Switzerland has called on the Sri Lankan government to release the list of those who surrendered to the army in 2009, a demand which has been reiterated by families of the disappeared throughout their struggle for justice.

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council session on Wednesday, the Swiss mission in Geneva expressed concern at Sri Lanka’s lack of progress in implementing the commitments the government had signed up to in previous human rights council resolutions:

The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Pablo de Greiff told the Sri Lanka and the Human Rights Council "do not wait any longer" to deliver transitional justice, as he submitted his report to the Council on Wednesday. 

Germany expressed concern over the Sri Lanka's government's failure to implement the co-sponsored UN Human Rights Council resolution 30/1, as well as recent attacks on Muslims in Kandy by Sinhala mobs. 

Canada urged the Sri Lankan government to ensure a time-bound plan to implement the UN Human Rights Council co-sponsored resolution 30/1. 

"While noting positive initial first steps, Canada urges the government with the technical support from the OHCHR to set a time-bound strategy for full implementation of Resolution 30/1," Canada said in a statement. 

"We call on Sri Lanka to meet its domestic and international human rights obligations to ensure a peaceful, reconciled and prosperous future for all Sri Lankans."

A Tamil journalist was detained by the Sri Lankan army and subject to threatening and abusive language by an army official while reporting on the army’s plans to appropriate land in Mullaitivu.

The journalist who had been working in Alampil, were residents have reported that the Sri Lankan Army is attempting to permanently seize the land of a destroyed LTTE cemetery was stopped and questioned by soldiers.

When the journalist refused to hand over his camera to be searched, he was taken aside and interrogated by a higher ranking officer who implied that his days were numbered and also subjected him to verbal abuse.

Attempts by the Sri Lankan Army to permanently appropriate the land of a destroyed LTTE cemetery have angered locals in Mullaitivu.

Notices about the seizure by the village officer have gone up in parts of Alampil where the Thuyilum Illam, residents said.

Alampil residents have stated that they will resist any move to build permanent army structures on the site.

“We have nowhere to mourn our children,” one resident whose daughter was buried at the Thuyilum Illam said. “Now they want to to taunt us by building a camp on top of their bodies.”

The United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kate Gilmore on Wednesday reiterated the High Commissioner's call on states to exercise universal jurisdiction to ensure justice in Sri Lanka, stating that "authorities have yet to demonstrate with the willingness or the capacity to address impunity for gross violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law."

The co-sponsors of Sri Lanka's UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on Wednesday expressed disappointment that the "pace of progress has been slow", adding that "much still remains to be done to implement Sri Lanka’s commitments". 

The United States, UK, Macedonia and Montenegro also highlighted ongoing reports of human rights abuses by Sri Lankan security personnel. 

The UK's Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Mark Field said Sri Lanka's "pace of progress has been disappointingly slow and that much remains to be done" in a dedicated Commons debate on the issue yesterday. 

Sri Lanka's Joint Opposition today handed over a no-condidence motion against the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

Dinesh Gunawardane of the Joint Opposition told reporters that several government MPs had also signed the motion. 

“We expect the Speaker to give maximum priority to this motion as per Parliamentary tradition,” he added. 

The former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa did not sign the motion, reported the Daily Mirror. 

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