The Centre for Policy Alternatives today filed a Fundamental Rights Petition with the Supreme Court, challenging the appointment of Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka to Parliament through the UNP national list. Through the petition, the CPA argues that the appointment violates Statute 99 (a) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka since Fonseka was not named in the UNP national list or a UNP district candidate list in the 2015 August General Election.

The CID said that two LTTE activists who had turned State witnesses in the Prageeth Ekneligoda disappearance case confessed to Homagama Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake at his official residence on Tuesday 16 February that the army personnel now under custody had used their National Identity Cards to get mobile phone SIM cards under their names. The CID said that an examination of calls taken via those SIM cards showed that the entire plan to abduct Ekneligoda had been a long premeditated one.

Given an extension of three months, the Presidential Commission Investigating Cases of Missing Persons (PCICMP) will give priority to

Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran has urged the government to stop acquiring lands in Valikamam North under the guise of developing the Palaly Airport and Myliddy Fisheries Harbour. Chief Minister Wigneswaran met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo on Monday (15) accompanied by Northern Provincial Council Ministers P. Aynkaranesan and T.Kurukularaja. The government agents from all five districts in the Northern Province also participated at the meeting.

Police have released sketches of two suspects believed to be connected to the murder of former The Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickramatunge. The sketches had been drawn based on statements made by several witnesses.Issuing a media release Police Headquarters has requested public assistance in order to trace the duo. The first suspect is described as a well-built fair-skinned individual, about 35 years of age, five feet eight inches in height, with brown eyes.

The Provincial Council (PC) elections were unlikely this year, because the delimitation of the Wards in all the Districts had not yet been completed, State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said today. He told a media briefing held at the Information Centre in Colombo that the Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Faiszer Mustapha was working hard to complete the delimitation process covering the entire country.

SLFP General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake, MP, yesterday said that former President and Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa was free to decide whether to leave the party or not.Minister Dissanayake said the party wouldn

Due to the internal rift between the two factions of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) some senior members of SLFP are considering to join the ruling United National Party (UNP), political sources said. Sources say Minister of Special Assignments Dr. Sarath Amunugama and Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training Mahinda Samarasinghe are likely to join the UNP, sources said. Meanwhile, Minister Amunugama has said that the public service will be carried out effectively, although certain individuals leave the SLFP.

Ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa's son Yoshitha, a Lieutenant in the Navy, and currently in remand custody on charges of financial irregularities at the Carlton Sports Network (CSN) would be sacked if found guilty of the charges, the Navy said today. Navy Spokesman Akram Alavi said the Navy was also conducting two investigations in connection with Yoshitha's alleged unauthorized overseas travel and his involvement in politics while being a naval officer.

The newly appointed Governor of the Northern Province Reginald Cooray today noted the need to win the hearts of the Tamils affected by the war. Speaking at a meeting with the Chief Prelates in Kandy, Reginald Cooray said that while the country has won the war it has yet to win the hearts of the Tamils. He said that his role as Governor of the Northern Province will be much easier since the Tamils in the North have accepted his appointment. Cooray took oaths as the new Governor of the Northern Province before President Maithripala Sirisena this week. Cooray succeeds HMGS Palihakkara, who had completed his term in office.

The Australian Navy had told Sri Lankan asylum seekers to go and die. Secret interviews with asylum seekers being held in Indonesia appear to confirm allegations that people smugglers were paid to turn back while trying to reach Australia, Tvnz.co.nz reported. The claims first surfaced in an Amnesty International report last year involving a boat believed to be heading to New Zealand. Two young Sri Lankan parents, who risked a dangerous high seas journey to escape conflict, say the Australian Navy gave them a message while allegedly paying off the people smugglers to turn back.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said that the Government is trying to pressurise him by summoning him before various commissions daily. "Sending me to the electric chair is better than exerting more pressure on me," he said. Rajapaksa added that the media has taken a back seat when it comes to reporting the wrongdoings of the government, after they were criticized by the government. "Some policians are in the habit of harshly criticizing media personnel who are then reluctant to tell the truth to the people," he said. The former President was speaking to the media at Aluthgama yesterday.

The mandate of the Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons headed by former High Court Judge Maxwell Paranagama had been extended by three more months with affect from Monday, the Commission said today.The mandate had been extended under the directives of the Presidential Secretariat. The commission was appointed to investigate the complaints on the missing persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka which were affected by war during the period June 10, 1990 and May 19, 2009.

Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera was further remanded by Homagama Magistrate Ranga Dassanayake till February 23 for allegedly threatening Pradeep Eknaligoda

Security of the Colombo Remand Prison Cell in which the former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa is detained has not been increased, said the Department of Prisons. According to Prisons Spokesperson H.M.T.N. Upuldeniya reports claiming that special security has been provided to the cell detaining Yoshitha Rajapaksa and the four other suspects are false. Heightening of security is a routine practice as underworld criminals are also detained in that specific section of the prison, Upuldeniya further said.

