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  • The crucial role of minority votes in the Presidential Election - 2024
    The crucial role of minority votes in the Presidential Election - 2024 Sri Lanka is approaching one of its most pivotal presidential elections, scheduled for September 21, 2024. This election is a significant event for the nation, marked by economic turmoil, political uncertainty, and a growing desire for systemic change. With 39 candidates vying for the presidency, the contest has narrowed down to three leading figures: incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), the leader of the National People’s Power (NPP); with the fourth-force being Namal Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). However, the complexity of the race, coupled with a fractured electorate, has raised the possibility that no candidate will secure the necessary 50% +1 of the votes in the first...
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  • Anti-terrorism Bill will be changed
    The highly controversial Antiterrorism Bill is subject to amendments and changes in Parliament and as such no one should have any fear or feeling of threat from the proposed Bill, Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said. The government is aware of concerns raised by the global and local community on certain provisions contained in the draft of the Anti-terrorism Bill and the Government is ready to alleviate them by discussion, compromise and flexibility, he added. Addressing a news conference at the Information Department auditorium, Minister Rajapakshe said the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) passed in 1979 under President J.R. Jayewardene’s rule as a temporary measure to counter the emerging separatist insurgency. The PTA has been misused and exploited by successive Governments since then for their personal and political...
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  • WhatsApp adds option to use the same account on multiple phones
    WhatsApp users are no longer restricted to using their account on just a single phone. Today, the Meta-owned messaging service is announcing that its multi-device feature — which previously allowed you to access and send messages from additional Android tablets, browsers, or computers alongside your primary phone — is expanding to support additional smartphones. “One WhatsApp account, now across multiple phones” is how the service describes the feature, which it says is rolling out to everyone in the coming weeks.
    Setting up a secondary phone to use with your WhatsApp account happens after doing a fresh install of the app. Except, rather than entering your phone number during setup and logging in as usual, you instead tap a new “link to existing account” option. This will generate a QR...
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  • CBK commends Dr. Shafi’s noble gesture of donating past salary to buy essential medicine
    Falsely accused by racist elements for alleged illegal sterilisation, Kurunegala Teaching Hospital doctor says racism will not take country or organisation forward except make poor people suffer more; calls on all to make Sri Lanka racism-free   Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has commended Dr. Mohamed Shafi Shihabdeen over his gesture of donating the past salaries amounting to Rs. 2.6 million during his suspension and imprisonment on false charges to buy essential medicines. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga

    Dr. Mohamed Shafi Shihabdeen



    Following...
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  • Dr. Shafi donates arrears of his salary to purchase medicines for hospitals
    Dr. Shihabdeen Mohamed Shafi, the doctor at the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital has decided to donate arrears of his salary amounting over Rs. 2.67 million for the purchase of essential medicines for hospitals.

    Dr. Shafi who was on compulsory leave on charges of performing infertility surgery, has received a cheque of over Rs. 2.67 million salary arrears from the Health Ministry last week.

    The salary arrears include the basic salary, interim allowance, cost of living, and allowance in lieu of pension for the period of compulsory leave imposed on Dr. Sihabdeen.

