Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen was supporting the illegal clearance of pristine forest in the Mullaithivu area, with his supporters using the cleared land to build settlements, Northern Provincial Councillor Thurairajah Ravikaran charged. Mr Ravikaran said the occupation of land in the region has been ongoing for years, with the complicity of state officials and warned that locals would protest if this did not stop. The councillor said that 60 acres of forest had already been cleared and the land given to Minister Bathiudeen's supporters. Mr Ravikaran stressed that the...
The deployment of Sri Lanka's troops in peacekeeping missions has created "extremely positive" impressions regarding the country's armed forces in the international community, military spokesperson Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera has claimed. “We have deployed our armed forces personnel in Haiti, South Sudan, Lebanon, Congo, New York, Western Sahara, Central Africa etc and they are doing a good job drawing praise from the UN and the respective governments of the countries they serve in. Therefore, deploying more Sri Lankan armed forces personnel in peace keeping will not be a difficult task,” Brigadier Jayaweera said at a briefing. The "good name" earned by the country's military came as a result of "positive and pragmatic diplomacy" by President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Army Commander Crishantha De Silva, the brigadier further said . He highlighted that Sri Lankan peacekeeping forces deployed in Haiti were "highly commended" for their performance. The brigadier failed to mention that Sri Lankan soldiers in Haiti were accused of widespread sexual abuses against Haitian minors whilst on a previous peacekeeping mission. 111 soldiers and 3 officers were repatriated back to Sri Lanka after being part of UN mission in Haiti and were accused of a string of sexual assaults, including rape of children as young as 7 years old.
Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa praised his successor Maithripala Sirisena for speaking in Sinhala at the United Nations General Assembly earlier this month. "I felt proud as a Sinhalese, when he (President Sirisena) spoke in our mother tongue in front of the world, although some were trying to give wrong interpretation to speaking in Sinhala at international fora," the former president said in Colombo on Thursday, the Daily Mirror reported.
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has kicked off its 'economic diplomacy' to enhance the economic development of the country, by establishing inter-agency task force to intensify the promotion of trade, investment and all other economic plans. Deputy Minister Harsha de Slva emphasised the need to work together in order to reach the targets of economic development and highlighted the role of the foreign ministry, which will coordinate and work with all organisations and optimise the use of resources available under its authority, through the use o Sri Lankan missions abroad. See here for...
The election of the new government in Sri Lanka had resulted in an easing of religious tensions, the US State Department said at the launch of their 2014 Report on International Religious Freedom . David Saperstein, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom said, "After years of growing religious tensions and violence in Sri Lanka generated by hardline ethnic Buddhist groups, a new government has taken office and staked out a much more tolerant view of religious diversity. Since that time, some of these tensions have noticeably eased." The report detailed attacks on Christians and Muslims by Sinhala Buddhist during 2014, when former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was in power. However only last month, a group of Sinhala Buddhist monks forcibly entered a church in Bandaragama. The pastor was repeatedly harassed by monks and by officials from the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs.
Student holds placard reading: "Tamils to be oppressed always?" Students and staff at the University of Jaffna on Friday joined calls for the immediate release of all Tamil political detainees by staging a demonstration outside the main gate.
The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) pledged to increase Canadian presence in the North-East by opening a consulate in Jaffna. Addressing a meeting with the Tamil community in Toronto, Canada's Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism Jason Kenney said, “Expanding our diplomatic reach to Jaffna will enable Canadian officials to bolster Canada's deep commitment to Sri Lankan democracy and civil society in the difficult process ahead”. The minister went on to highlight issues that his party would focus on, stating: “We will ensure that Canada continues to be at the forefront in advocating for the expeditious return of Sri Lanka’s internally displaced people to their own land, for the rebuilding of their live s, and towards the prosperity of the nation and the stability of the region.” “In addition, a re-elected Conservative government will press for the return of seized land, provide support to the internally displaced, sponsor rehabilitation and relief efforts for the victims of war including war widows, and ensure that vital assistance is delivered to the communities that need it the most,” said a CPC press release.
Liberal Party of Canada calls for protection of Tamil nation and travel ban on genocide perpetrators
The Liberal Party of Canada called for the protection of the Tamil nation as part of a long term political solution in Sri Lanka and pledged to implement a travel ban on those in the Sri Lankan armed forces who may have committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Announcing three pillars of Canada’s engagement with Sri Lanka, the Liberal Party stated on accountability it would “exercise universal jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute those perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide who may be in Canada” and that it would “implement a travel ban against those who might have been a part of the chain of command within the Sri Lankan armed forces”. The party also said it would “continue to seek a criminal, international, independent, investigation into serious international crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide for the period 1948 to date”. On a long term political solution on the island, the party said that addressing “the legitimate grievances of Tamils and other minorities is required” and stated: “We believe that the Tamil nation and other minorities must be protected”.
Protestors in Vavuniya held a hunger strike on Friday, demanding the Sri Lankan government release Tamil political prisoners held in jails across the island. The protest joins others that took place across the North-East, supporting the over 200 Tamil detainees who have entered a fifth day of hunger strikes.
Skeletal remains of two women have been discovered in a former Sri Lankan military High Security Zone in Jaffna. The remains were discovered in Mulli, a village in Ariyalai, Jaffna, alongside a pair of sandals, womens’ clothing and stationery including pens and pencils – suggesting that at least one of the bodies belongs to a student.