The New York Times has called on the United States and international community to persevere in holding Sri Lanka to account for human rights violations committed during the final stages of the island’s armed conflict, in an editorial published on Monday. 

The editorial, published as the government prepares lavish celebrations for Sri Lanka’s 66th Independence Day, applauds the recent visit by US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian affairs Nisha Biswal, as the United States prepares to bring about third resolution on Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The Sri Lankan government, today, refused a visa to the US Ambassador at Large for Women’s Issues, Catherine Russell, who had to cancel a 2 day visit scheduled for February 10.

Responding to the announcement, the US Embassy Spokesman said,

“It is regrettable that the Government of Sri Lanka has refused to grant a visa to Ambassador Catherine Russel for the trip. Ambassador Russell’s mandate is to promote stability, peace and development by empowering women politically, socially and economically around the world.”

Mel Gunasekara, a senior journalist in Sri Lanka has been found murdered today in her home in Battaramulla, according to local reports.

She was a former journalist for the AFP news agency, the founding editor of Lanka Business Online, and an assistant editor of the Sunday Times newspaper.

Rejecting comments made by the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Biswal, following her visit to Colombo and Jaffna, the Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris allegedly said,

The second day of the international conference on the Sri Lankan state’s forcible and militarised procurement of Tamil lands in the Northeast took place in London on Saturday.

The conference, organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils alongside British Tamils Forum, opened with a screening of ‘This Land Belongs to the Army’, a documentary by Tamil Nadu journalist Tamizh Prabhagaran, who was arrested and deported from the island last year. The documentary focused on the extent of militarisation in the Northeast.

Professor Oren Yiftachel of the Ben Gurion University, Israel, delivered a talk examining ethnocracies, saying that they “might have elections and citizenship on paper… but below this facade it is about the expansion of one ethnic group”.

In a panel discussion, Dr Shapan Adnan from Singapore University, pointed out that “army of archaeologists were released [into the Northeast] after war ended, “rediscovering” religious sites” which espoused a “state sponsored rewriting of history”. Dr David Rampton, a fellow of the London School of Economics, asserted that “the international community is only now beginning to comprehend it was Sinhala nationalism that created the dynamic for many of [the island’s] problems”. Dr Jochen Hippler from University of Duisburg-Essen argued that oppression is a useful tool in Sri Lanka’s nation-building project. On the question of genocide, Hippler stated that “Sri Lanka is trying to turn Tamils from a nation into a minority.”

Photograph @kajeepanv

Meeting Nisha Biswal, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs yesterday, Sri Lanka's Minister of External Affairs, G. L. Peiris, warned that “there is a very strong perception of a lack of objectivity and impartiality on the part of the US."

Lamenting what he described as the "woefully inadequate acknowledgement [by the US] of the developments that have taken place [in Sri Lanka]" Peiris alleged that "Sri Lanka has become a soft target".

The second day of the international conference on the Sri  Lankan state’s forcible and militarised procurement of Tamil lands in the North-East gets underway in London today.

Follow the event live by following us on twitter: @TamilGuardian and #lgconf_uk

The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian affairs, Nisha Biswal, said the "patience of the international community is wearing thin with the pace of progress" at a press conference in today, reports AFP.

Following her meetings with Tamil groups including activists, journalists and politicians in the North-East today, Biswal told journalists at a media briefing that whilst the US favoured an internal process, there had been no progress.

"Whilst our preference has always been for a Sri Lankan process to unfold, I have also very clearly noted that lack of progress in Sri Lanka has led to a great deal of frustration and scepticism in my government and in the international community and as I have said patience is wearing thin," she said, answering questions posed by the journalists. 

"Almost five years after the end of the conflict, meaningful steps are yet to be taken. It has been the desire of many to provide space for the Sri Lankan people to come to together to heal the wounds of war, but when that space is not used productively and aggressively to pursue peace, to pursue reconciliation, to pursue justice and accountability, it draws the concern of the international community and that is where we find ourselves."

"I would say that there has not been sufficient action by the government to address issues of justice and accountability. We heard from many people about people who are still unaccounted for, whose whereabouts and fate unknown to their family members. We heard about individuals and organisations that continue to feel threatened and intimidated. And when such a climate persists give years after the end of conflict, then I think that there is some cause for those individuals to feel that an international process is needed."

"We are talking to and working closely with colleagues across the international community, including the Indian government, with whom we talk on a regular basis about bilateral and regional issues, both in Washington and New Delhi. I will be going to Geneva as I leave Sri Lanka, and I will seek an opportunity to meet with the Indian High Commissioner whilst I am there. We are not at this point discussing sanctions. We are still very much committed to seeing progress on these issues."

In a statement to journalists gathered at the media briefing, Biswal said:

"Without justice, and reconciliation, without accountability, there can be no sustained peace and equitable prosperity for the people of Sri Lanka. Respect for human rights and a promotion of transparent and democratic governance are essential. Unfortunately, continued deterioration in these areas is already beginning to take its toll on democracy in Sri Lanka."

"We are concerned about the worsening situation with respect to human rights, including the continued attacks against religious minorities, as well as the weakening of the rule of law and an increase in levels of corruption and impunity. All of these factors lead to undermine the condition of democracy."

"Furthermore we are aware that in the past individuals who have met foreign officials, have been met in turn with intimidatory visits and threatening phone calls. I would say we view this very seriously and find it completely unacceptable."

Follow our Twitter account (@TamilGuardian) for live tweets throughout the day.