Five fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy on Tuesday for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line, Colombo Page reported. The fishermens' fishing trawlers were also confiscated. The arrest follows reports that over 2000 Tamil Nadu fishermen were attacked by the Sri Lankan navy last week who allegedly pelted their boats with stones.
The Swiss justice minister Simonette Sommaruga on Tuesday signed an immigration treaty with the Sri Lankan interior minister, Seneviratne Bandara Nawinne, which will include the repatriation of Tamil asylum seekers. “What we are codifying with this immigration agreement are the formalities on how the repatriations are carried out,” Ms Sommaruga, who is on a three day visit of the island, was quoted by Swiss Info as saying. She rejected criticism of the move from NGOs who have highlighted the cases of torture and detention of repatriated failed asylum seekers. “As before, with this immigration...
Sri Lanka's deputy speaker said the island's powerful Sinhala Buddhist clergy must first give their blessings to a proposed bill on a Buddhism on the island, before it is presented to parliament. Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala, who is also the head of Sri Lanka Cricket, said the Maha Sanga must first approve the proposed Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance act before it can be passed. The bill was due to be debated in parliament on Tuesday, but has since been delayed until written approval has been granted by Buddhist chief prelates.
The Sri Lankan army organised an event to mark “International Children’s Day” for Tamil schoolchildren in the Vanni. The event, organised by the 6 (V) Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps (SLAWC) of the 57 Division, saw several senior military figures in attendance, including Brigadier Dammika Karyawasam, Commander Forward Maintenance Area (KLN) and Brigadier Duminda Keppetiwalana, General Officer Commanding, 66 Division. School children had “a special entertainment programme organized by the Security Force Headquarters - Kilinochchi (SFHQ-KLN)” reported an official military website .
The Sri Lankan government has rejected criticism over an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code which will restrict the rights of those who have been arrested to have access to their lawyers, and pledged that it will push ahead with the amendment. Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse said that his government would implement the amendment and hit back at criticism from the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) as well as the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), both of whom have strongly condemned the move. “Both BASL and HRCSL should examine the difficulties experienced...
Dharsha Jegatheeswaran and Gajen Mahendra On Saturday September 24th, Ezhuka Tamil, organized by the Tamil People’s Council, became the largest rally to happen since the end of the war in the North-East of Sri Lanka. Over 10,000 people took to the streets to demand an end to ongoing human rights violations, particularly militarization and Sinhala-Buddhisization of the North-East, reiterate their demand for genuine accountability and justice and voice their expectations regarding the ongoing political processes. The political elite in Colombo and their supporters elsewhere have however chosen...
Over 2000 Tamil Nadu fishermen were allegedly attacked by the Sri Lankan navy on Sunday, who threw stones and iron balls, reported PTI. The president of the Fishermen's Association, Mr Sesuraja was quoted by the new agency as saying that no one was injured however many fishing boats were damaged. The incident has renewed calls in Tamil Nadu to retrieve Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka - an issue which the Tamil Nadu government said was a high priority.
Switzerland's minister for justice Simonetta Sommaruga said she intends to discuss the repatriation of Tamil asylum seekers during her visit to Colombo next week. Ms Sommaruga hopes to form a "bilateral agreement governing repatriations from Switzerland and to intensify cooperation between the two countries on the issue", Swiss Info reported. In a statement she said that she would “be meeting with returnees from Switzerland and will visit a project for vocational training and continuing education that receives funding from Switzerland and is also open to returnees from Switzerland.” The move...
The commander of Sri Lanka’s navy met with the US Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal, at a symposium in the United States last month. Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence released photographs of the meeting, which took place at the side lines of the 22nd International Seapower Symposium (ISS). According to official Sri Lankan reports, “the two officials held discussions on matters of mutual benefit during the meeting”. During his visit navy commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne also reportedly met with “senior Pentagon officials” and US...
Buddhist monks at Sri Lanka’s ‘Temple of the Tooth’ blessed a series of Sri Lankan army flags, as commanders lined up to obtain blessings to celebrate the upcoming 67th anniversary of the Sri Lankan army. Various politicians, including the Governor of the Central Province, were present at the ceremony, which saw the commander of the army donate money to the Buddhist monks, and offered alms. According to a military website , the monks “invoked blessings on the organization and spoke high of Army achievements for the betterment of the country”.