Defence Ministry may take control over prisons

The ever-growing Sri Lankan Defence Ministry may now also be taking over the Prisons Department, annulling the already existing Ministry according to reports. According to ColomboPage , sources stated that the move is being considered “due to the deterioration of discipline in prisons”. Just last week, a branch of the Ministry of Defence also announced their latest “commercial venture” – catering services. See our earlier post: Gota’s catering services (21 July 2012)

'Five years' to investigate killings

Investigations into the Sri Lankan Army’s killing of Tamil civilians in the run up to and during May 2009 could take up to 5 years according to Sri Lanka. The Associated Press reports that the government recommended for inquiries into alleged killings to be concluded within a year and for court proceedings to start up to four years after that. Although Presidential spokesman Lalith Weeratunga has claimed that the plan is part of the government’s keen intention to move forward, TNA lawmaker Suresh Premachandran dismissed the plan as one designed for “international consumption” . Premachandran...

Jaffna University opposes private universities

Academics at the University of Jaffna have accused the government of trying to destroy the country’s free education system. The Jaffna University Academics (JUA) said at a press conference about their industrial action, "Unbeknownst to the public, this government is going to change the face of free education. There will come a day when education in schools as well as at university will have to be paid for. It is with the purpose off deterring this that university lecturers continue to strike. By allowing the establishment of private universities, the government is aiming to reduce the quality...

Returned asylum seeker missing

A failed Tamil asylum seeker, known as Mr X for safety reasons has been reported missing since he was deported from Australia. Spokeswoman for Refugee Action Collective, Sue Bolton, said that Mr X’s family had waited outside the airport for more than 14 hours but received no news about his whereabouts. Mr X’s claims to asylum that he had been arrested by the army and tortured due to alleged affiliation the LTTE were rejected and he was deported from Australia on Wednesday, despite a UN appeal against his return. Expressing concern that the man has been detained by Sri Lankan police, Ms Bolton...

TNA requests international monitors for Eastern elections

The leading Tamil political party has called for international monitors to be deployed to monitor polls during the Eastern Provincial Council elections, after threats of violence and concerns over electoral fraud. The Tamil National Alliance filed the request with the Election Commissioner and have stated that the matter would be discussed on August the 3rd. The request comes after former MP M.K. Sivajilingam told the Daily Mirror recently that two candidates withdrew after receiving threats from groups linked to the ruling UPFA. Candidates K Thurairajasingham and Indrakumar Prasanna were...

Australia deports Tamil asylum seeker amidst fears for his safety

Australian officials have deported a Tamil refugee, suffering from mental illness. Amidst outrage by human rights organisations, the man was the first of around 150 Tamils who are expected to be deported to Sri Lanka, where they are facing torture on their return. Australian media, like The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have refused to identify the man for his own safety. ''If he goes there, they kill him,'' his tearful sister said to media after hearing he was taken to the airport. ''What sort of country do we live [in]? Please give him to me, I will look after him.'' According to The...

Families of persons handed over to the SLA are forced to accept death certificates

Sri Lankan Army officers from the operational camp of the occupying military in Vanni, have been enforcing the acceptance of death certificates on to families of missing persons in the Mullaitheevu district. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, TNA MP Suresh Premachandran noted that some of the families say that they personally handed over their living family members at a military check post during the final hours of the 2009 war and are now being forced to sign death certificates. Mr Premachandran went on to say “If these members were handed over to the SLA, then the Sri Lankan military...

Chinese power plant failure causes nationwide power cuts

The Sri Lankan electricity board has announced it will cut the electricity supply across the country for three hours a day, after the Chinese-built Norocholai coal power plant failed for the 5th time in 16 months. "We are facing difficulties in balancing the supply and demand," the ministry said in a statement. "The only alternative is to carry out power cuts across the country until further notice." The drought on the island has compunded the problem in electricity supply from hydro-power plants. During the Norocholai power plant's last failure in February, the Power and Energy Minister...

Integrating into Sri Lanka

Last week was the gorvernment's much hyped about Social Integration Week . True to form, the event kicked off with an example of what integration is in Sri Lanka - the national anthem sung in Sinhala only. The week was said to ensure a 'united nation' and 'reintegrate all ethnic groups as one nation, free of ‘petty’ social and cultural differences.' And free too of the 'petty' differences in language of course.

Rights groups criticise Australia's handling of Tamil refugees

Australia's handling of Tamil asylum seekers arriving boat, has been criticised by human rights organisations base in the country, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The executive director of Human Rights Law Centre in Australia, Phil Lynch, criticised the country's close liaison with Sri Lanka, including security and military cooperation. Lynch said , ''At best, this undermines the spirit of the Refugee Convention, which gives people the right to flee persecution and seek protection. At worst, it involves Australia, at least indirectly, in exposing people to torture, cruel treatment and...

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