Sri Lanka: BASL demands end to military involvement in police functions

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has requested the government not to extend the validity of gazette notification 1817/331, whereby the armed forces may be called out to maintain public order in all parts of the country.
"The said Gazette appears unnecessary, disproportionate and imprudent and could lead to great abuse as was evident from the serious incidents that transpired at Rathupaswala, Weliweriya in August this year", it said.

India to host Northern Chief Minister Wigneswaran next month

India is planning to host Sri Lanka’s Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister Justice C. V. Wigneswaran next month. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid had extended an invitation to Wigneswaran when he met him in Jaffna in October.

Sri Lanka: Death of 3 suspects in Po;ice custody; another case of extra judicial killings - BASL

Dead body of a killed suspect

The explanation given by the police regarding the death of three suspects who were under police custody arrested in connection with the killing of a police officer and his wife at Kamburupitiya, is unacceptable and the whole incident smells of another case of extra judicial killing.
 The explanation that the 1st suspect arrested was killed by police firing when the suspect (was hand cuffed) tried to pick up a weapon to shoot at the police officer, when the suspect was taken to recover the weapons used in the crime and the explanation given regarding the deaths of the two suspects attested few days later that the suspects have fled from police custody (hand cuffed), and jumped into the Denagama tank is hilarious. The circumstances surrounding the death of these suspects need investigation by a special commission.

South Africa: Nelson Mandela’s Death a Tremendous Loss; Life Epitomized Brave Struggle for Freedom, Equality, Justice

(Johannesburg) – The death of Nelson Mandela on December 5, 2013, is a tremendous loss, not only for South Africa, but for the world. 

Mandela, who led the decades-long struggle against apartheid in South Africa, was jailed for 27 years for his activism. Released in 1990, Mandela became South Africa’s first post-apartheid president in 1994. He was widely credited for shepherding the country’s peaceful transition to a more equitable and democratic system.

Sri Lanka: Police and a pro-government gang intimidate and threaten peaceful women protesters

FMM PRESS RELESE


The Free Media Movement expresses its concern that the police and the pro government violent gangs are continuing to violate the people's inalienable right to peaceful assembly in Sri Lanka disrupting and threatening them.

Sri Lanka: Victims coerced to produce false affidavits on controversial birth control in Vanni

Colombo has instructed Tamil health officials in Ki’linochchi district to obtain ‘affidavits’ from women who were subjected to a controversial coercive population control in three coastal villages of the district. The women are being approached to sign a document stating that they received subdermal implants on their own request for contraceptive protection.

Will MR pit India against South Africa?

Rajapaksha abd Zuma

Upul Joseph Fernando
 Mahinda seems to have hit upon the idea of a new strategy to counter the looming threat of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), adopting another damaging resolution at its upcoming March 2014 sessions. This new strategy is to accept the involvement of South Africa in the reconciliation process, as it had evidently shown much interest in it from about 2012. South African Ambassador in Sri Lanka at the time was the key player in setting the diplomatic ball rolling in that direction, by encouraging and organizing a visit by the South African Deputy Foreign Minister to the country, on a sort of fact-finding mission.

DMK to flag Lanka's alleged war crimes, Katchatheevu island

Katchatheevu

DMK would demand a resolution for an independent inquiry into the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka and raise the issue of retrieving Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka in the winter session of Parliament.
Briefing reporters after an all-party meeting convened ahead of the winter session of Parliament here today, DMK Parliamentary leader T R Baalu said his party would also seek a discussion on the outcome of CHOGM summit held recently in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka heroin scam hits office of PM Jayaratne

Charles Haviland
DM Jayaratne DM Jayaratne said that that police investigations into the heroin seizure are continuing Sri Lanka's prime minister has ordered staff not to write letters in his name, after drug traffickers obtained a letter written by a secretary in his office to authorise a heroin shipment.
DM Jayaratne said that action would be taken against the sender.

