Drawing attention to Sri Lanka's refusal to be represented at the the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, taking place in London this week, the British Foreign Office Minister of State, Hugo Swire called on Sri Lanka to explain their absence. “Clearly we would like Sri Lanka to be here, but they are not,” Mr Swire said, speaking to Tamil Guardian just before the ministerial dialogue session this morning. “I think countries that are not here need to explain to their communities why they are not,” he said, adding, “150 plus countries have signed up to this and its more a case of why aren't you here than why are you here.” “Obviously we would like all countries to sign up to this,” he stressed.
Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, hailed Buddhism as the "foundation for the culture and way of life of our people" and central to the building of the country, in a message marking the Buddhist festival of Poson today, the Daily Mirror reported . "Even today we are on the correct path as we earnestly believe that there is no other path to build the country other than the teachings of the Buddha brought to us by Arahath Mahinda," President Rajapaksa said. "It is the teachings of Buddhism that built our thinking on respect for and sustenance of the lives of humans and all other living...
Sandra Beidas, a senior official previously with the UN mission in South Sudan, has been appointed by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to coordinate the investigative team examining mass atrocities in Sri Lanka, reports Al Jazeera . According to the news agency, the team will comprise 12 members, including two experts in forensics as well as a legal analyst and a gender specialist. The investigation is intended to commence later this month and last for ten months. Earlier this week, the SLFP decided that the decision as to whether to allow the OHCHR team to visit Sri Lanka...
Condemning the on-going militarisation of the North, the Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council, C.V. Wigneswaran, said in an interview with The Hindu today, the province was "overwhelmed by an occupying military force" and said there was "an urgent need" to prevent military's on-going encroachment on civilian life. "The stark fact is that we are attempting to establish democratic governance in a province that is overwhelmed by an occupying military force, which systematically seeks to subjugate the populace, change the demography, destabilise the economy, impose an alien culture...
A paramilitary leader, who has been accused of war crimes by the UN has been appointed as a new member of the Eastern Provincial Council, reports Colombo Telegraph . K. Pushpakumar, known as Iniyapaarathi, took oath on Wednesday in Trincomalee, in front of Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama. See here for more.
A dead body was found in Kilinochchi this morning, near Selvanagar Utha Temple Street, the Uthayan reports. The body has been identified as that of a 65 year old man, called Vaithilingam Wigneswaran. Kilinochchi police are reported to be investigating the incident.
Condemning the lack of accountability for war crimes in Sri Lanka, the Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird reiterated Canada's commitment to ensuring the Sri Lankan government takes a different path, when speaking at a press conference today during the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. “We are incredibly focused to get the government of Sri Lanka to take a different path to authoritarian rule,” Minister Baird said, asked by the Tamil Guardian for Canada's view of Sri Lanka's refusal to take part in the summit and its repeated rejection of the UN Human Rights Council mandated...
The opposition party, UNP explained its rationale for why the government should cooperate with the UN Human Rights Council mandated international inquiry into mass atrocities in Sri Lanka, in a communique released today, reported Colombo Page . “It would not only be an injustice to the valiant soldiers who sacrificed so much for this country but a betrayal of all our people who will have to suffer the consequences of international action,” the UNP said. Calling on the government to “at least present to the investigators the crimes committed by the Tigers [as] it is in an opportune place to do...
Continued international pressure on states and institutions that allow sexual violence is needed to end impunity said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees speaking at the End Sexual Violence in Conflict global summit in London. Photo: Tamil G uardian Speaking at a ministerial dialogue on preventing and responding to sexual violence, Antonio Guterres said, “Condemnation of people responsible for allowing sexual violence to occur needs to happen. Without further pressure on states that allow such violence impunity will go on.” “Threats of stopping cooperation with countries can...
The Sri Lankan military in the Northeast has organised a campaign to clear up plastic. The campaign, organised by the Security Force Jaffna, saw soldiers throughout the peninsula collecting plastic and other rubbish, the government’s official media site reported. Earlier today the Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council condemned the militarisation of the province in an interview to The Hindu, saying that the province was "overwhelmed by an occupying military force" and said there was "an urgent need" to prevent military's on-going encroachment on civilian life.