A senior Sri Lankan minister accused social media giant Facebook on Monday of censoring comments he made questioning the citizenship of&nbsp;presidential election frontrunner Gotabhaya Rajapakse.

The nationality of Rajapakse, brother of former strongman president Mahinda, is a key issue ahead of voting Saturday as Sri Lankan law prohibits dual citizens from holding elected office.

Communications Minister Harin Fernando asked in a Facebook post on his official ministry page Sunday whether Rajapakse should be allowed to stand, suggesting he was still a US national.

"Is Mr&nbsp;Rajapakse legally able to contest at a Presidential election in Sri Lanka?" Fernando asked in the now-deleted post.

"If elected, will he able to take oaths and discharge the duties of the office?"

Gotabhaya became a US citizen in 2003, giving up his Sri Lanka passport after migrating to Los Angeles following a 20-year military career.

He returned to Colombo in 2005, when he says he reclaimed Sri Lankan citizenship and was appointed defence secretary in his brother's administration.

Gotabhaya insists he renounced US citizenship in May this year.

Fernando said Facebook took down the post from his official ministry page on Sunday, and he repeated the allegations on Twitter while complaining he had been censored.

The same post was still visible on his private Facebook page, however, including a screenshot of what he claimed was Rajapakse's US passport.

"American companies shouldn't interfere on behalf of an American contesting a SL election. I stand by my every word," he tweeted.

A Facebook spokesperson said they routinely took down any posts containing personal or confidential information.

"We remove this content whenever we become aware of it,” the company told AFP.

Last month, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said it would not censor political speech.

"I don't think most people want to live in a world where you can only post things that tech companies judge to be 100 per cent true," he said.

Rajapakse's nationality is also the subject of a police investigation, but the next court hearing will only be held after the election.

If he wins the vote he would be immune from prosecution during his term.

Social media has been abuzz with speculation about Rajapakse's citizenship, while a copy of a purportedly cancelled US passport shown by his lawyers has been challenged as fake.

The US embassy in Colombo has declined to comment on the issue.

Rajapakse and current housing minister Sajith Premadasa, are the leading candidates in a field of 35 contesting Saturday's election.

A senior Sri Lankan minister accused social media giant Facebook on Monday of censoring comments he made questioning the citizenship of presidential election frontrunner Gotabhaya Rajapakse.

A senior Sri Lankan minister accused social media giant Facebook on Monday of censoring comments he made questioning the citizenship of presidential election frontrunner Gotabhaya Rajapakse. The nationality of Rajapakse, brother of former strongman president Mahinda, is a key issue ahead of voting Saturday as Sri Lankan law prohibits dual citizens from holding elected office. Communications Minister Harin Fernando asked in a Facebook post on his official ministry page Sunday whether Rajapakse should be allowed to stand, suggesting he was still a US national. "Is Mr Rajapakse legally able to contest at a Presidential election in Sri Lanka?" Fernando asked in the now-deleted post. "If elected, will he able to take oaths and discharge the duties of the office?" Gotabhaya became a US citizen in 2003, giving up his Sri Lanka passport after migrating to Los Angeles following a 20-year military career. He returned to Colombo in 2005, when he says he reclaimed Sri Lankan citizenship and was appointed defence secretary in his brother's administration. Gotabhaya insists he renounced US citizenship in May this year. Fernando said Facebook took down the post from his official ministry page on Sunday, and he repeated the allegations on Twitter while complaining he had been censored. The same post was still visible on his private Facebook page, however, including a screenshot of what he claimed was Rajapakse's US passport. "American companies shouldn't interfere on behalf of an American contesting a SL election. I stand by my every word," he tweeted. A Facebook spokesperson said they routinely took down any posts containing personal or confidential information. "We remove this content whenever we become aware of it,” the company told AFP. Last month, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said it would not censor political speech. "I don't think most people want to live in a world where you can only post things that tech companies judge to be 100 per cent true," he said. Rajapakse's nationality is also the subject of a police investigation, but the next court hearing will only be held after the election. If he wins the vote he would be immune from prosecution during his term. Social media has been abuzz with speculation about Rajapakse's citizenship, while a copy of a purportedly cancelled US passport shown by his lawyers has been challenged as fake. The US embassy in Colombo has declined to comment on the issue. Rajapakse and current housing minister Sajith Premadasa, are the leading candidates in a field of 35 contesting Saturday's election.

Sri Lanka minister slams Facebook over 'censorship'

Sri Lanka's front-running presidential candidate <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-removes-top-rajapakse-investigator-amid-crisis-178260">Gotabhaya Rajapakse</a> vowed Tuesday that if elected he will scrap Colombo's pledge to investigate war crimes committed during his brother Mahinda's decade in power.

Gotabhaya was defence secretary during his brother's rule, when troops were accused of killing up to 40,000 Tamil civilians while crushing the Tamil Tigers.

A later government co-sponsored a US-led resolution to appoint an independent panel to look into the actions of both sides in the final stages of Sri Lanka's bloody separatist conflict, although it was never formed.

But on Tuesday the 70-year-old Gotabhaya said he would not honour the commitments made to the UN Human Rights Council, saying people needed to "move on"

In response to questions by AFP about Sri Lanka's wartime human rights record, he said: "Why are you talking all the time on&nbsp;the past. Ask (about) the future.

"I am trying to become the president of the future Sri Lanka. So if you concentrate on the future, it is better."

He said even the Tamils were more interested in jobs, education and infrastructure than raking over the past.

The Rajapakses insist no civilians were killed by government forces in the latter stages of the war, and accuse the rebels of using tens of thousands of civilians as human shields.

At least 100,000 people were killed in the conflict between 1972 and 2009.&nbsp;

Mahinda Rajapakse's administration was on the verge of international sanctions because of its refusal to investigate the alleged war crimes when he was defeated at the January 2015 elections.

Gotabhaya Rajapakse was addressing the press Tuesday for the first time since launching his bid to become president in an election scheduled for November 16.

The presidential poll has attracted a record 35 candidates, with nearly 16 million people eligible to vote.

Sri Lanka's front-running presidential candidate Gotabhaya Rajapakse vowed Tuesday that if elected he will scrap Colombo's pledge to investigate war crimes committed during his brother Mahinda's decade in power.

Sri Lanka's front-running presidential candidate Gotabhaya Rajapakse vowed Tuesday that if elected he will scrap Colombo's pledge to investigate war crimes committed during his brother Mahinda's decade in power. Gotabhaya was defence secretary during his brother's rule, when troops were accused of killing up to 40,000 Tamil civilians while crushing the Tamil Tigers. A later government co-sponsored a US-led resolution to appoint an independent panel to look into the actions of both sides in the final stages of Sri Lanka's bloody separatist conflict, although it was never formed. But on Tuesday the 70-year-old Gotabhaya said he would not honour the commitments made to the UN Human Rights Council, saying people needed to "move on" In response to questions by AFP about Sri Lanka's wartime human rights record, he said: "Why are you talking all the time on the past. Ask (about) the future. "I am trying to become the president of the future Sri Lanka. So if you concentrate on the future, it is better." He said even the Tamils were more interested in jobs, education and infrastructure than raking over the past. The Rajapakses insist no civilians were killed by government forces in the latter stages of the war, and accuse the rebels of using tens of thousands of civilians as human shields. At least 100,000 people were killed in the conflict between 1972 and 2009. Mahinda Rajapakse's administration was on the verge of international sanctions because of its refusal to investigate the alleged war crimes when he was defeated at the January 2015 elections. Gotabhaya Rajapakse was addressing the press Tuesday for the first time since launching his bid to become president in an election scheduled for November 16. The presidential poll has attracted a record 35 candidates, with nearly 16 million people eligible to vote.

Rajapakse vows to scrap Sri Lanka war crimes probe if elected

Sri Lanka's president ordered the removal of a police chief investigating alleged crimes by the family and associates of his preferred candidate for prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse, officials said Monday.

The Indian Ocean nation has been paralysed since October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena controversially sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former rival Rajapakse.

Wickremesinghe insists he is still prime minister, leading to a constitutional deadlock in the Indian Ocean nation.

