A Chief Buddhist prelate said he would “join forces with patriots” and reiterated his condemnation of statements by the former head of Sri Lanka’s army Sarath Fonseka, who stated he would testify against a former colleague accused of war crimes.

"I will join forces with patriots,” said Ella Gunawansa Chief incumbent of Dharmayathanaya, Colombo. “I have no intention of contesting elections but will do everything possible for the victory of the motherland and patriotic forces."

Speaking to The Island, the monk went on to claim that after Fonseka’s statement, he had been visited by several military and government figures to join the criticism.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence Pablo de Greiff announced that he will be visiting Sri Lanka next month.

Mr de Greiff told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that the Sri Lankan government had invited him to visit the island from 10 to 23 October 2017.

The Special Rapporteur last visited the island in 2016, where he reiterated the importance of victim participation in an accountability mechanism for mass atrocities.

Nepalese police have rescued two Tamil women who were trafficked out of Kilinochchi into Kathmandu last month, reports the Kathmandu Post.

Nepal’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) found the two women, aged 24 and 33, at a hotel in Thamel area of the capital on August 25. They had arrived in Nepal in May.

The women were subsequently sent back to Sri Lanka this week.

They had reportedly paid a broker to take them to Canada and were first taken to Indonesia according to a police spokesperson.  

Sri Lanka’s Northern Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran met with the a leading Buddhist clergy in Kandy to outline Tamil grievences last week.

Meeting with the leader of the Malwatte Chapter in Kandy, the Chief Minister outlined several grievances of the Tamil community including the intense militarisation of the North-East and the need for the majority community to acknowledge the distinct identity of the Tamils.

Tributes were paid to the revolutionary Tamil poet Subaramani Bharathi in Jaffna today on the 95th anniversary of his death.

Sri Lanka's minister of housing and construction and UNP MP, Sajith Premadasa on Sunday rejected reports that the country's security forces committed war crimes or mass atrocities, and assured that the "government would not permit anyone to lay their hands on our war heroes".

"There are various versions of the Geneva Human Rights conference of this year. Some claim our war heroes committed war crimes. None of them committed any such crimes," Mr Premadasa was quoted by The Island as saying at an opening event for a new housing scheme in Polonnaruwa.   

The Eastern Provincial council on Monday voted in favour of the 20th Amendment to Sri Lanka's constitution, which seeks to hold all provincial council elections on one day. 

The Amendment was voted on with 25 votes in favour, and 8 votes against, Adaderana reported. 

The Northern Provincial Council has sought changes to the draft bill prior to voting on it. 

Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena reiterated on Sunday his government's commitment to 'protecting war heroes from foreign forces', the Colombo Page reported. 

Speaking at an event on a new water purification system at Ritigahawewa Viharaya in Horowpathana, Mr Sirisena said "the government defends the security of all war heroes from the Army Commander to the last soldier and the government would not allow any foreign forces to lay hands on war heroes who laid down their lives to defend the country."

Mr Sirisena has consistently pledged to prevent any international investigation into allegations of war crimes committed by Sri Lankan troops. 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein noted frustration over the “slow pace of reforms” in Sri Lanka and said the absence of action on accountability meant exercising universal jurisdiction was “even more necessary”.

Speaking at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, the human rights chief called on Sri Lanka to live up to commitments it had made to the international community.

“I encourage the Government to act on its commitment in Resolution 30/1 to establish transitional justice mechanisms, and to establish a clear timeline and benchmarks for the implementation of these and other commitments,” he said.

Photographs: TYO Canada

The Tamil Youth Organization – Canada hosted the 7^th annual Kilithattu tournament Canada in partnership with the Canadian Tamil Sports Association in Toronto last month, bringing together crowds from across generations to take part in the national game of Tamil Eelam.