Key UN expert group urged world governments to allow human rights organisations and individuals to engage with the UN "without fear of intimidation or reprisals"

Without cooperation from States, we cannot do our work for human rights - Key UN expert group

 

GENEVA (10 December 2013) - The largest body of independent experts in the United Nations Human Rights system today urged world governments to cooperate with them, and allow human rights organisations and individuals to engage with the UN "without fear of intimidation or reprisals."

Sri Lanka: Military governor to restrict NPC powers and attacks TNA

G. A. Chandrasiri

TNA ULTRA VIRES THE CONSTITUTION - NP Governor 

Civilian or Military, a Governor has to play by the rules

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has to abide by the country's Constitution and the National Policy as members of the Northern Provincial Council, Northern province Governor G. A. Chandrasiri said yesterday.

Sri Lanka: Call for anti- women minister of women's afairs and child development to resign

Minister with the first lady

STATEMENT CALLING FOR RESIGNATION, THE MINISTER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT: MR. TISSA KARALLIYADDE

 Mr. Tissa Karalliyadde has on several occasions made extremely sexist remarks that are humiliating to Sri Lankan women in general, without any sense of responsibility for the cabinet office he holds as Minister of Women’s Affairs and Child Development. He has stated on several public platforms that women should not be appointed to responsible positions of public office because by nature they are unable to get on with each other and constantly fight and slander other women.

Sri Lanka: Peaceful protestors assaulted on world human rights day

The violation of human rights in Trincomalee on World Human Rights day proves that the Rajapaksa regime doesn't care two hoots for the Commonwealth Charter let alone the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, despite the President being the Commonwealth Chairman, the 'Samagi Balawegaya' says.
In a statement, the 'Samagi Balawegaya' condemns the violent conduct of the state sponsored thugs at a peaceful demonstration by them in Trincomalee yesterday (Dec. 10).

Sri Lanka: NPC passes resolution to oust military Governor

Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri

The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) has unanimously passed a resolution yesterday, urging President Mahinda Rajapaksa to remove Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri from the post of Northern Governor, and appoint a new Governor with no military background.  
The resolution was brought by former Parliamentarian and NPC Councillor, M.K. Sivajilingam, and was seconded by Councillor, K. Sarveswaran.

Sri Lanka rally to protest against disappearances

By Charles Haviland BBC News, Colombo

Hundreds of Sri Lankans have held a demonstration in Colombo, demanding to know the whereabouts of two activists who disappeared two years ago.

Lalith Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganathan organised rallies against political disappearances before being apparently abducted in the north of the country.
The rally was held on the second anniversary of their disappearance.

Another Rajapaksha white elephant: Ravi K. says Govt. can’t pay back Sooriyawewa stadium loans

By Ashwin Hemmathagama

The Mahinda Rajap-aksa International Cricket Stadium at Sooriyawewa became the subject of heated debate in Parliament yesterday after the United National Party charged that the Government had stopped repaying loans borrowed to construct what he called a white elephant stadium.
UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake said four mega development projects in Hambantota opened amid much fanfare had provided Sri Lanka very little benefit.

Sri Lanka: EU calls for more progress on implementation of LLRC recommendations

The European Union (EU) Delegation in Sri Lanka today urged the Government to take further action to implement the recommendations in the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission Report in order to ensure justice and meaningful reconciliation.

Sri Lanka: DG of the Media Centre for National Security has abused power to safeguard his secrete private life life and corruption

Hulugalle: war for secrete life

Businessman claims Hula’s affair with wife



Another event of significant embarrassment to the UPFA Government was the sudden closure of the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) retrospectively from November 1, thus evicting, unceremoniously, its Director General Lakshman Hulugalle. He was, however, adamant that his position still remains though the MCNS was wound up. The claim is similar to a chauffeur saying I am still the driver when his boss had sold the vehicle. There was only a two line terse announcement in a news alert of the Government – news.lk – about the closure.

Sri Lanka: Govt is unable to rein in its alliance partner EPDP which is using illegal weapons and resorting to intimidation and violence

EPDP leader and Rajapaksha

A pre-emptive strike by President Mahinda Rajapaksa appears to have saved his Government from one more accusation before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva — last week’s murder of Daniel Rexian (42), Chairman of the Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) in Delft, the furthest inhabited island off the northern Jaffna peninsula.
Accusations, including some from sections of the UPFA partner, the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), were initially levelled against the Sri Lanka Navy that has a unit on the islet. Another partner, Minister Wimal Weerawansa’s National Freedom Front (NFF) in a statement blamed the TNA for “the first political murder after the end of the conflict on May 19, 2009?. The date marks the military defeat of Tiger guerrillas.

Killings gets more brutal in Sri Lanka

The killings in November make up a total of 450 killings, a drop by 15 per cent when compared with the previous year that saw around 646 cases, according to police and military statistics. However, the killings this year were of a more brutal nature where the killers went on to wipe out entire families irrespective of gender or age apparently in a bid to wipe out evidence or eyewitness accounts, Police Spokesperson Senior Superintendent (SSP) Ajith Rohana said.

The key now is to implement thelaws and standards to make enjoyment of human rights a reality on the ground - Navi Pillay

A 20-20 Human Rights Vision

Statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay for Human Rights Day, 10 December 2013

 Twenty years ago, a historic document was adopted in Vienna. It crystallized the principle that human rights are universal, and committed States to the promotion and protection of all human rights for all people, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems.

