International

Sri Lanka's parliament Wednesday passed a no-confidence motion against controversial newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his cabinet of ministers amid chaotic scenes, officials said. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya reconvened parliament Wednesday after the country's top court suspended a presidential order dissolving the body and calling fresh elections on January 5. An attempt by the speaker to hold a roll call vote failed, due to protests from government members, prompting him to recognize the majority by observation. "Democracy has prevailed by passing of the no confidence motion," Sajith Premadasa, a member of parliament for the opposition United National Party (UNP) asserted. But Dinesh Gunawardena, a minister of Rajapaksa's government, claimed that the speaker was acting against common parliamentary practice and claimed that therefore the passing of the no-confidence motion was "illegal."  Wickremsinghe has refused to accept the appointment of Rajapaksa, who was appointed to replace him on October 26, and has refused to leave the official residence of the prime minister. The power struggle between President Maithripala Sirisena and the former premier has plunged the country into political crisis and provoked concern from the international community. Wickremesinghe's party is calling on Rajapaksa and his newly appointed cabinet to step down. The Supreme Court on Tuesday put on hold a proclamation made by Sirisena last Friday to dissolve parliament. The court had considered a total of 17 petitions against the move. A minority political party -the Marxist JVP (People's Liberation Front) - moved the no-confidence motion against Rajapaksa at the start of Wednesday's session. The motion was to be followed by a vote in which Wickremesinghe was to have an opportunity to prove his majority. Wickremesinghe insists that his party has the support of more than the required majority of 113 members in the 225-seat parliament. Sirisena initially claimed his party could prove that the new premier, Rajapaksa, had the support of more than 113 members, but his party members later conceded they do not have the numbers. Sirisena was elected as president in 2015 largely due to the support of the UNP and went on to form a coalition government with Wickremesinghe. But Sirisena later fell out with Wickremesinghe, claiming his party was corrupt, was selling state ventures to foreign companies and even plotting to assassinate him.

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court yesterday overruled President Maithripala Sirisena’s dissolution of parliament in a major boost to sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s fight to reclaim the post from an arch-rival. The heavily guarded court also halted preparations for a snap election in the latest twist in a power struggle that began when Sirisena dismissed Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse. The 225-member parliament could meet as early as today to decide which of the duelling pair it backs. Amid mounting international concern, Wickremesinghe has refused to accept his sacking and has remained in his official residence while Rajapakse has sought to build a parallel  administration. Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) is the largest single party in the assembly. He told reporters that he expected the legislature to meet today, as was scheduled before Sirisena dissolved the body to prevent a majority test. “I will go to parliament tomorrow and we will show we are the legitimate government of Sri Lanka,” Wickremesinghe said at the Temple Trees residence that has become the opposition headquarters. Wickremesinghe called the court ruling a “a victory for the people and a victory for decent politics in this country.” Parliamentary officials said Speaker Karu Jayasuriya called a meeting of political party leaders today morning ahead of a formal meeting of legislators who could vote between  Wickremesinghe and Rajapakse. There was no immediate comment from Sirisena or Rajapakse after the Supreme Court’s  unanimous decision. The UNP led petitions against the dissolution of parliament and the three-judge bench, headed by the Chief Justice Nalin Perera, gave the landmark decision to a packed court guarded by hundreds of heavily armed police and commandos. The court said it would give a final verdict on the petition on December 7, after three more days of hearings. The judges ordered the independent Elections Commission to halt preparations for the January 5 vote, which Sirisena had announced on Friday. Security at the courtroom had been beefed up ahead of the hearing as authorities feared clashes between rival supporters. However, there was no trouble and supporters of Sirisena melted away when it was known that parliament had been restored. The United States, European Union and other nations have raised concerns over the crisis in the strategically important island nation of 21mn people. Only China has recognised the appointment of Rajapakse, who during his decade as president until 2015 relied heavily on Beijing for diplomatic and financial support.  As president from 2005 until 2015, Rajapakse ended Sri Lanka’s four-decade civil war in 2009 by crushing the Tamil Tigers.  But 40,000 ethnic Tamils were allegedly massacred in the process. During his time in office from 2001 until 2004, Wickremesinghe is credited with pulling Sri Lanka out of its first ever recession, in part with reforms that have endeared him to the West.

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Tuesday overruled President Maithripala Sirisena's dissolution of parliament in a major boost to sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's fight to reclaim the post from an arch-rival. The heavily guarded court also halted preparations for a snap election in the latest twist in a power struggle that began when Sirisena dismissed Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replaced him with former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse. The 225-member parliament could meet as early as Wednesday to decide which of the duelling pair it backs. Amid mounting international concern, Wickremesinghe has refused to accept his sacking and has remained in his official residence while Rajapakse has sought to build a parallel administration. Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) is the largest single party in the assembly. He told reporters that he expected the legislature to meet Wednesday, as was scheduled before Sirisena dissolved the body to prevent a majority test. "I will go to parliament tomorrow and we will show we are the legitimate government of Sri Lanka," Wickremesinghe said at the Temple Trees residence that has become the opposition headquarters. Wickremesinghe called the court ruling a "a victory for the people and a victory for decent politics in this country." Parliamentary officials said Speaker Karu Jayasuriya called a meeting of political party leaders on Wednesday morning ahead of a formal meeting of legislators who could vote between Wickremesinghe and Rajapakse. There was no immediate comment from Sirisena or Rajapakse after the Supreme Court's unanimous decision. The UNP led petitions against the dissolution of parliament and the three-judge bench, headed by the Chief Justice Nalin Perera, gave the landmark decision to a packed court guarded by hundreds of heavily armed police and commandos. The court said it would give a final verdict on the petition on December 7, after three more days of hearings. The judges ordered the independent Elections Commission to halt preparations for the January 5 vote, which Sirisena had announced on Friday. - Tight security -  Security at the courtroom had been beefed up ahead of the hearing as authorities feared clashes between rival supporters. However, there was no trouble and supporters of Sirisena melted away when it was known that parliament had been restored. The United States, European Union and other nations have raised concerns over the crisis in the strategically important island nation of 21 million people. Only China has recognised the appointment of Rajapakse, who during his decade as president until 2015 relied heavily on Beijing for diplomatic and financial support.  As president from 2005 until 2015, Rajapakse ended Sri Lanka's four-decade civil war in 2009 by crushing the Tamil Tigers.  But 40,000 ethnic Tamils were allegedly massacred in the process. During his time in office from 2001 until 2004, Wickremesinghe is credited with pulling Sri Lanka out of its first ever recession, in part with reforms that have endeared him to the West.