In the latest twist in the ongoing crisis, Chief Inspector Nishantha Silva was transferred from the Criminal Investigation Department on Sunday as he pursued inquiries into the close family and allies of Rajapakse, an official told AFP.

Since sacking Wickremesinghe, Sirisena has taken the police under his direct control.

Silva investigated the killing of 11 children between 2008-2009 and had secured an arrest order last week against the country's top military official when he was shifted on Sunday, an official said.

"He was about to arrest Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne when his marching orders came," a senior police official told AFP.&nbsp;

"This is a serious blow to half a dozen high profile investigations."

Wijegunaratne has remained the chief of defence staff.

Silva was also pursuing the killers of editor Lasantha Wickrematunga and investigating Rajapakse's former defence secretary brother Gotabhaya, who is accused of defrauding the state.

Gotabhaya Rajapakse was indicted in September on charges of siphoning off over US $250,000 in state funds to build a memorial for his parents.

Silva was also investigating an alleged corrupt aircraft purchase from Ukraine when Gotabhaya Rajapakse was in power between 2005 and 2015.

Sacked PM Wickremesinghe has accused Rajapakse of seeking to grab power again in order to sabotage the court cases against his family and associates.

In August, a special court charged Rajapakse's chief of staff with embezzling millions of dollars from a state insurance firm.

Rajapakse's top civil servant, Lalith Weeratunga, was convicted of misappropriating US $4 million and sentenced to three years in prison.

Two of the former president's three sons have also been charged with money-laundering and other relatives face corruption allegations.

The former president was questioned in August over the 2008 abduction and torture of a journalist. He denies any wrongdoing and has accused the government of a witch-hunt.

Sri Lanka's president ordered the removal of a police chief investigating alleged crimes by the family and associates of his preferred candidate for prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse, officials said Monday.

Sri Lanka's president ordered the removal of a police chief investigating alleged crimes by the family and associates of his preferred candidate for prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse, officials said Monday. The Indian Ocean nation has been paralysed since October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena controversially sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former rival Rajapakse. Wickremesinghe insists he is still prime minister, leading to a constitutional deadlock in the Indian Ocean nation. In the latest twist in the ongoing crisis, Chief Inspector Nishantha Silva was transferred from the Criminal Investigation Department on Sunday as he pursued inquiries into the close family and allies of Rajapakse, an official told AFP. Since sacking Wickremesinghe, Sirisena has taken the police under his direct control. Silva investigated the killing of 11 children between 2008-2009 and had secured an arrest order last week against the country's top military official when he was shifted on Sunday, an official said. "He was about to arrest Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne when his marching orders came," a senior police official told AFP. "This is a serious blow to half a dozen high profile investigations." Wijegunaratne has remained the chief of defence staff. Silva was also pursuing the killers of editor Lasantha Wickrematunga and investigating Rajapakse's former defence secretary brother Gotabhaya, who is accused of defrauding the state. Gotabhaya Rajapakse was indicted in September on charges of siphoning off over US $250,000 in state funds to build a memorial for his parents. Silva was also investigating an alleged corrupt aircraft purchase from Ukraine when Gotabhaya Rajapakse was in power between 2005 and 2015. Sacked PM Wickremesinghe has accused Rajapakse of seeking to grab power again in order to sabotage the court cases against his family and associates. In August, a special court charged Rajapakse's chief of staff with embezzling millions of dollars from a state insurance firm. Rajapakse's top civil servant, Lalith Weeratunga, was convicted of misappropriating US $4 million and sentenced to three years in prison. Two of the former president's three sons have also been charged with money-laundering and other relatives face corruption allegations. The former president was questioned in August over the 2008 abduction and torture of a journalist. He denies any wrongdoing and has accused the government of a witch-hunt.

Sri Lanka removes top Rajapakse investigator amid crisis

Sri Lanka's largest political party Saturday asked Facebook to protect the identity of its supporters, fearing a crackdown by what it called the "illegal" government.

The Indian Ocean nation has been in crisis since last month with two men claiming to be prime minister, MPs brawling in parliament and the administration paralysed.

It began on October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as premier and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse.

In chaotic scenes in parliament this week, Rajapakse lost two votes of no confidence but he is refusing to go and Sirisena has yet to acknowledge the motions.

On Saturday Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) wrote to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg asking the US firm not to cooperate with Rajapakse's administration.

"We urge Facebook to refrain from disclosing information about... users of the platform to any officials of the illegal government unless it is properly sanctioned by a court of law," the UNP said.

The UNP had also complained that its official page was blocked by Facebook on Thursday ahead of a mass rally it organised to express solidarity with Wickremesinghe, who insists he is still prime minister.

Sirisena ordered a ban on Facebook across Sri Lanka in March after blaming it for spreading hate speech and fuelling intercommunal violence that led to the deaths of three people and destruction of property.

Since then, Facebook had said it was deploying more staff to identify and remove inflammatory material from Sri Lankan users.

This week Sri Lankans had to rely on social media to watch their lawmakers fighting and throwing chilli powder after the main telecommunications company stopped its live broadcast.

Sri Lanka's largest political party Saturday asked Facebook to protect the identity of its supporters, fearing a crackdown by what it called the "illegal" government.

Sri Lanka's largest political party Saturday asked Facebook to protect the identity of its supporters, fearing a crackdown by what it called the "illegal" government. The Indian Ocean nation has been in crisis since last month with two men claiming to be prime minister, MPs brawling in parliament and the administration paralysed. It began on October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as premier and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse. In chaotic scenes in parliament this week, Rajapakse lost two votes of no confidence but he is refusing to go and Sirisena has yet to acknowledge the motions. On Saturday Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) wrote to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg asking the US firm not to cooperate with Rajapakse's administration. "We urge Facebook to refrain from disclosing information about... users of the platform to any officials of the illegal government unless it is properly sanctioned by a court of law," the UNP said. The UNP had also complained that its official page was blocked by Facebook on Thursday ahead of a mass rally it organised to express solidarity with Wickremesinghe, who insists he is still prime minister. Sirisena ordered a ban on Facebook across Sri Lanka in March after blaming it for spreading hate speech and fuelling intercommunal violence that led to the deaths of three people and destruction of property. Since then, Facebook had said it was deploying more staff to identify and remove inflammatory material from Sri Lankan users. This week Sri Lankans had to rely on social media to watch their lawmakers fighting and throwing chilli powder after the main telecommunications company stopped its live broadcast.

Facebook asked to protect users in simmering Sri Lanka

A day after the Sri Lankan <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/parliament-speaker-warns-of-bloodbath-in-sri-lanka-crisis-174162">Parliament passed a no-confidence </a>&nbsp;motion against prime minister Rajapaksa, President Sirisena said the Parliament "tried to override the Constitutional powers of the president and the judiciary."

The Lankan president said Speaker Karu Jayasuirya ignored and violated the Constitutional provisions, standing orders and the Parliamentary traditions by passing the no-confidence motion.

Sirisena added that Rajapaksa was appointed as per the provisions a president is given under the Constitution, asserting that it was not necessary for the prime minister to show a majority in the Parliament according to Parliamentary traditions.

The Parliament had on Wednesday met for the first time since October 26, when President Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and suspended the Parliament plunging the island nation into a crisis.

The president said he had appointed Rajapaksa as the leader of the UNP who had 41 seats in Parliament. He rejected the Speakers decision on the outcome of the no-confidence motion.

The Speaker had calculated the votes based on the voices he heard as Rajapaksa supporters disrupted the proceedings in the House. The Supreme Court had on Tuesday overturned President Sirisena's decision to dissolve Parliament and halted the preparations for snap polls on January 5.

After the court verdict, Speaker Jayasuriya had summoned Parliament's session for Wednesday morning. Wickremesinghe maintained that his sacking by Sirisena was unconstitutional and illegal and he was still the prime minister.

The Lankan president alleged that the Speaker had obtained signatures some time back and the date of the motion of no-confidence was changed on Wednesday to make it look like a new document.

"President has the full power to appoint the prime minister," Sirisena insisted.

