The British Tamils Forum (BTF) and US Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) expressed their dismay at the presence of the former head of Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division, Sisira Mendis at the UN Committee Against Torture meeting in Geneva on Tuesday as a representative of Sri Lanka, and called for his arrest on the basis of universal jurisdiction. “His attendance in Geneva deeply disrespects Sri Lanka’s torture victims and mocks the esteemed work of the Committee Against Torture," the groups said in a joint statement. “On the basis of universal jurisdiction, we call on the Swiss...
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) expressed their dismay at the presence of Sri Lanka's former head of the Terrorism Investigation Division at the UN Committee Against Torture meeting in Geneva on Tuesday. Sisira Mendis, who was in charge of the TID and the Criminal Investigation Department from March 2008 till June 2009, is accused of overseeing the routine use of torture and sexual violence against detainees. "Under Mendis, the CID and TID abducted, arrested, detained and tortured many journalists along with hundreds of other civilians. After...
The Sri Lankan government reiterated that reconciliation was one of its priorities. “Reconciliation is not a box that can be ticked or a journey that can end as per a timeline. There are no magic portions to achieve what we set out to achieve,” the deputy foreign minister Harsha de Silva was quoted by LBO as saying at an event on transitional justice on November 9. “It requires hard work and constant striving, and a commitment towards which our nation should be bound across generations.” Referring to the co-sponsored resolution passed last year, Mr Silva said, “as contexts differ and there...
A demonstration took place in Batticaloa on Tuesday calling for the arrest of a Buddhist monk who was captured on video shouting racist verbal abuse to a Tamil local government official. "You are a bloody tiger. My blood boils when I see you. You are a bloody dog. You are a Tamil Grama Sevaka," the monk, from Batticaloa Mangalaram, identified as Ampitiye Sumana said. (Photograph - @aroarun)
Sri Lanka’s police arrested a Sinhalese man who threatened to bomb Muslims in Sri Lanka, following intervention from Parliamentarians who called for the arrest of the individual. Inspector General Pujith Jayasundara, ordered for the police to take action against Dan Priyasad after receiving calls from parliamentarians over the lack of police action to address complaints by members of the public, reports Colombo Telegraph. A spokesman at Sri Lanka’s police media unit confirmed to press that a man has been arrested following a complaint that he has been threatening Muslims. The arrest comes...
The Sri Lankan government last week announced it would allow foreign citizens to buy property, lifting a ban imposed by the previous government in 2014. Arguing that foreign investment was much needed in the construction sector, the finance minister Ravi Karunanayake was quoted by AFP as saying, "to further incentivise such investment, we will remove freehold right restrictions from the ground floor." "I wish to lay emphasis on the fact that the government is committed to eliminate existing socio-economic gap between North and East with the rest of the country by 2020," he added. See more...
Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division has arrested 38 people over alleged links to 'Ava group' in Jaffna, the minister of law and order, Sagala Ratnayake was quoted by Adaderana as saying. Mr Ratnayake said a further 8 individuals are currently under investigation and the officers are seeking their arrest. The arrests have been severely criticised by families who argue they took place illegally. On Monday families lodged a complaint with Sri Lanka's Human Rights Commission stating it was illegal to arrest the men under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) then take them to Colombo and...
The Office of Missing Persons Act will be operational from January 1 said Sri Lanka's foreign affairs minister Mangala Samaraweera this week. "The Constitutional Council would then nominate seven members. and the Consultation Task Force would submit its report to the President with recommendations for a truth-seeking mechanism," he was quoted as saying to the Daily Mirror . The OMP bill was criticised by relatives of the missing and human rights organisations.
Sri Lanka needs to raise US$ 8 billion to bolster its economy said Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil WIckremesinghe in parliament after the country’s budget release. Noting that Sri Lanka only gained USD600-700 million this year, Mr WIckremesinghe said the government would look to achieve the US $8 Billion by securing trade deals with several countries including China, India and Singapore. Sri Lanka’s prime minister added that further income would be achieved, by securing the GSP+ trade concession from the European Union. See more here.
Tamils in Swansea, Wales this month launched a campaign to plant trees in remembrance of the genocide of the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state, and as part of the 'Tree for Justice' campaign in Wales. One of the organisers, Tharmalingam Luxshan told South Wales Evening Post, "The Tamil community in Sri Lanka continues to face a genocide in various forms including enforced disappearances, extra judicial killings, sexual violence and ethnic discrimination over the last 70 years since the British left the island." "As a result, many Tamils were forced to flee in order to escape persecution...