The US will pressure the Sri Lankan government and take all measures to ensure that the needs of the Tamil people are met, according to the assurances of US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, in her meeting with Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran.

The Sri Lankan government has de-proscribed 8 out of the 16 organisation, while 155 individuals remain proscribed, out of the original 424.

In a gazette notification dated November 20, the government amended the list it initially published in March last year.

TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran called on the Sri Lankan government to allow the Tamil people of the North-East to commemorate Maaveerar Naal, in a speech in parliament today.

Mr Sumanthiran highlighted the Sri Lankan government’s desecration of LTTE cemeteries under the previous regime, with thousands of graves destroyed.

“Relatives of LTTE cadres have a right to remember them in the month of November,” said the TNA MP. “Allow people to remember their heroes this week,” he added.

British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire has welcomed the Sri Lankan government’s move to de-proscribe some Tamil diaspora groups.

In a tweet sent out on Saturday, Mr Swire said it was an “important step towards reconciliation”.

The Sri Lankan government has de-proscribed 8 out of the 16 organisation, while 155 individuals remain proscribed, out of the original 424, accused of “terrorism”.

The US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said the "the world is watching what is happening in Sri Lanka," as she arrived in Colombo on Saturday ahead of a trip to Jaffna tomorrow.

Speaking after a meeting with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, the US ambassador said the "world is watching what is happening in Sri Lanka far more closely than I think any of you can imagine". "The changes that have been put in place in a very complex and diverse political environment over the course of the last 9 or 10 months have grabbed the world’s attention," she added.

Stating that Sri Lanka has given the world "great hope," she said that the country "is dealing with the very difficult legacies of a long and very arduous civil conflict". "But it is putting one foot in front of the other, facing hard problems, and again showing no signs of moving away from confronting the difficult issues of the past in order to contribute to that brighter future," she continued, adding that the United States "supports your efforts to reform".

Commenting on her trip to Jaffna tomorrow, Ms Power said the visit would give her "the chance to see places I visited 5 years ago and to see the effects on the ground of some of the new policies that have been put into place in recent days and months".

She is expected to meet with civil society organisations and Tamil politicians during her visit to Jaffna, as well as visit the headquarters of Uthayan newspaper, which has been repeatedly targeted throughout the conflict. Ms Power will also participate in the inauguration of a new wing of Osmania College, which suffered significant damage during the conflict, as well as tour the Jaffna Library, where she will announce US support for the local restoration of ancient Tamil manuscripts, according to a press release.

Father of three, Thanapalasingham Veerasingham, was found dead on the bottom of a swing at his home on Friday morning, shortly after he left to go fishing on Saturday morning.

A panel with international legal experts has been nominated to monitor the design and implementation of the transitional justice mechanisms in Sri Lanka.

The Monitoring Accountability Panel (MAP) is comprised of several legal experts with experience in international criminal law and human rights, national war crimes courts, and regional criminal cases, a statement by the TGTE said.

The Tamil National Alliance's spokesperson MA Sumanthiran said that there is no room for compromise on the need for loyalty to the party and its leader R Sampanthan.

In response to a statement by the Northern Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran, Mr Sumanthiran said that people who attempt to sever the "sacred bond" between the Tamil people and their leader, will be rejected, as they have been in the past.

The MP said Mr Wigneswaran was "specifically handpicked" by Mr Sampanthan to function as the chief minister and that the people expressed overwhelming support for the TNA leader's choice.

"The Tamil National Alliance cannot shirk its responsibility to utilize the opportunity that presents itself today to work for the benefit and freedom of our people with sobriety and wisdom so as to pass the necessary statutes in the Provincial Council; accept and utilize the support already forthcoming from the international community; and transform the provincial administration to efficiently address the needs of the people with respect to fisheries, farming, healthcare, education, livelihoods, technological advancement and development centred on raising living standards," Mr Sumanthiran further said, offering his assistance to the chief minister.

See his full statement further below.

Meanwhile posters condemning Mr Sumanthiran's stance against the chief minister have appeared in several villages in Jaffna, days before he is due to speak at an event in the region.

Samantha Power, America’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), is in India and Sri Lanka from November 18 – 23. In India, she’s set to meet human rights activists, members of civil society and senior government officials. On November 20, she’ll give a speech about UN peacekeeping.

While far less significant on the geopolitical front, Power’s visit to Sri Lanka could be a tricky balancing act. Regarding the Sri Lanka portion of her trip, the U.S. mission to the UN has stated the following:

In Sri Lanka, Ambassador Power will highlight the United States’ commitment to strengthening the bilateral partnership, and she will underscore U.S. support for the country’s efforts toward reconciliation, accountability, and lasting peace in the aftermath of a devastating civil war. In Colombo, she will meet with senior government officials, community leaders, civil society groups, and youth.

The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) has called for “a credible international forensics team” to be allowed in to Sri Lanka, to document evidence remaining in secret torture centres in the island.

Responding to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID) confirming the existence of such government run centres on the island, the ITJP said the government must now “bring in a credible international forensics team to document evidence (such as blood stains) remaining in the underground torture cells and attempt to match this with survivors in Sri Lanka and abroad”.

“We note the new Government of Sri Lanka has so far failed to investigate the allegations regarding the site in Trincomalee,” said the ITJP in a press release on Friday.
“This raises serious concerns about the pervasive clime of impunity and the Government of Sri Lanka’s reluctance to investigate and reform its own security forces, despite promises to the international community to do so.”

“The Sri Lankan Prime Minister, who has denied the existence of secret detention sites, should now publicly acknowledge their existence and outline in detail what steps he intends to take to address this problem,” it added.

The ITJP also called on governments across the world to “review naval cooperation, joint exercises and training with the Sri Lankan navy given the credible allegation by WGEID that naval personnel were involved in systematic torture over several years”.

The call comes as a Nigerian navy delegation met with the Commander of the Sri Lankan navy this week, reportedly expressing interest in their Inshore Patrol Craft.

See the full ITJP press release below.

Tamil civil societies across the North-East have called for the United Nations to be allowed to participate in a Sri Lankan government victim consultation process (VCP), in order to gain credibility and to ensure a UN Human Rights Council resolution is implemented.

In a letter sent to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, civil society organisations said “the participation of the UN representatives as set out above is important for the credibility of the VCP and for ensuring that the UN is accountable to the victims and civil society for the implementation of the UNHRC Resolution”.

The letter detailed steps that the Sri Lankan government should take, including at least 50% representation for women, the “close consultation and concurrence of civil society actors who are seen to be credible by victim communities” and independent monitoring of the process by representatives “drawn from countries who co-sponsored the Geneva resolution and from international and local human rights and civil society actors”.

The note added “we recognize and acknowledge that the victims of the conflict in Sri Lanka are to be found in all communities throughout Sri Lanka”. “However, the suffering of the Tamil victims in the North and East must be given due recognition as should the structural impediments to them enjoying full rights as citizens.”