(Picture: defence.lk)

The head of Sri Lanka’s navy, Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera met with the Chief of Naval Operations of the US navy, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, during a visit to the US.

Perera is in the country to attend the 21st International Sea Power Symposium (ISS) at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, which this year is being held under the theme of "Global Solutions to Common Maritime Challenges".

“A most troubling aspect of recent atrocities is the concern that they could have been prevented had the international community responded earlier and more appropriately.”

“Tens of thousands of lives could have been saved. The future of whole ethnic groups, states, societies, indeed the world, could have been transformed for the better.”

“Through reflection on those failures to act – Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, Sri Lanka, Syria – we appreciate the vital role that prevention plays in the promotion and protection of human rights.”

The French Embassy in Sri Lanka stated it would continue to closely follow the case of 17 aid workers, who were shot dead by Sri Lankan security forces, in order to ensure that justice is served for the killings.

Stating that “the Embassy will continue to pay close attention to developments in this case to ensure justice is served,” it went on to add,

“The French Embassy has reminded the Attorney General that the protection of witnesses was a prerequisite in the course of the investigation and that all methods used during the investigation must serve the sole objective of bringing to justice those responsible for the massacre of 17 aid workers of ACF.”

The 17 Action Contre la Faim (ACF) workers, mostly Tamils, were lined up and summarily executed on 4th August 2006 in Muttur, Trincomalee. The charity stated Sri Lankan security forces were responsible for the massacre.

Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa criticised Chief Minister of the Northern Province CV Wigneswaran for “not cooperating” with the government’s development in the region, while speaking at a UN Habitat event.

Rajapaksa said the chief minister’s lack of cooperation was affecting the “ordinary people” in the north of the island, and that political differences with the central government resulted in some officials, showing reluctance to work with the government.

The defence secretary pointed out that the Colombo Municipal Council is working with the Urban Development Authority and Ministry of Defence, despite it being governed by the opposition UNP, adding that the Northern Provincial Council must also work with the government, in the best interest of the people in the region.