<p>Gotabaya Rajapaksa, won the recent Sri Lankan Presidential election "on the basis of Sinhala chauvinism," writes Chris Slee for the Green Left.&nbsp;</p> <p>Gotabaya was defence secretary in 2009, when the Sri Lankan armed forces massacred tens of thousands of Tamils in the final stages of their war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE were fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east of the island of Sri Lanka.</p>

Newly appointed Defence Secretary, Kamal Gunaratne, has threated legal action against individuals who threaten 'national peace'.

In his statement, he maintained that fear of political vengeance, abductions and violence were 'irrational' and 'unnecessary'. These fear are driven by the appointment of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka.

<p>The election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka and the appointment of his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as Prime Minister, signals a “backward step for the delivery of accountability and justice in a country that has experienced mass human rights violations for decades,” says Freedom From Torture.&nbsp;</p> <p>In 2009, Gotabaya was Defence Secretary in Mahinda’s government where he oversaw the final months of Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war.</p>

The Labour Party has pledged to work for the “protection of human rights for Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil and Muslim populations” in its manifesto for the upcoming British elections, released earlier today.

“Around the world, human rights defenders and civil society activists remain vulnerable to attacks, often carried out with impunity,” said the manifesto, adding that human rights and international humanitarian law are “under threat”.

Speaking on the Tamil people, the manifesto pledges:

“We will work through the UN and the Commonwealth to insist on the protection of human rights for Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil and Muslim populations.”

Sri Lanka's new president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was paid a formal courtesy call by the head of the army, Shavendra Silva, this week, as the accused war criminals met in their official capacities once more.

Sri Lanka’s Permanent High Court has dropped all corruption charges against Gotabaya Rajapaksa, just days after he was appointed as president of Sri Lanka.

Rajapaksa faced charges over the alleged misappropriation of 33.9 million rupees - approximately USD $185,000 - used to build a museum dedicated to his parents on the south of the island. 

Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa met with both Indian and Chinese officials in Colombo last night, just hours before he was sworn in as prime minister.

The elder Rajapaksa met Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar, and said they discussed "strengthening of the already existing bilateral relations  between our two nations”. His son, Namal Rajapaksa, was also present at the meeting.

India’s prime minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mahinda Rajapaksa just hours after he was appointed Sri Lanka’s new prime minister this morning.

Modi sent out a tweet congratulating the elder Rajapaksa, and stating,

“I look forward to working closely with him for further strengthening fraternal India-Sri Lanka ties”.

Sri Lanka’s now-former president held a grand banquet at the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo last week, as he celebrated his the end of his tenure with those accused of crimes.

Amongst those present were Shavendra Silva, head of Sri Lanka’s army and former commander in charge of Sri Lanka’s notorious 58 Division. The unit has been accused of repeatedly bombing hospitals, widespread sexual violence, torture and Silva personally stands accused of overseeing crimes including the execution of Tamils in 2009.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s former president, has been sworn in as the new prime minister this morning, just days after his brother Gotabaya was appointed as president.

This marks the first time on the island’s history that brothers from one family have occupied the two highest offices of state.

Both men stand accused of overseeing war crimes, during a 2009 military offensive that saw hospitals bombed and tens of thousands of Tamil civilians killed. Mahinda Rajapaksa was president at the time, whilst Gotabaya was the secretary of defence.