The Jathika Hela Urumaya today assured the Mahanayake of Malwatte chapter that the country’s unitary status and territorial integrity will be fully protected under Maithripala Sirisena’s rule.

The assurance was given on Sunday when JHU Leader Omalpe Sobhitha Thera and its General Secretary Patali Champika Ranawaka met Mahanayake of the Malwatte chapter, Thibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera.

The JHU representatives assured that Maithripala Sirisena, who has the backing of the JHU, would not take any action to jeopardize Sri Lanka’s national security, unitary status and territorial integrity.

The Mahanayake thera was also briefed by the JHU on the policy framework of the Common Opposition which has been included in the Common Candidate’s election manifesto.

Responding to this assurance, the Mahanayake said the most trustworthy party to ensure the unitary status of the country was the Jathika Hela Urumaya whose leader launched a fast unto death campaign against the controversial Tsunami relief mechanism over 10 years ago.

JHU General Secretary Patali Champika Ranawaka also told the Mahanayake Thera that stern legal action would be taken against the “terrorist leader” who launched attacks on Buddhist places of worship including the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. The former Minister said those terrorist leaders were receiving protection from the present government

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today pledged support to Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

Addressing a special press conference in Colombo, TNA Leader R. Sampanthan said the party has decided to support the campaign of the common opposition at the forthcoming presidential election. The press conference was attended by several senior leaders of the TNA including Parliamentarian R. Sampanthan. 

The announcement was made ahead of the Common Candidate's visit to Jaffna where he would hold several election meetings.

With this move, the Common Candidate has got the support of the two largest minority parties in the country, the TNA and the SLMC. 

The TNA has already started a house to house campaign in the North, urging people to cast their votes at the presidential election. The Global Tamil Forum, a Tamil Diaspora organization, has also requested the Tamils in the North to exercise their franchise.

At the last presidential election, the TNA openly supported former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, Common Candidate of the opposition who also contested from the New Democratic Front. Fonseka, who lost the election by nearly 1.8 million votes,  had a resounding majority from the Northern province in 2010.

Minister Navin Dissanayake has tendered his letter of resignation to President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning explaining reasons that led to his resignation.

In his letter, the Minister says that he is utterly disappointed with the present state of affairs in the country which is characterized with nepotism, corruption and the culture of impunity. 

Dissanayake openly stated that he has decided to extend his support to common candidate Maithripala Sirisena who is backed by the common opposition. 

The Minister is to hold a press conference tomorrow to announce his decision. The press conference will also be attended by several Parliamentarians of the common opposition. 

On his official Facebook profile, Dissanayake said he would continue to play an active role to bring about the much needed change to the country, rather than being a spectator. 

The son of the late Gamini Dissanayake, the Minister is also the son in law of UNP  Leadership Council Chairman Karu Jayasuriya. Dissanayake is a lawyer by profession. 

Minister Navin Dissanayake has tendered his letter of resignation to President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning explaining reasons that led to his resignation.

In his letter, the Minister says that he is utterly disappointed with the present state of affairs in the country which is characterized with nepotism, corruption and the culture of impunity. 

Dissanayake openly stated that he has decided to extend his support to common candidate Maithripala Sirisena who is backed by the common opposition. 

The Minister is to hold a press conference tomorrow to announce his decision. The press conference will also be attended by several Parliamentarians of the common opposition. 

On his official Facebook profile, Dissanayake said he would continue to play an active role to bring about the much needed change to the country, rather than being a spectator. 

The son of the late Gamini Dissanayake, the Minister is also the son in law of UNP  Leadership Council Chairman Karu Jayasuriya. Dissanayake is a lawyer by profession. 

Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne, who found himself in the middle of a controversy in Parliament early this week, said yesterday that President Rajapaksa was also against the executive presidency and will move to abolish it after the next presidential election.

He made these comments to Sirasa TV’s News Line segment yesterday.

Senaratne said that he has been always against the executive system and added that the executive presidency and the current parliamentary system had taken the country down to the present state.
“President Rajapaksa’s hands were tied because of the war for a few years and he could not move against the executive presidency,” Senaratne said speaking to “News Line” on Sirasa TV last night.

Senaratne also added that the government will change the institution of executive presidency and the electoral system in the right time.

Commenting on the third term of the president, Senaratne said the people should have the right to choose a leader and if the people think Rajapaksa can serve a third term they should be given a chance to elect them. “A piece of paper should not impede the people’s will,” The Minister added.

Senaratne, who had been in the limelight for a possible "jump" to the other side, was recently subjected to verbal attack by several Ministers of the government itself in parliament, on his policies as the Fisheries Minister. It is in the grapevine that he is to be removed from this post.

However, Senaratne, who started his politics as a Leftist politiocian, said that even though Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne might not be there tomorrow, Comrade Rajitha Senaratne will always remain in politics.

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader and Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s third term presidency will turn the country into a pool of blood! 

Speaking at a public meeting organized by the JVP in kantale, the JVP Leader asserted that the country is moving towards a political nightmare that would destabilize the country. 

“As citizens of the country it is our choice to measure what is good for the country and what is bad; it is evident that the ruling party has no respect for the country’s constitution”, Dissanayake said.

"The government has the two thirds majority. So why doesn't it go back to the Parliament and amend the constitution? The government can obtain legitimacy for President Rajapaksa's third term candidacy without any problem. But Why doesn't the government do that? Because the President is aware of the fact that most of the ruling party members will not support it," he added

The JVP Leader also stated that every Executive President in the past completed his or second term before going for a presidential election. 

“Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna will not let anyone to break the country’s constitution, nor will we let someone forcibly ascend to presidency by violating the constitution”, he said.

Dissanayake also highlighted that Jantha Vimukthi Peramuna is currently holding talks with the opposition parties including Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and United National Party (UNP) on preventing the upcoming presidential election.

Former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK Chris Nonis, who resigned from his position after being allegedly assaulted by UPFA Parliamentarian and monitoring MP of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sajin Vaas Gunawardena, is to be appointed as an Advisor to the President.

‘Deshaya’ weekend newspaper, owned by Sri Lanka's largest newspaper company Wijeya newspapers group, said the President had decided to appoint Nonis as a Presidential Advisor after discussing the matter with Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

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However, the Ministry of External Affairs has already launched an inquiry against certain alegations that have been leveled against Nonis. Most of these allegations have been made by Kshenuka Seneviratne, Secretary of the External Affairs Ministry, which is conducting the investigation into the same matter.

Weeks later, an official of the External Affairs Ministry leaked a secret tape capturing manner in which Dr. Nonis had censured a member of his staff over an official matter. The voice clip was carried in several news websites and on social media.

Still, there is no official response from Dr. Nonis on whether he would accept another position offered by the government of Sri Lanka. Also, it is obscure as to how Dr. Nonis’s appointment as a presidential advisor would impact the ongoing investigation into his conduct as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK.

Dr. Nonis, a reputed heart surgeon in the UK, has still not visited Sri Lanka following the incident which took place in New York in September. 

Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa will visit New Delhi early next week for high-level talks with India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, according to reliable sources. The agenda for the meeting is unclear. Sources in New Delhi confirmed the visit, but declined to “get into the details” of the meeting.

This is Mr. Rajapaksa’s first meeting with India’s NSA after the NDA formed the government.

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When contacted, senior officials with the Sri Lankan Army said they were not aware of the Defence Secretary’s visit to India. “I don’t know of the meeting. It is perhaps a meeting at the NSA-level that India and Sri Lanka have been holding regularly,” Army spokesperson Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said.

The Defence Secretary, brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was in India in November 2013, and more recently in March 2014 to attend the NSA-level Trilateral Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation among India, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Last week, India and Sri Lanka decided to explore newer avenues of defence cooperation, including exchange programmes for academics from defence academies in the two countries. The announcement came following the second Annual Defence Dialogue between the Defence Secretaries of India and Sri Lanka held in Colombo.

Following the event, India’s Defence Secretary R.K. Mathur called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Kandy. (The Hindu)

Former Chief Justice Sarath N Silva has lashed out at present Chief Justice Mohan Peiris over his inclusion in the Presidential delegation that visited Vatican, Rome, early this week.

“By being a member of the Presidential delegation, the Chief Justice has shown his biases,” the former Chief Justice, who backed the impeachment process against CJ-42 Shirani Bandaranaike, had told BBC Sandeshaya on Sunday.

The former Chief Justice asserted that Peris should not have accepted the President’s invitation to be a member of the government’s delegation to Vatican.

“As a result,” the former Chief Justice said,” CJ Mohan Peiris has no moral right to hear the case pertaining to the legitimacy of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s third term election.” However, the President has not taken any measures so far to seek the Supreme Court’s opinion on his third term election.

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Meanwhile, Lawyers Collective, headed by senior lawyer J.C. Weliamuna, raised concerns over Chief Justice Mohan Peiris’s Inclusion in the Presidential delegation which visited Rome, a few days ago.

The collective said the Chief Justice’s inclusion in the delegation was an infringement on the country’s judicial independence. The collective added that the judges should distance themselves from the activities of the government in order to ensure independence of the well-being of the judiciary.

Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, External Affairs Minister Prof G. L. Peiris and Ministers Felix Perera, Dayasritha Thisera, Project Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Deputy Ministers Neomal Perera, Victor Anthony, Sarath Kumara Gunarathna, Monitoring MP Sajin Vass Gunawardena, Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga, External Affairs Ministry Secretary Kshanuka Seneviratne and the President’s Chief of Staff Gamini Senarath, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Holy See and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Italy Nawalage Bennet Cooray were members of the Sri Lankan delegation.

AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa Jeyaram has been sentenced for four years in prison after being convicted guilty under Prevention of Corruption Act for possessing unaccounted assets. She automatically lost her seat in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and as a result lost the Chief Minister position as well.

The legal process pertaining to the charges of misappropriation of assets took 18 years to be completed. In 1996, Dr. Subramanian Swamy filed a case against Jayalalithaa on alleged misappropriation of assets. In 1997, the court filed charge sheets against Jayalalithaa and her friend Sasikala, the foster son V.N. Sudhakaran and sister-in-law of Sasikala, J Ilavarasi.

Joining the AIADMK in 1982, Jayalalithaa rose in the ranks through her personal friendship with M.G. Ramachandran, the founding leader of the party. Following the death of MGR she won a power struggle with his widow to rise as the leader of the party. In 1991, she was selected as the Chiefe Minister for the first time.

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Allegations of corruption rose against her especially after the mega wedding banquet for her adopted son when he married the grand-daughter of Shivaji Ganesan in 1995.

The AIADMK has been left in crisis as there is no second in command in the party. Jayalalithaa has not named a deputy. Her supporters were confident of her coming out of the courts cleared of all charges.