• Our duty to Sri Lanka, and human rights'

    Writing in the Guardian, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Irish President Mary Robinson, members of The Elders, global leaders working for peace and human rights, called on the UN Human Rights Council to "support a resolution that seeks accountability for the terrible violations of international law".

    See their full piece here. Extracts reproduced below:

    This week the UN Human Rights Council has an opportunity and a duty to help Sri Lanka advance its own efforts on accountability and reconciliation. Both are essential if a lasting peace is to be achieved. In doing so, the council will not only be serving Sri Lanka, but those worldwide who believe there are universal rights and international legal obligations we all share.

    “In the absence of a credible and independent investigation into what happened in Sri Lanka, the Human Rights Council has an obligation to uphold human rights law and international humanitarian law during its upcoming 2012 sessions.,”

    “Against this background, and continuing reports of human rights violations by the authorities, we urge the council to support a resolution that seeks accountability for the terrible violations of international law that have taken place, and establishes mechanisms to monitor progress on the steps the government is taking on accountability. If there is insufficient progress by the government in establishing a credible accountability process in the near future, we urge council members to support the establishment of an independent investigation.

  • Come and 'die like dogs', minister threatens US
    Sri Lanka's public relations minister, Mervyn Silva expressed his thoughts on a US resolution at the UNHRC.

    According to BBC correspondent Charles Haviland, Silva said Monday, 

    “Americans, if you want to die like dogs as Prabhakaran did, come to Sri Lanka.”

  • HRW produces new evidence of torture, as TAG fights deportations

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) produced fresh evidence of Sri Lanka’s torture of recent Tamil deportees, on Friday, which significantly bolsters ongoing litigation to halt the UK’s continuing deportations says Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) in a litigation update released Saturday.

  • We have dealt with accountability issues' - Sri Lanka tells Navi Pillay

    Sri Lanka's delegation to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva due to begin Monday, assured the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, that "we [Sri Lanka] have dealt with accountability isses".

  • Sri Lanka outraged at Silva humiliation

    Sri Lanka has expressed outrage at the humiliating treatment meted out to Major General Shavendra Silva by a UN committee.

    Silva, who is accused of war crimes, was ejected from the peacekeeping advisory panel to Bank Ki-moon earlier this week, after widespread criticism of his selection to the committee.

  • Silva 'not appropriate' for UN body

    A UN peacekeeping committee reportedly barred Major General Shavendra Silva of the Sri Lankan Army from attending their meetings.

  • Member states & Ban Ki Moon should endorse barring of Silva - HRW

    Endorsing the "principled stand" of Louise Frechette, the chair of the UN body who made the decision to bar Major General Shavendra Silva from the UN's Special Advisory Group on Peace Keeping Operations, Philippe Bolopion, the UN director for Human Rights Watch, called on UN member states and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, to publicly back her decision.

  • Sri Lanka vows large protests against any UN call for independent probe

    The Sri Lankan government vowed to conduct large scale rallies against the "Western forces" that are calling for an independent probe into the allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    The government's spokesperson, Susil Premajayantha, told reporters,

  • Conservative MP calls for UK boycott of a Sri Lankan Commonwealth summit

    The Conservative MP for Harlow, Robert Halfon, writing on the ConservativeHome website, endorsed the Canadian pledge to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in

  • US want ‘concrete steps’ by Sri Lanka

    The United States have reiterated their demand for Sri Lanka to take ‘concrete steps’ on reconciliation.

    State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said Sri Lanka had not attempted to implement any of the LLRC report’s recommendations.

  • Sri Lanka capable of dealing with domestic issues – Russian ambassador

    The Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka dismissed calls for an international inquiry into allegations of war crimes.

    Vladimir Mikhaylov was speaking at a conference marking 55 years of diplomatic relations between Russia and Sri Lanka, where he expressed Russia’s view that larger, more powerful nations cannot dictate to smaller countries how to govern or what type of leader should be in power.

  • UNP deputy leader and dissidents to form new organisation

    The UNP's deputy leader, Sajith Premadasa, is reported to be working with UNP dissidents towards forming a new organisation, with the group's first meeting held in Kandy Upcountry Union recently.

  • Unreasonable to expect action on LLRC recommendations - Peiris

    Ahead of the UNHRC March session, starting next week, Sri Lanka's minister of foreign affairs suggested it was unreasonable to expect implementation of the LLRC recommendations already.

    Peiris said,

  • Womens groups in Mannar protest against militarisation

    Civil society groups, formed by resettled Tamil women in Mannar, protested against the construction of a Sri Lankan military cantonment, reported Tamilnet, Sunday.

    The militarisation has increasingly encroached on residential areas, including access paths to basic needs such as water.

     

  • Sri Lanka asks Goldman Sachs for new loan
     Sri Lanka is seeking to borrow US$ 1 billion from global investment bank Goldman Sachs to meet soaring fuel costs and fund the poorly performing and publicly owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, The Island newspaper reported Monday.
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