Monday, March 28, 2011

The Politics of Domestic and International Accountability Options in Sri Lanka

Alan Keenan | 24 Mar 2011

Alan Keenan is Senior Analyst and Sri Lanka Project Director with the International Crisis Group. This text is a revised version of a presentation made as part of a live web seminar on "Accountability for Violations of IHL in Counterinsurgency: The Case of Sri Lanka", organised by the Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research, on 24 February 2011.

1. The need for an international investigation

The International Crisis Group, like others concerned with a sustainable and just peace in Sri Lanka, has been calling for the establishment of an independent and international commission to look into the many credible and well-documented allegations of war crimes in the final months of Sri Lanka’s long civil war. A serious and independent accountability mechanism is needed, first of all, as a matter of principle. The violations of international humanitarian law that we have evidence of and wrote about in our May 2010 report on War Crimes in Sri Lanka, point to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in the final four months of fighting and an assault on the fundamental principles of the laws of war. These are simply too serious to be left without investigation or acknowledgment. Accountability is also important for achieving a set of broader conflict resolution goals: to open up greater political space in Sri Lanka’s shrinking democracy, to lay the groundwork for political reconciliation between the island’s different ethnic communities, to ensure that Sri Lankan Tamils have a clear account of atrocities by the LTTE that can’t be dismissed as pro-government propaganda, and, crucially, to discourage other governments from using indiscriminate and disproportionate force in their own particular “wars on terrorism” .Full Story>>>

Sri Lanka’s Libyan Spring

*groundviews journalism For citizens

Watching Rupavahini news these days gives way for all sorts of unintended jests. Like when we see Right Rev. Malcolm Ranjith Pieris exhorting Sri Lankan Catholics to show their solidarity with Buddhist brethren by refraining from consuming meat and liquor during the upcoming Vesak season. Of course the good Cardinal may be putting Jesus’ eternal words of “Turning the Other Cheek” in to practice by ignoring various angry remarks by Sinhala Buddhist supremacist websites and truculent nationalist Buddhist monks directed against him and Church in general in the recent past . Or when we have Education Minister Bandula Gunawardene threatening sue Sirasa network over some supposedly “investigative “reporting done by that television channel over the manner in which the pious minister celebrated his birthday in the company of some 140 Buddhist monks. And on top of all this we have an “analyst” lecturing us on the affront to the human dignity caused by allied bombardment on Gaddafi’s strongholds in Libya….
Continue reading »
------------------------------------------------

War Without Witness in Sri Lanka

NPC: Victim Of NGO ‘Witch Hunt’?

By Abdul H. Azeez

Dr. Jehan Perera and Lakshman Hulugalle

Following a complaint made by the Head of the NGO Secretariat, Lakshman Hulugalle, Executive Director, National Peace Council, Dr. Jehan Perera was called into the Criminal Investigation Department on March 11, and questioned for four hours.
The purpose of the questioning was to determine the scale and scope of the activities of the NPC, the state of its finances and the programmes which it funds. The questioning came in the wake of a string of reports in the media casting doubt on the activities of the NPC and claiming that it was in the business of furthering the agendas of its foreign donors.
When The Sunday Leader contacted Lakshman Hulugalle with regard to the matter he said he had made the complaint to the CID based on allegations he had received. However, Hulugalle did not elaborate on who made these allegations. When asked why he did not pursue the matter himself as a civil administration issue he said that he chose to turn it over to the CID as it was in his legal purview to do so.

Mar 27 2011 | Posted in News | Read More »
----------------------------

Monday, March 28, 2011

STATEMENT OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL PEACE COUNCIL IN REGARD TO THE INVESTIGATION BEING CARRIED OUT ON IT

National Peace Council Sri Lanka

Written by National Peace Council of Sri Lanka

Wednesday, 23 March 2011 10:10

Last week, the Executive Director of the National Peace Council was called to the headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Sri Lanka Police. He was informed that the CID wished to carry out an investigation regarding the organization's sources of funding, its partners and the activities it was carrying out. CID officers asked questions about the work of the National Peace Council and asked for further information. This investigation was preceded by adverse media commentary in both the state media and sections of the private media that NPC together with other non -governmental organizations continue to be funded by foreign donors despite the end of the war and claiming that they are serving the interests of their funding partners.

