Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

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abhijitm
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by abhijitm »

Tuan wrote:
syam wrote:why attack xians of all people though?

any insights, tuan ji?

A western scholar asked me if the SL military would kill 250 Christians for a regime change or to avoid war crimes inquiry. I told her that the SL military massacred 60, 000 of their own Sinhalese Buddhist people under the guise of JVP insurgency and another 100, 000 Tamils (mainly Hindus) under the guise of LTTE insurgency. So, bombing 250 Christians are just peanuts for them. What is unbelievable to me is that they are pinning two minority groups against each other. Most importantly, they are perpetuating a stereotypical version of SL Muslims as terrorists. In my opinion, SL Muslims are the victims of both the LTTE atrocities as well as that of the GoSL, and they aren't extreme enough to stage such attacks as this one, especially the NTJ. The GoSL never gave any room for them to be radicalized to such a degree.
So what about precise intelligence input provided by GoI? Where that fits into your theory?
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by syam »

Tuan wrote: A western scholar asked me if the SL military would kill 250 Christians for a regime change or to avoid war crimes inquiry. I told her that the SL military massacred 60, 000 of their own Sinhalese Buddhist people under the guise of JVP insurgency and another 100, 000 Tamils (mainly Hindus) under the guise of LTTE insurgency. So, bombing 250 Christians are just peanuts for them. What is unbelievable to me is that they are pinning two minority groups against each other. Most importantly, they are perpetuating a stereotypical version of SL Muslims as terrorists. In my opinion, SL Muslims are the victims of both the LTTE atrocities as well as that of the GoSL, and they aren't extreme enough to stage such attacks as this one, especially the NTJ. The GoSL never gave any room for them to be radicalized to such a degree.
They still did it, you know. It was them who did the attack, not sri lanka mil officers.

It's funny how you see innocence in some radical people who kill thousands of innocents and at the same time demonize sri lanka forces.

Anyway, if sri lanka forces are behind this attack, then why target very small community? They would have gone for majority people and it would have made better case to go after muslim community. Everything comes back to xian community.

It's almost like they did some thing bad to the sri lanka elite factions and now these elite and mil forces are after them. Mind you, I am buying your theory - sl mil is behind bombings. It doesn't make sense.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by uddu »

Why is LTTE/Terrorist Left's propaganda heard and debated here?
SSridhar
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by SSridhar »

Stopped.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by syam »

Hindu ocean going to be the hot zone in coming years. Every super power will try their hand at it. Sri lanka is hot item on the menu list. IMO amerikis already started it back in 90s after the cold war.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by SSridhar »

syam wrote:Hindu ocean going to be the hot zone . . .
syam, what is this Hindu ocean concept?
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by SriKumar »

^^^ Atleast in Hindi textbooks, it is taught as 'Hind Maha saagar' (not Hindu). Hind and Hindu are different, e.g. Jai Hind vs. Jai Hindu
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by SriKumar »

This is definitely OT but I'll say this: Word 'Hindu' is a verbally corrupted form of the word Sindhu (river Sindhu). It started with the Greeks and then the Persians (around 100 BC and later). At that point, it referred to all people who lived around and east of River Sindhu (no Christians and Muslims then!). It was around the British times (or maybe a few decades years prior) that it was used to refer to a religion and not to all people living in an area. (Hindu religion's own term for Hinduism is 'Sanatana Dharma'). Plenty of description on the web about this. OT for this thread, so stopping now.
Last edited by SriKumar on 02 Jun 2019 18:53, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by UlanBatori »

I don't know if it has not occurred to good ppl that "Ind-ia" is derived from "Hind-ia" which is corrupted from "Sindh ia" which comes from "Sapta Singhu". So yes, all "Indians" are flaming yindoos onlee.
On the other hand, "South Asian" is redundant because "South" is derived from "Sooth" (ask someone who knows Tuticorin Tamil as taught in Sri Lanka kindergarten military interactions) and "Ass-ia" should be obvious. Very Democrat
Take ur pick. Call urself a yindoo or donkey's ass :eek:
Last edited by UlanBatori on 02 Jun 2019 21:24, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by SriKumar »

