rule of law

Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) General Secretary said that the attack on Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians in Jaffna shows that the local government elections in the north of Sri Lanka will be held under military rule. In a protest held in Colombo against the attack on a TNA gathering in Tellipalai on the 16th […]

 Use of torture by police in Sri Lanka is “endemic” and lawlessness has gradually superseded rule of law in the island partly due a flawed constitution, a rights body which has publicized hundreds of such cases for over a decade, has said. “The most notable finding of this report is that almost all of the […]

A statement by the National Peace Council  The physical attack of those attending a TNA election meeting in Jaffna ahead of local government elections to be held on July 23 has attracted considerable criticism and condemnation. Government spokespersons have argued that the meeting was unauthorized. On the other hand, the TNA has pointed out that […]

IPI Commemorates World Refugee Day 2011By Mina Nacheva Sunanda Deshapriya (L), media spokesperson for the Free Media Movement, speaks as Sanath Balasuriya (C) from Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association and Daramasiri Lankapeli (R) from the Federation of Media Employed Trade union, look on during a news conference for five media organisations in Colombo July 1, […]

by Saman IndrajithUNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday alleged that the UPFA government was rapidly moving towards what he called a dictatorial rule.Addressing the media in the Parliamentary complex, the Opposition Leader said that the country was heading towards a dangerous situation due to the readiness on the part of the government to […]

Ms. Q. Mahendra Devi (42) is a widow and the mother of three children. She resides at No: 100/36, Dharmaraja Road, Kandy and works as a cleaning labour working for a private company. After the death of her husband she built a house in above mentioned address. June 24, 2011ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION-URGENT APPEAL PROGRAMME […]

By Dinasena Ratugamage/ VavuniyaThey came in their hundreds in search of their loved ones. Almost all returned empty handed.Nearly two thousand Tamils have visited the police in the northern Sri Lankan town of Vavunia over the last ten days to find details of those missing during the war and since the military declaring it’s victory […]

Daily Mirror editorial /23 June 2011 Freedom of expression is an unalienable right enshrined in democracy. It is not a privilege that any government can deem its right to deliver the citizens as and if they so desire. The defeat of the Private Members motion on a Right to Information Bill by 63 votes speaks […]

Media Release: Sri Lanka  /June 23, 2011The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is dismayed to learn that a freedom of information law proposed in Sri Lanka has been overwhelmingly defeated by the government majority in the country’s parliament. The Right to Information Bill, presented by opposition United National Party deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya on June […]

COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s ruling party used its parliamentary majority Tuesday to defeat an opposition-initiated bill to grant greater media freedom, a parliamentary official said.President Mahinda Rajapakse’s United People’s Freedom Alliance, which enjoys a two-thirds majority in the 225-member assembly, shot down the Freedom of Information Bill presented by an opposition lawmaker, an official […]

22 June 2011/By Kelum Bandara and Yohan PereraThe government yesterday thwarted an attempt by UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya to present a private member’s bill which provided for the freedom of access to official information.Soon after the question time, Mr. Jayasuriya rose on his feet to present the bill which provided for access to official […]

photos – http://vikalpa.org  SB is ideally fit to be in charge of Pig sty not as Higher education Minister Dr. Prabhath Jayasinghe speaking at today’s University academic staff public meeting in Colombo said, if Sri Lanka is to be made Asia’s central educational Headquarter , the present higher education Minister , S B Dissanayake is […]

by Amarnath AmarasingamDoctoral candidate, Wilfrid Laurier University   While the government response was predictable, another line of argument has recently gained some fanfare. This peculiar position, as most recently articulated by Amjad Mohamed-Saleem in Groundviews, argues: 06/20/11,As my doctoral dissertation deals with Sri Lankan Tamil activism in Canada, I was asked by a few people why […]

20.June.2011There had emerged another grave report from Matara today (20) about the Rajapakse regime’s militarization of the South in addition to the North. Early morning today (5.15 a m.), a group of Army officers who descended on the Matara municipal council had made the health protection workers to line up . They have also summoned […]

A number of user reports from Sri Lanka indicate that Groundviews is now blocked on Sri Lanka Telecom ADSL broadband Internet connections. It also appears that Vikalpa, our partner site that publishes critical content in Sinhala, is also blocked. Further, the website of Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) is also blocked. Content and comments published […]

