Abuse and sexual assaults on children and women in Sri Lanka has risen by 6%, Uthayan reports.

The United Nations listed Sri Lankan among 16 nations where governments are believed to be cracking down on critics with impunity, reports the Associated Press.

Addressing a special session of the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that the 16 nations had been “far from sufficient” in preventing intimidation and attacks by government members on various activists.

Along with Sri Lanka, the other named nations were Algeria, Bahrain, Belarus, China, Colombia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

Ms Pillay further said:

“Reprisals and intimidation against individuals continue to be reported. People may be threatened or harassed by government officials, including through public statements by high-level authorities. Associations and NGOs may see their activities monitored or restricted. Smear campaigns against those who cooperate with the U.N. may be organized. Threats may be made via phone calls, text messages or even direct contacts. People may also be arrested, beaten or tortured and even killed.”

“[There has also been a] lack of accountability in relation to the majority of reported cases of reprisals.”

Five councillors from the Tamil National Alliance have fled from the Eastern province following threats to support the government and are now in hiding in Colombo.

TNA leader R Sampanthan stated that unidentified persons threatened the councillors to support the ruling UPFA, reports Colombo Page.

The Indian Army’s Southern Command chief, Lt Gen A.K. Singh has admitted that the Sri Lankan Army takes part in a ‘diverse’ training programme with Indian security forces.

Speaking after a passing out ceremony of new cadets in Chennai, Lt Gen Singh said that the Sri Lankan army’s ‘expertise' is due to the training provided by India.

The TNA and the SLMC held talks on Sunday reported the Jaffna newspaper Uthayan.

President Premadasa threatened to go to war with India in 1989 if the Indian military did not withdraw its troops, revealed the former Indian High Commissioner to Colombo, Lakhan Lal Mehrotra. 

“One must not lose sight that rights can bear fruit only when it is exercised with sensitivity to the accompanying duties”

“In this context Sri Lanka is concerned that the council has increasingly witnessed the disturbing strength of unsubstantiated and uncorroborated allegations being used for political purposes by certain sections of the international community and NGOs to seek to name and shame specific countries.”

“States cannot at the same time be held responsible for any comments and references made in the independent media against such persons or entities, which would be tantamount to an interference with the freedom of expression.”

“Unfortunately, despite several calls for action, a number of states continue to engage in reprisals against human rights defenders- among these countries are Bahrain, Malawi, Sri Lanka and Sudan.”

The visiting United Nations office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) that arrived in Sri Lanka on Friday was briefed about the post-conflict ‘progress’ on human rights in Sri Lanka.

Upon their arrival, the United Nations team met Sri Lanka’s Minister of Economic development, Basil Rajapaksa, who issued the usual Sri Lankan government discourse on post conflict development.

A sudden decision by Sri Lankan public and private sector banks in the north to stop issuing loans has left the Tamil business community in a precarious situation. The banks subsequently increased the rate of interest on existing loans by 4 percent, reported TamilNet.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) have issued a press release demanding that the UK suspend immediately deportations of Tamils with links to the LTTE or those that may have been politically active against the Sri Lankan authorities in the UK.

Extracts from the press release follow:

“The Sri Lankan security forces have long used torture against people deemed to be linked to the LTTE,and growing evidence indicates that Tamils who have been politically active abroad in peaceful opposition to the government may be subject to torture and other ill-treatment.

30 asylum seekers who arrived from Sri Lanka have been transferred from Christmas Island to Nauru, as Australia restarted its controversial offshore processing scheme.

The British Border and Immigration Agency is planning to deport hundreds of Tamils, reported The Independent.

Three charter planes are reported to have been hired by the British government, with two scheduled to depart Wednesday and one on Thursday next week.

There have been several instances of Tamil deportees being tortured on their arrival in Sri Lanka.

The newspaper reported that although there are criminals and visa overstayers, several of those deported are failed asylum seekers.

The Independent said it has seen a new report which details the cases of 24 individuals from Sri Lanka who returned voluntarily were tortured and interrogated.

David Mepham, the UK head of Human Rights Watch, said the organisation had also documented several cases of tortured Tamils.

"Given the very serious risk of torture facing many Tamils returned from this country, the UK should immediately impose a moratorium on these returns, pending a thorough review of UK policy in this area and the introduction of new risk assessment guidelines."

The US Assistant Sectretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert O'Blake, urged the Sri Lankan government to show "accelerated progress" in ensuring political rights for Tamils in the North-East.

Addressing the American Chamber of Commerce on Friday, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert O'Blake described that foreign investors found Sri Lanka's marketplace an "uphill battle" although it was 3 years after the end of the armed conflict.

Highlighting "opaque" rules, "unpredictable government regulations" and "corruption" as key causes of poor foreign investment, Blake urged Sri Lanka to open up the market, particularly through the liberalisation of rules for foreign direct investment.

See here for Blake's address in full. Extracts published below:

"USAID has established Public-Private Alliances with Sri Lankan companies to expand operations into the North and East to create new opportunities and better livelihoods.  These partnerships are helping to re-activate the local economies of the North and East and laying the groundwork for sustainable economic growth that provides opportunities for all Sri Lankans.  We believe that creating economic opportunity must go hand in hand with political reconciliation."