Sri Lanka’s army commander expressed confidence that the US would accept his invitation to participate in Sri Lanka’s annual defence seminar.

Speaking to press, Chrishanthe de Silva said Sri Lanka had extended an invitation to the US Ambassador Atul Keshup and was confident of a positive response, reports the island.lk.

The ‘Defence Seminars’ were first held in 2011 two years after the mass atrocities that took place at the end of Sri Lanka’s armed ethnic conflict in May 2009.

The president of the National Patriotic Movement, Dr Gunadasa Amarasekara said the domestic investigation into war time abuses, thought to have been committed by Sri Lankan forces, will actually be an international investigation conducted according to the will of the US, who this week expressed its support for a domestic process.

"The investigation will be conducted according to their rules and regulations under the supervision of persons appointed by the US and the report will be submitted making those under investigation guilty," Dr. Amerasekera said, according to The Island.

Mr Amarasekara said the aim of those supportive of the domestic mechanism, was to find guilty those responsible for “liberating the country from the clutches of terrorists” and that 43 members of the military had been targeted for the prosecution.

Over 40 Tamil civil society activists have called on the US to help in the establishment of an international mechanism to address accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka.

In a letter, addressed to and welcoming the new US ambassador Atul Keshap, the Tamils, all directly affected by the war, said it was not possible to rebuild their lives without seeing justice for the crimes that occurred.

“We cannot rebuild our lives without dealing with the past. We must know what happened, who was responsible, and how those persons will be brought to justice,” the letter said.

Welcoming the US public stance regarding the importance of accountability and justice, the activist pointed out that local mechanisms have completely failed to deliver justice and that despite the new government’s promises, no progress had been made since the change in regime in January.

Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena has been granted the power to choose the leader of the opposition and cabinet ministers from members of the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP).

Following a meeting of the SLFP Central Committee today, it was decided that the president will also have the final say in appointing other key ministerial positions.

 

Amnesty International stated that successive Sri Lankan governments have appointed and largely ignored commissions to investigate the issue of disappearances on the island.

In a statement released to mark the “The Day of the Disappeared” on 30 August, Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General said:

“Governments in every region of the world, from Syria to Mexico and from Sri Lanka to Gambia may be holding hundreds or even thousands in secret detention. In many countries, the authorities continue harassing and intimidating those who are looking for their relatives. The struggle for justice must not cease.”

Amnesty International said that “tens of thousands are presumed to have disappeared” in Sri Lanka with “very few cases have been resolved and there has been blatant intimidation reported against families who have dared to ask questions about the whereabouts of their loved ones”.

“Several commissions have been appointed by successive governments since 1990 implicating leading politicians and high ranking officers in the police and security forces,” continued the statement. “However, the authorities have mostly ignored recommendations that these figures, some of whom remain in their positions, should be prosecuted.”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein will visit Sri Lanka before the country is to come under review at the UN Human Rights Council, according to media reports.

Colombo Gazette stated that the High Commissioner will visit the island and is expected to hand a UN report over to Sri Lankan government officials, including president Maithripala Sirisena.

The report is expected to detail the deaths of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians during the final phase of the island’s armed conflict. A previous United Nations report found that the majority of deaths occurred due to Sri Lankan government shelling.

However, the editor of Swarnavahini TV tweeted an email from Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, stating that the High Commissioner will not be visiting before the UN session in September.

#media spocksman of @UNrightswire says HRC chief Zaid wont visit #srilanka Bfore 30th council.@colombogazette pic.twitter.com/Hd717L47bF — Vajira Sumedha (@vajirasumeda) August 27, 2015

It is not yet known whether members of the investigative team, who were refused entry on to the island, will be accompanying the High Commissioner.

Sri Lanka's defence ministry has approved an order allowing the detention and questioning of four members of the security forces, who were arrested in connection to the abduction of cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda on Monday, military spokesman Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said according to Ada Derana.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday (24) arrested an army corporal, a sergeant, and two lieutenants, in connection with Mr Eknaligoda's abduction.

Earlier this month a senior military official admitted questioning the cartoonist in custody, in the first admission by a member of the security forces that the cartoonist was detained.