Saturday, September 18, 2010

Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa makes a move



By Nira Wickremasingha | The Wall Street Journal
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Less than a year and a half ago, Sri Lanka's government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa won a ruthless victory in that country's three-decade-long civil war against a bloody insurgency by the rebel Tamil Tigers. The stage was set for the wartime president to assume a new persona: that of the father of the peacetime nation. Yet now he risks upsetting the country's democratic balance following passage of a constitutional amendment clearing the way for him to stay in power "as long as the people desire it." As with the hobbit in Tolkien's novel, there is nothing left now between President Rajapaksa and the ring of power.

For a country proud to have maintained civilian democratic rule through the depths of the war, Mr. Rajapaksa's moves are disheartening to say the least. In passing the 18th amendment to the constitution earlier this month, the parliament dominated by his Sri Lanka Freedom Party removed the constitutional two-term limit that had capped presidents at a maximum of 12 years in office. They also abolished the 17th amendment enacted in 2001, which had created a Constitutional Council and independent commissions that the president had to consult when appointing people to high-level government posts. That amendment had been a key check on Sri Lanka's otherwise very powerful executive.


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Saturday, September 18, 2010

Sri Lanka bans BBC from covering civil war hearings



BBC News
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The BBC has been blocked from covering public hearings about Sri Lanka's civil war in former rebel-held territory.

For three days, civilians will have the chance to give evidence on life under the Tamil Tigers or LTTE.


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Saturday, September 18, 2010

Sri Lanka jails ex-army chief Fonseka



By Amal Jayasinghe | Agence France-Presse
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A court martial in Sri Lanka convicted former army chief Sarath Fonseka on Friday of corruption and sentenced him to three years, a top military official told AFP.

The military court, whose decision must now be ratified by President Mahinda Rajapakse, found that Fonseka favoured an arms company run by his son-in-law, said the official, who asked not to be named.



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Saturday, September 18, 2010

Sri Lanka lowers blast toll to 25



IANS | Sify News
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The authorities lowered the death toll to 25 in an explosion Friday at a police station in eastern Sri Lanka where stocks of dynamite ignited accidentally, after initially saying more than 60 had died.

The explosives, which were being dispatched for a road construction project, detonated on a truck at the Karadiyanaru police station, 260 km east of Colombo, military spokesman Major General Udaya Medawala said.



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