MR Apprehends Arrest of Family Members and Loyalists:

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa speculated arrest of his elder son Namal Rajapaksa, his brother Basil Rajapaksa, MPs Wimal Weerawansa, Kumara Welgama, and Rohitha Abeygunawardene very soon. He also predicted his own arrest by the present government.

Nationwide power failure in Sri Lanka:

There was a country wide power failure on February 25 that lasted for 4 hours. Dismissing speculation that this was an act of sabotage, Power and Renewable Energy Minister confirmed that it was triggered by a bolt of lightning striking the main line that transmits electricity from Polpitiya to Kolonnawa.

Tamil Buddhists of Sri Lanka:

Based on a census carried out by the Department of Census and Statistics in 2012,
Parliament was informed that there are 22,254 Tamil Buddhists and eleven Tamil Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka. 470 Tamil Buddhists live in the North. There had been a Tamil Dhamma school up to 2013 in the North, where 80 students were taught. The facts are

Sarath Fonseka Appointed Cabinet Minister:

Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka took oath of office as Regional Development Minister on February 25.

Government Accepts Demands of Joint Opposition:

Opposition MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara has said that all the demands made by the joint opposition have been accepted by government except the demand for recognition as a separate group within the House. Accordingly, members of the group would be appointed to the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) and the Petitions Committee. More time would also be allocated to them during debates.

SLMC Demands Separate Province for Muslims:

Sri Lankan Muslim Congress Chairman (SLMC) Basheer Segu Dawood said on February 22 that Muslims cannot give up their demand for a separate Muslim Province. This was stated in the context of submitting their proposals to the new constitution to be enacted.

Mandate of Missing Persons’ Commission’s extended:

The mandate of the Commission for Missing Persons headed by former High Court Judge Maxwell Paranagama, has been extended by three more months with affect from February 17.

External Relations:

IT Sector not to be affected by ETCA:

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Harsha de Silva has assured that Sri Lankan professionals, especially in the Information Technology sector, would not be affected by the proposed Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India. He clarified that the Indian IT professionals would not be given an opportunity of opening up their businesses in Sri Lanka under the agreement.

PM Slams Opponents of ETCA as ‘traitors’:

Responding to the critics of the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) that the agreement was an attempt to "foreignise" the economy, PM Wickremesinghe said, “Those who are against this are traitors because they want us not to find employment for the youth." PM added that it was a misconception that the country would be flooded with Indians who would invade limited job opportunities in Sri Lanka in the IT sector. He pointed that in the previous CEPA deal, there were provisions for goods and services; whereas in ETCA, Sri Lanka is only seeking technology and goods, not services. He said investment by the Chinese in Sri Lanka would be useless without having a vast market as that of India.

India Suggests Bridge & Undersea Tunnel Connectivity:

India is mulling an ambitious bridge or undersea tunnel linking the Indian mainland with Sri Lanka. This was stated by Nitin Gadkari, Indian Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping, after the Asian Development Bank suggested that India look at a project linking Sri Lanka.

US Asst. Secy in Sri Lanka:

US Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Biswal said that much of the hard work on reconciliation and justice still lies ahead for Sri Lankan, whose journey is still unfolding, with many steep hills yet to be climbed and many turns in the road.

US Secretary of State Lauds Efforts to Address Regional Issues:

Lankan Foreign Minister Managala Samaraweera paid a visit to US to take part in the US-Sri Lanka Partnership Dialogue, Addressing the meeting; US State Secretary John Kerry congratulated Sri Lanka for continuing steps towards reconciliation. Mangala Samaraweera said that Sri Lanka was willing to consider international participation in investigating possible war crimes. This statement is considered important as it came in the backdrop of President Sirisena’s recent revelation that foreign participation was not needed for an impartial inquiry.

New Zealand PM Visits Sri Lanka:

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key arrived in Sri Lanka on February 23 on a three day visit. He held bilateral talks with President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.

ADB President Meets Sri Lankan President:

Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Takehiko Nakao met President Sirisena on February 23 to discuss ADB funded projects. Some of the new projects funded by the ADB included a Rural Electrification Project of $70 million, an SME Credit Line of $100 million and a Local Government Enhancement Sector Project costing of $40 million.

Government Proposes Amendments on Port City Project:

The Government has more or less given the green light for the Colombo Port City Project, but the original agreement has been amended with a reduction on the land area to be reclaimed from the sea and without any part of this area granted on a freehold basis.

Iranian Energy Minister visits Lanka:

Visiting Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian, on a visit to Sri Lanka said on February 22 that post-sanctions, Iran was ready to do business with the world and was looking for closer cooperation with Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan President on Germany visit:

President Sirisena, during his official tour to Germany, met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on February 17.This was the first time in 15 years that a Sri Lankan head of state had visited Germany to engage in bilateral discussion.