Last week  the NGO secretariat took over the control of the Puttalam based non governmental organization, the Community Trust Fund (CTF) over alleged mismanagement and corruption. NGO secretariat comes under the defence ministry This is the first time an  non Tamil NGO has been taken over by the NGO secretariat/defense ministry  over allegations, without any […]

ITUC to agitate membership protest, demands Govt. immediately withdraw Pension Fund BillAn international grouping of trade unions has vehemently hit out at the recent unrest at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone (KFTZ) that left a worker killed and scores injured, calling upon its 300 plus membership to launch individual protests against the Government of Sri […]

By Hiran Priyankara JayasingheThe NGO Secretariat which comes under the Defence Ministry has named an interim body to take control of a non-governmental organisation plagued with allegations of corruption and malpractice.The three member interim body comprises Brigader Jayashantha Gamage, Brigade Commander of the 143 Division in Puttalam, Assistant District Secretary W.A.R. Wickremesinghe and an accountant […]

TAMILS TREATED AS ABOROGINES IN LANKA NOWVeerasingham Anandasangaree, the TULF president and  a long standing Tamil politician  was perhaps the most vocal critic of the LTTE,  among the old school Tamil political leadership, even during the hey days of the LTTE. Anandasangaree, once hailed by the government, as a ‘moderate’ Tamil voice, now cautions that […]

 By Gayan Kumara WeerasingheThe CID in its investigations have determined that when the police said that they had opened fire to save Senior DIG Ravi Wijegunawardena, who was being attacked allegedly by FTZ workers on May 30, the DIG was in fact in hospital.The police fire occurred after DIG Wijegunawardena had been admitted to the […]

2011-06-19 Several Tamil political prisoners in the Kandy Bogambara prison was severely attacked by the prison officials on 14.06.2011 and admitted in the prison hospital.According to the sources, prison officers who came to prison to investigate about the clash between two groups of Sinhala prisoners for allegedly engaging in the drug smuggling in the prisons compound […]

By Frederica JanszSri Lanka Cricket also known formerly as the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka is in a financial melt down due to political interference, large scale corruption and short-sighted management policies. Cricket  has become a passion for almost every Sri Lankan.  Sadly the gentlemen’s game has been swamped by high finance, leading […]

“We still live under military rule. Unless the President takes any action, we will seriously think about co-operating with the government on anything. The military should not interfere in such political matters.  Only, the police must be empowered to do so.” – TNA 17 June 2011/By Kelum BandaraThe Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today sought intervention […]

15 June 2011 / Despite having a court order preventing civilians in the North from being forcefully registered, groups of Army men in civics have taken photographs of people in the Kalviyamkadu area in the North and obtained details regarding their families.The Army men in civics visited residences in Kalviyamkadu on the 13th to photograph […]

Tilvin Silva Speaking further the General Secretary of the JVP said, “Today there is an arbitrary administration in the North. People in those areas do not have the facilities people in other areas enjoy. The masses in the North too should be treated in the same manner people in other areas are treated. Human rights […]

TNA press meet 18 June 2011/ Convening a press conference at the Martin Road office on Friday, to brief about the blatant attack on a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) meeting at A’laveddi by the Sri Lanka Army on Thursday, the TNA members said that it was a calculated demonstration by the occupying Army to tell […]

It is alleged that not even a library association meeting takes place in that part of the country without the intimidating presence of military personnel. These complaints should be investigated and swift action taken to reassess the security situation there and relax restrictions on people’s freedom. June 17, 2011,Thursday’s savage attack on a group of […]

by JC WeliamunaLet me say in no uncertain terms that the use of firearms by law enforcement is a matter of International Law now. For example, the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (Basic Principles) provide, in principle 9, that firearms must not be used against persons […]

by Basil Fernando,   The Asian Human Rights Commission which has documented over 1500 cases of torture and ill treatment by the Sri Lankan police has now compiled a report of 323 cases. In this presentation Mr. Basil Fernando, the Director of Policy and Programmes explains the causes of police torture in Sri Lanka and the […]

“All allegations of war crimes and human right violations require investigation, perpetrators must be punished as well as a reparation scheme be put in place. 2 years have passed without addressing issues of disappearances, extra-judicial killings, murder of journalists and political assassinations. 5 years we have waited for the Charter of Human Rights and for […]