Implementing LLRC recommendations : SL not covering a syllabus - Deputy FM

Sri Lanka is not covering a syllabus which a school Principal has handed over to his teachers, in terms of its activities pertaining to implementing the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations, Deputy External Affairs Minister Neomal Perera said yesterday.

Sri Lanka LLRC recommendations: What is 'Ongoing, Ongoing'?

Ambassador-at-Large of the Office of Global Criminal Justice of the United States, Lawyer Stephen J. Rapp, appeared puzzled yesterday when he saw the website of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), and questioned what "Ongoing, Ongoing" as stated on the site, in the Action Plan of the LLRC, meant.

Sri Lanka: Bishop calls for international investigation into war crimes

The Bishop of Mannar, Mgr Rayappu Joseph has called for an international investigation to ascertain the truth about alleged war crimes. He said: "Given that most of the Tamils in the north and east of the country no longer have confidence in an internal process. This will contribute to reconciliation".
Bishop Rayappu Joseph, pointed out that many priests, lawyers, journalists and activists who have tried to cooperate with the institutions on the topic of "war crimes" have been threatened and intimidated. "On many occasions, the police and the Commission for Human Rights have even refused to accept complaints", he said.

Beyond Imagination in Service to Humankind: Medical Administration and Relief within the Vanni Pocket, January to mid-May 2009

Michael Roberts

Amidst the obfuscations and cumulus clouds of propaganda that have subsumed reviews of the last stages of Eelam War IV, it has taken time for some remarkable feats to emerge. The affidavit provided by Dr. Veerakanthipillai Shanmugarajah on 10^th May 2012 with assistance from a British solicitor reveals astounding medical relief work by a body of doctors, nurses, attendants and administrative aides during the Tamil peoples’ enforced retreat and crucible of battle in 2009.

Dr. Veerakanthipillai Shanmugarajah’s Affidavit on conditions in the Vanni

Dr. Veerakanthipillai Shanmugarajah,refugee Medical Superintendent , Mullaitivu General Hospital, being a Hindu, honestly , sincerely and solemnly swear and MAKE OATH as follows:

1. I  am Dr.Veerakanthipillai Shanmugarajah, presently Medical Superintendent ,Mullaitivu.  I was born on 11 June 1968 and am presently 44 years old. I am a graduate of Jaffna University’s faculty of Medicine, and hold the qualification of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. I have had additional training in obstetrics and gynaecology and anaesthesia. I have worked as a Medical Officer at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, the District General Hospital in Killinochi and the Mullaitivu General Hospital. I was the Medical Superintendent at Mullaitivu General Hospital and the acting Medical Superintendent in charge of the obstetrics ward at the hospital. I am married, and have three children aged 13, 10 and 4.

US envoy to visit north Sri Lanka over war crimes

A top US diplomat will visit Sri Lanka’s war-ravaged north on Wednesday to hold talks with local officials over alleged war crimes during the last phase of the civil war against the LTTE.
The US Ambassador—at—Large at the Office of Global Criminal Justice, Stephen J Rapp, who arrived hereon Monday on a week—long visit, will spend two days in the north holding talks with officials and leaders.
This is Rapp’s second visit to the island and comes ahead of another US—moved resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in March.

Sri Lanka chambers ask for probe on official statistics

Economic downturn   Sri Lanka’s key business chambers have called for a probe on official statistics following reports on how an official was allegedly asked to boost gross domestic numbers in a court filing.
“If such doubts were to persist, it would lead to a lack of credibility on a range of published data & have serious implications on investor confidence & country ratings,” business chambers said in a joint statement.

Facing the challenge of single-issue international agenda

Jehan Perera

Stephen J. Rapp, Ambassador-at-Large of the Office of Global Criminal Justice of the United States will be in Sri Lanka this week.  He will be meeting with political leaders and also with other influential opinion formers to ascertain the situation in the country relevant to his interests and to make known his own views. His visit will be followed shortly thereafter by Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs of the US government, Nisha Desai Biswal.  Both these visits are evidence of the international interest in Sri Lanka and its present trajectory of political development.  They are also likely to be connected to the forthcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in March, where Sri Lanka is likely to figure as an important issue and perhaps even as a test case for collective international action.

