The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, John Rankin, reiterated on Sri Lankan television that the British government will call for an international investigation at the United Nations Human Rights Council, in the absence of an independent domestic process in Sri Lanka.

The Bishop of Jaffna has reiterated that the Tamil people are hoping for an international investigation to take place, in a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador, reported the Uthayan.

Whilst meeting a Norwegian delegation that included Ambassador Grete Løchen, the Bishop said that an investigation must be undertaken by the international community and not Sri Lanka, noting that the Tamil people were hoping that a resolution in Geneva, where the UNHRC is set to meet in March, would call for this.

Stating that complaints regarding disappeared persons have been ignored, he added that the Tamil people need justice and went on to tell the delegation that since the end of the armed conflict, drug use and sexual assaults have increased.

Pictures: Sankathi24

The Bishop of Mannar held a special mass service with family members of the disappeared on Thursday, near the Mannar grave were 61 bodies have been unearthed so far.

Ringing the bell for all those that went missing in Mannar, the Bishop recited prayers for all those that had disappeared or been kidnapped.

Addressing the crowd, he went on to state that, from September 2007 until May 2009 166 people had disappeared from Mannar alone, adding that he had collected all their details and submitted it to the LLRC. Yet, the Bishop lamented, their whereabouts are still unknown, and he went on to call for an independent and accountable investigation.

Father Jeyaraj Rasiah has filed a case in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court, in an attempt to force the Sri Lankan Air Force to cancel their seizure of land that belongs to a Catholic Church in Trincomalee.

Two years ago, the Sri Lankan Air Force came and seized the land, that has belonged to the Church for over 50 years, and stopped all persons from entering the area stated the Father.

He went on to add that despite complaints being submitted to the Air Force, there has been no response and no explanation given as to why the land was seized.

Sri Lanka’s Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has hit out at the international community for criticising his country on the issue of investigations into war crimes, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has refused to take a complaint made by a Buddhist monk against the Bodu Bala Sena, a Buddhist organisation, thought to be close to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

The monk accused the BBS of threatening him and that he feared for his life.

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The Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Major General Shavendra Silva has said in a speech marking Sri Lanka’s Independence Day that many groups in western countries try to paint a false picture of Sri Lanka.

Students from colleges in Tamil Nadu, handed over a petition to the United States Consulate in Chennai on Thursday, calling for an international independent investigation into genocide to be initiated at the UN Human Rights Council in the coming weeks.

The students, including those from Loyola College who sparked off a wave of protests last year after undertaking a hunger strike, handed a petition to Jennifer McIntyre, the Consul General of the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai, stating,

“Probing war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan Army by its own Government will not yield any justice. What was committed by the Army cannot be limited to war crimes but it amounts to genocide. We Tamils all over the world cry for justice. We demand an independent international inquiry on Tamil genocide.”

They went on to outline their demands to the United States for an international investigation and referendum, adding,

“We firmly believe that Indian government will not initiate any process for inquiring into the charges of genocide on Sri Lanka. Therefore we seek the help and assistance of United States of America to pass a resolution against Sri Lanka in the forthcoming UNHCR meet to be held at Geneva. We request the USA take a firm stand on Sri Lanka by seeking independent international inquiry on Tamil genocide committed by the Sri Lankan Army under the guidance of Sri Lankan Government.”

See the full text of the petition below.

The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) has released a statement, expressing concern over the resolution to be put forward at next month’s UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva.

"In view of the Sri Lankan Government's stated commitment to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) which has been accepted by Sri Lankans and the International community, it is unclear how the proposed resolution will productively bring about the much needed changes in our country," the statement said according to Colombo Page.

The MCSL said it hoped that a process would be started to support Sri Lanka in looking for domestic mechanisms to address concerns.

The council, which is the largest Muslim civil society organisation on the island, offered its “wholehearted support” to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has called on Sri Lanka not to isolate itself, over global pressure on war crimes and accountability, while speaking to a group of Sri Lankan journalists in New Delhi on Wednesday.