Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi said that the government will not return land needed for security purposes to their rightful owners. Mr Hettiarachchi said while the land will not be released, the owners will be compensated by being paid more than the actual land value. He said some of the land in the North is required by the military for security purposes, while speaking to press in Colombo on Wednesday.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged states to act to promote truth, reparations for victims of human rights violations, highlighting Sri Lanka as one of the countries where the UN advocated for consultations with victims. Speaking on the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, observed on March 24, the Secretary General said, "Across the world, every victim has the right to know the truth about violations that affected her or him. But, the truth also has to be told for the benefit of all people and communities as a vital safeguard against the recurrence of violations. The right to the truth is closely linked to the right to justice. "To advance this effort, the United Nations supports fact-finding missions, commissions of inquiry, mapping exercises and truth commissions, which document human rights violations and make recommendations to ensure accountability, reconciliation and other reforms.
The Sri Lankan parliament's Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella said that the government has set itself a target to close all IDP camps in the North-East and resettle the displaced "soon". Mr Kiriella said it was one of the government's election pledges to resettle all those displaced by the conflict and assured that the government is determined to meet this promise. See more here .
Members of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) raised concerns over the Sri Lankan government’s proposal to build 65,000 houses in the North-East, amidst allegations of corruption and politicisation of the process. During the 48th session of the NPC, members alleged that supporters of the UNP’s Viajakala Maheswaran and SLFP’s Angajan Ramanathan have been given first allocations for the housing scheme. Tamils on the ground were also not consulted on the project said several of the councillors, with Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran stating that the NPC was not consulted over the project. His concerns were echoed by NPC member Mr Ravikaran who criticised the number of houses allocated across the North-East. Mullaitivu, a district that suffered heavily throughout the armed conflict, has only been allocated 7,000 houses. More than double that number is needed said Mr Ravikaran.
The Sri Lankan military declared the project will be completed next week. The Tamil National Alliance rejected Sri Lankan government plans to build a village in the North-East for Sri Lankan soldiers who have married Tamil women, stating that it was a intended to forcibly colonise Tamil areas with Sinhalese soldiers. The "Sanhindiyawe Sathwirugama" housing project is due to be completed next week , having been entirely constructed by the Sri Lankan navy, air force and army. The village, at Kokeliya in Vavuniya, will be for Sri Lankan soldiers married to Tamil women and for 51 Tamil women have joined the Sri Lankan military, declared the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Karunasena Hettiarachchi. During the Northern Provincial Council’s 48th session this week, where concerns regarding other housing projects were raised, TNA councillor T Sarveswaran objected to the housing scheme, stating that it would forcibly locate Sinhalese soldiers in Tamil areas.
Tamil schoolchildren assemble beneath Sri Lankan military flags The Sri Lankan army organised a football tournament for Tamils in Kilinochchi earlier this month, reported a military website. The tournament, held at the military headquarters in Thunukkai from the 12th to the 20th of March, saw Tamil sports clubs and schools compete. “Brigadier Sarath Weerawardena, General Officer Commanding – 65 Division graced the occasion as the Chief Guest,” reported the military.
UK will be quick to comment if Sri Lanka fails to progress on UNHRC resolution says Foreign Minister
The UK will be quick to call out Sri Lanka if it isn’t making progress on its international commitments, said the British Foreign Secretary during a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils on Wednesday. Commenting on the upcoming progress report on Sri Lanka’s commitments to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Mr Swire said, “We are all waiting for the progress report of the high commissioner for human rights which is due out in June. We do want to see how they are progressing in many of the things they have agreed to do with the international community. I believe they are moving in the right direction and if they are not we will be very quick to point out where they are falling short with what the international community expects.” Commenting on the current human rights situation, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs added, “The best hope for Sri Lanka in many years is under the present government. I don’t believe things are perfect, but I do believe that the human rights situation has improved. I see here various statements that the white van cases still continues. I’m not sure I quite agree with that. I think the evidence of torture we need to look at very closely. I’m not saying it doesn’t exist but I think we need to look at it very closely. When you go to Sri Lanka I believe you can smell the difference. I feel that there is an absence of fear, some people say that is not true in the north. But I believe that is true. People are going about their business largely free of intimidation. Not everything will be perfect overnight, but I think there is a palpable difference in Sri Lanka compared to when I went there 2-3 years ago.”
Sri Lankan shares ended weaker on Wednesday, slipping from a near three-week high in the previous session, as foreign investors continued to exit as concerns over the country's economic growth and rising bond yields rose, Reuters reported. Sri Lanka's economy was expected to grow 5.3 percent in 2016, but analysts now say tight monetary and fiscal policies may curb growth. The $82.2-billion economy expanded at a sluggish 2.5 percent in the December quarter. Foreign investors sold a net Rs305.5mn ($2.10mn) worth of shares on Wednesday, extending the net foreign outflow so far this year to Rs2...
The Sri Lankan Coast Guard and navy have arrested another group of Indian fishermen and seized their trawler, in the fifth such detention this month. The three Indian fishermen are accused of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and illegally entering Sri Lankan waters. They were taken into custody at Kankesanturai in Jaffna. The arrest marks the fifth such incident in March alone.
Sri Lanka’s national carrier will be unable to repay a $1 billion debt said Ranil Wickremesinghe, raising the possibility that the government will have to shoulder the losses made by the airline. Though state enterprise development minister Kabir Hashim had put the government-run airlines debt at $933 million, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday that the actual figure could be higher. " The minister says the actual debt is likely to be much more than what we initially feared ," Mr Wickremesinghe told parliament. " SriLankan Airlines will not be able to repay this debt,” he said, adding “in the next month or six months we will have to take a decision what to do about the debts”.