The Russian Government on December 22, said that the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) will help accelerate the national reconciliation process and strengthen peace in Sri Lanka.Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich in a statement said the commission has made serious work on all aspects of the conflict that ended in […]

A shocked leisure industry yesterday decried the deadly attack on tourists in Tangalle over the weekend as the biggest setback for the sector which was rebounding following the end of the war. They urged the Government and law enforcement authorities to ensure harshest punishment against those responsible whilst calling for adequate measures to ensure safety […]

Out of the 36 enterprises acquired by the government and handed over to the Treasury Secretary under the laws to revive under performing and under utilized assets, the actions of the Competent Authorities appointed five companies located in Colombo would be monitored and operated by the Defence and Urban Development Ministry.President Mahinda Rajapaksa has assigned […]

The woman, said to be the wife of the British man who was murdered in Tangalle, had reportedly been raped by the assailants, according to Hiru FM.  The woman, identified as 24-year-old Victoria, has been admitted to the ICU of Karapitiya Hospital in serious condition. Two suspected have surrendered and another arrested over the killing of […]

 It is revealed that the suspect who killed a British national by shooting at a hotel at Madilla in Tangalle is the Chairman of Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha Sampath Chandra Pushpa. The reason for the clash that caused the death of the British national is a clash between the management of the hotel and a group […]

 [TamilNet]Sri Lankan Defence Ministry has set afoot plans for grabbing the lands of Palaali Teachers Training College, one of the two key academic institutions of Tamil teachers in the North, for military purposes. The latest move by Colombo to appropriate the 54 acres of the land situated near the Palaali airport in the High Security […]

The couple was attacked as they attended the Christmas dinner dance at The Nature Tangalle  Journalists in the southern Sri Lankan town of Tangalle have received death threats following their coverage of an attack on a tourist couple at a holiday resort. Police said they have identified all suspects of the attack in which a […]

This is the text of an official communique released by the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA), India on December 25 th2011- In response to a question the Official Spokesperson (MEA) said:    The report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), was tabled by the Government of Sri Lanka in its Parliament on 16 December. While […]

(PTI) India today said it expected Sri Lanka to “act decisively” to achieve meaningful devolution of powers to its provinces in the backdrop of the military operation against the LTTE. In its first comments on the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), India also asked Sri Lanka to set up an “independent […]

Global Tamil Forum (GTF) welcomes the long delayed publication of the ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’ (LLRC) report. Its findings only serve to emphasise the importance of establishing an international, independent accountability mechanism to investigate whether Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) breached any international law, committed war crimes and crimes […]

”It is not always possible to release to the public, all matters that take place in our talks with the Government. Our talks are however so structured to ensure that any political solution will be reasonable, workable and durable, and that it will conform to the aspirations of the majority of our people.  We are […]

By A concerned lawyer The National Child Protection Authority purporting to act under the provisions of Section 34 of the NCPA Act No. 50 of 1998 arrested and detained Rev. Sister. Eliza in remand custody for an alleged offence under Section 34 of the said ActIt is necessary to examine the provisions of the NCPA Act […]

 Jatila KarawitaTNA National List MP M.A. Sumanthiran says that the LLRC Report has ‘dramatically failed to address the accountability issues pertaining to the final phase of the North-East ethnic conflict between the government security forces and the LTTE.’ In an interview with Jatila Karawita, MP Sumanthiran, while dismissing all allegations that they were negative or […]

Tisaranee Gunasekara“… From the very beginning there was a very clear military plan and in parallel…a plan for humanitarian assistance”  Gotabhaya Rajapaksa (Testimony before the LLRC) “….the Commission is satisfied that the military strategy that was adopted…was one that was carefully conceived, in which the protection of the civilian population was given the highest priority.” (The […]

For those who are now debating the pros and cons of the LLRC Report, anything including obscenely frenzied prevarication seem to pass muster. For those who did not think that the state appointed LLRC commissioners could be quite so open about mistakes made by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), there is a certain level […]

