Sri Lanka’s presidential elections to be held in November

by Thusiyan
Sep 18, 2019

 

Sri Lanka’s elections office announced today that presidential elections will be held on November 16th.

The elections come at a crucial time for the island, in the wake of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed hundreds and the UN Human Rights Council's decision earlier this year to grant a two year extension to Sri Lanka to implement a resolution which mandates a hybrid accountability mechanism for mass atrocities.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary, who oversaw the military offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamils in Mullivaikkal, officially launched his presidential bid last month.

The United National Party (UNP) is yet to announce their candidate, with names such as Sajith Premadasa, Karu Jayasuriya and current Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in the mix.

The Elections Secretariat said nominations will be accepted on October 7th.

 

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This demonstration, which culminated in a rally and speeches in Punchbowl, highlighted the plight of refugees denied permanent visas for over 12 years. Speakers at the event shed light on the profound impact of the current system, including barriers to higher education, employment, and access to essential services.

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Amaran - Problematic propaganda

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The genre of war epic makes its grand re-entry to Tamil cinema with director Rajkumar Periasamy’s sophomore feature film, ‘Amaran.’ As is often the case with this genre, one cannot help but feel the events of the ‘true story’ onscreen have been heavily modified for easy consumption.

 

 

 

The patriotic military films of Tamil cinema had taken a back seat for a while. The subject matter is now seldom a prominent theme of a film, instead lurking in the shadows peeking through such as via the heroes in the works of Nelson Dilipkumar. The genre of war epic makes its grand re-entry to Tamil cinema with director Rajkumar Periasamy’s sophomore feature film, ‘Amaran.’ As is often the case with this genre, one cannot help but feel the events of the ‘true story’ onscreen have been heavily modified for easy consumption.

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Krishna's rating: 2.5 stars

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Official trailer for film below.

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(c) Halt all offensive arms transfers, including weapons, explosives, guns and/or ammunition, to Israel;

(d) Hold nationals, including those with dual Israeli citizenship, involved in settler violence or violations in Gaza, accountable for violations of international law;  

(e) Review financial transfer policies that allow religious and charitable organizations to fund activities in Israel, which enable the further sustenance of an apartheid system;  

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