system was introduced for provincial councils. Under the mixed voting system 50 percent of the representatives should be elected by the simple majority system for an electoral district and another 50 percent should be selected according to the District level proportional representation method. Once the bill is passed in parliament, it is possible to hold provincial council elections soon. The five-member Delimitation Committee was chaired by Dr. K. Nawalingam and comprised Prof. S. H. Hussbulla, Dr Anila Dias Bandaranaike, former Additional Commissioner of Elections P.M. Siriwardena, Head of Department of Economics and Statistics at Peradeniya University S. Vijesandiran.
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February - 20 
Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan asylum seeker, who is an LTTE suspect, is to be deported from Australia after the UN Committee against torture had withdrawn a request to halt his removal, reports Daily Mirror on February 21. Shantaruban, currently held in immigration detention in Melbourne, has be
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Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan asylum seeker, who is an LTTE suspect, is to be deported from Australia after the UN Committee against torture had withdrawn a request to halt his removal, reports Daily Mirror on February 21. Shantaruban, currently held in immigration detention in Melbourne, has been in Australia since arriving by boat in 2012. Shantaruban’s claim for refugee status has been rejected. He says he has been unable to properly present his claim for protection because he was initially fearful to declare his association with the LTTE.
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February - 20 
Swiss Attorney General Juliette Noto demanded harsh penalties from 12 Tamils for participating or supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports Daily Mirror on February 21. For most of the 13 defendants, the federal prosecutor attested grave offenses and a high level of c
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Swiss Attorney General Juliette Noto demanded harsh penalties from 12 Tamils for participating or supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports Daily Mirror on February 21. For most of the 13 defendants, the federal prosecutor attested grave offenses and a high level of criminal energy. For the head of the World Tamil Coordinating Committee (WTCC), which was considered an offshoot of the LTTE in Switzerland, she demanded an unconditional imprisonment of 5 years and a fine of 180 daily rates of 80 francs. The Chief Financial Officer of the WTCC is to receive an unconditional imprisonment of 6.5 years and a fine of 180 daily rates of 100 francs. For the other defendants, the federal prosecutor demanded prison sentences of between 18 months and five years as well as fines.
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February - 20 
The ‘Reconciliation Channel,’ a new Tamil language channel under the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) was launched on February 20 presided over by President Maithripala Sirisena to promote the Government’s reconciliation programme, reports Daily News. It wil
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The ‘Reconciliation Channel,’ a new Tamil language channel under the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) was launched on February 20 presided over by President Maithripala Sirisena to promote the Government’s reconciliation programme, reports Daily News. It will have programmes catering to Tamil speaking people and showcase items that reflect their religious, national and cultural identities.
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February - 22 
Opposition Leader and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan while meeting with the visiting United States member of Congress F. James Sensenbrenner and his Chief of Staff Matt Bisenius on February 22 at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament said that the Government bo
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Opposition Leader and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan while meeting with the visiting United States member of Congress F. James Sensenbrenner and his Chief of Staff Matt Bisenius on February 22 at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament said that the Government bound to implement the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution both in spirit and letter and called on the international community to ensure it was fully implemented, reports Daily Mirror. Highlighting the delays that have occurred in implementing the resolution he said that the International community must take necessary steps to ensure that the Government is held accountable for the commitments made to the international community and to the people in Sri Lanka on implementing Cosponsored resolution at the UNHRC. Explaining the Constitutional making process Mr Sampanthan also highlighted that the process must continue and seek a successful end. He also emphasized that the Constitution must be approved by the people at a referendum.
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February - 23 
The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to continue to play a critical role in encouraging progress in accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, reports Colombo Page on February 24.
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The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to continue to play a critical role in encouraging progress in accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, reports Colombo Page on February 24. In his report on "Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka" to the 37th session of the Human Rights Council, which will be held from February 26 to March 23, 2018 in Geneva, the High Commissioner also called on Member States to explore other avenues, including the application of universal jurisdiction, that could foster accountability in Sri Lanka.
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March - 6 
Maldives Opposition Party’s supporters on March 6 organised a rally in Sri Lanka against the Maldivian Government, urging to release the nine political prisoner and re-instate 12 Member of Parliaments (MPs) with immediate effect, reports Mihaaru. Around 100 protesters gathered at front gates o
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Maldives Opposition Party’s supporters on March 6 organised a rally in Sri Lanka against the Maldivian Government, urging to release the nine political prisoner and re-instate 12 Member of Parliaments (MPs) with immediate effect, reports Mihaaru. Around 100 protesters gathered at front gates of the Maldivian Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, carrying placards, banners and posters in support of the political leaders and other administrative officers arrested during the ongoing State of Emergency (SoE). The protest in Sri Lanka has exposed the weakness and unpopularity of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)—the Opposition party in Maldives. These issues are not implemented or resolved by the Embassy. Around 10,000 Maldivians are living in Sri Lanka and merely 100 Maldivians joined the protest. This highlights the unpopularity of MDP, said Maldivian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Mohamed Shareef.
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March - 8 
Meanwhile, President Maithripala Sirisena has decided to lift the Police curfew imposed in the Kandy Administrative District on March 8 for eight hours for people to attend their essential needs, adds Colombo Page. In accordance with the people's request to remove the curfew for a short period t
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Meanwhile, President Maithripala Sirisena has decided to lift the Police curfew imposed in the Kandy Administrative District on March 8 for eight hours for people to attend their essential needs, adds Colombo Page. In accordance with the people's request to remove the curfew for a short period to attend their essential activities including purchasing of food and other items, President Maithripala Sirisena has decided to remove the curfew from 10:00 a.m. and re-impose at 6:00 p.m. in the Kandy District, Director General of Government Information Sudarshana Gunawardhana said in a statement. Accordingly, President's Secretary Austin Fernando has ordered Inspector General of Police (IGP), Pujith Jayasundara to withdraw the curfew from 10.00 am to 06.00 pm on March 8.Also, the Government requested the people to use of this grace period of time given on humanitarian ground in responsible manner.
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March - 9 
Meanwhile, Police Media Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said since March 4 up to March 9, 146 suspects have been arrested in connection with the communal clashes unleashed in Kandy District, reports Colombo Page on March 10. The suspects, who were apprehended for violating the curfew imposed in Kandy
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Meanwhile, Police Media Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said since March 4 up to March 9, 146 suspects have been arrested in connection with the communal clashes unleashed in Kandy District, reports Colombo Page on March 10. The suspects, who were apprehended for violating the curfew imposed in Kandy will be produced before the court on the charges citing under the emergency regulations. Those who were proven to be guilty in court for their unruly behavior during the state of emergency could be given a seven-year prison sentence, the spokesman said. The TID has apprehended 10 suspects in connection with the violent incidents in Kandy. A 14-day detention order has been issued for the ten suspects arrested over the incidents and they were brought down to Colombo for further investigations, SP Gunasekara said.
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March - 9 
Separately, the Police Department has decided not to impose the curfew in the Kandy Administrative District due to the prevailing peaceful atmosphere, adds Colombo Page on March 10. The Police and tri-forces however will continue to be engaged in providing security in the district, the Police said.
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Separately, the Police Department has decided not to impose the curfew in the Kandy Administrative District due to the prevailing peaceful atmosphere, adds Colombo Page on March 10. The Police and tri-forces however will continue to be engaged in providing security in the district, the Police said.
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March - 10 
A total of 211 people including the prime suspect involved in the communal disturbances in Kandy District of Central Province are being held under emergency regulations, Police said, reports The Sunday Times on March 11. The ten main suspects including Amitha Weerasinghe of the Mahason Balakaya are
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A total of 211 people including the prime suspect involved in the communal disturbances in Kandy District of Central Province are being held under emergency regulations, Police said, reports The Sunday Times on March 11. The ten main suspects including Amitha Weerasinghe of the Mahason Balakaya are being held by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) for questioning. The investigations are aimed at ascertaining whether the suspects have links to political parties, are receiving foreign funding or are linked to other extremist groups or have firearms. Those arrested under emergency regulations can be detained for the purpose of investigations for a period not exceeding 14 days, report said.
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March - 13 
Sri Lanka on March 13 operationalised the Office for Missing Persons (OMP), an special office set up for determining the status of all persons who went ‘missing’ during the brutal civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports India Today. The OMP aims to bring in
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Sri Lanka on March 13 operationalised the Office for Missing Persons (OMP), an special office set up for determining the status of all persons who went ‘missing’ during the brutal civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports India Today. The OMP aims to bring in reparations to the victims of the nearly three-decade long armed conflict in the country. "The Office on Missing Persons has officially got underway," an official release said. President Maithripala Sirisena appointed seven members and the Chairperson of the OMP on February 28. "The main purpose of the OMP is to address the suffering of thousands of families living in all parts of the country whose loved ones have gone missing or disappeared during multiple conflicts in Sri Lanka," the release said. The OMP will search and trace missing persons, clarify the circumstances in which they have gone missing and their fate, make recommendations towards addressing incidents of missing persons, protect the rights and interests of missing persons among others. It will also make recommendations to the authorities concerned to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
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March - 15 
The Sri Lanka Army submitted a report to the Government regarding the current situation in the Kandy District in Central Province after anti-Muslim attacks by Sinhalese mob devastated the central hill capital and the suburbs, reports Colombo Page on March 16. Military spokesman Brigadier Sumith Atap
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The Sri Lanka Army submitted a report to the Government regarding the current situation in the Kandy District in Central Province after anti-Muslim attacks by Sinhalese mob devastated the central hill capital and the suburbs, reports Colombo Page on March 16. Military spokesman Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said currently the situation in the District is peaceful and the army will continue to report to the Government on the conditions. The report has stated that while the current situation in Kandy is peaceful, military personnel should continue to remain in the area. The decision has been made based on the information received from the people of Kandy, the military intelligence and information received from the military commanders in Kandy. Accordingly, the Army is planning to withdraw the military from the District as soon as possible, Sumith Atapattu said.
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March - 17 
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena removed the nationwide state of Emergency that was imposed on March 6 after communal clashes broke out in Kandy District in Central Province, reports Colombo Page on March 18. "Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State
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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena removed the nationwide state of Emergency that was imposed on March 6 after communal clashes broke out in Kandy District in Central Province, reports Colombo Page on March 18. "Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday [March 17]," the President said in a Twitter post. The relevant gazette notification was issued last night [March 17], the Government Press reported. The Gazette notification has been issued after President Sirisena returned to country on March 17 night after a six-day official visit to Japan. President Sirisena acting in terms of section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance, on March 6 declared an island wide state of emergency for a period of ten days after communal clashes between majority Buddhists and members of the minority Muslim community in the central hills escalated. The period of the emergency regulations in effect was scheduled to end on March 17.Two persons were killed and hundreds of Muslim-owned properties and more than 20 mosques were damaged in the communal clashes, media reported. Army troops have begun rebuilding and renovating all damaged properties in the affected areas.
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March - 21 
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money-laundering and terror financing watchdog has ranked Sri Lanka as a country deficient in strong strategies in preventing money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, reports Colombo Page on March 22. Accordingly, in February 2018 S
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The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money-laundering and terror financing watchdog has ranked Sri Lanka as a country deficient in strong strategies in preventing money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, reports Colombo Page on March 22. Accordingly, in February 2018 Sri Lanka was added to the European Commission's money laundering blacklist as a country at risk for acts of money-laundering. Taking into account the grave consequences of this action on country's economic and financial system, the Government has recognized the immediate need to amend the legislation in order to prevent money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism. Therefore it has been decided to made necessary amendments to the Companies act No.7 of 2007 to collect the details on shareholders who has more than 25 percent of company ownership of a company (excluding Limited Public Companies) or beneficiaries those who have active control of such company. It is also required to make measures to provide such information to the Registrar of Companies and other relevant authorities. Accordingly, the Cabinet of ministers has approved a proposal presented by the acting Minister of Industry and commerce Champika Premadasa to make the necessary amendments to the Companies act No.7 of 2007 and to instruct the legal draftsman to draft the amendments.
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March - 26 
Navy on March 26 sunk a ship used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the western seas of the island, reports Colombo Page. Navy has taken the LTTE vessel, A522 named 'We Ling" following the conclusion of the conflict and since then the ship has been anchored near the Colombo
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Navy on March 26 sunk a ship used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the western seas of the island, reports Colombo Page. Navy has taken the LTTE vessel, A522 named 'We Ling" following the conclusion of the conflict and since then the ship has been anchored near the Colombo harbor under the Navy's custody. Since the ship was in an unusable condition, the Government has decided to sink it in the sea according to proper procedures, and accordingly the Navy sunk the ship in the West Coast.
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March - 27 
97 rehabilitated and reintegrated former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres were given appointments in private sector at a ceremony held on March 27 at the Poonthoddam Rehabilitation Center in Vavuniya District under the patronage of the center's Director General Duminda Pasqual, rep
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97 rehabilitated and reintegrated former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres were given appointments in private sector at a ceremony held on March 27 at the Poonthoddam Rehabilitation Center in Vavuniya District under the patronage of the center's Director General Duminda Pasqual, reports Colombo Page. Employment opportunities in the private sector were provided to the rehabilitate cadres based on the training courses conducted by the Vocational Training Authority of Sri Lanka during the rehabilitation period.
