Last updated 13 September 201
More than two years after the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, the political situation in the country remains deeply worrying. The unique opportunity the government has to build a lasting and just peace after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is being lost. The government has not taken credible steps to ensure accountability for the grave allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity identified in the April 2011 report of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka. Nor has the government pursued policies to reconcile the country’s ethnic communities after decades of political violence and conflict. Instead, its post-war agenda has been to further centralise power, expand the role of the military, undermine local civilian authorities, and politicise the institutions that should uphold the rule of law and combat impunity. As argued in Crisis Group’s most recent report, the risk of an eventual return to violence is growing again. Full Story>>>
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Sri Lankan navy thwarts refugees
theage.com.auLegal expert John Dowd: "This is hardly an example of compassion".
AUSTRALIA has lauded a crackdown by the Sri Lankan navy that stopped a boat carrying 44 people fleeing the strife-torn country to Australia, prompting a sharp rebuke from human rights advocates.
Australia's high commissioner in Colombo, Kathy Klugman, issued a statement praising the Sri Lankan police and navy for picking up the boat in rough seas on Sunday as it set out on the perilous 5500 kilometre journey.
The spectre of boats departing directly from Sri Lanka to Australia is a nightmare for Labor's already stressed asylum seeker policy, raising the prospect of more people on the open seas.
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