Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Court summons investigators in Sudarman Radaliyagoda case

Courts have summoned the investigating officers in the scrap iron case against ITN journalist Sudarman Radaliyagoda.

police killlings: Dompe victim's parents seek justice

The parents of an alleged police torture victim have called upon Sri Lankan authorities to conduct a proper investigation into the death in order to prevent any such incidents in future.29 year old Gayan Rasanga arrested by Dompe police on Thursday was found dead in custody on Friday morning.

Sri Lanka defeated EU move at UNHRC -

Sandasen MARASINGHE
The Sri Lankan government secured two significant victories during the recent United Nations Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said yesterday.

Sri Lanka defeated Canedian motion at UN HRC - Minister Samarasinghe

 Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe says Sri Lanka has been able to secure many victories by defeating the motions against the country brought through the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Monday, October 3, 2011

‘Released’ ex-LTTE cadres not allowed to go home with parents

A report on BBC Tamil service says, the “1,800 rehabilitated LTTE fighters released on Friday, September 30th after having rehabilitated them with skills development”, are yet to be re-united with their parents.

TULF wants new land registration scheme stopped

 The Tamil United Liberation front has appealed to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to intervene and stop the scheme of registering lands in the Tamil-dominated North and East. The process is flawed and would leave most Tamils landless and homeless, it has said.

Australian envoy draws ire for role in Tamil ceremony

Daniel Flitton
 Ambassoder Kathy Klugman has been criticised for presenting Sri Lankan awards.
A TOP Australian diplomat has handed out certificates to alleged Tamil rebels after they were put through two years of official ''rehabilitation'' at camps run by the Sri Lankan government.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Roshen’s family holds protests . .

The family members of slain factory worker-Roshen Chanaka today launched a silent protest calling for more compensation and details of the report compiled by a one-man committee on the incident.

The Unknown Killing Fields: Looking into the Sri Lankan Civil War

Dineke Pardijs
Summary executions, bodies of raped women, and families hiding from bombs in hastily dug trenches. The images shown in a recent Channel Four documentary bring back memories of tragedies such as the killing fields in Cambodia and the genocide in former Yugoslavia.

Economic disparity threatens equal opportunities for education in Sri Lanka

Joseph Stalin Fernando
 Although the per capita income of the GDP of Sri Lanka is US $ 1400, the income disparity between the higher income earning group and the lower income earning group is very high. The income of the richest 30% has increased rapidly to 65.6% of the GDP whilst the income of the poorest 50% is 17.64 % of the GDP. In this backdrop, the only option for the parents to save their children from poverty is education.

Crucial talks between TNA, Sri Lanka govt put off: Report

The government has postponed crucial talks with Sri Lanka's main Tamil party TNA to find a solution to the political aspirations of the minority ethnic community after the end of a three-decade civil war in May 2009.

LLRC report only in next year

LLRC says draft-copy will not be sent CW
The Commonwealth Committee expects the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to be submitted at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia later this month.

Mr. President “You Have Been Served”

Frederica Jansz
On Friday September 30, a thirty page long complaint detailing charges against President Rajapaksa, was sent to nearly 100 media outlets in Sri Lanka and around the world by U.S. Constitutional Lawyer, Bruce Fein.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Sri Lanka 'defeated conspiracy at UN'

There has been a major international conspiracy against Sri Lanka at the recently concluded UNHRC session in Geneva, the country's delegation claims.

British Labour Party calls for an international commission of inquiry into war crimes allegations in Sri Lanka

Rt. Hon Douglas Alexander MP, the British Shadow Foreign Secretary, has given the Labour Party’s full support for the establishment of an international commission to investigate the “acts of unconscionable violence” perpetrated in the final months of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict in 2009.

Sri Lankans In Wikileaks

A picture emerges from the WikiLeaks cables of a Sri Lanka where all is not as it seems. Mahinda Rajapaksa, contrary, to his caricature as a Sinhala extremist, emerges as a relative moderate, even in the eyes of an Archbishop. The cables also reveal broad awareness of human rights violations within the government and of dissent from within.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Lanka paper held back by the Police .

This week's Lanka newspaper,  published by the rebel faction of the JVP has been seized by the Mt Lavina police.
 A spokesman for the group said that the motive appeared to be delaying the distribution of the paper, JVP (DNA) MP Vijitha Herath said that since there was a dispute over the publication they had lodged a complaint with the police.

Canada lashes Sri Lanka, summit showdown looms

Canada's Foreign Minister John Baird speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa September 29, 2011. Canada publicly criticized Sri Lanka over its human rights record for the first time Thursday, setting the scene for a confrontation at a major international summit next month.

Canada, UK target SL on C’wealth front - Prof. Peiris fumes over proposals targeting govt.

Shamindra Ferdinando
 The Sri Lankan government yesterday (29) alleged that a small but influential section of the Commonwealth was carrying out an anti-Sri Lankan campaign ahead of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Western Australia.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Commonwealth could split–sl over the appoinment of HR commissioner

Dianne Silva
The Sri Lankan government which rejected a move by the Commonwealth Ministerial  Action Group to appoint a Commissioner on Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law said yesterday the push for a “punitive role” by a few commonwealth countries could cause a split in the organisation.

Sri Lanka – Media smear campaign and death threats against human rights defender Sunanda Deshapriya following his participation in the UN Human Rights Council - Front Line



Front Line Defenders - The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights 
29 September 2011
Human rights defender Mr Sunanda Deshapriya was the target of a media smear campaign and death threats, following his participation in an event held at the UN headquarters in Geneva on 12 September 2011. State controlled media reportedly published an inaccurate account of the event following which calls were made to have Sunanda Deshapriya killed for betraying the Sri Lankan State.

UN review on response in Eelam War IV

Signalling more trouble for Sri Lanka, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has initiated a review of the UN’s actions regarding the implementation of its humanitarian and protection mandates during the Eelam War IV and its immediate aftermath, according to an online report of The Hindu on Sept. 27

GMOA to decide on counter measures against increased threats

Dasun Edirisinghe
The General Committee of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) will meet today (29) to decide on a strategy to counter the stepped-up threats on its President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya for spearheading the ongoing protest campaign targeting the Malabe Private Medical College (PMC).

Civil Defence Committees to be resurrected

Lumbini Karandana
Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday declared that reactivating Civil Defence Committees (CDC) which had been a great source of help to the country in the final phase of war had become necessary to eradicate crime.

CID search home of dissident JVP MP , computers taken into custody

Ranjan Kasturi
The Madiwela residence of JVP MP Ajith Kumara, who had joined the JVP dissident group, had been searched by the CID yesterday.  The CID had taken into custody two desktop computers, one laptop and some documents.