Meera Srinivasan Tamil Nadu fishermen entering Sri Lankan waters interfere with the livelihood of Sri Lankan Tamils struggling to make a living from the sea after a brutal war The haunting image — from a reporting assignment over a month ago — of an army of Indian trawlers charging towards the shore of Analativu, a […]

(AFP) – Sri Lanka is considering a South African-style reconciliation commission nearly five years after crushing Tamil separatists in an offensive that triggered international allegations of war crimes, a minister said on Tuesday. Information minister Keheliya Rambukwella said President Mahinda Rajapakse, who attended a memorial service for former South African president Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg […]

Sunanda Deshapriya Dear Mahinda Rajapakse, At the outset , I would like to tell you one thing. I regret very much that we have never met and not had the opportunity to share our experience.  Perhaps you could not visit me before I became bedridden because you were bogged down with a difficult war. First […]

National Peace CouncilOn International Human Rights Day, December 10, a public protest by families of missing persons in Trincomalee was attacked by goons while the large contingent of police present at the scene remained inactive.   They carried photographs and posters about their missing loved ones and demanded that the government should take steps to provide […]

8. LLRC and reconciliation process70. His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) in May 2010 in order to strengthen the national reconciliation process and ensure the dividends of peace to all Sri Lankans.  71. The LLRC began sittings on August 11, 2010 and any person or organization was free to give evidence […]

Meera SrinivasanA white, rectangular board with Sinhala and Tamil letters appears once every few metres along the iron fence around a huge expanse of land in the sea-facing town. ‘Ilangai Minsara Sabaikkuriya Kaaniyaagum. Utpravesithal thadai’ [This land belongs to the Ceylon Electricity Board. Entry is banned] reads the board. This is where a 500-MW capacity, […]

http://srilankaguardian.org/ NORTHERN CM WIGNESWARAN ALLEGES GENOCIDE, CALLS FOR PLEBISCITE Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka  Mr Akashi was absolutely right when he urged flexibility and reform on the Sri Lankan government and sounded the alarm of serious consequences in Geneva March 2014 (that’s 75 days away, folks) if it failed to shift in the right direction. He did […]

Sri Lanka launches diplomatic offensive ahead of UN rights meet Sri Lanka: facing another resolution PTI COLOMBO: Faced with the prospect of a third UN human rights council resolution in as many years, Sri Lanka on Sunday launched a diplomatic offensive to counter international pressure over alleged rights abuses during the final phase of its […]

 Monday, 16 December 2013 One of France’s kings was once asked about the rule of law. His infamous reply quoted for hundreds of years to define dictatorship, was “I am the state”. It is said that he was executed for his vulgar or extravagance arrogance and he was dumped in the garbage heaps of history.  Yet […]

Besides urging the Indian government to move a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) seeking a credible international inquiry into killing of Sri Lankan Tamils, war crimes and human rights violations in the last leg of the civil war, the DMK’s general council meeting on Sunday wanted India to facilitate a referendum […]

Yashwant Sinha Siva Prasanna Kumar Chennai: “Tamil Eelam is not far away”, declared BJP se­nior Yashwant Sinha at a well-attended party meeting held at a marriage hall in the city on Wednesday. Admitting that the BJP during its NDA rule had advocated political settlement for the Tamils within a united Lanka, the former foreign minister […]

The following text was sent as a letter addressing the Chairman, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka today. It was signed by Sudarshana Gunawardana of Rights Now Collective for Democracy on behalf of 16 civil society organisations. This was faxed to the Human Rights Commission today (Friday 13.12.2013) and it will be sent to the […]

The thrust of the UPFA Government was just the opposite last week. External Affairs Minister (EAM) G.L. Peiris met Colombo-based diplomats. He handed them a 22-page document titled “Progress by thematic areas” on the implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. The document was prepared by a Task Force headed by […]

The government has appointed a deputy inspector general (DIG) of police to the Northern Province without the knowledge of the Northern Province Chief Minister.The TNA has raised objections to the appointment of DIG Pujitha Jayasundera to the North.TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran has told parliament that the Constitution notes that a DIG had to be appointed […]

Mahindananda Aluthgamage ‘Lankatruth’ revealed that the value of assets bought by Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage in his wife’s name was nearly Rs.90 million. Already, a complaint has been filed at the Bribery Commission regarding the Minister’s assets. In an interview the Minister had with a weekend newspaper he had said he earned Rs.60 million by selling […]