The Lankan Parliament will meet again today after the Speaker adjourned the House on Wednesday.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/st3BTCmPh10" width="560"></iframe>

A day after the Sri Lankan Parliament passed a no-confidence motion against prime minister Rajapaksa, President Sirisena said the Parliament "tried to override the Constitutional powers of the president and the judiciary.

A day after the Sri Lankan Parliament passed a no-confidence motion against prime minister Rajapaksa, President Sirisena said the Parliament "tried to override the Constitutional powers of the president and the judiciary." The Lankan president said Speaker Karu Jayasuirya ignored and violated the Constitutional provisions, standing orders and the Parliamentary traditions by passing the no-confidence motion. Sirisena added that Rajapaksa was appointed as per the provisions a president is given under the Constitution, asserting that it was not necessary for the prime minister to show a majority in the Parliament according to Parliamentary traditions. The Parliament had on Wednesday met for the first time since October 26, when President Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and suspended the Parliament plunging the island nation into a crisis. The president said he had appointed Rajapaksa as the leader of the UNP who had 41 seats in Parliament. He rejected the Speakers decision on the outcome of the no-confidence motion. The Speaker had calculated the votes based on the voices he heard as Rajapaksa supporters disrupted the proceedings in the House. The Supreme Court had on Tuesday overturned President Sirisena's decision to dissolve Parliament and halted the preparations for snap polls on January 5. After the court verdict, Speaker Jayasuriya had summoned Parliament's session for Wednesday morning. Wickremesinghe maintained that his sacking by Sirisena was unconstitutional and illegal and he was still the prime minister. The Lankan president alleged that the Speaker had obtained signatures some time back and the date of the motion of no-confidence was changed on Wednesday to make it look like a new document. "President has the full power to appoint the prime minister," Sirisena insisted. The Lankan Parliament will meet again today after the Speaker adjourned the House on Wednesday.

President Sirisena rejects Lankan Parliament's no-confidence motion against Rajapaksa

In a major setback to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/india-and-china-nervous-spectators-in-sri-lanka-crisis-175058">President Maithripala Sirisena</a>, the Sri Lankan Parliament on Wednesday passed a "no-confidence motion"&nbsp;against the government headed by his controversially-appointed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Parliament on Wednesday met for the first time since October 26, when President Sirisena sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and suspended the Parliament plunging the island nation into a crisis.

Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya announced that a majority of the 225-member assembly supported the no-confidence motion against Rajapaksa, who was appointed by President Sirisena as prime minister on October 26 in place of Wickremesinghe.

"According to the voice, I recognise that the government has no majority," Jayasuriya announced in the House as Rajapaksa supporters protested. 
He gave the ruling after the no-confidence motion was taken for a vote. The Speaker calculated the votes based on the voices he heard as Rajapaksa supporters disrupted the proceedings.

Jayasuriya later adjourned the House until 10 am on Thursday.

Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa later told reporters that the government clearly lost the floor test. 
He said Prime Minister Rajapaksa must now step down as he does not have majority support in Parliament.

The unexpected session on Wednesday morning comes a day after the Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned President Sirisena's controversial decision to dissolve Parliament and halted the preparations for snap polls on January 5.

In its ruling, the apex court had said Sirisena's dissolution of Parliament will be suspended until December 7 and it will consider all the petitions filed on the President's decision next month before giving a final ruling.

After the court verdict, Speaker Jayasuriya summoned Parliament's session for Thursday&nbsp;morning.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament after it became clear that he lacked support from lawmakers to instal Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister following his sacking of Wickremesinghe as premier.

While sacking prime minister Wickremesinghe, president Sirisena had also suspended Parliament till November 16. He, however, advanced the convening of the House to November 14 amid international and domestic pressure against the move.

Major political parties, including the United National Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and an election commission member Ratnajeevan Hoole, on Monday dragged Sirisena to the Supreme Court, challenging his decision by filing fundamental rights petitions against the move, which they said violated the Constitution.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament last week, almost 20 months before its term was to end, and ordered snap election on January 5, plunging the country's into an unprecedented political and constitutional crises.

Wickremesinghe has maintained that his sacking by Sirisena was unconstitutional and illegal and he was still the prime minister.

Wickremesinghe had demanded that Parliament be convened to hold a vote among the lawmakers to decide who enjoyed majority support in Parliament to be the Prime Minister.

As pressure grew and both sides claimed they had the numbers, the President dissolved Parliament and called for elections.

Rajapaksa needed the support of minimum 113 parliamentarians in the 225-member House to prove his majority.

Sirisena on Sunday stoutly defended his move to dissolve Parliament, saying it was taken to prevent clashes among rival lawmakers. He said there were reports that politicians would clash during the floor test, which was due on November 14.

Rajapaksa, 72, who ruled Lanka for a nearly decades from 2005, was unexpectedly defeated by his deputy Sirisena in the presidential election held in January 2015 with the support from Wickremesinghe's UNP.

However, the power-sharing arrangement between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe became increasingly tenuous on several policy matters, especially on issues like the economy and security. And subsequently, Sirisena abruptly ousted Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Rajapaksa.

In a major setback to President Maithripala Sirisena, the Sri Lankan Parliament on Wednesday passed a "no-confidence motion" against the government headed by his controversially-appointed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

In a major setback to President Maithripala Sirisena, the Sri Lankan Parliament on Wednesday passed a "no-confidence motion" against the government headed by his controversially-appointed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Parliament on Wednesday met for the first time since October 26, when President Sirisena sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and suspended the Parliament plunging the island nation into a crisis. Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya announced that a majority of the 225-member assembly supported the no-confidence motion against Rajapaksa, who was appointed by President Sirisena as prime minister on October 26 in place of Wickremesinghe. "According to the voice, I recognise that the government has no majority," Jayasuriya announced in the House as Rajapaksa supporters protested. He gave the ruling after the no-confidence motion was taken for a vote. The Speaker calculated the votes based on the voices he heard as Rajapaksa supporters disrupted the proceedings. Jayasuriya later adjourned the House until 10 am on Thursday. Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa later told reporters that the government clearly lost the floor test. He said Prime Minister Rajapaksa must now step down as he does not have majority support in Parliament. The unexpected session on Wednesday morning comes a day after the Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned President Sirisena's controversial decision to dissolve Parliament and halted the preparations for snap polls on January 5. In its ruling, the apex court had said Sirisena's dissolution of Parliament will be suspended until December 7 and it will consider all the petitions filed on the President's decision next month before giving a final ruling. After the court verdict, Speaker Jayasuriya summoned Parliament's session for Thursday morning. Sirisena dissolved Parliament after it became clear that he lacked support from lawmakers to instal Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister following his sacking of Wickremesinghe as premier. While sacking prime minister Wickremesinghe, president Sirisena had also suspended Parliament till November 16. He, however, advanced the convening of the House to November 14 amid international and domestic pressure against the move. Major political parties, including the United National Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and an election commission member Ratnajeevan Hoole, on Monday dragged Sirisena to the Supreme Court, challenging his decision by filing fundamental rights petitions against the move, which they said violated the Constitution. Sirisena dissolved Parliament last week, almost 20 months before its term was to end, and ordered snap election on January 5, plunging the country's into an unprecedented political and constitutional crises. Wickremesinghe has maintained that his sacking by Sirisena was unconstitutional and illegal and he was still the prime minister. Wickremesinghe had demanded that Parliament be convened to hold a vote among the lawmakers to decide who enjoyed majority support in Parliament to be the Prime Minister. As pressure grew and both sides claimed they had the numbers, the President dissolved Parliament and called for elections. Rajapaksa needed the support of minimum 113 parliamentarians in the 225-member House to prove his majority. Sirisena on Sunday stoutly defended his move to dissolve Parliament, saying it was taken to prevent clashes among rival lawmakers. He said there were reports that politicians would clash during the floor test, which was due on November 14. Rajapaksa, 72, who ruled Lanka for a nearly decades from 2005, was unexpectedly defeated by his deputy Sirisena in the presidential election held in January 2015 with the support from Wickremesinghe's UNP. However, the power-sharing arrangement between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe became increasingly tenuous on several policy matters, especially on issues like the economy and security. And subsequently, Sirisena abruptly ousted Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka Parliament votes against Rajapaksa; Speaker adjourns House

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ousted-sri-lanka-pm-wickramasinghe-calls-for-alliance-to-save-the-country-177105">Sri Lanka's parliament</a> will meet under tight security Wednesday after the top court ruled its dissolution illegal and opened the door to a vote on which of two rival prime ministers has the support to rule.

