State of Emergency in Sri Lanka, with or without it

5 Sep, 2011

 groundviewsjournalism Forcitizens

Photo courtesy JDS

The decision of the Sri Lankan government to lift the Emergency Regulations (ER) is received in good faith by many. For example, the International Community has expressed its pleasure and satisfaction. The Indian minister of external affairs, S.M. Krishna welcomed the move as an “effective step leading to genuine national reconciliation in the country” (The Hindu, August 27, 2011). At the same time, it has also generated a suspicion whether the act of repeal is merely an attempt “to generate good publicity for the government on the eve of the meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva next month” (The Telegraph, Calcutta, August 30, 2011). This sense of uncertainty and doubt has being substantiated by the introduction of new regulations which would provide the basis for the operation of Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), High Security Zones (HSZs) and prosecution of LTTE cadres etc. In addition, militarisation of the society, internalisation of emergency rules within the institutions responsible for law and order and the systemic issues which encourage authoritarian practices of politics other than the prevalence of PTA and Public Security Ordinance (PSO) have resulted in a permanent state of emergency.

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President shown photos of shelling civilians

05 September, 2011

'The Foreign Minister insisted that satellite images did not provide information needed to determine the source of fire,' says the US embassy cable US diplomats in Sri Lanka have shown satellite images of damage by shelling in "safe zone" even after the government announced ending heavy artillery and aerial bombing, according to anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. Charge d'Affaires of the US embassy James R. Moore, has said that he showed the images to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona two weeks before the government declared its military victory over Tamil Tigers. Sending a cable to the secretary of state, with a copy to the White House, Mr Moore says he took the opportunity to meet the president and Mr Kohona following a meeting Mr Rajapaksa had with donor co-chair ambassadors on 5 May 2009. Full Story>>> Satellite images show clearance of camps for displaced people in Sri Lanka's conflict zone

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