After Two Years Lalith And Kugan Still Missing
By Jayashika Padmasiri -December 8, 2013 |
Jayashika Padmasiri
Today marks two years since the alleged abduction of the two human rights activists Lalith Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan who were last seen on the day before the World Human Rights Day. After this controversial abduction Lalith Weeraraj’s father, a rubber tapper working at Siri Niwasa Watte told the media that he strongly believe that the government is behind this abduction by referring to a statement made by the Cabinet Spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella at a press conference stating that Lalith and Kugan are in police custody, though the police authorities strongly denied this claim soon afterwards.
Lalith and Kugan
According to media reports the two human rights defenders Lalith and Kuganhad disappeared in Jaffna on December 9th in 2011, while they were organizing a press conference for the Peoples Struggle Movement which was scheduled to be held in Jaffna on December 10th coinciding with the International Human Rights Day: according to reports Lalith and Kugan were last seen by relatives leaving Kugan Muruganandan’s house at Avarangal Jaffna at 5 p.m on December 9th.
The Propaganda Secretary of the Front Line Socialist Party (FLSP) Pubudu Jayagoda speaking about the disappearance which was later confirmed as an abduction said that Lalith and Kugan belongs to the thousands of victims who has gone missing in Sri Lanka in the postwar situation..Read Mor
Superstars And Wild Boars
By Rasika Jayakody -December 8, 2013
Rasika Jayakody
The ruling party lost several budget votes one after another, in several local government institutions, causing embarrassment to the top echelons of the government who brag about a two thirds majority in Parliament. The main reason behind such defeats was personality clashes and internal power struggles between various individuals and groups in the same party. Although a defeat at a budget-vote does not warrant dissolution of a local government body it can certainly be viewed as something that spoils the feel-good factor of the government.
Irked by this new trend, Maithripala Sirisena, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), sent a strongly worded letter to local government members and electorate organizers, urging them to take this matter into serious consideration. He asserted that everyone must work together to avert this kind of setbacks in the future and resolve internal issues.
