Maithripala Sirisena: News
02 May 2022
Sri LankaSri Lanka crisis: Ex-President Maithripala Sirisena calls for fresh elections
Amid the deepening economic crisis in Sri Lanka, former president and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) chief Maithripala Sirisena called for fresh elections on Sunday.
29 Apr 2022
Sri LankaLankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to form interim government: Details here
To solve the political impasse ailing Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday agreed to form an interim government without his older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as the PM.
29 Apr 2019
ISISSri Lanka's face veil ban takes effect under new regulation
Muslim women in Sri Lanka won't be allowed to wear any form of face veils in public starting today under new regulations announced by President Maithripala Sirisena who used emergency powers in the wake of the Easter Sunday bombings.
28 Apr 2019
ISISSri Lanka blasts: Brothers, father of mastermind killed in gunbattle
Sri Lankan police succeeded in eliminating the kin of Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of Sunday Easter attacks, reports claimed on Sunday.
28 Apr 2019
ISISISIS claims 3 terrorists who blew themselves in #SriLanka raids
The Islamic State has claimed the three terrorists who blew themselves up during a fierce gun battle with security forces in Sri Lanka's Eastern province, a media report said today.
26 Apr 2019
Sri LankaJoining foreign terror outfit not against Sri Lankan law: PM
PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said the government knew that Sri Lankan nationals who joined the Islamic State had returned, but they could not be arrested as joining a foreign terrorist organization is not against the law in the island nation.
25 Apr 2019
ISISWealthy Muslim family behind Sri Lanka attack that killed 359
Locals of Dematagoda, a quiet suburb in Sri Lankan capital Colombo, had no clue that a wealthy family in the neighborhood was planning something sinister behind closed doors.
22 Apr 2019
Sri LankaSri Lankan police find 87 bomb detonators at bus stand
A day after eight serial blasts ripped apart Sri Lanka, the police found 87 bomb detonators at the main bus station in capital Colombo on Monday.
21 Apr 2019
Narendra ModiEighth blast reported in Sri Lanka, toll reaches 160
Hours after near-simultaneous explosions devastated three churches and three high-end hotels in Sri Lanka, two other blasts were reported in the country.
19 Mar 2019
Sri LankaLanka media rights activists call new anti-terror law 'draconian laws'
Media rights activists yesterday urged the Sri Lankan government to withdraw proposed anti-terror legislation, calling it is a set of draconian laws aimed at suppressing media freedom and democratic rights.
27 Feb 2019
Sri LankaLanka: Indian held for 'plotting' assassination of President Sirisena acquitted
An Indian national held in Sri Lanka over an alleged plot to assassinate President Maithripala Sirisena was acquitted today, court officials said.
21 Dec 2018
Sri LankaUN Secretary-General welcomes resolution of political crisis in Sri Lanka
UN chief Antonio Guterres has welcomed the resolution of the political crisis in Sri Lanka and called on all the political actors to resolve all outstanding differences in the interest of people of the country.
18 Dec 2018
Sri LankaAfter Wickremesinghe's reinstatement, Lanka-Parliament to convene today for first time
Sri Lanka's Parliament is set to convene today for the first time after the reinstatement of Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister that ended the 51-day political standoff in the country.
15 Dec 2018
Sri LankaSri Lanka: Rajapaksa resigns, Wickremesinghe likely to take oath tomorrow
Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was appointed as Sri Lanka's Prime Minister on October 26 by President Maithripala Sirisena in a controversial move, resigned today, as two crucial Supreme Court decisions made the embattled former strongman's efforts to cling to premiership "untenable".
10 Dec 2018
Sri LankaOngoing crisis issue between foreign, indigenous thinking: Sri Lankan President
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena has described the ongoing political crisis in the country as one between foreign and local values.
01 Dec 2018
Supreme Court Of IndiaTalks between Lankan President, UNF lawmakers end without breakthrough
Sri Lanka's main Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA), said that President Maithripala Sirisena has assured that he will resolve the ongoing political crisis when the Parliament meets again next week even as the talks between the two sides ended without any breakthrough yesterday night.
