The Chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) of the Catholic Diocese Jaffna, in a report released on today, called for immediate assistance to victims of coercive population control.

The report, which outlined the complaints from women in three coastal villages who were subjected to birth control implants,  urged the Northern Provincial Health Ministry, to remove the implants and assist the victims that were suffering from side-effects.

Noting that a number of the victims had been Catholic, the report said,

The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary William Hague has said in an opinion for The Telegraph that although he wants to see change in Sri Lanka, a boycott of the Commonwealth heads of Government Meeting in the country would be wrong.

Hague said that attending the summit is the “right thing to do”, saying that the international community was criticised in 2009 for “sitting on the sidelines”.

A high-level delegation from the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has been denied entry to Sri Lanka, reported the DailyMirror.

The delegation, including the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Gabriela Knaul, and the first UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Param Cumaraswamy.

Tamil protester, Parameswaran, continues his hunger strike opposite Downing Street, calling on the British Prime Minister to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) due to take place in Sri Lanka later this month. Photograph TYOUK

A boycott of the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Sri Lanka could help pressure Colombo to address alleged war crimes against Tamils, suggested Archbishop Desmond Tutu today.

Speaking to journalists in New Delhi, Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu said:

British Prime Minister David Cameron met with a delegation from various British Tamil organisations today, including the British Tamils Forum, Global Tamil Forum and Tamils against Genocide.

A spokesperson for Number 10 has said that the Prime Minister David Cameron will call for an international inquiry, if Sri Lanka does not deliver an independent investigation into accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"We have consistently called for an independent inquiry into the allegations,” the spokesperson said.

“To date, that has not happened. And the PM believes that in the absence of an independent investigation, an international inquiry would be needed.”