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March - 29 
Army on March 29 offered its assistance to the Northern Province to resolve vital issues pertaining to the development in the region and the livelihood of the community, reports Colombo Page. Extending civil military cooperation, a meeting between Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran an
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Army on March 29 offered its assistance to the Northern Province to resolve vital issues pertaining to the development in the region and the livelihood of the community, reports Colombo Page. Extending civil military cooperation, a meeting between Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake took place at the Chief Minister's Office in Nallur, Jaffna District. During the meeting, the Army Commander pointed out to the Chief Minister that Army is capable of providing leadership for school cadetting programs if the provincial department of education seeks such assistance. The Army chief also offered his assistance to resolve issues pertaining to fishing community in a more practical and friendly manner if such issues are referred to the required military formations. The Commander also citing examples highlighted that the Army's potential is available all the time for the civil military cooperation. Possibilities for release of more and more lands of civilians would also explode in due course to be in line with the Central Government's policy, the Commander told the Chief Minister during the cordial meeting.
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April - 3 
Ahead of the no confidence motion, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R. Sampanthan called on President Maithripala Sirisena on April 3 and stressed that the Government should implement the mandate given at the Presidential Election on January 8, 2015, reports Daily Mirror. Mr. Sampanthan told
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Ahead of the no confidence motion, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R. Sampanthan called on President Maithripala Sirisena on April 3 and stressed that the Government should implement the mandate given at the Presidential Election on January 8, 2015, reports Daily Mirror. Mr. Sampanthan told that the TNA could not take a final decision on the no-confidence motion, and it would be done tomorrow. Asked whether it means the present set-up of the Government should continue, he said it was not for him to decide it. However, he said the TNA wanted stability in the country to resolve issues such as economic and democratic matters and the ‘national question’.
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April - 4 
Parliament on April 4 today comfortably defeated a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) brought by the Joint Opposition against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, reports Colombo Page. The no-confidence motion received 76 votes in support and 122 votes against, defeating the motion with a majority of 46 vot
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Parliament on April 4 today comfortably defeated a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) brought by the Joint Opposition against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, reports Colombo Page. The no-confidence motion received 76 votes in support and 122 votes against, defeating the motion with a majority of 46 votes. Another 26 MPs including Minister Nishantha Muthuhettigama, who signed the NCM, abstained from voting
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April - 5 
Colombo Page on April 5 reported that the suspects were all members of a secret military intelligence platoon operated during the previous regime and were also suspected to be involved in many other acts of violence between 2006 and 2010.
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Colombo Page on April 5 reported that the suspects were all members of a secret military intelligence platoon operated during the previous regime and were also suspected to be involved in many other acts of violence between 2006 and 2010.
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April - 6 
Joint Opposition member Sarath Weerasekera on April 6 said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremsinghe has agreed to ten conditions proposed by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to please the Tamil Diaspora, reports Daily Mirror. “The tactics of the PM would divide the country and Mr. Wickremesing
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Joint Opposition member Sarath Weerasekera on April 6 said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremsinghe has agreed to ten conditions proposed by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to please the Tamil Diaspora, reports Daily Mirror. “The tactics of the PM would divide the country and Mr. Wickremesinghe is betraying the country by giving priority to condition put forward by the TNA. It became evident how strong the relationship between the TNA and Premier Wickremesinghe when the TNA voted against the no-faith Motion against him. It is a shame to say that TNA being the official opposition party in Parliament is voting in favour of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremsinghe against whom several allegations have been levelled pertaining to the controversial Central Bank bond scam,” Mr. Weerasekera claimed.
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April - 7 
As a "New Year Gift" to the people in the North, the Army is going to release 650 acres of privately owned lands in the High Security Zone (HSZ) in Jaffna District on April 16, reports Colombo Page on April 8. Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Darshana Hettiarachchi said on Ap
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As a "New Year Gift" to the people in the North, the Army is going to release 650 acres of privately owned lands in the High Security Zone (HSZ) in Jaffna District on April 16, reports Colombo Page on April 8. Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Darshana Hettiarachchi said on April 16, 650 acres of land in and around the Palaly main military complex, including land in Vasavilan and Palaly North, would be released to their original owners. The lands including lands in Palaly in the Valikamam North Divisional Secretariat Division in Jaffna had been occupied by the security forces since 1990.
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April - 9 
The Joint Opposition on April 9 decided to submit a letter to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya demanding that Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R.Sampanthan be removed as the Opposition Leader of Parliament, reports Daily News. Citing Sampanthan’s latest decision to vote against the Joint Opposition
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The Joint Opposition on April 9 decided to submit a letter to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya demanding that Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R.Sampanthan be removed as the Opposition Leader of Parliament, reports Daily News. Citing Sampanthan’s latest decision to vote against the Joint Opposition sponsored No-Confidence Motion against the Prime Minister, senior Joint Opposition member Dinesh Gunawardene Gunawardene charged that Sampanthan continues to back the Government and especially the Premier blindly in order to save his own position. Gunawardene said that Sampanthan has failed to galvanize the Opposition in a constructive manner in order to fight the shortcomings of the Government. He said the Joint Opposition should be granted the post of Opposition Leader without delay as it had the required numbers in Parliament and the will to fight against the Government’s flaws.
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April - 12 
President Maithripala Sirisena on April 12 issued a gazette proroguing Parliament with effect from April 12 midnight until May 8, reports Colombo Page. According to the Extraordinary Gazette Notification, issued by the Secretary to the President Austin Fernando, the President Maithripala Sirisena ha
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President Maithripala Sirisena on April 12 issued a gazette proroguing Parliament with effect from April 12 midnight until May 8, reports Colombo Page. According to the Extraordinary Gazette Notification, issued by the Secretary to the President Austin Fernando, the President Maithripala Sirisena has proclaimed that the Parliament will be prorogued with effect from midnight of April 12. The next session of the Parliament will commence of 8th May. The President has made the decision to prorogue the parliament by virtue of the powers vested in him by Article 70 of the Constitution
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April - 13 
In line with the Government's policy of releasing civilians' land used by Jaffna Security Forces, the Army without compromising national security interests on April 13 released a record 683 acres of land in Jaffna District to the original owners, reports Colombo Page. The Army handed over 68
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In line with the Government's policy of releasing civilians' land used by Jaffna Security Forces, the Army without compromising national security interests on April 13 released a record 683 acres of land in Jaffna District to the original owners, reports Colombo Page. The Army handed over 683 acres of land in Thelippalai Divisional Secretariat area to 964 legal owners during a ceremony, held under the auspices of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, District Secretary for Jaffna, Mr Nagalingam Vedanayaham and Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Darshana Hettiarachchi.
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April - 13 
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) announced that they will be introducing the 20th Amendment to abolish the executive Presidency on April 19 which means that this now forgotten topic will once again be at the centre of political discourse after the after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, reports Island.
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Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) announced that they will be introducing the 20th Amendment to abolish the executive Presidency on April 19 which means that this now forgotten topic will once again be at the centre of political discourse after the after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, reports Island. The JVP announced that they will be willing to consider electoral reform as well if that is considered to be necessary to abolish the executive Presidency.
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April - 15 
Even though the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) won the Vavuniya Municipal Council at the local government polls, the party has lost power in establishing the Council and the newly formed Tamil National Liberation Party (TNLF) has won power, reports Colombo Pageon April 16. The TNLF was recently forme
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Even though the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) won the Vavuniya Municipal Council at the local government polls, the party has lost power in establishing the Council and the newly formed Tamil National Liberation Party (TNLF) has won power, reports Colombo Pageon April 16. The TNLF was recently formed with the alliance of Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) led by Suresh Premachandran and the TULF led by Anandasangaree. When selecting the Mayor of Vavuniya Municipal Council, the United National Party (UNP), Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the EPDP members supported the TNLF candidate for the Mayor of Vavuniya. Accordingly, the TNLF candidate Gautham Rasalingam received 11 votes while the TNA candidate received the votes of eight TNA councilors and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress councilor. The TNA has held the power in the Vavuniya Municipal Council for a long time. Meanwhile, Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran is hoping to form a new political party as an alternative to the Ilankai Tamil Arachu Kachchi (ITAK) to contest the upcoming provincial council elections, a source close to him said on April 16, reports Daily Mirror. He contested the 2013 elections under the banner of the ITAK-led TNA though however, he fell out with the ITAK leaders later. When asked about the latest political development, EPRLF leader Suresh Premachandran said the chief minister had expressed his interest in forming a united political front as he was not pleased with TNA policies.
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April - 16 
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake on April 16 said the SLFP and the United National Party (UNP) will sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together in the Government following the ongoing talks, reports Daily News. He said the two Ministerial gr
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Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake on April 16 said the SLFP and the United National Party (UNP) will sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together in the Government following the ongoing talks, reports Daily News. He said the two Ministerial groups presently engaged in discussions would come up with a common programme for the two parties to govern together for the remainder of 18 months. The new programme will get off the ground with a ceremonial sitting in Parliament on May 8.
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April - 18 
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing media in Kandy District of Central Province on April 18 said the Government has planned to commence several development projects this year, reports Colombo Page. The Prime Minister said that the aim of the Government is to strengthen reconciliation
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Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing media in Kandy District of Central Province on April 18 said the Government has planned to commence several development projects this year, reports Colombo Page. The Prime Minister said that the aim of the Government is to strengthen reconciliation and peaceful environment in the country, initially and move forward without allowing incidents similar to those took place last month in Kandy. He said that new projects would be launched by the time the results of number of projects commenced by the government become apparent and the time is now ripe to reap the benefits of projects carried out by the current administration. Several projects are nearing completion and the government is determined to commence few more programs to advance the country's development. Discussions are ensued on the projects.
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April - 19 
A group of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) supporters staged a protest outside the Commonwealth Summit premises in London on April 19 against President Maithripala Sirisena, reports Daily Mirror. Carrying placards and LTTE flags, the protesters demanded President Sirisena to go back to
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A group of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) supporters staged a protest outside the Commonwealth Summit premises in London on April 19 against President Maithripala Sirisena, reports Daily Mirror. Carrying placards and LTTE flags, the protesters demanded President Sirisena to go back to Sri Lanka. Some of the slogans read, “Go back Maithri!” and “We don’t want a Constitution, final solution is Tamil Eelam,” Meanwhile, Minister Sarath Amunugama on April 19 said a fresh agreement based on the recommendations of the five member cabinet committee will be signed between the UNP and the SLFP after President Maithripala Sirisena returned on April 24, reports Daily Mirror. He told that President Sirisena would discuss the recommendation of the SLFP committee with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe before signing the agreement by the General Secretaries of the UNP and SLFP. “This is basically a strategic arrangement on how the unity government should run in the tenure running for about 18 months up to 2020. We have focused our attention to fulfill the pledges given to the people at the Presidential and general elections in 2015 and made amends to the weaknesses and failures of the ‘Yahapalana Government’ in the last three years,” the Minister stressed.
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April - 20 
former State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana stated that the 10 SLFP Deputy Ministers and State Ministers who voted in favour of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the Prime Minister will sit as an independent group of the SLFP when Parliament convenes after May 8, reports Daily News&nbs
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former State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana stated that the 10 SLFP Deputy Ministers and State Ministers who voted in favour of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the Prime Minister will sit as an independent group of the SLFP when Parliament convenes after May 8, reports Daily News on April 20. “We do not have an issue with the SLFP or the UPFA. Therefore, there is no need to quit the party and pick sides,” Abeywardana stated when inquired about the possibility of switching sides to the Joint Opposition. The 10 SLFPers who resigned are Dilan Perera, Sumedha G.Jayasena, Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, Lakshman Wasantha Perera, Thilanga Sumathipala, Chandima Weerakodi,Susantha Punchinilame, Anuradha Jayaratne and Tharanath Basnayake.
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April - 20 
President Maithripala Sirisena prorogued Parliament because he feared an impeachment motion to be brought against him by the United National Party (UNP) backbenchers, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Prasanna Ranatunga said April 20, reports Daily Mirror. He told tha
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President Maithripala Sirisena prorogued Parliament because he feared an impeachment motion to be brought against him by the United National Party (UNP) backbenchers, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Prasanna Ranatunga said April 20, reports Daily Mirror. He told that the UNP backbenchers were planning to submit an impeachment motion against the President. “They are reaching out to other political parties seeking help in this regard. UNP backbenchers approached JO as well. We informed them that if they brought the motion in a proper manner, we May make a decision after submitting a proposal to our leadership committee,” he said.
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April - 23 
President Maithripala Sirisena on April 23 signed a gazette mentioning that the next Parliamentary session would be convened at 2.15 pm on May 8, reports Daily Mirror. Earlier, the President issued a gazette announcing the prorogation of Parliament. In the gazette, the re-convening date of next Parl
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President Maithripala Sirisena on April 23 signed a gazette mentioning that the next Parliamentary session would be convened at 2.15 pm on May 8, reports Daily Mirror. Earlier, the President issued a gazette announcing the prorogation of Parliament. In the gazette, the re-convening date of next Parliamentary session was mentioned as May 8. However, a time of re-convening was not mentioned in the first gazette. Therefore, another gazette was issued mentioning the time.
