( After the Kosgama Disaster ) Prior to the arrest of Senior DIG Anura Senanayake over the murder of Thajudeen, a special discussion was held at Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s house with the participation of the lawyers of the Rajapaksas, according to reports. Anura being an officer close to Gotabaya, it is no secret Anura acted on […]

IN JULY 2012 a man calling himself Sam Bacile posted a short video on YouTube. It showed the Prophet Muhammad bedding various women, taking part in gory battles and declaring: “Every non-Muslim is an infidel. Their lands, their women, their children are our spoils.” The film was, as Salman Rushdie, a British author, later put […]

( A demonstration in front of UNHRC on disappearance s in Sri Lanka organized by Amnesty International (c)sunanda deshapriya) The UN Human Rights Council will hold its 32nd regular session at Palais des Nations in Geneva from 13 June to 1 July 2016. Stay up-to-date: Follow @ISHRglobal and #HRC32 on Twitter, and look out for our […]

(Riyadh warned Turtle Bay it would pull hundreds of millions of dollars from U.N. programs if it was singled out for killing and maiming children in Yemen.) By Colum Lynch. Saudi Arabia threatened this week to break relations with the United Nations and cut hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance to its humanitarian relief […]

(PM Wickremasinghe:  Oh cars! OH we never wanted them!! ) The government yesterday presented a supplementary estimate seeking parliamentary approval for purchasing 32 brand new cars at a cost of Rs. 1,175 million for the use of 30 ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers. The supplementary estimate was presented to Parliament by Chief Government Whip […]

In this handout photograph received from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence on May 18, 2009, government soldiers inspect the area inside the war zone near Mullaittivu on May 17, 2009, when they helped evacuated the last of the Tamil civilians from the area. (AFP file photo) AFP, Colombo. Sri Lanka on Tuesday announced a […]

( Visiting diplomats met the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka) Press release by     British High Commission Colombo: Head of British Diplomatic Service Visits Sri Lanka. Head of the British Diplomatic Service Sir Simon McDonald and Secretary at the UK DFID Mark Lowcock visited Sri Lanka yesterday. Head of the British Diplomatic Service Sir Simon McDonald […]

( Children playing in front of a war damaged house; image courtesy Al Jazeera) The June session of the UN Human Rights Council is expected to be an important test for the government. The resolution that it co-sponsored in October 2015 stated that the UN High Commissioner would submit an oral update to the Human […]

[Displaced Sri Lankan Tamil civilians seen at the Kadirgamh camp in Chettikulam, north Sri Lanka. (Photo: AP)] PTI- Colombo: Sri Lanka will by year-end resettle all people, including the minority Muslims and the Sinhalese, who were displaced during the nearly three-decade-long war against the LTTE, a senior minister said on Sunday. “We have six months […]

( International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde) ECONOMYNEXT – The International Monetary Fund has said that publication of its economic report on Sri Lanka after its 4th post-program monitoring mission last year has been withheld at the request of the government. “The Sri Lankan authorities have indicated that more time is required to give consent […]

(The destruction caused by a mortar bomb which hit a house at Salawa on the edge of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, seen on June 6, 2016, hours after explosion at an ammunition depot/AFP) by Amal Jayasinghe. The destruction caused by a mortar bomb which hit a house at Salawa on the edge of the […]

(Keerthi Tennakoon, speaking at the press briefing) The Chairman of the Lankaputhra Development Bank Limited (LDBL), Lasantha Gunawardena who was removed by the Department of Bank Supervision is being protected by the CBSL Governor! – Advisor to the ACF says at a press conference. The CBSL Governor who through two bonds issues has been involved […]

Image: Nearly 39,500 people sought asylum in Switzerland last year, making it one of Europe’s top seven destinations in terms of asylum requests per resident (Keystone). Voters have backed government plans to speed up asylum procedures in Switzerland. Proponents say the reforms will make the system fairer for all. On Sunday, 66.8% of voters backed […]

(Floods in Kilinochchi; Tamil Guardian photo) Around 302,000 people in 22 districts in Sri Lanka have been affected due to the torrential rain and floods, according to the latest situation report from the Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka. The number of families affected is close to 75,000 with 104 deaths, 31 injured, 99 missing […]

( President Sirisena: is he unable to get Military leaders in line? Image courtesy AP/Eranga Jayawardana) By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema. The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is contemplating filing criminal charges against the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and the head of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) if the military fail to cooperate in […]

