The Eastern University has been ordered to be evacuated as tensions remained high following the attack on security staff by Sinhala students on Tuesday. The order was issused on Saturday by the Eravur Magistrate Court, the Daily Mirror reported. Two security staff, including one female member of staff, were hospitalised following the attack. Sinhalese students, who had been protested demanding accommodation and for academic suspensions to be revoked, blockaded the administration building and attacked the staff, claiming they had been ignored by the administration. Security staff continued to...
Criticising the failure of the Sri Lankan government to make significant progress on implemented the UN Human Rights Council resolution it co-sponsored, the Global Tamil Forum reiterated the need for accountability, stating the "the present coalition government has not lived up to its commitments and yet to take any meaningful steps in this respect." "No efforts have been made by the top Sri Lankan leaders to integrate credible international participation in the local judicial processes as stipulated in the UNHRC resolutions," the organisation said. See full statement here . Extracts...
The Tamil National Alliance met with Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka, Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther on Friday. The TNA was represented by its leader, R Sampanthan and TNA spokesperson, M A Sumanthiran.
Tamil preschool children were given a tour of Palaly air base by Sri Lankan soldiers on Friday. The base is inside a high security zone, military-occupied land which is usually inaccessible to locals. 48 children from the Karaveddy Child Jesus Pre-School, along with their parents and 5 members of staff were given the tour.
Fencing activity by the Ceylon Electricity Board on paddy lands in Sampur has angered the land’s recently resettled owners. Trincomalee MP K. Thurairetnasingam wrote to President Sirisena following outcry by the owners of paddy land in Kilalveli that their livelihood lands were being encroached upon. “These paddy lands have been ploughed, levelled and made ready for paddy cultivation. At this stage it is being taken by CEB without the concern of the owners of such land. This action is seen by the people as a highly inhuman action,” Mr Thurairetnasingam wrote. The CEB are attempting to fence...
A former Major General in the Sri Lankan army who was accused of murder and torture and has since been ordained as a Buddhist monk was in Jaffna this week, delivering a lecture to Sri Lankan soldiers.
Sri Lanka’s public debt is expected to rise to 85% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with the current account deficit widening to 2.5% of GDP warned the International Monetary Fund. The IMF's second review of Sri Lanka under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF)., released on Thursday, further found that though progress on structural fiscal reform had been made “political resistance” was stalling some processes including energy pricing reform. Stressing that public debt continued to remain unsustainably high, the report said, “Public debt is expected to rise slightly to 85 percent of GDP in 2017 due...
A cross-party delegation from the US House of Representatives met with the Tamil National Alliance on Thursday during a visit to Sri Lanka. The delegation which included the Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas, were accompanied by the US ambassador to the island, Atul Keshap, and met with the leader of the TNA, R Sampanthan and the TNA spokesperson and MP, M A Sumanthiran. They also met with Sri Lanka's prime minister, president and Spekaer of Parliament. "This visit demonstrates the strong...
The Asian Human Rights Commission in a statement on Thursday urged action over the death of a Tamil boy who was killed during a police chase by Sri Lanka's Special Task Force. "The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information about Mr. Sathasivam Madisam of Karadiyanaru in the Batticaloa District," the AHRC said in its statement. "On 24 July, Sathasivam along with his brother and several other friends went to the Mundeniyaru Lagoon to swim. While they were in the water, they observed large numbers of STF officers with weapons approaching the area. All the boys were frightened. The...
Sri Lankan military officers and students from the Sri Lanka Defense Service Command are currently visiting Rwanda for a two week 'study tour'. The team was welcomed by the Rwanda Defense Forces' air force chief of staff, Brigadier General Charles Karamba. "Both countries have undergone periods of calamities," Sri Lanka's Colonel Ekanayake was quoted by Colombo Page as saying. "We heard that Rwanda is progressing well in the process of reconciliation and rebuilding and thought of getting some experience from her. It's a great thing for us as we are also engaging in rebuilding our nation and...