LLRC

US thinktank claims post-conflict harmony undermined by military occupation in north and east, combined with land grabs that have marginalised Tamil people. Sri Lankan ethnic Tamil women hold portraits of missing relatives during a protest in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Photograph: Eranga Jayawardena/AP by Sam Jones  Six years after the end of Sri Lanka’s long and […]

By Father Elil Rajendram. Organising a religious service to commemorate 18 May 2009 was like experiencing a horror story, full of fear and suspense, with an uncertain end. Until the last moment I was not sure if anybody would dare to turn up for the event – the first of its kind in the six […]

A Government official has been attacked for allowing to sing the National Anthem in Tamil at the Eastern University at Vantharumoolai in Batticaloa on Saturday(16). Informed sources said that the official is attached to the Eravur Divisional Secretariat and he was at the Eastern University organizing an exhibition which was conducted for the third year […]

(Wigneswaran in Mullivaikkal;Photo: Tamil Guardian/Twitter) Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran took part an event at Mullivaikkal this morning, to remember those who died during the Eelam War. Others who took part in the event at Mullivaikkal NPC Member Ananthi Sasitharan and TELO leader Selvam Adaikkalanathan, reports said. Meanwhile, several other events were held […]

Former Sri  Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who hopes to romp back to power in the coming parliamentary elections on a Sinhalese-nationalist wave, will be celebrating May 18,  the day on which LTTE Supremo Prabhakaran was killed, as “War Heroes’ Day.” Rajapaksa’s rally to be held at Colombo’s Viharamahadevi Park is noteworthy in the context of […]

( Suspected LTTE carers, who disappeared after detained in the battle field) “Sri Lanka’s new government has promised genuine accountability for wartime abuses, but naming the general of an abusive unit the army chief of staff is a slap in the face for victims. Members of the UN Human Rights Council expecting genuine accountability in […]

Police in northeastern Sri Lanka’s Mullaithivu district has obtained a court order banning an event to be organised by a Tamil group to commemorate the end of the nation’s brutal civil war six years ago. Sri Lankan Tamil politician Gajen Ponnambalam in a tweet said that a “Tamil Genocide Remembrance” event organised by his Tamil […]

By Amantha Perera. (Like many women, Kulasekran Kugamathi lost her husband during Sri Lanka’s civil war; Photo: Amantha Perera/IRIN ) VAVUNIYA, 13 May 2015 (IRIN) – Almost six years after Sri Lanka’s bloody civil conflict came to an end, an underreported legacy of the fighting is finally being acknowledged: the extraordinarily high number of war […]

( LTTE Female fighters) The Presidential Commission to inquire into and report on alleged abductions or disappearances notes that allegations of forced disappearances, abductions and arbitrary arrests have been made against the LTTE, security forces, armed groups and unknown groups. Based on the inquiries conducted thus far, accountability and responsibility by these parties vary from […]

[Doctored rasist versions of the Sri Lankan national flags of Rajapaksa followers] By Amal Jayasinghe. COLOMBO (AFP) – Two brothers of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse faced questioning by anti-corruption investigators on Thursday as the new government stepped up its crackdown against the old regime. Hours after the former leader’s youngest brother Basil was […]

At the conclusion of the 100 day programme of Sri Lanka’s new Government we thought it would be timely to issue an update to Sri Lanka Campaign yardstick document, which attempts to track the extent of meaningful change with respect to Sri Lanka’s human rights situation. Shortly after the election of President Maithripala Sirisena and […]

Criticizing the Speaker for questioning the Chairman of the Bribery Commission about a pending inquiry, Lawyers for Democracy (LfD) condemned certain MPs for attempting to interfere and intimidate the Commission from inquiring into allegations against powerful personalities. Viewing the Speaker’s action of calling the Commission Chairman and questioning him with alarm, Convener for LfD, Lal […]

[Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam] All Ceylon Tamil Congress Leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said, a federal arrangement that recognizes Tamils as a distinct nation would solve the ethnic problem within a united Sri Lanka. “Why is it extremism to say that Sri Lanka is not a Sinhala-Buddhist country, it is not only for the Sinhalese but the Tamils, Muslims […]

On Tuesday, the new Government is optimistic that those parts of the 19th Amendment (19A) to the 1978 Constitution — cleared by the Supreme Court — would be passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament, notwithstanding undercurrents of a spoiler by lawmakers unhappy with the outcome of the January 8 Presidential election. While there is […]

