Ms Kunanaykam’s bold rebuttal to the UNSG sent to UNHRC President who hails from Uruguay, South America and the fact she served as ambassador for Cuba probably gave her the ammo to point her finger at the UNHRC President since she truly believes she is on par with Ms Lassere as can be seen in the following missive. It marks her as a very brash and a person lacking diplomacy for a diplomatic posting. She must be eating her own words now that the government had admitted wrongdoings albeit inadvertently and President Rajapaksa must be thinking twice before letting her set a foot into the sessions………..…. read more

“Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe (strictly protect) told us that the idea for the forced removals came from the police, not the Army, which was not in favor of the plan. However, Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa gave the orders to proceed with the police plan. On June 6 and 7, the Army helped police round up Tamils from approximately 20 hostels in Colombo.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington………….. read more

The United States Department of State, in its response to three Tamil plaintiffs’ opposing arguments to the US’s suggestion of immunity for Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse from alleged war-crimes, said that the plaintiffs have asked the Court to “ignore the substantial and unanimous body of authority recognizing the controlling nature” of US’s immunity determination, and that US’s earlier submission adequately explained why the Court should recognize Rajapakse’s immunity from the suit…….. read more

The European Parliament on Thursday, among its resolution specifying its position on UN Human Rights Council’s 19th session to be convened in Geneva this month, resolved on Sri Lanka that it “[s]tresses the need to further support efforts to strengthen the accountability process in Sri Lanka and continue to call for the establishment of a UN commission of inquiry into all crimes committed, as recommended by the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka; invites the Sri Lankan Government to send an invitation to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.” ………….. read more

Diplomats and friends of Sri Lanka alike have commended the Sri Lanka government for its well-advised decision to appoint one of the emerging stars of the professional diplomatic service, Mr. M.R.K Lenagala, as the next Deputy High Commissioner to the UK……….... read more

Brace yourselves Tamils in and from Sri Lanka! The UN Human Rights Council will not grant you justice at its 19th session, February 27-March 23, 2012 or, perhaps, in any foreseeable future….……. read more

A simmering controversy over India’s decision to establish a National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) has highlighted the danger in the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which some members of the ruling UPFA believe might pave the way for federalism.………….. read more

The Working Group expresses its strong objection to the decision of the United Nations Secretariat not to grant a waiver to the 10,700 word limit to the present report, as has been the case for almost every year since such a limit was imposed by the General Assembly in 1993……. read more

The Tamil Nadu government has submitted before the Madras High Court that it was adopting the Centre’s counter to a writ petition challenging an order of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal confirming the Union government’s ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)…….….. read more

One non-violent way to curb or eradicate “terrorism” and “poverty” in each and every part of the world is to change the system of governance that is now prevailing and termed as “democracy”. “Terrorism” is due to the frustration experienced by sections of the common people who are denied participation in the governance of the country and this “frustration” is manipulated by shrewd politicians with hidden agendas to their own advantage. Continue Reading

With just a week to go for the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva, the Government will review charges of wrongdoing levelled by witnesses before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC)…………... read more

a businessman in electronics, operating from Majestic City in Bambalapitiya, had earlier been detained for about two years, on allegations that he was linked to the LTTE, but was released on September 16 last year, for lack of evidence, while all the charges were dropped.

Will the truth be ever known about this abduction? Prabhakaran with his wife

Subsequently, he filed a Fundamental Rights case in the Supreme Court, claiming illegal detention and torture, citing senior police officers as respondents.

His latest abduction took place two days before the case was scheduled to come up for hearing. When it was taken up on Monday the Bench was informed by Counsel for the Petitioner that their client had been abducted and the case was postponed for July 20……….……. read more

What happened to dozens of LTTE members who surrendered to the army together with Rev. Francis Joseph, a Catholic priest, south of the Vadduvaakal bridge on May 18 2009? “Aananthi” (not her real name), the wife of one of the disappeared, told Human Rights Watch that she saw the army load the priest and the LTTE members on to a bus and drive them away.

