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They complained that virtually every decision relating to community life needed to be taken after permission was sought and obtained from the military. On my way to Jaffna over the past weekend I stopped over in Vavuniya to meet with several civil society leaders. When we discussed the current political situation, the main issue that […]

According to the US cables, presidential adviser Basil Rajapaksa “energetically refused” to give the ICRC permission, The Sri Lankan government rejected a surrender offer by Tamil Tiger rebels at the end of the war, reports released through the Wikileaks website say. They say that Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa dismissed US pressure to allow a mediated […]

For one, the government’s favourite pastime quite clearly is to update the Constitution for a more stable and secure Sri Lanka; more than cozily so for some citizens at least. May 10, 2011 Even Mahinda Rajapaksa’s worst critic cannot accuse his regime of lacking bright ideas or the righteous will to execute them. It hardly […]

8 May 2011,by Dr. Kay S. Kumaran, United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) USTPAC recently released the following report, entitled “The Track Record of Sri Lankan Commissions and the Need for an International Investigation of War Crimes.” This report highlights the Sri Lankan Government’s attempts to resist international pressure to investigate violations of human […]

The EU hopes that the Government of Sri Lanka will recognise the constructive objectives of the report, and encourages it to engage with the UNSG on its contents. 10 May 2011, 9:08 am Declaration by the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, on behalf of the European Union on the Report of the UN Secretary-General Panel of […]

Basil Rajapaksa said that according to the SL president there are no more High Security Zones but the entire island is a ‘peace zone.’ 09 May 2011, Sri Lanka President’s brother and SL Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa made an unannounced sudden visit to Jaffna Monday. Nothing will happen by some welcoming the UN panel […]

 Removing this power from the JSC and vesting it in the President would compromise the separation of powers and invite executive interference in the administration of justice.  9 May 2011, Colombo, Sri Lanka:The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) notes the reports in the Daily Mirror and Lankadeepa newspapers of 5th May 2011, which disclose that […]

Ambassador spoke to Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa to request access for the ICRC to evacuate dead and wounded. Rajapaksa refused, contending the GSL could manage on its own. Ambassador spoke to Gothabaya Rajapaksa on the morning of May 17 to urge him to allow the ICRC into the conflict zone to mediate a surrender. Rajapaksa […]

“We, as Platform for Freedom, welcome the UN report on war crimes in Sri Lanka because we are working to build a fair society,” said human rights activist Nimalka Fernando. by Melani Manel Perera The charges are a national issue, and a lesson for all. Christian leaders, human rights activists and ordinary people criticise the […]

9 May, 2011 The Uthayan newspaper runs a revealing story on its website which suggests that on 8th May, the campaign to collect a million signatures against the UN Panel’s report basically forced people to sign up to the campaign. Groundviews has already covered this bizarre, mindless campaign when it started in Colombo, before in […]

6 May 2011, 10:26 pmA Statement by the Executive Committee of the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (1) Trade Unions may not have a long history but in the short history of their existence they have acquired an indelible presence in the affairs of nation states. Trade unions historically evolved as organizations to defend collectively […]

“Most restaurants are owned or managed by the military. That’s our reality,” says Ponniah Wanigasundaram, a small time shop owner from Iranamadu. 7 May 2011,/ By Dilrukshi Handunnetti Its been two years since the war came to an end. Soon after, exultant southerners began visiting Jaffna in busloads and van loads to ‘see it with […]

This behaviour, in a way, signifies the approach and attitude of the government in general. Following this general pattern, Minister came up with a big conspiracy theory linking the university teachers and their trade unions to imperialism and Publish Post Tamil diaspora 8 May 2011, /By Sumanasiri Liayanage Faced with the threat of trade union […]

Sources said that road development projects under taken by the CMC, too, had been placed under the supervision of the army to prevent workers from leaving their posts after marking attendance registers. May 8, 2011, 9:37 /By Jayantha de Silva Due to failure on the part of the CMC, the government has placed the Viharamahadevi […]

08 May 2011 While building up democratic politics in the north and east is reiterated as a prerequisite for ‘reconciliation,’ the genocidal SL Army occupying Jaffna under the command of ‘Asian Nobel Peace Laureate’ Maj. Gen. Mahinda Hathurusinghe is engaged in intimidating politicians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the most favoured political formation in […]

