The leader of Sri Lanka’s National Freedom Front accused the government of attempting to deceive the Sinhala people today, at a press conference in Colombo.

Wimal Weerawansa told reporters that the government has been bound by a UN resolution which it co-sponsored to establish a “hybrid court” with international judges to prosecute Sri Lankan troops for violations of international humanitarian law.

The Sri Lankan navy hosted football training sessions for Tamil schoolchildren in the Jaffna peninsula last week, whilst concerns regarding militarisation of the North-East were raised at the UN Human Rights Council.

Several of Sri Lanka’s key commitments to the United Nations Human Rights Council remain unfulfilled said Human Rights Watch during the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ oral update on Sri Lanka’s progress in implementing resolution 30/1 on accountability and reconciliation.

Noting that Sri Lanka had ”at times backtracked on its commitments on the judicial mechanism for investigating war crimes and other serious rights abuses by both sides,”  the Human Rights Watch Geneva Director John Fisher director added,

A number of countries voiced their support for the High Commissioner’s oral update today and re-asserted their commitment to ensuring full implementation of Resolution 30/1. While welcoming the positive steps taken by the Sri Lankan government, several countries expressed concern with ongoing human rights violations and the pace of progress.

The need for international participation

Many countries specifically reiterated the necessity of international participation in a judicial mechanism as per the Resolution.  

“International participation in the accountability mechanism will…be important in ensuring that the process is both credible and perceived as such by all sides in line with the October commitments,” said the Netherlands on behalf of the European Union.

See statement here:

In addition to pointing to the need for international judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers and investigators in a judicial mechanism, Estonia once again called on the Sri Lankan government to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Stressing operative paragraph 6, Norway said:

“It is further our expectation that Sri Lanka adheres to OP 6 in the resolution, regarding the planned judicial mechanism to investigate allegations of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, and of the importance of participation in the judicial mechanism of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers and authorized prosecutors and investigators.”

Macedonia also stated the importance of international participation in the form iterated by the Resolution, as did Ireland.

Canada reiterated that international involvement in a judicial mechanism was importance to “enhance its credibility, especially to victims.” 

The need for tangible steps on human rights violations

The United States encouraged Sri Lanka to make continued tangible steps in fulfilling their commitments under the Resolution.

“Protecting human rights in this post-conflict context is central, and we urge Sri Lanka to work to further improve the human rights situation, especially in the North and East," said Denmark.

The Sri Lankan military has constructed a new Buddha statue besides a Hindu temple in Mannar, in a move decried by locals as yet another government sponsored act of Sinhalisation of the Tamil North-East.

The statue was built on an area of land by Manthai junction located in front of the ancient Thiruketheeswran temple. The five acres of land is currently occupied by the Sri Lankan military.

Tamil villagers, who are the legal owners of land occupied by the military, were initially displaced by armed conflict in the region in 1991. When they finally managed to return to Mannar, they found the Sri Lankan military had since occupied their homes.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has refused to grant leave for a Fundamental Rights petition against Eastern Province Chief ("EPC") Minister Nazeer Ahamed for allegedly verbally abusing and threatening a Naval Officer.

The incident which the petitioner alleges amounted to verbal abuse and threats occurred at the end of May and was telecast on numerous media channels. The video showed the EPC Chief Minister raising his voice at a naval officer in front of others.

Nearly 9,000 Sri Lankan army soldiers who deserted the military have received a legal discharge during an amnesty period declared by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence.

The month long amnesty has only been running for two weeks, but Sri Lankan military spokesperson Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said that already a total of 8852 deserters - 8099 from Army, 418 Navy and 335 from Air Force - have obtained clearance and legal discharge.