Actually, the word India is a direct 'gift/Trojan horse' from the Greeks. The greek ambassadaor to bharat Megasthenes, during the time of Chandra Gupta (about 150 BC) wrote a description about bharat and called it: Indica.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indica_(Megasthenes)
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by SSridhar »

syam, GoI refers to it as Indian Ocean. That alone stands here. Don't waste time arguing on this.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by SSridhar »

Suspended police chief blames Sirisena over Easter attacks - AFP
Sri Lanka’s suspended police chief has petitioned the Supreme Court, accusing President Maithripala Sirisena of failing to prevent the Easter bombings that killed 258 people.

In a 20-page complaint, Inspector-General Pujith Jayasundara disclosed serious communication gaps between intelligence agencies and security arms of the government, all which fall under Mr. Sirisena.

Jayasundara’s petition

In the petition submitted to court last week, Mr. Jayasundara said the country’s premier spy agency, the State Intelligence Service (SIS), ordered him last year to stop ongoing police investigations into Islamic militants.

The SIS, which reports directly to Mr. Sirisena, wanted the police Terrorist Investigation Department to stop all inquiries into extremist Muslim factions, including the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ), which was blamed for the Easter Sunday bombings.

Mr. Jayasundara said the head of the SIS, Nilantha Jayawardena, did not take seriously the intelligence shared by neighbouring India which warned of an impending attack by the NTJ.


Mr. Jayasundara said despite the SIS not sharing information warnings with the police department, he had initiated action to alert his senior men, but he had no input from the main spy agency.

Mr. Sirisena suspended Mr. Jayasundara after he refused to accept responsibility for the deadly attacks. The Attorney General has asked for a full bench of the apex court to decide the case.

Taking responsibility

Mr. Jayasundara said he was offered a diplomatic post if he took the fall and stepped down, but he refused as he said he was not responsible for the catastrophic intelligence failure.

He said he had been sidelined by the President since a political rift between the President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe emerged in October.

Mr. Jayasundara’s petition came days after Mr. Sirisena publicly rebuked another intelligence official, Sisira Mendis, after he told a parliamentary panel that the Easter suicide bombings could have been avoided.

Mr. Mendis’s testimony appeared to put Mr. Sirisena in a poor light by implying that he had not held National Security Council meetings to review threats.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by tandav »

Why did India only give information of these impending attacks to Pres. Sirisena (knowing that he is quite anti India) and not to PM Wickramsinghe who in general is more favourably inclined and may have acted more decisively. Any insights?

Edit : A quick run through of Srilankan governance reveals that the SL President is more powerful (directly elected) than the Prime Minister who only leads the Parliament and has Members of Parliament. The SL President has the ability to dissolve the Parliament (odd) and most of SL bureaucracy is run by the Presidential secretariat and the Parliament functions more like a law making body.

SL follows the USA model. Where the President is directly elected and Parliament is only a law making body and has powers of impeachment only. USA Congress (House of Reps+Senators) =funcs= SL Parliament.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by SSridhar »

tandav wrote:Why did India only give information of these impending attacks to Pres. Sirisena (knowing that he is quite anti India) and not to PM Wickramsinghe who in general is more favourably inclined and may have acted more decisively. Any insights?
tandav, such information goes through established channels between two countries which deal with counter-terrorism etc. An intelligence officer cannot call the President of another country and give her/him details. We know, for example, that Yasser Aaraft called Rajiv Gandhi and warned him of an assassination attempt. That was personal and from one head of state to another.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by tandav »

