An Australian court has overturned the decision by the Australia Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) to withhold a visa for an asylum seeker on the grounds he was a  'security risk', despite being considered at risk of persecution and deemed eligible for asylum. 

The court ruled that the withholding of the visas in such circumstances was "invalid" and  ''had not been made according to law''.

The ruling is said to have considerable significance in the cases of over 50 asylum seekers in a similar position. 

The humanitarian organisation, Action Against Hunger, has called on the United Nations to launch an independent investigation to finally bring those responsible for the murders of 17 aid workers, in 2006 to justice.

Six years after the organisation's team were executed at their offices, there remains to be any form of justice or accountability issued for these events. Despite three national investigations in Sri Lanka, the perpetrators are yet to be brought to justice.

Describing the insufficiency of the Sri Lankan national investigations,  Action Against Hunger’s address to the UN stated that,

To celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the Sri Lankan Army, a “flag blessing” event was held in Anuradhapura earlier this week.

The event was held “giving prominence to Buddhist religious rites and rituals” according to the official Sri Lanka Army website.

The Sri Lankan government has announced that a brand new hospital will be built  for the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, at a cost of 4.1 billion rupees.

Government Minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said that,

"I think this is the right priority since soldiers have made sacrifices to save the unity of the country".

A new book by Frances Harrison detailing the horrific end to Sri Lanka’s armed conflict in which tens of thousands of Tamil people perished in five months in 2009 was released Thursday by publisher Portobello Books.

The Cabinet has approved two billion rupees for new military uniforms and 4000 million rupees towards a brand new military hospital, announced the Cabinet spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella on Thursday.

The plans, proposed by the President, are intended to provide uniforms for security forces, including the Special Task Force.

A recent bill, with regards to development in the eastern provinces that was passed this week, has received wide criticism from local Tamil councillors and further civil circles, reported TamilNet.

The bill allows for the establishment of a Department of Divineguma for Development, which essentially incorporates several local development authorities into one single unit under Colombo’s Development Ministry, which is headed by the Sri Lankan President's sibling, Basil Rajapaksa.

Buddhist monks threw stones and damaged windows of the Bangladeshi embassy in Sri Lanka on Thursday, as they protested against attacks on Buddhist temples and businesses in Bangladesh.

A police officer and a monk inspect the damage (Daily Mirror)

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Sulfur Rahman, said about 900 protesters, mostly Buddhists monks, threw water bottles and brickbats at the high commission, causing damage to the windows and property. 

Buddhist monk Gakagoda Gnenesaara said in the statement that,

“We were tolerant, but day by day we notice great injustice caused to Buddhists by Islamic extremists, we can no longer be patient.”

The protest was organised by a Buddhist organisation called Bodu Bala Sena.

A leaflet was distributed some days before the protest, which called on protestors to “strike down extremists as they flee”.

Writing on the online site OpenDemocracy.net, Frances Harrison argues that the government's treatment of witness is "short-sighted" and "will hamper any kind of reconciliation or understanding between the different ethnic groups".

See here for full article. Extracts reproduced below:

The chief Buddhist monks from Asgiriya and Malwatte have met with Sri Lanka’s Higher Education minister, to advise him on how to handle the country’s striking university academics.

The monks used their expertise to reportedly asked to Minister to be more “flexible” and to “work cooperatively” with all parties in a meeting in Kandy.

See our earlier posts:

Keep monks out of politics - monk urges politician (15 Jan 2012)