A case of homes, schools and livelihoods sacrificed in the name of security

Meera SrinivasanIt has been a long while since the Jaffna school lost its building to the Sri Lankan army — which uses it for its High Security Zone (HSZ) — in 1990.
Between classes on Friday, their last working day before Christmas break, a few children at one of the oldest public schools in Jaffna were running about, giggling and chasing one another. The name plate outside had in bold letters its name: ‘Nadeswara College, Kanakesanthurai’.

SRI Lanka: JHU, Buddhist Monks party calls for the arrest of PM

Prime Minister D. M Jayarathne should immediately resign or he should be arrested immediately if he fails to divulge the name of the official who had asked for the clearance of a container which had 131 Kg of heroin, the Jathika Hela Urumaya said.

Sri Lanka: Ruling party MP Suriyapperuma goes on a tirade against Singh, Cameron and Obama; FM, G.L.Peiris not perturbed

85-year old parliamentarian, who is four years older than the Indian premier calls him ‘nakiya’

UPFA National List MP J.R.P.Suriyapperuma hurled abuses at Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament yesterday calling him an old man (nakiya) and a fool who will soon be thrown out of power by the Indian people. Eighty five year-old Mr. Suriyapperuma, who is four years older than the Indian Prime Minister directed his ire at Premier Singh for failing to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Colombo last month.

Truth and reconciliation without whitewash : the message of Nelson Madela to Sri Lanka

National Peace Council
With the passing away of Nelson Mandela the world has lost one of the greatest and most extraordinary human beings of modern times who showed that change that improved the lives of all around was possible. As the first post-apartheid era President of South Africa, he led the transformation of his country from one that was ostracized by the world to one that is admired as a beacon of hope.  The National Peace believes that his greatest contribution to South Africa and to the world was to ensure that anger over crimes of the past, including his 27 years as a political prisoner, would not motivate future laws and actions.

Sri Lanka: President to meet Kenyan leader

Uhuru Kenyatta

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will head to Kenya for talks, at a time the Kenyan leadership is facing a trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
President’s spokesman Mohan Samaranayake said that President Rajapaksa will first travel to South Africa to pay his respects to the late South African President Nelson Mandela.

On violation of citizens' right to information and social dialogue through blocking of news websites

Press Release
This is to notify the public that their right to information and social dialogue that can only be safeguarded through uninterrupted, free and independent functioning of media that now extends into web sites with access to internet, is being severely obstructed by the Rajapaksa regime that claims it stands for freedom of expression, media freedom and independence.

CHOGM mooted TRC, ill-fit for Sri Lanka, say ANU fellow, legal scholar

Establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) modeled on the South Africa (SA) experience, viewed by Sri Lanka backers as an urgent need to mitigate possible strong actions by the International Community against Sri Lanka over its rights violations, appears as an imminent outcome from the recently concluded Commonwealth Meeting [CHOGM]. But a Sri Lanka journalist who is a visiting Australian National University fellow, says whereas in the post-apartheid South Africa context and under the leadership of Mandela, TRC was made to work in SA, in Sri Lanka proposing a TRC without defining what it means, makes the effort appear only as "another procrastinating tactic."

Sri Lanka: Chief Minister of the NPC called for international action on sinhalese colanisation in North

 The Chief Minister of the NPC called  for international action against the Sri Lankan government’s program of settling Sinhalese families on Tamil-owned land forcibly appropriated by the military.
He said he had done everything possible to appease the Sinhalese and win back Tamil rights and he had reached the end of his journey. Now he calls for international action to stop colonisation of the North-East.

South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission process will not succeed in Sri Lanka

by Niran Anketell

Reconcilation & conflict resolution    As the dust settles on the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Colombo, the press has reported that Sri Lanka may be considering the establishment of a South Africa style Truth and Reconciliation Commission with the assistance of the Commonwealth and South African government.

Sri Lanka: TNA ready to offer active support to address the accountability issues

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today offered active support to the government to address the accountability issue if the government meets certain conditions.
Among the conditions, the TNA said is the need for the government to agree to make an honest effort to address the issue with an open mind and work with the international community including India and the US and learn from the South African experience.

Nelson Mandela life story: An unconquerable spirit

Ahmed Kathrada

“Mdala” – “old man”, as Nelson Mandela and I used to call each other on informal occasions – was, like all human beings, not free of weaknesses and failings. He was an uncommon amalgam of the peasant and the aristocrat; the democrat par excellence, but not without a touch of the autocrat; at once proud and simple; soft and tenacious; determinedly obstinate and flexible; vain and shy; cool and impatient. He was, however, always a people’s person.

Prison life is tailor-made to bring to the fore the best and the worst in human beings. Mdala – during our years together on Robben Island and, later, at Pollsmoor – stood with the rest of us in every aspect of prison life, through the bad and through the good. He was offered better clothing and better food by the authorities; he refused.

DMK for probe into war crimes in Sri Lanka

The DMK has issued a notice seeking a discussion, under Rule 193 in the Lok Sabha, against the human rights violations and war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan defence forces against Tamils during the civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Banned by the Censor borad. President clears political satire Pusswedilla after a protest

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has cleared the latest edition of the popular political satire ‘Pusswedilla’ to be staged after the Colombo Gazette had reported that the censor board had banned the new comedy.
The Director of Pusswedilla, Feroz Kamardeen, told the Colombo Gazette that the President had contacted him today and inquired about the censor board ban.