The Governing Council is perturbed that the organization is being investigated by the CID instead of by the normal civil administration although there is no prima facie evidence or specific allegation that it is engaging in any criminal activities. Most of the information that the CID has requested the organization to furnish has already been provided to the NGO Secretariat of the Government which is under the purview of the Ministry of Defence. These include work plans, sources of funding, financial and audit reports, salaries of staff and annual reports. So we fail to understand why the CID should investigate the organization. NPC staff has always cooperated fully with the NGO Secretariat which is the appropriate government regulatory and monitoring agency.

The National Peace Council was established in 1995 to support a citizens’ movement for peace in a time of escalating war. We believed, and continue to believe, in a non-violent and negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict within a united Sri Lanka. Although the war has ended in an outright victory for the government forces we believe that the minority communities must be reconciled with the government and the majority community. Such reconciliation needs to be based on a just solution to the grievances of the ethnic minorities with devolution of power to enable them to carry out their administration of public affairs in the Tamil language also. Therefore, NPC continues to affirm the need for a political solution to the ethnic conflict and for a reconciliation process between the communities and the government of the day. .

The National Peace Council is primarily an advocacy and education organisation. What we advocate is the protection of human rights and fundamental democratic freedoms of all the people of our land. This is a long term objective which will convince the majority of the people the need for a just solution to the minority problems be they ethnic or religion based minorities. Our advocacy is related to the values and principles enunciated in the several United Nations declarations and connected declarations which are the basis of our Constitution. We do not in any way seek to engage in any political activity. All the work that we do is transparent and in the public sphere. Throughout its years of existence, NPC has also been politically non-partisan, and its policy making bodies and staff are of diverse ethnicities, religions and political convictions.

The Governing Council is distressed that the current CID investigation would intimidate our staff members and their families, and also gives a negative message to the wider society of official intolerance towards liberal and democratic values. The UN Human Rights Day theme this year was the obligation of the member states to protect human rights workers in accordance with the UN Resolution. NPC's financial statements are available in our annual reports which are public documents in accordance with the Companies Law under which the organization is registered. All projects and donor funding are audited on an annual basis by Price Waterhouse and Coopers. The audited accounts are filed with the Registrar of Companies and are accessible to members of the public. Our advocacy and education programs are also public and reported in the annual reports. We hope that the CID investigation will be concluded speedily and the results conveyed to us.

Governing Council

The National Peace Council is an independent and non partisan organisation that works towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. It has a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka in which the freedom, human rights and democratic rights of all the communities are respected. The policy of the National Peace Council is determined by its Governing Council of 20 members who are drawn from diverse walks of life and belong to all the main ethnic and religious communities in the country.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 March 2011 10:22

Saturday, March 26, 2011

‘13th Amendment Plus’: India sceptical of Sri Lankan promise

CHENNAI, March 26, 2011

Nirupama Subramanian

After his 2008 visit to New Delhi, senior Sri Lankan presidential adviser Basil Rajapaksa, seen here with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, told the Americans that India had taken up the devolution issue with him, but that the focus was more about resolving fishermen’s problems.

PTI After his 2008 visit to New Delhi, senior Sri Lankan presidential adviser Basil Rajapaksa, seen here with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, told the Americans that India had taken up the devolution issue with him, but that the focus was more about resolving fishermen’s problems.

New Delhi wanted Colombo to step up efforts for a political solution

Sri Lanka told India it would implement a devolution plan for Tamil areas going beyond the 13th Amendment to its Constitution, but Indian officials were privately sceptical of the assurance.

Several U.S. Embassy cables accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks reveal that India pushed Sri Lanka on its devolution plans for months before the conclusion of the military operation against the LTTE.

The cables also reveal that the U.S. sought a bigger role in pushing a political solution for Tamils but was kept at bay by India.

As the military operations were drawing to a close, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told the U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires Peter Burleigh on May 15, 2009 that the Sri Lankan government had reassured India that “the government would focus on the implementation of the 13th Amendment Plus as soon as possible.” (207268: confidential, May 15, 2009)

But, the cable notes, “Menon was sceptical.

