Former Minister Rosy Senanayake was appointed as the Prime Minister's Spokesperson and the Deputy Head of the Prime Minister's Office.

Senanayake contested the recent General Election from Colombo District but failed to enter the Parliament.

She ended up at the 12th place in the UNP preferential votes list. Only 11 UNP candidates were elected from the district.

Senanayake requested a recount, alleging that an error in counting could have taken place.

The Sri Lankan cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal made by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera to sign a bilateral agreement with India on the use of the SAARC satellite proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lanka expects the agreement to be signed during the bilateral talks to be held during the visit of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to New Delhi next week. Wickremesinghe will be in the Indian capital from September 14 to 16.

At the 18th SAARC summit held in Kathmandu in November 2014, the assembled Heads of State and Government welcomed, in principle, the offer by India to develop and launch a SAARC satellite. The satellite will be planned, processed and launched by India as a donation to the SAARC countries and it would be located in Eastern Longitude 48.

India expects to enter into bilateral agreements with each country on the Orbit Frequency Coordination of the proposed satellite.

(The New Indian Express)

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to visit India between 14 and 16 September.

This is his first official visit abroad since he was appointed Prime Minister in January by the new President Maithripala Sirisena. That Wickremesinghe – like Sirisena in February – chose Delhi as the destination of his first state visit should reassure India of the priority it enjoys in the Sri Lankan government’s foreign policy agenda.

Wickremesinghe can expect a warm welcome in Delhi.

The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe team is “more trustworthy” than the Rajapaksa regime, an official in India’s Ministry of External Affairs said, drawing attention to their attempt over the past eight months to “restore balance” in Sri Lanka’s foreign policy, which had assumed a “pronounced pro-China tilt” during the Mahinda Rajapaksa presidency.

Relations between India and Sri Lanka deteriorated during Rajapaksa’s second term (2010-Jan 2015) over his government’s reluctance to initiate a meaningful reconciliation with the island’s alienated Tamils and the Sri Lankan navy’s detention of hundreds of Tamil Nadu fishermen straying into Sri Lankan waters.

India was also concerned over China’s growing role in the Sri Lankan economy; Delhi feared that Sri Lanka’s mounting indebtedness to China would result in the latter securing for itself a military presence in the island. Such anxieties became real in September-October 2014 when Chinese submarines docked twice in Sri Lanka’s harbors despite India’s objections.

Not surprisingly, when Rajapaksa was removed from the presidency in the January presidential election, India was relieved, only to have its apprehensions return a few months later when the ousted president sought to return to power as prime minister via the August general election. His failed attempt evoked relief in India’s Foreign Office.

The India-Sri Lanka relationship, which was “reset” in the wake of Rajapaksa’s ouster, is expected to improve further now, the MEA official said.

Among the issues the Indian government is expected to raise during Wickremesinghe’s visit are the fishermen conflict, the need for Colombo to “pursue assiduously” a solution to grievances of the island’s Tamils, the long-pending Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and Sri Lanka’s relations with China.

On the fishermen’s issue, although Wickremesinghe had talked tough in March, warning Indian fishermen that they could expect to get shot if they entered Sri Lankan waters, in effect, his government has not been as harsh in its treatment of them as the previous government. Apparently, in recent months, the arrested Indian fishermen were not detained for long, prompting Delhi to believe that the Sri Lankan prime minister will be “reasonable” on the problem.

On CEPA too, India is optimistic. Wickremesinghe is a strong votary of the agreement.

It is on the question of China’s role in Sri Lanka that the two sides are unlikely to see eye-to-eye. While the Wickremesinghe government may avoid provoking India by allowing Chinese naval vessels to dock in its ports, it may not go far enough to please Delhi with regard to diluting ties with China.

India is keen on Sri Lanka cancelling Chinese infrastructure projects in the island especially the US$1.4 billion Colombo Port City (CPC) project, which it argues has implications for its security.

On becoming president, Sirisena suspended the CPC project pending an investigation. However, the project is likely to be revived in the coming months. Unlike India, Sri Lanka is not as bothered over Chinese investment in the island. Indeed it welcomes it as it needs investment in its infrastructure sector.

The main concern of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe team is the unfavorable terms of contracts and the opaque manner in which they were finalized by the Rajapaksa government. Should the Chinese address issues such as environmental concerns, overpricing of projects, high rates of interest etc., with regard to the CPC project and other projects, the Sri Lankan government would not be averse to reviving suspended projects or even negotiating new ones.

However, the Sri Lankan government would do well to avoid excessive dependence on China. This is not a big challenge for Wickremesinghe.

Unlike Rajapaksa, who thumbed his nose at much of the international community and especially the West, Wickremesinghe is pro-West and could attract investment from an array of countries including Japan and the US. Diversifying sources of investment would go a long way in reducing Sri Lanka’s dependence on China.

