Sri Lanka: people 'putting themselves at risk' - video

TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2013

JOHN SPARKS Asia Correspondent

President Mahinda Rajapaksa tells Channel 4 News he is "not concerned" by allegations of war crimes - but Jonathan Miller says people in Sri Lanka could be at risk after speaking to the programme.

INDIAN AUTHORITIES DEMOLISH VELLAMULLIVAIKKAL MEMORIAL..

November 13, 2013 

Tamil Nadu authorities today (November 13) demolished the compound wall and removed a park at the Vellamullivaikkal Memorial in Thanjavur, built to commemorate those who died in the area in the war in Sri Lanka, Authorities claimed that they were constructed on encroached highway land, triggering instant protests by pro-Eelam activists including P. Nadumaran who was taken into custody. (Pics via Indian Media)

CHOGM: Real engagement, or a Sri Lanka PR exercise?

BY J.S. TISSAINAYAGAM:-13 NOVEMBER 2013

JS Tissainayagam, 
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will attend the Commonwealth Summit in Colombo to engage with host nation Sri Lanka. However, while loudly encouraging Commonwealth leaders to engage by attending the Summit, Sri Lanka has in the recent past brushed aside international engagement it perceives as threatening and accommodated only that which boosts its legitimacy at home and image abroad.

m Award (2009).

CHOGM Real Engagement, Or a Sri Lanka PR Exercise by nelvely

Making Commonwealth Values A Reality

By Gabriela Knaul -November 13, 2013 |

Gabriela Knaul

Making Commonwealth values a reality: the rule of law and independence of the legal profession

Presentation of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers - Gabriela Knaul

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to begin this brief presentation by expressing my sincere gratitude to the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute and the International Commission of Jurists for inviting me to participate to this press conference. I am honoured to have the opportunity to share some thoughts on how to promote the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession.

As you well know, the independence of the judiciary finds its origin in the principle of the separation of powers, according to which the State is divided into branches – the legislature, the executive and the judiciary – each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with the powers associated with the other branches.  This separation of powers enables a system of mutual checks and balances aimed at ensuring the integrity of the roles of each branch and at preventing abuses of power to the detriment of a free society.

The judiciary plays an essential part in this system. It serves as an essential safeguard against breaches to the law committed by the other branches of the State, in particular the executive power, and plays an important role in ensuring that the law applies equally to everyone. Institutional independence requires the judiciary to be institutionally separated from the other branches of power, and to be autonomous and independent in its functioning and in the decision of internal matters.Read More

Solutions Needed in Sri Lanka | Commentary

• By Reps. Danny K. Davis and Bill Johnson
• Nov. 12, 2013, 4:14 p.m.

More than four years after Sri Lanka’s ethnic-fueled internal conflict came to an end after 26 years, the country has yet to implement a viable plan for lasting peace and reconciliation.

In March, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a U.S.-led resolution calling for the “establishment of a truth-seeking mechanism as an integral part of a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to transnational justice” in Sri Lanka.

The resolution came in response to continued post-conflict occurrences of gender-, ethnic-, political- and religious-based violence, as well as the government’s reluctance to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable for alleged serious violations of international law. Those violations occurred during the final stages of Sri Lanka’s conflict, which left tens of thousands of Tamil civilians dead.

The Human Rights Council’s resolution fell on deaf ears. When Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, visited the island in August to observe the country’s progress for herself, she received numerous reports of ongoing human rights violations and land grabs by the military, noting afterward that Sri Lanka appeared to be heading in “an increasingly authoritarian direction.”

Sri Lanka may have been the first democracy in South Asia, but these issues are hardly characteristic of one.

To secure lasting peace and stability, Sri Lanka needs a durable and equitable political system that ensures all citizens are fairly represented and afforded equal rights and protections.

Elections were held in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province last month for the first time ever, but there were numerous reports of violence and intimidation at the polls, particularly against ethnic-Tamil candidates and supporters. Furthermore, since the election the Supreme Court has diminished what little authority these provincial councils currently hold by taking away their land and police powers, diluting the 13th Amendment. Currently, executive authority is held by an ex-military governor and the president, along with his two brothers, who already control more than 70 percent of the nation’s finances.