Sri Lanka has been locked in a power struggle since the president sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse.&nbsp;

On Tuesday the Supreme Court overruled President Maithripala Sirisena's dissolution of parliament, and halted preparations for a snap election, in a major boost for the ousted prime minister.&nbsp;

Wickremesinghe is confident he can command a majority and wants a vote on the floor of the 225-member assembly to determine the legitimacy of the government installed by presidential diktat.

"Speaker Karu Jayasuriya ordered the police to ensure that MPs have free access to parliament," a spokesman for the Speaker told AFP. "There will be tight security."

Thousands of armed police have been deployed along the key approach roads to parliament, which is located on a man-made lake island, with several anti-riot units on standby.

Parliament officials fear that supporters of Rajapakse's party may try to stop legislators from getting to parliament.

However, by early Wednesday there were no large crowds and only small pockets of Wickremesinghe supporters gathered near the parliament complex.

Rajapakse's party was divided Tuesday on facing a test in parliament. His legislator son Namal Rajapakse said they will attend the legislature, but other party seniors said they would not.

Sirisena sacked the legislature after his party admitted that they did not have an absolute majority despite engineering the defections of eight legislators from Wickremesinghe's party.

Since then, at least two legislators have ditched Rajapakse and joined Wickremesinghe's UNP party which insists it has a comfortable majority in the House.&nbsp;

Wickremesinghe, who insists he is still the prime minister, has refused to vacate the official Temple Trees residence which is a symbol of state power in the island.

The power struggle has crippled the work of the administration, according to lawmakers on both sides.

Sri Lanka's parliament will meet under tight security Wednesday after the top court ruled its dissolution illegal and opened the door to a vote on which of two rival prime ministers has the support to rule.

Sri Lanka's parliament will meet under tight security Wednesday after the top court ruled its dissolution illegal and opened the door to a vote on which of two rival prime ministers has the support to rule. Sri Lanka has been locked in a power struggle since the president sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse. On Tuesday the Supreme Court overruled President Maithripala Sirisena's dissolution of parliament, and halted preparations for a snap election, in a major boost for the ousted prime minister. Wickremesinghe is confident he can command a majority and wants a vote on the floor of the 225-member assembly to determine the legitimacy of the government installed by presidential diktat. "Speaker Karu Jayasuriya ordered the police to ensure that MPs have free access to parliament," a spokesman for the Speaker told AFP. "There will be tight security." Thousands of armed police have been deployed along the key approach roads to parliament, which is located on a man-made lake island, with several anti-riot units on standby. Parliament officials fear that supporters of Rajapakse's party may try to stop legislators from getting to parliament. However, by early Wednesday there were no large crowds and only small pockets of Wickremesinghe supporters gathered near the parliament complex. Rajapakse's party was divided Tuesday on facing a test in parliament. His legislator son Namal Rajapakse said they will attend the legislature, but other party seniors said they would not. Sirisena sacked the legislature after his party admitted that they did not have an absolute majority despite engineering the defections of eight legislators from Wickremesinghe's party. Since then, at least two legislators have ditched Rajapakse and joined Wickremesinghe's UNP party which insists it has a comfortable majority in the House. Wickremesinghe, who insists he is still the prime minister, has refused to vacate the official Temple Trees residence which is a symbol of state power in the island. The power struggle has crippled the work of the administration, according to lawmakers on both sides.

Sri Lanka Parliament to meet today amid political crisis

Rival Asian giants India and China are anxiously watching the constitutional conflict between contending prime ministers in Sri Lanka to see whose interests get the upper hand in their own strategic battle.

It is the second time in barely a month that the Indian Ocean has become a battleground between the powers, after the Maldives' hotly disputed presidential election saw the eviction of a pro-Chinese leader.

Both may be minnows compared to the two giant neighbours that loom over it to the north.&nbsp;

But they sit on the key sea trade and oil routes from Asia to the Middle East and Europe making them vital strategic interests for the rival powers.

New Delhi and Beijing insist that they are watching from outside the political ring as Sri Lanka's ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe slugs it out with Mahinda Rajapakse, the island's former authoritarian leader named to take over by the president.

But the stakes are high.

"With parliament suspended and all the political trickery between the two sides, the growing tensions are a worry for India and China," said an Asian diplomat in Colombo.

China was quick to deny an accusation by a lawmaker from Wickremesinghe's party this week that it was paying for Rajapakse's attempts to win over rival deputies.&nbsp;

"Groundless and irresponsible," said a frosty Chinese embassy statement in response to the allegations.

The constitutional crisis pits two very different characters against each other.

Wickremesinghe is a soft-spoken reformist technocrat and free market proponent seen as wary of China's often one-sided economic deals and less suspicious of India.

Rajapakse is a seasoned political bruiser, deeply charismatic but tainted by an authoritarian decade in power that culminated in a ruthless military campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels which ended a decades long civil war but killed some 40,000 civilians and saw widespread atrocities.

He was also much closer to Beijing -- billions of dollars of Chinese investment flowed into Sri Lankan infrastructure during his administration ranging from roads and ports to land reclamation in Colombo.

Tightrope act

Maithripala Sirisena, the final key character in Sri Lanka's current political crisis trinity, vowed to change all that when he beat Rajapakse in a 2015 presidential election and put Wickremesinghe in charge of the government.

That should have encouraged India, which is desperate to stop China from expanding its economic and military footprint in the Indian Ocean and other backyard states such as Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

But Wickremesinghe found the battle against Sri Lanka's huge foreign debt too much.&nbsp;

Last year his government gave a 99-year lease on the Hambantota deep-sea port to China because it was unable to repay Beijing's loans for the $1.4-billion project.

It was forced to deny US claims that China could set up a military base at the port.

India -- a modest investor in power and railway projects in the north of the country -- is meanwhile in talks to run Hambantota airport, another white-elephant project built with Chinese loans under Rajapakse.

The airport and port deals have not been good for China's image.&nbsp;

Both projects have been held up by critics as an example of how China's global largesse often comes with onerous repayment strings attached.&nbsp;

Delhi has turned on the charm with its own deals while in 2015 Narendra Modi became the first Indian premier to do a standalone visit to the island in 28 years, with a second visit two years later.

Many analysts see Sri Lanka riding a tightrope between India and China no matter who wins the power struggle in Colombo.

"They have been pulled into a perverse relationship with the Asian giants that none of the political parties can rectify easily," Samir Saran, president of the Observer Research Foundation think-tank in New Delhi, told AFP.

"Rajapakse definitely favoured Chinese investment and there was a move away from it after he left, but it still wasn't a complete break from China. It was more a move towards neutrality," added Madhu Bhalla, a former East Asian department head at the Delhi University.

"In its struggle with China for influence in Sri Lanka, the Indian government will not be pleased if Mahinda Rajapakse establishes himself in power," said Alan Keenan, a Sri Lanka specialist for the International Crisis Group.

"But already before the latest crisis, India and Rajapakse had been mending fences, as Rajapakse and his new party appeared increasingly likely to return to power (through elections) by late 2019 or early 2020."

Guo Xuetang, director of the South Asian and Indian Ocean Research Center at Shanghai University, said "small countries" like Sri Lanka and the Maldives do not want to be anyone's client state anyway.

"They do not want to be controlled by China, nor by India," he added. Whether Sri Lanka chooses India or China in the future will be a "balance of interests," said the specialist.

Rival Asian giants India and China are anxiously watching the constitutional conflict between contending prime ministers in Sri Lanka to see whose interests get the upper hand in their own strategic battle.

