Northern Provincial Council members protested against the Sri Lankan president's upcoming inauguration of military quarters in Vavuniya. President Sirisena is due to inaugurate new army quarters in Vavuniya in April. NPC members staged a sit-down protest during the 48th session in protest at the opening.
British Prime Minister David Cameron called on Sri Lanka to draw on the experience and expertise of the international community and diaspora in promoting justice and fair treatment for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. In a message sent to the annual All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils event, Mr Cameron said, “the Sri Lankan government has made important commitments to accountability reconciliation and a political settlement that addresses the needs of all its citizens. The UK is determined to support Sri Lanka to deliver on these commitments.” See full letter below or here.
The United Kingdom has launched a new 'Professional Development Framework' for Sri Lankan police this week, with the British Deputy High Commissioner stating it would aid the “transformation to a more democratic society, strengthening the rule of law and helping build stability”. The new framework was launched in addition to an existing training program run through the Scottish Police College, which has seen British training of Sri Lankan police for the last three years. The Professional Development Framework will “help the Sri Lankan Police provide and receive modern and dynamic training,” said Deputy High Commissioner Laura Davies. “A modern, effective and efficient police force, serving the community and part of the community, has a huge role to play in Sri Lanka's transformation to a more democratic society, strengthening the rule of law and helping build stability in a country still suffering the after effects of a long and terrible conflict,” she said.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena reiterated again that his government will “never surrender itself to any country,” in a speech delivered on Monday. Speaking at the 32nd Conference of the Chief Ministers in Hikkaduwa, Mr Sirisena told the audience: “Let me assure that the government will never surrender itself to any country”. His comments come just days after the president made similar remarks at the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) convention at the weekend.
The Sri Lankan president has praised a proposal by Korea to build a hospital for Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka, calling it a “highly meritorious act”. Presiding over a meeting between Sinhala Buddhist monks and a Korean Buddhist delegation, Maithripalal Sirisena welcomed plans to build the hospital in Piliyandala. The President’s Media Division said Mr Sirisena called the move “another significant landmark in the historical relations between Korea and Sri Lanka” and a “highly meritorious act”.
India’s High Commissioner Y K Sinha told reporters that a proposed economic agreement between India and Sri Lanka was proposed by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as Sinhala opposition to the move continues. Mr Sinha told reporters that the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) proposal was put forward last year and defended the move. “The ETCA was proposed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe when he went to India September last year,” Mr Sinha said. “Since then our officials have met and now just a few days ago, we have got a draft of the framework, which is the outline of the agreement from the government of Sri Lanka.” The proposal came after Sri Lanka repeatedly rejected moves to sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India, which Mr Sinha said “is [now] a dirty word here”.
The leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) said he would not allow the international community to question Sri Lankan troops over reports of war crimes, as long as his party remains in government. Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka made his comments as he addressed a JHU People’s Forum on Saturday. The party, led by Sinhala Buddhist monks, is currently in government as part of the United National Front for Good Governance, allied with the United National Party.
The United Nations said that it wants “to make sure there is a credible investigation” into Sri Lanka’s violations of international humanitarian law in response to the Sri Lankan president rejecting foreign judges participating in an accountability mechanism. The Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General told journalists on Monday that “the Human Rights Council can evaluate for themselves how it's going, but we want to make sure there is a credible investigation into this”. Responding to a question from Inner City Press, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General said “we have made clear what our guidelines are for what a credible investigation will entail and so we will continue to be in dialog to make sure it happens”. See more from Inner City Press here .
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma dismissed criticism of his organisation’s work on Sri Lanka during his tenure, claiming that it is only now that positive results are seen from his engagement regarding human rights. In an interview with The Hindu , Mr Sharma defended the Commonwealth, stating it “is not a boutique organisation; it is a great global good”. On Sri Lanka, the Secretary-General said, “I made five visits to Sri Lanka, but you can’t keep on talking about it in public for the reason that work has to be done below the radar to carry political conviction”. “The results become visible at the end,” claimed Mr Sharma. Mr Sharma had come under immense criticism over his handling of Sri Lanka, as he engaged closely with then president Mahinda Rajapaksa – a man who stands accused of directing war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was accused of being “shamefully silent” on Sri Lanka’s rights abuses by international NGOs and had previously written off calls for an independent investigation into war crimes as "impractical". Members of the Commonwealth also criticised the Secretary-General, with Canada’s special envoy to the Commonwealth, Hugh Segal, accusing him of "acting as a shill [a stooge] for the Sri Lankan leadership, defending their every mistake".
The head of Poonakari hospital has had to seek permission from the Sri Lankan military in order to access drinking water from the previous hospital grounds which are now being occupied by the army, as a shortage threatens to affect the health of patients. The hospital reportedly faces a severe water shortage and can no longer admit any new patients due to the lack of drinking water. Located in Poonakari, also known as Pooneryn, the hospital was forced to move from its original site, which is currently being occupied by the Sri Lankan military. With a water crisis affecting the hospital, the only source of fresh water remains at the original site. Northern Provincial Council member S Pasupathipillai said he was aware of the situation and lamented the fact that the Sri Lankan military remained stationed at the hospital.