President returns after official visit to Japan

Divineguma bill needs two thirds majority

The Divineguma bill requires a two-thirds majority to be passed in parliament, the Supreme Court has said in a determination passed on to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa. The Speaker announced the Supreme Court determination in parliament today. The Supreme Court has also said that a referendum must be held to approve one clause of the bill.

06 Nov, 2012

Pillay to visit Sri Lanka in January

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay is to visit Sri Lanka in January, the Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted the DMK party in Tamil Nadu as saying. A two-member delegation of DMK led by its Treasurer M K Stalin had yesterday handed over resolutions adopted by the party-backed pro-Sri Lankan Tamils outfit TESO to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay in Geneva. Stalin, accompanied by DMK Parliamentary Party Leader T R Baalu, during their 35-minute me

07 Nov, 2012

Lankans heading to Australia economic migrants: IOM

The International Organisation for Migration has backed Australia’s view that some of the Sri Lankan’s arriving by boat are economic migrants, not refugees. The number of Sri Lankan’s trying to reach Australia by boat has increased by 25-fold over the past 12 months, from 211 irregular maritime arrivals in 2011, to more than 5,300 already this year. The Chief of mission for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Sri Lanka, Richard Danziger, told Radio Australia coastal security

06 Nov, 2012