Sri Lanka still faces “serious political, economic, and security reforms” said the Counselor of the US State Department Thomas Shannon, in a piece for the Sunday Observer last week. Stating that the United States, knowing the “promise and potential of Sri Lanka” was “strengthening our relationship and investing in the future”, Mr Shannon added that: “Serious political, economic, and security reforms still lie ahead and are never easy”. “But as Sri Lanka walks this path – including through full and timely implementation of the historic Human Rights Council Resolution that our nations co-sponsored last year –it will continue to have our full support in addressing these challenges,” added Mr Shannon.
Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian MA Sumanthiran, speaking in parliament on Tuesday, stressed the need for any constitution to have the required safe guards to allow peoples who are small in numbers to govern their own affairs for the island to move forward as one country. Calling for the a new constitution that started from the premise of ‘recognising different peoples in the country as equal to each other,’ TNA MP said “it was the non-recognition of that character of this country that resulted in 3 decades of actual fighting and a conflict that has raged since independence to this day.” Reiterating the need for a non-partisan constitution, he added, “the constitution cannot grant pre-eminence to one or the other group of people. If we are to continue as one county all the different peoples must be given equal status, regardless of what their numbers are.”
Civil society activists called on the Sri Lankan government to fully implement a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution passed last year, in a statement released to mark one year since Maithripala Sirisena was elected as president. Activists from the North-East and South of the island said that whilst the government had made “some progress… much more is needed if Sri Lanka is to experience genuine peace and reconciliation”. The UN Human Rights Council resolution passed last year must be implemented in full, said the statement, which added: “the solemn commitments made by the government to victims, Sri Lanka’s citizenry and the international community constitute the necessary basis on which accountability, reconciliation and human rights in Sri Lanka should be advanced”.
Promises made by the Sri Lankan government have not been delivered and human rights abuses continue said the British Tamils Forum in a statement released to mark one year since Sri Lankan President Maithrirpala Sirisena assumed office. “A year has passed since the new government in Sri Lanka came to power with a lot of promises to the Tamil people and the international community,” said BTF in a statement released this weekend. “None of the promises made have been delivered, but the new regime keeps on repeating its rhetoric of change.” Stating that an “all Sinhala 160,000 strong military stationed in the Tamil people’s land at a ratio of one military personnel to six civilians still occupies 42,000 acres of private land that belong to the Tamil civilians” the organisation added that “the military’s grip on the Tamil people’s homeland in the North and East of the island continues unabated”. Citing a recent report by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) the statement went on to add that “torture, rape, white van abductions and suppression of the Tamil people continue regardless of the regime change”. BTF also expressed at the UK’s decision to allocate £6.6 million over 3 years to Sri Lanka in order to support “military reform, displaced persons and reconciliation” was made “without any pre-conditions or requirements for compliance with the UNHRC resolutions”.
A Muslim home in Sri Lanka was defaced with graffiti earlier this month as part of a Sinhala nationalist campaign sweeping across the island. The graffiti – which spelt out the words “Sinhale” (Lions’ Blood in Sinhala) - was found spray painted over the walls of Muslim homes in Nugegoda. The campaign, which has seen the slogan appear on public buses, police motorbikes and other vehicles, is being promoted by current UPFA Parliamentarian Udaya Gammanpila and the Sinhale National Movement. Whilst the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka called for those responsible for the graffiti to be arrested, Mr Gammanpila remained defiant, stating that “no one can challenge the fact that Sri Lanka is ‘Sinhale’ and that even historically, pre-independence, Sri Lanka was recognized as a Sinhala nation,” according to The Sunday Leader .
Senior Sri Lankan government Minister Lakshman Kiriella reassured reporters that a new constitution would continue to grant Buddhism the foremost place on the island. Mr Kiriella told reporters that the new constitution is one that the government will ensure will last “forever” with no provisions for change, even if all 225 parliamentarians voted against it. “Nothing is going to happen to the Unitary Status of the country and to Buddhism,” the minister declared.
The Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena said on Monday that due to the country's "middle path" foreign policy, "Sri Lanka has only friends in the world today", reported the Daily Mirror. "The country extends a hand of friendship to all countries in the world," he added whilst speaking to envoys. He thanked countries for extending their support to Sri Lanka, especially noting the "close cooperation" given at international forums. See more here .
The Sri Lankan currency is to be propped up by an unidentified investor, Reuters quoted the country's finance minister as saying on Monday. The investor, who is reportedly Belgian, has pledged to store $1 billion in US dollars in deposits on the island. "The investor has promised to transfer the money in two equal tranches from banks in Brussels and Luxembourg," the minister, Ravi Karunanayake was quoted by the news agency as saying. "Instead of going for bonds and other borrowing, we are permitting it to take place," he added.
The Sri Lankan government pledged that the killers of the murdered Sunday Leader editor, Lasantha Wickrematunge would be brought to justice by next January. "I assure that we will carry out the investigations and bring justice for Wickrematunge before next January," the Sri Lankan minister Ravi Karunanayake was quoted by UCA News as saying on the 7th anniversary of his death on January 8th, 2009. The new government's failure to bring the perpetrators to account has been criticised by the former editor's wife, who said, "The police have taken such a long time with this investigation. We're wondering if somebody is dragging their feet or putting some restrictions on the investigations."
The ministry of defence announced an initiative to provide special privilege cards to ‘War Heroes’ in Sri Lanka, reports Lankabusiness. This meeting was held under by of State Minister of Defence, Ruwan Wijewardene, who said the privilege card project would provide families of war heroes with special benefits including scholarships, discounts on products and services and priority services of other facilities. Commanders of the Army and Air Force, officials from the MoD and Sri Lanka’s police were also present at the event. The project is sponsored by the Sri Lankan government as well as 45...