Child abuse at the Vavuniya children’s home: The government’s inaction

  Womens Action Network 

In October 2013 Kalyana Tissa Thero of the Seth Sevana Lama Nivasa of Attambagaskanda, Vavuniya was arrested for sexually abusing a 9 year old child. The Buddhist monk was kept in remand custody and medical evidence confirmed the sexual abuse of the child on 12.10.2013. Subsequently the custody of the remaining 22 children of the children’s home was taken by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) on 15.10.2013. Fearing that the remaining children may have also been sexually abused the Vavuniya magistrate requested the medical examination of the 22 children. Through the court order the suspect remained in custody. However on 31.12.2013 the suspected monk was granted a non-conditional bail on the basis that the Attorney General Department (AG), on the instructions of the NCPA has informed court that it has no objections for the suspect to be granted bail.  The next hearing is to be on the 11^th of February.

Sri Lanka: 26 victims exhumed, mass grave reveals torture, executions at standing position

Thirukkeatheesvaram mass grave

Some of the victims slain in the mass grave at Thirukkeathessvaram in Mannaar have been shot after being ordered to stand up straight inside the bunkers, according to those who witnessed the excavation of the mass grave in Mannaar. Of the four more skeletons recovered on Friday, one skull was found covered by a camouflage cloth used by the SL military. Gunshot wounds were also found on two of the skulls recovered on Friday. There were also teeth of children among the remains recovered on Saturday. On Monday, a full skeleton of a 6-year-old child has been exhumed. 26 skeletons have been found till Monday noon. Several skeletons recovered so far also bore marks of torture, the sources told TamilNet Monday. The exhumation effort will continue, the reports said. 

Sri Lanka expects pressure at UNHRC session, enlightens member states on post-conflict developments

Jan 05, Colombo: Anticipating a serious challenge from the international community at the upcoming United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva, the Sri Lankan government has initiated a program to enlighten the member states on the measures taken for reconciliation and to address other critical issues.

The Bubble

Tisaranee Gunasekara
“All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned…”. - Marx and Engles (The Communist Manifesto)
 Once upon a nearly-forgotten-time, there was a corporate colossus in America called Enron. Courted by politicians and feted by the Wall Street, Enron was named ‘America’s most innovative company’ by the Fortune magazine for 6 consecutive years.

How public services media in Sri Lanka controlled by ruling politicians: Head, SLRC, appointed and dismissed by the minister

Samaranayaka was appointed
by the same minster

Minister forced me to resign  - SLRC Head  
Former Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) and the Presidential Spokesman, Mohan Samaranayake, refuting claims by Minister of Mass Media and Information, Kehiliya Rambukwella, said he was forced to resign from his post as the head of SLRC by the minister. 
 Speaking to Ceylon Today he said, he cannot disclose why the minister forced him to resign.

Alarm bells in Geneva: Govt. in hyperactive mode

Indications of tough new resolution on accountability and related issues, Pillay to submit 10,000-word report US war crimes ambassador coming here, followed by new Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Desai Biswal New Gazette notification to stop internal revolts within local councils; Ravi lashes out at cry-babies and spineless leaders in the UNP

The Government has gone into hyperactive mode after signals through its own channels indicated that the United Nations Human Rights Council’s March sessions may take a serious turn over alleged war crimes and other issues.

US Ambassador-at-Large, Office of Global Criminal Justice, Stephen J. Rapp travel to Sri Lanka

Stephen J. Rapp

Ambassador-at-Large, Office of Global Criminal Justice, Stephen J. Rapp will travel to Sri Lanka, January 6–11, 2014. This is Ambassador Rapp’s second trip to Sri Lanka as Ambassador-at-Large. During this trip Ambassador Rapp will meet with a broad cross section of government officials and political and civil society leaders on a range of issues focusing on Sri Lanka’s justice, accountability, and reconciliation processes.

Bribery Chief should step down - Ceylon Today

Jagath Balapatabandi

Bribery and corruption are as old as civilization itself. The propensity for deceit, duplicity and fraud that exists in the ordinary mind has endured, despite the scriptures and teachings of religious leaders about the value of honesty, integrity and ethical conduct in the long journey of the human race.
 Yet, we come across, every now and then, some rare individuals who, despite the almost irresistible pressures and temptations, withstand the tentacles of corruption in its various forms in the conduct of their day to day affairs. One would expect the Chairman of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to be one such individual,several notches above the common man with his weakness and his flaws.