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April - 25 
Colombo High Court on April 25 served indictments on former Deputy Minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratne and five others for allegedly misappropriating SLR 11.2 million public funds allocated for the Negombo Lagoon Development Project and utilizing it for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presid
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Colombo High Court on April 25 served indictments on former Deputy Minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratne and five others for allegedly misappropriating SLR 11.2 million public funds allocated for the Negombo Lagoon Development Project and utilizing it for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidential election campaign, reports Daily News. The Attorney General had filed indictments against six accused including former Fisheries Deputy Minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratne, his son-in-law Upul Chaminda Kumarasinghe, Ceylon Fisheries Harbour Corporation’s (CFHC) former Chairman Upali Liyanage, its former General Manager Piyal Abeysekara, Chandana Pelpita and Lakmina Munidasa. They were charged under Public Property Act for the alleged misappropriation of SLR11.2 million belonging to the CFHC during the 2015 Presidential Election. The Attorney General alleged that the accused had committed six offences under Public Property Act, between November 20, 2014 and
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April - 26 
Meanwhile, according to a leading survey, Sri Lanka showed significant improvement in press freedom in 2017 ranking 10 notches higher than last year in the World Press Freedom Index 2018, reports Colombo Page on April 27. The annual World Press Freedom Index for 2018 compiled by Paris based Reporter
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Meanwhile, according to a leading survey, Sri Lanka showed significant improvement in press freedom in 2017 ranking 10 notches higher than last year in the World Press Freedom Index 2018, reports Colombo Page on April 27. The annual World Press Freedom Index for 2018 compiled by Paris based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Sri Lanka 131st out of180 countries climbing 10 notches from 141st in 2017. The overall global score improved to 41.37 this year from 44.34 in 2017 on a 0-100 scale with 100 being the worst.
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April - 28 
A court in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu (India) on April 28 sentenced four supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to varied jail terms for procuring weapons and trying to smuggle them to Sri Lanka, reports Daily Mirror. District court judge A Kayalvizhi awarded the jail term to Kris
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A court in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu (India) on April 28 sentenced four supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to varied jail terms for procuring weapons and trying to smuggle them to Sri Lanka, reports Daily Mirror. District court judge A Kayalvizhi awarded the jail term to Krishna Kumar, Subhashkaran, Rajendran and Sasikumar. While Krishna Kumar and Subhashkaran were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, Rajendran and Sasikumar got three years and six months jail terms respectively. All the four, arrested near Rameswaram in 2014, had landed on Indian shores earlier, the prosecution said. They were accused of getting cyanide capsules and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) meant to be supplied to LTTE in the island nation and help revive the organisation.
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May - 9 
Four Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Members of Parliament (MPs) who were appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena through the national list after they were defeated at the general election in 2015 and are sitting in the opposition, have been asked to resign from their MP posts, reports Colom
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Four Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Members of Parliament (MPs) who were appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena through the national list after they were defeated at the general election in 2015 and are sitting in the opposition, have been asked to resign from their MP posts, reports Colombo Page on May 9. Attorney Rajika Kodituwakku, President's Coordinating Secretary said, the President appointed Dilan Perera, SB Dissanayake, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena and Thilanga Sumathipala, who were defeated in the General Election in 2015, on the belief that they would work according to his ideology and if they cannot be with the President's ideology, they should resign and hand over their slots to the President. Then the President will be able to appoint a group of people who respect the President's ideology, Kodituwakku said addressing a media briefing held at the SLFP headquarters.
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May - 13 
Army has agreed to further release 522 acres of private lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces to resettle the displaced community presently living in the welfare centers or in the residences of their friends and relatives, reports Colombo Page on May 13. The Government has already re
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Army has agreed to further release 522 acres of private lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces to resettle the displaced community presently living in the welfare centers or in the residences of their friends and relatives, reports Colombo Page on May 13. The Government has already released 4,992.84 acres of private and government lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces used by the three forces during the conflict situation. The land that are not further needed, have already been released to their original owners with the consent of the Ministry of Defense. The Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera and Minister of Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Northern Development & Hindu Religious Affairs D.M. Swaminathan have jointly proposed allocating Rs. 866.71 million to the Sri Lanka Army to relocate the army camps presently existing in the private lands. The cabinet of ministers has granted the approval to the Ministers' proposal.
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May - 18 
Earlier, Army troops serving Vellamullivaikkal areas in Mullaitivu District of Northern Province, where the final phase of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) took place in 2009 took place, held a 'Dansela' on May 18 on behalf of fallen War Heroes and distributed refr
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Earlier, Army troops serving Vellamullivaikkal areas in Mullaitivu District of Northern Province, where the final phase of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) took place in 2009 took place, held a 'Dansela' on May 18 on behalf of fallen War Heroes and distributed refreshments among all civilians who were commemorating their war dead, reports Colombo Page. The troops of the 68 Division under the instructions of their commanding officer Major General Rasika Fernando organized the Dansela and distributed fruit drinks to the Tamil civilians who were attending memorial events held in the area to commemorate the deaths of their loved ones. Meanwhile, troops of the 552 Brigade in the 55 Division on the directions of Brigadier Jayantha Gunaratne offered milky refreshments to all those returning to Jaffna in vehicles at Iyyakachchi after their participation in different memorial events in Vellamullivaikkal and other areas. The Army organized the Dansalas to invoke merits to the fallen war heroes of the tri services.Meanwhile, the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) will set up 12 regional offices covering the entire country to receive information and complaints from families and other individuals of the missing persons, the OMP Chairman President's Counsel Saliya Peiris told media after the OMP held its second meeting at Matara city in Matara District of Southern Province on May 19, reports Colombo Page. The newly-created OMP which began public consultations on May 12 in Mannar District held its second public meeting at Matara District Secretariat.
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May - 18 
Meanwhile, Human rights Watch (HRW) says nine years after the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorists ended in Sri Lanka with the elimination of the terror group, justice for human right abuses committed by both sides remains elusive, reports Colombo Page on May
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Meanwhile, Human rights Watch (HRW) says nine years after the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorists ended in Sri Lanka with the elimination of the terror group, justice for human right abuses committed by both sides remains elusive, reports Colombo Page on May 18. Sri Lanka's three-decade long war with the LTTE came to an end on 18 May 2009 with the elimination of most of the LTTE leadership. According to the HRW, the Government's victory, however, had come at the cost of serious violations of the laws of war by both sides. During the conflict the LTTE committed sectarian massacres, political assassinations and suicide bombings, widely deployed child soldiers, and executed detainees while the Sri Lankan military committed countless arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances.
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May - 18 
On the ninth anniversary of the end of the war, Amnesty International called on the Government of Sri Lanka to provide information to the families of the disappeared, with detailed lists and information of persons who surrendered to the armed forces in the final phase of the war, reports Colomb
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On the ninth anniversary of the end of the war, Amnesty International called on the Government of Sri Lanka to provide information to the families of the disappeared, with detailed lists and information of persons who surrendered to the armed forces in the final phase of the war, reports Colombo Page on May 18. In a statement Amnesty International recalled that the President Maithripala Sirisena, acknowledging the grievances presented by family members in June 2017, promised that he would instruct the National Security Council to release these lists.
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June - 2 
The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) met with the families of the disappeared and civil society in the war-affected District of Mullaitivu of Northern Province on June 2, reports Colombo Page. Commissioners of the OMP held their third session of consultations with families of the disappeared in two s
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The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) met with the families of the disappeared and civil society in the war-affected District of Mullaitivu of Northern Province on June 2, reports Colombo Page. Commissioners of the OMP held their third session of consultations with families of the disappeared in two sessions. Families from Puthukuduyirripu and Maritime Pattu areas met with commissioners in the morning from 9-11 and families from Thunukkai, Manthai East, Weli Oya and Oddusudan from 11 am to 1 pm. The OMP met with the civil society organizations in the afternoon. Several families have raised concerns with the OMP about the list of surrendees at the end of the war, which the Government earlier promised to obtain from the security establishment.
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June - 4 
Muslim families, who were evicted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from Jaffna region in 1990 and living in a camp that borders Colombo 28 years after their initial displacement, met with the Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen on June 4, reports Colombo Page. Minister
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Muslim families, who were evicted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from Jaffna region in 1990 and living in a camp that borders Colombo 28 years after their initial displacement, met with the Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen on June 4, reports Colombo Page. Minister Bathiudeen informed the IDPS that he understood their suffering and promised to take measures to provide a permanent solution. "I and my family too were evicted from the Northern Province in 1990 and I can understand what you face. I shall discuss your housing and sanitary issues immediately with our Housing Minister Sajith Premadasa. I shall also discuss with officials for a relief package." Among the 24,000 Northern Muslim families expelled overnight from their traditional homes on October 30, 1990 by the LTTE was the eight-member family of Minister Rishad Bathiudeen.
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June - 6 
Sri Lanka has shown a significant improvement in the 2018 Global Peace Index (GPI) published on June 6 jumping 13 notches to rank 67th out of 163 countries with a global score of 1.954, reports Colombo Page. Sri Lanka was again the second most peaceful nation in South Asia, and the second largest ri
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Sri Lanka has shown a significant improvement in the 2018 Global Peace Index (GPI) published on June 6 jumping 13 notches to rank 67th out of 163 countries with a global score of 1.954, reports Colombo Page. Sri Lanka was again the second most peaceful nation in South Asia, and the second largest riser in the region last year.The GPI, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), covers 99.7 per cent of the world’s population in 163 countries, using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, and measures the state of peace using three thematic domains: the level of Societal Safety and Security; the extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict; and the degree of Militarization.
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June - 14 
Swiss Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland on June 14 ruled on 13 supporters of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) charged of financing the terror outfit by extortion, fraud and other illegal means escaped jail terms and they were either given suspended custodial sentences or acqui
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Swiss Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland on June 14 ruled on 13 supporters of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) charged of financing the terror outfit by extortion, fraud and other illegal means escaped jail terms and they were either given suspended custodial sentences or acquitted, reports Colombo Page. The 13 defendants - 12 Swiss citizens of Tamil origin plus one German - were alleged to have been involved in a criminal organization from 1999 to May 2009 and supported the criminal organization funneling more than CH15 million ($15.3 million). In this context some of the defendants were accused of document falsification, money laundering, fraud and extortion. The accused are from Switzerland, Germany and Sri Lanka. Some are former members of the World Tamil Coordinating Committee (WTCC), which represented the LTTE in Switzerland until 2009, and include its founder, his deputy and the person in charge of finances. In its judgement, the court noted that the hierarchical link between the LTTE and WTCC was not sufficiently established. The judges also felt there was not enough concrete proof to consider the LTTE as a criminal organization.
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June - 18 
Outgoing United Nations Human Rights (UNHR) High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein in his opening statement and global update of human rights concerns at the 38th session of the Human Rights Council which commenced on June 18 commended Sri Lanka and several other countries for hosting at least
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Outgoing United Nations Human Rights (UNHR) High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein in his opening statement and global update of human rights concerns at the 38th session of the Human Rights Council which commenced on June 18 commended Sri Lanka and several other countries for hosting at least five visits by thematic mandates in the last five years, reports Daily Mirror. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said he was pleased to note a number of positive developments with respect to access for Special UN Procedures.
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June - 21 
Visiting Norwegian State Secretary for Development Cooperation, Jens Frolich Holte on June 21 appreciated the continued commitment of the Sri Lankan Unity Government to strengthen democracy and promote and uphold human right, reports Daily Mirror. Mr. Holte expressed these views when he called
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Visiting Norwegian State Secretary for Development Cooperation, Jens Frolich Holte on June 21 appreciated the continued commitment of the Sri Lankan Unity Government to strengthen democracy and promote and uphold human right, reports Daily Mirror. Mr. Holte expressed these views when he called on State Minister of Foreign Affairs Vasantha Senanayake at the Foreign Ministry. In a statement, the State Minister’s media division said the bilateral discussions broadly focused on the sustainable use of oceans and management of marine litter, a shared interest between Sri Lanka and Norway.
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June - 22 
The Government has barred 14 individuals from entering the country by including in the list of designated persons, reports Colombo Pageon June 23. The Government has issued an extraordinary gazette notification listing the names of 14 individuals living overseas with links to the Liberation Tig
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The Government has barred 14 individuals from entering the country by including in the list of designated persons, reports Colombo Pageon June 23. The Government has issued an extraordinary gazette notification listing the names of 14 individuals living overseas with links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as Designated Persons. The names of the 14 LTTE members, who are believed to be residing overseas, have been listed along with their both foreign and local addresses. They are listed for "Terrorism related activities" or for "financing terrorism" or for both. The list of 14 includes Nadaraja Sathyaseelan aka Seel Maran, Kamalasinham Arunakulasinham akaKamal, Antonyrasa Antony Calistor aka Parathan, Sivasubramaniyam Jeyaganesh aka Ganesh, aka Samraj, Ponnasami Paskaran akaJeyakaran, Velaudan Pradeepkumar aka Kaleeban, Siwarasa Surendran aka wadann, Sivagurunadan Murugadas aka Kadirawan, Thirunilakandal Naguleshwaran aka Pushpanadan, Maheshwaran Ravichandran aka Mendis, aka Thirukkumaran, Suresh Kumar Pradeepan, Kandasamy Krishnamoorthi, aka Moorthi, Jeewarathnam Jeewakumar aka Siranjeew Master, and Tony Jihan Murugesapillai.
