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Sri Lanka’s main Tamil party on Saturday vowed to launch a Gandhi-style civil disobedience campaign to press a long-standing demand for regional autonomy for their ethnic minority. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in its manifesto for April parliamentary elections renewed its demand for extensive regional autonomy – after Tamil Tiger rebels who fought in their name were crushed last year. “If the Sri Lankan state continues its present style of governance without due regard to the rights of the Tamil-speaking peoples, the TNA will launch a peaceful, non-violent campaign of civil disobedience on the Gandhian model,” the party said. The TNA was a puppet of the Tamil Tiger rebels who were crushed by security forces in May last year after 37 years of fighting. The United Nations has said up to 100,000 people were killed in the conflict. On Saturday the alliance said it would lobby neighbouring India and the international community to ensure the island’s Tamil community -- 12.5 percent

The three-member Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) commonly known as the Bribery Commission, will see the end of its present tenure by March 29, 2010 until new members are appointed on the recommendations of the Constitutional Council. However, the Constitutional Council (CC) too is yet to be constituted and appointments to the Independent Commissions as envisaged by the 17th Amendment to the Constitution is out of the question at the moment. According to sources, once the term of the Bribery Commission ends on 29th of this month (March), neither fresh complaints on alleged bribery or corruption could be investigated by it nor action on ongoing investigations which conclude after March 29 be taken by the commission. CIABOC is among the several independent commissions that came to be formulated under the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, the others being the Public Services Commission and the National Police Commission. The current CIABOC was c

The United States Embassy in Colombo today announced that Ms. Jansila Majeed has been selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be one of ten recipients worldwide of the Department of State’s International Women of Courage award. Full Release; The United States Embassy is pleased to announce that Ms. Jansila Majeed has been selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be one of ten recipients worldwide of the Department of State’s International Women of Courage award. Ms. Majeed is the Managing Trustee of Community Trust Fund in Puttalam province. The Trust oversees a number of programs on minority and women’s issues, including women’s rights, peace building, relief work, working with young people, and mine-risk education in the North and East. Ms. Majeeb’s own particular focus is on uniting the Muslim and Tamil communities in her province. Having lived as an internally displaced person (IDP) for almost 20 years, Ms. Majeed has b

The gruesome incident where a 13 year-old girl being allegedly raped by her grandfather was reported from the Embilipitiya area today. The 85 year old suspect who is the girl’s paternal grandfather has been arrested by the Embilipitiya police. Further investigations are underway.