Rival Asian giants India and China are anxiously watching the constitutional conflict between contending prime ministers in Sri Lanka to see whose interests get the upper hand in their own strategic battle. It is the second time in barely a month that the Indian Ocean has become a battleground between the powers, after the Maldives' hotly disputed presidential election saw the eviction of a pro-Chinese leader. Both may be minnows compared to the two giant neighbours that loom over it to the north. But they sit on the key sea trade and oil routes from Asia to the Middle East and Europe making them vital strategic interests for the rival powers. New Delhi and Beijing insist that they are watching from outside the political ring as Sri Lanka's ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe slugs it out with Mahinda Rajapakse, the island's former authoritarian leader named to take over by the president. But the stakes are high. "With parliament suspended and all the political trickery between the two sides, the growing tensions are a worry for India and China," said an Asian diplomat in Colombo. China was quick to deny an accusation by a lawmaker from Wickremesinghe's party this week that it was paying for Rajapakse's attempts to win over rival deputies. "Groundless and irresponsible," said a frosty Chinese embassy statement in response to the allegations. The constitutional crisis pits two very different characters against each other. Wickremesinghe is a soft-spoken reformist technocrat and free market proponent seen as wary of China's often one-sided economic deals and less suspicious of India. Rajapakse is a seasoned political bruiser, deeply charismatic but tainted by an authoritarian decade in power that culminated in a ruthless military campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels which ended a decades long civil war but killed some 40,000 civilians and saw widespread atrocities. He was also much closer to Beijing -- billions of dollars of Chinese investment flowed into Sri Lankan infrastructure during his administration ranging from roads and ports to land reclamation in Colombo. Tightrope act Maithripala Sirisena, the final key character in Sri Lanka's current political crisis trinity, vowed to change all that when he beat Rajapakse in a 2015 presidential election and put Wickremesinghe in charge of the government. That should have encouraged India, which is desperate to stop China from expanding its economic and military footprint in the Indian Ocean and other backyard states such as Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. But Wickremesinghe found the battle against Sri Lanka's huge foreign debt too much. Last year his government gave a 99-year lease on the Hambantota deep-sea port to China because it was unable to repay Beijing's loans for the $1.4-billion project. It was forced to deny US claims that China could set up a military base at the port. India -- a modest investor in power and railway projects in the north of the country -- is meanwhile in talks to run Hambantota airport, another white-elephant project built with Chinese loans under Rajapakse. The airport and port deals have not been good for China's image. Both projects have been held up by critics as an example of how China's global largesse often comes with onerous repayment strings attached. Delhi has turned on the charm with its own deals while in 2015 Narendra Modi became the first Indian premier to do a standalone visit to the island in 28 years, with a second visit two years later. Many analysts see Sri Lanka riding a tightrope between India and China no matter who wins the power struggle in Colombo. "They have been pulled into a perverse relationship with the Asian giants that none of the political parties can rectify easily," Samir Saran, president of the Observer Research Foundation think-tank in New Delhi, told AFP. "Rajapakse definitely favoured Chinese investment and there was a move away from it after he left, but it still wasn't a complete break from China. It was more a move towards neutrality," added Madhu Bhalla, a former East Asian department head at the Delhi University. "In its struggle with China for influence in Sri Lanka, the Indian government will not be pleased if Mahinda Rajapakse establishes himself in power," said Alan Keenan, a Sri Lanka specialist for the International Crisis Group. "But already before the latest crisis, India and Rajapakse had been mending fences, as Rajapakse and his new party appeared increasingly likely to return to power (through elections) by late 2019 or early 2020." Guo Xuetang, director of the South Asian and Indian Ocean Research Center at Shanghai University, said "small countries" like Sri Lanka and the Maldives do not want to be anyone's client state anyway. "They do not want to be controlled by China, nor by India," he added. Whether Sri Lanka chooses India or China in the future will be a "balance of interests," said the specialist.

India and China nervous spectators in Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka's president issued a formal notice Saturday for Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down as prime minister and recognise his shock dismissal, in an unfolding constitutional crisis.

Hours after sacking his former ally, President Maithripala Sirisena issued gazettes formalising the dramatic move, and the installation of one-time strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse as the new prime minister.

However, Wickremesinghe continued to occupy Temple Trees, the official residence of the prime minister, and insisted in a letter to Sirisena that he was still in office.

He has said that he can be removed only by parliament where his party enjoys a majority, and also vowed to seek legal action against what he condemned as an unconstitutional move against him. &nbsp;

"I am addressing you as the prime minister of Sri Lanka," Wickremesinghe told reporters at a nationally televised press conference on Friday night. "I remain as prime minister and I will function as the prime minister."

Since his rushed swearing in, Rajapakse is yet to announce the formation of a cabinet -- which under the constitution is automatically dissolved when a prime minister is removed.

Parliamentary Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has said he will decide Saturday whether to recognise Rajapakse or not, after seeking legal advice.

Parliament is not due to meet until November 5 when the 2019 national budget is due to be presented. The Supreme Court, which is empowered to resolve constitutional disputes, is shut for the weekend and reopens on Monday.

The president's United People's Freedom Alliance party had earlier Friday quit the coalition that had governed with Wickremesinghe's party.

Speaking to jubilant supporters outside his Colombo home late Friday, Rajapakse also called on Wickremesinghe to step down.&nbsp;

Members of his party must "respect democracy, respect the country and respect the law", the former president said through a loudhailer from a balcony. &nbsp;

US urges calm&nbsp;

Overnight, Rajapakse loyalists stormed two state-owned television networks -- which they regard as loyal to the outgoing government -- and forced them off the air.&nbsp;

Video footage from private networks showed police overwhelmed by mobs at the Rupavahini national TV station but elsewhere in the capital streets remained calm.&nbsp;

The United States called on all sides in Sri Lanka to operate within the constitution and refrain from violence, and urged the island to move forward on post-war reconciliation.

Rajapakse crushed the decades-long Tamil Tiger uprising while in power, but refused to acknowledge abuses committed during the bloody civil war.

"We call on all parties to act in accordance with Sri Lanka's constitution, refrain from violence and follow due process," the State Department said.

"We expect the government of Sri Lanka to uphold its Geneva commitments to human rights, reform, accountability, justice and reconciliation."

After Sirisena's election in 2015, Sri Lanka shifted from confrontation to conciliation with the US and other Western powers and promised at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to investigate allegations of abuses.

Sri Lanka's president issued a formal notice Saturday for Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down as prime minister and recognise his shock dismissal, in an unfolding constitutional crisis.

Sri Lanka's president issued a formal notice Saturday for Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down as prime minister and recognise his shock dismissal, in an unfolding constitutional crisis. Hours after sacking his former ally, President Maithripala Sirisena issued gazettes formalising the dramatic move, and the installation of one-time strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse as the new prime minister. However, Wickremesinghe continued to occupy Temple Trees, the official residence of the prime minister, and insisted in a letter to Sirisena that he was still in office. He has said that he can be removed only by parliament where his party enjoys a majority, and also vowed to seek legal action against what he condemned as an unconstitutional move against him. "I am addressing you as the prime minister of Sri Lanka," Wickremesinghe told reporters at a nationally televised press conference on Friday night. "I remain as prime minister and I will function as the prime minister." Since his rushed swearing in, Rajapakse is yet to announce the formation of a cabinet -- which under the constitution is automatically dissolved when a prime minister is removed. Parliamentary Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has said he will decide Saturday whether to recognise Rajapakse or not, after seeking legal advice. Parliament is not due to meet until November 5 when the 2019 national budget is due to be presented. The Supreme Court, which is empowered to resolve constitutional disputes, is shut for the weekend and reopens on Monday. The president's United People's Freedom Alliance party had earlier Friday quit the coalition that had governed with Wickremesinghe's party. Speaking to jubilant supporters outside his Colombo home late Friday, Rajapakse also called on Wickremesinghe to step down. Members of his party must "respect democracy, respect the country and respect the law", the former president said through a loudhailer from a balcony. US urges calm Overnight, Rajapakse loyalists stormed two state-owned television networks -- which they regard as loyal to the outgoing government -- and forced them off the air. Video footage from private networks showed police overwhelmed by mobs at the Rupavahini national TV station but elsewhere in the capital streets remained calm. The United States called on all sides in Sri Lanka to operate within the constitution and refrain from violence, and urged the island to move forward on post-war reconciliation. Rajapakse crushed the decades-long Tamil Tiger uprising while in power, but refused to acknowledge abuses committed during the bloody civil war. "We call on all parties to act in accordance with Sri Lanka's constitution, refrain from violence and follow due process," the State Department said. "We expect the government of Sri Lanka to uphold its Geneva commitments to human rights, reform, accountability, justice and reconciliation." After Sirisena's election in 2015, Sri Lanka shifted from confrontation to conciliation with the US and other Western powers and promised at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to investigate allegations of abuses.