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June - 25 
According to an article published on June 25 by the New York Times, during the 2015 Presidential Election, large payments from the Chinese Port Construction Fund flowed directly to campaign aides and activities of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had agreed to Chinese terms at every turn and
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According to an article published on June 25 by the New York Times, during the 2015 Presidential Election, large payments from the Chinese Port Construction Fund flowed directly to campaign aides and activities of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had agreed to Chinese terms at every turn and was seen as an important ally in China’s efforts to tilt influence away from India in South Asia, reportsDaily Mirror. The article said the payments were confirmed by documents and cash checks detailed in a government investigation seen by the New York Times.
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June - 28 
The Bill to provide for the establishment of the Office for Reparations has been gazetted by the Government, reports Daily News on June 29. The Bill, published under the orders of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be presented in Parliament for the First Reading shortly. The Bill pr
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The Bill to provide for the establishment of the Office for Reparations has been gazetted by the Government, reports Daily News on June 29. The Bill, published under the orders of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be presented in Parliament for the First Reading shortly. The Bill provides for the provision of individual and collective reparations for aggrieved persons. As per the Bill, “aggrieved persons” mean persons who have suffered a violation of human rights or humanitarian law, their relatives and missing persons. The scope of the legislation is not limited to the conflict in the North and the East, but also “any political unrest or civil disturbance, systematic gross violations of the rights of individuals, groups or communities of people of Sri Lanka, and enforced disappearances”. The Rehabilitation of Persons, Properties and Industries Authority Act, No.29 of 1987 will be repealed by the new Bill. The Office for Reparations shall consist of five members appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council (CC). In the event of the President failing to make the necessary appointments within a period of 14 days of receiving the recommendations, the persons recommended by the CC will be deemed to have been appointed as the members. The Office of Missing Persons can send recommendations on reparations to be made to aggrieved persons to the Office for Reparations. The proposed Reparations Office also can directly receive applications for reparations from aggrieved persons or their representatives. The new office will be responsible in deciding the criteria for eligibility for aggrieved persons to obtain reparations and/or financial compensation, the quantum of reparations, and which body has to pay them. Implementation of such policies on reparations and guidelines is subject to the approval by the Cabinet.
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July - 1 
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on July 1 urged that the Government should enact new electoral reforms within the next two months to conduct the elections to the three Provincial Councils which are already overdue, or else revert to the old system to do so without any further delay, reports Daily
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Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on July 1 urged that the Government should enact new electoral reforms within the next two months to conduct the elections to the three Provincial Councils which are already overdue, or else revert to the old system to do so without any further delay, reports Daily Mirror. The terms of the Eastern, North-central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils ended in October 2017. However, the Government enacted a new piece of legislation in the form of an amendment to the Provincial Councils Elections (Amendment) Act to introduce a new electoral system. The elections to these councils are withheld since then, pending the incorporation of these electoral reforms. The TNA is also a political entity that supported this exercise in Parliament at that time. TNA MP for the Jaffna District M.A. Sumanthiran said “The only way to hold elections is to resolve that issue immediately. It must be done within the next one or two months. If it cannot be done in two months, the government must repeal the amendment that caused this problem and hold the elections under the old system. Then, we can discuss the reforms leisurely. We are for reforms. But, they should not be used to delay elections.”
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July - 2 
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on July 3 expressed deep concern over the statement made by the State Minister of Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 2 that the vanquished terrorist organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should be reorganized to curb rising crime in the Nor
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Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on July 3 expressed deep concern over the statement made by the State Minister of Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 2 that the vanquished terrorist organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should be reorganized to curb rising crime in the North, reportsColombo Page. Accordingly, the Prime Minister has asked the President to remove Vijayakala Maheswaran from the State Minister post until an investigation is completed and necessary action is taken.
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July - 2 
The Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 22 selected Civil Society Organizations recently to expand national unity and reconciliation projects island-wide to create a discourse on reconciliation at grass root level, reports Colo
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The Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 22 selected Civil Society Organizations recently to expand national unity and reconciliation projects island-wide to create a discourse on reconciliation at grass root level, reports Colombo Page on July 3. The Director General of the ONUR Mr. M.S Jayasinghe and respective officials of selected Civil Society Organizations participated in signing of the MoU. The main objective of the MoU is to expand the "Heal the Past Build the Future" project in 17 selected Districts. The chosen Districts are Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Ratnapura, Ampara, Mannar, Galle, Kalutara, Kilinochchi, Kurunegala, Matara, Monaragala, Nuwara-Eliya, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya.
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July - 3 
Leader of the Opposition and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R. Sampanthan on July 3 said that ‘their' people were unhappy and that while they had contributed substantially to bring this government to power the government has shown very little progress in the past, reports Dai
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Leader of the Opposition and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R. Sampanthan on July 3 said that ‘their' people were unhappy and that while they had contributed substantially to bring this government to power the government has shown very little progress in the past, reports Daily Mirror. Sampanthan expressed these views when United Nations Resident Coordinator for Sri Lanka Terence D. Jones paid a courtesy call on him in Parliament. "Our young people are being discriminated against in many matters, especially with regard to employment opportunities. Our people are suffering continually. This government accepted the need for certain things to be done and they must take the necessary steps to address those needs,” he said.
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July - 4 
According to the Policy Development Office (PDO) of the Prime Minister's Office the Government is seeking the involvement of civilian organizations to institute a civilian led reintegration program, reports Colombo Page on July 4. Rehabilitation process aimed at reintegrating the
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According to the Policy Development Office (PDO) of the Prime Minister's Office the Government is seeking the involvement of civilian organizations to institute a civilian led reintegration program, reports Colombo Page on July 4. Rehabilitation process aimed at reintegrating the former LTTE leaders, members, and collaborators into the community has been managed by the Military so far. The main objective of the program is to provide the civilian support for rehabilitation of people affected by violence. As an initial step, PDO has created a comprehensive database of 12,080 rehabilitated ex-combatants in Northern and Eastern Provinces, based on information obtained from the Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation. This was followed by newspaper advertisements in English and Tamil inviting community organizations to participate in a civilian led reintegration program. Following an evaluation, six Partner Organizations namely Sareeram, SLCDF, SriLanka YMCA, Sevalanka Foundation, Centre for Child Development, ZOA Sri Lanka are currently participating in the program. These partner organizations are registered Civil Society organizations recommended by District Authorities.These organizations are presently engaged in a need assessment to find the actual needs and the current status of rehabilitated individuals affected by violence. So far, the need assessment has covered 26 percent of Grama Niladhari divisions in the Northern Province and 56 percent in Eastern Province.
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July - 5 
Beleaguered State Minister of Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 5 decided to resign from her post temporarily, reports Colombo Page. State Minister and UNP Jaffna District MP Vijayakala Maheswaran said that she accepts that her statement was wrong according to the oath she has taken a
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Beleaguered State Minister of Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 5 decided to resign from her post temporarily, reports Colombo Page. State Minister and UNP Jaffna District MP Vijayakala Maheswaran said that she accepts that her statement was wrong according to the oath she has taken as a Minister of the Government. Accordingly Vijayakala Maheswaran told that she decided to resign from the post of State Minister until an inquiry was carried out regarding the irresponsible statement she made.
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July - 5 
Office on Missing Persons (OMP) on July 5 announced that it will be holding its next regional meeting in Jaffna and Kilinochchi Districts, reports Colombo Page. The OMP will be holding its outreach meeting in Jaffna District on July 14 at the Weerasigham Hall and in Kilinochchi District at the
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Office on Missing Persons (OMP) on July 5 announced that it will be holding its next regional meeting in Jaffna and Kilinochchi Districts, reports Colombo Page. The OMP will be holding its outreach meeting in Jaffna District on July 14 at the Weerasigham Hall and in Kilinochchi District at the Co-operative Council on July 15.
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July - 5 
State Minister of Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 5 resigned from her post over a controversial statement she made at a public rally in Jaffna District of Northern Province, reports Colombo Page. Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 2 addressing the 'Janapathi Nila Mehewara' event
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State Minister of Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 5 resigned from her post over a controversial statement she made at a public rally in Jaffna District of Northern Province, reports Colombo Page. Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 2 addressing the 'Janapathi Nila Mehewara' event at the Weerasingham Hall in Jaffna District said there is a huge need of reorganization of the LTTE in the North and East. She has sent her letter of resignation to the President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister and her party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.
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July - 5 
The Black Tiger Day celebrated in several areas in Jaffna and Kilinochchi Districts of Northern Province on July 5 by displaying the logo of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). According to the security officials in Akkarayankulam, the LTTE logo has been painted at the Skandapuram bus termi
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The Black Tiger Day celebrated in several areas in Jaffna and Kilinochchi Districts of Northern Province on July 5 by displaying the logo of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). According to the security officials in Akkarayankulam, the LTTE logo has been painted at the Skandapuram bus terminal and near a temple to mark the Black Tiger Day which falls on July 5. Paintings of the LTTE logo and Eelam map had also been found on several roads and walls in the area. Police said investigations are underway to identify the individuals involved.
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July - 8 
Cabinet approved to enter into an agreement with United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and UN-Habitat led Consortium to build 25,000 houses for conflict affected families in Northern and Eastern provinces, reports Colombo Page on July 8. The Government has earlier received the approval
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Cabinet approved to enter into an agreement with United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and UN-Habitat led Consortium to build 25,000 houses for conflict affected families in Northern and Eastern provinces, reports Colombo Page on July 8. The Government has earlier received the approval from the Cabinet for the program to provide 50,000 traditional brick and mortar type permanent houses to conflict affected families in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. For this purpose, proposals were called for from the contractors and a Cabinet Appointed Negotiation Committee (CANC) and Procurement Committee (PC) appointed to study the proposals have recommended the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) led non-profit oriented humanitarian organizations consortium for the construction of 25,000 houses under phase-1 in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Under Phase I of the project, 25,000 housing units will be constructed at a cost of SLR 1.25 million per housing unit without VAT and NBT (SLR.1.46 million with the taxes). Out of this construction of 15,000 houses will be commenced this year and completed within a period of 08 months while the balance of 10,000 houses will be completed in 2019. Accordingly, the proposal made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs, to enter into the Agreement with the UNOPS and UN-Habitat led Consortium for the construction of such houses, was approved by the Cabinet.
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July - 11 
Government on July 11 launched the long-term development plan for the Eastern port city of Trincomalee and surrounding cities in the island's Eastern Province, reports Colombo Page. The long-term plan to develop the port city under the theme "Eastern gateway to Sri Lanka by 2050"
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Government on July 11 launched the long-term development plan for the Eastern port city of Trincomalee and surrounding cities in the island's Eastern Province, reports Colombo Page. The long-term plan to develop the port city under the theme "Eastern gateway to Sri Lanka by 2050" was presented to the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees. Under this project, Trincomalee will be developed as the main export center for the Bay of Bengal region with eco-friendly industrial zones, agricultural zones and tourism. Highways, transport, education, health and other facilities are planned to be built and it is envisaged to generate more than a million new jobs.
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July - 13 
A mass grave with 38 skeletons was discovered on July 13 in Mannar District of Northern Province where the Government forces and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels were engaged in pitched battles in 2009, reports Daily News. Skeletal remains of around 38 people have been f
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A mass grave with 38 skeletons was discovered on July 13 in Mannar District of Northern Province where the Government forces and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels were engaged in pitched battles in 2009, reports Daily News. Skeletal remains of around 38 people have been found during the ground digging to build a new construction at the old cooperative store site in the northeastern town of Mannar District. The town was occupied by the LTTE during Sri Lanka's civil war between 1983 and 2009.
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July - 17 
A Special Determination petition challenging the “Office for Reparations” enactment bill was filed before the Supreme Court by an attorney-at-law on July 17, reports Daily News. The petitioner, Gange Dinesh De Silva is seeking a declaration that the bill shall become law only throug
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A Special Determination petition challenging the “Office for Reparations” enactment bill was filed before the Supreme Court by an attorney-at-law on July 17, reports Daily News. The petitioner, Gange Dinesh De Silva is seeking a declaration that the bill shall become law only through a two-thirds majority in Parliament and approval at a referendum. The petitioner said Section 7 (2)(b) of the Bill which purports to transfer executive power on the Prime Minister, the Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition is contrary to Articles 3, 4 (b) and 30(1) of the Constitution, and as such, requires to be passed with two-thirds majority in Parliament and also with the approval of the people at a Referendum as stipulated by Articles 83 and/or 84(2) of the Constitution. De Silva further stated Section 16(1) of the Bill enables the Office for Reparations to receive funds by way of donations, grants or gifts from both local and foreign sources without the approval of Parliament as is the case with all other public bodies, and as such violative of Articles 3, 4 and 12(1) and also Chapter XVII of the Constitution, and hence, requires to be passed with two-thirds majority in Parliament and or also with the approval of the People at a Referendum as stipulated by Articles 83 and or 84(2) of the Constitution.
