The United Nations Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said that the UN had failed to protect civilian lives in Sri Lanka during the final stages of the ethnic conflict, on Tuesday. Acknowledging the need for the UN to be resolute in protecting civilians at a UN Security Council meeting commemorating the Twentieth Anniversary of the Srebrenica killings, Mr Hussein said , “Had this been the case with Sri Lanka in 2009, or now in Sudan, Burundi or even Myanmar, the consequences for the lives of millions of people would be immense.” Mr Hussein added that not all sides of the Bosnia-...
The Federation of National Organisations (FNO) in Sri Lanka warned that the country would be divided under a United National Party (UNP) government. The Convener of the FNO Dr Gunadasa Amarasekara, said that President Maithripala Sirisena had allowed Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest in elections because he was aware of the situation. Drawing on meetings between the Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister and members of the Tamil diaspora, Dr Amarasekara, said, “We supported former President Rajapaksa at the last presidential election to prevent the division of the country.” Dr Amarasekara added that...
The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern on Sri Lanka’s decision to re-establish the Sri Lankan press Council, a media regulatory body which enables the government to jail journalists for their reporting. In a press statement released on Tuesday, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, Bob Dietz, questioning the new government’s agenda of reform said , “The decision comes from a government that lifted Sri Lankans’ hopes that their country was ready to make a genuine effort to move away from the hostile environment that has surrounded the media for years. The move calls into question the government’s commitment to the reform agenda that carried it to victory in January’s elections.” The Sri Lankan Press Council was initially dissolved by Maithripala Sirisena, who pledged to protect the independence of the media as part of his reform process. Sirisena's reinstatement of Sri Lanka's regulatory Press Council condemned (06 Jul 2015) Journalists removed from Jaffna public consultation on resettlement (29 Jun 2015) US State Dept official to study media in Sri Lanka (11 Jun 2015) 'Where else should I die but here?' (29 Apr 2015)
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena announced that all Sri Lankan soldiers who took part in the armed conflict are to receive government allowances for life, reports Daily News . The initiative, reportedly announced by the Sri Lankan president, will see the soldiers get lifetime government allowances rather than it be terminated at the age of 55, as under the previous government. State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardena said that the president had called for the move to be made regardless of expense and had already submitted the proposals to the cabinet for approval. Also see our...
The Tamil Nadu government stated that there is no threat to the Mullaperiyar dam from the LTTE, in defiance of an Indian Intelligence Bureau report. In a report submitted to the Supreme Court, the Tamil Nadu government turned around from its apparent position last week, which recalled an LTTE threat to the dam and called for central security forces. The dam is at the centre of a dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and is currently guarded by Kerala security forces. In the submission Tamil Nadu also denied making any allegations that the LTTE was a threat in any submission to the court. The...
Sri Lankan Deputy Foreign Minister Ajith P Perera claimed that it was the government’s improvement in human rights that led the United States to restore the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) benefits programme. Mr Perera told reporters in Colombo that the programme has been signed by US President Barack Obama and “would bring in billions of dollars to the country annually". He went on to claim that it was due to the government’s human rights record and “stability in the North and East” that the concessions were renewed. Mr Perera also said that discussions were underway with the European Union to restore the GSP+ programme, which was withdrawn due to the government’s human rights record in 2010.
Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga claimed that she has no blood on her hands and is better qualified than any other politician to contest in the upcoming elections, in an address made during a Buddhist ceremony. Marking her 70th birthday with a religious Buddhist ceremony, the former president said “the number of murders, rapes and child abuse has increased as never before”. “Sri Lanka has become the heroin hub of south Asia,” she added. Ms Kumaratunga went on to state "I have not done anything wrong… I don’t have blood on our hands”. Earlier this year, she had boasted of having won “75%” of the war during her tenure by going to war with the LTTE. Ms Kumaratatunga, who was president of Sri Lanka from 1994 till 2005, faced extensive criticism by international human rights group for impunity and injustice over numerous incidents killings of Tamils by state forces during her long term in office.
A silent protest, condemning sexual harassment and violence against women and children was held in Jaffna on Tuesday. The protest, part of an island-wide campaign to end violence against women and children called Journey Towards Justice, was held at Vembadi Junction.
Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran warned that Tamils in the North-East remain disempowered and urged the US to play a supporting and guiding role in bringing true peace and stability to the island. Writing in The Hill, a Washington-based newspaper, Mr Wigneswaran said the political will shown by the US to support justice and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, make the next few months “crucial” to pursue “true reform”. See the full post here . The chief minister highlighted the grievances of the Tamil people in the North-East, criticising the Sirisena-led government for its lack of progress. He said despite the armed conflict ending over 6 years ago, “the Sri Lankan military continues to dominate the landscape in the North and East.”
Recently released emails from Hillary Clinton's time during her first year as US Secretary of State contain several messages on Sri Lanka which were sent during the last months of the armed conflict. An email sent on May 4, 2009 seemed to suggest that the International Monetary Fund was unhappy with Ms Clinton "ordering/telling" the IMF to suspend the funding of the government of Sri Lanka. Burns Strider, a political consultant and former senior advisor to the then-secretary of state, said he felt "people on the ground", from both the World Bank and the IMF, believed that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam needed to be "completely defeated" and that "collateral damage inflicted on private people" by the actions of the Sri Lankan government were "ok", in their eyes. The IMF is said to have asked for and held a meeting with Timothy Geithner, who was US Secretary of the Treasury at the time, where they told him Ms Clinton was "intruding into his domain".