( Myliddy; image courtesy Tamildiplomat) Tamil politicians this week stepped up calls on the Sri Lankan military to release occupied land in the fishing village of Myliddy. Recalling the Sri Lankan president’s pledge to release all land held by the military in Valikaamam North during a recent visit to the North-East, the chief minister of […]

Deepanjalie Abeywardana of Ethics Eye received a threatening phone call from an anonymous person claiming to be a ‘senior journalist’ from a ‘prestigious newspaper ‘ on o1 June 2016. This was following an event held yesterday (on the responsibility of journalists) at which Ethics Eye was featured. It is most unfortunate and ironic that the […]

(Prasanna Ranathunga and his wife) The Attorney General has filed indictments against UPFA Parliamentarian Prasanna Ranatunga, his wife Stella Ranatunga and Naresh Kumar Fariz for threatening a businessman and demanding ransom from him when Mr. Prasanna Ranatunga was the Chief Minister of Western Provincial Council. The case is filed in Colombo High Court and Colombo […]

[FILE – In this Oct. 14, 2015 file photo, a family member of an ethnic Tamil detainee cries during a silent protest in Colombo, Sri Lanka. For the hundreds of thousands of minority ethnic Tamils, the Sri Lankan government’s repeated promises of post-war reconciliation ring false, even as authorities take tentative steps toward fulfilling some […]

Transparency International Sri Lanka chief, lawyer Lakshan Dias has told Sri Lanka Mirror that the  granting bail  to  Colombo additional magistrate Thilina Gamage by Gangodawila Magistrate Kanishka Wijeyratne as an instance of prostitution of powers of the judiciary. He has further said that the court had granted bail for Gamage at 6.45 pm, although the court registrar […]

(A boat filled with refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean floats off the coast of Italy.   © Italian Navy/Masimo Sestini) By: Adrian Edwards in Geneva and Medea Savary in Italy. GENEVA, May 31 (UNHCR) – At least 880 people are believed to have drowned last week in a spate of shipwrecks and boat capsizings on […]

( 10 members of a Sri Lanka family reportedly joined ISIL says the US report) SRI LANKA. Overview: The Sri Lankan government maintained a strong military presence in post-conflict areas and continued to voice concern about the possible reemergence of pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sympathizers, but the new, democratically-elected government of President Maithripala […]

(Image courtest Freddie Gamage face book) Freddie Gamage, Editor of the Meepura newspaper and Website and Convener of the Media Freedom Activists’ Committee was attacked yesterday afternoon when he was returning after visiting the Negombo Municipal Council to gather facts for a news report. Two persons had arrived on a motorcycle sans number plates.The pillion […]

(Cartoon courtesy Sunday Leader) We, as civil society organisations and human rights activists that strive towards protecting the rights of women, girls and every individual, are making this collective statement to safeguard the rights of the female student who has been subject to ragging at the University of Kelaniya during the month of April 2016. […]

T. Ramakrishnan. Constitutional reforms committee unable to arrive at a consensus on several key issues. The official committee on constitutional reforms in Sri Lanka has not been able to arrive at a consensus while making recommendations on several contentious areas such as the nature of state, national flag, religion, merger of provinces and land powers. […]

(Sri Lanka  Police firing water cannons towards protesting students) Written statement of the Amnesty International  to the 32nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (13 June-1 July 2016) When Sri Lanka co-sponsored UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka in October 2015,2 it set out […]

The Sri Lanka Campaign has released a score-card on the Sri Lankan government’s progress towards implementing its promises, made at the Human Rights Council in October 2015, to address human rights violations and embark on a process of reconciliation. Commenting on the evaluation, Richard Gowing, Deputy Campaign Director of the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace […]

( Building houses for IDPs in North, a Habitat photo) The government has allocated Rs. 14 billion for high impact resettlement projects in the Northern and Eastern provinces to integrate war affected families into the mainstream of development. The projects are being implemented on a priority basis by the Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu […]

(The Opposition Leader and the Leader Of Tamil National Alliance Hon. R . Sampanthan met with  visiting Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Tore Hattrem on 31st May) Visiting Norway’s deputy foreign minister Tore Hattrem visited Norwegian funded UNDP programme in Jaffna on 1st June and discussed the issues related to resettlement of IDPs. In his speech […]

( Demanding their land back, in Jaffna) T. Ramakrishnan. The Sri Lankan Army is planning to return shortly 400 acres of land in the Northern Province to its owners, according to a senior government official. This includes 200 acres in Tellipalai, Jaffna. Asked how soon the release of lands will take place, the official at […]