Sri Lanka crisis deepens as PM Wickremesinghe resists sacking

Sri Lanka is headed for a debt crisis, the finance ministry warned Sunday, blaming a series of costly projects commissioned by the previous government for record-high repayments.

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said payments of capital and interest would reach $2.84 billion this year, mostly to repay loans for extravagant projects under former president Mahinda Rajapakse.

"The crisis will further worsen next year," Samaraweera said in a statement, adding repayments are expected to soar to $4.28 in 2019.

"Repayments will go to pay the debts that were obtained during the Rajapakse regime for the waste, fraud and corruption committed by the oligarchies of the Rajapakses," he added.

Foreign reserves totalled $9.9 billion at the end of April, the central bank says.

Samaraweera said Rajapakse's administration secured two high-interest loans worth $1.5 billion in the final year of its decade-long rule.

Officials say Rajapakse relied heavily on China to finance his grand infrastructure projects but many ended up becoming a burden on Sri Lanka's $87 billion economy.

The government which ousted Rajapakse in 2015 was forced to lease to China a loss-making port commissioned by and named after the strongman leader in his home constituency of Hambantota in the south.

An international airport built in Rajapakse's name met the same fate, with revenue insufficient to meet the salary bill.&nbsp

Only one airline operates out of Rajapakse International and attempts to privatise the airport have not progressed.

Sri Lanka is currently drawing down a three-year $1.5 billion bailout package negotiated with the International Monetary Fund in June 2016 after facing a balance of payments crisis.

The government sharply raised domestic fuel prices earlier this month following pressure from the IMF and its central bank to reduce the burden of heavy subsidies on its struggling economy.

The IMF has said it will only release the next tranche of its bailout if the country adjusts fuel prices based on the cost of production.

The economy has been on the mend since the IMF bailout was approved but the 3.1 per cent growth figure for 2017 was slower than expected.

Sri Lanka is headed for a debt crisis, the finance ministry warned Sunday, blaming a series of costly projects commissioned by the previous government for record-high repayments

Sri Lanka is headed for a debt crisis, the finance ministry warned Sunday, blaming a series of costly projects commissioned by the previous government for record-high repayments. Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said payments of capital and interest would reach $2.84 billion this year, mostly to repay loans for extravagant projects under former president Mahinda Rajapakse. "The crisis will further worsen next year," Samaraweera said in a statement, adding repayments are expected to soar to $4.28 in 2019. "Repayments will go to pay the debts that were obtained during the Rajapakse regime for the waste, fraud and corruption committed by the oligarchies of the Rajapakses," he added. Foreign reserves totalled $9.9 billion at the end of April, the central bank says. Samaraweera said Rajapakse's administration secured two high-interest loans worth $1.5 billion in the final year of its decade-long rule. Officials say Rajapakse relied heavily on China to finance his grand infrastructure projects but many ended up becoming a burden on Sri Lanka's $87 billion economy. The government which ousted Rajapakse in 2015 was forced to lease to China a loss-making port commissioned by and named after the strongman leader in his home constituency of Hambantota in the south. An international airport built in Rajapakse's name met the same fate, with revenue insufficient to meet the salary bill. Only one airline operates out of Rajapakse International and attempts to privatise the airport have not progressed. Sri Lanka is currently drawing down a three-year $1.5 billion bailout package negotiated with the International Monetary Fund in June 2016 after facing a balance of payments crisis. The government sharply raised domestic fuel prices earlier this month following pressure from the IMF and its central bank to reduce the burden of heavy subsidies on its struggling economy. The IMF has said it will only release the next tranche of its bailout if the country adjusts fuel prices based on the cost of production. The economy has been on the mend since the IMF bailout was approved but the 3.1 per cent growth figure for 2017 was slower than expected.

Sri Lanka warns of looming foreign debt crisis

He was the right-hand man for chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) &ndash; the armed separatist organisation that waged a bloody civil war against the Sri Lankan state for nearly 30 years. He was then known as &ldquo;Col. Karuna&rdquo; and as one of the most ruthless commanders among the Tigers.&nbsp;In 2004, Karuna and 15,000 LTTE cadres &ndash; all belonging to Sri Lanka&rsquo;s &ldquo;eastern board&rdquo; (Mullaithivu to Batticaloa on Sri Lanka&rsquo;s east coast) split from the LTTE and crossed over to the Sri Lankan Armed Forces (SLAF). There followed another bloody, three-way phase of civil war &ndash; the Tigers vs Karuna and his men, the latter along with the SLAF against the Tigers. The then president Mahinda Rajapaksa made Karuna the minister for &lsquo;national integration&rsquo; and vice-president of Sri Lanka&rsquo;s oldest Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). &nbsp;By the time the civil war ended with the defeat of the Tigers in May 2009, more than 120,000 people had been killed.

Earlier this week and after ten years in parliament, Karuna left the SLFP and announced his own political outfit, the &ldquo;Tamil United Freedom Party&rdquo; in Batticaloa, his home-town. &nbsp;What does the new constellation want to achieve? What does &lsquo;&rsquo;freedom&rdquo; in its name stand for?&nbsp;What do Sri Lankan Tamils expect of India, which continues to insist on the Rajiv Gandhi-authored 13th&nbsp;Amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution to grant autonomy to the Tamils, a move that is being fiercely opposed by various Sinhalese nationalist groups?

PRS: Mr &ldquo;Karuna&rdquo;,&nbsp;your country has the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which won a democratic election and constitutes the government in Jaffna, Sri Lanka&rsquo;s northern province. It represents a wide spectrum of Tamil groups, big and small. It supports the current national coalition government in Colombo. So why do the majority-Tamils of your Northern and Eastern Provinces need yet another Tamil political party?

KARUNA:&nbsp; The situation has totally changed. Tamil people now feel there is no good leadership. That is what I want to give them. Also, we have no solution (to the question of Tamil autonomy) so far. The Tamil parties united with the government and promised a lot of things to the Tamil people: that we are going to merge the North and East, we are going to evacuate army camps from peoples&rsquo; lands, etc. But nothing happened. We are going to give a voice and development to the Tamil people, but also to all islanders. The Tamil lands are our main motherlands and that is the main thing.

PRS:&nbsp;The word &lsquo;&rsquo;motherland&rsquo;&rsquo; has been misused in the past, by the LTTE, to whom you belonged. Could you clarify what you mean by it now?

KARUNA:&nbsp;The North and the East are Tamil lands. This is historically so. Northern and Eastern people have been living there for more than 2,000 years. They were divided into two provinces but they are one, our motherland. Of course, united with Sri Lanka.&nbsp; But they have to give us our rights. We need land power and development and &ndash; according to the 13th&nbsp;Amendment &ndash; we have to merge the North and East. India&rsquo;s 13th&nbsp;Amendment is a good solution for the Tamil people.

PRS: The 13th&nbsp;Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution was co-authored by former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi in 1987, i.e. 30 years ago. Surely outdated, since you say Sri Lankan Tamils have changed drastically and are a modern society today?

KARUNA:&nbsp;Yes, but the Amendment provides for that. We can address and correct all problems through that 13th&nbsp;Amendment. We can adapt the Amendment to modern times. But the main problem is that in the north and east,&nbsp; they will definitely have to give power to the Tamil people.

PRS: Are you seeking India&rsquo;s help in implementing the 13th&nbsp;Amendment?

KARUNA:&nbsp;Most definitely. We are seeking only India&rsquo;s help. Because whenever western countries come, they do so with an eye on benefits for themselves. Only our neighbour India is closest to us. New Delhi has the responsibility because it was also involved here. India sent its army against the LTTE. That is why Indian leaders have to pressure our government for a good solution for the Tamil people.

