Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera denied the existence of secret detention centres on the island, in a speech made to parliament last week. "As we have mentioned before, there are no secret detention centres in operation in this country under this Government," said the minister. "If anyone in Sri Lanka or overseas has any information regarding any such facility that may be in operation, the Government will take upon itself the task of ensuring that such facilities are examined and action is taken under the due process of the law," added Mr Samaraweera. His comments come after the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID) visited the island and announced that it had discovered a “secret underground detention cum torture center”, calling on the government to reveal the existence of other such centers if any existed. The minister though seemingly denied the group's findings, stating that their visit "proved to those both within the country and outside the country who allege that there are still secret detention centres in operation in this site, that there are no such detention centres in existence anymore in the Navy Base in Trincomalee".
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) said an accountability mechanism to deal with crimes committed during the final phase of the armed conflict must take place "within the framework of Sri Lanka's Constitution" in a statement released last week. The statement, addressing the recently passed UN Human Rights Council resolution mandating an accountability mechanism for mass atrocities, acknowledged that "existing judicial and prosecutorial systems have not met the confidence of many concerned". "It is an undeniable fact that over a period of time the independence and credibility of many of...
A Tamil political prisoner has declared a hunger-strike to highlight the ongoing delays in the release of Tamil political prisoners. Currently being held at the Jaffna Prison, 36-year-old S. Jeleepan is undertaking the hunger strike, which has already come to the attention of the Commissioner General of Prisons. Jeleepan, originally from Achuveli, was arrested in 2006 while travelling from Mullaitivu to Polannaruwa. He was held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act under charges of plotting to assassinate the current President and then government minister, Maithripala Sirisena; receiving...
The European Union will invest 14 million Euros to build houses and improve infrastructure in 9 divisions of the North and East. The EU programme will seek to benefit over 300,000 people in Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya and Batticaloa. The Habitat for Humanity project aims to construct at least 16,000 houses for conflict affected persons, minimise debt and provide holistic development support. Speaking during the inauguration of the project, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, David Daly, said, “The project contributed to a...
Sri Lanka’s Civil Aviation Authority Director General HMC Nimalsri announced that Sri Lanka will heighten security measures at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo to combat terrorism. The official said that Sri Lanka was mandated to use body scanners to screen passengers at airports and would use the body scanners depending on the security threat level and if there was a need. He added that Sri Lanka was currently studying other possible internationally adopted measures, reports Colombo Page.
Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake rejected the idea of a re-merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Responding to a question by The Hindu on whether the two provinces be merged, Mr Karunanayake said, “At the moment we are trying to embrace all races, all religions together. I do not think we should segregate geographically.” A key manifesto pledge of the Tami National Alliance (TNA), who won an overwhelming majority in the North and Eastern Provinces, was to have the two provinces re-merged as a step towards a long standing political solution. TNA becomes third biggest...
The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), a constituent party of the Tamil National Alliance, announced that it would not back Sri Lanka’s 2016 budget in parliament unless the Tamil political prisoners were freed. The TELO leader, Selvam Adaikalanathan informed the Tamil National Alliance of his decision today, reports Colombo Gazette. The Tamil National Alliance, formed of a coalition of parties including TELO, backed th second reading of Sri Lanka’s 2016 budget in parliament last week. The third and final reading will take place on December 19.
The Sri Lankan declared open a new building for a Buddhist temple in Batticaloa last week, according to an official army website . The new building at the Sri Pantharma Temple in Vellaveli in the Eastern Province, was opened on November 27th, as Tamils across the North-East and the world marked Tamil remembrance day .
At least six dead bodies have been spotted floating off the coast of Trincomalee on Sunday, reported the Sri Lankan harbour police. Trincomalee harbour police informed the Sri Lankan navy about the finding, who reportedly launched a search operation on Sunday evening. The New Indian Express reported that one of the bodies had washed ashore alongside a Chennai driving license, raising the possibility that the bodies may have come from the Tamil Nadu city, where deadly floods have claimed hundreds of lives.
Troops from the Sri Lankan military orchestrated a religious ceremony and placed 28 Buddha statues in a newly constructed Buddhist vihara building in Kilinochchi last week .