Three Muslim councillors of the Western Province are to cross over to the ruling coalition, UPFA, the Island has reported. The cross over of the councillors, two elected from the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and one from the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), will increase the UPFA's numbers in the Western Provincial Assembly to 59, the assembly's secretary, Hemantha Samarakoon is reported as saying. The UPFA swept to victory in the Western Provincial elections held last month, with over twice the number of votes of the opposition party, the UNP.
Expressing concern about the Sri Lankan government's proscription of 16 Tamil diaspora groups and 424 individuals for alleged terrorist links, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister reiterated that " Sri Lanka's action has no legal effect in Canada ". " It does not constrain the freedom of listed groups and individuals to lawfully express their views in Canada ," he wrote in a statement issued Wednesday together with the Minister of State, Lynne Yelich. " However, Canadians targeted by this list could be subject to possible questioning, detention or arrest by authorities in Sri Lanka, " the statement went on to say. Reiterating the diaspora's " important role " in Sri Lanka's post-conflict reconciliation process, the ministers warned that the Sri Lankan government's actions could " further hinder progress on reconciliation " that process.
The Sri Lankan Ambassador to Italy has called on the Sri Lankan government to take steps to ‘ban’ a bar named after Buddha in the Italian city of Parma, reported Ceylon Today . Sri Lankan residents in Italy recently protested against the ‘Buddha Bar’, calling on the ambassador to take action. Ambassador Nawalage Bennett Cooray told Ceylon Today that he had written to Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry, adding that the Sri Lankan community in Italy was disturbed over the restaurant’s name. "We have the right to look into it as it amounts to ridiculing a religion. I have informed the Ministry and wanted them to take immediate steps to ban the Buddha Bar," said Cooray.
Abuse in Sri Lanka’s military is on a "systematic level", Human Rights Watch's Asia advocacy advisor, John Sifton, said in an interview with Frances Alonzo of Voice of America regarding recent video evidence showing abuse of female military recruits by their seniors. " If this is how they treat their own recruits, one can only imagine how bad the abuses are against ordinary Tamil civilians," Sifton said, stating that there was near complete impunity, with almost no interest in accountability. See extracts of the interview below: “This [abuse of recruits] is indicative of the fact that the Sri Lankan military has a terrible record of sexual violence against the general population. And if this is how they treat their own recruits, one can only imagine how bad the abuses are against ordinary Tamil civilians and Sri Lankan civilians. There was a very big report that came out recently about sexual violence by the military. Quite simply put, the Sri Lankan military has a terrible record,” Sifton said. “Generally speaking, of course, the Sri Lankan military and the Sri Lankan government don’t have a great record of transparency or accountability for abuses. These allegations have not been made in a vacuum. Incredibly serious violations of sexual abuse have been made against the Sri Lankan military last month, last year, the year before, in context of the final conflict against the Tamil Tigers in 2009. And there is a whole slew of allegations against them that have yet to be investigated properly.”
The Northern Provincial Council condemned the Sri Lankan government's proscription of fifteen diaspora organisations and over 400 individuals, calling for the ban to be withdrawn, in a resolution passed yesterday. "We've stated that this [proscription] is an attempt to make the groups out to be terrorists [and] we condemn this," NPC member M.K. Shivajilingam told Tamil Guardian. "The diaspora groups are acting democratically within their own respective countries, and we have included this [in the resolution] also," he said.
South Africa’s Special Envoy to Sri Lanka said his government agreed to become involved in the island’s “struggle for peace” after President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s requested President Jacob Zuma’s assistance when he visited Colombo last year. In his first public comments on his role, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, also Deputy President of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), said South Africa’s post-Apartheid success in building a new nation that embraced democracy and human rights had endeared the country to many others around the world, including Sri Lanka. Cyril Ramaphosa addressing crowds at Mount Edgecombe. Photograph Tamil Guardian “Our country used to be the pariah of the world, and today we are the darling of the world... Some of those that have come to respect us greatly are countries like Sri Lanka,” he said in a speech on April 18th, at Mount Edgecombe, KwaZulu Natal. “When our president went to Sri Lanka, [President Rajapaksa] said: 'President Zuma please could you assist us to find permanent peace amongst our people here in Sri Lanka?'." “He said he would like South Africa to play a critical role in helping to cement the people of Sri Lanka together,” Mr. Ramaphosa told an audience largely of South Africans of Tamil descent at a 'Hindu Easter' event by the Shri Mariammen Temple.
The Sri Lankan military spokesperson, Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, denied reports that troops had conducted a search operation at the men's residence of the University of Jaffna last Friday. “It is a baseless allegation done for a fishy reason," Brigadier Wanigasooriya told The Nation . Students at the university condemned the search operation, in a statement issued by the student union on Friday, which demanded an immediate end to the military's activities within university premises. “That the security forces – who have been repressing all our rights to freedom of expression under the...
Photograph @HugoSwire The UK Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire met with NGOs today, to follow up on UN Human Rights Council's resolution mandating the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to launch an international investigation in Sri Lanka. " Had useful meeting with NGOs today on follow-up to UNHRC resolution passed on human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, " Mr. Swire tweeted shortly after the meeting. Earlier this month, Mr. Swire, who led calls for an international investigation as the UNHRC's 25th session began, stressed that the UK continued to have "real concerns in Sri Lanka".
The Northern Provincial Council called for Sri Lanka's draconian anti-terror law to be repealed, in a resolution passed today, reported BBC Tamil and the Uthayan. Accusing the Sri Lankan government of misusing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in order to repress the Tamil people, the TNA's NPC member Dr Sivamohan, when proposing the resolution, highlighted the PTA's overwhelming use in the North and East of the island. "It is unacceptable that people can be imprisoned for seven years under the PTA, on accusations of not providing information, even if they are not associated with...
The Northern Provincial Council passed a resolution demanding that the military presence within the grounds of Jaffna University, in a series of resolutions passed today, the Uthayan reported. Condemning the military's search operation at the men's residence of the university last week, NPC members said that the military's presence was disrupting university life. "The education of students is being affected because of the presence of troops, police and military intelligence officers," TNA NPC member T. Linganathan, said as he put forward the motion.