Sri Lankan navy to provide ‘assistance’ for church festival

The Sri Lankan navy will “assist in the conducting” of the annual St Anthony’s Church festival in the North of the island, reported the Ministry of Defence. The annual St Anthony’s Church feast is scheduled to be held in Kachchatheevu on 29 Feb. Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence said that under the “the direction of the Defence Ministry and supervision of Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera” the navy would be assisting in the festivities. The festival draws thousands of people from across the North-East of the island and India. The military's ongoing involvement in Tamil affairs almost 6 years after the end of the armed conflict has been widely condemned with numerous calls for the new president, Maithripala Sirisena to demilitarise the North-East. See our earlier posts:

Vipoosika urges Sri Lanka's new president to release detained mother Jeyakumari

The daughter of a Tamil disappearances activist, Balendran Jeyakumari, who was detained by Sri Lankan security forces ahead of the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka in March 2014, appealed to the new president, Maithripala Sirisena this week to release her mother. "Dear President Maithripala Sirisena, please think of me as your child and release my innocent, very innocent mother. She has not committed any crime. I also humbly request that you release my 3rd brother as well," 14 year old Vipoosika, who is currently housed in a children's home in the North, wrote to the president in a letter dated February 16. "I cannot live without my mother, if I don’t see her I will drink poison and kill myself. I beseech you to please release my mother before that."

No change in Sri Lankan policy says minister, as asylum seekers face court

There has been no change in policy towards those who attempt to flee Sri Lanka said the island's justice minister, as four asylum seekers who were intercepted at sea by Australian authorities earlier this month were charged with illegally leaving the country. Sri Lanka's minister of justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that the island's new government would still press charges against all those who attempted to flee the country. “We have not discussed that at all, and such a change is not within the 100 days program of the new government and is not a priority. So there is unlikely to be any change soon. Any returning illegal asylum seeker would have to face the legal process of the country,” Rajapakshe said. Four Tamil asylum seekers were intercepted by Australian authorities near the Cocos islands earlier this month and interviewed at sea by border protection officials. They were then handed over to the Sri Lankan authorities. The move has faced severe criticism from human rights organisations and advocacy groups who state Australia is breaking international law by sending asylum seekers to countries where they may face harm.

Human Rights Chief should officially request Sri Lanka to give OISL access to North-East says TCSF

The Tamil Civil Society Forum, a network of civil society activists in the North-East, said it was "extremely disappointed" by the UN Human Rights Council decision on Monday to delay the publication of the findings of a UN inquiry into mass atrocities committed against Tamils in Sri Lanka by six months. "Victims who engaged with the OISL see the postponement as completely unnecessary and as a possible final blow to any further search for accountability through international means. Given their lack of confidence in any domestic mechanism delivering on accountability, Tamils are afraid that the delaying of the report signals an end to the hope for accountability, truth and justice in Sri Lanka, in its entirety," the TCSF said in a statement released on Friday. "We wish to point out with utmost disappointment that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council and the relevant states had ignored the unequivocal request from all sections of the Tamil polity not to delay the release of the report. The announcement of the deferral sadly reminds us of 2008 when the UN left Kilinochchi contrary to the wishes of the local population to remain with them and provide humanitarian protection."

Chinese submarines causes 'serious suspicion' says Sri Lankan minister

Sri Lanka is once again reviewing a decision to press ahead with the Chinese funded ‘Port City’ project in Colombo, with the docking of Chinese submarines in the capital last year causing “serious suspicion”, said a government minister. The $1.5 billion development project with a Chinese company was agreed during the former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa's term in office, with the development set to include shopping malls and apartments. However, Sri Lanka's current president, Maithripala Sirisena, pledged to cancel the deal, a move that led to investor uncertainty, as doubts rose over the new government's economic policies. Sri Lanka's Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka told a Foreign Correspondents Association forum that though China had played a crucial role in Sri Lanka's development, the island would never become a "tributary state". "There was a serious suspicion because of the submarines,” said the minister , referring to the docking of Chinese submarines in Colombo last year. “If the Colombo port and port city are going to be used for military operation by Chinese government, then it will create serious problem in India and here in Sri Lanka as well," he added.

Over 700 people held at secret army camp – TNA

The Tamil National Alliance spokesperson Suresh Premachandra said over 700 people are being held at a secret army camp, established by Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the North-Eastern town of Trincomalee, Colombo Mirror reported. “Over 20,000 have been forced to disappear during and after the war amid reports that many of them are held in various secret camps elsewhere in the country. We have reliable information that over 700 people have been detained without any outside links at the secret Gota’s camp in Trincomalee,” the MP told parliament on Thursday. “We urge Minister of Law and Order, John Amaratunga to investigate into this reports and reveal the identity of those who are held at this secret camp,” he said.

Judge Sri Lanka by its actions - USTPAC

The US Tamil Political Action Council has urged the international community to judge Sri Lanka’s new government by its actions and not by its words. In a statement released on Friday, USTPAC said the dismay caused by the deferral of the report has been tempered by Human Rights High Commissioner Zeid’s commitment to a stronger outcome. "USTPAC appreciates High Commissioner Zeid's "absolute and unshakable commitment" to the OISL report's publication in September," said Dr. Karunyan Arulanantham, President of USTPAC. "We also take note of the Government of Sri Lanka's stated commitments, made in conjunction with the announcement of the delayed release, and urge the international community to vigilantly ensure that these commitments are fully honored and translated into measurable metrics."

Sri Lanka-Pakistan talks on nuclear cooperation – SL minister

The Sri Lankan government is engaged in talks with Pakistan to explore cooperation on nuclear energy, according to Power Minister Champika Ranawaka. Sri Lanka is said to have readied a memorandum of understanding to be signed with Pakistan to improve “technical capacities and human capacities.” “We have already signed an agreement with Russian state-owned ROSATOM,” he told reporters on Thursday, adding that the government is also exploring possible collaboration with France and the United States.

Sri Lanka finance minister meets with IMF, World Bank

Sri Lanka's finance minister, Ravi Karunanayake discussed the country's development needs and financial assistance with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in Washington this week. "We had a fruitful discussion about recent economic developments in Sri Lanka and the near-term outlook," a joint statement issued by Mr Karunanayake and the IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde on Wednesday. "These discussions will continue in the context of the next regularly scheduled Post-Program Monitoring mission led by Todd Schneider, which will visit Sri Lanka from February 23 through March 4. IMF Asia and Pacific Department Director Changyong Rhee will also join the mission to meet with senior officials."

Sinhala Ravaya files complaint against Ranil to anti-terror police

The Sinhala group, Sinhala Ravaya, filed a complaint with the Terrorism Investigation Department against the prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, on Friday, over his decision to release a stock of Indian magazines stopped by customs featuring the LTTE leader, Vellupillai Prabhakaran. "His order to release the magazine was a threat to national security. We want police to investigate," the Buddhist monk and general secretary of the Sinhala Ravaya, Madille Pannaloka was quoted by PTI as saying. The magazine, named 'Frontline', carried a 1987 interview with Mr Prabhakaran.

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