The British Tamil Forum (BTF), in a statement released on Tuesday, welcoming the Northern Provincial Council resolution on the genocide of Tamils, called on the British government to take immediate steps to refer the Sri Lankan case of genocide to the International Criminal Court. "BTF calls upon the UK government to take immediate diplomatic initiatives to ensure that the Sri Lankan government’s efforts to delay and derail the international investigation are defeated. Furthermore, as called for by the NPC resolution, BTF calls upon the UK government to take immediate diplomatic measures to refer the Sri Lankan case to the International Criminal Court so that the perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity are brought to justice," the statement said.
Health workers protested the government’s refusal to offer them permanent contracts at Jaffna Hospital despite working there for 10 years, for a second continuous day in Jaffna. Protesting outside the offices of the Northern Province Health Minister P Sathiyalingam and Secretary for the Ministry of Health, R Raveendran, the local health workers demanded a reason for not being given permanent post at the hospital over 127 other less experienced volunteers at Jaffna Hospital, reports Uthayan . Responding to questions posed by the protestors, Mr Raveendran said that the volunteers that were...
The British Foreign Office Minister for Asia, Hugo Swire met and discussed the “importance of Sri Lanka making progress on reconciliation and accountability,” with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraweera, on Tuesday, the British Foreign office announced. Recalling his visit to “Jaffna and Colombo”, Mr Swire said, “We discussed again the importance of Sri Lanka making progress on reconciliation and accountability, and the new government’s desire to work closely with the international community. As I made clear when I visited Colombo and Jaffna just two weeks ago, the UK is a long-...
08:32 GMT The Northern Provincial Council passed a resolution today calling on the UN inquiry to investigate the genocide of the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan government and recommend appropriate measures for the International Criminal Court, stating that the Tamil people have no faith in domestic commission. The resolution, tabled by the chief minister of the province, Justice C V Wigneswaran, was passed with an overwhelming majority around 9.30am local time. "This resolution provides as overview of the evidence demonstrating successive Sri Lankan governments' genocide against Tamils, and respectfully requests the ongoing United Nations Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) to investigate the claim of genocide and recommend appropriate investigations and prosecutions by the International Criminal Court (ICC)," the resolution read. Stating that the "Tamils have no hope for justice in any domestic Sri Lankan mechanism, whether conducted by the Rajapaksa regime, Sirisena regime, or its successor" the resolution called for justice and accountability for the Tamil genocide "to be driven and carried out by the international community".
The Northern Provincial Council’s Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran said the resolution passed today by the Northern Provincial Council, calling on the UN to investigate genocide, is a challenge to "moral integrity and humaneness" of the international community and the Sinhala people. "It is my hope that this resolution would not be considered as an epistle to the international community only, unrelated to the life of my Sinhalese brothers and sisters. This resolution is a challenge to your moral integrity and humaneness. If you could assimilate what brutality and inconsiderateness has preceded...
The Tamil Nadu government stated it would hire lawyers if needed to secure the release of 81 fishing boats which were confiscated by the Sri Lankan Navy, in a letter urging the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka to ensure the boats are returned. In a letter sent to the High Commissioner Y K Sinha, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Secretary S Vijayakumar said if Sri Lanka did not release the boats upon request “arrangements may be made to engage lawyers to take up the matter in Sri Lankan courts for an early release of the boats.” The legal expenses will be borne by Tamil Nadu government,” added...
Sri Lanka's state minister of defence, Ruwan Wijewardene, said reiterated the government's refusal to remove army camps in the North, stating that there was no need to remove such camps in order to release land to the Tamil people. Announcing the appointment of a committee by the new president intended to investigate land issues in the North in order to release land to civilians, Mr Wijewardene said "there would not be a necessity to remove army camps in the North in order to release lands required by the civilians".
Sri Lanka completed payments of $750,000 to former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn this week, for his role as advisor in setting up the country's International Finance Centre. Cabinet spokesperson Rajitha Senarathne confirmed that the payments had been made but stated the hiring of Mr Strauss-Kahn “has taken place without a cabinet approval.” Mr Senarathne told reporters, "Our government does not feel it necessary to get his services. We can manage on our own." The International Finance Centre was set up to attract foreign investors to the island reports Lanka Business Online . Reports of...
The Northern Provincial Councillor, P. Aingaranesan criticised the new Sri Lankan government's failure to prioritise the issue of missing Tamil civilians and enforced disappearances, stating that the new government must its commitment to reconciliation "in actions, not just in words". “The Tamil people thought the new regime assumed power claiming to make a change will bring change in their lives too. It in on the basis of that belief, they defeated the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa using their votes," Mr Aingaranesan told the Uthayan newspaper on Monday, adding that the new government should act honourably. “The whereabouts of the thousands of Tamil women and men arrested by the army is still unknown; including several hundreds of people were kidnapped by unidentified persons and disappeared; many, who are [LTTE] cadres, surrendered to the army at the end of the armed conflict; and those who were handed over to the army by their relatives. The new government should provide an answer to their relatives that are waiting every day for their return," he added.
The best way to guarantee an independent investigation in to war crimes and human rights abuses in Sri Lanka whilst protecting witnesses is to keep the United Nations involved, said the New York Times Editorial Board on Tuesday. Noting the new Sirisena government’s obligation to deal with the ‘legacy of the past’ and commenting on Sri Lankan government attempts to delay the release of the UN report into Sri Lankan atrocities, the editorial stressed, “Any delay in the release of the United Nations report must be brief. And the United Nations must remain involved.” See full editorial here .