Sri Lanka's election monitor, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) warned that hate speech is only a prelude to physical violence, after increased hate speech campaigns against female candidates, especially female Muslim candidates. “The CaFFE has been calling for a mandatory quota for female candidates since its inception, and we were extremely jubilant of the new laws enforcing this mandate. If immediate action is not taken against these reactionary elements, these laws will have no impact and efforts by numerous groups, for decades, will be for naught,” CaFFE Executive Director...
Human Rights Watch today criticised the Sri Lankan government's failure to enact pledges to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act, releasing a 46 page report on ongoing and past abuses of detainees under the legislation. “The Sri Lankan government has been all talk and no action on repealing the reviled PTA,” HRW's Asia director, Brad Adams said. “Replacing this draconian counterterrorism law with one that meets international standards should be an urgent priority if the government is serious about protecting human rights.”
Chavakachcheri police are investigating an attack against TULF candidates and supporters in Jaffna on Friday. Three people, including two candidates, out campaigning for the TULF were injured during the attack by unidentified individuals on a motorcycle and a pick-up truck.
A TNA local government candidate was arrested by Jaffna police on Friday in relation to an altercation at Pannai. Mr Uthayasri, a candidate standing for election to the Jaffna Municipal Council was arrested with five others for his part in an altercation. Mr Uthayasri had initially complained of being attacked at Pannai, following which four people were arrested. After investigating the four arrested, Mr Uthayasri and one other individual was also arrested.
A former UN staffer described the crimes committed by the Sri Lankan army against the Tamil population as a genocide in an interview with PTI at the Jaipur Literature Festival in India this week. "It is very fair to say that the Army committed genocide. The atrocities in Sri Lanka were definitely towards ethnic cleansing," Benjamin Dix, who worked as a United Nations communication manager in the Vanni during 2004 - 2008, said. "The Sri Lankan Army does not believe that they committed atrocities. It is a propaganda that they liberated Tamils from the Tamil leadership. It was not a liberation,...
The Sri Lankan navy on Sunday arrested 12 Tamil Nadu fishermen for allegedly poaching off the coast of Talaimannar, PTI reported. Two fishing trawlers were seized and the nets of over 50 boats were snapped, the Puducherry Fishermen's Association said. The men are accused of fishing in Sri Lankan waters and using banned fishing nets.
Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Ajith Cabraal on Sunday rejected the president's statement that over Rs. 9 trillion in foreign loans are accounted for as "ridiculous and untrue". The statement "may even be bordering on lunacy", Mr Cabraal was quoted by the island as saying. "If what the president claims is correct, the unaccounted loans will amount to a staggering 90% of GDP!" Mr Cabraal added. "Although the President may have made this irresponsible statement to sling mud at the previous regime as he regularly does, I do not think he realizes the grave danger that he is imposing on our...
Sri Lanka’s archaeology department is attempting to evict recently resettled residents of a Mannar village. Families in Malikaipitty in the Nanattan division, a village of around 69 households who have been resident there for over four decades are being pressured by the archaeology department to leave, citing the discovery of an ancient site close by. The villagers have been resident there for over forty years but were displaced during the war, during which time their homes were destroyed. “We are only just building our homes anew,” one resident said, “and now they are trying to make us leave...
Around Rs 9 trillion in foreign loans are unaccounted for in finance ministry records the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena said at a media briefing on Friday. "Furthermore, a large sum of funds that should have been deposited with the treasury have gone to private companies and institutions and that has been done in a systematic manner to avoid disclosure," he was quoted by Ada Derana as saying. "There were sale of state owned institutions and state properties during the last 3 years of the current government too, and some of these deals were done without even informing the cabinet...
A Tamil student was attacked by a group of Sinhala students at the University of Jaffna's Vavuniya campus this week, suffering injuries to his chest and face. The mob continued to taunt the victim as fellow Tamil students attempted to take him to hospital, saying, "you're LTTE aren't you? You should go to the army hospital". The attack happened after second year Sinhala students entered the dormitories of first year Tamil students and began ragging them. The victim remains admitted at Vavuniya hospital.