Sri Lanka's main parties on Monday challenged in the highest court the president's sacking of parliament, a move which has escalated a political crisis and deepened international alarm. President Maithripala Sirisena late Friday called snap elections for January 5 and dismissed parliament, two weeks after sacking the prime minister and installing the divisive Mahinda Rajapakse in his place. Three parties, which together enjoy an absolute majority in the assembly, on Monday asked the Supreme Court to declare the president's actions as illegal. Sacked premier Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), the main opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the leftist JVP, or People's Liberation Front, were among 10 groups that filed the action, officials said. ‘The petitions were accepted this morning and it is up to the Chief Justice to decide when it will be taken up for hearing,’ a court official said. He said several civil society groups and individuals too had submitted separate petitions, all seeking a declaration against the presidential action against the legislature. On Sunday, the speaker of parliament, Karu Jayasuriya, urged civil servants to defy Sirisena's ‘illegal orders’. ‘I have watched over the last two weeks as the executive branch has seized the rights and usurped the powers of members of parliament who were elected to represent the people,’ he said. ‘We must all act with patriotism and independence to safeguard the future of democracy in our country.’ - 'Civil unrest' - The same day, Sirisena said violent clashes among rival MPs could have led to ‘civil unrest’ across the country if the legislature had met as scheduled this week. ‘Had I allowed the parliament to meet on November 14, there would have been violence in the House and it could have spread to our villagers and towns,’ Sirisena said in his first address to the nation since the crisis erupted on Friday. ‘I acted to prevent civil unrest.’ Sirisena's rivals maintain that he had no constitutional power to sack the assembly until it completed four-and-a-half years of its five-year term that ends in August 2020. Only China has recognised the appointment of Rajapakse, who during his decade as president relied heavily on Beijing for both diplomatic and financial support as the West shunned him over his human rights record. The United States has led a chorus of international voices expressing concern over threats to democracy on the island of 21 million people strategically located in the Indian Ocean. Election monitors have questioned the legality of the snap poll announced by Srisena. The People's Action for Free and Fair Elections said it had already asked the independent Elections Commission to seek an opinion from the attorney general and an order from the Supreme Court.

Sri Lanka’s new prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse and 44 former lawmakers have defected from the party led by President Maithripala Sirisena, splitting with the president barely two weeks after he installed Rajapakse in office. Sirisena dissolved parliament on Friday night and called a general election for January 5 in a move that has drawn international criticism as it is likely to deepen the country’s political crisis. An intense power struggle has erupted in Sri Lanka in the past two weeks following Sirisena’s sudden sacking of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the appointment of former leader Rajapakse, a pro-China strongman, in his place. Rajapakse and 44 former lawmakers of the Sirisena-led centre-left Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) yesterday joined Sri Lanka Podujana Peremuna (SLPP), a political party formed in 2016 by Rajapakse’s younger brother Basil, a former economy minister. An SLPP source said 65 out of 82 former SLFP MPs will eventually join the new party. Namal Rajapakse, an ex-lawmaker and son of Rajapakse, said the SLFP’s policies had not been pursued by Sirisena in the coalition government with the Wickremesinghe-led centre-right United National Party (UNP). “We all decided that this is the right time to join the SLPP,” he said. The SLPP recorded a landslide victory in local polls in February after Rajapakse backed it. He did that while remaining in the SLFP. Sirisena’s allies have told Reuters that he wants a SLFP-led government. However, the defections will weaken Sirisena’s more than seven-decade old party, they say. Rohana Piyadaya, the SLFP secretary-general declined to comment on the defections. Sirisena’s move to sack the parliament has drawn  international criticism. Farhan Haq, the spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, said in a statement that Guterres has underlined the utmost importance of respecting democratic processes and institutions and resolving differences in accordance with the rule of law and due process. “He renews his call on the Government to ensure peace and safety for all Sri Lankans and uphold its commitments to human rights, justice and reconciliation,”  the spokesman said. Sirisena previously defected from the SLFP, then led by Rajapakse, in 2014 to join an opposition coalition that ousted Rajapakse. Later Sirisena rejoined the SLFP, took over its leadership and formed a national government with Wickremesinghe’s party.

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve parliament, worsening an already major political crisis, has drawn criticism from Western powers, including the United States and Britain. Sirisena dissolved parliament on Friday night, only five days before it was due to reconvene and he was in danger of losing a vote of no confidence. He has also called a general election for Jan. 5. The president triggered an intense power struggle when he sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe late last month and appointed the island's former leader, Mahinda Rajapaksa, a pro-China strongman ousted by Sirisena in 2015, in his place. Sirisena's rivals are set to challenge his decision, which they describe as illegal and unconstitutional, in the Supreme Court on Monday. The US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs said in a tweet that the United States was ‘deeply concerned by news the Sri Lanka Parliament will be dissolved, further deepening the political crisis’. It said democracy needed to be respected to ensure stability and prosperity. Mark Field, the British minister of State for Asia and the Pacific, tweeted his concern about the dissolution of parliament days before it was due to be reconvened. ‘As a friend of Sri Lanka, the UK calls on all parties to uphold the constitution and respect democratic institutions and processes,’ Field said. Canada's Foreign Policy twitter feed said that it was ‘deeply concerned’ about the decision and referred to the risks to reconciliation work after the nation's civil war. ‘This further political uncertainty is corrosive to Sri Lanka’s democratic future and its commitments on reconciliation and accountability,’ it said. Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne expressed both concern and disappointment in a statement, saying the move ‘undermines Sri Lanka's long democratic tradition and poses a risk to its stability and prosperity’. Sirisena has said he fired Wickremesinghe because the prime minister was trying to implement ‘a new, extreme liberal political concept by giving more priority for foreign policies and neglecting the local people's sentiment’. India and the West have raised concerns over Rajapaksa's close ties with China. Beijing loaned Sri Lanka billions of dollars for infrastructure projects when Rajapaksa was president between 2005-2015, putting the country deep into debt. Wickremesinghe refused to vacate the official prime minister's residence saying he was the prime minister and had a parliamentary majority. Before he signed the papers dissolving parliament and calling the election, Sirisena appointed allies of his and of Rajapaksa to cabinet positions. Independent legal experts have told Reuters that parliament could be dissolved only in early 2020, which would be four-and-half-years from the first sitting of the current parliament. The only other legal way would be through a referendum, or with the consent of two thirds of lawmakers. Given those views, it was not immediately clear how Sirisena is on legal safe ground by dissolving parliament, though his legal experts have said there are provisions for him to do so.

