AFP - Sri Lanka president sacks parliament: spokesman
Times of India – Sri Lankan parliament dissolved
The Hindu -Rajapaksa dissolves Parliament
CBC.ca – Sri Lankan parliament dissolved amid controversy
Indian Express – Rajapaksa dissolves Lanka Parliament
Washington Post – Sri Lanka opposition complains of gov’t pressure
Sri Lanka’s opposition accused the government Monday of hounding and detaining its activists following the country’s acrimonious presidential election.
BBC – Fear and anxiety in battered Tamil city
Beneath the surface in Jaffna – the cultural capital of Sri Lanka’s Tamils – there is underlying concern and anxiety following last week’s presidential election.
Earth Times - Sri Lankan court revokes decision to shut down newspaper
A court in Sri Lanka Monday revoked a decision to temporarily shut down an anti-government newspaper, court officials said. The Criminal Investigation Department sought an extension of a court order that shut down the Lanka newspaper Saturday, but Chief Magistrate Anura Herath said the police had failed to show supporting evidence.
Press Gazette – C4 News’ Ben De Pear on the story behind the Tamil executions video
SMH - The president should cool it
IF SRI LANKA needs a careful process of healing – both in its shattered multi-ethnic society and its economy – after nearly three decades of a vicious civil war, then its newly re-elected president is not getting off to a very good start. He’s accusing his defeated political rival, Sarath Fonseka, of a vague assassination conspiracy against himself. His police have hauled off another editor and shut down a newspaper. Another foreign reporter is getting her marching orders.
This comes after an election win that was tainted by widespread abuse of power. Announcing the result, the election commissioner, Dayananda Dissanayake, gave every impression of a man in fear of his life. Even so, he stated that throughout the campaign, his guidelines and warnings about partisan coverage by the state media were comprehensively ignored; that state organisations operated in a way that was ”not befitting” (read intimidation); and that he was unable to ”ensure the safety of even one ballot box”. It was clear that many potential Tamil voters were unable to register for the election, and a rash of bombings and shellings deterred many of those who were.
Nonetheless, the wide margin of Rajapaksa’s vote – 58 per cent against the 40 per cent for Fonseka – suggests the president was set for re-election even without the manipulation, in the afterglow of the victory over the Tamil Tigers last May. The campaign saw the former army chief Fonseka’s image shift from military hero to politico making opportunistic alliances. His endorsement by a Tamil party frequently seen as a front for the Tigers may have caused a backlash among Sinhalese voters, cleverly amplified by Rajapaksa, without being able to harness many Tamil votes. Enough mud was thrown in Fonseka’s direction to help offset the damaging list of Rajapaksa relatives and cronies in plum jobs that circulated during the campaign, at least in the less-controlled internet. It was never going to be an enthusiastic vote for Fonseka, more a protest vote against Rajapaksa.
The president is now expected to move quickly to the parliamentary elections due towards the middle of the year, probably with a new election commissioner. There is nothing yet to suggest this election will be any cleaner, or that the president feels any need to change his government’s ways. This is a pity for the Sri Lankans, because it robs them of freedoms and prosperity. It’s a worry for the outside world, too, because separatism and terrorism could metastasise, at home as well as through the 1 million-strong Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora.
Times of India – Lanka prez polls: Mahinda Rajapakse takes big lead in early count
Business Week – Rajapaksa Leads Sri Lanka Vote as Fonseka Candidacy Challenged
Xinhua – Rajapaksa takes initial lead in Sri Lanka’s presidential poll
Reuters – Sri Lanka presidential challenger says fears arrest
SMH – Fears military will intervene in Sri Lanka election
Times Online – Sri Lanka on brink of fresh violence after controversial election
Times Online – Abuse of power makes travesty of democracy
The Hindu - Over 70 per cent polling in Sri Lanka presidential poll
Bloomberg – Sri Lanka Election Officials Defend Fonseka’s Presidency Bid
Times of India – Lankans cast ballots but Fonseka can’t
CNN – Sri Lanka politicians vow to block vote favorite
** for those asking if people in camps can vote – this article mentions they can :
Independent – Defeated Tamils a force again
