Sri Lanka's cabinet on Sunday approved the draft bill on the 19th Amendment to the constitution, amending powers vested with the executive president.

Reforms will include the reduction of the president's term from six years to five years and transferring the power to dissolve parliament from the president to parliament itself.

"The Presidential immunity from being sued over matters conducted during his period of office is to also be removed under the proposed reforms," reported Sri Lankan government's news site.

Photographs Tamil Guardian

Hundreds of Tamils demonstrated outside the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, calling for an investigation into genocide and a referendum for the Eelam Tamils on self-determination.

Protestors in India demanded the United Nations release a report on mass atrocities in Sri Lanka and that former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapksa be tried for war crimes.

Demonstrators gathered in front of Tanjavur railway station on Friday demanding action form the United Nations. Manithaneya Makkal Katchi leader M. H. Jawahirullah told the Hindu,

“But we suspect that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Maitripala Sirisena would conspire to protect Mr. Rajapaksa. The UN body must go ahead and present its report and bring Mr. Rajapaksa to justice for his role in the war crimes”.

The leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF) Wimal Weerawansa walked out of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech to the Sri Lankan parliament, as a protest against the 13th Amendment, reports the Island.

The Indian prime minister had visited the island and called on the Sri Lankan government to “go beyond” the 13th amendment, telling the parliament that he was “a firm believer in co-operative federalism”.

Photograph:Tamil Guardian

Sri Lanka’s government must create “open space” for reconciliation said the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief on Thursday.

“Freedom from fear is the most elementary part in allowing for freedom for religion and expression in a situation like Sri Lanka, said Heiner Bielefeldt.

Communal violence in a climate of impunity occurs in Sri Lanka in the name of Buddhism, as Buddhists seem to have an unjustified fear leading to hate speech the rapporteur added. 

The former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga said that the Sri Lankan people felt calls for the UN led international investigations into war crimes were “insulting,” reports the International Business Times UK.
 
“The whole country doesn’t want (an international inquiry) because it is the feeling that it is insulting to the government that we cannot carry out our own investigation in a transparent manner,” she said.

Kumaratunga was elected as president in 1994 and stood down in 2005.