Sri Lanka’s main Tamil parties have turned down a call from President Maithripala Sirisena to support his newly appointed prime minister in a likely floor test in parliament this month, the parties said yesterday. Sirisena triggered off a political crisis on the island by sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and appointing controversial opposition leader Mahinda Rajapakse to the job last month. Wickremesinghe has challenged his ouster as unconstitutional and sought a session of parliament to determine who holds a majority. Sirisena met the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to persuade the main minority group to drop its opposition to Rajapakse who led the country to a crushing defeat of Tamil separatist guerrillas when he was president, but who is accused of human rights violations. “President asked the TNA to abstain from voting, but we said the abstention would lead to legitimising an unconstitutional move,” M A Sumanthiran, a TNA spokesman, said. Buddhists make up about 70% of Sri Lanka’s 21mn people and ethnic Tamils, most of whom are Hindus, about 13%. Muslims and other communities make  up the rest. Western nations led by the European Union are concerned that Sri Lanka’s halting steps towards a national reconciliation and justice for the victims of the war crimes will be endangered by the return of  Rajapakse. Sirisena has faced criticism for sacking the premier in a sudden move last month and plunging the country into a political crisis. Since then he’s been trying to bolster  the new administration. Mano Ganeshan, the leader of another minority Tamil party, said the president had suggested three options at the meeting. “The first, he said we can join the government accepting ministerial positions. If not, he asked us to remain neutral in the parliament. The third option was not to support Wickremesinghe saying that he and Ranil Wickremesinghe can’t work,” Ganeshan said. Both Wickremesinghe and Rajapakse have maintained they have the parliament majority. The House will sit on November 14. Political parties have accused each other of trying to engineers  defections. The uncertainty has already dented investor sentiment on currency, bond, and stock markets. The rupee hit a record low last week, before appreciating due to central bank intervention, market sources have told Reuters. The bourse has seen an outflow of Rs7.2bn since the political crisis unfolded, while the bond market suffered an outflow of Rs11bn, mostly on the three market days after  the crisis. The yields in Sri Lanka’s sovereign bonds have risen between 109-260 basis points, raising the risk of making the island nation’s borrowing cost expensive.

Sri Lanka’s main Tamil parties have turned down a call from President Maithripala Sirisena to support his newly appointed prime minister in a likely floor test in parliament this month, the parties said yesterday. Sirisena triggered off a political crisis on the island by sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and appointing controversial opposition leader Mahinda Rajapakse to the job last month. Wickremesinghe has challenged his ouster as unconstitutional and sought a session of parliament to determine who holds a majority. Sirisena met the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to persuade the main minority group to drop its opposition to Rajapakse who led the country to a crushing defeat of Tamil separatist guerrillas when he was president, but who is accused of human rights violations. “President asked the TNA to abstain from voting, but we said the abstention would lead to legitimising an unconstitutional move,” M A Sumanthiran, a TNA spokesman, said. Buddhists make up about 70% of Sri Lanka’s 21mn people and ethnic Tamils, most of whom are Hindus, about 13%. Muslims and other communities make up the rest. Western nations led by the European Union are concerned that Sri Lanka’s halting steps towards a national reconciliation and justice for the victims of the war crimes will be endangered by the return of Rajapakse. Sirisena has faced criticism for sacking the premier in a sudden move last month and plunging the country into a political crisis. Since then he’s been trying to bolster  the new administration. Mano Ganeshan, the leader of another minority Tamil party, said the president had suggested three options at the meeting. “The first, he said we can join the government accepting ministerial positions. If not, he asked us to remain neutral in the parliament. The third option was not to support Wickremesinghe saying that he and Ranil Wickremesinghe can’t work,” Ganeshan said. Both Wickremesinghe and Rajapakse have maintained they have the parliament majority. The House will sit on November 14. Political parties have accused each other of trying to engineers defections. The uncertainty has already dented investor sentiment on currency, bond, and stock markets. The rupee hit a record low last week, before appreciating due to central bank intervention, market sources have told Reuters. The bourse has seen an outflow of Rs7.2bn since the political crisis unfolded, while the bond market suffered an outflow of Rs11bn, mostly on the three market days after  the crisis. The yields in Sri Lanka’s sovereign bonds have risen between 109-260 basis points, raising the risk of making the island nation’s borrowing cost expensive.