.” ‘13th Amendment Plus’: India sceptical of Sri Lankan promisee. FullStory>>>
--------------------------------------------

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Rajapaksa’s Dictatorial Allies Foretell His Future

By Mangala Samaraweera, M.P.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Tamil Eelam in the Diaspora

http://dissidentvoice.org/wp-content/themes/dissident/images/header.jpg

Tamil Eelam in the Diaspora

by Ron Ridenour / March 25th, 2011

Tamils living outside Sri Lanka are a dedicated people. They use a lot of their time to organize themselves and encourage others to help their kinsmen back home. It is my impression that most in the Diaspora feel close to those they left behind, realizing also the harassment and physical abuse they are forced to endure at the hands of many insensitive Sinhalese and their government.
Many other Tamils, especially in Tamil Nadu, India, join hands in this humanitarian struggle. Together, they have achieved a great deal of real assistance and some recognition for their kinsmen and cousins albeit no government has yet to respond with consequent solidarity for this maligned people. The potential potency of a true humanitarian, internationalist United Nations yet once again has been left unfulfilled in the interests of monetary and territorial profits.
Tamils began fleeing Sri Lanka in large numbers following the second pogrom, in 1977. Led by Buddhist monks, Sinhalese mobs destroyed many of their homes and shops and murdered up to 300. This was the second of four pogroms Tamils suffered between 1956 and 1983, in which as many as 5000 Tamils were murdered; some were set aflame alive.
The first Tamils fled to nearby Tamil Nadu where 60 million Indian Tamils live. These Sri Lanka Tamils have been poorly treated by Indian authorities. Activism led by Tamil Nadu Tamils has been based on emotional connections they have to the Sri Lankan Tamils. It peaked in May 2009 but has been sporadic since then. There are signs of revival of support for the Tamils generally among the educated class based on rational evaluation of the situation for Tamils in the island.

Tamil Eelam in the Diaspora Full Story>>>
Ron Ridenour / 03/25/2011

Sri Lanka says US human rights concerns complicate efforts to attract more American investment

March 23, 2011 - 19:48

Matthew Pennington, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Rights legislation and pressure from U.S. lawmakers for a war crimes probe complicate efforts to bring more American investment to Sri Lanka after its civil war, the country's ambassador said Wednesday.

The United States is already the top foreign investor and destination for Sri Lankan exports, but Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya said that Chinese companies with state-backed financing are now leading in major infrastructure projects in the island's economy, which is booming after the quarter-century war with the Tamil Tigers ended in 2009.

Continued Below

"I'm pushing hard to get more U.S. companies into Sri Lanka," the ambassador told The Associated Press.

Wickramasuriya will travel to Sri Lanka this week with executives from companies including Boeing, Caterpillar and hotelier Starwood. They will meet with top officials and potential business partners.

He said the Leahy Amendment — a U.S. law barring support to foreign military units believed to have committed gross rights violations — was an obstacle to more American investment. The amendment is named for Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

Wickramasuriya said that law had prevented supply last year of spare parts from U.S. firm Bell for transport helicopters operated by the military, forcing Sri Lanka to seek choppers from other countries.

"Those are blocking points for U.S. businesses," he said.

Also, this month the U.S. Senate passed a resolution urging an international probe into allegations of war crimes. Government forces, dominated by the island's majority ethnic Sinhalese, are suspected of shelling that killed thousands of minority Tamil civilians, and the Tamil rebels of using civilians as human shields.

Amnesty International says between 7,000 and 40,000 are estimated to have died in the final five months of the conflict. No independent group can say with certainty how many perished as all but a few humanitarian workers were barred from the battle zone.

Wickramasuriya played down the impact of the resolution, which he saw driven by ethnic Tamil propagandists based overseas and rights groups. But he said it could make some Sri Lankan businesses hesitant to match up with American partners.

The Obama administration has said that international pressure for a war crimes probe is likely to grow if the Sri Lankan commission does not investigate properly. International rights groups say the commission is pro-government.

Wickramasuriya rejected the accusation of bias and said the commission should be allowed to complete its work. He said if there is "credible evidence" of rights violations, there could be criminal proceedings.