To support a reversal of the ongoing problems, we are launching the Congressional Caucus on Ethnic and Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka. The caucus will work to educate members of Congress about the current human rights situation and achieve solutions for the protection of ethnic and religious rights of all citizens, including Tamils, Hindus, Christians and Muslims.

We will also be working to adopt a congressional resolution sponsored by Reps. Michael G. Grimm, R-N.Y., and Rush D. Holt, D-N.J., that expresses support for rebuilding, resettlement and reconciliation in order to ensure lasting peace in Sri Lanka. Resolution 247 also calls for devolution of power, equal rights and “the establishment of an independent international mechanism to look into allegations of war crimes and other human rights violations committed by all sides” during and after the armed conflict.

Given the magnitude of horrors Sri Lankans bore witness to, and how the most egregious alleged violators of international law remain unpunished, accountability for the guilty is essential for helping those who have suffered to heal, and the country’s diverse population reconcile.

Sri Lanka CHOGM 2013: Ensure the safety of foreign journalists and withdraw the restrictions

Sri Lanka CHOGM 2013: Ensure the safety of foreign journalists and withdraw the restrictions

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The Free Media Movement (FMM) expresses its concern that on 11^th November a protest was organised at the at the entrance of the Katunayaka Air Port against the Channel 4 journalist Callum Macrae who was visiting Sri Lanka to cover the CHOGM 2013.  

The Free Media Movement is not against any peaceful protest and rather considers it as form of right to free expression.

The Katunayaka Air Port area is considered as a high security zone and even at normal times even waiting outside the Air Port is not allowed without a valid reason. Further the Government of Sri Lanka has announced that no protest will be allowed in the areas related to the CHOGM 2013. The Katunayaka Air Port, where all the heads of governments will be arriving at is defiantly come under this ban. It is no secrete that without the backing of the authorities any protest could be held close to the Air Port in any given time.

It is in this context that the FMM expresses its concern on the protest held at the Air Port against a visiting journalist. The FMM holds the view that  this protest sends a message to all visiting journalists that they could come under pressure any time any where in Sri Lanka. At the same time the FMM considers this 'officially sanctioned' protest as one more intimidation against foreign as well as local media personal, who are considered to be critical and independent by the authorities.   

The FMM hopes that the government take notice of this situation and will take necessary measures to ensure the safety of the visiting journalists.

The FMM is disappointed that the government has now imposed rigid restriction on the media personal visiting to cover the CHOGM 2013. According to media reports visiting journalists are banned form covering any other issues outside the CGOGM 2013. The FMM is unable to understand as to why such a restriction necessary. Restrictions imposed on visiting journalists will only strengthened the notion that the government of Sri Lanka is trying to hide the post- war situation form the world.

The FMM requests the government to revoke the restrictions imposed on the visiting media personal and allow them to travel and report freely.

Only by ensuring the safety of and allowing the visiting media personal to report freely the government of Sri Lanka can show the world that it stand by the Commonwealth value of right to free expression. 

The Free Media Movement

Press release / 12 Nov 2013

Singed

Sunil Jayasekara, Convener, FMM

Sri Lanka’s Potemkin Peace: Democracy Under Fire

Colombo/Brussels  |   13 Nov 2013

Despite recent moves meant to show progress towards post-war reconciliation and respect for human rights, Sri Lanka’s government has not altered the authoritarian direction of its policies, and the rights and security of all communities remain under threat.

“The small window of opportunity in the northern province shows that international pressure is essential to preserve the remaining space for democratic dissent, prevent regression on ethnic issues and restrain growing authoritarianism”. Jim Della-Giacoma, Crisis Group’s Asia Program Director

In its latest report, Sri Lanka’s Potemkin Peace: Democracy Under Fire, the International Crisis Group examines challenges facing the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) following its landslide victory in Sri Lanka’s north, the central government’s hostility to devolution, and the ever-shrinking democratic space nationwide. The Colombo government’s attempts to mask its growing authoritarianism as it hosts this month’s Commonwealth summit appear increasingly flimsy.

