On Tuesday students at the University of Jaffna paid tribute to the two students who were last month shot dead by Sri Lankan police officers. Hundreds of students attended the memorial event, laying flowers and lighting candles. The killing of the students, 23 year old Nadarasa Kajan and 24 year old Pavunraj Sulaxan, sparked protests and demonstrations across the North-East, demanding justice.
Tamil fishermen protested in Mannar this week, demonstrating against Sri Lankan state sponsored colonisation of Sinhala fishermen into the region. Holding banners and posters, fishermen marched and shouted slogans of protest.
Concluding her visit to the island the UK's state minister for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the prime minister's special representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict, Baroness Joyce Anelay reiterated there was "still much more to do, both to end sexual violence and to secure long term peace and stability." Ms Anelay, who stressed that "accountability is vital" in addressing sexual violence, added, "first, because it signals society’s rejection of sexual violence and shows that there will be no impunity. Secondly, it is about valuing the victims and helping to restore...
Today marks ten years since the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP and human rights lawyer, Nadaraja Raviraj was assassinated in Colombo. No one has been sentence for the crime despite a decade passing. A witness in an inquiry into the assassination of Mr Raviraj earlier this year alleged Sri Lankan navy intelligence officials were involved. The witness, Sampath Prithiviraj, said the officials associated with the navy intelligence office in Gangarama had planned the killing. In July six men, including three former Sri Lankan navy personnel were indicted. Three men absconded the proceedings,...
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil WIckremesinghe said that a consensus has been reached on devolution of power under the new constitution within new constitution, reports Colombo Page. Mr Wickremesinghe added that a consensus had been reached within parties like the United National Party (UNP) and United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Speaking at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute on Tuesday, he said, “We have reached consensus to a great extent on power devolution.” The prime minister added that the issue had also been discussed with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and that sub...
Sri Lanka's foreign minister Mangala Samaraweeran and the TNA MP M A Sumanthiran travelled to Delhi this weekend, to meet with Indian government officials and discuss the long disputed fishermen issue. A statement released at the end of the meeting on Saturday said that both governments agreed to set up a Joint Working Group on Fisheries to meet every three months and a meeting between the Ministers for Fisheries every six months. The meeting came as Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena prepared to visit India.
Sri Lanka announced plans to launch at least five tourism development zones estimated to extend over more than 1500 acres of state-owned land, including in an area in the Eastern Province which has seen a spread in Buddhist sites. This public-private initiative includes the Ministry of Lands, the Ministry of Tourism and the Sri Lanka Tourism Club – a group of government recognised industry leaders. Tourism Minister John Amaratunga, said that the first zone is the controversial Lanka Patuna site . With construction already underway, it is estimated to have capacity for 25-30 luxury hotels...
The Sri Lankan military has used funds from the Department of Resettlement to build an auditorium at a Tamil school in Mullaitivu. The 592 Brigade built the auditorium “following a request” from the school's principal reported an official military website . The auditorium, built in Keppapilavu, was declared open by the commander of the Sri Lankan security forces in Mullaitivu in a ceremony last month.
The Sri Lankan military opened up a new dental surgery in Jaffna on Monday at a military base inside a High Security Zone. The dental surgery was a “long-felt need for tri-service and Police personnel serving the peninsula,” according to an official military website . Constructed at a cost of Rs 5 million, the dental surgery is attached to the Palali Army Base, which they Sri Lankan military continues to maintain in the peninsula's High Security Zone.
A Sri Lankan government appointed commission has admitted that the use of torture remains “routine”, with reports of undocumented sites across the island. In a report submitted to the UN Committee Against Torture, which is due to discuss Sri Lanka this month, the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) recognised that there was a “routine” use of torture by Sri Lankan authorities. It went on to highlight the presence of undocumented torture sites in addition to those that have been “gazetted” by the Sri Lankan government in Colombo, Boosa and Vavuniya. The sites are reported to be run by...