Concerns over bail for monk accused for sexul abuse of children

Concerns have been raised after a Buddhist monk in Vavuniya was granted bail in a sexual abuse case after the Attorney General’s department said it had no objections.
The Women’s Action Network, a network consisting of 8 women’s organizations based in the north and east of Sri Lanka, said that there are indications of attempts to protect the monk and not the victims.

Sri Lanka: Heading towards a ‘third warning’ from Geneva

Manekshaw
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has officially rebuked the call made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Parliament last week to participate at the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to deal with the Tamil question.

Three Churches in Hikkaduwa and Angunukolapalassa Under Attack on Christmas Eve.

As the world prepared to celebrate Christmas on the 24th evening, three churches in the South of Sri Lanka were attacked by mobs.


The pastor of the Assemblies of God church in Angunukolapalassa was surrounded by a mob of over 300 villagers together with Buddhist monks, demanding he stops all worship services planned for Christmas day. The mob alleged that there was a police complaint made by a Buddhist monk against the pastor’s religious activities.

Colombo has annulled ‘arrest warrant’ says Sitsabeisan

[TamilNet,]
“Sri Lankan authorities have confirmed that their previous claims of an arrest warrant in my name does not exist and I now look forward to exploring and learning more about the country of my birth,” says Ms Rathika Sitsabeisan, the elected Eezham Tamil MP from Canada, in a statement released by her party, NDP, in Canada on January 01, 2014.

Full text of the statement from Ms Sitsabeisan follows:

Canadian NDP MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan held by 'terrorism' investigators in Sri Lanka: Report

Rathika Sitsabaiesan

David Akin  
OTTAWA -- Military officers in Sri Lanka apparently placed an NDP MP visiting the Indian Ocean island under house arrest Tuesday, confining Rathika Sitsabaiesan to her hotel, according to disputed news reports.
The reports said Sitsabaiesan was met at her hotel in Jaffna, the capital of Sri Lanka's Northern Province, by a military official from the Sri Lankan "Terrorist Investigation Department" (TID) Tuesday evening after she had visited some Tamil-dominated areas in the north part of the country.

What is the transparent inquiry they are talking about? - President Rajapaksha

Add caption

One of the main cries of the international community is that of allegations of war crimes against the Lankan forces and the government’s failure to have a transparent investigation. With the UNHRC sessions coming up and the threat by the British Premier, what measures have you taken to ensure a swift and transparent investigation into these allegations?
What is the transparent investigation they are talking about?  Two or three years back, some panel was constituted outside Sri Lanka and without even visiting this country, without weighing all the evidence available, they just listened to some groups of people who influenced them in some way or the other, published a report that has been condemned by many right thinking people throughout the world as biased.

SriLanka immigration officials ‘investigate’ Canadian Tamil MP in Jaffna

Following the interrogation on Tuesday by the Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Department, who placed the visiting Eezham Tamil parliamentarian from Canada, Ms Rathika Sitsabaiesan, from 7:00 p.m. to midnight under an unofficial house-arrest, the immigration officials of occupying Colombo have subjected her for a second round of investigations Wednesday noon. As the Canadian MP was on a private visit to the island, the SL immigration officials would be carrying out an investigation to see whether she had violated the kind of visa utilized to her, the officers have told Wednesday. 

Sri Lanka: Tamil Journo Deported by SL Denies Visa Violation Charge

Express News Service - CHENNAI
Maha Tamil Prabhakaran, a journalist, who was deported from Sri Lanka to India, after he was detained on charges of videographing the vital Army and Naval installations in the island nation, on Tuesday, denied that he had flouted the visa norms.
Speaking to media persons, Prabhakaran said he was moving around in the island like any other tourist from other countries would do and was taking pictures only on the spots where photography was allowed.

‘Bribery Chief received kickbacks’- Petition handed over .

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) today handed over a complaint against the Chief of the Bribery Commission, Jagath De Silva Balapatabendi to the Bribery Commission, alleging that he received kickbacks after having sat on a Supreme Court bench, which released a consignment of vehicles.
 JVP MP Sunil Handuneththi said the only authority that the public can complaint of corruption is now under allegations of corruption and that officials of the institutes appointed to investigate corruption should be clean.