• Sri Lanka should address outstanding human rights issues - Botswana

    Mar 01

    Botswana's Minister of Foreign Affairs Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi expressed her country's hope that the new Sri Lankan government would seize the opportunity to make progress and address outstanding human rights issues.

    Speaking at the opening day of the 28th session of the Human Rights Council, Ms Venson-Moitoi congratulated Sri Lanka for January's presidential election.

    "May I also take this opportunity to congratulate Sri Lanka for their recent Presidential elections, and express our readiness to work with the new Government. An opportunity has arisen for the country to make further progress," she said.

  • Sri Lanka can show commitment to justice and reconciliation by signing Rome Statute, says Callum Macrae
    “The new government has made no real move to show it is an different,” said the director of the No Fire Zone documentary speaking on working towards truth, justice and accountability for Sri Lankan atrocities against Tamil civilians.

    Noting that Sri Lanka had been given a further 6 months before the UN report into Sri Lanka’s atrocities was released, Callum Macrae suggested that Sri Lanka should take steps to sign up to the Rome Statute, publish lists of prisoners of war, demilitarise the North and return lands seized from Tamils to show that it was committed to truth, justice, accountability and reconciliation on the island.
  • Concrete steps to meet Tamil aspirations needed to gain trust, says Bishop of Mannar
    The aspirations of the Tamils as a distinct community, that want to govern themselves in their areas of historical habitat and want acknowledgement and accountability for abuses committed against them must be addressed by the Sri Lankan government to resolve the national issue, said the Bishop of Mannar, Rayappu Joseph.

    Expanding on how to build trust between the Tamil community and the Sri Lankan government, Bishop Joseph, said,

    “Concrete actions to address grievances, such as first steps towards addressing the Tamil political question, actions towards releasing political prisoners, handing back land occupied by the military, demilitarisation, finding and acknowledging the truth about the disappeared, these are some actions that will help build trust.”
  • Surveillance of journalists in North must stop, says international media mission

    The international media mission addressing the Jaffna Press Club at the conclusion of their visit. Photograph: Tamil Guardian

    There remain “significant challenges” to media freedom in Sri Lanka said an international media mission, who called for the continued surveillance of journalists in the North to cease.

    The International Federation of Journalists, the International Press Institute and International Freedom of Expression Exchange released a joint statement today saying,

    “Surveillance, monitoring and following of journalists are incompatible with a free media and the principles of open government that should underpin the 100 day reform process.”
  • Sri Lanka's tourism industry leads to 'systematic human rights abuses'
    Sri Lanka's large scale developments in the tourism industry are leading to systematic human rights abuses, says a report released by the Society for Threatened Peoples Switzerland (STP), calling on European travel agencies to be vigilant on human rights issues.

    “The report shows that systematic human rights abuses have been taking place as a result of tourism development in the country,” said the STP and the Sri Lankan Campaign in a joint press release. “Fishermen have seen their access to the sea blocked, land grabbing has taken place and the local population are insufficiently, if at all, informed about planned tourism projects.”

    The report, Dark Clouds over the Sunshine Paradise – Tourism and Human Rights in Sri Lanka, also details the extensive involvement of Sri Lanka's military in the island's tourism industry. “The military is increasingly focusing its budget on tourism with the army, navy and air force opening hotels all over the country and increasingly offering tourist activities,” said the report.

    “The military are deeply entrenched within the tourism industry,” said Fred Carver, Campaign Director of the Sri Lanka Campaign.
  • Land owners protest against police station

    (Photos Tamil Guardian)

    A protest was held in front of the police station in Ilavalai, demanding the return of the land on which it was built.

    The owners of the land in the village near Jaffna said 13 houses and 8 plots of farm land were taken over by Sri Lanka's authorities to build the police station and demanded its immediate release.

  • Sri Lanka requests international assistance in corruption probe

    The Sri Lankan government said it requested the assistance from the World Bank, India, the US and the UK to investigate financial fraud committed by the previous government under Mahinda Rajapaksa, Xinhua reported.

  • Ethnic conflict has remained unresolved for over 60 years says Wigneswaran
    The 67 year old ethnic problem in Sri Lanka remains unsolved, said the Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran and former Supreme Court Judge, in a meeting with Representatives Co-operatives Movement and Former Organisations.