The question is why the information was not given to SL PM (who perhaps could have taken some action) and only given to SL President or the Pre Secretariat?Though I believe my own scouting on SL Goverment system hasanswered the question... The SL head of State is President and is the correct channel to be informed and there is probably an institutional link between SL Pres and GoIndia which had given suitable inputs but SL-President office did not act upon or completly ignored which shows the incompetence of SL Pres Office or contempt of Indian inputs. Correct me if I am wrong.. Post this glaring failure instead of appreciating India... Sirisena is cosying up even more to China from what I read. What gives??
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by A_Gupta »

All Muslim Ministers in Sri Lanka Resign After Buddhist Monks Demand Their Sacking Over Links To Easter Terror Attack
https://swarajyamag.com/insta/all-musli ... ror-attack
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by A_Gupta »

Zaharan’s Attitudes, Preaching Turned Towards Violent Extremism After Digana Attacks: Ex-DIG Nalaka Silva
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index. ... aka-silva/
Testifying before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing Easter attacks, ex-DIG Nalaka Silva said the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) monitoring terrorist Zaharan’s activities daily noticed, his preaching and attitudes took a sharp turn towards violent extremism following Digana attacks against Muslims in 2018 by extremist Sinhala Buddhist mobs.

The former TID Deputy Chief, accused of plotting to assassinate Sirisena, told the PSC that the TID surveillance revealed, following Digana attacks led by extremist Amith Weerasinghe last year, Zaharan’s social media presence turned prolific, all updates were based on violent extremism and his preaching revealed that he began justifying and sympathizing with ISIS terrorism.

“The TID operated directly under the purview of the IGP. Every video Zaharan uploaded was shared with the IGP and was briefed on many occasions regarding Zaharan’s turn towards violent extremism,” Nalaka added.

Nalaka Silva says he had on several occasions even recommended the proscription of the NTJ, recognizing the danger it posed.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by abhijitm »

Sirisena is a liar and a snake. He could have purposely ignored the warning hoping he could blame wikramesinghe force him to resign.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Post by kit »

Singha wrote:zakir naik as a good muslim has been given shelter in malaysia. they have refused to extradite him.

india is trying to get a interpol red corner notice on him.

india should not take it lightly , these preachers who run and hide in saudi and malaysia after stirring the pot here. there must be serious consequences atleast on trade and security co-op front for harbouring such jihadi preachers.
an Israeli style "bumping off" or a Russian style chemical roulette may be good ideas
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Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by Peregrine »

Easter bombers on Sri Lanka payroll: Muslim leader

COLOMBO: The extremists behind Sri Lanka’s deadly Easter bombings received funding from state intelligence services, a top Muslim leader told a parliamentary investigation.

The comments by Azath Salley, who quit last week as governor of Western Province, added to evidence of massive security failings before the April 21 attacks that killed 258 people.

The bombings were led by Zahran Hashim, a radical who broke from the Sri Lanka Thowheeth Jama’ath (SLTJ) to form an extremist group, the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ).

Salley told the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) that he repeatedly told President Maithripala Sirisena to take action against the group.

Sri Lanka president vows to block Easter attacks probe

“The defence ministry paid the Thowheeth Jama’ath. The police worked closely with the Thowheeth Jama’ath,” Salley said, according to a transcript of his remarks.

Salley said the former government of Mahinda Rajapakse in office until 2015 funded Thowheeth Jama’ath through military intelligence, a practice continued by the new administration.

Salley said that the funding was to spy on other groups.

Salley also said that a week before the attacks, he met with top defence officials to warn them about the activities of radicals and impending dangers.

"If the police had taken action on the information I provided at the time, we would have been able to avoid this disaster,” he said.

The PSC has already heard from several top defence and police officials that the authorities failed to implement an effective security plan even after receiving precise warnings of an impending attack.

Sirisena sacked his national intelligence chief Sisira Mendis after he told the PSC that the attacks could have been averted.

Mendis also said the president had failed to hold regular security meetings to assess the threat from Islamic radicals.