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July - 17 
The Bill on the establishment of the Office for Reparations was submitted to Parliament on July 17, reports Colombo Gazette. Through the Office for Reparations the Government looks to identify aggrieved persons eligible for reparations, and to provide for the provision of individual and collect
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The Bill on the establishment of the Office for Reparations was submitted to Parliament on July 17, reports Colombo Gazette. Through the Office for Reparations the Government looks to identify aggrieved persons eligible for reparations, and to provide for the provision of individual and collective reparations to such persons. The Bill also looks to repeal the Rehabilitation of Persons, Properties and Industries Authority Act, No. 29 of 1987 and to provide for all matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
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July - 19 
Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) introduced a program to celebrate religious and cultural festivals of different communities in a meaningful initiative to bring people together and understand each other's diversity and different cultures, reports Colombo Page on July
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Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) introduced a program to celebrate religious and cultural festivals of different communities in a meaningful initiative to bring people together and understand each other's diversity and different cultures, reports Colombo Page on July 20. The program plans celebrations of religious and cultural festivals such as Thai Pongal, Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Poson, Ramadan, Christmas, together among school children island-wide. To underline the values of this initiative, the ONUR has printed a Handbook in all three languages to be distributed to schools on celebrating religious and cultural festivals to foster togetherness. Meanwhile, the 16-member Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) group on July 20 said that they had decided to join the ‘Ekabadda Podu Jana Peramuna,’ a grand alliance which is to be formed under the leadership of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, reports Daily Mirror. This was revealed by MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena during a media briefing held yesterday at the parliamentary complex. “The 16-member group is happy about the decision to quit the government because it is all out to sell national assets. We will join the protest and rally that is being organised by the joint opposition on August 17,” he said. MP Dilan Perera said the 16-member group would convince the remaining 23 SLFP members, who were holding ministerial portfolios, to leave the government and join the opposition.
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July - 19 
Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Dayasiri Jayasekera on July 19 charged that only two MPs drafted new Constitution, reports Daily Mirror. Dayasiri Jayasekera, who raised the matter in Parliament, said it was revealed at the Constitutional Assembly Steering Committee meeting that a draft of
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Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Dayasiri Jayasekera on July 19 charged that only two MPs drafted new Constitution, reports Daily Mirror. Dayasiri Jayasekera, who raised the matter in Parliament, said it was revealed at the Constitutional Assembly Steering Committee meeting that a draft of the new Constitution has been prepared by two MPs, namely M. A Sumanthiran and Jayampathi Wickramaratne together with another member of the expert panel Suren Fernando and had got the other members to sign it. He said only four members have placed their signatures on it. “This draft has proposed that provisions should be provided for the Prime Minister, the Speaker and the Leader of Opposition to remove President. This is a dangerous move,” Mr Jayasekera said.
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July - 23 
National Peace Council (NPC) appreciating the Government continuing with its post-war reconciliation process despite strong opposition from nationalists and party political rivals on both sides of the ethnic divide, has expressed concern over the protests taking place at information sessions of the
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National Peace Council (NPC) appreciating the Government continuing with its post-war reconciliation process despite strong opposition from nationalists and party political rivals on both sides of the ethnic divide, has expressed concern over the protests taking place at information sessions of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), reports Colombo Page on July 24. Issuing a statement, the NPC noted that Public meetings held by the OMP have seen victim families being prevented from gaining access to the meeting place by those protesting against the OMP which includes both political activists and victim families themselves. "We deplore making victims a part of a political agenda of any side," the organization said.Earlier, the United Nations (UN) in a new report released on July 23 said Sri Lanka must urgently implement the commitments made in UN resolution 30/1 to address the legacy of widespread and serious human rights violations that occurred in the context of the internal armed conflict in the country, reports Colombo. "The pervasive climate of impunity and the lack of accountability for serious human rights violations that occurred both during the conflict and in the aftermath requires immediate redress," the report said.
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July - 23 
Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson in his report released on July 23 said Government should demilitarize North as gesture of reconciliation, reports Daily Mirror. In his report, which is based on findings of the mission to Sri Lanka from July 10-14, 2017, the Special Rapporteur on the
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Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson in his report released on July 23 said Government should demilitarize North as gesture of reconciliation, reports Daily Mirror. In his report, which is based on findings of the mission to Sri Lanka from July 10-14, 2017, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism Ben Emmerson said he was particularly concerned about the ‘very large and imposing’ presence of the military in the North.“While the Rapporteur understands that the military undertakes important re-construction work in that part of the country, he is also conscious of the highly symbolic value of its presence. The pervasive lack of accountability for the war crimes that were perpetrated during the war, the climate of impunity that prevails within the security sector, the overwhelming economic weight of the military, its involvement in civilian activities, as well as the overwhelmingly Sinhalese Nationality within the military all contribute to perpetuating the resentment and disenfranchisement felt by the Tamil community as a whole,” the report said. Meanwhile, Commanding General of the US Army Pacific (USARPAC) General Robert B. Brown on July 24 commended the present Sri Lankan Government's reconciliation program which aims to enhance the harmony among different communities, reports Colombo Page.General Robert B. Brown, who is leading a USARPAC delegation to Sri Lanka at the invitation of Sri Lanka Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, made this remark when he called on President Maithripala Sirisena at the President's Office.
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August - 6 
People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) on August 6 unanimously decided R. Sampanthan to continue Opposition Leader's post in Parliament, reports Daily Mirror. This decision has been taken by the UPFA party leaders at a meeting held under the patronage of the President. UPFA General secretary Mah
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People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) on August 6 unanimously decided R. Sampanthan to continue Opposition Leader's post in Parliament, reports Daily Mirror. This decision has been taken by the UPFA party leaders at a meeting held under the patronage of the President. UPFA General secretary Mahinda Amaraweera said he had sent the party's official decision to the Speaker. The Speaker's office also acknowledged receipt of the letter.
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August - 8 
The Joint Opposition (JO) on August 8 charged that the desperate Government is tapping phones, reports Daily Mirror. In a last minute attempt of survival, the Government had started listening in to phone conversations of, not only its political opponents but also Ministers, who were criticizing the
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The Joint Opposition (JO) on August 8 charged that the desperate Government is tapping phones, reports Daily Mirror. In a last minute attempt of survival, the Government had started listening in to phone conversations of, not only its political opponents but also Ministers, who were criticizing the Government, the JO charged. JO National Organiser Dullas Alahapperuma said “A special Police Unit headed by a DIG had been established by the Government to tap into people’s phone conversations and latest hi-tech equipment had been brought down from Japan for the purpose. The Unit is based in Nugegoda and it has been directed to tap into phone conversations of JO MPs, Heads of Media institutions and even some Police personnel.” He further said “In our Parliament, the Opposition Leader post has been given to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a party which has only seven per cent of seats in Parliament. The JO has more than 30 per cent of seats, but still the Speaker hasn't given us the post of Opposition Leader.”
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August - 8 
The ten members Panel of Experts appointed by the Constitutional Assembly (CA) has handed over the Draft Constitutional Proposal to the Steering Committee of the CA chaired by the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe when the Steering Committee met on August 8 at the parliamentary complex, reports Co
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The ten members Panel of Experts appointed by the Constitutional Assembly (CA) has handed over the Draft Constitutional Proposal to the Steering Committee of the CA chaired by the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe when the Steering Committee met on August 8 at the parliamentary complex, reports Colombo Page. The Draft Constitutional Proposal prepared by the Panel of Experts will be studied by the leaders of political parties representing the Parliament and discussed with the Prime Minister who is the chairman of the Steering Committee. The mandate for preparation of a Draft Constitutional Proposal lies with the Steering Committee of the CA.
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August - 10 
Organized Crimes Prevention Division (OCPD) on August 10 submitted the report of MP Vijayakala Maheswaran’s controversial statement regarding the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to the Attorney General’s Department, reports Daily News.Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 2 addressing th
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Organized Crimes Prevention Division (OCPD) on August 10 submitted the report of MP Vijayakala Maheswaran’s controversial statement regarding the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to the Attorney General’s Department, reports Daily News.Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 2 addressing the 'Janapathi Nila Mehewara' event at the Weerasingham Hall in Jaffna District said there is a huge need of reorganization of the LTTE in the North and East. OCPD officials asked for a calling date for the Attorney General’s advice. Considering the requests, Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake ordered the case to be taken up again on October 19 and called for a report on the progress of the investigations from the Police.
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August - 15 
Filippo Grandi, the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) while meeting with the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez at the UNHCR Headquarters on August 15 commended Sri Lanka for its significant progress in r
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Filippo Grandi, the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) while meeting with the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez at the UNHCR Headquarters on August 15 commended Sri Lanka for its significant progress in resettlement of returning refugees and IDPs and invited Sri Lanka to play a more proactive role in the organization, reports Colombo Page. Recalling the long-standing, productive partnership between Sri Lanka and the UNHCR, High Commissioner Grandi remarked that at a time when there were many challenges around the world, Sri Lanka stood out as a country, which has achieved significant progress in resettlement of returning refugees and IDPs as well as in addressing issues of statelessness. He invited Sri Lanka to be an important stakeholder in the policy making process of the UNHCR, expressing hope that Sri Lanka's proactive role would contribute significantly to the work of the UNHCR drawing upon the country's positive experiences and insights.
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August - 19 
Minister of Higher Education and Cultural Affairs Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said the two former Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa are not eligible to run for a third term in the highest office under the present Constitution, reports Colombo Page on August 19. Rajapakshe said the pro
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Minister of Higher Education and Cultural Affairs Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said the two former Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa are not eligible to run for a third term in the highest office under the present Constitution, reports Colombo Page on August 19. Rajapakshe said the provisions under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution prevent both former Presidents from running for a third term at the next presidential election.
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August - 21 
New Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Sri Lanka, Loukas Petridis on August 21 called on Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake and assured his full cooperation to humanitarian roles of the Army, reports Daily Mirror.Mr Petridis paid a courtesy call on Army Commander
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New Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Sri Lanka, Loukas Petridis on August 21 called on Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake and assured his full cooperation to humanitarian roles of the Army, reports Daily Mirror.Mr Petridis paid a courtesy call on Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake at the Army Headquarters.Issuing a statement, the Army said Commander Senanayake explained to the ICRC Head what the Army had been doing at different levels to uplift living standards of low-income groups; like helping improve health standards, community projects and assistance for agriculture in the peninsula.He also assured the Sri Lanka Army’s support to any future ICRC projects.
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August - 23 
Office of Missing Persons (OMP) on August 23 said that they were yet to finalise a list of missing persons during the war in Sri Lanka since 1983 but it could be about 20,000, reports Daily Mirror. OMP Chairman Saliya Pieris PC said they had several reports compiled by the commissions and institutio
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Office of Missing Persons (OMP) on August 23 said that they were yet to finalise a list of missing persons during the war in Sri Lanka since 1983 but it could be about 20,000, reports Daily Mirror. OMP Chairman Saliya Pieris PC said they had several reports compiled by the commissions and institutions on the number of missing persons in the country. “We have data of previous reports released on missing persons. The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) says it is about 16,000 people including 5,100 military and police personnel. The Paranagama Commission says 21,000 people have gone missing while the government had received 13,000 complaints through Grama Niladharis on missing persons. These numbers may overlap. The interim report will be released on August 30, the International Day of the Disappeared, and will be handed over to the President and the Prime Minister,” he said.
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August - 23 
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarians at a meeting held at the Opposition Leader’s office under the patronage of TNA leader R. Sampanthan on August 24 turned down Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran’s request to boycott the meeting of the Presidential Special Task Force on Nor
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Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarians at a meeting held at the Opposition Leader’s office under the patronage of TNA leader R. Sampanthan on August 24 turned down Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran’s request to boycott the meeting of the Presidential Special Task Force on Northern Development which is scheduled to be held on August 27, reports Daily News. They insisted that they should participate in this meeting to ensure development of the Northern Province. They were of the view that development activities should continue in the North which was badly battered by the 30-year protracted war. Northern Province Chief Minister Wigneswaran in a letter to TNA leader R. Sampanthan had requested that the TNA should not support any development activity conducted by the government until a political solution is given to the ethnic issue.
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August - 24 
Parliament on August 24 rejected the Report of the Delimitation Committee for the Delimitation of electorates in Provincial Councils which was presented to Parliament by the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, reports Colombo Page. In the division that was taken, no votes were cast
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Parliament on August 24 rejected the Report of the Delimitation Committee for the Delimitation of electorates in Provincial Councils which was presented to Parliament by the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, reports Colombo Page. In the division that was taken, no votes were cast in favour while 139 votes were against it. The report was required to be approved by a majority of two-thirds voting in its favour.