The report’s major findings and recommendations are:

• The long-awaited northern province elections were a success, but to go forward the TNA-controlled council needs both Colombo’s cooperation and financial, technical and political support from the international community. Influential governments, including India and other Commonwealth members as well as the U.S., should make clear to Colombo that diplomatic pressure will intensify if it pushes through constitutional changes that weaken or eliminate provincial councils.
• Militant Buddhist attacks on mosques and Muslim businesses have continued with tacit government support, while violence against Christian churches and worshippers appears to be on the rise. There have been no serious government efforts to prevent or punish attacks.
• Participants in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this week in Colombo should press the government to address human rights abuses, prevent attacks on religious minorities and restore judicial independence.
• Legal and administrative moves responding to the government’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and the UN Human Rights Council's March resolution have not restored judicial or police independence, curbed militarisation or ensured accountability for war crimes in the conflict that ended in 2009.
• If the government cannot show progress by March 2014, when the UN Human Rights Council next meets, members should design an international mechanism to investigate the many allegations of violations of international law by both sides in the civil war and to monitor continuing human rights violations and attacks on the rule of law.

“The government’s policies badly damage rule of law and democracy, undermine the rights of Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese alike and render all citizens insecure”, says Alan Keenan, Sri Lanka Project Director. “If it continues to close avenues of peaceful change, the risks of violent reaction will grow”.

“The small window of opportunity that exists in the northern province shows that sustained and focused international pressure can work”, says Jim Della-Giacoma, Asia Program Director. “With opposition parties and civil society weakened by years of government intimidation, international pressure on Sri Lankan leaders is essential to preserve the remaining space for democratic dissent, prevent regression on ethnic issues and restrain growing authoritarianism”.

All C’wealth Members Should Refuse To Attend CHOGM Until Visa Ban Is Lifted – C’wealth Lawyers Association

November 13, 2013

The Commonwealth Lawyers Association wants all members of the Commonwealth to refuse to attend CHOGM until the visa ban of the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute’s high-level delegation is lifted.

Issuing a statement CLA says; The CLA considers that all members of the Commonwealth should refuse to attend CHOGM until the visa ban is lifted and, further, that the BASL/IBAHRI event should be allowed to proceed as originally planned without any further interference.

We publish below the statement in full;

Statement on Denied Entry to IBAHRI Delegation in Advance of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Sri Lanka

Gabriela Knaul

The Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) is dismayed and concerned that members of an International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) high-level delegation were denied entry into Sri Lanka on 7th November 2013. The delegation included the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, and the first UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Param Cumaraswamy. Entry was denied in spite of visas having been granted and in accordance with normal procedures.

The CLA notes the statement issued by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) on 9th November 2013 reiterating the fact that the delegation was due to travel to participate in a joint event co-hosted by the BASL and the IBAHRI entitled ‘Making Commonwealth Values a Reality: the Rule of Law and the Independence of the Legal Profession’. The event was intended to facilitate discussion of the Commonwealth’s fundamental values in relation to the legal profession and the Rule of Law more broadly. The CLA further notes that all of the arrangements for the event were handled by the BASL and the IBAHRI in accordance with the usual procedures.

Read More

Channel 4 journalists violate immigration rules ; action should be taken - Ceylon Today

Channel 4 journalists violate immigration rules ; action should be taken - Ceylon Today

Callum MacraeControversial Channel 4 Film Director, Callum Macrae and 4 other journalists who arrived in Sri Lanka have violated Immigration rules by attending a press conference yesterday (12) organized by United National Party (UNP) as they have engaged in activities which does not relate to CHOGM and patriotic minded people are waiting to what action will be taken by security forces against them, reports Tiran Alles’s newspaper ‘Ceylon Today’ today (13).