--------------------------------------------------

"Tamil propagandists" part cause of anti-trade US legislation, says SL Ambassador

[Fri, 25 Mar 2011, 00:50 GMT]

Sri Lanka's Ambassador to US, Jaliya Wickramasuriya, said that Leahy Amendment, a U.S. law barring support to foreign military units believed to have committed gross rights violations, and recently passed US Senate resolution, S. Res. 84, which calls for "independent international accountability mechanism to look into reports of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations," in Sri Lanka are obstacles to US investment and US businesses engaging with local partners in Sri Lanka, Associated Press reported Thursday. Wickramasuriya played down the impact of the Senate resolution, which he saw driven by ethnic Tamil propagandists based overseas and rights groups, AP added. Full story >>
----------------------------------

Expressing support for internal rebuilding, resettlement, and reconciliation within Sri Lanka that are necessary to ensure a lasting peace.

112th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 84

Thursday, March 24, 2011

London women urge immediate IC move to rehabilitate Eezham widows

Ms Annabelle Sartoris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 March 2011, 21:02 GMT]
Representatives of women’s groups in London, who met on Thursday at Kingston to observe International Women’s Day centenary, appealed for immediate international community move to rehabilitate an estimated 89,000 Eezham Tamil war widows. The gathering organized by Tamil Women Development Forum and Elders Empowerment Programme was participated by

representatives of various communities in London and was attended by the Mayor and council officials of Kingston. Speaking on the occasion, Ms Annabelle Sartoris, a university researcher, said that Sri Lanka breaches UN resolution 1325 in protecting the rights of Eezham Tamil women. Full story >>

Councillor Chrissie Hitchcock, the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

R2P: Still Alive and Kicking?

Wednesday, 23 March 2011 00:00

Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu

A lot has been written and said about the popular uprisings in the Arab world and some have opined on the possibility or lack thereof of similar events in Sri Lanka. Suffice it be said that the situations in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya are different to that in this country. Over thirty years we have had armed insurgencies in the south and in the north and east of the country. The challenge is to move beyond conflict and whilst it is often the case that the trajectory of international and national politics is unpredictable, the possibility of any such uprising in the short or medium term is slim as the first phase of the local election results indicate, contested though they are by the opposition.if the world intended to go “crazy” over Libya he would do so too!
There are a number of factors for this ranging from the practice of democracy however flawed in Sri Lanka, the popularity of the president augmented by the war victory, the state of the opposition, the expectation of economic take off even in the face of economic hardship, apathy, fatigue, fear and the crushing of dissent.
Yet, the response of the international community, in particular, to the events in the Arab world is not without significance to us in Sri Lanka. Read more...

Another Island wide strike

by Wimalananda Sukumar

Why Sri Lankan University Teachers are not deserving any Salary Increment?

(March 23, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian)1. Non of the Sri Lankan University teachers are recruited and promoted in a proper way. Their qualifications and the grades are not fair. Because Universities are passing and giving classes and high grades very unfair manner to friends, relatives, sons and daughters and personnel henchmen. The current setup of Sri Lankan Universities never allow any outside qualified person to enter the system.

by Wimalananda SukumarWhy Sri Lankan University Teachers are not deserving any Salary Increment?(March 23, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian)1. ...
23 Mar 2011 / undefined Comments / Read More

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

UN heard Eknelygoda's cry for help; husband still missing

By Bob Dietz/CPJ Asia Program Coordinator

Sandhya Eknelygoda has recently managed to get the attention of the United Nations about the case of the disappearance of her husband, Prageeth, on January 24, 2010. Still, there has been no progress made in learning of his whereabouts.

