Implementation Progress of the UN Resolution On Sri Lanka, A/HRC/22/L.1/Rev.13
SUMMARY:
UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navanethem Pillay has accepted the invitation by the Government of Sri Lanka to visit Sri Lanka and the visit will take place from 25 to 31 August 2013. GoSL has not agreed to invite any of the UN Special Rapporteurs, whose requests to visit Sri Lanka are pending.
The Government of Sri Lanka provided detailed description of steps it has taken and completed in the context of Implementation of the LLRC recommendations, to the 23rd session of the UNHRC. In the first week of June President Rajapaksha submitted memo to the cabinet to incorporate 53 more LLRC recommendations to National Action Plan and it was approved.
The uncertainty regarding the Provincial Council election in the North prevailed throughout the month. The GoSL has assured the UN on number of occasions that 13 Amendment to the constitution will be implemented as a political solution to the ethnic conflict.
As noted in the Sunday Times ”on the government’s side, while the extremist in the JHU and NFF seek to reduce the powers granted to provincial councils, the Left parties within the ruling coalition are strongly advocating power devolution. There is a lack of clarity at present relating to some attempts to further amend the 13th Amendment. While there has been no Government endorsement of the JHU-NFF bid to remove police and land powers from the NPC, reports say two other changes are under consideration. One relates to enabling parliament to pass bills that may affect subjects coming under the PCs with the approval of a majority of provincial councils (and not all of them as the 13A now requires). The other relates to dropping the provision that allows two or three adjoining provinces to merge and form one administrative unit with one elected provincial council. ”
Tamil Political parties including the ruling coalition partners has opposed any dilution of the 13 A, but Sinhala nationalist forces and the powerful defense secretary has continued to oppose its full implementation.
Militarisation of Tamil areas continued land acquisition for the military use being the major issue. Freedom of expression and right to association and peaceful assembly too came under censorship and intimidation. Independence of Judiciary received further blows while number of incidents challenged the democratic governance.
Religious Freedom came in to focus in early June with 4 attacks on minority religions being reported.
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