The Department of Immigration and Emigration which had issued instructions to all attendees, including media personnel, that they were prohibited from covering anything that was not CHOGM-related, deported New Zealand MP and member of the Green Party, Jan Logie, and Australian Senator, Lee Rhiannon, on 10 November, for not abiding by these instructions, the paper reports.

The newspaper further reports:

"Macrae produced four films for Channel 4 pertaining to alleged war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan Security Forces during the final phase of the war, and inviting him to the media briefing held by MP Mangala Samaraweera at the UNP Headquarters, Sirikotha, was bitterly opposed by UNP MPs and other members of the Party.

It was revealed that the invitation to Macrae to attend the press conference had been extended with the consent of the UNP Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Chairman of its Leadership Council, Karu Jayasuriya.

Those opposed to inviting Macrae claim he who had tarnished and disgraced the image of the country, internationally, being invited to the headquarters of the main Opposition Party in the backdrop of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) being held in Sri Lanka, is an attempt to further vilify the country.

The government, initially, strongly condemned the adverse report produced by Macrae against Sri Lanka and even warned that legal redress would be sought in International Courts. The government even demonstrated its opposition before the UN with a view to halting the exhibition of his films.

The UNP, as the main Opposition, had acted without taking into consideration the protests staged by the public when Macrae had arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake and had as a result, incurred the wrath and displeasure of both the Party and the people, the opposing UNP group stressed. It is significant to note that India refused to even issue Macrae a visa, they further pointed out.”
13 November 2013 

Obhrai in Jaffna ahead of CHOGM

November 12, 2013

Canadian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights Deepak Obhrai undertook a fact-finding mission to Jaffna today.

Obhrai, who is in Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth summit, met the Chief Minister of the North C.V. Wigneswaran and Jaffna bishop Thomas Saundaranayagam.

He also visited the Uthayan newspaper office and discussed issues faced by the media in the North.

He later said that he was concerned over what he heard during the visit to the newspaper office.

Obhrai also placed a wreath at Elephant Pass in memory of those killed during the war.

Obhrai is representing the Canadian government at the summit after Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper pulled out in protest over the Sri Lankan government’s failure to meet the expectations of the international community on human rights issues.

He said that on his return to Canada he will brief the Canadian government on what he feels is the situation in Sri Lanka. (Colombo Gazette)

Friends And Enemies Within And Without The Commonwealth

By Malinda Seneviratne and Chamara Sumanapala --November 13, 2013 |

Malinda Seneviratne

Recently some media reports from Kenya claimed that the African nation was planning to canvass support for a boycott of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM 2013) in Colombo. The Nairobi government denied this and the story faded away.

The story is interesting. It had nothing to do with the venue and the kinds of objections raised by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.  It was about chiding the Commonwealth for its silence with respect to Kenya’s battle against the International Criminal Court (ICC). At a recent African Union meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Kenyans garnered substantial support in its battle with the ICC. African countries charge that the ICC is biased as all cases currently probed involve African countries. Since one third of the member states of the Commonwealth of Nations are from Africa, any call for boycott would not go unheeded in the continent. That was the logic of the boycott call reported.Read More

Sri Lanka: The Extraordinary Case Of The Prime Minister’s Murder

By T. Thurai - November 13, 2013 |

T. Thurai

On a quiet September morning in 1959, two men were waiting for an audience with an important man. Seated on the verandah of the Prime Minister’s house, Asoka Christopher Seneviratne and his uncle Stephen had come to ask for a certificate of character.

A mundane request for an insignificant piece of paper; the sort of thing used to support an application for a job or bank loan.

The man they had come to see was S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, who had swept to victory three years earlier. Yet despite his electoral success, Mr Bandaranaike’s short incumbency had not been a peaceful one.

In previous months the country had been brought to a standstill by strikes and pushed to the brink of civil war by violent ethnic riots.

Yet, by 1959 peace appeared to have been restored.