    Commenting on government pledges to return 1000 acres of an estimated 6500 acres of appropriated Tamil land, Mr Wigneswaran, speaking at the Jaffna Public Library Auditorium, added,

    “We are equally aware of the fact that a proper resolution of our problems could not be achieved merely by giving back what we are already entitled to.”
  • We will conduct domestic war crimes inquiry 'if required' says Sri Lanka's justice minister
    Sri Lanka's justice minister said the country was prioritising reconciliation, and would conduct a domestic inquiry into allegations of war crimes committed against the Tamil people during the final stages of the armed conflict only "if required".

    The government, led by Maithripala Sirisena, pledged in its pre-election campaign to launch a domestic inquiry.

    However, in an interview this week to     BBC Sinhala, the country's justice minister, Wijayadasa Rajapakshe, said: "We are ready to conduct a domestic inquiry if required."

    "Previously, the agreement with the international community was that the LLRC would be the domestic mechanism and that the international mechanism would be based on the Darusman report. The current problem arose after the Darusman report. We are trying to prioritize reconciliation—how to mend the broken link between the Sinhala and Tamil people. Our objective is to take necessary steps that would not harm reconciliation," he said, adding that the government was in discussions with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) regarding this.

  • New army chief assures monks of 'national security'

    The newly appointed commander of Sri Lanka's army pledged to give the “highest priority to national security”, as he worshipped at the Temple of the Tooth and met with the Buddhist clergy in Kandy, on Friday.

    Speaking to reporters in Kandy, Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, vowed that troop numbers would not be reduced in the Tamil North-East of the island, saying,

    “I will give the highest priority to National Security. The army has a responsibility towards the National Security of the country.”

    The Sri Lankan army's official website meanwhile posted photographs of his visit to the Temple of the Tooth, stating the trip was “in keeping with age-old traditions and military formalities that have been practised since founding of the Army”.
  • Sri Lankan president to visit North-East
    Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena announced that he is to visit the North-East of the island next month, reports Daily News.

    According to the government-owned website, Mr Sirisena is to chair a meeting at the Jaffna District Secretariat, which is expected to be attended by several politicians from the Northern Provincial Council, including Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran.

    A resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council earlier this month called on the United Nations to ensure an international investigation took place into the genocide of Tamils by the Sri Lankan government, stating “"Tamils have no hope for justice in any domestic Sri Lankan mechanism, whether conducted by the Rajapaksa regime, Sirisena regime, or its successor."
  • TNA discusses appropriation of Tamil land with UN under-secretary general
    The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) met the UN Under-Secretary General for Politcal Affairs Jeffrey Feltman to discuss issues of land appropriation issues and Sri Lanka’s proposition of a domestic probe into the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, reports Colombo Gazette.
  • Tamil Nadu delegation secures $4 billion foreign investment ahead of global forum in Chennai
    A Tamil Nadu delegation visiting Singapore, Japan and South Korea, led by the chief secretary in the industries department of Tamil Nadu, secured $4 billion of a $ 16 billion foreign investment target set by the Tamil Nadu State.

    A Global Investor’s Meet (GIM), with the aim of raising $16 billion foreign investment into Tamil Nadu is scheduled to take place in Chennai later this year, reports the     economictimes.com.

    The Tamil delegation as held a series of meetings with public and private sector officials in the there countries, whilst promoting the GIM – which will be held from May 23-24 this year.
  • We will welcome Chinese investors, Sri Lanka's foreign minister tells Beijing


    Sri Lanka's foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera said that his government would welcome Chinese investment during a visit to Beijing on Friday.

    His visit comes as doubs remain over whether the new government will allow China's proposed Colombo Port City development project, agreed to by the former Sri Lankan government, to go ahead as planned.

    Stating that the issue was not explicitly discussed, Mr Samaraweera said that Sri Lanka would not make any decision on Chinese projects without consultation with China, reported Reuters.

  • Truth before political solution - Sampanthan

    The leader of the Tamil National Alliance, R Sampanthan said truth over mass atrocities committed during the conflict in the North-East must be established before negotiations to find a political solution to the Tamil question can be held.

    During talks with South Africa's Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Namoindia Mfekoto, Mr Sampanthan and fellow TNA MP MA Sumanthiran welcomed South Africa's initiative towards resolving the political issue, reported Ceylon Today.

    "With the cooperation of the international community, the TNA is prepared to engage in a peace process with the new Lankan government mediated by the South African Government. South Africa should insist on the Lankan government to reveal the truth with regard to the alleged war crimes," Mr Sampanthan said.

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