The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report that was made public last week has attracted mixed reactions, both domestically and internationally. Predictably, global human rights groups found the report wanting because not only did it not meet their expectations with regard to the investigations on allegations of violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by […]

The EPDP Leader and the government strongman in Jaffna, Minister Douglas Devananda says that he would go to courts against the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission over allegations raised against the EPDP in the LLRC Report that it was responsible for operating illegal armed groups and abducting people. In an interview with   Ranga Jayasuriya, he […]

Raisa Wickrematunge The External Affairs Ministry has warned that legal action will be taken against any group or institution which spreads false claims regarding the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LRRC). Deputy Minister of External Affairs, Neomal Perera said that while certain institutions had been identified as making false statements on the LLRC report, […]

Nimal Sanderatne  Economic growth is expected to be around 8 per cent this year. The agricultural, industrial and services sectors of the economy have all contributed to this growth that has been supported by growth in exports, increased tourist earnings and continued higher inflows of remittances. The rate of inflation has been modest and the […]

The United Nations’ spokesman in a note sent out to UN-based correspondents said, “The United Nations will be studying the report closely. The Secretary-General hopes that the Government of Sri Lanka will move forward with its commitment to address accountability concerns in good faith as an essential step towards reconciliation and lasting peace in the […]

If it came to parliament more than a month after the Commission led by President’s Counsel and former Attorney General, C.R. de Silva, handed over the report to President Rajapaksa, the situation has been further confounded. More than two weeks after the report was tabled in Parliament, thus bringing it into the public domain, there […]

 Sunday Times Political Editor  Western powers murmur but Sri Lanka yet to come up with roadmap for reconciliation and good governance Positive features in LLRC report, but issue of accountability for military excesses not addressed, say international groups Sri Lanka ushers in another New Year in just six days, with some of the most difficult challenges […]

The final report published by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) of Sri Lanka established by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2010 largely exonerates government forces from liability for serious international crimes perpetrated during the last stages of the civil war in 2009 and the Commission has so far failed to fully investigate neutrally […]

Minority Rights Group International (MRG) welcomes some recommendations made by the Sri Lankan government’s ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’ (LLRC), but condemns its failure to deal with the crucial issue of accountability regarding events during the latter stages of the war in 2009.  MRG welcomed the government’s decision to table the LLRC report in parliament […]

The much-awaited report of Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, tabled in Parliament recently, has established a key fact — that there were “considerable” civilian casualties in the final stages of the military operation that ended in the total defeat of the LTTE.  This is a step forward from the Sri Lankan government’s earlier […]

Sri Lanka Army deployed hundreds of soldiers around the University of Jaffna Thursday evening harassing the students by checking everyone at the two main entries to the University throughout the evening and night. The latest move comes following the death threats issued to 8 named student activists and three lecturers of the Jaffna University. The […]

NOTEBOOK OF A NOBODY/Shanie The final report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission was unexpectedly released on Friday last week, after a lot of uncertainty as to when and how it would released – whether in full, only selected parts or not at all. In the end, good sense seems to have prevailed, in striking […]

National Peace Council/ Media ReleaseThe final report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa has drawn a mixed reaction. The 388 page report has been criticized by the main Tamil political party, the Tamil National Alliance, and by international human rights organizations.They have referred to the report as being in […]

Cyril Wimalasurendre KANDY: The Peradeniya Arts Faculty Teachers Association (PAFTA) has strongly condemned the excessive use of force by the state to suppress the lawful expression of dissent by the students of the University of Peradeniya on Wednesday (21).  The PAFTA in a statement issued yesterday (23) has stated that it also condemned the suspension of […]

Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, December 23 – One week ago about Sri Lanka, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “noted that the report of Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was tabled in parliament today and welcomed that it has been made public. The United Nations will be studying the report closely.”   […]