Photograph: Twitter @USIP The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera pledged that his government would set up special courts to deal with violations of international humanitarian law committed during the final stages of the armed conflict within the coming six months, in a speech delivered in Washington on Thursday. Speaking at the US Institute of Peace, Mr Samaraweera said his government has "committed to have a judicial process with international participation" in a recently passed UN Human Rights Council resolution. "We will work the final contours and the architecture of such a court in the next five to six months after the consultations, with the TNA and other parties as well," said the foreign minister. "Across the board there was a general agreement that there has to be special courts be set up in Sri Lanka if that process is to have any credibility at all," he said. "As I said before over the last 10 years the credibility of the judiciary was totally lost because of the politicisation of the process." "I think it is only fair that the victims of the war would want some form of guarantee that the new courts will deliver justice and accountability in a fair manner and for that are willing to consider the participation of international actors," he added. "They could be judges, they could be forensic experts, investigators, prosecutors. All these options are being looked at.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister John Kerry (@JohnKerry) US Secretary of State John Kerry hailed Sri Lanka's moves towards reconciliation, speaking after meeting with Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera in Washington on Thursday. "I’m very happy to welcome my friend Mangala Samaraweera here, the foreign minister of Sri Lanka. I had wonderful occasion to visit with him in Sri Lanka, and I want to congratulate the Government of Sri Lanka for their very impressive continuing steps towards reconciliation. Their efforts to try to address the regional issues, and most importantly, to make peace in their own country are very, very significant. And we really welcome you here," Secretary Kerry said. He added that the US looked forward to "defining the roadmap ahead for continued progress".
During the U.S.-Sri Lanka Partnership Dialogue, Washington should elevate Sri Lanka’s transitional justice debate. The unexpected election of Maithripala Sirisena in Sri Lanka’s January 2015 polls has resulted in the Barack Obama administration’s fervent desire to turn the page on what became a strained, bitter bilateral relationship under the reign of the previous president. Mahinda Rajapaksa had been in power for nearly a decade and oversaw the decisive military defeat of the separatist Tamil Tigers – ending a civil war which lasted from 1983-2009. Rajapaksa’s proclivity for corruption, nepotism, and heightened authoritarianism ultimately led to his unexpected ouster. Mangala Samaraweera, Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, is currently in Washington, D.C. This high-level visit is due to evolving U.S.-Sri Lanka ties and the commencement of the first ever U.S.-Sri Lanka Partnership Dialogue. An array of issues such as economic and security cooperation, governance, and regional affairs will be discussed on February 26. It remains to be seen whether transitional justice will receive significant attention, either publicly or privately.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Sri Lanka were "hammering out a way forward" to repay the country's large debt, the Central Bank governor, Arjuna Mahendran, was quoted by Economy Next as saying. Speaking to reporters, Mr Mahendran said Sri Lanka needed a programme with the IMF to ensure the confidence of investors rather than for the money. "From my perspective it is important that we have an agreement with the IMF going forward that is respected by private fund managers and economists who want to be sure that the government has a strategy for the economy that wider consensus," he said.
Students at Eastern University protested on Friday against incidence of rape taking place. Holding placards outside the university's main entrance, the students demanded that those responsible for the crimes must be brought to justice.
A 35 year old man has been detained for questioning over the rape of a 14 year old school girl in Vavuniya. The man has been named as Balasingham Janarthan. The victim was found hanging in her home after being sexually assaulted. The incident has sparked protests across the North-East condemning the rising incidence of sexual violence against women within the community, and demanding perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Three Tamil political prisoners out of the 16 that are fasting unto death fainted and were admitted to prison hospital on Thursday. J Sebastian, T Manoharan and S Thayaparan were all admitted to their prison hospitals after fainting reports Tamil Diplomat. Tamil National Alliance MP Dr Sivamohan visited and confirmed that they were still alive on Thursday. Tamil Political Prisoners restart hunger strike (23 Feb 2015)
Reports have surfaced that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture is likely to visit Sri Lanka this year. According to the Sri Lanka director at the International Crisis Group (ICG) Alan Keenan, Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez may visit Sri Lanka in the near future. Mr Mendez was formerly the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and Special Adviser to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Sri Lanka continues 'multifaceted assault of terror' on Tamils under new government (28 Jul 2015) Strong international involvement needed to address ongoing torture in Sri...
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce reiterated its support towards the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India in a statement issued on Friday. The Chamber noted concern at the level of opposition to the trade agreement with India surfacing in Sri Lanka’s press. “In conclusion, the Ceylon Chamber reaffirms our fullest support towards an agreement that widens and deepens our economic engagement with India, while reiterating the need for systematic stakeholder consultations, clear and coherent communications,” said the chamber in their statement. Those opposed to...
Sri Lanka's first annual partnership dialogue with the United States concluded in Washington DC earlier today. In a media release, the US State Department said, "Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon led the U.S. delegation for discussions on democratic governance, development cooperation, people-to-people ties, economic cooperation, security cooperation, international and regional affairs, and other issues of mutual interest.