Posts Categorized: International

Jayalalitha Tribute

by M.K. Eelaventhan, Toronto, December 7, 2016 Jayalalitha, the voice of the voiceless Eelam Tamils, have been prematurely muted.  We feel politically orphaned, but her name is etched deeply in the hearts of Eelam Tamils. The untimely  demise of Jayalalitha, the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu at age 68 is an irrepairable loss not only to… Read more »

Torture Is ‘Common Practice’ in Sri Lanka

by Nick Cummings-Bruce, ‘The New York Times,’ December 7, 2016 GENEVA — President Maithripala Sirisena swept to a surprising election victory about two years ago promising political changes and human rights protections in Sri Lanka. On Wednesday, a United Nations committee questioned the government’s commitment to fulfilling those promises, pointing to the continued use of… Read more »

UN Committee Against Torture Concluding Observations on Sri Lanka

int_cat_coc_lka_25983_e Key Points:  – The UN Committee Against Torture is calling for an independent mechanism to investigate allegations of torture and sexual violence in the “rehabilitation” programme for 12,000+ suspected former cadres. (paragraph 26). – The Committee says allegations of unlawful detention, torture and sexual violence by security forces in Sri Lanka should be investigated… Read more »

US Navy at Galle Dialogue 2016

US Policy and Objectives in Building Strategic partnership with Navies in the Indo-Asia-Pacific by US Admiral Harry B. Harris, Galle, November 28, 2016 USN, Commander US Pacific Command adm-harris-galle-dialogue-2016 All speeches at http://galledialogue.lk/index.php?id=53 Thanks, Admiral Wijegunaratne for that kind introduction. In addition to being an expert in asymmetric naval warfare and special boat operations, the… Read more »

USS Somerset Supports Exchange with Sri Lanka Marines

By 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Pacific Command, Hawaii, November 28, 2016 TRINCOMALEE, Sri Lanka – U.S. Marines and Sailors of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked aboard amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD 25) recently arrived in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, for a theater security cooperation (TSC) exchange with the Sri Lankan Navy’s marine forces, Nov. 23-25…. Read more »

In Colombia, Turning a Peace Deal Into Reality

by the Editorial Board, ‘The New York Times, December 2, 2016 Among the dozens of people who addressed Colombia’s Congress this week before lawmakers ratified a peace deal with the country’s largest guerrilla group, Richard Moreno stood out. Men like him don’t often get to confront the ruling elite. So when he got his turn at… Read more »

Five Takeaways from the UN Torture Review

by Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace & Justice, London, November 18, 2016 Five takeaways from the UN Committee Against Torture review of Sri Lanka This week saw the conclusion of the UN Committee Against Torture’s review of Sri Lanka, a regular process of expert-based scrutiny designed to monitor implementation of the Convention Against Torture. The… Read more »

Committee Against Torture Considers Report of Sri Lanka

by UN Committee Against Torture via UN Information Service, Geneva, November 16, 2016 The review may also be viewed at http://webtv.un.org/meetings- events/human-rights-treaty- bodies/committee-against- torture/59th-session/ Committee against Torture                                                                             CAT/16/27                                                                                                                      16 November 2016       COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE CONSIDERS REPORT OF SRI LANKA  … Read more »

200th Anniversary of the Establishment of the American Ceylon Mission

by US Mission to Sri Lanka & Maldives, Colombo, October 31, 2016 [As prepared] Rev. Dr. James Moos, Executive Minister, Co-Executive Global Ministries Rev. Dr. Deenabandhu Manchala,  Area Executive for Southern Asia, Global Ministries Rev Devasagayam Devanesan, Chairperson Rt. Rev Bishop Duleep De Chickera, Former Anglican Bishop of Colombo Rev Asiri P. Perera, President of the Methodist Conference in Sri… Read more »

Atrocities Prevention Experts Report Released

A major task was to identify ways to improve the ability of U.S., foreign, and international courts to prosecute atrocity crimes.  To this end, the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and State were tasked with developing proposals that would strengthen the U.S. Government’s ability to prosecute perpetrators of atrocities found in the United States, and permit… Read more »

Comparing Contentious Post-war Politics in Nepal and Sri Lanka

By Jonathan Goodhand and Oliver Walton, ‘East Asia Forum,’ Australia, October 27, 2016 Sri Lanka and Nepal may have turned their backs on protracted and bloody conflicts but the fault lines that fuelled these wars have not gone away. One key challenge now facing political elites is that of constitutional reform. But long-standing central-peripheral tensions threaten… Read more »

The ICC, Out of Africa

by Thierry Cruvellier, ‘The New York Times,’ November 6, 2016 In just a few weeks, Burundi, South Africa and Gambia have announced that they would withdraw from the International Criminal Court, a permanent tribunal investigating war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Since its creation in 1998, the I.C.C. has been hobbled by the refusal… Read more »

Fighting For Fish

by Meera Srinivasan, ‘Caravan,’ India, November 2, 2016 EARLY IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR, Kadiramalai Loganathan’s father succumbed to a long illness. The funeral exacted a heavy price, and to recoup it the fisherman had little choice but to quickly return to sea. On the night of 16 December, barely a week after his loss, Loganathan… Read more »

How Sri Lanka Demonstrates the Limits of the UN System

This is a classic example of pursuing an important issue in a forum that’s not equipped to handle it. by Taylor Dibbert, ‘The National Interest,’ Washington, DC, October 20, 2016 In recent years, the island nation of Sri Lanka has received considerable attention from the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council. Country-specific council resolutions were passed… Read more »

Why Just Counting the Dead in Syria Won’t Bring Them Justice

A full tally of the war’s horrific violence requires estimates, models, and sophisticated pattern analysis to understand who’s responsible and why. by Patrick Ball, ‘Foreign Policy,’ Washington, DC, October 19, 2016 Nearly 18,000 people died in Syrian government prisons between March 2011 and December 2015. My colleagues and I at the Human Rights Data Analysis Group(HRDAG)… Read more »

GTF welcomes the UN Special Rapporteur’s statement

Issued for immediate release  PRESS STATEMENT 22 October 2016, London   Global Tamil Forum welcomes the UN Special Rapporteur’s statement on minority rights and calling on Sri Lanka to act decisively to not to lose the momentous opportunity to bring lasting peace and reconciliation among all communities The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) welcomes the end-of-mission… Read more »

Statement of UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues

Statement of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák-Ndiaye, on the conclusion of her official visit to Sri Lanka, 10-20 October 2016 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20709&LangID=E by Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, 20 October 2016 In my capacity as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues, I conducted an official… Read more »

Why Some Wars Get More Attention Than Others

But when the world asks why America has forgotten Yemen and other conflicts like it, that has the situation backward. The truth is that inattention is the default, not the exception. Conflicts gain sustained American attention only when they provide a compelling story line that appeals to both the public and political actors, and for… Read more »

The President at the UN

  Political appointees of the President perceive political appointees of the PM as their enemies, and independent of any direct order or edict, block, manoeuvre and curry favour with scant regard for actual policy development, implementation or reform. This results in scenarios very far removed from the roseate picture of Sri Lanka painted at the… Read more »

Why International Law Still Matters

Sands allows his extraordinary book to revolve around a simple question: Do we need the crime of genocide? Does the category add anything to the power and effectiveness of crimes against humanity? “The term ‘genocide,’ with its focus on the group,” Sands writes, “tends to heighten a sense of ‘them’ and ‘us,’ burnishes feelings of… Read more »