The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said it "unequivocally welcomes" the UNHRC mandated inquiry into mass atrocities in Sri Lanka, said the leader, R. Sampanthan on Tuesday, during a parliamentary debate on whether to allow the international investigative team into the country as part of the inquiry. See here for full address, extracts published below: "Today, non-violent protestors in the South are shot at. Journalists are killed or sent into exile. Dissenters are not welcomed. In the North, the situation is even worse. People are not even allowed the troubled comfort of remembering their dead. Journalists from the critical press are routinely attacked, including in broad daylight." "The recent report “Stop Torture” provides medical and forensic evidence suggesting that sexual violence and torture against Tamil women and men continues, with reports emerging from as late as January 2014. Further, the evidence suggests that this sexual violence is targeted systematically to suppress the political rights of the Tamil people."
The United States and European Union Delegation in Sri Lanka have both condemned the recent anti-Muslim violence in Sri Lanka, calling for those responsible to be brought to justice. In the daily press briefing for the US State Department, Spokesperson Jen Psaki started by saying, “The United States also condemns the continuing violence in Sri Lanka. We are concerned by inflammatory rhetoric that has incited violence in recent days, resulting in several deaths, scores of injuries, and destruction of personal property. We urge the Sri Lankan Government to fulfill its obligations to protect religious minorities, including protecting all citizens and places of worship, conducting a full investigation into the violence, and bringing those responsible to justice.”
A ruling collation MP has called for a referendum to be held in the country to decide whether or not to allow a UN team investigating war crimes violations into the country to carry out the probe. United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Janaka Priyantha Bandara submitted the motion "The Investigation against Sri Lanka by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights should not be held" to the Sri Lankan parliament on Tuesday and was adjourned until today.
The murder trial of a British aid worker Khuram Shaikh, killed whilst on holiday in Southern Sri Lanka in 2011, may collapse due to political interference from Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. With the trial having undergone several weeks, it has been reported that the presiding High Court judge, Rohini Walgama, has been nominated for a promotion to the Appeal Courts by the Sri Lankan President. If she accepts the promotion, the trial would collapse and have to be started from scratch. British MP Simon Danczuk, who has campaigned for the killers to be brought to justice said, “We are very concerned about political interference in this trial and we have been for the last 2 years, whilst we’ve been trying to get the case to court. It looks as though President Rajapapksa in appointing this judge would be moving him away from what could have been a successful trial.”
The Australian government’s “dangerously close relationship with Sri Lanka” has put it at odds with its allies and leaves it at risk of violating international human rights obligations, said Emily Howie, the director of advocacy and research at the Human Rights Law Centre in a piece published on Tuesday. Stating that Australia has “failed to live up to its own human rights standards” , Howie said the government has become “increasingly unwilling to criticise Sri Lanka on any account” , even though it is “well aware of the serious human rights situation in Sri Lankan and the brutal track record of its partners” . Howie went on to call the increased collaboration between the Sri Lanka and Australia, including Australian opposition to a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka earlier this year, “counterproductive, short-sighted and extremely disappointing”.
Mahinda Rajapaksa meets Muslims in Beruwala (Picture: @PresRajapaksa ) President Mahinda Rajaksa this morning met with Muslims affected by the violence that gripped Aluthgama and surrounding towns on Sunday and Monday. Rajapaksa said during the meeting in Beruwala, one of the towns targeted by Sinhala mobs, that an impartial inquiry into the attacks will be conducted.
2nd lead: adds motion text Sri Lanka’s parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a motion rejecting the UN investigation into wartime atrocities, with only the Tamil National Alliance voting against. 144 government and allied MPs voted for the motion, while 10 MPs of the TNA voted against. The main opposition UNP abstained, while the JVP was absent. The government-allied SLMC boycotted parliament as a protest against the government’s ‘failure to protect’ Muslims during recent violence by Buddhist mobs. A Muslim minister in Rapaksa’s UPFA, Rishard Badurdeen was also absent.
The UNP abstained from voting on a parliamentary motion rejecting the UN investigation into wartime atrocities due to the government’s lack of interest in protecting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, reports ColomboTelegraph . Explaining the UNP’s decision to abstain from voting , the opposition party's chief MP, John Amaratunga, said: “The UNP was compelled to abstain from participating in the vote today due to the government’s non-acceptance of amendments suggested by the UNP that would have helped preserve Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.”
Thousands of Tamils remain blocked by the army from returning to their homes, reports Al Jazeera. In a video report on militarisation in the North, Al Jazeera interviews Tamil displaced civilians and reveals thousands of acres of occupied land, much of which is used for commercial ventures by the Sri Lankan army. See video below.
The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Mr Iyad Ameen Madani, today, expressed serious concern over recent attacks against Muslims in Sri Lanka, calling for those responsible to face justice. A press brief by the organisation read , "The reports of several fatalities and dozens injured as well as attacks on homes, businesses and mosques are deeply regrettable. " “The recent attacks appear to follow a rising trend of violence instigated by extremists which is spreading fear and mistrust among the population.“