PRS:&nbsp;But you have been a member of the SLFP under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and even its vice-president. Are you disappointed in both Rajapaksa and current President Maithripala Sirisena?&nbsp;

KARUNA:&nbsp; I am very friendly with both of them, there are no problems.&nbsp; But I have the right to offer good leadership to the Tamil people.&nbsp; I have certain strengths drawn from the thirty years I fought&nbsp;on behalf of the Tamil people. Even as an LTTE commander, I travelled all over the world for them. I am the only top ex-cadre still alive today.&nbsp; Then, I was a parliamentarian for ten years. All this undoubtedly gives me the experience to meet the needs of the Tamils. But we have to consult the entire leadership too. I can negotiate with them because I am on very friendly terms with all Sinhala leaders.

PRS: You place great expectations on India. But your country&rsquo;s growing closeness to China under both ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa and present incumbent Maithripala Sirisena is disrupting India&rsquo;s relations with Sri Lanka. Given Sri Lanka&rsquo;s debt crisis, that doesn&rsquo;t seem likely to change overnight.

KARUNA:&nbsp; Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa handled the Chinese very carefully and used China only for the purpose of development. He gave them only 750 acres of land in Hambantota for the port.&nbsp; But the current government has given away 15,000 acres to the Chinese government. Sri Lankans don&rsquo;t like this new deal.&nbsp;Rajapaksa used China, he got money from them and massively developed the war-savaged North and East with it. He built infrastructure rapidly. But the present government has to be very careful because without Indian support, there will be problems in future in Sri Lanka.

PRS: You seem to hold Mahinda Rajapaksa in high regard. His party is split across the benches. His colleagues in the opposition have launched a new party and hope he will lead it. He hasn&rsquo;t said no.&nbsp; Have you told him of your new outfit? Will you support each other?

KARUNA&nbsp;: I definitely approve of Mahinda Rajapaksa because he is a good leader. At the same time, he stayed loyal to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) &ndash; it is not he who split the party. There are a lot of internal battles going on within the SLFP. I have also told party cadres many times to sort them out as that would be best for the country.&nbsp; I appreciate Rajapaksa - no question.

PRS&nbsp;: Does Rajapaksa know about your party?

KARUNA :&nbsp;Yes. I have already negotiated with him. The Tamils are a little angry with Rajapaksa because he was president during the last phases of war.&nbsp;I told him that he could change that image by accepting my support. But I have also negotiated with the Sirisena faction of the SLFP. I have no problems with either.&nbsp;&nbsp;

PRS: There are more than 900,000 members of the Tamil diaspora around the world. How can they help their brethren in Sri Lanka?

KARUNA&nbsp;: Diaspora people have a responsibility to the North and East. They have to support development and other good causes here. They could represent us in the global community.&nbsp; But recreating the LTTE is not good for us. We fought 30 years. Nothing happened, we didn&rsquo;t achieve anything. It is only through a political democracy, by collaborating with the government that we can get somewhere. My message to the diaspora is: don&rsquo;t try to recreate unnecessary violence here again.&nbsp;&nbsp;

PRS: It&rsquo;s all very well to announce a new political party. But there are cases pending against you, within and outside Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, you were arrested for the alleged misuse of a bulletproof luxury government vehicle late last year.&nbsp; Won&rsquo;t those charges hinder you from registering your party?

KARUNA: No, there is no problem there. The government was misled and they arrested me. After I left parliament, I handed over all correspondence, documentation and receipts pertaining to the vehicle along with it to the authorities. It is based on that evidence that the Colombo magistrate granted me bail.&nbsp; Now, there is no criminal case against me. I never misused government property. We can&rsquo;t register any political parties in Sri Lanka right now because of some unrelated judicial issue. But the Election Commission has requested an application and we will submit one. It will be accepted later.&nbsp;

PRS:&nbsp;I have spoken to plenty of other former LTTE cadres like you. Chief LTTE financier and gunrunner, K Pathmanathan runs orphanages today.&nbsp; LTTE&rsquo;s &rdquo;media officer&rdquo; Daya Master, &nbsp;works as a journalist at a TV station. They all want peace. Will they join you?&nbsp;

KARUNA:&nbsp; Anyone can join. More than 12000 former LTTE cadres were rehabilitated. A lot of them have joined us. There are others too facing severe problems. They all have a right to be involved and some have even started a party of former LTTE cadres. Even that group was accepted by the government. We live in a democracy so whoever wants to come into the political fold, must be welcomed and rehabilitated. That&rsquo;s a good thing.

PRS: In 2004 when you split from the LTTE, you had told me that it was because Eastern Tamils like you perceived a lot of discrimination by Northern Tamils like Prabhakaran. How are you so sure that those old animosities will not resurface again if North and East are merged?

KARUNA :&nbsp; No, I have never blamed the northern people, only the leadership. Even now, Tamil parties never give eastern Tamils any leading positions. That is one big issue. But not with people. People are innocent and decent and will want to join the party.&nbsp; Now we are trying to merge the North and East &ndash; that is what people want. I had a lot of experience with the northern people. Throughout the 30-year war, I was, after all, &nbsp;in the North, so I know these people well. There are no problems.

PRS&nbsp;:There&rsquo;s another serious charge. As deputy commander of the LTTE, you, too, stand accused by the UNICEF, HRW and many other international organisations of recruiting child soldiers.

KARUNA:&nbsp; In the early stages of the LTTE, only those willing to fight joined the group. Later, there was a manpower shortage. That&rsquo;s when the LTTE possibly recruited children. I, too, didn&rsquo;t like that aspect and that is one of the main reasons why I broke away. Personally, I never agreed to those things and so far, nobody from Geneva has complained directly to me. But people still talk about this whenever I am mentioned. I left the LTTE and embraced the good, democratic path. I have never indulged in any violence.

PRS:&nbsp; Escaped LTTE cadres are said to have regrouped in Europe &ndash; after receiving asylum &ndash; and revived the Tamil Tigers in exile. Will they ever meet with success in Sri Lanka?

KARUNA:&nbsp;There are no chances of success at all. If they bring in that kind of ideology again, people will never appreciate it. Because Tamils have suffered a lot. Lives were lost, people wounded critically. The people&rsquo;s mindset has totally changed -they don&rsquo;t like those kinds of things. Again, I request the diaspora not to create unnecessary problems. They should support us in other ways. There are wounded soldiers, more than 3000 war widows in the North and East. They should support such people.

WION&rsquo;s Senior International Correspondent&nbsp;Padma&nbsp;Rao&nbsp;Sundarji&rsquo;s exclusive interview with former LTTE commander, &ldquo;Col Karuna&rdquo;, on his new political outfit, &ldquo;The Tamil United Freedom Party&rdquo;&nbsp;in Batticaloa, capital of Sri Lanka&rsquo;s Eastern Province.

<div style="position:relative;height:0;padding-bottom:56.3%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PGFhharvBCk?ecver=2" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;left:0" width="639"></iframe></div>

(WION)

Former senior minister Col Karuna holds forth on concepts like motherland and freedom in a wide-ranging interview