Neither of the two men seated outside the Prime Minister’s home could have anticipated the momentous event that they were about to witness.                                        Read More

Australia must not look the other way on Sri Lanka

Elaine Pearson

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

Author(s): 

 Elaine Pearson

Published in: 

 Sydney Morning Herald

When Sri Lankan authorities detained Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon for publicly criticising their human rights record, it reinforced why Sri Lanka is a poor choice of host for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The gathering of heads of state from 53 nations, which begins on Friday, aims to promote ''common values'' including equitable growth, democracy, accountability, rule of law, and human rights. The principles of human rights are enshrined in the Commonwealth's Harare Declaration of 1991. Sri Lanka's increasingly authoritarian rule and poor record of accountability for past abuses make a mockery of these principles.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop should take care not to whitewash Sri Lanka's human rights record.

Sri Lanka, admired for its beautiful beaches, temples and cuisine, has a tragic recent history. The conflict in the minority Tamil-populated north, which ended in May 2009, took a heavy civilian death toll. According to the UN, up to 40,000 people died in the final five months of the conflict alone. Human Rights Watch and others documented extensive violations of the laws of war by Sri Lankan armed forces. While the Tamil Tigers held several hundred thousand civilians effectively as hostages, the military repeatedly shelled the areas where the civilians sought safety, including in no-fire zones and hospitals. Summary executions and evidence of rape were captured on video.

The war ended with the military's decisive defeat of the Tamil Tigers and the killing of its top leadership.

After the fighting ended, the Sri Lankan government had the opportunity to promote long-term peace and reconciliation between the Sinhala and Tamil populations and hold human rights abusers to account. Instead, despite international pressure, there has been no accountability and, in fact, absolute denial, and continued human rights violations by the Sri Lankan government.

In 2012 and 2013, the UN Human Rights Council passed resolutions calling on Sri Lanka to take concrete steps towards investigating these allegations. While Australia supported this, it stopped short of calling for an international investigation into war crimes should the government fail to make progress.

Sri Lanka's denial of wartime atrocities has been matched by a deterioration in the human rights situation. The present government of Mahinda Rajapaksa has taken Sri Lanka in a disturbing authoritarian direction. Top ranks of the government are held by his brothers. The chief justice was impeached after ruling against a bill introduced by one of the president's brothers. Independent commissions have been rendered toothless. The media and human rights groups have less and less freedom to speak out.

After visiting Sri Lanka earlier this year, Bishop said she found ''no evidence of human rights abuses now''. However, the findings of her three-day trip to the north lie in stark contrast to the more recent visit by UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, who said ''surveillance and harassment appears to be getting worse in Sri Lanka, which is a country where critical voices are quite often attacked or even permanently silenced … The war may have ended, but in the meantime democracy has been undermined and the rule of law eroded''.

While Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced he will not attend CHOGM, saying Sri Lanka has failed to uphold the Commonwealth's ''core values,'' Bishop says his decision is ''regrettable''.

What is more regrettable is Australia's blindness to Sri Lanka's human rights concerns. Australia seems to be reluctant to admit human rights violations as a means of deflecting asylum claims of Sri Lankan Tamils coming to Australia by boat. However, in the long run what will really stem the flow of illegal migration from Sri Lanka is a government that respects the rights of its people.

Australia can either choose to look the other way, implicitly endorsing Sri Lankan abuses, or it can use this opportunity to support efforts for accountability and democracy in Sri Lanka. British Prime Minister David Cameron will attend, but his government has said he will deliver a ''tough message''. At a minimum, Abbott and Bishop should do the same.

CHOGM 2013. Sri Lanka: Commonwealth heads of states cancelled Batticaloa tour ;civil society disappointed

CHOGM 2013. Sri Lanka: Commonwealth heads of states cancelled Batticaloa tour ;civil society disappointed

13 November 2013

Commonwealth heads of states have canceled their visit to Batticaloa today. 
Heads of states from 20 nations schedule to make two days visit to Batticaloa district. However delegates have canceled their tour on Tuesday evening. 
Batticaloa district secretariat together civil committees organized various events in the district. Officials and civil committee members express disappointment over this sudden decision.