His defence secretary and police chief have suggested that the president, who is also defence minister, did not follow proper protocols in dealing with intelligence warnings about the bombings.

Sirisena has refused to cooperate with the PSC and told his senior officers not to testify. However, parliament warned civil servants that they risked up to 10 years in jail if they ignored summons.

Broadcasts of proceedings have however been halted.

Sirisena has repeatedly denied he was aware of an impending threat. He suspended police chief Pujith Jayasundara and dismissed his top defence official Hemasiri Fernando after the bombings.

Cheers Image
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by ramana »

Salley is trying to save bamboo up is alley.

Big picture is something made the SL govt ignore the threat of the Easter Sunday bombers.

Even after repeated warnings from India.

Sirisena says he didn't know the threat and that Police and Defence officials kept him in the dark.
Its possible these folks thought they were routine warnings.

Sirisena had passive oversight of the warnings.
The underlings who could do something did not act.
Maybe they were looking upwards for direction.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by g.sarkar »

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wi ... a-63710159
5 suspects in Easter bombings extradited to Sri Lanka
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Jun 14, 2019
Five key suspects in Easter Sunday bomb attacks on Sri Lankan churches and hotels have been extradited from the Middle East, police said Friday.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said the suspects arrived early Friday from Saudi Arabia after their arrest in an unspecified Middle Eastern country.
.....
Gautam
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by A_Gupta »

Sri Lanka’s first satellite ‘Raavana 1’ released into orbit
http://colombogazette.com/2019/06/17/sr ... nto-orbit/
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by schinnas »

A_Gupta wrote:Sri Lanka’s first satellite ‘Raavana 1’ released into orbit
http://colombogazette.com/2019/06/17/sr ... nto-orbit/
Seems like a name chosen to needle India.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by sum »

Wonder no help from India requested for a pretty simple satellite ( article says even Nepal sending it through the same route)?
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by arshyam »

They had to borrow the name of an Indian guy for their first satellite? :rotfl:
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by A_Gupta »

https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index. ... -ravana-1/
Are we seeing a soft power project or subtle weaponization of myth and religion in the context of a concerted extension of a Rāvana Trail and narrative in post-war Sri Lanka where Rāvana and large Hanuman (Anjanaiyar) statues, which are often out of sync with the softer, gentler and smaller local aesthetics and religious sensibilities are popping up in the post-war northeast of Sri Lanka, as India extends her soft power globally and locally, while grandiose Buddhist statues are also popping up?
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by SSridhar »

^ Privately built satellite. At least, built by Japanese assistance, not Chinese.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by SSridhar »

Sri Lankan Finance Minister takes on Buddhist monk’s racially charged comments - Meera Srinivasan, The Hindu
Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera on Wednesday slammed a Buddhist monk’s controversial comments targeting Muslims and urged “true Buddhists” to unite against the “Talibanisation” of the religion.

In a tweet he posted on Wednesday morning, Mr. Samaraweera said: “True Buddhists must unite NOW against the Talibanization of our great philosophy of peace & love of all beings. No Buddhist can condone a statement to stone another human being to death, even if it emanates from the robed orders. #lka”

His message comes days after a senior monk attached to Asgiriya Chapter — one of the two most influential Buddhist orders in Sri Lanka — accused Muslims of “destroying the country”, and called for a boycott of Muslim-run shops and businesses. “Don’t eat from those (Muslim) shops,” the monk said, at a temple ceremony in the central city of Kandy, near the famous Buddhist temple of the tooth relic.

In the two months since the April 21 Easter bombings, which killed about 260 people, reactionary forces in the country have resorted to anti-Muslim violence and targeted hate-speech in more than one occasion.

Further, referring to a Muslim doctor who has been in the centre of an unsubstantiated sterilisation scare, the senior monk said the doctor was doing a “heroic” deed by destroying “hundreds of thousands” Sinhalese children.

