The Chief Minister of the Northern Province CV Wigneswaran has called for assurances to be made on the “security” and “safety” of the diaspora, stating that the Tamil areas of the island wrecked by war need their participation to recover.

Lamenting the lack of progress in developing the livelihood of the Tamils war torn areas of the island, Wigneswaran called the diaspora a “competitive resource” adding,

“They have the technical know how, along with resources to contribute towards post-war rebuilding. They have the socio-cultural links with their motherland and also genuine interest, which are important ingredients to foster transfer of knowledge and technical know-how.”

He stated "the Government of Sri Lanka does not have the financial resources and professional technical input or knowledge capital to contribute towards an effective post war recovery” and said,

“For the diaspora professionals to come over and participate in the post war recovery processes we need to have pragmatic, meaningful structures and modalities in place to ensure their security, safety, motivation and participation.”

Canadian Tamil businessman Anthonypillai Mahendrarajah was murdered when he returned to Vanni in 2012, after a reported conflict with the military over occupied property.

"The government is using development to conceal the wounds of those affected by the war. The government's development in the North-East does not work towards peace or solve the problems faced by the people. The motive behind the current form of development in the Tamil Areas is to steal our resources and people's hard work."

The presidential secretary has said to journalists in Colombo that there cannot be reconciliation in the country if moves for accountability are made.

A Sri Lankan minister has said that the government would not accept any ‘country-specific’ resolution.

A protest was held outside the United Nations office in Chennai earlier this week, demanding an international investigation into genocide and a referendum as part of a political solution.

The protest comes ahead of the United Nations Human Right Council session in March, where a resolution on Sri Lanka is expected to be submitted.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, John Rankin, reiterated on Sri Lankan television that the British government will call for an international investigation at the United Nations Human Rights Council, in the absence of an independent domestic process in Sri Lanka.

The Bishop of Jaffna has reiterated that the Tamil people are hoping for an international investigation to take place, in a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador, reported the Uthayan.

Whilst meeting a Norwegian delegation that included Ambassador Grete Løchen, the Bishop said that an investigation must be undertaken by the international community and not Sri Lanka, noting that the Tamil people were hoping that a resolution in Geneva, where the UNHRC is set to meet in March, would call for this.

Stating that complaints regarding disappeared persons have been ignored, he added that the Tamil people need justice and went on to tell the delegation that since the end of the armed conflict, drug use and sexual assaults have increased.

Pictures: Sankathi24

The Bishop of Mannar held a special mass service with family members of the disappeared on Thursday, near the Mannar grave were 61 bodies have been unearthed so far.

Ringing the bell for all those that went missing in Mannar, the Bishop recited prayers for all those that had disappeared or been kidnapped.

Addressing the crowd, he went on to state that, from September 2007 until May 2009 166 people had disappeared from Mannar alone, adding that he had collected all their details and submitted it to the LLRC. Yet, the Bishop lamented, their whereabouts are still unknown, and he went on to call for an independent and accountable investigation.