CPJ and many other media rights groups have been supporting Eknelygoda's advocacy campaign on behalf of her husband. Her untiring efforts have spurred us on in a continuing campaign to pressure Sri Lanka's government and international organizations like the U.N. in helping her find out where her husband is. Here's her update on her efforts, translated from Sinhala by a friend of the Eknelygoda family:
Sandhya has been back in Colombo for more than a week. She had traveled to Geneva and appeared as a panelist at the 13th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Her March 11 session was called "Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance in South Asia--Voices from the Ground." She was invited to Geneva and sponsored by the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism.
In Geneva, she met Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillai on two occasions: once when she had a meeting with international nongovernmental organizations, and a second time at the panel discussion. Pillai said the Human Rights Council was very much aware of Prageeth's case, and that they were taking the issue seriously and would continue to be involved in looking for him. Pillai said she would continue to press the Sri Lankan government for answers.
Here is a link is a link to an unofficial translation of her testimony to the panel.
She has also heard from Kishore Mandhyan, who works in Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office. Mandhyan contacted her shortly after CPJ and four other groups called on Ban to address the Eknelygoda case.
For her next step, Sandhya fears she won't be able to do any politically overt campaigning in Sri Lanka due to the increasingly restrictive political environment. But as a devout Buddhist, she wants to get other women whose husbands, fathers, and brothers have disappeared to carry out a series of religious campaigns across the country, smashing coconuts and invoking the curse of Kali Amma (the goddess of vengeance) on the government and those in power--a powerful gesture in the predominantly Buddhist country, and one that would embarrass the Rajapaksa government, which bases much of its claim to political power on its links to the country's Buddhist roots.
While she is doing that, she wants international organizations to keep Prageeth's issue alive in the international arena and bring it up every opportunity we get.
She feels the next important step for her case will come in June, when Sri Lanka's Human Rights Commission will look into her case. She feels the commission will make a special effort since the UNHCHR's Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has mentioned Prageeth's case as in need of an ""urgent action procedure."
--------------------------------------------

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Media rights groups to U.N.: Intervene in Sri Lanka case

---------------------------------------

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

'UN intervention' to find Prageeth

Five prominent media rights organizations has written to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling on the U.N. to intervene in the case of journalist Prageeth Eknelygoda.

Wife and the son of Prageeth


	Looking for Prageeth year later

Sri Lanka condemns airstrikes on Libya

Colombo – Sri Lanka on Wednesday condemned airstrikes on Libya saying it was a violation of the territorial integrity of an independent country.
'The airstrikes are harming civilians and a violation of the territorial integrity of an independent country,' External Affairs Minister GL Peiris told Parliament.
He said the airstrikes were contrary to a UN resolution that was adopted with the aim of alleviating the suffering of civilians in that country.
Sri Lanka's government itself came under criticism over the deaths of civilians during its conflict with ethnic Tamil separatist rebels, which ended with the rebels' defeat in May 2009.
The United Nations estimated that 7,500 civilians were killed in the final stages of the conflict, but the government has denied the charge.
Peiris spoke Wednesday during a debate on the situation in Libya, in which ruling party members strongly condemned the airstrikes but opposition members refrained from making any comments.
Sri Lanka has a longstanding relationship with Libya, and President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Libya in September 2009 to attend the 40th anniversary of the military coup that brought Moamer Gaddafi to power.
A UN-mandated no-fly zone was imposed over the weekend by a coalition led by the United States, Britain and France after Gaddafi ordered his military to confront demonstrators seeking to remove him from power.

-----------------------------

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Rajapaksa’s Dictatorial Allies Foretell His Future

By Mangala Samaraweera, M.P.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Taking Children Off the Streets

September - October 2010, Young Asia Television, Sri Lanka

Taking Children Off the Streets from Young Asia Television on Vimeo.

Taking Children Off the Streets:Kusum and the Sarvodaya Street Children's Centre

Training Programme on Constructive Journalism & Social Change by Michael Gleich - Advanced Journalism Academy
-----------------------------------------------
Development Diaries March 9. 2011

සංවර්ධන සටහන් | Development Diaries March 9. 2011 from Young Asia Television on Vimeo.

Rajiv held Tiger’s tail, now Sonia is holding Lion’s tail

Wednesday, 23 March 2011 00:00
After the Indo- Lanka peace accord was signed, a very interesting and intriguing cartoon made

a splash in the Indian media. The cartoon carried a drawing where the then Indian Prime Minister (P.M.) Rajiv Gandhi was shown as panting and running holding the tail of a tiger around a tree while the then Sri Lanka (SL) President J R Jayewardene was relaxing seated in a chair. The idea conveyed by the cartoon was the SL President after signing the accord had entrusted the entire task of destroying the Tamil Tigers to Rajiv Gandhi and the Indian peace keeping Force (IPKF) while he was sitting pretty.