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August - 26 
According to Parliament sources revealed on August 26 a total of SLR 21.2 million had been incurred in the process of creating the Provincial Council Delimitation Report, reports Daily Mirror. According to Parliament sources the expense had been made in respect of the five-member Commission, appoint
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According to Parliament sources revealed on August 26 a total of SLR 21.2 million had been incurred in the process of creating the Provincial Council Delimitation Report, reports Daily Mirror. According to Parliament sources the expense had been made in respect of the five-member Commission, appointed by the President for their personal emoluments, travelling, supplies, office equipment, vehicles, preparing software, maintenance work, employee training, character development, etc. for the purpose of the task related to the delimitation of Provincial Council Delimitation. The provision allocated by the Treasury in respect of Commission expenses were Rs. 10.4 mn for recurrent and Rs.11.6 mn for capital expenses. The Delimitation Commission was appointed by the President on October 4, 2017 with the retired Surveyor General Kanagarathnam Navalingam as Chairman and retired Sri Lanka Central Bank Assistant Governor Dr Anila Dias Bandaranayaka, Prof S. H. Hisbulla, Prof Sangara Wijeyasundiran and retired Assistant Elections Commissioner Premathilaka Siriwardena. Report of the Commission was handed over to Minister Faiszer Musthapha on February 19, and the Minister presented the report to Parliament on March 6. The report was rejected by Parliament on August 24 when the vote was taken.
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August - 30 
Office on Missing Persons (OMP) Chairman Saliya Pieris PC at an event held under the theme ‘No more disappearances’ to mark the International Day of the Enforced Disappearances at the J. R. Jayewardene Centre in Colombo on August 30 said the interim report of OMP will be submitted to President Maith
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Office on Missing Persons (OMP) Chairman Saliya Pieris PC at an event held under the theme ‘No more disappearances’ to mark the International Day of the Enforced Disappearances at the J. R. Jayewardene Centre in Colombo on August 30 said the interim report of OMP will be submitted to President Maithripala Sirisena on September 5 with recommendations including allowances to the family of missing and the freedom to build monument to remember them, reports Daily Mirror. He said “If we speak of the numbers of missing in Sri Lanka, it is one of the highest not only in Asia but also in the world. We have to accept that people had been forcibly disappeared for at least four decades. Accepting this is the only way to achieve reconciliation.”
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September - 5 
Office on Missing Persons (OMP) handed its interim report containing interim recommendations to the President Maithripala Sirisena and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Parliament on September 5, reports Colombo Page. The Chairman of the Office on Missing Persons President's Counsel Sal
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Office on Missing Persons (OMP) handed its interim report containing interim recommendations to the President Maithripala Sirisena and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Parliament on September 5, reports Colombo Page. The Chairman of the Office on Missing Persons President's Counsel Saliya Peiris handed over the report to the President. The interim report has been prepared following the investigations carried out and it contains recommendations for interim relief as well as securing truth, justice and memorialisation. The OMP has officially 'commenced duties following the appointment of the Chairperson and members by President Maithripala Sirisena on February 28, 2018.
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September - 5 
Representatives from international donor agencies providing development aid to Sri Lanka during a meeting between the President Maithripala held at the President's Residence on September 5 said they are ready to extend their fullest support to Sri Lanka's efforts to achieve goals of development and
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Representatives from international donor agencies providing development aid to Sri Lanka during a meeting between the President Maithripala held at the President's Residence on September 5 said they are ready to extend their fullest support to Sri Lanka's efforts to achieve goals of development and reconciliation, reports Colombo Page.Representatives of several donor agencies including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) met with the President.
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September - 5 
The Joint Opposition (JO) on September 5 launched a Sathyagraha with the participation of Buddhist monks, Members of Parliament (MPs) and people at the Lotus Roundabout in Colombo, reports Daily Mirror.Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa also joined the Sathyagraha.
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The Joint Opposition (JO) on September 5 launched a Sathyagraha with the participation of Buddhist monks, Members of Parliament (MPs) and people at the Lotus Roundabout in Colombo, reports Daily Mirror.Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa also joined the Sathyagraha.
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September - 6 
Army has released another 4.4 acres of land in the Valikamam North Divisional Secretariat area in Jaffna District, used by the Army for service requirements during a brief ceremony at Myliddy Town on September 6, reports Colombo Page.The Army has symbolically released a land patch of 2.75 acres, bel
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Army has released another 4.4 acres of land in the Valikamam North Divisional Secretariat area in Jaffna District, used by the Army for service requirements during a brief ceremony at Myliddy Town on September 6, reports Colombo Page.The Army has symbolically released a land patch of 2.75 acres, belonging to the KalaimagalVidyalayam, Myliddy North, a stretch of 1.19 acres, belonging to several families in Sandilipay area and another land block of 0.5 acres, owned by Kurumbachetti Co-operative Shop and the Community Hall to the Zonal Education Director and the District Secretary for Jaffna, Mr N Vethanayahan, enabling both of them to go ahead with onward arrangements for issue of their legitimate deeds, certificates, etc through the District Secretariat.
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September - 6 
Newly-appointed United Nations (UN) Permanent Representative for Sri Lanka, Hanna Singer on September 6 assured President Maithripala Sirisena that while continuing the ongoing programmes, she would also explore the possibility of widening assistance to Sri Lanka, reports Daily Mirror.She expressed
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Newly-appointed United Nations (UN) Permanent Representative for Sri Lanka, Hanna Singer on September 6 assured President Maithripala Sirisena that while continuing the ongoing programmes, she would also explore the possibility of widening assistance to Sri Lanka, reports Daily Mirror.She expressed these when she called on the President at his official residence in Colombo.The President thanked Ms.Singer for the support extended over a long period of time for the development programmes in Sri Lanka.
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September - 6 
Office on Missing Persons (OMP) established to address the many cases of missing and disappeared has recommended the Government to provide urgent and immediate relief to the families of involuntarily disappeared as their current socio-economic situation is dire, reports Colombo Pageon September 6.Th
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Office on Missing Persons (OMP) established to address the many cases of missing and disappeared has recommended the Government to provide urgent and immediate relief to the families of involuntarily disappeared as their current socio-economic situation is dire, reports Colombo Pageon September 6.The interim report, which also recommends interim measures to provide relief and reparation to the affected families by the disappearances of their loved ones, said the current socio-economic situation of many families of the missing and the disappeared is dire and cannot wait until a final reparations scheme is devised and a key set of measures is required In the interim to provide urgent and immediate relief to the families.The report also noted that In addition, there is an overwhelming demand and need for investigation and prosecution of enforced disappearances.
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September - 6 
Steering Committee of the Constitutional Assembly met on September 6 under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to consider the expert panel report which was submitted on August 8, reports Daily News.Steering Committee sources told that it intends to present a report containing dr
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Steering Committee of the Constitutional Assembly met on September 6 under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to consider the expert panel report which was submitted on August 8, reports Daily News.Steering Committee sources told that it intends to present a report containing draft Constitutional reforms to the Constitutional Assembly at the next Parliamentary sitting week starting from September 18.Leader of the House and Minister Lakshman Kiriellaon September 7 told the House that the Government is ready to present a draft Constitution Bill to Parliament and facilitate two-three days’ debate on it.
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September - 7 
A Select Committee has been appointed to study and recommend ways and means of ensuring ethnic and religious harmony in Sri Lanka on September 7, reports Daily Mirror. Deputy Speaker Ananda Wijesiri who was in the Chair said the Select Committee would be headed by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and include
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A Select Committee has been appointed to study and recommend ways and means of ensuring ethnic and religious harmony in Sri Lanka on September 7, reports Daily Mirror. Deputy Speaker Ananda Wijesiri who was in the Chair said the Select Committee would be headed by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and include the Deputy Speaker, Opposition Leader R. Sampathan, Rauff Hakeem, D. M. Swaminathan, SusilPremajayantha, Dinesh Gunawardene, C. B. Ratnayake, VijithaHerath, Douglas Devananda, Selvam Adekaranathan, GaminiJayawickramaPerera, GayanthaKarunatilleke, Mano Ganesan, WijedasaRajapakshe, Ali ZahirMawlana, John Amaratunga, ThalathaAthukorala and Ranjith MaddumaBandara.The committee will also look at ways of preventing the propagation of defamatory views that undermine national harmony or the engagement in such activities and the necessity of taking legal action against individuals who engage in such activities. It will discuss the suitability of including hate speech as a crime in the Penal Code, categorizing the schools system on non racial or no religious basis, on establishing a parliamentary committee empowered to entertain complaints about the issues faced by minority ethnic groups in the North and the East, on formulating relevant legal provisions required for general implementation of the law when establishing places of worship and erecting statues and look into the possibility of banning news which disturb national amity.
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September - 10 
Newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on Sri Lanka on September 10 to expedite the work of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) and to provide answers to the families of the disappeared quickly, reports Colombo Page. Bachelet, who assumed duties as the UN Huma
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Newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on Sri Lanka on September 10 to expedite the work of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) and to provide answers to the families of the disappeared quickly, reports Colombo Page. Bachelet, who assumed duties as the UN Human Rights Chief on September 1, making her first speech to the UN Human Rights Council at its 39th session in Geneva on September 10 noted that albeit slowly, Sri Lanka is moving to implement its transitional justice agenda. “In Sri Lanka, although the authorities have moved too slowly towards meaningful implementation of the transitional justice agenda, the OMP has now begun consultations and institutional capacity-building to fulfill its mandate. We look to that Office to work quickly, to begin to provide answers to the families of the disappeared," she said in her opening statement.
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September - 11 
Sri Lanka’s core group at the 39th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which convened in Geneva on September 11 praised the Government’s efforts to engage with the UN system to implement its national reconciliation action plan, reports Daily News. It also welcomed the commence
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Sri Lanka’s core group at the 39th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which convened in Geneva on September 11 praised the Government’s efforts to engage with the UN system to implement its national reconciliation action plan, reports Daily News. It also welcomed the commencement of work by the Office of Missing Persons (OMP). “We welcome the Government’s continued engagement with the UN system and actions to implement its National Reconciliation Action Plan and Peace building Priority Plan. We applaud the Office on Missing Persons’ commencement of work and encourage everyone able to advance or contribute to its work to do so. We hope the Government will establish an Office for Reparations quickly. We also welcome the return of further private land in the north and commitments to return more military occupied land to civilian ownership,” the statement delivered on behalf of Germany, Macedonia, Montenegro and the UK as members of the Sri Lanka core group stated.
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September - 11 
The Cabinet on September 11 endorsed the Counter-Terrorism Bill to be enacted by Parliament repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) applied during the wartime in dealing with the activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports Daily Mirror. However, Higher Education Minist
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The Cabinet on September 11 endorsed the Counter-Terrorism Bill to be enacted by Parliament repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) applied during the wartime in dealing with the activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports Daily Mirror. However, Higher Education Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe proposed amendments to be incorporated into the Bill during the committee stage of the debate later in Parliament. In the present draft, only life imprisonment is stipulated for murder. Mr. Rajapakshe reportedly said capital punishment had been envisaged for murder under the Penal Code under normal circumstances, and therefore there could not be any exemption for the same crime to be covered under the new piece of legislation. Another amendment was proposed to include separatism as an offence. Finally, the Cabinet cleared the bill on condition that the amendments proposed by Mr. Rajapakshe would be incorporated during the committee stage.
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September - 17 
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), an ally of the Government, on September 17 called for a general amnesty to all the military personnel and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres charged for war crimes, reports Daily Mirror. Its stalwart Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika R
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Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), an ally of the Government, on September 17 called for a general amnesty to all the military personnel and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres charged for war crimes, reports Daily Mirror. Its stalwart Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka told that the Attorney General's Department should determine war related crimes in this case. The JHU proposed to the Government to appoint a committee comprised of specialists under the aegis of the Attorney General’s Department, to identify war crimes and crimes committed for private motives, during the civil war.
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September - 19 
US Country Reports on Terrorism released on September 19 said Sri Lanka remained vulnerable to money laundering and terrorist financing although it is neither an important regional financial centre nor a preferred centre for money laundering, reports Daily Mirror. According to the report which was,
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US Country Reports on Terrorism released on September 19 said Sri Lanka remained vulnerable to money laundering and terrorist financing although it is neither an important regional financial centre nor a preferred centre for money laundering, reports Daily Mirror. According to the report which was, Sri Lanka belongs to the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering, a Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-style regional body. The FATF has added Sri Lanka to its Public Statement entitled “Improving Global AML/CFT Compliance: On-going process,” also known as the “grey list.” “Sri Lanka agreed to an action plan to address several vulnerabilities, including improving mutual legal assistance, issuing customer due diligence rules for designated non-financial businesses and persons, and enhancing risk-based supervision,” the report said.
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September - 26 
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on September 26 requested the Government to release the prisoners detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) without further delay, reports Daily News. The request was made when Opposition Leader and TNA Leader R. Sampanthan met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesi
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Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on September 26 requested the Government to release the prisoners detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) without further delay, reports Daily News. The request was made when Opposition Leader and TNA Leader R. Sampanthan met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees in Colombo to discuss matters pertaining to the prisoners detained under the PTA and the new counter-terror legislation. The Opposition Leader had pointed out that these detainees and their family members have suffered very long periods of time. The meeting was also attended by Justice Minister Thalatha Athukorala, Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya and TNA MP M.A.Sumanthiran. During the meeting that extended for about two hours, the Attorney General has agreed to come up with a mechanism within three days to expedite the remaining cases of the PTA detainees.