Two weeks into a showdown between rival prime ministers, the Sri Lankan president's party admitted for the first time Friday that it does not have a majority to get its candidate through a parliamentary vote of confidence. President Maithripala Sirisena named authoritarian former president Mahinda Rajapakse as prime minister after sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26. Wickremesinghe has since refused to leave the premier's official residence amid a deepening power struggle. The president also suspended parliament meaning neither of the rivals has been able to pass a vote of confidence. United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said Rajapakse needs at least eight more votes in the 225 member assembly to reach the required 113 to win a vote. "At the moment we have 104 or 105 MPs," Rambukwella told reporters. He said the Sirisena-Rajapakse group needed "crossover" legislators and expressed hope enough would be secured by the time the assembly meets next week. Rambukwella's comments contradicted Sirisena's announcement on Monday that he had the support of 113 legislators when he sacked Wickremesinghe and his government. "Do not doubt the 113 MPs. We have completed getting 113 MPs," Sirisena told a public rally. The Sirisena-Rajapakse camp has insisted since the start of the dispute that it has enough parliament votes. Wickremesinghe, who maintains that the action against him was unconstitutional and illegal, insists his group can muster a majority. According to an AFP count, Wickremesinghe and his allies have 120 MPs while Rajapakse and Sirisena have 104. The speaker, the 225th member, is neutral. Wickremesinghe remains holed up in his official residence, saying his removal would be illegal, while Rajapakse is running a parallel administration from the prime minister's office. Sirisena suspended parliament to give himself more time to engineer defections, according to the opposition. Several legislators have said they were offered millions of dollars to defect and at least eight have jumped to Sirisena's side. Under pressure from the United Nations, United States and European Union states to allow a parliament vote, Sirisena agreed twice to lift the suspension, but changed his mind. His latest order calls for parliament to meet on November 14. The EU said Friday that the crisis had scarred the Indian Ocean island's international reputation. Image damaged Amid rumours that Sirisena may seek to delay matters further, the EU, in a joint statement with Norway and Switzerland, said parliament should vote "immediately when reconvened". "Any further delay could damage Sri Lanka's international reputation and deter investors," the statement said. Wickremesinghe late Thursday thanked his supporters and urged them not to give up in the showdown. "In extraordinary numbers and with extraordinary courage you came out on to the streets, you spoke out," Wickremesinghe said in a video message posted on Facebook. "You have not let this country be plunged into the darkness of dictatorship. For this inspiring effort, I want to thank everyone who has risen to fight for democracy and justice," he said. His supporters staged a noisy cavalcade of motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, cars and vans in the capital Colombo on Thursday. The power struggle on the island of 21 million people has paralysed much of the administration, according to legislators on both sides of the dispute. Sirisena has filled only 22 of 30 cabinet positions -- purposefully keeping some jobs vacant to tempt legislators of Wickremesinghe's party to defect.

Sri Lanka’s parliamentary speaker has called the president’s sacking of the prime minister to bring a former leader back to power a non-violent coup d’etat. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya is a key figure in the political standoff that started on Oct 26, when President Maithripala Sirisena fired Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former president Mahinda Rajapakse. Wickremesinghe is refusing to vacate his prime ministerial residence and insists he remains in office until voted out by parliament. The president had suspended parliament, a move Rajapakse’s opponents say is aimed at preventing it from rejecting his return to power. “The entire series of events can only be described as a coup, albeit one without the use of tanks and guns,” Speaker Jayasuriya said in a letter dated Nov 5 to diplomats and foreign missions, adding the “entire matter was pre-planned”. Jayasuriya says the majority of parliamentarians view the change in prime minister as unconstitutional. In the letter he said some of them were offered bribes and ministerial jobs to support the new government. He accused Sirisena of acting “contrary to all norms of transparency, decency, democracy and good governance, and contrary to the constitution which he has sworn to uphold and defend.” Sirisena says he fired Wickremesinghe because he was trying to implement “a new, extreme liberal political concept by giving more priority for foreign policies and neglecting the local people’s sentiment,” and denies acting unconstitutionally. Rajapakse, under whose rule Sri Lanka achieved its 2009 victory in a decades-long conflict against rebels from the Tamil minority, is seen as a hero by many among Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority. He has been accused by diplomats of human rights abuses during the war, which he denies. India and Western countries also worry about his close ties to China, which loaned Sri Lanka billions of dollars for infrastructure projects during his rule. A foreign ministry official told Reuters that some foreign envoys have said they will only recognise Rajapakse as prime minister after he can prove he has support of a majority in parliament. Sirisena has recalled the parliament on Nov 14. Independent political analysts told Reuters a majority in the 225-member legislature is against the sudden sacking of Wickremesinghe. At least eight lawmakers have deserted Wickremesinghe and accepted ministerial posts under Rajapakse, while one deputy minister resigned and joined Wickremesinghe.

A prolonged power-struggle between Sri Lanka's president and his sacked prime minister has paralysed the island's government and must be solved immediately, a key MP said Wednesday. President Maithripala Sirisena is yet to appoint several ministers since controversially dismissing Ranil Wickremesinghe's administration last month and appointing former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse in his place. The move, which has been described as illegal by opponents, has triggered a constitutional crisis. Sirisena has filled only 20 of 30 cabinet positions -- purposefully keeping some portfolios vacant to tempt legislators of Wickremesinghe's party to defect to his and Rajapakse's side ahead of a parliamentary vote on November 14. The vote will determine whether Wickremesinghe or Rajapakse has a majority to form a government. ‘Our country is going down the precipice. No one is working in government offices,’ Kumar Welgama, a senior member of Rajapakse's party and an influential Sri Lankan politician, told reporters in Colombo. ‘Public servants want to know who the real PM is. People are confused,’ he added, calling for the suspension of parliament to be lifted so that the issue of who is the rightful prime minister can be settled. ‘Today, we are the laughing stock of the world. One prime minister is in the official residence and the other is in the PM's office. ‘We need to settle this issue through parliament,’ he said. Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe on October 26 due to an intense personality clash between the two. Wickremesinghe says his dismissal was illegal and claims to command a majority in parliament. Rajapakse also maintains that he has a majority, however, leaving the country in the unusual position of having two people claiming to be prime minister. Sirisena shut parliament a day after sacking Wickremesinghe. He has refused calls to reconvene it at the earliest opportunity, saying it will not reopen until November 14. According to latest counts, Wickremesinghe has 103 MPs from the 225-seat assembly after gaining a defection on Tuesday, while Rajapakse and Sirisena have 101. Most of the remaining 21 MPs are set to oppose Rajapakse, observers say.

Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse rallied tens of thousands of supporters in a show of strength yesterday even as the parliament’s speaker refused to recognise his controversial appointment as prime minister. Busloads of men and women from around the country descended on the capital as Rajapakse thanked President Maithriapala Sirisena for sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointing him in his place. The move on October 26 triggered an unprecedented constitutional crisis, plunging the island into political turmoil. “We have united to work for the people,” Rajapakse said, referring to their previous rivalry when Sirisena defeated him for the presidency in 2015. Sirisena was supported by Wickremesinghe three years ago but the two men have gradually drifted apart, leading to Wickremesinghe’s shock sacking last month. Sirisena has suspended parliament, allowing Rajapakse time to tempt defectors from other parties and prove his majority. But parliament’s speaker Karu Jayasuriya warned yesterday the president’s actions were illegal and he would not recognise  Rajapakse as prime minister. “Until the new faction (of Rajapakse) is able to prove a majority in parliament, I will recognise the situation that prevailed prior to October 26,” Jayasuriya said in his strongest statement yet on the crisis. Former strongman Rajapakse remains a popular but polarising figure in Sri Lanka. In 2009 his iron-fisted rule ended a long and bloody civil war that claimed 100,000 lives. His decade in power was also marred by serious allegations of rights abuses, corruption, forced disappearances and the persecution of the island’s  sizeable Tamil minority. During yesterday’s rally Rajapakse urged smaller parties, which have emerged as kingmakers, to support him over Wickremesinghe. Minority Tamils and a small leftist group have indicated that they will oppose Rajapakse, however. Sirisena’s suspension has prevented Wickremesinghe from proving his majority on the floor of the house. “I have to agree with the majority of parliament who believe that the president’s actions are undemocratic, unconstitutional and against all norms of parliamentary procedure,” Jayasuriya, who holds a neutral position in parliament, said yesterday. Sirisena announced on Sunday that parliament would reconvene on November 14, a week later than he had promised, prolonging the power struggle that has crippled the country. Addressing his first public rally with Rajapakse since triggering the crisis, Sirisena vowed not to retreat from his hardline  position. “I will not take a step back, I will keep moving forward,” he said, telling opponents to accept his decision. Sirisena has pressed ahead with forming a new government, naming an ally to a senior leadership post in parliament, despite opposition. “Assumed the Office of Leader of the House in Sri Lanka parliament,” Dinesh Gunawardena said on Twitter yesterday. Rajapakse has also already assumed duties as Finance Minister, announcing last week a slew of tax concessions and price cuts in a move seen as a sop to voters. The Rajapakse family still wields enormous power and influence in Sri Lanka, despite members and close officials being accused of siphoning off billions of dollars before his ouster in 2015. But powerful forces oppose his appointment, suggesting his grip on power could be tenuous and the rift between the rivals could widen. Most Colombo-based diplomats have studiously avoided meeting Rajapakse until the leadership battle is resolved. Last week, Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya joined the speaker in refusing to endorse Sirisena’s sacking of Wickremesinghe for Rajapakse.

Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse rallied tens of thousands of supporters in a show of strength yesterday even as the parliament’s speaker refused to recognise his controversial appointment as prime minister. Busloads of men and women from around the country descended on the capital as Rajapakse thanked President Maithriapala Sirisena for sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointing him in his place. The move on October 26 triggered an unprecedented constitutional crisis, plunging the island into political turmoil. “We have united to work for the people,” Rajapakse said, referring to their previous rivalry when Sirisena defeated him for the presidency in 2015. Sirisena was supported by Wickremesinghe three years ago but the two men have gradually drifted apart, leading to Wickremesinghe’s shock sacking last month. Sirisena has suspended parliament, allowing Rajapakse time to tempt defectors from other parties and prove his majority. But parliament’s speaker Karu Jayasuriya warned yesterday the president’s actions were illegal and he would not recognise  Rajapakse as prime minister. “Until the new faction (of Rajapakse) is able to prove a majority in parliament, I will recognise the situation that prevailed prior to October 26,” Jayasuriya said in his strongest statement yet on the crisis. Former strongman Rajapakse remains a popular but polarising figure in Sri Lanka. In 2009 his iron-fisted rule ended a long and bloody civil war that claimed 100,000 lives. His decade in power was also marred by serious allegations of rights abuses, corruption, forced disappearances and the persecution of the island’s  sizeable Tamil minority. During yesterday’s rally Rajapakse urged smaller parties, which have emerged as kingmakers, to support him over Wickremesinghe. Minority Tamils and a small leftist group have indicated that they will oppose Rajapakse, however. Sirisena’s suspension has prevented Wickremesinghe from proving his majority on the floor of the house. “I have to agree with the majority of parliament who believe that the president’s actions are undemocratic, unconstitutional and against all norms of parliamentary procedure,” Jayasuriya, who holds a neutral position in parliament, said yesterday. Sirisena announced on Sunday that parliament would reconvene on November 14, a week later than he had promised, prolonging the power struggle that has crippled the country. Addressing his first public rally with Rajapakse since triggering the crisis, Sirisena vowed not to retreat from his hardline position. “I will not take a step back, I will keep moving forward,” he said, telling opponents to accept his decision. Sirisena has pressed ahead with forming a new government, naming an ally to a senior leadership post in parliament, despite opposition. “Assumed the Office of Leader of the House in Sri Lanka parliament,” Dinesh Gunawardena said on Twitter yesterday. Rajapakse has also already assumed duties as Finance Minister, announcing last week a slew of tax concessions and price cuts in a move seen as a sop to voters. The Rajapakse family still wields enormous power and influence in Sri Lanka, despite members and close officials being accused of siphoning off billions of dollars before his ouster in 2015. But powerful forces oppose his appointment, suggesting his grip on power could be tenuous and the rift between the rivals could widen. Most Colombo-based diplomats have studiously avoided meeting Rajapakse until the leadership battle is resolved. Last week, Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya joined the speaker in refusing to endorse Sirisena’s sacking of Wickremesinghe for Rajapakse.

