Day: 8 June 2016

Top British officials hold discussions with PM, Opposition Leader on progress in reconciliation, human rights

Karu

June 06, Colombo: Two top officials of the British government arrived in Sri Lanka earlier Monday met with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan in Colombo today. Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Simon McDonald and Permanent Under-Secretary at the UK Department for International Development Mark Lowcock met with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and discussed progress on reconciliation, anti-corruption and UK assistance for reconciliation and reform, the British High Commission in Colombo said. The UK government officials also met with Leader of the Opposition and…

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Sri Lanka will resettle all war-displaced by year-end: minister

Karu

A senior minister said that all the people including Muslims and Sinhalese will be resettled by the year end.  Displaced Sri Lankan Tamil civilians seen at the Kadirgamh camp in Chettikulam, north Sri Lanka. (Photo: AP) Colombo: Sri Lanka will by year-end resettle all people, including the minority Muslims and the Sinhalese, who were displaced during the nearly three-decade-long war against the LTTE, a senior minister said on Sunday. “We have six months to go, we will resettle all in the north by end of the year,” Minister of National…

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The scars of Sri Lanka’s civil war

Karu

On May 18, 2009, Colombo declared the end of the 26-year civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers. It was presented as the beginning of a new era of peace, national reconciliation and development. But for many of those in the north and east of the country, where the worst of the war was experienced, that harmony cannot materialise when so many scars of war remain. Thaya Malar’s son disappeared without a trace after the war.…

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Can’t stay with govt. if Gota comes in: CBK

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Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Sunday said she could not stay in the government if the Sri Lanka Freedom Party was trying to bring Gotabaya into power. “We brought this government in order to wipe out the looting of the country. If the SLFP is trying to bring Goatabayas into power we cannot stay in the government any longer,” the former President said addressing an event in Attanagalle, where she distributed flood relief items to those who affected by the recent floods in the area. She also said she was…

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EU development strategy aims at ‘implementation of UNHRC Resolution’

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The European Union is revising its development strategy for Sri Lanka, in order to assist with the implementation of a UN resolution that calls for trials with foreign judges to prosecute those accused of committing mass atrocities. A statement released following the conclusion of the meeting of the Working Group on Cooperation between the European Union and Sri Lanka last week said the two have “enjoyed diplomatic ties that span more than 40 years”. “Over the last decade, the EU has been one of the leading international donors, providing support…

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British head of diplomatic service discusses political settlement with TNA

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The head of the British diplomatic service, Simon McDonald and the secretary at the UK Department for International Development visited Sri Lanka on Wednesday held discussions with the Tamil National Alliance leader R Sampanthan regarding political settlement and the challenges facing Tamils in the North-East. British delegation meets OppLeader & TNA head #Sampanthan & TNA Spokesman @MASumanthiran today @britishhighcomm #lka pic.twitter.com/mgg7S5Eii9 — TNAMedia (@TNAmediaoffice) June 6, 2016 The visiting diplomats also met with the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe and other government officials, discussing the government’s progress on reconciliation and implementation…

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Tamil politicians demand military release Myliddy

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Tamil politicians this week stepped up calls on the Sri Lankan military to release occupied land in the fishing village of Myliddy. Recalling the Sri Lankan president’s pledge to release all land held by the military in Valikaamam North during a recent visit to the North-East, the chief minister of the Northern province, C V Wigneswaran said the army’s stand that Myliddy would not be released is not acceptable. “Now with the war coming to an end, is not at all acceptable that the army is still citing past incidents…

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