“Human rights are used as a tool to implement motivated agendas with no understanding or appreciation of the complexity of issues in the countries concerned. Human rights should be recognised by all as a moral and ethical concept rather than as a political tool. External intervention without adequate consideration of the structures in a society and cultural traditions of the countries where such intervention takes place, inevitably results in de-stabilisation, which is very much in evidence today, in most parts of the world.”

“Most of the incidents referred to by the oral update are part of a larger pattern aimed at creating the conditions of permanent subjugation of the Tamil people as a whole - a process of de-Tamilsation which we interpret as the structural genocide of the Tamil Nation in Sri Lanka. An honest and forthright appreciation of the problems that face the Tamil people is fundamental and we call upon the OHCHR to conduct the inquiry in this spirit.”

The UK, Canada and European Union urged Sri Lanka to cooperate with the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka, following the oral update by the UN human rights chief on Thursday, whilst other states including Pakistan and the 'Like Minded Group', decried the OISL mandate as not in line with the UN Human Rights Council's core principles.

India called for the "timely" implementation of the LLRC and for the military to be removed from the Northern province, reiterating that it wishes for a political solution on the island that respects the political aspirations of the Tamil people.

Ireland said the investigation team has to be allowed to collect witness testimonies and that no one should be subject to reprisals, while the Philippines stressed the importance of timely accountability for reconciliation. Switzerland called on the Sri Lankan government to allow the Northern Provincial Council to fully function, noting that it was still not able to do so.

Addressing the Council immediately after the oral update, Sri Lanka reiterated its rejection of the investigation, stating, "to those who continue to urge that Sri Lanka to revisit this position, I wish to respectfully reply that government of Sri Lanka does not wish to help legitimise a flawed process and have a detrimental precedent established." See here for more.

“Tamil areas in the North and East of Sri Lanka still remain under heavy military occupation. 85% of Sri Lanka’s Sinhala military is deployed in Tamil areas and 96% of Tamils live within 5-miles of an army base or checkpoint. As the High Commissioner himself pointed out, there is alarming increase in threats against human rights defenders, victims and witnesses, and there is severe escalation of violence against Tamil people of Muslim and Christian faiths.”

Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa joined the former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in supporting the Elephant Action Network, a project of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), at the foundation’s 10th annual meeting in New York.

The project aims to put an international spotlight on the crisis facing African elephants.

Several other leaders were present at the event, including Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, the president of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba and the deputy prime minister of Vietnam, Pham Binh Minh.

According to the official government news site, the president was invited by Hillary Clinton earlier this year.

Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister Jaya Jayalalithaa filed two more defamation cases against the BJP’s Subramaniam Swamy for comments he made on Twitter, reported PTI on Tuesday.

The City Public Prosecutor (CPP) M L Jegan filed the cases on behalf of the chief minister, who said Swamy ridiculed her.

Jayalalithaa already filed cases against Swamy for comments in which he alleged the chief minister had financial interests in the fishing boats held by Sri Lanka.

The Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka YK Sinha said at an event in Colombo, Sri Lanka “under-appreciated” the assistance it received from its neighbour, reported NewsFirst.

Sinha highlighted the lack of reporting in Sri Lankan papers on India’s involvement in the launch of the train service between Jaffna and Colombo and pointed out that Sri Lanka had forgotten what India has done for millennia, while speaking during a symposium on Anagarika Dharmapala and India – Sri Lanka Relations, organised by the Centre for Contemporary Indian Studies of the Colombo University.

“We felt that there was need to let people in Sri Lanka in particular, know, what India has done in the last few years, for Sri Lanka. Because I think the emphasis is on a ‘Look East’ policy, and to try and glorify what countries have done, for Sri Lanka in the recent past, forgetting what a country like India has done for millennia.”