The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has confirmed that the visit of Pope Francis to the island wil go ahead as scheduled, despite the controversy regarding the presidential election, due to occur in the same time period. “We wish to affirm that as it stands the visit of the Holy Father to Sri Lanka will take place as scheduled,” a statement issued by Church spokesperson Cyril Gamini said. “We request the Catholic faithful of this country to pray that God will help all of us to make the Holy Father’s visit to the country a success,” he further said. The Church previously said it would reconsider the visit in view of the poll, as it would be “inappropriate” for the pontiff to visit during the election period.
Hundreds are believed to be trapped under rubble after an extensive landslide struck the tea plantations in the upcountry region, on Wednesday morning. Ten bodies have been pulled from the rubble so far, whilst over one hundred are feared dead. The military has been deployed to help in the rescue effort. The landslide has led to criticism of the policies of successive government over the living conditions of upcountry Tamils. “Irresponsibility of Sri Lanka’s past governments responsible for housing, plantation organizations and plantation trade unions are the reasons for the flaws in housing for the upcountry people," the human rights activist and researcher, S. Balakrishnan, told BBC Tamil . He went on to say: “Upcountry Tamils were only treated as commodities, such as teas, not as citizens. Their rights are not respected and nor were there any preparations made to guarantee their needs.” “There is no one to think about the standards of the housing for the upcountry people."
Officials from the UN Counter Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) are due to visit Jaffna during their trip to Sri Lanka, where they will assess the country’s approach in countering terrorism. According to the Daily Mirror , a press release stated that the delegation will stress the significance of a comprehensive approach to countering terrorism in adherence with the rule of law, including human rights, as requested by the Security Council.
An MP from the opposition UNP has complained in parliament that a nightclub is desecrating Anuradhapura, a city held sacred by Sinhala Buddhists. P Harrison, who is the parliamentary representative of the city, said it was unacceptable for anyone to operate a night club within the “sacred city where the hallowed Jayasri Maha Bodhi and Ruwanweliseya are located”, according to the Daily Mirror .
2nd lead A 17* year old boy has been reported missing in Jaffna, reports Uthayan . The boy, Rasaratnam Jeevan from Kurunagar in Jaffna, has not been seen since October 24 when he left his home to go the play area. His parents filed a complaint with Jaffna police on Monday, however, the police accused the boy of theft and said the boy had ran away during an arrest
Mahinda Rajapaksa is the “genuine” common candidate for Sri Lanka, said the general secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) reports the Island.lk . Confirming that the BBS would not field a candidate for the presidential elections at a press conference held in Colombo, Gnanasera Thero, said, “By any mean, it is not our duty to contest for the elections. Even in the history, it was monks who guided their successors to the throne. Likewise, we do the same.” The Buddhist monk then encouraged Sri Lankan Muslims to vote for the ruling party, asserting that “Sri Lanka is the country in which the...
The British Tamil Conservatives (BTC) called for the UK to work towards developing "unhindered access" to the North-East of Sri Lanka, in a meeting with senior officials at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office last week. The imminent need for a political solution to allow the Tamil diaspora to continue to support the North-East in light of further restrictive measures taken by the Sri Lankan state to isolate the North-East from the diaspora and international community was brought up by the BTC in discussions. The BTC chair told the Tamil Guardian that the FCO was reminded of the Sri...
06:42 GMT The man arrested by Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) officers on October 24 in Kilinochchi for distributing evidence collection forms for the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka (OISL), has been identified as a victim of war crimes. Sinnathampi Kirishnarajah The man, Sinnathampi Kirishnarajah, was a father of six children from Mulankaavil, in the Mullaitivu district, but lost his family in the final stage of the armed conflict in 2009, sources in Mullaitivu told Tamil Guardian. He was arrested and charged over the documents in his possession and his attempt to distribute...
Anonymous posters in Colombo have warned against rights activists seeking to commemorate enforced disappearances, calling such work, the work of "dollar crows". The posters, with Sinhala writing, have been condemned by Colombo based rights organisations, as well as the Asian Human Rights Commission. "This attack, by way of publicly exhibiting the posters of those concerned with the plight of their fellow men and women and labeling them as “dollar crows”, needs to be condemned as a barbaric attack. Attacking the commemoration of the dead is an attack on civilization itself," the AHRC said in a...
The head of the Sri Lankan navy has reassured India over concern it recently expressed over China’s influence in the country. Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera told ANI that there is no Chinese military presence on the island, and that Beijing’s interest in Sri Lanka was commercial. “We have very good co-operation with India. We will never compromise on national security of India. India's security is our security. Not only Chinese, even the Russians and other countries also we have very good relationship, we are non-aligned country," he said. "They are coming normally for operational goodwill visit... For your information there is no Chinese military presence.... the interest is very commercial."