Wigneswaran complains to UN Special Rapporteur Dr. Beyani re militarisation

Dr. Beyani

Ananth Palakidnar
Chief Minister of the Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran, had urged the United Nations to assist in removing the obstacles created due to the heavy military presence in the Northern Province, when he met the on IDPs, Dr. Chaloka Beyani. He is on a five-day tour in Sri Lanka.
Dr. Beyani who arrived from Geneva, visited Jaffna and met the Chief Minister at his office yesterday. Provincial Councillor, Ananthi Sasitharan, was also present during the meeting. Dr. Beyani had verified in detail about the post-war humanitarian and the political development in the Northern Province.

US: Patience with Sri Lanka could 'wear thin'

Nisha Biswal

MATTHEW PENNINGTON
WASHINGTON (AP) — International patience could wear thin with Sri Lanka unless it takes action to address allegations of atrocities during the island nation's civil war, the top U.S. diplomat for South Asia said Tuesday. Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal stopped short of endorsing a deadline set last month by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he would call for a U.N.-backed inquiry into allegations of war crimes unless there was progress on postwar reconciliation by March.

SRI LANKA: The Unfair impeachment of the Chief Justice? Unfair Inquiry of only "Six Hours"- detailed facts & truths.

The most astonishing, outrageous and mysterious aspect of the Impeachment proceedings is: How? The entirety of the 'actual Inquiry proper' of examining and recording of all the evidence of several witnesses, producing and marking enormous amount of complicated documents, was speedily and hurriedly rushed, in about Five Hours, of one continuous sitting, on the 7^th and the deliberation, preparation?

UN human rights expert starts mission to assess situation of internally displaced persons

UN (OHCHR)  United Nations Special Rapporteur Chaloka Beyani started today a five-day official visit to Sri Lanka to examine the overall situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country.
“I will gather first-hand information from all parties, including displaced persons and affected communities themselves,” said Mr. Beyani, who will go to Colombo, Jaffna and Mullaitivu districts.

ACF, a charity accuses Sri Lanka over 'heinous' aid workers massacre

France's Action Against Hunger (ACF) on Tuesday accused Sri Lankan security forces of killing 17 aid workers in cold blood and then organising a cover-up of what it termed a "heinous" war crime.
In a report due to be made public later in the day, the charity said it has proof that Sri Lankan army, navy and police personnel were implicated in the August 4, 2006 massacre in the city of Muttur, in the mainly Tamil north of the island.

Sri Lanka: Changing Colombo demography, 'Lycamobile' money, Human body parts and Rajapakshas

Samaraweera

Speech made by Mangala Samaraweera M.P. opening the Committee Stage debate in Parliament on the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development 
Mr. Speaker,
Although Parliamentary convention compelled the chief whip to move a cut of Rs.10 at the commencement of this debate, We should, in fact move a cut of at least several billion rupees for the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development as the treasury allocations for this 'super' Ministry continues to increase annually by leaps and bounds despite the end of the war four years ago.

Sri Lanka: Thuggery under police protection against women protesting hate speech of State media

Sri Lanka's women's organization and a group of human rights activists had prepared to conduct a peaceful protest against the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Hudson Samarasinghe , yesterday ( 02) in front of the SLBC premises and a group of thugs , who arrived at the location has attempted to  sabotage the protest by hooting  and using filthy language against the women gathered including Dr. Nimalaka Fernando.

Govt. using judiciary to deprive people of their rights – Karu jayasuriya

UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya

The Independence of the Judiciary was being eroded by the government, which was coercing it into infringing on the fundamental rights of people, UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya told Parliament yesterday.
MP Jayasuriya, participating in the committee stage debate on Budget 2014, said: "Decades of judicial experience and independent judgments have been destroyed. Even the lower courts are under tremendous pressure. Very soon, even to hold a political rally we may have to obtain permission from the government and the judiciary. If they do not comply they will have to sacrifice their professional careers.