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October - 9 
Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a 80-page report, “‘Why Can’t We Go Home?’: Military Occupation of Land in Sri Lanka,” released on October 9 (today) said the Sri Lankan Government is slow to return civilian land and property nearly a decade since the end of the civil war in 2009, reports Daily Mirror. T
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Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a 80-page report, “‘Why Can’t We Go Home?’: Military Occupation of Land in Sri Lanka,” released on October 9 (today) said the Sri Lankan Government is slow to return civilian land and property nearly a decade since the end of the civil war in 2009, reports Daily Mirror. The report is based on over 100 interviews between August 2017 to May 2018 with members of affected communities, activists, local officials, and lawyers. It looks into cases of military occupation and land release in 20 areas in six districts, primarily in Sri Lanka’s North and East. The report details security force occupation of land both during and after the armed conflict. It identifies the lack of transparency and due process, failure to map occupied land, inadequate support to affected people and communities, and prolonged delays in providing appropriate reparations for decades of loss and suffering. The military has also used some confiscated lands for commercial profit rather than national security and returned damaged or destroyed property to owners without compensation. “All those displaced during Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war are entitled to return to their homes. Despite repeated pledges by the authorities, the military has been frustratingly slow to restore land to its rightful owners,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director.
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October - 16 
The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) met families from the Western Province in Colombo on October 16 and briefed them on the ongoing process to address the issue on people reported missing, reports Colombo Gazette. The meeting took place at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute. The OMP heard from the fa
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The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) met families from the Western Province in Colombo on October 16 and briefed them on the ongoing process to address the issue on people reported missing, reports Colombo Gazette. The meeting took place at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute. The OMP heard from the families of the missing and took their suggestions. The OMP also briefed the families on the interim report of the OMP, which was released in September. The OMP has recommended in the report that state officials including members of the armed forces and police who are named as suspects or accused in criminal actions relating to abductions and enforced disappearances, be suspended pending the final determination of such cases.
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October - 17 
After being isolated for long periods during the war, the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka are in the midst of recovering from a traumatic past and a World Bank funded project supports the local authorities in the provinces to deliver services and local infrastructure in a responsive and
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After being isolated for long periods during the war, the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka are in the midst of recovering from a traumatic past and a World Bank funded project supports the local authorities in the provinces to deliver services and local infrastructure in a responsive and accountable manner,reports Colombo Pageon October 17.With contributions from the North East Local Services Improvement Project (NELSIP) residents now enjoy swift services, such as rural roads and easy access to drinking water. The local authorities are empowered for their service deliveries.The Project is designed to improve the delivery of infrastructure services, such as rural roads and drinking water supply by local authorities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, to strengthen their service delivery systems, and to build capacity to deliver their mandated services.The unique design of this project is that each community contributes three percent of the cost by providing labor or utilities like water or electricity. In addition, community members can identify their own needs and prioritize how the money is spent by voting in public town hall meetings.Based on successful results of NELSIP, the Government of Sri Lanka has stepped up its grant support to local authorities since 2014.
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October - 21 
Government is taking measures to release 79 acres of land in the Northern and Eastern Provinces to original owners, reports Colombo Page on October 21. Plans are in progress to release a 23-acre block of land in Mullikulam, Mannar, a block of 53 acres of land in Mullivaikal, Mullaitivu held in the c
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Government is taking measures to release 79 acres of land in the Northern and Eastern Provinces to original owners, reports Colombo Page on October 21. Plans are in progress to release a 23-acre block of land in Mullikulam, Mannar, a block of 53 acres of land in Mullivaikal, Mullaitivu held in the custody of the Sri Lanka Navy and a 3-acre block of land in Thoppur, Trincomalee where the 224 Brigade Headquarters of the Sri Lanka Army has been established, to the original owners of the lands, a statement on Cabinet decisions said. Also, in order to enable the people to be resettled in those areas to maintain sustainable livelihood activities, three small tanks so identified will be renovated while developing the infrastructure facilities in such areas and handing them over to the original owners. Accordingly, a proposal made by Minister of Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Northern Development & Hindu Religious Affairs D.M. Swaminathan to re‑establish such facilities enabling to release the lands being occupied by the Tri‑Forces and to secure the funds required for the development of infrastructure facilities in the areas, was approved by the Cabinet.
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October - 22 
Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a commentary released on October 22 urged Sri Lanka to amend the new draft Counter Terrorism Act (CTA) of 2018 that was presented to Parliament by the Government to replace the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), reports Colombo Page. HRW said "Parliament should
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Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a commentary released on October 22 urged Sri Lanka to amend the new draft Counter Terrorism Act (CTA) of 2018 that was presented to Parliament by the Government to replace the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), reports Colombo Page. HRW said "Parliament should amend the bill to fully comply with international human rights standards and resist pressure to roll back its reforms. The Sri Lankan government has finally addressed the torture-tarred Prevention of Terrorism Act, but the proposed law needs stronger human rights protections. Parliament should reject attempts to add abusive clauses and pass a bill that advances the rule of law."
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October - 26 
In a surprising political development, United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) on October 26 decided to leave the National Unity Government (NUG) formed with the United National Party (UNP) and sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new Pri
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In a surprising political development, United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) on October 26 decided to leave the National Unity Government (NUG) formed with the United National Party (UNP) and sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister, reports Colombo Page. President Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent party of the UPFA, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's UNP formed the NUG on a platform of good governance in August 2015 following the Parliamentary Elections. However, there has been growing tensions between the two coalition parties on several policy matters and the President has been critical of the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and his policies, especially on economy.
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October - 26 
Two Extraordinary Gazettes have been published removing Ranil Wickremesinghe from the Prime Minister post and appointing Mahinda Rajapaksa to the post on October 26, reports Colombo Page. Both Extraordinary Gazettes have been published by the Secretary to the President Udaya R. Seneviratne. Extraord
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Two Extraordinary Gazettes have been published removing Ranil Wickremesinghe from the Prime Minister post and appointing Mahinda Rajapaksa to the post on October 26, reports Colombo Page. Both Extraordinary Gazettes have been published by the Secretary to the President Udaya R. Seneviratne. Extraordinary Gazette no. 2094/43 issued by the Presidential Secretariat notified the removal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Extraordinary Gazette no. 2094/44 issued notified the appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister.
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October - 29 
New Cabinet of Ministers was sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on October 29, adds Colombo Page.
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New Cabinet of Ministers was sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on October 29, adds Colombo Page.
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October - 30 
A massive crowd gathered in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on October 30 to show support to the ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and protest against the President Maithripala Sirisena's unconstitutional power transfer, reports Colombo Page.The hurriedly organized 'Voice of Justice' protest
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A massive crowd gathered in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on October 30 to show support to the ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and protest against the President Maithripala Sirisena's unconstitutional power transfer, reports Colombo Page.The hurriedly organized 'Voice of Justice' protest by the United National Party (UNP) Members of Parliament drew tens of thousands of party supporters to the Kollupitiya Junction.Shouting slogans and displaying banners and placards party activists and supporters marched to the Liberty Roundabout and held a rally near the Temple Trees.The protest focused on the unconstitutionality of the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as new Prime Minister by President Maithripala Sirisena triggering a constitutional crisis.Although more than 2,600 police and 10 units of Special Task Force commandos were deployed for the protest, according to an AFP report, the protest was peaceful.The protesters demanded the President to reconvene the parliament, which he prorogued for three weeks to garner enough support in the House for the new Prime Minister Rajapaksa.
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November - 2 
A resolution signed by 118 Member of Parliaments (MP’s) against the appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister and the appointments and decisions that followed, was handed over to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on November 2, reports Daily Mirror.In the resolution, the MPs said
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A resolution signed by 118 Member of Parliaments (MP’s) against the appointment of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister and the appointments and decisions that followed, was handed over to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on November 2, reports Daily Mirror.In the resolution, the MPs said the gazette notification issued by President Maithripala Sirisena on October 26 making Mr. Rajapaksa the Prime Minister was against the Constitution of Sri Lanka.“We also don’t accept any of the decisions and appointments made by the President that followed the appointment of Mr. Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister,” the MPs said.UNP MP Ajith P Perera presented the resolution which was seconded by MP Champika Ranawaka.
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November - 2 
UNP on November 2 handed over a No Confidence Motion to Speaker of House Karu Jayasuriya, against the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister,reports Colombo Page. The Motion signed by MP Lakshman Kiriella says "In terms of Articles 46(1)) and 48 of the Constitution, the Office of Pri
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UNP on November 2 handed over a No Confidence Motion to Speaker of House Karu Jayasuriya, against the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister,reports Colombo Page. The Motion signed by MP Lakshman Kiriella says "In terms of Articles 46(1)) and 48 of the Constitution, the Office of Prime Minister becomes vacant only if he dies, resigns, ceases to be a Member of Parliament (by removal or otherwise), or if the Statement of Government Policy or Appropriation Bill are defeated, or if a no confidence motion is passed against the Government."
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November - 4 
President Maithripala Sirisena on November 4 issued the gazette notification summoning the Parliament on November 14, reports Colombo Page. According to the extraordinary gazette notification signed by the Secretary to the President Udaya R. Seneviratne, the Parliament will be reconvened on November
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President Maithripala Sirisena on November 4 issued the gazette notification summoning the Parliament on November 14, reports Colombo Page. According to the extraordinary gazette notification signed by the Secretary to the President Udaya R. Seneviratne, the Parliament will be reconvened on November 14 at 10:00 a.m.
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November - 6 
Maha Sangha on November 6 convened to demand the President Maithripala Sirisena to reconvene the Parliament soon to end the political crisis that has engulfed the island nation for the past two weeks since the abrupt dismissal of the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on 26th October by the Preside
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Maha Sangha on November 6 convened to demand the President Maithripala Sirisena to reconvene the Parliament soon to end the political crisis that has engulfed the island nation for the past two weeks since the abrupt dismissal of the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on 26th October by the President, reports Colombo Page. A large group of Buddhist monks gathered near the Buddha statue at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo and walked to the New Town Hall to hold a rally to demand "Reconvene parliament and honor democracy". Prior to attending the convention at the Town Hall, the Maha Sangha came to Temple Trees and blessed the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Maha Sangha, who chanted Seth Pirith, invoked blessings on Ranil Wickremesinghe and proceeded to Colombo New Town Hall where the summit was to be held.
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November - 7 
Speaker on November 7 decided to suspend the standing orders and test the majority when the Parliament reconvenes on the November 14, reports Colombo Page. The decision was taken at an unofficial meeting of party leaders at the Speaker's office to determine the agenda of Parliament on November 14. T
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Speaker on November 7 decided to suspend the standing orders and test the majority when the Parliament reconvenes on the November 14, reports Colombo Page. The decision was taken at an unofficial meeting of party leaders at the Speaker's office to determine the agenda of Parliament on November 14. The UPFA Government's stand on the day's agenda was to adjourn the Parliament for the day after the Secretary General of Parliament read President's order to reconvene Parliament. Other party leaders have held a contrary opinion, and pointed out that in addition to the parliamentary business for the day, the majority opinion to establish a stable government should be tested. Considering the arguments from both sides, the Speaker stated that he would act in accordance with the opinion of the 116 Parliamentarians, who had in writing requested him to reconvene the parliament, and decided to suspend the Standing Orders and allow the majority to decide on the possibility of forming a stable Government.
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November - 7 
United States on November 7 urged President Maithripala Sirisena to reconvene Parliament immediately to resolve the political crisis, reports Colombo Page. In a tweet, Spokesperson for the US State Department Heather Nauert said further delay compounds uncertainty in Sri Lanka and undermines its int
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United States on November 7 urged President Maithripala Sirisena to reconvene Parliament immediately to resolve the political crisis, reports Colombo Page. In a tweet, Spokesperson for the US State Department Heather Nauert said further delay compounds uncertainty in Sri Lanka and undermines its international reputation. "We urge Sri Lanka's President to reconvene parliament immediately to resolve the political crisis. Further delay compounds uncertainty in Sri Lanka, and undermines its international reputation and the aspirations of its people for good governance, stability and prosperity," the Spokesperson said.
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November - 8 
Former Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council CV Wigneswaran on November 8 handed over a letter announcing his withdrawal from the Ilankai Thamil Arusu Kachchi (ITAK), reports Colombo Page. Mr. Wigneswaran handed over the letter to the leader of ITAK, MP Mavai Senathirajah at the Tamil Na
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Former Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council CV Wigneswaran on November 8 handed over a letter announcing his withdrawal from the Ilankai Thamil Arusu Kachchi (ITAK), reports Colombo Page. Mr. Wigneswaran handed over the letter to the leader of ITAK, MP Mavai Senathirajah at the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) party office in Jaffna. After handing over the letter, Wigneswaran has said that his future political activities will be conducted under his newly formed party Tamil Makkal Koottani (TMK) and he will not keep away from political activities in the Northern Province.
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November - 9 
Delegation of the European Union (EU) issuing a joint statement in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission as well as the Ambassadors of Norway and Switzerland resident in Colombo warned Sri Lanka's de facto government against postponing the vote to determine the majority in parliament when the assem
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Delegation of the European Union (EU) issuing a joint statement in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission as well as the Ambassadors of Norway and Switzerland resident in Colombo warned Sri Lanka's de facto government against postponing the vote to determine the majority in parliament when the assembly reconvenes on the 14th November, reports Colombo Page on November 9. The statement said “We consider it essential that Parliament be allowed to demonstrate its confidence by voting immediately when reconvened in order to resolve the serious uncertainties currently facing the country. Any further delay could damage Sri Lanka's international reputation and deter investors. Respect by all stakeholders for the provisions of the constitution will be important to maintain the confidence of the Sri Lankan people in democratic governance and the rule of law."