    Dr. Shafi who was employed at the Kurunegala teaching hospital was arrested on May 25th, 2019, on charges of performing infertility surgery.
    On July 25, 2019, the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court ordered that the doctor be released on bail.
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  • Govt. used Sinhala-Buddhist shield to its maximum benefit Ven. Galkande Dhammananda Thera
    This Govt. nurtured thug-like monks promoted them and deployed them in various  places Certain monks have severe psychological wounds If  society isn’t healed cases of domestic violence, harassment and child  abuse will be on the rise Reconciliation  was about having workshops, providing a report and earning dollars Accountability  has not been included in the Constitution or the Judicial system Terrorism  sprouts in a country that has no justice Ven. Galkande Dhammananda Thera who currently heads the Walpola Rahula Institute for Buddhist Studies has been addressing issues related to social justice and harmony while promoting an inclusive and plural society. Having gathered a wealth of experience during the height of war for instance and having encountered various incidents during his lifetime, Ven. Dhammananda Thera has...
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  • Health ministry to pay back-wages for Dr. Shafi before July 10
    The Ministry of Health today gave an undertaking before the Court of Appeal that the salary and allowances payable to Dr. Shafi  Shihabdeen will be paid before July 10 this year. The Ministry of Health gave this undertaking pursuant to a writ petition filed by Dr. Shafi  Shihabdeen, who was at the centre of the controversy surrounding the alleged sterilisation of female patients. The Director General of Establishment at the Ministry of Public Services had earlier informed the Court that the basic salary, interim allowance, cost of living and allowance in lieu of pension could be paid to Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen, for the compulsory leave period. Meanwhile, the petitioner expressed willingness to attend the preliminary inquiry before Director of Kurunegala Teaching Hospital Dr. Chandana Kendangamuwa. Taking into consideration the facts,...
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  • Sri Lanka court orders release of lawyer held for two years
    A Sri Lankan court has ordered the release on bail of a lawyer arrested over his alleged links to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings and held for nearly two years on charges rights groups say lacked credible evidence. Hejaaz Hizbullah was arrested in April 2020 and accused of being linked to the attacks on churches and hotels that left 279 people dead. But after prosecutors failed to provide evidence of his involvement in the attacks, blamed on a local group, he was instead Read More...
  • Hejaaz Hizbullah leaves from remand custody
    Attorney-at-law Hejaaz Hizbullah today left from remand custody after fulfilling his bail conditions before Puttlalam High Court.

    He was incarcerated for 22 months for allegedly committing offences come under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.Last Monday (07), the Court of Appeal ordered to release Hizbullah on bail pursuant to a revision application filed on behalf him.Hizbullah was ordered to be released on a cash bail of Rs.100,000 with two sureties of Rs.500,000 by Puttlalam High Court Judge Kumari Abeyratne. He was further ordered to report to the DIG office of Puttalam Police Division every second and fourth Sunday of every month.An indictment under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act has now been served on Hejaaz Hizbullah. According to the indictment, Hizbullah...
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  • හිජාස් ගෙදර යයි

    (නිමන්ති රණසිංහ සහ හිරාන් ප්‍රියංකර ජයසිංහ) ත්‍රස්තවාදය වැළැක්වීමේ පනත සහ සිවිල් හා දේශපාලන අයිතීන් පිළිබද ජාත්‍යන්තර සම්මුති පනත ප්‍රකාරව චෝදනා ලැබ වසර දෙකකට ආසන්න කාලයක් රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාර ගත කර සිටි නිතීඥ හිජාස් හිස්බුල්ලා මහතා අභියාචනාධිකරණ නියෝගය ප්‍රකාරව ඇප මත මුදාහැරීමට පුත්තලම මහාධිකරණය අද (09)...
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Letter handed over to Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Australia

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A letter was handed over to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Australia His Excellency Somasundaram Skandakumar at the High Commission in Canberra on Saturday 10 March 2018 by the Austra Lanka Muslim Association (ALMA) based in Sydney, expressing their extreme disappointment, displeasure and strong condemnation of the continual violence unleashed against the Muslims in Sri Lanka. See the letter here >> https://goo.gl/6nu3Fx (or see the attachment)


___________________________________________________________________________________________
P.O. Box A1438, Sydney South, NSW 1235, Australia.
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Web: www.alma.org.au
Austra-Lanka Muslim Association Inc. (ALMA) is an incorporated not-for-profit community organisation based in Sydney,
New South Wales, Australia. It was founded in 1992 by a few members with the objectives of promoting good values, and
maintaining unity and friendship among the increasing number of Muslims of Sri Lankan origin and other communities in and
outside Australia.