PM Harper’s rep lays flowers for Tigers

November 12, 2013, 9:02 pm 

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Canadian MP Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Human Rights, yesterday laid flowers at the Elephant Pass cemetery on his way back from Jaffna.

A senior government official alleged the flowers had been for those who died fighting for the LTTE, a proscribed organisation in Canada.

Obhrai is in Sri Lanka for the three-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to begin on Friday. The MP represents Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

A senior security official alleged that the Canadian’s gesture was meant to placate the LTTE activists in Canada.

Asked whether Sri Lanka would protest to Canada against the laying of flowers, the official said that the Commonwealth Secretariat should explain its position. He said that the Canadian Prime Minister’s representative was accompanied to the cemetery by the Canadian High Commissioner in Colombo Shelley Whiting.

They entered the cemetery in spite of a Sri Lankan official accompanying them requesting them not to lay flowers there.

Officials alleged that other delegations visiting Jaffna, too, would try to follow the Canadians. Among those expected to visit Jaffna were British and New Zealand delegations.

Earlier, Obhrai cancelled a media briefing scheduled at Canadian High Commissioner’s Colombo residence on Monday at 6.00 p.m.

Tamils stopped near Colombo before Commonwealth summit

The train carrying the Channel 4 team was unable to continue its rail journey

13 November 2013 

More than 100 Tamils whose family members disappeared during or after Sri Lanka's civil war have been prevented from entering Colombo as the city hosts a Commonwealth summit.

Tamils Stopped Near Colombo Before Commonwealth Summit by nelvely

'Security personnel assaulted coming to HR festival in Colombo

'Security personnel assaulted coming to HR festival in Colombo

Blocked !

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Security personnel have stopped the bus carrying Tamil nationals travelling from Mannar to Colombo for the Human Rights festival today (13) near the Madu church and assaulted them, UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera says.

He was speaking at a media briefing in Colombo today (13).

They have been assaulted after paying no heed to the security personnel's instructions to turn back without attending the event, the UNP MP added.

The bus is being taken back by the Army, he further said.

Meanwhile the NP - 9009 bus from Mullaitivu and the NP - 6277 bus from Kilinochchi, which were carrying groups to the Human Rights festival, have also been stopped by security personnel, reports add
13 November 2013  

Sri Lanka Blocks Freedom Of Movement During CHOGM

November 13, 

Two days ahead of the Commonwealth Summit where Sri Lanka will assume the chair of an organisation that holds as its core values democracy, human rights and good governance, the military has stopped busloads of families of the disappeared from travelling to Colombo from the Northern Province.

Commander Daya Ratnayake

Families from Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna were travelling to the capital Colombo to attend the Samagi Human Rights Festival, also known as the alternate Peoples Forum to stress Commonwealth Values.

Military personnel stopped the buses and turned the families back to their home districts at Madawachchiya and Madhu. Families from Mannar decided to hold a demonstration near Madhu Church while families from further north staged a demonstration at Vavuniya. However, the military and police have now dispersed those protests and sent the families home.

The Government previously stopped protesters from entering the capital during this year’s UN Human Rights Council session in March, when families of the disappeared attempted to reach Colombo in order to hand over a petition to the UN Headquarters in Colombo.

Sri Lanka is cracking down hard on anti-Government demonstrations and movements, including the Human Rights Festival organised by the Samagi Movement, ahead of CHOGM in the full glare of the world’s media who have descended on the island to cover the summit.

The Government on Monday grounded all private airlines flying to Jaffna until November 18. This morning a Sri Lanka Railways train carrying No Fire Zone Director Callum Macrae and the Channel 4 crew was besieged by demonstrators who stormed the railway track at Anuradhapura. The Train has been unable to proceed beyond that point so far. With bus loads turned back from entering the capital Colombo and media personnel harassed at the Omanthai Check Point – which the Government claimed months ago had been dismantled – Sri Lanka has managed to completely curtail the freedom of movement within its borders in the run up to CHOGM.

At a press briefing yesterday however, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma said he was confident Sri Lanka would register progress on the human rights front and that the people of Sri Lanka would soon feel the change.