Thousands of supporters of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse headed for the capital on Monday to rally in support of his controversial nomination as prime minister, as a political crisis deepened. The island nation has been gripped by constitutional turmoil since President Maithripala Sirisena sacked his former ally, prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, on October 26 and appointed Rajapakse in his place.  Busloads of Rajapakse followers were set to arrive from across the country for the rally planned near parliament in the capital Colombo. Parliament has been suspended while Rajapakse seeks support for a vote of confidence by tempting defectors from other parties. Tens of thousands attended a rally in support of Wickremesinghe last week, amid warnings from the parliamentary speaker Karu Jayasuriya that the dispute could end in a "bloodbath" if MPs are barred from holding a vote. In his most strongly worded statement to date, the speaker warned Monday he would not recognise Rajapakse as prime minister and that the president had violated the constitution by sacking Wickremesinghe and suspending parliament. "Until the new faction (of Rajapakse) is able to prove a majority in parliament, I will recognise the situation that prevailed prior to October 26," Jayasuriya said. Sirisena announced on Sunday that parliament would reconvene on November 14, a week later than he had promised, prolonging the power struggle that has crippled the country. The speaker said Sirisena had gone back on previous commitments to recall parliament this week.  "I have to agree with the majority of parliament who believe that the president's actions are undemocratic, unconstitutional and against all norms of parliamentary procedure," Jayasuriya said. While president from 2005 to 2015, Rajapakse ended a 37-year-old Tamil separatist war but has been accused of human rights violations, nepotism and corruption. 

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena announced yesterday that parliament would reconvene a week later than expected, prolonging a bitter power struggle that has crippled the country. Sirisena had on Friday promised that he would recall parliament on Wednesday to decide between two rivals claiming the lawful right to head Sri Lanka’s government. The nation of 21mn has been gripped by constitutional turmoil since Sirisena sacked his former ally, prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and his cabinet on October 26 - appointing former president Mahinda Rajapakse in his place. Sirisena shut the legislature a day after the sacking, preventing a vote demanded by Wickremesinghe to prove his majority. Yesterday the expected recall was pushed back until November 14. “I do by this Proclamation summon Parliament to meet at the Chamber of Parliament... on the fourteenth day of November, 2018 at 10.00 am,” Sirisena said in an official proclamation. The United Nations had led a chorus of international voices demanding an early resumption of parliament to end the constitutional crisis that has paralysed the administration and caused economic upheaval. Wickremesinghe says his dismissal was illegal as he commands a greater majority in parliament than former strongman Rajapakse. The announcement by Sirisena came as the country’s main Tamil party urged him to end the worsening political crisis. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) could tip a vote to decide between the two rivals and has already said it would vote against Rajapakse in a no-confidence motion when parliament reconvenes. Both men have been marshalling numbers behind the scenes, worrying civil society groups who protested Sunday in the capital Colombo against the horse-trading. TNA legislator Dharmalingam Sithadthan said the president had called the Tamil legislators to a meeting Wednesday - the same day parliament was originally expected to reconvene. “We have asked the president to immediately call parliament and end this crisis,” Sithadthan said. Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) risks losing legislators to Rajapakse’s camp as the days drag by. Some members of his party have alleged they were offered portfolios and huge amounts of money to switch allegiances. Seven MPs have already switched sides and been granted portfolios under Rajapakse’s new administration. The Sunday Times of Colombo newspaper described the sacking of the prime minister as “sheer political expediency” and outside the law. The state-run Sunday Observer, now controlled by Rajapakse loyalists, defended the change of government but acknowledged the crisis should be resolved. According to latest counts, Wickremesinghe now has 102 MPs from the 225-seat assembly after another defection while Rajapakse and Sirisena also have 102. Most of the remaining 21 MPs - including the TNA - are set to oppose Rajapakse, observers said. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) party, which has seven lawmakers, said its members had also rejected offers to join the Sirisena-Rajapakse camp. Meanwhile, thousands of supporters continue to occupy Wickremesinghe’s official residence saying they would resist any move by Sirisena to evict their prime minister.

Sri Lanka's deposed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the United States and Japan had frozen more than a billion dollars of development aid after his abrupt dismissal raised doubts about the future of democracy in the island. The move to hold back project financing, along with the EU's warning it could withdraw duty-free concessions for Sri Lankan exports if it didn't stick to commitments on national reconciliation, will further strain the economy, Wickremesinghe told Reuters in an interview. President Maithripala Sirisena fired him last month after months of tensions within the government and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as premier in a shock move that has plunged the nation into a political crisis. Rajapaksa is a former president who led the country to a military defeat of Tamil separatist guerrillas in 2009 but who has since faced widespread allegations of human rights abuse and targeting of Tamil civilians. Wickremesinghe, who has challenged his dismissal and vowed to remain prime minister until parliament voted him out, said there were international concerns about a government led by Rajapaksa. "Countries are sensitive, they have concerns (about a government led by Rajapaksa) democratic countries have concerns," he said in the interview conducted in the prime minister's official residence in a colonial-era bungalow where Wickremesinghe is camping along with his supporters. The United States has held off on a nearly $500 million aid programme for building of highways and improving land administration by the government-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Wickremesinghe said. Japan had also put on hold plans to extend a soft loan of $1.4 billion for a light railway project, he said. "A lot of projects are held up, the Millennium Challenge, the Japanese loan," he said. The Sri Lankan embassy in Washington has been informally told by the MCC that around $480 million will be on hold because of the latest situation in the country, a Sri Lankan foreign ministry official separately confirmed to Reuters. An official at the Sri Lankan ministry of Megapolis and Western Development also confirmed the freeze to Reuters on the Japanese loan, imperilling the project. An official at the Japan International Cooperation Agency said the agency was closely monitoring political developments and the railway project loan had been withheld. The U.S. embassy in Colombo had no immediate comment when asked if Washington is taking any measures due to the Sri Lankan political crisis. The United States and the EU have urged the president to immediately summon parliament and let deputies decide who is to lead the country. Sirisena suspended parliament until Nov. 16 and has made no public statement on his plans. While Wickremesinghe is staying on in the premier's residence called Temple Trees, Rajapaksa has taken over the offices of the prime minister following his swearing in. Wickremesinghe said his party will step up a public campaign for parliament to be called and he be allowed to prove his majority. "We are all contemplating alternative actions, this includes a big mobilisation of people. Ultimately this has to be decided in parliament." Soon after taking over Rajapaksa said he wanted to end the "politics of hate" in the country and that his government will work for justice for all citizens.

