Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) called on members of the international community to exercise universal jurisdiction “to hold perpetrators of atrocity crimes in Sri Lanka accountable,” in a statement delivered at the UN Human Rights Council today.

The US State Department released its 2018 report on the human rights this month, raising ongoing concerns in Sri Lanka of impunity, arbitrary detention, unlawful killings, torture, sexual abuse and media intimidation. 

Families of the disappeared across the Eastern Province gathered in Batticaloa today to demand justice and for Sri Lanka to the be referred to the International Criminal Court. 

Sri Lanka’s president said that his government would be marking May 2019 as the “10th anniversary of dawn [of] peace”, at a time when Tamils around the world will be commemorating the tens of thousands massacred by Sri Lankan security forces.

Maithripala Sirisena told an audience of Sri Lankans in Kenya that “a special event will be held in May to celebrate the 10th anniversary of dawn peace after the 30-year war” (sic).

Amnesty International has released a report detailing Sri Lanka’s failure to meet its commitments and has called on the international community to reaffirm resolution 30/1, as well as continuing to monitor Sri Lanka’s progression.

A total of seven police officers, including two subinspectors, two police sergeants, two constables and a police driver have been arrested over the abduction and murder of two businessmen from Rathgama in January. A forest ranger from Walasmulla forest reserve has also been arrested in connection with the murders. 

Sri Lanka's opposition leader and former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Saturday the country should not co-sponsor a UN Human Rights Council resolution currently being tabled in Geneva. 

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) met with Sri Lanka’s Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) last week, to discuss power devolution and abolishing the executive presidency, in a move that marks formal dialogue between the two parties.

The Hindu reported TNA parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran as stating “all parties are agreeable on going ahead with devolution” and called on the JVP to continue to support a new constitution for the island.

“We told the JVP that the TNA’s position on the executive presidency is that it must be abolished,” said Sumanthiran. “If the matter comes up for a vote in Parliament, the TNA will certainly vote for its abolition.”

After a series of delays, China’s Exim Bank has approved a $1 billion loan to Sri Lanka as part of Colombo’s Central Expressway project.

However, delays in approving the loan have reportedly cost Sri Lanka an extra Rs 12 billion, which factors in the rising cost of building materials and currency fluctuations. 

The World Bank has approved $70 million worth of credit to support “local economic activities and livelihoods” of those living in the North-East and Uva Provinces in Sri Lanka. 

The project is to support local economic activity, sanitation and infrastructure within these poorer provinces, through establishment and renovations of “roads, drains, water supply, minor irrigation, IT connectivity, and rural electrification”.