Another suspect of Kamburupitiya murders shot dead by the police

Chinthaka Wasantha the main suspect of the murder of a police constable and his wife in Kamburupitiya died due to a confrontation with STF at Nigala last night, Police said. The Police spokesman claimed that when the STF had surrounded the suspect in Nigala last night the suspect opened fire at them and died in the shootout.

China seeks to cultivate Sri Lanka ties but without international reproach

Human rights left on the back burner

It is not often that the Chinese government criticises another nation for how it handles civil liberties, especially a country with which it has close financial and diplomatic ties. So it was curious when Qin Gang, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, advised Sri Lanka, a nation accused of committing war crimes, to "make efforts to protect and promote human rights".

New unit set up to spy on Anti-Govt personnel overseas

A new intelligence bureau consisted of handpicked officers belonging to Sri Lankan State intelligence Service (SIS) the Department of Military intelligence (DMI) has been set up by the Govt, Indian media reports.

CPA/SI Survey on Democracy in Post-War Sri Lanka: Summary of Findings

• Given the opportunity to allocate money from the National Budget to sectors of their choice, people would choose Education, Health and Agriculture.
• Around 82% of Sri Lankans say that the general security situation in the country has changed for the better over the last two years, with 42.8% stating that it has got a lot better.
•  Only 32.3% of Sri Lankans have heard of the LLRC.
• 70% say that Sinhala is the only official language of Sri Lanka.
  • 40.3% of Sri Lankans stated that they have a great deal of trust in the Army while 46.1% said that they have some trust.
• 42.5% believe that the media in Sri Lanka is completely free to criticise the Government while 25% disagree.
• 96.3% of Sri Lankans believe that they are free to practice their religion in their community. 

A Submission to the Commission to Investigate Complaints Regarding Missing Persons

Chandra Jayarathna

By Chandra Jayarathna
In terms of the invitation published in the Media under your hand, dated 31st October 2013, calling for written submissions, I am pleased to make the under-noted submissions:
The Commission should interpret the scope of its Terms of Reference as set out in the Warrant issued by the President, taking cognizance of the reasons and historical background leading to the appointment of the Commission, the expressed recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and the expectations of the family members of missing persons.

Sri Lanka: Rajapksha takes steps to implement more LLRC recommendations ahead of UNHRC sessions in Geneva

From  The Sunday Times political column 
Meanwhile, among the preparations that have got under way for the UNHRC sessions are moves to implement more recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). One such widely publicised measure is to conduct a census on deaths/injuries to persons and property damages due to the “conflict in the past more than 30 years.” It is being carried out jointly by the Ministry of Public Administration and the Department of Census and Statistics. A statement from them said, “it is essential to ensure that while all the families/persons directly or indirectly affected by the conflict are counted, they are not counted twice.”

India Won't Rest Till Lanka Implements13th Amendment: P Chidambaram

P Chidambaram

India today asserted that it would not rest till the Sri Lanka implemented the 13th amendment and insisted on an "elaborate, independent and genuine probe" acceptable to the international community into the 'genocide' by that government during 2009 civil war.
"There are attempts being made there for not implementing the 13th amendment in the Sri Lankan Constitution. Efforts are being made to dilute many provisions by the Rajapaksa government. TNA (Tamil National Alliance) is opposing it... the 13th amendment cannot be diluted. India has been and will continue to insist for its implementation," Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said.

Panelists discuss ‘Sri Lanka’s unfinished war’ at FrontLine Club; GoSL refused to attend

A preview screening of the BBC World documentary ‘Sri Lanka’s unfinished war’, which outlines several cases of rape and torture against Tamils in the North-East, took place at the Frontline club today.
The screening was followed by a panel discussion with the producer of the documentary, Frances Harrison, producer of the No Fire Zone documentaries, Callum Macrae and policy and advocacy manager at Freedom from Torture, Sonya Sceats. The Sri Lankan High Commission to the UK refused an invitation to participate in the discussion.