• Tax free land to China

    Feb 02
    The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who also acts as the Minister of Finance and Planning, has commissioned the sale of tax free land in the Southern capital Colombo to the Chinese embassy, reported the Sunday Times.
  • SL revokes visas of International Bar Assoc mission

    The visas of members of the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), who were due to travel to Sri Lanka on a fact finding mission over the recent impeachment of the Chief Justice, had their visas revoked, according to the Institute.

  • SL fails to take meaningful steps towards accountability - HRW

    In its World Report 2013 published today, Human Rights Watch (HRW) concluded that "the Sri Lankan government in 2012 continued its assault on democratic space and failed to take any meaningful steps towards providing accountability for war crimes."

    See here for the Sri Lanka section. Extracts published below:

    "The government targeted civil society through threats, surveillance, and clampdowns on activities and free speech. Statements by government officials and government-controlled media named and threatened human rights defenders who called for accountability for wartime abuses or criticized other government policies. Local activists expressed deep concern about the security of their staff and the people they assist.

    Overly broad detention powers remained in place under various laws and regulations. Several thousand people continued to be detained without charge or trial. State security forcescommitted arbitrary arrests and torture against ethnic minority Tamils, including repatriated Sri Lankan nationals allegedly linked to the defeated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

  • Sri Lanka sure of India’s support at UNHRC

    Sri Lanka’s Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the government is confident that India will support Sri Lanka against the US-sponsored resolution at the Human Rights Council in Geneva next month.

  • Tamil parties and groups on Berlin meet

    Representatives of Tamil political parties and civil society and diaspora groups who met last weekend in Berlin will continue discussions in the coming months, the Global Tamil Forum said this week.

    The full text of the statement on behalf of the participating organisations follows:

  • Douglas to stand for Chief Minister

    The Minister for Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Douglas Devananda, who is also leader of the paramilitary EPDP, has announced that he would resign from his ministerial position to contest the Northern Provincial Council Elections as a candidate for the Chief Minister position.

  • Australian authorities suspect SL govt official of 'smuggling'

    Authorities in Australia suspect a high level Sri Lankan government official of being personally "complicit" in the transfer of asylum seekers to Australia, reports The Australian.

  • Sri Lanka ranks 162nd for press freedom
    Reporters Without Borders has ranked Sri Lanka in 162nd place out of 179 countries in the annual "Press Freedom Index 2013", as media freedom in the island continues to suffer.
  • Bicycle company leaves Sri Lanka after GSP+ loss
    Bicycle production company Firefox has decided to shift its plant to Bangladesh, following Sri Lanka's loss of the GSP+ concession, according to reports.
  • US Senators push for 'independent international investigation' into war crimes
    Two prominent US Senators have renewed calls for an independent international investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka, as pressure piles on Sri Lanka ahead of the UN Human Rights Council session in March.
  • Cairn to start 2nd phase oil exploration next month

    The second phase of oil exploration in the Mannar basin will begin next month announced Cairn India.

    The company said drilling would be brought forward from June to mid-February, due to early rig availability and excellent logistical preparations.

  • The "special" relationship

    India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Ashok K Kantha told The Island that his country trains around 1,400 members of Sri Lanka’s security forces every year, the most it provides to any country.

  • Sinhala colonisation in "Killing Fields"

    Groups of Sinhala families were resettled in the district of Mullaitivu, amid protest from local inhabitants, reported Lankasri News. 

  • Process of accountability key to reconciliation and durable peace – James Moore

    See below for extracts from a speech made by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Moore at a press event in Colombo.

    Click here for complete statement in English, Tamil and Sinhala.

    The United States has a long friendship with Sri Lanka dating back to its independence. We value this multifaceted relationship and our visit has been undertaken in this spirit.

    We [...] have had constructive and candid meetings with the Sri Lankan government, military, political parties, and civil society in both Colombo and Jaffna. Our goal has been to hear from many different voices throughout Sri Lanka. We have met with Secretary of Defense Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and military commanders [...].

  • Sri Lanka - 'We are expecting the Queen'
    The Sri Lankan government has stated that they expect the Queen to be present at this year's Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting, scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka, shrugging off any concerns of a boycott.
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