Sri Lanka's parliament was adjourned today after joint opposition MPs complained at not being allowed given sufficient time to speak during the UN resolution debate, the Daily Mirror reported. The paper reported that speaker Karu Jayasuriya adjourned the debate after what it described as a "tense situation".
Mannar locals have been protesting against a gazette notification declaring private land including the area of Musali as nature reserve.
The Mayor of Toronto has said that only an independent mechanism with international can deliver justice to the Tamil people. Writing in the Toronto Star on his recent visit to the Northern Province, Mayor John Tory, also commented on the “extraordinary military presence” in the North, adding “when you ask, you are told most of these bases are located on land forcibly taken from Tamil citizens,” and that “this unilateral use of formerly privately owned land, combined with the suffocating military presence itself, causes immense anxiety on the part of the people of northern Sri Lanka and...
New UK home office policy advise on Sri Lanka is misleading and downplays ongoing human rights violations, Freedom from Torture has said. The charity which provides rehabilitation and therapy for torture survivors in the UK has said it is deeply concerned by the new policy and has called for an urgent review. Sri Lanka was the top country of origin for torture survivors referred to the organisation in 2016, and referrals included survivors who have been detained during the current government’s tenure. Ann Hannah, Freedom from Torture’s Director of Policy and Advocacy said: “This guidance is...
Fishermen in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu said they would picket Katchatheevu in protest on April 25 at Sri Lanka's impounding of their fishing boats, the Times of India reported. Demanding the release of their boats, the fishermen association's head, N J Bose said, "foreign secretary S Jaishankar, who will be visiting Sri Lanka on April 7, should take up this issue with Sri Lankan authorities to secure the release of Indian fishing boats". Earlier this week the Sri Lankan government released 18 of the 38 fishermen currently detained.
People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) released its most recent report, "Impunity reigns in Sri Lanka: the Kumarapuram Massacre and Acquittals" during a side session during the Human Rights Council session in Geneva on March 20.
The Sri Lankan health minister laughed off a question about investigating war crimes when speaking to media in Jaffna today. Asked for his thoughts on future war crimes investigations by Tamil journalists, Rajitha Senaratne, said “war crimes? No we don’t agree with war crimes - nobody is there.” The minister further responded “in that case who will investigate about the LTTE war crimes” before laughing and saying “are there any leaders? We have to ask them.” Instead of pursuing accountability, the government will focus on a settlement and devolution the minister said. “We will go for a good...
A booklet on human rights documentation in a post-war context and a report on memorialisation amongst Tamils in the North-East were launched in February at a panel co-hosted by the Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (ACPR), People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), and the Forum on Contemporary Issues at the Department of Law at the University of Jaffna. PEARL launched the Tamil translation of their report “Erasing the Past: Repression of Memorialization in Sri Lanka” , which was published in English last year. ACPR launched their booklet “Human Rights Documentation in a Transitional...
Limits must be placed on the number of fishermen from the South using Mullaitivu waters, the Northern Provincial Council said in a resolution last week. In a resolution passed at the council’s 85th sitting, members said the TNA leader, the North’s Chief Minister and Tamil MPs should directly take up the issue with Sri Lanka’s president, prime minister and fisheries minister. The motion was brought by Ravikaran, a representative for Mullaitivu, who mentioned specifically the encroachment of Naiyaaru waters by fishermen from the South. Due to army pressure, 78 boat permits had been granted to...
The British Home Office this week published an updated policy guidance and information note on Sri Lanka aimed at decision makers handling the granting of protection and human rights claims for Tamils. The updated policy guidance, which follows the country guidance of GJ & Others in 2013, stated that there had been "positive developments" since the new government led by President Sirisena came to office and "an improved environment for civil society and human rights defenders has also been reported". Commenting on the new guidance, Jan Jananayagam of Together Against Genocide (TAG) said...