[April 9, 2015 Sirisena, in white with hands together, greets his supporters after praying at a Buddhist temple outside Colombo. Ishara S. Kodikara—AFP/Getty Images ] When the Sri Lankan President’s motorcade encounters a red light now on the streets of the capital, Colombo, it does something unthinkable just months ago—it stops and waits for a […]

by Rajan Philips. Sri Lanka, the chosen land of Buddhism, has been home to the world’s four major religions for centuries. The four faiths have co-existed without strife until recent years. Part of the current good governance reforms is to see the end of those who orchestrate religious strife for political gains. Every religion has […]

The Executive Council has decided to set up a commission to prepare a new electoral process to be implemented soon, a JVP council member revealed yesterday. JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said this decision was made after his strict warning that his party would withdraw from the Executive Council. He also said the Executive Council […]

This letter is a request from a citizen who believes in a political philosophy and a resulting culture, which disfavours party politics and upholds the progress of the country above all else. My honest feeling is that the victory we achieved on January 8, under your leadership, is a remarkable collective political victory of all […]

Q;What are your remarks about the 19th Amendment? A: The 19th Amendment that was gazetted has now been presented to Parliament. In the meantime the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the second set of changes to the 19th Amendment. They have shared it with leaders of other parties and it has also found its way […]

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said a “political settlement” with the minority Tamil community is a prerequisite for a “stable and secure” country. “If you want a stable and secure country, we must have a political solution (with Tamils) and move forward,” Wickremesinghe said in an address in the Tamil-dominated Jaffna peninsula Saturday. “The war is […]

The national anthem was sung in Tamil in the presence of President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at an event, where the lands taken over by the military to establish a High Security Zone were handed back to the legitimate owners at Valalaai, Valikamam East on Monday (23). […]

by Ravi Jayawardena. A delegation from South Africa was in town recently for talks with certain parties, may be, to resume the stalled efforts for possible reconciliation in Sri Lanka. This team has been visiting for some time since the previous regime. The purpose of the recent visit was not clear but the indication is […]

After 362 days in detention without charge Jeyakumary Balendaran was today released on 200,000 LKR bail (just over £2,200 or $3,300)/. She will still be subjected to some restrictions, including monthly police reporting and having her passport confiscated. Details on other restrictions may follow. Six other detainees, including Geethasudha: a pregnant woman arrested last year, […]

A Special Presidential Task Force on Reconciliations chaired by Charlie Jayawardene has been established under the directives of President Maithripala Sirisena. The Task Force comprises Juwad Yousuf, Kandaiya Neelakandan, Professor Savithri Gunesekera, Dr. Ram Manikkamlingam, Riyenzie Arsekularatna and Priyanthi Fernando. The objective of appointing the Task Force is to ensure trust, unity and the contribution […]

Inter-ministerial committee already appointed Committee to coordinate with ministries, relevant bodies. The government is in the process of preparing a final list of missing persons during the final phase of war, with the assistance of the United Nations and several other parties, External Affairs Ministry highly placed sources told the Daily News yesterday. “There are […]

The sensibility of the resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) requesting “the ongoing United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) to investigate the claim of genocide and recommend appropriate investigations and prosecutions by the International Criminal Court” has come to a major focus as it […]

by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena and Venkatesh Nayak- Introduction. In giving necessary context to Sri Lanka’s draft Right to Information (RTI) law disseminated by the current Government in order to obtain feedback from citizens, a few matters need to be clarified. In substantial respects, this draft is the 2003/2004 Bill of the United National Front (UNF) administration. […]

 by Emelina Perez [JURIST] The Sri Lankan Parliament [official website] on Thursday passed the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Bill [Ceylon Daily News report] aimed at protecting the rights of criminal victims and witnesses. Under the new bill, witnesses would receive fair treatment and privacy from judicial and investigatory authorities; […]

The Human Rights Council has agreed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ request to postpone the publication of the UN investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka (OISL) until September. The High Commissioner made this request due to “the possibility that important new information may emerge which will strengthen the report.” The news […]

by ARTICLE 19. ARTICLE 19 welcomes the new government’s commitment to creating a long awaited right to information law. However the draft requires some improvement and clarification before it is adopted. A draft Right to Information Bill was shared by the new Sri Lankan Government with stakeholders last week and is due to be presented […]