A lawsuit has been filed in Haiti against the UN and peacekeeping soldiers by mothers of 'peacekeeper babies' seeking child support and paternity payments, the Guardian reports. The legal team for 10 mothers who are struggling financially with raising children allegedly fathered by UN peacekeepers stationed in Haiti, have argued they were sexually exploited. Peacekeeping troops from Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Argentina and Uruguay have been implicated. The law suit was brought by the human rights group, Bureau Des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) and the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (...
Sri Lanka's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday announced the government would continue to subsidise essential items until April 2018 due to the high price of staples such as rice and coconuts. “The expected rains in November and December were inadequate. Therefore crop harvests will be low next year. I and the President met the ministerial committee on the cost of living. We invited private sector representatives as well. We did so because the government does not have an adequate machinery to cover all areas geographically. We decided to provide rice, dhal, sugar, potatoes, onions...
The Sri Lankan government announced a decision to import 100,000 metric tons of rice per month until the Tamil and Sinhala New Year in April, as shortages continue to impact on the market. ColomboPage reports that though Sri Lanka's annular rice requirement is about 2.4 million metric tons a shortage has led to at least 30 percent of that requirement having to be imported. Earlier this year the Sri Lankan government has cut import taxes on rice, flour, maize and fish in an attempt to keep prices down after drought affected crops. That special levy is now due to be extended until at least the...
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stated that the use of torture by Sri Lankan security forces on Tamil detainees continues and called on the Sri Lankan government “to fully honour the obligations it has undertaken in accordance with the Convention against Torture”. In a preliminary report released on Friday, the Working Group highlighted several areas of concern, including the use of torture, the transfer of cases of Tamil detainees to Sinhala-speaking courts, the detention of Tamils who return to the island and continued arrest of former LTTE cadres which creates a “...
Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal has once more extended an interim injunction which prevents police from pursuing legal action against former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The decision marks the third consecutive time that the order has been issued, preventing the Financial Crime Investigations Division (FCID) from taking any legal action. ColomboPage reports the court’s decision was made “despite the objections of the Attorney General”. The former defence secretary is accused of misappropriating public funds in constructing the DA Rajapaksa Museum and Memorial in Medamulana. Mr Rajapaksa...
Members of the Tamil community across the North-East commemorated the 11th death anniversary of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s chief negotiator Anton Balasingham. Mr Balasingham – or Bala Anna as he was fondly known – was deeply adored by the Tamil people. His charismatic addresses drew tens of thousands, as he untangled political analysis with razor sharp wit. Leading LTTE delegations through numerous negotiations, Bala Anna eloquently and forcefully articulated the rights of the nation. His intellectual prowess and political acumen earned him respect from all sides of the...
Malaysia is looking to strengthen ties with Sri Lanka as a visit by its prime minister, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak on December 17. Malaysia's foreign ministry said a high level team would be visiting Sri Lanka, followed by the Maldives. “He is due to take up an important assignment related to Malaysia’s chairmanship of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2020. Given the scale of CHOGM, which will involve 52 countries, early preparations are essential for it to be a success,” the ministry said.
The Indian government expects Sri Lanka to keep India's security concerns in mind, the ministry of external affairs said on Thursday. Asked about China's control of Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, the MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar was quoted by ANI as saying, "we are confident about the strength and enduring nature of our ties with Sri Lanka which are deep rooted and multi dimensional. Our relations with Sri Lanka stand on its own and are not dependent on our relation with any third country." "We continue to take up with Sri Lanka issues related to security concerns in the region and expect...
The Sri Lankan government announced on Thursday it would be joinging the Ottawa treaty banning the use and stockpiling of land mines. The move fulfils a pledge made by the government last year amid significant international pressure pushing for reform. "As a full state party, we look forward to taking our place in the promotion of this Convention, including through capacity-building and mine clearance," Sri Lanka's representative at its permanent mission to the UN, Rohan Perera said at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Ottawa Convention, titled 'A World Free of Landmines'.
The United Nations Committee against Torture has advised the Australian government not to deport a Tamil man to Sri Lanka, as he faces the risk of torture if sent back to the island. An interim measure formally requesting Australia to stay the deportation order whilst his case was being heard was issued by the committee, over fears regarding his safety. The asylum seeker – referred to by the Guardian as ‘Jyran’ – has aan arrest warrant in Sri Lanka for “assisting anti-government activities and supporting and assisting a terrorist organisation”. His lawyer Alison Battisson told the committee...