Sri Lanka should comply with the March 2014 United Nations Human Rights Council resolution, which created an international investigation into allegations of serious abuses by both sides, Human Rights Watch said today.

The New York-based organisation said Sri Lanka had resisted taking meaningful steps to investigate allegations of war crimes as recommended by previous resolutions in 2012 and 2013.

“The Sri Lankan government denounced the Human Rights Council resolution, yet for five long years it has failed to act on its promises to investigate and bring to justice wartime atrocities,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of HRW.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has arrived in China for the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), where Sri Lanka is an observer state.

The summit will be held in Shanghai until Thursday under the theme of “Increasing dialogue, mutual trust and collaboration to build a new Asia that is peaceful, stable and cooperative”.

“CICA is a multinational forum comprising 24 countries and nine observer states including the US. Sri Lanka is attending the Summit for the first time,” Presidential spokesman Mohan Samaranayake told the Daily News.

Foreigners married to Sri Lankan citizens will not be allowed to receive dual citizenship, according to new regulations currently under review by the Immigration Department reported the Daily Nation.

German Tamils have commemorated the fifth anniversary of Mullivaikal with a rally in the capital of the most populous German state North-Rhine Westphalia.

The Tamil Youth Organisation – Germany organised a flashmob outside the main train station of Düsseldorf. A subsequent march proceeded towards Graf Adolf Platz in the centre of the city, where cultural performances, by TYO and the Volksrat der Eelam Tamilen, were held and flowers and candles were laid in remembrance of the dead.

The leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband has expressed his deep regret at the failure to realise justice and accountability 5 years after the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.

In a statement, released for the Mullivaikal Remembrance Day, observed by Tamils the world over, Mr Miliband offered his thoughts and wishes to those commemorating the anniversary of Mullivaikal.

An event organised to commemorate the victims of the armed conflict in 2009 was held in Mullivaikal on Saturday, with heavy military presence.

Over 20 military personnel were watching the event, organised by Northern Province Councillor Ravikaran, filming and photographing those participating.

The councillor marked the occasion by handing out educational equipment to local children who had lost one or both parents during the conflict. Speaking to the Tamil Guardian, Councillor Ravikaran said that the army was trying to intimidate the participants, while the event was ongoing.

The leader of the Ontario PC party Tim Hudak has called for accountability from the Sri Lankan government, in his message to the Canadian-Tamil community to mark Tamil Memorial Week.