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November - 9 
the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) on November 9 said that it was dangerous to go for an election under a Government which obtained power through unconstitutional means and stressed the need to rectify the present political crisis before going for a national election, reports Daily Mirror. JVP Gene
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the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) on November 9 said that it was dangerous to go for an election under a Government which obtained power through unconstitutional means and stressed the need to rectify the present political crisis before going for a national election, reports Daily Mirror. JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva told a news conference that the approval of a two-thirds majority in parliament should be obtained after rectifying this unconstitutional political coup before announcing an election. “It is dangerous if someone goes for an election after obtaining power through unconstitutional means. If an election was announced under this unconstitutional government, it will be clearly construed as a part of this political coup," he said.
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November - 9 
United National Party (UNP) on November 9 said that the dissolution of Sri Lanka Parliament by the President Maithripala Sirisena nearly two years before its term expires is illegal and goes against the constitution, , reports Colombo Page. "We vehemently reject the President's dissolution of Parlia
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United National Party (UNP) on November 9 said that the dissolution of Sri Lanka Parliament by the President Maithripala Sirisena nearly two years before its term expires is illegal and goes against the constitution, , reports Colombo Page. "We vehemently reject the President's dissolution of Parliament. We will be fighting this to ensure that Democracy reigns supreme in the country. He has robbed the people of their rights and the Democracy that we have enjoyed," the UNP said. Constitutional experts have told the BBC Sinhala Service on November 9 that under the 19th Amendment the President has no authority to dissolve Parliament until four and half years after it was elected. Under the 19th Amendment, the Article 70 of the Constitution has been amended that "(1) The President may by Proclamation, summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament: Provided that the President shall not dissolve Parliament until the expiration of a period of not less than four years and six months from the date appointed for its first meeting, unless Parliament requests the President to do so by a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the whole number of Members (including those not present), voting in its favor."
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November - 9 
Deepening the political crisis he created two weeks ago, Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena in an extraordinary Gazette notification announced the dissolution of the Parliament with effect from November 9 midnight and scheduled general elections to be held on January 5, 2019, reports Colombo P
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Deepening the political crisis he created two weeks ago, Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena in an extraordinary Gazette notification announced the dissolution of the Parliament with effect from November 9 midnight and scheduled general elections to be held on January 5, 2019, reports Colombo Page on November 9. Nominations will be called from November 19 till 12 noon of November 26 during which nomination papers shall be received by the Returning Officers of the respective districts. The new Parliament will meet on January 17, 2019.
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November - 10 
On November 10 United National Party (UNP) said that it would file a case in the Supreme Court (SC) against the early dissolution of Parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena, reports Daily Mirror. UNP Parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera told journalists that the party would early next week file
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On November 10 United National Party (UNP) said that it would file a case in the Supreme Court (SC) against the early dissolution of Parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena, reports Daily Mirror. UNP Parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera told journalists that the party would early next week file a challenge in the Supreme Court, calling the President's decision to dissolve Parliament "illegal". A group of UNP legislators met Elections Commission (EC) Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya and discussed the dissolution of Parliament and urged him to take steps to "save democracy".
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November - 10 
Sri Lanka's Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) says the party will rally against unconstitutional, undemocratic, unethical and unconventional moves taken by the President Maithripala Sirisena, reports Colombo Page on November 10. JVP Information Secretary, MP Vijitha Herath said all move
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Sri Lanka's Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) says the party will rally against unconstitutional, undemocratic, unethical and unconventional moves taken by the President Maithripala Sirisena, reports Colombo Page on November 10. JVP Information Secretary, MP Vijitha Herath said all moves taken by the President since October 26, such as appointing a new Prime Minister, appointing a Cabinet, proroguing Parliament and now dissolving Parliament, are unconstitutional, undemocratic, unethical and unconventional. He added that the country would be informed soon of the action the JVP would take against such acts. He called upon all those who cherish democracy to rally with the moves the JVP would be taking.
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November - 11 
All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) led by former Parliamentarian Rishad Bathiudeen has decided to file a petition before the SC against the President Maithripala Sirisena's sudden decision to dissolve Parliament before the and call a General Election, reports Colombo Page on November 11. A Spokespers
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All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) led by former Parliamentarian Rishad Bathiudeen has decided to file a petition before the SC against the President Maithripala Sirisena's sudden decision to dissolve Parliament before the and call a General Election, reports Colombo Page on November 11. A Spokesperson for the ACMC said Rishad Bathiudeen, who is in Mecca performing Umrah with his MPs, has instructed party officials to prepare the relevant documents to file a petition in the Supreme Court.
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November - 11 
Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and 44 former Members of Parliament (MPs) on November 11 defected from Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the party led by President Maithripala Sirisena, and joined Sri Lanka Podujana Peremuna (SLPP), a political party formed in 2016 by Rajapaksa’s youn
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Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and 44 former Members of Parliament (MPs) on November 11 defected from Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the party led by President Maithripala Sirisena, and joined Sri Lanka Podujana Peremuna (SLPP), a political party formed in 2016 by Rajapaksa’s younger brother Basil Rajapaksa barely two weeks after Srisena installed Rajapaksa in office, reports Reuters. An SLPP source said 65 out of 82 former SLFP MPs will eventually join the new party.
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November - 12 
12 Fundamental Rights petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court against the dissolution of the Parliament, reports Lankanewsweb.net on November 12. The petitions have been filed by various parties including the United National Party (UNP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Janatha Vimukthi Peramun
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12 Fundamental Rights petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court against the dissolution of the Parliament, reports Lankanewsweb.net on November 12. The petitions have been filed by various parties including the United National Party (UNP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and All Ceylon People’s Congress (ALPC). Elections Commission member Professor Ratnajeewan Hoole has also filed a petition. The petitioners in their petitions claim that the President cannot dissolve the Parliament at this moment according to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, and doing so is a violation of the Constitution. They request the Supreme Court to annul the gazette notice issued with regard to the dissolution of the parliament. President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Elections Commission Chairperson and Attorney General have been named as the respondents of the petitions.
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November - 14 
Following a vote taken by voice, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on November 14 announced that the no-confidence motion brought against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government passed in Parliament and the purported Government does not have a majority, reports Colombo Page. According to the Oppos
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Following a vote taken by voice, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on November 14 announced that the no-confidence motion brought against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government passed in Parliament and the purported Government does not have a majority, reports Colombo Page. According to the Opposition Leader R Sampanthan, 122 MPs have voted against Mahinda Rajapaksa's purported Government saying they have No Confidence in it. The Parliament voted that the three Gazettes 2094/43, 2094/43 A and 2094/44 issued by the President on October 26 are illegal and therefore the Parliament has no confidence in the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the cabinet and the resulted Government. Due to a tense situation arose following the passage of the no-confidence motion, the Speaker adjourned the Parliament until 10.00 am of November 14.
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November - 14 
President Maithripala Sirisena on November 14 rejected the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) brought against the Prime Minister and the Government appointed by him, reports Colombo Page. In a letter to Speaker, President Maithripala Sirisena rejecting the NCM passed by the Parliament against Prime Minister
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President Maithripala Sirisena on November 14 rejected the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) brought against the Prime Minister and the Government appointed by him, reports Colombo Page. In a letter to Speaker, President Maithripala Sirisena rejecting the NCM passed by the Parliament against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government with signatures of 122 parliamentarians, said the Speaker has ignored the Constitution, Standing Orders and Parliamentary traditions in passing the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister.
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November - 14 
Sri Lanka's Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) on November 14 handed over a no-confidence motion against the new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, reports Colombo Page. Parliamentary sources said the JVP handed over the confidence motion against Mahinda Raj
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Sri Lanka's Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) on November 14 handed over a no-confidence motion against the new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, reports Colombo Page. Parliamentary sources said the JVP handed over the confidence motion against Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Government to the Speaker at Party leaders meeting, which concluded just before the Parliament was to reconvene. The Parliament reconvened at 10 am.
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November - 15 
Utter chaos prevailed in Parliament on November 15 as the Speaker of the Parliament came under attack from the Members of Parliament (MPs) of Sri Lanka President's party led Government, reports Colombo Page. The Parliament convened at 10 am for the second day after President Maithripala Sirisena pro
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Utter chaos prevailed in Parliament on November 15 as the Speaker of the Parliament came under attack from the Members of Parliament (MPs) of Sri Lanka President's party led Government, reports Colombo Page. The Parliament convened at 10 am for the second day after President Maithripala Sirisena prorogued the Assembly last month. At the beginning of today's session, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has announced that the House does not recognize a Government or an opposition. A no-confidence motion brought against the President-appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Government on November 14 was passed with 122 MPs voting for the motion. However, the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa rejecting the Speaker's announcement has insisted on making a special statement at the session. After the PM concluded his speech, MP Lakshman Kiriella has moved a motion of no-confidence against the statement made by the PM. The Speaker has then inquired whether the House would like to go for a vote on that, resulting in objections from members of the ruling party. It has been reported that MPs supporting former President Mahinda Rajapaksa have hurled wastepaper baskets at the Speaker objecting his announcement. UNP MPs rushed to the Speaker's chair to protect him and get entangled in a brawl with the UPFA MPs supporting Rajapaksa. Some members of parliament have received minor injuries. Following the melee, the Speaker has adjourned the Parliament and left the Chamber.
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November - 18 
The all-party meeting called by the President Maithripala Sirisena on November 18 to end the political crisis has concluded with no solution in sight, reports Colombo Page. Party leaders of the majority party in parliament, United National Party (UNP) and United National Front (UNF), main Tamil part
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The all-party meeting called by the President Maithripala Sirisena on November 18 to end the political crisis has concluded with no solution in sight, reports Colombo Page. Party leaders of the majority party in parliament, United National Party (UNP) and United National Front (UNF), main Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) led by Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan, The Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), as well as President's party, United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) attended the meeting. During the meeting, the President again insisted on taking another vote in Parliament showing majority for him to take a decision on the no-confidence motion against his Prime Minister appointee Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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November - 19 
Sri Lankan lawmakers opposing the newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who lost two no-confidence motions and his minority Government on November 19 submitted a motion to suspend expenditure head of the Prime Minister, reports Colombo Page. When the Parliament convened for the fourth da
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Sri Lankan lawmakers opposing the newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who lost two no-confidence motions and his minority Government on November 19 submitted a motion to suspend expenditure head of the Prime Minister, reports Colombo Page. When the Parliament convened for the fourth day, the United National Front (UNF) handed over a motion to suspend the PM's expenditure to the Speaker.
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November - 20 
United National Party (UNP) leaders at a meeting held at Temple Trees on November 20 decided to hold an indefinite Sathyagraha campaign commencing from 3pm of November 21 at the Vihara Maha Devi Park in Colombo protesting against the anti-democratic and unconstitutional agendas of the President Mait
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United National Party (UNP) leaders at a meeting held at Temple Trees on November 20 decided to hold an indefinite Sathyagraha campaign commencing from 3pm of November 21 at the Vihara Maha Devi Park in Colombo protesting against the anti-democratic and unconstitutional agendas of the President Maithripala Sirisena and Mahinda Rajapaksa to stay in power, reports Colombo Page. Professionals and trade unions will jointly hold the indefinite Sathyagraha campaign. Speaking during a media briefing at the Temple Trees UNP MP Ajith P Perera said the Sathyagraha will be extended to a fast unto death, if the President continues the dictatorial Government. The Parliamentarian said a large number of supporters have joined the initiative adding the fight will continue against the illegal measures of the President and Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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November - 30 
Suspicions were raised on November 30 in Sri Lankan Parliament that former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) member turned United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) politician Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman is involved in the murder of two Police officers in Batticaloa in Easter
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Suspicions were raised on November 30 in Sri Lankan Parliament that former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) member turned United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) politician Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman is involved in the murder of two Police officers in Batticaloa in Eastern Province, reports Colombo Page. Two Sri Lankan Police officers were found shot dead at Vavunathivu in Batticaloa at a road checkpoint early on November 30. United National Party (UNP) MP Nalin Bandara in Parliament expressed his suspicion in a link between killing the two Police officers and a veiled threat by Karuna Amman in a Twitter post on November 27.
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December - 1 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in an alleged statement on December 1 denied that they had any link to the assassination of India's former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991, reports Colombo Page. In the statement, LTTE had allegedly claimed that they didn't have anything to do with for
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Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in an alleged statement on December 1 denied that they had any link to the assassination of India's former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991, reports Colombo Page. In the statement, LTTE had allegedly claimed that they didn't have anything to do with former PM Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and had no intentions of conspiring or attacking India. The alleged letter from LTTE has been signed by their Political Wing representative Kurburan Guruswami and Legal Wing representative Lathan Chandralingam. The statement has claimed "The LTTE never intended to demolish the leadership of India nor attack India. We never turned our guns toward any person or leader who was not part of Sri Lanka. We never planned any attack against any non-Sri Lankan leader. We never developed any action against any national leader of India. Sri Lankan government along with other countries conspired against and linked us to Rajiv's assassination."
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