That would calm Delhi’s nerves as well.

By Dr. Sudha Ramachandran

(Asia Times)

Prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for progress reports on the investigations on several high profile murders and disappearances.

The cases include the murder of former MP Nadaraja Raviraj, the murder of former Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickremetunga, the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda and the death of national rugby player Wasim Thajudeen.

Accordingly, the Prime minister has made the order today through the Prime minister's secretary who has briefed the Attorney General, the IGP, CID Director and Terrorist Investigation Department Director on this regard.

President Maithripala Sirisena thanked the United National Party for its leading role in making a change in the country on January 8.

Speaking at the 69th Convention of the UNP at Sirikotha party headquarters, President Sirisena, who is also the SLFP Chairman, stated that the challenges faced by the government should be faced together. The new political culture of cooperation between the UNP and the SLFP should go to the grass-root level, he said.

Sirisena, who was once a senior member of the Mahinda Rajapaksa Cabinet, left the then government on November 21, 2014, to become the common candidate of the opposition in the January 8 Presidential Election. Sirisena said that he took the decision to leave the Rajapaksa government following discussions with former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Ranil Wickremesinghe.

He said that there were no prior agreements with the UNP.

The UNP and the SLFP agreed to form a national government following the August 17 general election.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party Chairman President Maithripala Sirisena will be the Chief Guest at the 69th UNP party convention held at Sirikotha party headquarters.

Meanwhile, leaders of the parties which contested the recent election under the UNP ticket have also been invited.

UNP Spokesperson Akila Viraj Kariyawasam told media that this is a positive development at the backdrop of the formation of a national government.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be in New Delhi on a three-day visit from September 14 to 16, The New Indian Express said citing 'reliable sources'. 

Wickremesinghe will be having meetings with Indian leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 15 and leave the next day, the report said further. 

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will be visiting India from October 8 to 10.

This visit is linked to promoting Buddhism as a link between Asian countries, sources said.

Prime Minister Modi, hailing from the ancient Buddhist center of Vadnagar in Gujarat, is an ardent advocate of Buddhism and since 2012, has been trying to promote his native state of Gujarat as an ancient Buddhist center which ought to be part of the Asian Buddhist pilgrimage and tourist circuits.

Modi was the keynote speaker at an international Hindu-Buddhist conference on September 3 in New Delhi. The "Global Hindu-Buddhist Initiative on conflict avoidance and environment consciousness", was addressed by former Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga also.

Speaking at the conference Kumaratunga said: " To avoid conflicts, it is important to ensure equality in the treatment of ethnic groups. And when confronted with conflicts, it is essential to go into the basic causes of the unrest and disaffection and address them."

The conference was organized by the Vivekananda International Foundation, an organization close to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Kumaratunga met Modi  on the sidelines of the conference.

(With inputs from The New Indian Express)

UPFA MP Padma Udayashantha Gunasekara said that he will not bow down to the Prime Minister's attempts at shutting down opposition voices in Parliament.

Gunasekara, a new MP elected from Moneragala District, was involved in an heated incident in Parliament involving the Prime Minister and the National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa among others. Gunasekara is also a member of the NFF led by Weerawansa.

Speaking to Asian Mirror yesterday, Gunasekara said that the Prime Minister's conduct in Parliament on Thursday was inappropriate. No Prime Minister ever asked a Member of the House to leave in that manner, Gunasekara said.

He also said that the Prime Minister was acting in an authoritarian manner despite his claims of good governance.

Gunasekara also said that the government was fulfilling its federalist agenda. Giving the TNA the Opposition Leader position was one indication of what is to come ahead, he claimed.

Furthermore, Gunasekara said that he will mobilize the people against the government's federalist agenda.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Parliamentary Committee system will be strengthened in such a manner that all parties are able to get involved in the government.

Speaking at the swearing-in of new ministers of the government, Wickremesinghe recalled that such a system was instituted under the Donoughmore reforms of 1931.

Meanwhile, Development Coordination Committees will also be established, the Prime Minister said.

Accordingly, all the MPs could then take responsibilities in governing the country, he stressed.

The motion to increase the number of Cabinet and other ministerial portfolios proposed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was approved by the Parliament with a majority of 127 votes.

143 MPs voted for it while 16 opposed.

64 MPs were not present in the Chamber when the vote was taken.

The JVP MPs voted against the motion along with the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna MPs, Jathika Nidahas Peramuna MPs and Udaya Gammanpila. The TNA MPs were not present in the Chamber. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was another prominent absentee.

The proposal will now enable the government to appoint 48 Cabinet Ministers and 45 State and Deputy Ministers.