Sri Lanka’s sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned time is running out to avert a “bloodbath” while voicing hope that parliament will resolve a damaging constitutional crisis in the coming days. Wickremesinghe, who has been holed up at the prime minister’s official residence for more than a week as thousands of supporters gather outside, told AFP in an interview that “desperate people” could cause chaos on the Indian Ocean island. The 69-year-old was sacked out-of-the-blue on October 26 by President Maithripala Sirisena, with domineering former president Mahinda Rajapakse named in his place. However Wickremesinghe refused to accept his dismissal and has not left the sprawling colonial-era Temple Trees residence - where Buddhist monks now chant prayers outside - since. Sirisena also suspended parliament in an apparent bid to prevent opposition to his move, deepening the turmoil that has seen at least one man killed in a shooting last weekend linked to the power struggle. “We will be calling on our people not to resort to violence,” Wickremesinghe said late Friday. “But you don’t know what arises in a situation like this. “A few desperate people can start off a bloodbath.” His comments echoed the fears of parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya who warned of bloodshed on the streets if a vote is not held by lawmakers to decide between the two leaders. Wickremesinghe, head of the United National Party, already the biggest group in parliament, has also called for such a vote and is trying to rally allies to the cause. But stopping parliament from meeting has given Rajapakse - still popular despite his strongarm tactics to end the country’s Tamil civil war and corruption allegations - more time to try to win support. Wickremesinghe said he hoped the showdown could be ended peacefully and expressed optimism that a solution to the crisis would soon be found. “I feel parliament is going to prevail finally. This can’t take too long. I would say in a week to 10 days at the most,” he said, adding the priority was to establish parliament’s “supremacy”. Wickremesinghe said two smaller parties - the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Tamil National Alliance - were backing his call for the legislature to meet despite obstacles placed by Sirisena. The two parties signed a petition to the parliament speaker on Friday demanding the reconvening of the 225-member assembly on November 7. “A majority of parliament has said all these actions (of the president) are not legitimate and not in accordance with the constitution,” said  Wickremesinghe. According to the latest counts, Wickremesinghe has 103 MPs while Rajapakse and Sirisena together have 100. Most of the 22 remaining MPs are expected to back Wickremesinghe, observers said. A majority of legislators want Sirisena to end the suspension of parliament by Wednesday and any delay is “against the wishes of all the parties”, according to the embattled Wickremesinghe. Apart from political pressure on Sirisena, civil society groups are also stepping up agitation to ensure the constitution is respected, Wickremesinghe said.  After sacking his prime minister, Sirisena addressed the nation and lambasted Wickremesinghe, saying they could not work together because of serious personal and cultural differences. A divorce of their coalition was inevitable after just over three years, Sirisena said. Wickremesinghe had expected a confrontation but not the sack. “We knew there would be problems by somewhere in November, but it came a bit sooner than I thought,” he added. Sirisena accused Wickremesinghe, a trained lawyer who favours a liberal economy, of being dictatorial and ignoring the president in cabinet. Wickremesinghe hit back saying their personal rivalry was not an excuse for a  constitutional war. “The constitution doesn’t make provisions for personality clashes,” he said. “In cabinet there are people you like and you may not like.” Wickremesinghe is from an elitist family with an urban upbringing, poles apart from Sirisena who is from a modest rural farming family. They made common cause to end Rajapakse’s decade in power in a 2015 presidential election but have drifted apart since over economic policy and  day-to-day decisions. Sirisena has also accused Wickremesinghe of being an autocratic leader of the UNP. “He is not a member of the UNP,” Wickremesinghe hit back. “He can say whatever he wants.”

Sri Lanka’s sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned time is running out to avert a “bloodbath” while voicing hope that parliament will resolve a damaging constitutional crisis in the coming days. Wickremesinghe, who has been holed up at the prime minister’s official residence for more than a week as thousands of supporters gather outside, told AFP in an interview that “desperate people” could cause chaos on the Indian Ocean island. The 69-year-old was sacked out-of-the-blue on October 26 by President Maithripala Sirisena, with domineering former president Mahinda Rajapakse named in his place. However Wickremesinghe refused to accept his dismissal and has not left the sprawling colonial-era Temple Trees residence - where Buddhist monks now chant prayers outside - since. Sirisena also suspended parliament in an apparent bid to prevent opposition to his move, deepening the turmoil that has seen at least one man killed in a shooting last weekend linked to the power struggle. “We will be calling on our people not to resort to violence,” Wickremesinghe said late Friday. “But you don’t know what arises in a situation like this. “A few desperate people can start off a bloodbath.” His comments echoed the fears of parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya who warned of bloodshed on the streets if a vote is not held by lawmakers to decide between the two leaders. Wickremesinghe, head of the United National Party, already the biggest group in parliament, has also called for such a vote and is trying to rally allies to the cause. But stopping parliament from meeting has given Rajapakse - still popular despite his strongarm tactics to end the country’s Tamil civil war and corruption allegations - more time to try to win support. Wickremesinghe said he hoped the showdown could be ended peacefully and expressed optimism that a solution to the crisis would soon be found. “I feel parliament is going to prevail finally. This can’t take too long. I would say in a week to 10 days at the most,” he said, adding the priority was to establish parliament’s “supremacy”. Wickremesinghe said two smaller parties - the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Tamil National Alliance - were backing his call for the legislature to meet despite obstacles placed by Sirisena. The two parties signed a petition to the parliament speaker on Friday demanding the reconvening of the 225-member assembly on November 7. “A majority of parliament has said all these actions (of the president) are not legitimate and not in accordance with the constitution,” said  Wickremesinghe. According to the latest counts, Wickremesinghe has 103 MPs while Rajapakse and Sirisena together have 100. Most of the 22 remaining MPs are expected to back Wickremesinghe, observers said. A majority of legislators want Sirisena to end the suspension of parliament by Wednesday and any delay is “against the wishes of all the parties”, according to the embattled Wickremesinghe. Apart from political pressure on Sirisena, civil society groups are also stepping up agitation to ensure the constitution is respected, Wickremesinghe said.  After sacking his prime minister, Sirisena addressed the nation and lambasted Wickremesinghe, saying they could not work together because of serious personal and cultural differences. A divorce of their coalition was inevitable after just over three years, Sirisena said. Wickremesinghe had expected a confrontation but not the sack. “We knew there would be problems by somewhere in November, but it came a bit sooner than I thought,” he added. Sirisena accused Wickremesinghe, a trained lawyer who favours a liberal economy, of being dictatorial and ignoring the president in cabinet. Wickremesinghe hit back saying their personal rivalry was not an excuse for a  constitutional war. “The constitution doesn’t make provisions for personality clashes,” he said. “In cabinet there are people you like and you may not like.” Wickremesinghe is from an elitist family with an urban upbringing, poles apart from Sirisena who is from a modest rural farming family. They made common cause to end Rajapakse’s decade in power in a 2015 presidential election but have drifted apart since over economic policy and  day-to-day decisions. Sirisena has also accused Wickremesinghe of being an autocratic leader of the UNP. “He is not a member of the UNP,” Wickremesinghe hit back. “He can say whatever he wants.”