Human Rights Watch interviews with other witnesses and numerous media reports confirm her account. The wife and two children, aged 3 and 5 years, of an LTTE member were also taken away on the bus. The family members and Fr. Joseph remain missing.  Where and what happened to these people?  Why are these disappearances not investigated by the government which instead continues to stonewall all calls demanding accountability………..….. read more

The European Parliament has decided to push for a UN commission of inquiry into the crimes committed in Sri Lanka during the war.
A Resolution agreed upon by the European Parliament last week on its position at the next UN Human Rights Council session includes its stand on Sri Lanka.
On Sri Lanka, the European Parliament said it will stress on the need to further support efforts to strengthen the accountability process in Sri Lanka and…..….. read more

Over their statement on the military court of inquiry
The US based right organization Human Right Watch (HRW) refuted allegations levelled by the Sri Lankan government officials over their recent statement on Sri Lankan army’s announcement to appoint a five-member court of inquiry to investigate serious violations of the laws of war………….... read more

The British House of Commons is to debate the human rights situation in Sri Lanka this week, proceedings of the House scheduled for this week show.
According to the scheduled proceedings the debate on Sri Lanka at Westminster Hall on Wednesday was proposed by British MP Virendra Sharma. Continue Reading

Vasudeva Nanayakkara, the Minister of National Languages and Social Integration denies having a heated argument with the president over the Parliament Public Petitions Committee, as reported in some newspapers. Speaking to our staffer Ranga Jayasuriya, he says “Parliament is supreme but, the executive is not supreme.”………….…. read more

By Gayan Kumara Weerasingha

The two Special Police Units set up within the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) recently have received nearly 2000 complaints with regard to illegal acquisition of lands and properties through thuggery and intimidation, using political influence and issuing death threats in addition to using other unlawful means, CID sources told ……….. read more

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Robert O. Blake and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan

WikiLeaks continues to worry politicians and diplomats across the world. In a further cable unearthed from WikiLeaks archives of US diplomatic cables, former Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake informs his masters in Washington of information the US Embassy in Colombo had received. In his cable dated 17 May 2007 Ambassador Blake refers to information given to theUnited States Mission in Colombo by the Jaffna Government Agent K. Ganesh and TV personality Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam………..... read more

From: M A Sumanthiran <ma.sumanthiran@gmail.com>
Date: 16 February 2012 15:46
Subject: Correction to story in BBC Sandeshaya
To: ckbanda@gmail.com

Sandeshaya - BBC Sinhala Service ,

We are pleased to hear that the United States has decided to press for action at the March session of the Human Rights Council on accountability for wartime abuses in Sri Lanka.  This issue has long been a high priority for us due to the massive scale of abuses committed in the final months of the war and the Sri Lankan government’s resistance to any serious domestic inquiry….….. read more

If the time ever does come for a comprehensive evaluation of security policies and legislation adopted during the privation and emergencies of war and the peacetime ‘stability’ of a post-war context, it would only be fair to conclude that the unpleasantness of the former far exceeds the unpleasantness of the latter, but it is still just that – unpleasant…….… read more

“Sri Lankan ruling elites, increasingly dominated by the Sinhalese, have evolved a pattern of clientelistic politics in the post-independence era.� The foundation of these clientelist politics was those who are in power use it to create and sustain followers across caste, class and ethic divides.”………... read more

As the end came near, three Tiger leaders tried to save themselves and their families, arranging a surrender in mobile phone calls and text messages involving the government’s foreign secretary in the capital Colombo, Norwegian diplomats, a British journalist and others.

They were told to advance across to government lines in a non-threatening manner, raising their hands, and bearing a white cloth……….... Read more

“Open your Is on Sri Lanka/In 2009, over 40,000 killed, 1,46,679 Tamils unaccounted for, over 80,000 widowed, over 25,000 children orphaned/We demand an International Independent Investigation NOW!” reads a British Tamils Forum (BTF) poster on the Sri Lankan Tamil situation…………….. read more

THESE 4 ARTICLE WERE PUBLISHED IN FREE MALAYSIA TODAY – It clearly shows DAP is actually a Chinese party which cares for mostly Chinese – then Malays – lastly Indians/Tamils.