“These traitors must not be allowed to live in freedom. Some female devotees said that they should be stoned to death. I don’t say this, but what should be done is this,” the monk said, according to translations by the local media of his speech in Sinhala.

The Buddhist clergy in Sri Lanka wield significant influence in national politics. Hard-line monks have in the past resorted to hate speech with little consequence, evoking concern among many Sri Lankans troubled by the apparent impunity enjoyed by saffron-robed religious leaders.

Mr. Samaraweera, the only prominent politician so far to directly challenge the Asgiriya-affiliated monk’s racially-charged comments, earlier challenged a fasting Buddhist monk’s demand that three Muslim politicians resign over alleged links to Easter suspects.


Following the collective resignation of nine Muslim Ministers early in June, he tweeted: “Hatred is never appeased by hatred. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal. Today, it was left to our Muslim Ministers to exhibit this sacred teaching of Lord Buddha while impostors in robes incited hatred in his name. A shameful day for our beloved #lka”

Earlier, Mr. Samaraweera accused Colombo Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of “fanning the flames of hatred and communalism by visiting fasting robed MP Rathana”, the monk who went on a “fast unto death”, demanding that the Muslim politicians step down.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by Philip »

All SL Muslim ministers resigned as a symbolic act in the aftermath of the Easter bombungs, to prevent an anti- Muslim pogrom .However the senior Buddhist clergy of the island requested them to return to provide a united front against terrorism.2 ministers have returned but whether the SLMC will return is open to Q.
Minister Mangala Samaraweewa is quite right in his statements and the Catholic archbishop's statements and acts not in line with the Christian teaching of forgiveness.He has only fanned the flames.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by syam »

How interesting. . . virtually non-existant communities became important stake holders in government matters. No wonder they became targets of the violence.
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Post by A_Gupta »

http://www.dailymirror.lk/top_story/CID ... 155-170120
The CID today recovered over 300 gelignite sticks, 1,000 detonators, 485 T56 live ammunition and several other explosive material at Ollikulam in Kattankudy following information given by one of the suspects arrested in Jeddah, Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera said.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by ramana »

That's a lot of explosives and detonators.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by shravan »

Sri Lanka: CID arrests former Defence Secretary, IGP over mishandling reports on Easter terror attacks
https://www.business-standard.com/artic ... 977_1.html
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by chetak »

Image
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Post by Tuan »

The United Nations has suspended Sri Lankan army deployments in peacekeeping operations after the island nation appointed a veteran accused of war crimes. Kagusthan Ariaratnam argues that this decision is long overdue, given the history of atrocities perpetrated by Sri Lankan military personnel.
https://twitter.com/NATOCanada/status/1 ... 49793?s=19
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Post by Rony »

Sri Lankan court dismisses challenge to presidential candidate Rajapaksa's citizenship
Rajapaksa is widely seen as the election frontrunner because of his popularity among majority Sinhala Buddhists for his role in ending a 26-year civil war in 2009, ushering in a decade of relative peace until Easter Day bombings that killed 250 people.

Two civil activists challenged Rajapaksa’s Sri Lankan citizenship document and argued that he did not properly obtain it in 2005, when he was a United States citizen.

Rajapaksa, 70, renounced Sri Lankan citizenship in 2003 to obtain U.S. nationality, but returned to Sri Lanka two years later, applying for dual citizenship after his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa won the presidency. He renounced his U.S. citizenship in May of this year.

Sri Lanka does not allow dual citizens or non-citizens to contest national elections.
Named by the main opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party as its presidential candidate last month, Rajapaksa also faces uncertainty over a legal battle regarding misappropriation of funds.

Still, Rajapaksa’s popularity has grown in recent months, especially after it emerged that the government had failed to act on repeated intelligence warnings from India ahead of the Easter blasts, which were claimed by the militant group Islamic State.
Wiki on Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a retired officer of the Sri Lanka Army, a former Secretary to Ministry of Defence and Urban Development of Sri Lanka. After serving through the early parts of the country's civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels, he retired from the army in 1992 and emigrated to the US. With the election of his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was appointed Defence Secretary in November 2005.