He was the right-hand man for chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – the armed separatist organisation that waged a bloody civil war against the Sri Lankan state for nearly 30 years. He was then known as “Col. Karuna” and as one of the most ruthless commanders among the Tigers. In 2004, Karuna and 15,000 LTTE cadres – all belonging to Sri Lanka’s “eastern board” (Mullaithivu to Batticaloa on Sri Lanka’s east coast) split from the LTTE and crossed over to the Sri Lankan Armed Forces (SLAF). There followed another bloody, three-way phase of civil war – the Tigers vs Karuna and his men, the latter along with the SLAF against the Tigers. The then president Mahinda Rajapaksa made Karuna the minister for ‘national integration’ and vice-president of Sri Lanka’s oldest Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). By the time the civil war ended with the defeat of the Tigers in May 2009, more than 120,000 people had been killed. Earlier this week and after ten years in parliament, Karuna left the SLFP and announced his own political outfit, the “Tamil United Freedom Party” in Batticaloa, his home-town. What does the new constellation want to achieve? What does ‘’freedom” in its name stand for? What do Sri Lankan Tamils expect of India, which continues to insist on the Rajiv Gandhi-authored 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution to grant autonomy to the Tamils, a move that is being fiercely opposed by various Sinhalese nationalist groups? PRS: Mr “Karuna”, your country has the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which won a democratic election and constitutes the government in Jaffna, Sri Lanka’s northern province. It represents a wide spectrum of Tamil groups, big and small. It supports the current national coalition government in Colombo. So why do the majority-Tamils of your Northern and Eastern Provinces need yet another Tamil political party? KARUNA: The situation has totally changed. Tamil people now feel there is no good leadership. That is what I want to give them. Also, we have no solution (to the question of Tamil autonomy) so far. The Tamil parties united with the government and promised a lot of things to the Tamil people: that we are going to merge the North and East, we are going to evacuate army camps from peoples’ lands, etc. But nothing happened. We are going to give a voice and development to the Tamil people, but also to all islanders. The Tamil lands are our main motherlands and that is the main thing. PRS: The word ‘’motherland’’ has been misused in the past, by the LTTE, to whom you belonged. Could you clarify what you mean by it now? KARUNA: The North and the East are Tamil lands. This is historically so. Northern and Eastern people have been living there for more than 2,000 years. They were divided into two provinces but they are one, our motherland. Of course, united with Sri Lanka. But they have to give us our rights. We need land power and development and – according to the 13th Amendment – we have to merge the North and East. India’s 13th Amendment is a good solution for the Tamil people. PRS: The 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution was co-authored by former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi in 1987, i.e. 30 years ago. Surely outdated, since you say Sri Lankan Tamils have changed drastically and are a modern society today? KARUNA: Yes, but the Amendment provides for that. We can address and correct all problems through that 13th Amendment. We can adapt the Amendment to modern times. But the main problem is that in the north and east, they will definitely have to give power to the Tamil people. PRS: Are you seeking India’s help in implementing the 13th Amendment? KARUNA: Most definitely. We are seeking only India’s help. Because whenever western countries come, they do so with an eye on benefits for themselves. Only our neighbour India is closest to us. New Delhi has the responsibility because it was also involved here. India sent its army against the LTTE. That is why Indian leaders have to pressure our government for a good solution for the Tamil people. PRS: But you have been a member of the SLFP under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and even its vice-president. Are you disappointed in both Rajapaksa and current President Maithripala Sirisena? KARUNA: I am very friendly with both of them, there are no problems. But I have the right to offer good leadership to the Tamil people. I have certain strengths drawn from the thirty years I fought on behalf of the Tamil people. Even as an LTTE commander, I travelled all over the world for them. I am the only top ex-cadre still alive today. Then, I was a parliamentarian for ten years. All this undoubtedly gives me the experience to meet the needs of the Tamils. But we have to consult the entire leadership too. I can negotiate with them because I am on very friendly terms with all Sinhala leaders. PRS: You place great expectations on India. But your country’s growing closeness to China under both ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa and present incumbent Maithripala Sirisena is disrupting India’s relations with Sri Lanka. Given Sri Lanka’s debt crisis, that doesn’t seem likely to change overnight. KARUNA: Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa handled the Chinese very carefully and used China only for the purpose of development. He gave them only 750 acres of land in Hambantota for the port. But the current government has given away 15,000 acres to the Chinese government. Sri Lankans don’t like this new deal. Rajapaksa used China, he got money from them and massively developed the war-savaged North and East with it. He built infrastructure rapidly. But the present government has to be very careful because without Indian support, there will be problems in future in Sri Lanka. PRS: You seem to hold Mahinda Rajapaksa in high regard. His party is split across the benches. His colleagues in the opposition have launched a new party and hope he will lead it. He hasn’t said no. Have you told him of your new outfit? Will you support each other? KARUNA : I definitely approve of Mahinda Rajapaksa because he is a good leader. At the same time, he stayed loyal to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) – it is not he who split the party. There are a lot of internal battles going on within the SLFP. I have also told party cadres many times to sort them out as that would be best for the country. I appreciate Rajapaksa - no question. PRS : Does Rajapaksa know about your party? KARUNA : Yes. I have already negotiated with him. The Tamils are a little angry with Rajapaksa because he was president during the last phases of war. I told him that he could change that image by accepting my support. But I have also negotiated with the Sirisena faction of the SLFP. I have no problems with either. PRS: There are more than 900,000 members of the Tamil diaspora around the world. How can they help their brethren in Sri Lanka? KARUNA : Diaspora people have a responsibility to the North and East. They have to support development and other good causes here. They could represent us in the global community. But recreating the LTTE is not good for us. We fought 30 years. Nothing happened, we didn’t achieve anything. It is only through a political democracy, by collaborating with the government that we can get somewhere. My message to the diaspora is: don’t try to recreate unnecessary violence here again. PRS: It’s all very well to announce a new political party. But there are cases pending against you, within and outside Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, you were arrested for the alleged misuse of a bulletproof luxury government vehicle late last year. Won’t those charges hinder you from registering your party? KARUNA: No, there is no problem there. The government was misled and they arrested me. After I left parliament, I handed over all correspondence, documentation and receipts pertaining to the vehicle along with it to the authorities. It is based on that evidence that the Colombo magistrate granted me bail. Now, there is no criminal case against me. I never misused government property. We can’t register any political parties in Sri Lanka right now because of some unrelated judicial issue. But the Election Commission has requested an application and we will submit one. It will be accepted later. PRS: I have spoken to plenty of other former LTTE cadres like you. Chief LTTE financier and gunrunner, K Pathmanathan runs orphanages today. LTTE’s ”media officer” Daya Master, works as a journalist at a TV station. They all want peace. Will they join you? KARUNA: Anyone can join. More than 12000 former LTTE cadres were rehabilitated. A lot of them have joined us. There are others too facing severe problems. They all have a right to be involved and some have even started a party of former LTTE cadres. Even that group was accepted by the government. We live in a democracy so whoever wants to come into the political fold, must be welcomed and rehabilitated. That’s a good thing. PRS: In 2004 when you split from the LTTE, you had told me that it was because Eastern Tamils like you perceived a lot of discrimination by Northern Tamils like Prabhakaran. How are you so sure that those old animosities will not resurface again if North and East are merged? KARUNA : No, I have never blamed the northern people, only the leadership. Even now, Tamil parties never give eastern Tamils any leading positions. That is one big issue. But not with people. People are innocent and decent and will want to join the party. Now we are trying to merge the North and East – that is what people want. I had a lot of experience with the northern people. Throughout the 30-year war, I was, after all, in the North, so I know these people well. There are no problems. PRS :There’s another serious charge. As deputy commander of the LTTE, you, too, stand accused by the UNICEF, HRW and many other international organisations of recruiting child soldiers. KARUNA: In the early stages of the LTTE, only those willing to fight joined the group. Later, there was a manpower shortage. That’s when the LTTE possibly recruited children. I, too, didn’t like that aspect and that is one of the main reasons why I broke away. Personally, I never agreed to those things and so far, nobody from Geneva has complained directly to me. But people still talk about this whenever I am mentioned. I left the LTTE and embraced the good, democratic path. I have never indulged in any violence. PRS: Escaped LTTE cadres are said to have regrouped in Europe – after receiving asylum – and revived the Tamil Tigers in exile. Will they ever meet with success in Sri Lanka? KARUNA: There are no chances of success at all. If they bring in that kind of ideology again, people will never appreciate it. Because Tamils have suffered a lot. Lives were lost, people wounded critically. The people’s mindset has totally changed -they don’t like those kinds of things. Again, I request the diaspora not to create unnecessary problems. They should support us in other ways. There are wounded soldiers, more than 3000 war widows in the North and East. They should support such people. WION’s Senior International Correspondent Padma Rao Sundarji’s exclusive interview with former LTTE commander, “Col Karuna”, on his new political outfit, “The Tamil United Freedom Party” in Batticaloa, capital of Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province. (WION)

Exclusive: Ex-LTTE commander 'Col Karuna' floats new party to amplify Tamil autonomy demand

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