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JVP leader claims university ragging allegations outrageous

Published

3 years ago

2022/10/21

By Saman Indrajith

Some politicians hate university students because they played a major role in sending Gotabaya Rajapaksa home, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka has said.During the past few months, university students had won praise and admiration of the public, he said in Colomb yesterday.

“The students played a key role in ending the disastrous reign of Gotabaya. So, they hate students,” he said.

Most politicians who blamed university students for ragging were driven by hate and their past actions had shown that they did not care about the youth of the country, Dissanayaka said.The JVP leader said some people claimed that physical and mental harassment was used by some political parties for recruitment.

“Does anyone think that you can harass and torture someone, and convince him or her to join a political party? These are myths perpetuated by some people with ulterior motives,” he said.The JVP is a political party that supports the human rights of all Sri Lankans. Leftist movements across the world have fought for the betterment of the people. On the other hand, those in the right have been among the most severe violators of human rights, Dissanayaka said.

“Look at these people who are making these baseless accusations? They have a history of working with thugs. They are involved in various anti-social activities. Some of them have actually killed young people. They have played a role in destroying the economy of Sri Lanka. They have ruined the future of youth and children and you expect me to believe that they care about the rights of young people?” the JVP leader asked.The JVP as a political party and students aligned to it are opposed to physical or mental harassment, he said.Responding to a question posed by a journalist whether the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) is involved in ragging, Dissanayaka said that neither the FSP nor its students union is involved in ragging.

“No organised leftwing political party nor its students’ union is involved in ragging. They are against it. However, there are incidents of ragging, and we condemn them. Student union leaders have fought against this. We would like to remind students involved in ragging that their actions are providing ammunition to reactionary politicians,” he said.The JVP leader added that political parties had a right to engage in politics in universities and students had a right to engage in politics.

“Our political elites do not like university students engaging in politics. Most university students do not come from elitist backgrounds. Our political elites don’t like talented young politicians coming up from ordinary families. If they can stop young political leaders from universities form coming up, it allows them and their children to dominate politics. The JVP leader added that there were university administrators who were lackeys of politicians, and they were bent on harassing dissenting students. They had done nothing to develop universities and uplift student life or university rankings, he said.

“The Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) and university students in general played a leading role in ending Gota’s rule. And Rajapaksa affiliates hate them for this. That’s why they have arrested the IUSF convener under PTA. This young man fought for the rights of all Sri Lankans. He fought for our rights. Now, he has been in jail for 90 days under the PTA. His life is in danger. Recently, Suren Ragavan and Janaka Bandara Tennakoon’s son made ‘emotional statements’ about innocent youth affected by ragging. Shouldn’t Ragavan and Bandara care about Wasantha Mudalige, too?”

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Govt. extends ban on LTTE

Published

4 hours ago

2026/01/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

The NPP government has issued a new extraordinary gazette renewing and extending Sri Lanka’s long-standing ban on the LTTE and several Tamil diaspora organisations and individuals, continuing to designate them as “terrorists”.

The gazette, published recently, replaces a previous gazette issued in May 2025 and reaffirmed the proscription of a wide range of Tamil political and advocacy bodies operating around the world, alongside dozens of named individuals. The government alleged both the organisations and individuals listed are involved in “terrorism-related activities”.

The organisations blacklisted by the Sri Lankan government include:

• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

• Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO)

• Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC)

• World Tamil Movement (WTM)

• Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)

• World Tamil Relief Fund (WTRF)

• National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT)

• Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO)

While the majority of the designations mirror those contained in the May 2025 gazette, the latest document updates identification details and addresses for a number of individuals and introduces at least one additional organisation to the list. All entries have been reissued under new reference numbers for 2026, though the underlying allegations and framing remain unchanged.

Successive governemnts have maintained a sweeping proscription regime against Tamil diaspora groups and individuals. A ban can make it a criminal offence for Sri Lankan citizens to maintain contact with these organisations or their members, severely restricting political engagement and stifling links between the diaspora and the Tamil homeland.

The original mass listings were introduced in 2014 under the administration of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Despite repeated outcry, subsequent governments have continued to uphold and renew the proscription regime, even after the Rajapaksas were voted out of power.

News

Police obtain court order banning Wimal’s protest

Published

4 hours ago

2026/01/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa addresses a gathering outside the Education Ministry on Monday before launching a protest demanding the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya as Education Minister over the inclusion of a link to an adult content website in the Grade 06 English module. (Pic by Thushara Atapattu)

Police yesterday (12) obtained an injunction order from the Kaduwela Magistrate’s court against the protest launched by National Freedom Front (NFF) leader and former Minister Wimal Weerawansa opposite the Education Ministry, Isurupaya, at Battaramulla.

Police informed Weerawansa of the court order. In line with the court order, the police informed Weerawansa that the road near the Ministry should not be obstructed and that no sound amplification equipment be used while the GCE Advanced Level (A/L) examination is in progress. The examination, put off due to Cyclone Ditwah, recommenced yesterday.

News

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expresses optimism that Sri Lanka is on the right path to progres

Published

4 hours ago

2026/01/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

FM Herath with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath held productive discussions with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi today (12/01), during the latter’s brief visit to Sri Lanka.

The meeting aimed at further strengthening bilateral engagement and advancing the Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the two countries. Both Ministers reaffirmed the longstanding friendship and time-tested cooperation between Sri Lanka and China rooted in centuries of exchanges and consolidated since the establishment of diplomatic relations seven decades ago. The discussion also focused on enhancing partnership in the areas of trade, investment, development cooperation and tourism.

Minister Herath extended deep appreciation to the Government and the people of China for the steadfast support extended to Sri Lanka following cyclone Ditwah and requested further support for the second phase of resettlement, relocation and rebuilding, particularly for the restoration of affected infrastructure including identified roads, railways and bridges that are vital to connectivity, economic recovery and daily lives of people. Minister Wang assured China’s fullest support for this initiative and expressed confidence that Sri Lanka will continue its rapid recovery under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Disanayaka. He also welcomed the people-centric policies of the Government and expressed optimism that Sri Lanka is on the right path toward fulfilling aspirations of its people.

Minister Herath expressed appreciation for China’s constructive role in international fora and reiterated Sri Lanka’s firm commitment to the One China Policy and China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Both Ministers also recalled the successful high level exchanges in the recent past, including visits of the President and the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka to China in 2025.