• Sri Lanka must 'bring all killers to justice' – CPJ

    Aug 26
    The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed the arrest of four Sri Lankan army officers in the case of disappeared journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda and called for all those involved in his abduction to be brought to justice.

    Commenting on the arrest, Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator, called for further progress in the case, saying “if the government of President Maithripala Sirisena resolves the journalist's disappearance, the Eknaligoda family will finally be able to find some closure in their long search for justice."

    He went on to add that "still, Eknaligoda's case is only one”.

    “At least nine journalists were murdered in direct relation to their work under the leadership of Mahinda Rajapaksa, first as prime minister and then as president,” he said. “It is important for the new government to bring all of those killers to justice and break Sri Lanka's cycle of impunity once and for all.”
  • Tamils only 10% of agricultural research appointments in North

    Tamil farmers and agricultural workers from Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu protested on Monday that over 90% of newly appointed agricultural research assistants to the North are Sinhalese.

  • Sri Lankan president discusses reconstructing Buddhist 'sacred city' in East
    Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena held a discussion with Buddhist monks and other politicians regarding the reconstruction of a Buddhist 'sacred city' in the East on Tuesday.

    Meeting with a member of parliament from Amparai and the director general of archaeology, alongside religious leaders, Mr Sirisena emphasised the importance of conserving archaeological sites across the island.

    Since Mr Sirisena came into power earlier this year, the Sri Lankan government has continued to authorise the building of Buddhist temples in the Tamil North-East.
  • US to work with Sri Lanka towards UNHRC resolution and domestic inquiry

    The US announced on Wednesday it would support the Sri Lankan government in creating a credible domestic process to address accountability and reconciliation.

    Speaking to reporters, US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal said "We support efforts to create a credible domestic process for accountability and reconciliation."

    "The failure of past efforts is very much on our minds, but that is why you have to emphasise on building trust."

    “We have recognised that there is a different opportunity that exists today and a different landscape for trying to advance reconciliation,” Ms Biswal further said. “We look forward to a process in Geneva that allows an opportunity to reflect on that.”

    The assistant secretary said the US would propose a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council next month and hoped that Sri Lanka would collaborate. She said the thrust of the resolution would be decided after reviewing the final report of the OHCHR Inquiry in Sri Lanka, which is expected to find that tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed in the last phase of the armed conflict alone.

  • Domestic investigation will leave Sri Lanka following US instructions says Colombo MP
    Criticising the Sri Lankan government's decision to establish a domestic investigation into war crimes allegations committed during the final stages of the armed conflict, the Colombo MP, Udaya Gammanpila, said such an inquiry would leave Sri Lanka following American instructions.

    "A US-backed domestic investigation is more dangerous than an international investigation," Mr Gammanpila was quoted by the Island as saying, at a press conference on Tuesday at the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) party head office.

    "This domestic investigation is like a person who is new to driving a vehicle with ‘L’ board. He has to follow all instructions of his master. Similarly, Sri Lanka will follow the instructions of the US in conducting the proposed domestic investigation."

  • CaFFE calls for repeal of anti terror legislation
    The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) urged the Sri Lankan government to repeal the country's draconian anti-terror legislation, the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), reports the Daily Mirror.

    The PTA, which has been used by successive governments to detain without charge a number of Tamil political activists and human rights workers on alleged charges of "terrorism", has long been criticised by international NGOs.

  • Biswal meets with wife of missing Sri Lankan cartoonist
    Photograph US embassy


    The US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, Nisha Biswal, who is currently visiting Sri Lanka, met with the wife of the missing political cartoonist, Prageeth Eknaligoda on Wednesday.

    Earlier this week, the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department has questioned four army officers over the disappearance of cartoonist, who his wife says disappeared after he had uncovered evidence of the Sri Lankan army’s use of chemical weapons against the Tamil people.

    “In 2008, Prageeth wrote and informed the diplomats about the Sri Lankan government’s usage of chemical weapons against the people in the north," Mrs Eknaligoda told the BBC in 2010.

  • Sri Lankan military remains on alert – Army commander
    The commander of Sri Lanka's army stated the military was still on alert, despite more than 6 years since the end of the armed conflict on the island.

    Lieutenant Crishanthe De Silva said terrorism, as well as human trafficking and drug peddling were issues that the army was wary of and ready to tackle. His comments came at a press conference announce the '5th Defence Seminar' due to take place at the Colombo Galadari Hotel next month.
  • Biswal meets with TNA and Wigneswaran
    The US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs, Nisha Biswal, met with the Tamil National Alliance and the chief minister of the northern province on Wednesday.

    The TNA delegation, which included the leader, R Sampanthan, Mavai Senathirajah and M A Sumanthiran, stressed to Ms Biswal that the party would continue pushing for an international inquiry into mass atrocities, despite the US announcement on Wednesday to support a credible domestic inquiry in Sri Lanka.

  • South African Tamils call on TNA to ensure ‘political and economic rights’

    The South African Tamil Federation congratulated the Tamil National Alliance on its recent election victory in the North-East and called on the party to ensure “peace, stability, political and economic rights for the Tamil speaking people in Sri Lanka”.

  • US officials arrive in Sri Lanka for talks on justice

    Senior US officials have arrived in Sri Lanka for talks with government officials and civil society leaders on issues including reconciliation and justice, announced the US State Department.

    The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal and Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

    A State Department press release said talks would focus on “US-Sri Lanka cooperation to further economic growth, strengthen good governance and democratic institutions, and promote reconciliation and justice”.

  • Sri Lanka tells US about domestic mechanism for human rights violations
  • Govt's missing persons interim report to be released ahead of OISL
    The Sri Lankan government's Presidential Commission into Missing Persons is to release a second interim report, just days before the release of the UN's report, the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka.

    “We handed over the First Mandated Interim Report in April and the Second Mandated Interim Report will be handed over to President Sirisena on Friday. It will mainly deal with the issues of the violation of the International Humanitarian Law or War Crimes allegedly committed by both parties and the recommendations to prevent a repetition,” the report's chairman, Maxwel Paranagama, was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying.

    The paper also stated that "highly placed diplomatic source told Daily Mirror the government should present the Paranagama Commission report in Geneva to counter the allegations levelled at the Sri Lanka government and the armed forces personnel by pro-LTTE groups".

    The commission, which has been marred by claims of military intimidation of witnesses, has been criticised by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), who labelled it “deceptive”. Highlighting Sri Lanka's historic failure of domestic inquiries, the Bishop of Mannar refused to testify before it and protests were held outside other hearings in the North-East.

  • US to provide $1m to resettlement efforts in North-East

    The US Embassy in Colombo has announced it will provide $1 million to support resettlement efforts in Sampur, in the Trincomalee district, as part of its “continuing commitment to strengthen Sri Lanka’s peace and development”.

    “Our goal is to help Sri Lankans around the country overcome the effects of conflict and displacement, improve the lives of their families and communities, and live with dignity,” said the new US Ambassador Atul Keshap.

    The first $100,000 will be managed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide the newly-resettled communities with a range of services and means of support to meet their basic needs, the embassy said in a statement. Another $900,000 is earmarked to build two schools in the Sampur region with facilities to support and house displaced families.

  • Sri Lanka to hold seminar on 'non-military threats to national security'
    Sri Lanka’s annual defense seminar will focus on threats to national security including “non-military threats to national security,” reports Colombo Page.
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