DAP Top Leaders are all Chinese except a toothless Jelutong Lion – Indians are being kept as a showcase to show DAP is a Multi-Racial Party – but none of the Indian Leaders given Powerful High Ranks – Not Included in Decision Making – Chinese grab most Exco Posts in states ruled by Pakatan, just next to Malays while Indians were cheated Continue Reading

External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris says that he has lost respect amongst the international community due to the varying tasks assigned to him by the President.

He has made this comment with several of his most trusted friends during a dinner at a Muslim businessman’s house………….  read more

“When Syria equals Sri Lanka: How the UN fails when Gov’ts kill their own: My interview with UN Human Rights’ Navi Pillai”, tweeted Jon Snow of Channel 4, UK on his twitter feed yesterday, highlighting a live interview that he had with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Dr. Navi Pillay on Feb 13th regarding the continuation of violence in Syria despite the calls to stop violence.

Jon Snow asked the High Commissioner of the purpose of these calls to stop violence, when similar calls were made during the time when allegedly 40,000 civilians were killed in Sri Lanka and “nothing has happened”:…….. read more

JVP parliamentarian Sunil Handunneththi is reported to have suffered minor injuries during the skirmish at the demonstration held in Maligawatta today, MP Vijitha Herath said. Continue Reading

There have been a number of recent media articles in Sri Lanka recently suggesting that Amnesty International’s impartiality had been compromised because the Canadian Tamil Congress chose to make Amnesty International Canada a beneficiary of funds raised at their third annual Walk-a-Thon held in Toronto in September 2011…….…. read more

“However, Ranga said that the current government, cash-strapped, has ended this arrangement. Instead, he alleged, Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa has authorized EPDP and Karuna to collect the money from Tamil businessmen. This may account for the sharp rise in lawlessness, especially extortion and kidnapping, that many have documented in Vavuniya and Colombo.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington……….. read more

More than 40 notable members of the Sri Lankan community called upon the government of Sri Lanka, in consultation with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the leadership of the Muslims, to take steps to implement the recommendations.

Issuing a press statement they says; “The purpose of this statement is to express our dismay that the government is taking little follow up action to get down to simple actions that are not particularly controversial if there is a genuine commitment to democracy, human rights and reconciliation.”……………. read more

The Sri Lanka President has repeatedly said that his soldiers under his command went to war with gun in one hand and human rights law book in the other. He also claimed that the operation was a humanitarian operation and there had not been even a single civilian casualty……….. read more

Commenting on the Sri Lankan Army’s decision to set up a panel of investigation into war crimes[1] in Sri Lanka Fred Carver, Campaign Director for the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, said,

“This is a complete non-story. The idea that a panel of five army officers selected by the commander of the army constitutes an effective and independent accountability process is laughable. The Government of Sri Lanka has spent thirty years developing phony bodies to whitewash its record on accountability . On paper many looked far more credible than this one. None of them brought an end to the violence or brought an end to the culture of impunity. That is why Sri Lanka now needs international assistance to break that cycle”…..… read more

The NfR is appalled by the recent attacks on demonstrators, including those protesting against the rise in prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene oil in Sri Lanka, following a February 1O decision by the government to place the army on alert, allegedly to prevent acts of sabotage by terrorists………..…. read more

The following is a brief summary of the testimony gathered from nearly three weeks of interviews in Sri Lanka. My interviews took place primarily in Colombo and the Vanni.

Everyone I spoke with, both in the North and the South, wants to see lasting peace and true reconciliation. My interviews on the current detention policies, however, suggest that such reconciliation is simply not going to come easily with the present system of rehabilitation and detention. …….. read more

The experience of Provincial Councils in the past two decades demonstrates that the full constitutional extent of devolution that is possible by an innovative and flexible approach to the implementation of the Thirteenth Amendment has not been realised.

This is due to straightforward non-implementation of constitutional provisions, or because of attempts at clawing back the constitutional scheme through central legislation or administrative and political practices.………….. read more

(New York)  – The Sri Lankan army’s announcement that it had appointed a five-member court of inquiry to investigate allegations that its forces committed serious violations of the laws of war appears to be another government delaying tactic in the face of mounting international pressure, Human Rights Watch said today…... read more