Monday, November 18, 2013

'Assault on democracy' in Sri Lanka

November 18th, 2013

As many as 70,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka's war and in its final stage, which lasted from September 2008 to May 2009, the Sri Lankan army advanced into an area of the north where about 330,000 people were trapped by fighting. A U.N. report in 2011 said the government used "large-scale and widespread shelling" that left a large number of civilians dead.

The number of civilian deaths and injuries are unknown to this day, and U.N. figures greatly differ from those in reports from Sri Lanka's government and various nongovernmental organizations.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Mahinda Rajapaksa told media Thursday he would "not hesitate to take action against any human rights violations, adding that he has nothing to hide and is very open," according to a Sri Lankan government website.

Chatham House's Charu Lata Hogg talks to Max Foster about her thoughts on the summit being held in Sri Lanka and the message it sends.

Tiran gets contract to bait BASL

Monday, 18 November 2013

MP Tiran Alles, owner of ‘Mawbima’ newspaper, has accepted a contract to turn the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) into an organization biased to the government, BASL sources say.

Incumbent president, advocate Upul Jayasuriya and rest of the office-bearers of the BASL are strongly opposing the steps taken by the Rajapaksa regime to impeach chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake, and are giving no official recognition to her successor Mohan Peiris.

As the first step to bait the BASL, Tiran Alles has offered to print and distribute ‘The Bar Reporter’, the official publication of the BASL, free of charge through his institution.

However, the BASL has rejected the offer, as it had been forewarned about Tiran’s intentions.

‘The Bar Reporter’ is presently being published by The Independent Media Networks (Pvt.) Ltd.