Sri Lankan opposition parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa warned that “national security” was at risk in Sri Lanka and rallied against the dismantling of High Security Zones (HSZ) in the island’s North-East.

Colombo Gazette reports the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP as saying urgent action was needed to prevent the island being divided and stated the government was releasing land in the North-East due to international pressure.

He went on to warn of attempts to dismantle HSZs, highlighting the Palali HSZ as an example.

His remarks come as opposition politicians, including the former foreign minister, warned that the government was facing threats to “national security”.

Updated 02:34 BST

Witnesses from the No Fire Zone revealed their testimonies at a side event on disappearances in Sri Lanka at the 29th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, on Thursday.

A panel discussion on detainees and disappearances in Sri Lanka consisting of the Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee Kirsty Brimelow QC, President of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation and Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador Bianca Jagger, Human Rights Advocacy activist and the Tamil Guardian's Sutharshan Sukumaran, was chaired by the former All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPG-T) chair Lee Scott.

Speaking to Tamil Guardian at the 29^th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Kirsty Brimelow QC, said,

Sri Lanka’s defence minister reiterated that security in the country was not under threat and that not a single army camp has been removed from the North-East, in a statement issued on Wednesday.

“The President, the Prime Minister and I have placed utmost diligence in ensuring and furthering national security,” said State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene. “There is not an iota of truth in the notion that national security is in danger,” he added. “Every person who is promoting such notions in doing so with ulterior political motives”.

The minister went on to state “the government’s foreign policy is aimed at strategically dismantling the terrorist networks world over and the fact that the LTTE ban has been extended in certain countries is an example of the dividends of this strategy.”

His remarks come after Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe told the Sri Lankan parliament that military camps have not been withdrawn from the North-East of the island.

Sri Lanka’s former Foreign Minister GL Peiris slammed the present Sri Lankan government for failing to manage the “rapidly developing situation influenced by Western powers, Diaspora and their agents” and endangering “national security”.

The Island reports Mr Peiris as stating the country” was facing a major security crisis” under the present government, accusing it of “dismantling post-war counter terrorism structure built by the then Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa”.

The claims have been rebuffed in recent days by Sri Lanka’s defence minister and prime minister, both of whom have denied that any military camps in the Tamil North-East have been dismantled.

Mr Peiris also criticised the government’s plans to launch a domestic inquiry into reports of mass atrocities that occurred during the final phases of the armed conflict, stating that it could not be used to “rubber stamp [an] external investigation launched last year without Sri Lanka’s consent”.

The US State Department has highlighted human rights abuses which occurred in 2014, in its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

The report details attacks on human rights activists, journalists and Tamils viewed as sympathisers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by government-linked individuals and impunnity for wide-spread abuses.

See full report here.

"The major human rights problems reported over the year were: attacks on, and harassment of, civil society activists, journalists, and persons viewed as sympathizers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by individuals allegedly tied to the government; involuntary disappearances, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, abuse of detainees, rape, and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence committed by police and security forces; and widespread impunity for a broad range of human rights abuses," the report said.

"Involuntary disappearances and unlawful killings continued to diminish in comparison with the immediate postwar period. Nevertheless, harassment, threats, and attacks by progovernment loyalists against media institutions, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and critics of the government were prevalent, contributing to widespread fear and self-censorship by journalists and diminished democratic activity due to the general failure to prosecute perpetrators."

The former commander of the Sri Lankan navy and other senior officers were aware that commandos were carrying out the abduction of children said the Sub Inspector of Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Giving evidence before the Colombo Chief Magistrate in the case of abductions that took place in September 2008, CID Sub Inspector Nishantha Silva stated that several high ranking officers and the commander were aware that the children were abducted.

Several government ministers were also aware that the abducted children were being held in police custody, reports Daily News.

“The officers responsible for the abduction of the children viz Lt. Commander Sampath Munasinghe, Hettiarchchi and Ranasinghe belonged to the private security outfit of the Navy Commander,” said Sub Inspector Silva. “Therefore, it is certain that the Commander should have been aware of the abduction.”

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has criticised Sri Lanka’s “use of force” against fishermen from Tamil Nadu and stressed that they must be treated “in a humane manner”.

In a submission made to the Madras High Court Bench, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said,

“During India-Sri Lanka bilateral meetings, including those at the highest levels, India has reiterated its position that the use of force could not be justified under any circumstances and that all fishermen should be treated in a humane manner."

The submission went on to state that India had urged Sri Lankan “to act with restraint, not to fire on our [Indian] fishermen and to treat our fishermen in a humane manner.”