14 Nov 2018
Sri LankaSri Lanka: Major setback to Sirisena; Parliament votes against Rajapaksa
In a major setback to Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena, the Sri Lankan Parliament today passed a no-confidence motion against the government headed by his controversially-appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
13 Nov 2018
Sri LankaSri Lanka: Supreme Court stays President's decision to dissolve parliament
On Tuesday, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court stayed President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve the country's parliament till another hearing, scheduled for next month.
11 Nov 2018
Sri LankaUN expresses concern over Lankan President's decision to dissolve Parliament
UN chief Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve the nation's Parliament, underlining the "utmost importance" of respecting democratic processes and resolving differences in accordance with the rule of law.
10 Nov 2018
Sri LankaSri Lanka: President dissolves Parliament, announces snap election in Jan'19
Sri Lanka's political crisis deepened yesterday as President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved the Parliament and announced snap polls on January 5.
09 Nov 2018
Sri LankaNo snap election to end political-crisis in Lanka: President's aide
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena has decided that there will be no snap elections or a national referendum to end the current political and constitutional crisis in the island nation, according to his close aide.
04 Nov 2018
Sri LankaGuterres urges Lankan President to allow vote in Parliament soon
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced concern over the ongoing political crisis in Sri Lanka, urging President Maithripala Sirisena to revert to parliamentary procedures and allow Parliament to vote "as soon as possible".
29 Oct 2018
Sri LankaFormer Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga arrested over shooting charges
Former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team Arjuna Ranatunga was arrested for his involvement in a shooting incident, which left one person dead.
28 Oct 2018
Sri Lanka#ConstitutionalCrisis: Wickremesinghe recognized as PM by Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker
Sri Lankan Parliament's Speaker Karu Jayasuriya Sunday recognized Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country's Prime Minister in a major relief to the embattled UNP leader, who was sacked as the premier by President Maithripala Sirisena.
27 Oct 2018
Sri Lanka#ConstitutionalCrisis: US urges Sri Lankan parties to refrain from violence
The US urged political parties in Sri Lanka to abide by the Constitution and refrain from violence, as the island nation faces a constitutional crisis after President Maithripala Sirisena sacked his former ally Ranil Wickremesinghe and made controversial strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa the new premier.
27 Oct 2018
Sri LankaSri Lankan President Sirisena sacks PM Wickremesinghe; Rajapaksa sworn in
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena today issued two extraordinary gazette notices making controversial strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa the new Prime Minister and formally recognizing Ranil Wickremesinghe's dramatic dismissal, leading to a constitutional crisis.
26 Sep 2018
Sri LankaColombo: Indian arrested over plot to assassinate Sri Lanka President
An Indian national who was aware of an alleged plot to assassinate the Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sirisena, has been arrested.
21 Jun 2018
Sri LankaJustice for victims of Lanka civil war remains elusive: US-lawmaker
Justice for most of the victims of brutal civil war in Sri Lanka remains elusive, said US lawmaker Chris Smith.
29 Apr 2018
Sri LankaLanka's new Cabinet to be sworn in on May 1
New Cabinet of Sri Lanka's unity government will be sworn in on Tuesday, President Maithripala Sirisena announced today, weeks after he had suspended Parliament in backdrop of ongoing political turmoil in country.
18 Mar 2018
Sri LankaSri Lanka lifts state of emergency
Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena announced that he is bringing an end to the nationwide state of emergency which has been in place since the 6th of March.
15 Jan 2018
Sri LankaSri Lankan President doesn't want women to buy alcohol
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has overruled his government's reform to let women buy alcohol.
30 Apr 2017
IndiaNo agreements will be signed during Modi's Lanka visit: Sirisena
Amidst speculation relating to signing of major Indo-Sri Lanka deals during PM Modi's visit to Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena clarified that no agreements would be signed.