Today , exactly 14 years have elapsed since that event occurred , and the Tamil Tiger menace had been liquidated. Sonia the wife of Rajiv Gandhi however is now holding the tail of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ‘Lion’ and running in circles around the tree. Sonia Gandhi and her Govt. have to hold the tail of the ‘lion’ and run round perhaps because of the assurance given by her Govt. to America including the western countries during the tail end of the SL war. The assurance being , no sooner the Tamil Tigers are devastated than a political solution shall be found for the Tamil people of SL. When America and the international community came forward to halt the war during the final phase, India gave this assurance to them. This came to light when ‘The Hindu’ newspaper recently revealed the messages contained in the ‘Wikileaks cables’. The US Embassy Wikileaks cables accessed by ‘The Hindu’ newspaper expressed thus : ‘ the cables reveal that while India conveyed its concern to Sri Lanka several times about the perilous situation that civilians caught in the fighting faced , it was not opposed to the anti LTTE operation. They also show that India worried about the Sri Lankan President’s “post conflict intentions”, though it believed that there was a better chance of persuading him to offer Sri Lankan Tamils an inclusive political settlement after the fighting ended. After its efforts to halt the operation failed, the International community resigned itself to playing a post -conflict role by using its economic leverage , acknowledging that it had to rope in India for this….

Monday, March 21, 2011

'Abused' child monks handed to probation -Aparekke Punnananda thero, a former parliamentarian representing Sinhala nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is accused of sexually abusing five underage novice monks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/images/furniture/banner.gif

'Abused' child monks handed to probation


	Aparekke Punnananda thero is accused of sexually abusing novice monks

A court in Sri Lanka has ordered the child protection authorities to hand over two young Buddhist monks -allegedly sexually abused by a senior monk- to the custody of probation department.

Aparekke Punnananda thero, a former parliamentarian representing Sinhala nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is accused of sexually abusing five underage novice monks.

The Child Protection Authority (CPA) has produced the two monks before Colombo Magistrates Court as per a previous court order.

The novice monks have made secret statements to the magistrate at her chambers.

The court also ordered the police to produce other three child monks allegedly abused by Punyananda thero.

After considering a report produced by the CPA, the magistrate ordered the authorities to submit a report whether there are any other underage novice monks in the Budhhist temple where the suspect is the chief incumbent.

The CPA earlier informed the court that the suspect has admitted sexually abusing child monks under his custody.

Aparekke Punyananda thero, who is on bail, appeared before the court on Friday with security provided by the Ministerial Security Division.

Full Story>>>
------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, March 20, 2011

16th HRC: General Debate -- Human Rights Situations in Sri Lanka

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Oral statement delivered by FORUM-ASIA during the 16th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council on the situation of enforced or involuntary disappearances of human rights defenders in Sri Lanka and the 18th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution.
16th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Item 4: Human Rights Situations that Require the Council’s Attention - General Debate

Oral Statement Delivered by Ms. Pooja Patel on behalf of FORUM-ASIA

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Thank you Mr. President. FORUM-ASIA urges the seized attention of the Council to the situation in Sri Lanka, in which the human rights violations remain chronic in nature and persist with impunity. We also express our deep regret that despite providing its own updates to this Council in the regular sessions, the government of Sri Lanka has hardly cooperated with the Council’s work. As reflected in the report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (A/HRC/16/48), the Sri Lankan government has yet to provide clarification on 5,653 outstanding cases. While we note that the government delegation informed the Council yesterday of its invitation to the High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Sri Lanka, we believe that the excuses for the delays in positively responding to the visit requests by five Special Procedures[1] are far-fetched since the timely country visits would assess the situation and provide most necessary inputs for the human rights protection in this post-war period.