Austra-Lanka Muslim Association Inc.
Incorporated in NSW as a Not-for-Profit Community Organisation
ABN 80 076 747 489
9 March 2018
The High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Australia
His Excellency Somasundaram Skandakumar
Sri Lankan High Commission
Canberra,
Australia
Your Excellency,
Violence against Muslims in Sri Lanka
Greetings from the Austra-Lanka Muslim Association Inc. (ALMA)
On behalf of the Muslim community in Sydney, we would like to place on record our concern and
extreme dissatisfaction on the atrocities meted out to the peace loving Muslim community in Sri
Lanka. It was our fervent belief that the racial disharmony that was the norm in the past, against which
we made repeated representation at that time, would come to a closure with the change of
leadership/regime which was replaced by the ‘Yahapalana’ government. Ever since this government
took over, racial discrimination and victimization of the minorities, particularly the Muslim community,
have continued unabated. Certain hard-line groups appear to be acting to instil an on-going fear
psychosis among the Muslim population in Sri Lanka. The despicable yet well-orchestrated attacks
which started in Ampara and spread on to Digana, Teldeniya, Katugastota, Akurana and other areas,
where a sizeable Muslim population lives harmoniously with the Sinhalese society, opened the gates
for further communal violence against the Muslims. These attacks were perpetrated by some Buddhist
extremist groups.
Regrettably, a personal dispute between some individuals has been used as an opportunity to incite
communal violence resulting in loss of lives and, unjustified destruction of Mosques, business
establishments, homes and vehicles causing extensive financial losses and psychological distress.
Obviously these dastardly and vindictive atrocities do not augur well for the image and growth of
Mother Lanka. The economy of the country is at its lowest ebb throwing the country in a state of total
disarray. The Law and Order in the country appears to be in the hands of the goons who could not be
controlled by the Government or Police and/or armed forces. The hatred and animosity the
perpetrators demonstrate, unfortunately has been targeted against the Muslims who have every right
to be part of the total populace. They are Sri Lankans too and should be treated like any other citizen
in the country. It is deplorable that things are not happening the way they should. These acts of
hatred, violence and destruction by Buddhist extremists has brought the country to a virtual standstill
thus inconveniencing the daily lives of the law-abiding citizens.
The 30-year war with the LTTE came to a closure in 2009, but the Muslim minority seems to be the
next target of this racial hatred exercise orchestrated in total connivance with certain hardliners of the
political community. Whether Sri Lanka will be able to revert to the early post-independence era that
created an environment where all the communities lived in peace and harmony is questionable and
seems a remote possibility.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
P.O. Box A1438, Sydney South, NSW 1235, Australia.
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Web: www.alma.org.au
Austra-Lanka Muslim Association Inc. (ALMA) is an incorporated not-for-profit community organisation based in Sydney,
New South Wales, Australia. It was founded in 1992 by a few members with the objectives of promoting good values, and
maintaining unity and friendship among the increasing number of Muslims of Sri Lankan origin and other communities in and
outside Australia.
While the Intelligence Service of the Sri Lankan armed forces played a significant role in efficiently
dismantling the powerful LTTE, failure to foresee the well-orchestrated attacks against the Muslims on
this occasion has created a sense of suspicion in the minds of the Muslim community.
Our prayers are certainly with those affected in the disturbances. Ironically enough of these atrocities
are being done in the presence of the security personnel who are accused to be mere observers. Is it
not a shame on those that are destined to protect the citizens of the country irrespective of caste,
creed or religion? Where is the country leading to, is it following the footsteps of Aung San Suu Kyi
with the determination to repeat what extremist monk Ashin Wirathu and his disciples did to the
downtrodden Rohingya Muslims? Only time will tell us and therefore the hapless Muslim community
in Sri Lanka have to live in constant fear of being killed or their properties being torched.
We also take this opportunity to place on record our sincere appreciation towards the majority
Sinhalese community, particularly the Buddhist clergy, who displayed their displeasure towards this
dastardly act and extended their genuine support to the victims.
We, representing Sri Lankan Muslims living in NSW are urging you, Your Excellency, to bring this to the
attention of the President, His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena, The Prime Minister, Hon Ranil
Wickremasinghe and the Honourable Minister of Law and Order, our extreme disappointment,
displeasure and strong condemnation of the continual violence unleashed against the Muslims.
To assure our community in Australia, who are concerned about the safety of their family and friends
in Sri Lanka, we would appreciate if we can be informed of the constructive measures that the
government would take to prevent incidents of this nature occurring in the future.
We enclose herewith a compilation of documented incidents in Kandy as of 8 March 2018 for your
perusal.
We thank you for your kind consideration.
Sincerely,
____________________ ____________________
Rafi Mubarak Feroze Razik
President Secretary
CC: Mr Lal Wickrematunge,
Consul General of Sri Lanka in NSW and Queensland

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