The Communications Unit of the United National Party also issued a statement on the threats made at the MTV/MBC Media Networks.

United National Party Parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera in the statement says that it is a thinly-veiled attempt to intimidate the media into silence ahead of crucial polls about the crimes and lapses of a completely corrupt incumbency.

Sri Lanka and Vietnam will enter into an agreement to boost the judicial cooperation between the two countries in the areas of foreign investment and judicial reforms, among others.

The cabinet has grant approval for Sri Lanka's Ministry of Justice to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam.

Executive Director of a Colombo-based think tank says the decision taken by the United States Department of State to reduce the aid amount for Sri Lanka will not affect the country's development.

Executive Director of Institute of Policy Studies Dr. Saman Kelegama says that the proposed 20 percent American aid cut to Sri Lanka is insignificant since US aid only given to Sri Lanka's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society sector and not to the government.

Although the overall number of extrajudicial killings appeared to decrease from previous years, killings and assaults on civilians by government officials continued in 2012, the United States said in a report released Friday.

The 2012 Human Rights Report released by the United State Department of State yesterday alleged that the government, its agents, or its paramilitary allies committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, but said, reliable statistics on such killings were difficult to obtain, because past complainants were killed and some families feared reprisals if they filed complaints.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa today assured that provincial council elections will be held in the north in September.

Speaking at an event in Welioya today, the President said that the people of the north had suffered immensely as a result of the 30 year war.

He said that those people will now have a chance to have provincial council elections and he hopes to have those elections in September.

To cancel “Palath Sabha” before the Northern Provincial Council Election

It is reported that the government is paying its attention to cancel the method of “Palath Sabha” and re-introduce the method of “Grama Rajya”.

Group of Ministers and expertise is focusing on this and if this doesn’t happen there will be a risk of the TNA who will win the Northern Province and establish a separate government which will totally affect the harmony and administration activities of the country.

The Elections Commissioner has convened a meeting of party secretaries for May 3.

Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said the revision of the 2013 voters list will be discussed at the meeting.

The Party Secretariats will be briefed on related facts at the discussion.

UNP parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake says that the proposed 20 percent aid cut by the US to Sri Lanka has come at a time when the country’s economy is in a precarious situation. He observed that Sri Lanka seems to be losing aid from many areas and that it was mostly from the country’s friends. “There have been cuts happening for a while. The country lost the labour GSP and now this,” Karunanayake said, adding that the only remedial action would be for the government to first deliver its promises made to the international community and the people of the country.

The United States says some of the most important steps in achieving real reconciliation in Sri Lanka have not yet moved ahead and this includes dialogue with the TNA on political devolution.

The US Ambassador in Sri Lanka said the US will continue to push for reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka.

US Ambassador Michele J. Sison, speaking to Foreign Correspondents in Colombo, said that as the US examines the next step, they will renew its consideration of all mechanisms available, both in the Human Rights Council and beyond.

Political bankruptcy of Muslim parliamentarians was exposed by the Tamil National Alliance leader R Sampanthan and the TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran when they raised the issue of growing disastrous hate Muslim campaign in the parliament.
R Sampanthan MP and M. A. Sumanthiran MP meeting (Jan 2013) with an Australian delegation lead by Scott Morrison MP (Member of Parliament for Cook in NSW)-pic courtesy of: Scott Morrison's Flickr page