While the elected members of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) on Thursday passed the inaugural budget of the NPC after 3 days of sittings at their secretariat in Kaithadi, Colombo’s military governor of North, Major General (retd) G.A. Chandrasiri on Friday hastily summoned the officials and secretaries of various ministries to a conference at Koappaay […]

Tamils protest in Jaffna C.V.WigneswaranHon’ Chairman, Hon’ Ministers, Hon’ Members of the Provincial Council belonging to the ruling party as well as the opposition!Before presenting the draft of the Annual Financial Statement and Appropriation statute for the year 2014, I have made a statement in Tamil. I think it is appropriate to translate the said […]

Yasushi Akashi Visiting Japanese special envoy Yasushi Akashi said today that it was not only the International Community but also Sri Lankans who are anxiously “waiting for action and not just sound and fury”.Responding to a question on corruption, good governance, the adherence to the rule of law and the Government’s commitment to all stakeholders […]

‘Latimar House principles a necessity, beneficial to Lanka UNP MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe yesterday claimed that some UPFA ministers didn’t know what was good for the country as well as the government.President’s Counsel Rajapakshe said that he was dismayed by the UPFA’s opposition to his motion seeking consensus on the removal of judges, of the Supreme […]

The European Union (EU) Parliament has passed a resolution calling on the Sri Lankan government to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission in full.EU MPs appreciate the restoration of peace and welcome the first ever elections in the Northern Province. However, they note with concern that “the presence of government military […]

Amantha Perera Its early morning in Mankulam, and I’m driving along the A9 – the road is paved, in marked contrast to the giant potholes that dotted the track a decade ago. It looks more like one of those new highways that have come up elsewhere in the country. This one is not as busy, […]

The masked men, who on Tuesday attacked a peaceful demonstration, which was staged by the relatives of missing persons in Trincomalee, belong to a squad operated by the intelligence wing of the occupying SL military, the organisers of the protest said on Wednesday. The members of the squad arrived through the Sinhala market, parked their […]

We are hereby exposing a top secret plan to revive the LTTE organization, presently in a state of inaction both locally and internationally, and its combat capabilities, and use it for the furtherance of the government by misleading the world community. It is entirely a plan by defence secretary Gotabhaya Nandasena Rajapaksa, which is being […]

Arrested Indian Fishermen ( File photo) Chennai, Dec 12 (IANS): India cannot continue with the facile “do not touch” policy with Sri Lanka in the wake of its “brazen” and “warlike” mass abduction of Indian fishermen, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said Thursday.“These are the largest and most outrageous acts of mass abduction of […]

“Constructing a development based strategy for durable solutions for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of conflict is now essential,” UN rights expert says. COLOMBO/GENEVA, 11 December 2013: “After having made impressive strides in rebuilding infrastructure destroyed during the conflict, post conflict reconstruction in Sri Lanka should also focus on addressing […]

Without cooperation from States, we cannot do our work for human rights – Key UN expert group   GENEVA (10 December 2013) – The largest body of independent experts in the United Nations Human Rights system today urged world governments to cooperate with them, and allow human rights organisations and individuals to engage with the […]

G. A. Chandrasiri TNA ULTRA VIRES THE CONSTITUTION – NP Governor  Civilian or Military, a Governor has to play by the rules The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has to abide by the country’s Constitution and the National Policy as members of the Northern Provincial Council, Northern province Governor G. A. Chandrasiri said yesterday.“Acting against the […]

Minister with the first lady STATEMENT CALLING FOR RESIGNATION, THE MINISTER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT: MR. TISSA KARALLIYADDE  Mr. Tissa Karalliyadde has on several occasions made extremely sexist remarks that are humiliating to Sri Lankan women in general, without any sense of responsibility for the cabinet office he holds as Minister of Women’s […]

The violation of human rights in Trincomalee on World Human Rights day proves that the Rajapaksa regime doesn’t care two hoots for the Commonwealth Charter let alone the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, despite the President being the Commonwealth Chairman, the ‘Samagi Balawegaya’ says.In a statement, the ‘Samagi Balawegaya’ condemns the violent conduct of the […]

Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) has unanimously passed a resolution yesterday, urging President Mahinda Rajapaksa to remove Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri from the post of Northern Governor, and appoint a new Governor with no military background.   The resolution was brought by former Parliamentarian and NPC Councillor, M.K. Sivajilingam, and was […]