Hundreds of Amnesty International campaigners staged a protest at Parliament Square today, against British involvement at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Placing David Cameron, William Hague and Mahinda Rajapaksa alongside grim reapers, the protestors gathered on a mock beach where the three political figures sipped cocktails. The director of Amnesty International UK, Kate Allen, said , “CHOGM should not just be an opportunity for President Rajapaksa and his government to sign business deals whilst clinking glasses with David Cameron and other leaders. CHOGM ought to be a moment...
India's Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has said that the central government is aware of some minister's opposing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's attendance at CHOGM. However the Hindu newspaper also drew attention to Northern Provincial Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran's refusal to boycott CHOGM, and reported a senior Indian government official as saying: “If he attends, what is now left for us to protest?”
Sri Lankan’s immigration authorities deported two international journalists, for breaching the country’s visa regulations today. The two journalists, Asia Pacific Director of the International Federation of journalists (IFJ) Jacqueline Parker and Deputy Director, Jane Worthington, were deported after being detained and interrogated. Sri Lankan authorities wiped all the data from a journalist's laptop before sending her back to Australia, reports the AFP . Jacqui Park, an Australian media rights activist and colleague Jean Worthington were expelled from Sri Lanka for "anti-government...
A ceremony of appreciation was staged for the parents of Sri Lankan Army ‘war heroes’ who were killed in the ethnic conflict, reports the Ministry of Defence . Parents of 135 perished Sri Lankan military personnel were rewarded with medals and parchments containing certificates. This week also saw the Sri Lankan military demolish the remaining graveyards of the LTTE.
Defence Secretary and war crimes accused Gotabhaya Rajapkasa has said he welcomes international visits to the north of the island, as this could help the government “counter the lies” that are spread by the “LTTE rump”. "Since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009, many international figures had visited the Jaffna peninsula and the Vanni. United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay recently flew to Jaffna, stayed there overnight and then drove along the A9 to Iranamdu airfield for a special flight to China bay. “We believe such international visits could help us counter lies...
The Telegraph editorial on Thursday, entitled 'Sri Lanka's tragedy', called on British Prime Minister David Cameron to ensure Sri Lanka holds an 'independent and international inquiry' into the fate of the thousands of disappeared people. Sri Lanka has the second highest number of 'disappeared' people in the world according to the UN, behind only Iraq. Speaking on the upcoming CHOGM, the piece went on to say Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is 'deeply compromised' and it was 'never sensible' to allow Sri Lanka to host the event, yet it also added that a British boycott would not 'be...
Rape and torture by Sri Lankan security forces continues unabated despite the imminent arrival of David Cameron and 50 world leaders for a Commonwealth summit in the country, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) today. Data gathered by Human Rights Watch revealed that Sri Lanka had the 2 nd highest number of outstanding disappearance cases in the world. Just this year, the rights organisation documented 10 cases of suspects that were tortured and mistreated in detention. One Tamil women, whose case was documented by Human Rights Watch, told The Daily Telegraph that she was abducted by men driving an...
Sri Lanka has expelled two Australia media activists from the International Federation of Journalists, after raiding a Colombo hotel where they were speaking to colleagues on the island. The pair, Jacqui Park and Jean Worthington, were interrogated by immigration and police officials before being expelled for breaking visa conditions. Sunil Jayasekera from the Free Media Movement stated the two Australians were on holiday and were meeting their colleagues in a hotel in Colombo, before being held by the Sri Lankan authorities. See the report from AFP here .
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) urged the Sri Lankan government to regain Sri lanka’s image. The UNP spokesperson, Gayantha Karunathilaka, outlined the need to build confidence among members of the international community and improve the country’s ‘image’ in the international arena.
The Sri Lankan military commander of the 57 division that was deployed in Vanni during the final stages of the armed conflict, has been side-lined from an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) event in Australia. Dias was nominated by Sri Lanka to participate in a ICRC workshop on healthcare in danger situations, which was scheduled to take place, in Sydney, at the end of the year. In response to the ICRC’s decision to decline Sri Lanka’s offer, the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry, whilst blaming the international community for failed negotiations that preceded the brutal end of the...