Day: 1 February 2016

Tamil People’s Council Report of the Sub-Committee on Finding a Political Solution to the National Question. Tamil People’s Council (TPC) in its Report has emphasised that a pre-constitutional agreement, underwritten by a third party ( US/India or the UN), in the form of a treaty is necessary prior to the constitution, recognising the Tamil Peoples’ right to self-determination, its sovereignty and constituent power and its traditional homeland in the areas of historical habitation of the Tamil people. The report said measures should be taken for accountability and justice, address issues relating…

The joint opposition claims the hidden agenda behind the upcoming visit by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, is to setup a war crimes court in Sri Lanka.They are afraid that this War crime court will expose the killing of more than forty thousands of Tamil civilians by the Sinhala Army in May 2009. They are worried that Rape and killing of Tamil civilians will be exposed. Joint opposition member Wimal Weerawansa says the war crimes court will be used to take action against the soldiers and former President…

Organization for missing relatives urges Independence Day mourning Representatives of the organization for finding missing relatives from all eight districts of the Northern and Eastern provinces had urged the people to observe the upcoming Independence Day as a mourning day as the existence of their relatives is yet to be established and investigated. On the upcoming 68th Independence Day of Sri Lanka on 4 February, in all the eight districts of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, from morning to evening, representatives of this organization will be staging a hunger protest…

Prime Minster Ranil Wickremesinghe inaugurating the Commonwealth Asia Regional Seminar for parliamentarians in Colombo on Monday clarified about how foreign judges could participate in the accountability mechanism. “The composition of the Supreme Court is decided by the constitution. So who can be members of the final body is decided by the constitution and they have to be citizens of Sri Lanka. We have no provision here to have foreign judges just as much as in your countries there are no provisions for foreign judges. But that does not preclude Commonwealth…

CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has sought the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in securing the release of 15 fishermen from Tamil Nadu who have been arrested by Lankan Navy and the 69 boats of fishermen which had been in Lanka for a long time. The Chief Minister, in her letter to the Prime Minister on January 31, said based on her repeated requests and the Government of India’s efforts all the Indian fishermen who were apprehended by the Lankan Navy during 2015 had been released, but their…

he resolution co-sponsored by our government at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a mutual agreement entered into by Sri Lanka, as a Sovereign Member State of the UN, which recognises our responsibility to embark on a process of reconciliation among communities that will foster peace and prosperity. This resolution is an opportunity to do what is right, by ourselves and for ourselves, and for our future generations. Over the many decades, including the post-war period, there have been assassinations, abductions, torture and conscription of children and sexual…

State Minister and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Parliamentarian Dilan Perera today accused Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of double standards when arresting people. Perera expressed disappointment at the arrest of Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. However he said that the justice system needs to take its course and it will decide who is wrong and who is right. The State Minister was speaking at a public function in Hali-Ela today. He said that while Yoshitha Rajapaksa was placed in remand people like Basil Rajapaksa and Wimal Weerawansa…

The Geneva resolution must be fully implemented in Sri Lanka, Britain is very clear about it, said, British High Commissioner James Doris. On an interrogation over the participation of foreign judges to investigate war crime took place in Sri Lanka, Mr.Doris replied that the Geneva resolution consists of everything what Sri Lanka government should do. It directs the government which should implement the resolution, he added. He also indicated that the government has not revealed any plan with regard to the implementation of the resolution. – See more at: http://athavaneng.com/?p=239249#sthash.S3mdyJGC.dpuf

The Tamil People’s Council called for the recognition that “Tamils constitute a distinct people with the inalienable right to self-determination” in a draft set of proposals, calling for a political agreement prior to a constitutional enactment in Sri Lanka. The ‘Report of the Sub-Committee on Finding a Political Solution to the National Question’ was released at the Veerasingam Hall in Jaffna on Sunday. In the draft set of proposals, calls were made for a pre-constitutional agreement, underwritten by a third party, to recognise “the Tamil Peoples’ right to self-determination, its…

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son, Lieutenant Yoshitha Rajapaksa was arrested following questioning at the Sri Lanka Navy Headquarters in Colombo, carried out by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) earlier yesterday, under the Money Laundering Act, at the Carlton Sports Network (CSN), a private company allegedly linked to him, and remanded in custody for two weeks, police and court officials said. Rajapaksa’s media secretary, Rohan Welivita was also among those arrested and remanded yesterday. Before taking up the job as spokesman for Rajapaksa, he had been a director and chairman…

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s police Sunday listed allegations against former president Mahinda Rajapakse’s son a day after he was remanded in custody and the family accused the Maithripala Sirisena government of a vendetta. The Financial Crimes Investigations Department of the police had said on Saturday that Yoshitha Rajapakse was arrested and remanded in custody after questioning him under the Money Laundering Act. The former president came out of the Kaduwela court house in tears and accused the authorities of making a “vague, one-line allegation” while his brother Gotabhaya Rajapakse accused…

A Sergeant Major and a Corporal arrested in connection with journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda’s disappearance have given statements to the CID linking a senior official of the previous administration to the incident. They confessed to the Police that they got involved in the case as a Lieutenant Colonel attached to the intelligence wing – who is also in remand – dragged them into the incident saying it was an “order” given by the official. Asked whether the former official would be questioned in connection with the investigations, a highly placed Police…

By Shalika Wimalasena The Attorney General’s office has instructed the CID to refrain from taking legal action against the Army Commander Lieutenant General A. W. J. C. De Silva on allegations of failing to assist in the investigations into the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda. The CID had recently sought the advice of the AG with regard to initiating legal action against the Army Commander. A senior officer of the CID told The Sunday Leader that an informal message had been sent to the CID to delay the legal action…