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Sri Lankan Airlines unable to repay $1 billion debt says prime minister

Mar 23, 2016

Sri Lanka’s national carrier will be unable to repay a $1 billion debt said Ranil Wickremesinghe, raising the possibility that the government will have to shoulder the losses made by the airline.

Though state enterprise development minister Kabir Hashim had put the government-run airlines debt at $933 million, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday that the actual figure could be higher.

"The minister says the actual debt is likely to be much more than what we initially feared," Mr Wickremesinghe told parliament.

"SriLankan Airlines will not be able to repay this debt,” he said, adding “in the next month or six months we will have to take a decision what to do about the debts”.

NPC protest against Vavuniya army quarters

Mar 23, 2016

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.

UK determined in supporting Sri Lanka achieve accountability commitments says David Cameron

Mar 23, 2016

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.

UK launches 'Professional Development Framework' for Sri Lankan police

Mar 22, 2016

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 defiant ‘government will never surrender’

Mar 22, 2016

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.

Korea to build hospital for Sri Lankan Buddhist monks

Mar 22, 2016

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”.

India-Sri Lanka agreement was proposed by Ranil says envoy

Mar 22, 2016

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”.

‘Hands off war heroes’ warns Sri Lankan government minister

Mar 21, 2016

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.

UN wants ‘credible investigation’ into Sri Lankan atrocities

Mar 21, 2016

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 defends work on Sri Lanka

Mar 21, 2016

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".

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Sri Lankan Airlines unable to repay $1 billion debt says prime minister

NPC protest against Vavuniya army quarters

UK determined in supporting Sri Lanka achieve accountability commitments says David Cameron

UK launches 'Professional Development Framework' for Sri Lankan police

Sri Lankan president defiant ‘government will never surrender’

Korea to build hospital for Sri Lankan Buddhist monks

India-Sri Lanka agreement was proposed by Ranil says envoy

‘Hands off war heroes’ warns Sri Lankan government minister

UN wants ‘credible investigation’ into Sri Lankan atrocities

Commonwealth Secretary-General defends work on Sri Lanka

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