As Defence Secretary, Rajapaksa played a key role towards the successes achieved by the Sri Lankan Military in defeating the Tamil Tigers and ending Sri Lanka's 26-year-long civil war in May 2009 with the political leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the military strategy of General Sarath Fonseka. He was also one of the top targets of the Tamil Tigers, and survived an assassination attempt in December 2006 by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber.
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by ramana »

Indian High Commission and Taj Hotel were also targets:
viewtopic.php?t=7355&start=3200
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Re: Sri Lanka - News and Discussion- Post PM appointment crisis

Post by Tuan »

Sri Lanka presidential election: TNA endorses Sajith Premadasa - The Hindu

Well done TNA.

Extensive research reveals a looming threat; the upcoming presidential election in Sri Lanka. Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a threat to national, regional and global stability. If Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns to power, constructive strategic implications exist. Gotabaya`s winning the election will undercut the core narratives of the Tamils. Successive Sinhalese governments will never accommodate Tamils politically, economically, culturally or socially as Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority still practice extreme ethnonationalist ideology. This is known as the “Jathika Chintanaya” or the “Mahavamsa Mindset” and its outcome is the “Sinhala-Budda Deepa” and “unitary state”. Therefore, for the next 2500 years, a Sinhala Buddhist will never allow a federal state or any autonomy for non-Sinhala-Buddhists in Sri Lanka.

It is against this backdrop, a UN referendum is the means of deciding the most viable political solution to end the conflict in the island of Sri Lanka.
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Post by Tuan »

Sri Lankan Clan With Close China Ties Plots Political Comeback - The Wall Street Journal
The Rajapaksas’ previous government borrowed billions of dollars from China to build infrastructure. Supporters say this provided economic development, but the strategy left Sri Lanka deeply indebted. Sri Lanka yielded a huge Chinese-built port in the family’s home district back to Beijing to escape debts.

Now, those human-rights issues and a possible Sri Lankan shift toward China under the Rajapaksas is causing concern in Western capitals. Washington, along with allies such as India, is seeking to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific and, as the U.S. sees it, keep the region open for global commerce.

Sri Lanka became an early adopter of what became China’s Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure program, which aims to strengthen Beijing’s sway through Asia and beyond by building infrastructure.

The Rajapaksas were succeeded by a more pro-Western government, under which Sri Lanka became a new logistics hub for the U.S. Navy in the Indian Ocean. Washington wants the new Sri Lankan government to sign on to a U.S. economic aid program, and agree to an expanded U.S. military presence. Those pacts are less likely under the Rajapaksas, say diplomats and analysts.

The brothers deny the allegations over human rights. They say they had no choice but to turn to China to fund development back then, as other countries weren’t offering financing. This time, they say they hope to attract investment from more countries, including the U.S.

“If we made some mistakes under our previous government, we will make sure that will change,” said Basil Rajapaksa, a third brother, who manages Gotabaya’s campaign.

European countries worry that any rollback on democracy and human rights could require them to again halt Sri Lanka’s preferential trade access, as they did during the previous Rajapaksa administration and restored only two years ago.


“It is only China, which has a bank, which has good relations with this country, and which has the Belt and Road Initiative,” said Bernard Goonetilleke, who served as Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Washington under the last Rajapaksa government. “It fits very neatly.”

Jeff Smith, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a think tank in Washington, said that the U.S. has maintained working relationships with “characters far less savory or legitimate” than Gotabaya.

“There are concerns in the West about Gotabaya Rajapaksa but he is genuinely popular in Sri Lanka so I think we have to be prepared to respect the will of the Sri Lankan people until and unless he does something beyond the pale,” said Mr. Smith.
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