TNA and Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan welcomed the move by President Maithripala Sirisena to appoint Reginald Cooray as the Northern Province Governor. Hailing Cooray as a progressive man, Sampanthan said he is in agreement with the appointment.

The Sri Lanka Navy has suspended four Navy Sports Club players for wearing wrist bands that displaying "YO07", reports say. The players have done this during a Dialog Rugby league encounter yesterday (14) in Diyagama to show solidarity with former Navy SC captain Yoshitha Rajapaksa, who has been remanded over allegations of fraud. Yoshitha Rajapaksa

A group of Sri Lankan parliamentarians missed the opening day of an Inter-faith conference in South Korea after one MP left her passport in the Seoul International airport toilet and the delegation was not allowed entry into the country. The group of 17 MPs had arrived in Seoul to attend the International Conference of Parliamentarians for Peace, an event sponsored by the Universal Peace Federation run by the widow of the late Rev. Sun Moon. On arrival, Matale District Parliamentarian Rohini Wijeratne used the facilities at the airport and forgetfully left her passport there.

Bail Applications were filed at Colombo High Court on behalf of five individuals including Yoshitha Rajapaksa, arrested for alleged involvement in money laundering at Carlton Sports Network.Through the bail applications, the lawyers of the five suspects have challenged the decision by the Kaduwela Magistrate to deny bail to them. The applications will be taken up for support on February 17. Yoshitha Rajapaksa and the others were arrested on January 30.

President Maithripala Sirisena today left for Germany for a two-day state visit. During the two-day visit aimed at boosting trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, the President will be having discussions with the President of Germany, German Minister of Foreign Affairs, German Minister of Economic Affairs and some representatives of the German Parliament. The Presidential delegation comprises 25 members.

The area around the cellblock in the Colombo Remand Prison where Yoshitha Rajapaksa and three others are detained on charges of money laundering has been declared a restricted area.Only the two jailers on duty are authorised to enter J block of the prison where the suspects are detained. The suspects are kept under 24 hours surveillance by the jailers.One jailer has been assigned to be present whenever Yoshitha Rajapaksa is taken out to meet visitors. All the suspects have been ordered not to leave the area without informing the jailers on duty, according to sources. These restrictions have been placed on them after a mobile phone was found in a cell near Yoshitha's, prisons officers said.

The ideological and political rift between the Northern Province Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran and the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government in Colombo appears to be widening, with Wigneswaran

The Disciplinary Committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) will initiate action against 30 MPs for violating party discipline. The SLFP Central Committee, when it met on Friday, decided to delegate full authority to the Disciplinary Committee of the party to take action against MPs breaching party discipline, irrespective of their positions in the party.

Reginald Cooray took oaths as the new Governor of the Northern Province before President Maithripala Sirisena today. Cooray will assume duties on the 16th of this month. Cooray succeeds HMGS Palihakkara, who had completed his term in office.

Democratic Party leader Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has sought the post of Kotte chief organizer of the United National Party. However, senior UNP members have reportedly opposed this move. The UNP is said to be willing to give Fonseka the organizer post for Ambalangoda, UNP sources said. Senior UNP members however have told the UNP leadership not to give him an organizer post.

President Maithripala Sirisena said that he is the one who saved former President Mahinda Rajapaksa from being sent to the electric chair. He said that former President Rajapaksa claimed that if he (Maithripala) became the President of the country, he (Mahinda) would be send to the electric chair over alleged war crimes. "But my government was able to save him from being sent to the electric chair,

Colombo Fort Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage on Friday turned down a request from lawyers for a former LTTE strongman Emil Kanthan alias Anton Chamil Lakshmi Kannan to revoke the open warrant for his arrest. The Magistrate turned down the request after the CID objected to the lifting of the warrant which has been issued for his immediate arrest on arrival at any port or airport in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil S Wickremesinghe on Friday made it clear that his government was not averse to international participation in investigating the alleged war crimes in his country, but said "final judgment will be made by the internal judicial system." Wickremesinghe who was in Guruvayur to offer prayers at the famous Sree Krishna Temple made these observations while talking to reporters.

Aimed at designing a reconciliation mechanism in the post-civil war Sri Lanka, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera on Friday appealed to the victims on both sides of the divide to participate in a consultation process. A task force, comprising 11 citizens, has been constituted with Manouri Muttetuwegama, a senior advocate, as chairperson. It came into existence formally on Friday with Mr. Samaraweera launching its website.

State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene refuted claims made by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the UNHRC resolution would make provision to arrest Sri Lankan military forces personnel and that the government was also assisting the UNHRC to achieve this.