08 May 2011, Leading Norwegian Lawyer on Human Rights, Harald Stabell, has filed a case under the Norwegian national law, against the Sri Lankan President and Commander-in-Chief of the SL armed forces, Mahinda Rajapaksa, his brother and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, and former Sri Lanka Army commander Sarath Fonseka, now in Rajapaksa’s custody, and several […]

07 May 2011, The Maldivian foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem told journalists in Colombo that the UN report into human rights abuses in the closing days of Sri Lanka’s civil war is “singularly counterproductive,” reports Minivan News, an independent news service from Maldives, Saturday. Maldives is currently a member of the UN Human Rights Council. This […]

By Maryam Azwer Almost two years since the end of the conflict, hundreds of people arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) remain in detention. What is of real concern here, is that in many cases, families of those detained have no knowledge of their whereabouts – or even if they are alive. Detainee DilemmaAmong […]

No action by Attorney Gen. to recover duesBy Chandani Kirinde The President’s Fund has been slow in reimbursing medical assistance to patients, even in instances where the directive to expedite such payments came from President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Auditor General (AG) has revealed. “Despite the President’s orders to reimburse medical assistance amounting to over Rs […]

A priority for the visiting Indian delegation, the Sunday Times learns, is to urge the government to speedily address accountability and reconciliation issues raised in the UN Panel’s report By Political Editor A high powered Indian delegation will arrive in Colombo on Friday to discuss matters arising from the United Nations Advisory Panel’s report to […]

The European Parliament, which represents 27 countries, is to debate on Thursday what it calls violations of human rights and humanitarian laws in Sri Lanka. The “emergency debate” has been sought by 50 members of the Green Party after the release of the report of the three-member UN Advisory Panel to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. […]

By Chris Kamalendran The number of voters in the Jaffna electoral district has dropped by more than 400,000 or by 50 percent of the previous figures, according to latest data collected by the Elections Department. Earlier the voter registry for the Jaffna district had 815,000 voters on the list, but the new one being compiled […]

By Kishali Pinto JayawardeneUnder creeping cover of the report of the Advisory Panel mandated by the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG), the Government of Sri Lanka appears to be leading the country even further down the precipitous slope of constitutional anarchy than it has gone so far. Unhappy comparisons to a rowdy nation. At one […]

The United States called on Sri Lanka Wednesday to bring to justice anyone responsible for war crimes committed as the island crushed a decades-long insurgency. US diplomat Robert Blake said Colombo should carry out its own investigation into allegations contained in a United Nations report of atrocities during the 2009 offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels. […]

May 3 2011 22:23 | Last year, Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, commissioned a report into human rights violations in the closing months of the decades-long Sri Lankan civil war that ended in 2009. The report points to credible evidence of mass shelling of civilians and summary executions. It also concludes that Sri Lanka’s […]

07 May 2011,Former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian MK Sivajilingam was summoned on Thursday by the occupying Sri Lanka military in Valvettithu’rai and was interrogated for about half an hour. The reason for the interrogation was his manifesto for the forthcoming local body elections in which he has called for the shifting of the SL […]

07 May 2011Colombo, May 6, (AFP) – Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Hashan Tillakaratne on Friday demanded police protection before he shares information on alleged match-fixing with authorities. “As an eyewitness to match-fixing, I will reveal the names of those involved if my security is guaranteed,” Tillakaratne told reporters after the Criminal Investigations Department grilled […]

07 May 2011 00:00By Susitha R. Fernando Former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva yesterday warned that the proposed 19th Amendment to the Constitution was a serious interference by the President in the independence of the judiciary. He said if the proposed Amendment was introduced it would allow the President to limit the term of office […]

06 May 2011Foreign passport holders must continue to register with the Ministry of Defence in order to enter Jaffna despite the war against the LTTE ending three years ago. A group of Foreign passport holders who were born in Sri Lanka told News Now.lk that they were turned back at the Omantai check point while […]

The ANC supports the recommendations of the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s Panel of Experts that called for the establishment of an independent body to investigate all violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws committed in the conflict.  6 May 2011 The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, had appointed a Panel of Experts to […]