• Tamil man sentenced for 4 years in Canada for smuggling refugees

    A Tamil man, who himself claimed asylum was sentenced in Canada for four years for smuggling Tamil refugees fleeing from Sri Lanka on the MV Sun Sea in August 2010. 

    Delivering the sentence, British Columbia's Supreme Court said Kunarobinson Christhurajah would not be serving any more time as he had already been detained for the past 7 years awaiting trial. 

  • Tamil man found dead in Batticaloa

    The body of Tamil man was found in the Kukulavaththai field area of Batticaloa on Monday morning. 

    The body was retrieved by police officers attached to the Kaluvanchikudi station, Batti News reported. 

    The body has been identified as Kanaganayaham Navan, a 31 year old man who left his hom on Sunday evening on his bicycle. 

  • PHU ‘cannot fathom’ removing Sri Lankan military from North-East

    The General Secretary of Sri Lanka’s Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) rejected calls to remove the Sri Lankan military from the Tamil North-East, in response to a request made to leading members of the Buddhist clergy by Northern Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran.

    “I don’t fathom on account of which grounds the Chief Minister has made such a formidable statement which might even affect the security of the country,” said parliamentarian Udaya Gammanpila.

  • Sri Lanka has not kept promises to UN - Franciscans International

    Franciscans International said Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has not kept promises made to Tamil families of the disappeared or to the UN Human Rights Council and called on the global body to continue monitoring the situation on the island.

    Speaking at the 36th UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva on Monday, the NGO said that “promises made to this Council and people of Sri Lanka two years ago, have not been fulfilled”.

  • US calls for ‘meaningful and credible’ justice process in Sri Lanka

    The United States called on the Sri Lankan government to ensure there was a “credible” transitional justice process in place on the island, which had the confidence of the international community.

    The statement was made at the UN Human Rights Council on Monday as part of the Interactive Discussion with the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-recurrence.

  • Sri Lanka calls on North Korea to abide by UN resolutions

    The Sri Lankan government urged North Korea to comply with UN Security Council resolutions in a statement released today, criticising the sixth nuclear test carried out by Pyongyang.

    Sri Lanka said it “deplores” the test, stating that it “threatens peace and stability in the region and beyond”.

  • Buddhist monk vows to protect Sri Lankan military

    A Chief Buddhist prelate said he would “join forces with patriots” and reiterated his condemnation of statements by the former head of Sri Lanka’s army Sarath Fonseka, who stated he would testify against a former colleague accused of war crimes.

    "I will join forces with patriots,” said Ella Gunawansa Chief incumbent of Dharmayathanaya, Colombo. “I have no intention of contesting elections but will do everything possible for the victory of the motherland and patriotic forces."

  • UN Special Rapporteur to visit Sri Lanka in October

     

    The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence Pablo de Greiff announced that he will be visiting Sri Lanka next month.

    Mr de Greiff told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that the Sri Lankan government had invited him to visit the island from 10 to 23 October 2017.

  • Tamil women from Kilinochchi trafficked to Nepal

    Nepalese police have rescued two Tamil women who were trafficked out of Kilinochchi into Kathmandu last month, reports the Kathmandu Post.

    Nepal’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) found the two women, aged 24 and 33, at a hotel in Thamel area of the capital on August 25. They had arrived in Nepal in May.

    The women were subsequently sent back to Sri Lanka this week.

  • Northern Province Chief Minister outlines Tamil grievances to leading Buddhist clergy in Kandy

    Sri Lanka’s Northern Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran met with the a leading Buddhist clergy in Kandy to outline Tamil grievences last week.

  • Indian Consulate pays tribute to revolutionary Tamil poet Bharathiyar in Jaffna

    Tributes were paid to the revolutionary Tamil poet Subaramani Bharathi in Jaffna today on the 95th anniversary of his death.

  • Sri Lankan minister says security forces did not commit any war crimes

    Sri Lanka's minister of housing and construction and UNP MP, Sajith Premadasa on Sunday rejected reports that the country's security forces committed war crimes or mass atrocities, and assured that the "government would not permit anyone to lay their hands on our war heroes".

  • Eastern Provincial Council votes in favour of 20A

    The Eastern Provincial council on Monday voted in favour of the 20th Amendment to Sri Lanka's constitution, which seeks to hold all provincial council elections on one day. 

    The Amendment was voted on with 25 votes in favour, and 8 votes against, Adaderana reported. 

    The Northern Provincial Council has sought changes to the draft bill prior to voting on it. 

  • Sirisena says determined to protect 'war heroes' from foreign forces

    Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena reiterated on Sunday his government's commitment to 'protecting war heroes from foreign forces', the Colombo Page reported. 

  • UN human rights chief calls for exercise of universal jurisdiction on Sri Lanka

    The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein noted frustration over the “slow pace of reforms” in Sri Lanka and said the absence of action on accountability meant exercising universal jurisdiction was “even more necessary”.

    Speaking at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, the human rights chief called on Sri Lanka to live up to commitments it had made to the international community.

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