HIGH-LEVEL US DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN SRI LANKA

(Left) Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James R. Moore, (Center) Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jane B. 
Zimmerman and (Right) Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Vikram J. Singh

January 19, 2013 

A high-level delegation from the United States, comparing three US Deputy Assistant Secretaries, are set to arrive in the island next week on an official visit, aimed at discussing various issues such as the implementation of the LLRC recommendations and National Action Plan.

“Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Moore, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Vikram Singh, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jane Zimmerman will travel to Sri Lanka and Maldives from January 26-February 1,” the US Embassy in Colombo said in a release today.

They are scheduled to meet with senior Sri Lankan officials, members of various political parties as well as civil society to discuss a wide range of issues, including progress in implementing the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission recommendations and National Action Plan, it said.  

The former Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo (2006 – 2009), James R. Moore is the current Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.

Jane B. Zimmerman is a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, responsible for South and Central Asia, the Western Hemisphere, and International Religious Freedom.

Vikram J. Singh is Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs.  Mr. Singh serves as the principal advisor to senior leadership within the Department of Defense for all policy matters pertaining to development and implementation of defense strategies and plans for the region. 

Eccentric MaRa courts disaster via his mad courts- a foreign ship leaves ignoring court orders

(Lanka-e-News -18.Jan.2013, 11.30PM) With the world beginning to treat the new Chief justice (CJ) of SL as an unlawful CJ , the foreign countries are rejecting the judgments delivered by the SL courts in regard to international transactions. This was well illustrated when an Iranian ship ignored the SL court verdict. As this Iranian vessel MV Ameena had defaulted payment to a German Bank., the latter on an order secured from the SL court had kept this vessel detained within the SL territorial waters. Following the exposure that the world’s highest judicial body does not recognize the SL’s unlawful chief justice (CJ) , and that in SL there exists no independent judiciary , this Vessel in question had ignored the court order and started its journey out of the SL waters. When the vessel was moving taking no notice of the SL Navy orders , and journeying, the Navy had finally ordered to stop when it was just close to the SL territorial waters boundary. The captain in the ship had then replied that the SL courts are not world recognized , and they are therefore not bound to adhere to the court verdict. The media spokesman for the Navy, Kosala Warnakulasooriya said , by now the relevant vessel had traveled nearly 12 nautical miles , and has entered the international territorial waters , and hence no action can be taken against it except under the regulations of the UN. Meanwhile , the US High Commissioner in SL , Ms. Michelle Seeson issued a stern and ominous statement yesterday. It is no secret that foreign investors who wish to invest in SL must first assess the independence of the judiciary , she said. The impeachment motion of MaRa (who has now gone stark mad) against the CJ , Dr . Shiranee Bandaranayake had gravely jeopardized the independence of the judiciary of SL., whereby attracting foreign investors into this country has now become a major issue.