Mr. President, we repeat our grave concerns over the systematic erosion of democratic structures and institutions in Sri Lanka. The 18th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution removed safeguards against the concentration of power in the Executive Presidency.[2] Against this backdrop, an extremely hostile environment for human rights defenders and journalists has been created, and attacks on media institutions and civil society organisations are ongoing. The fact that the NGO Secretariat is placed under the Ministry of Defense is indicative of the government’s deplorable perception of the work of human rights and civil society organizations. Meanwhile, the resettlement of those displaced by the conflict is proceeding without a clear commitment to reconciliation and without adequate consultation with the affected communities. Increased militarization in the North and East create an environment of intense insecurity for resettled communities, especially for women headed families who are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and abuse.

With regards to the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), it is our serious concern that there is an absence of the Witness Protection Act or any other mechanism to ensure security and protection for those who give testimonies. This has led to numerous reports of threats and intimidation against witnesses and human rights defenders testifying and observing the proceedings. Mr. President, we time and again reiterate the previous call by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish “independent international accountability mechanism that would enjoy public confidence, both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.” [3] The Council should abide by its collective responsibility to thoroughly consider and act upon the findings and recommendations from the report of the UN Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts to be issued in the coming weeks. Thank you, Mr. President.

[1]     Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Independent Expert on Minority Issues (2007, 2009), Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders (2008), Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression (2009)

[2]     FORUM-ASIA, Oral Statement, 15th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council (13 September - 1 October 2010), Item 4 General Debate, 20 September 2010

[3]     UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethem Pillay, Oral Statement, 14th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council (31 May - 18 June 2010), Item 2 Update by the High Commissioner, 31 May 2010

More information on 16th UN Human Rights Council

Friday, March 18, 2011

Why China's help to Japan carries weight

Part of complete coverage on

Jaime's China

By Jaime FlorCruz, CNN

March 18, 2011 1:18 a.m. EDT

Editor's note: "Jaime's China" is a weekly column about Chinese society and politics. Jaime FlorCruz has lived and worked in China since 1971. He studied Chinese history at Peking University (1977-81) and served as TIME Magazine's Beijing correspondent and bureau chief (1982-2000).

Beijing, China (CNN) -- Disasters usually bring out the best and the worst in people.
Full Story>>>

Thursday, March 17, 2011

UK MP group calls for international inquiry into Sri Lanka's war-crimes

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 March 2011, 01:01 GMT]
Lee Scott MP, Ilford North, Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT), in a statement issued today, said "[n]othing but an independent international enquiry to alleged war crimes will satisfy the international community; Sri Lanka must be ready to face economic sanctions if it fails to meet internationally accepted standards," and added "the Tamil people have been waiting far too long for justice. The situation has worsened not only for Tamil people, but also Sinhala academics, journalists, and human rights activists under President Rajapaksa’s rule in Sri Lanka...it is important that Britain act now...."

Full text of the release follows:

Statement from APPGT

The US Senate recently passed a resolution urging an international investigation of war crimes allegations. Robert O’Blake, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, said the US wanted to see a proper investigation into abuses by both sides in the conflict and was giving the Sri Lankan commission the chance to do so. It was hoped that the Sri Lankans would do this themselves; but if they are not willing to take the accountability issue seriously, then there will be pressure from the international community to look at some kind of international option.

Lee Scott, MP., Ilford North, UK

Lee Scott MP, Ilford North, Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group, referring to the recent comments by Robert O’Blake said “ Nothing but an independent international enquiry to alleged war crimes will satisfy the international community; Sri Lanka must be ready to face economic sanctions if it fails to meet internationally accepted standards”.

Lee Scott, Conservative MP for Ilford North, who has previously expressed his serious concerns about the humanitarian and human rights situation in Sri Lanka continued “The Tamil people have been waiting far too long for justice. The situation has worsened not only for Tamil people, but also Sinhala academics, journalists, and human rights activists under President Rajapaksa’s rule in Sri Lanka. Respected international organisations such as Human Rights Watch and International Crisis Group wanted Governments such as the UK and USA to take firm action. Our Prime Minister was the first European Leader to publicly acknowledge the “wrong choices” that we (Britain) had made in the interest of stability and trade. The developments in postwar Sri Lanka clearly shows that it is slipping into an autocratic state. It is important that Britain act now, along with our European partners, the USA and India. The APPGt is very aware of this situation and will continue to do their utmost to bring this to international attention”.