Sri Lanka's sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned time is running out to avert a "bloodbath" while voicing hope that parliament will resolve a damaging constitutional crisis in the coming days. Wickremesinghe, who has been holed up at the prime minister's official residence for more than a week as thousands of supporters gather outside, told AFP in an interview that "desperate people" could cause chaos on the Indian Ocean island. The 69-year-old was sacked out-of-the-blue on October 26 by President Maithripala Sirisena, with domineering former president Mahinda Rajapakse named in his place. However Wickremesinghe refused to accept his dismissal and has not left the sprawling colonial-era Temple Trees residence -- where Buddhist monks now chant prayers outside -- since. Sirisena also suspended parliament in an apparent bid to prevent opposition to his move, deepening the turmoil that has seen at least one man killed in a shooting last weekend linked to the power struggle. "We will be calling on our people not to resort to violence," Wickremesinghe said late Friday. "But you don't know what arises in a situation like this. "A few desperate people can start off a bloodbath." His comments echoed the fears of parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya who warned of bloodshed on the streets if a vote is not held by lawmakers to decide between the two leaders. Wickremesinghe, head of the United National Party, already the biggest group in parliament, has also called for such a vote and is trying to rally allies to the cause. But stopping parliament from meeting has given Rajapakse -- still popular despite his strongarm tactics to end the country's Tamil civil war and corruption allegations -- more time to try to win support. Wickremesinghe said he hoped the showdown could be ended peacefully and expressed optimism that a solution to the crisis would soon be found. "I feel parliament is going to prevail finally. This can't take too long. I would say in a week to 10 days at the most," he said, adding the priority was to establish parliament's "supremacy". Wickremesinghe said two smaller parties -- the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Tamil National Alliance -- were backing his call for the legislature to meet despite obstacles placed by Sirisena. The two parties signed a petition to the parliament speaker on Friday demanding the reconvening of the 225-member assembly on November 7. "A majority of parliament has said all these actions (of the president) are not legitimate and not in accordance with the constitution," said Wickremesinghe. According to the latest counts, Wickremesinghe has 103 MPs while Rajapakse and Sirisena together have 100. Most of the 22 remaining MPs are expected to back Wickremesinghe, observers said. Street battles feared A majority of legislators want Sirisena to end the suspension of parliament by Wednesday and any delay is "against the wishes of all the parties", according to the embattled Wickremesinghe. Apart from political pressure on Sirisena, civil society groups are also stepping up agitation to ensure the constitution is respected, Wickremesinghe said.  After sacking his prime minister, Sirisena addressed the nation and lambasted Wickremesinghe, saying they could not work together because of serious personal and cultural differences. A divorce of their coalition was inevitable after just over three years, Sirisena said. Wickremesinghe had expected a confrontation but not the sack. "We knew there would be problems by somewhere in November, but it came a bit sooner than I thought," he added. Sirisena accused Wickremesinghe, a trained lawyer who favours a liberal economy, of being dictatorial and ignoring the president in cabinet. Wickremesinghe hit back saying their personal rivalry was not an excuse for a constitutional war. "The constitution doesn't make provisions for personality clashes," he said. "In cabinet there are people you like and you may not like." Wickremesinghe is from an elitist family with an urban upbringing, poles apart from Sirisena who is from a modest rural farming family. They made common cause to end Rajapakse's decade in power in a 2015 presidential election but have drifted apart since over economic policy and day-to-day decisions. Sirisena has also accused Wickremesinghe of being an autocratic leader of the UNP. "He is not a member of the UNP," Wickremesinghe hit back. "He can say whatever he wants."

A Sri Lankan court yesterday ordered the arrest the country’s top military officer over the abduction and murder of 11 people during the Tamil civil war. Colombo Fort magistrate Ranga Dissanayake reprimanded police investigators for failing to act on a previous order to detain Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne. “The court ordered that the admiral be arrested before November 9,” a court official said. “If they fail, there should be action against the police officer handling the case.” The order came amid a bitter power struggle between sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former president Mahinda Rajapakse, who was named to replace him. Rajapakse was head of state from 2005 to 2015 when the decades-old Tamil separatist war was brutally crushed – although the timing of yesterday’s ruling appeared to have no deliberate link with the current political crisis. The magistrate wants police to arrest Wijegunaratne, the chief of the defence staff, for allegedly shielding a navy officer responsible for abductions and killings. Police told the court the admiral had protected Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi, a navy intelligence officer who is the main suspect in the killing of 11 men between 2008 and 2009. They are believed to have been murdered while being illegally held by the navy. Their bodies were never found but Hettiarachchi was arrested in August. “There is evidence of Admiral Wijegunaratne allowing the accused to evade arrest,” Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigations Department told the court. Police have said Hettiarachchi was also wanted in connection with the 2006 murder of Tamil lawmaker Nadarajah Raviraj. There have been persistent allegations that senior military personnel and figures loyal to Rajapakse were responsible for a number of high-profile murders. Several military intelligence officers face prosecution over the assassination of a newspaper editor and for orchestrating attacks on other journalists and dissidents during Rajapakse’s presidency. Rajapakse and several members of his family are being investigated for fraud and murder during his presidency. However, those investigations were put in doubt after he was named prime minister last week. Troops crushed Tamil separatists in 2009 ending the decades-long civil war.  The final days of the government offensive, spearheaded by Rajapakse, were marked by major rights violations, according to rights groups.  A UN panel has said 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the final stages of the war.