Posts Categorized: Politics

Building More Viharas In The North-East Will Negate Reconciliation Efforts

by Thangavelu, ‘Colombo Telegraph,’ September 6, 2016 On August 23, 2016 the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) passed a resolution during the 56th sitting unanimously condemning the building of a Buddhist vihara by Sri Lankan troops on land belonging to a Hindu temple in Kilinochchi. The resolution was moved by NPC member Subramaniam Pasupathipillai. “The Kanakambikai… Read more »

The Fractured North

by Dharisha Bastians, ‘The Daily FT,’ Colombo, September 8, 2016 A permanent political solution within Rajavarothiam Sampanthan’s lifetime is Sri Lanka’s last best hope for achieving peace within this generation. The TNA after Sampanthan will be a fragmented and disintegrating alliance, whose conflicting interests will make a final solution to an ethnic conflict that has… Read more »

WSJ: UNSG Urges Sri Lanka to Speed Up War Reconciliation

by Uditha Jayasinghe, ‘The Wall Street Journal,’ New York, September 2, 2016 Ban Ki-moon says victims of country’s lengthy civil war need justice COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday said victims of Sri Lanka’s decadeslong war “cannot wait forever” for justice, and urged the country to speed up its reconciliation process as it seeks to… Read more »

That Great Betrayal and Institutional Accountability

by Kishali Pinto Jqyawardene, ‘The Sunday Times,’ Colombo, September 4, 2016 Visiting United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s assertion that ‘much needs to be done in order to redress wrongs of the past and restore accountability of key organizations, particularly the judiciary and the security services’ raises an interesting question. Myopic framing of core… Read more »

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa Charged with Corruption

by BBC, August 31, 2016 One of Sri Lanka’s most controversial politicians has been charged with corruption involving the illegal transfer of state-owned weapons. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is charged with allowing a private firm to establish a floating armoury. It is claimed the move deprived the state of more than $75m (£57m). Mr Rajapaksa, who denies… Read more »

CERD Concluding Remarks & Video

by UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, August 15-16, 2016 CERD_C_LKA_CO_10-17_24983_E-1 Videos of proceedings: August 15 – 2hrs 50 minutes http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/human-rights-treaty-bodies/committee-on-the-elimination-of-racial-discrimination/watch/consideration-of-sri-lanka-2468th-meeting-90th-session-of-committee-on-elimination-of-racial-discrimination-/5096765195001 August 16 – 3 hrs http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/human-rights-treaty-bodies/committee-on-the-elimination-of-racial-discrimination/watch/consideration-of-sri-lanka-contd-2469th-meeting-90th-session-of-committee-on-elimination-of-racial-discrimination-/5089683096001 Documents associated with the report at http://sangam.org/committee-racial-discrimination-assessment-sri-lanka-report/

UNSG: Sustaining Peace – Achieving the SDGs

by UN Secretary-General, Colombo, September 2, 2016 UN Secretary-General – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opfyKTCA_wM&feature=youtu.be Foreign Minister – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T32wo98qUCU https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2016-09-02/remarks-event-sri-lanka-sdg16-sustaining-peace-%E2%80%93-achieving 2 September 2016 Secretary-General’s remarks at event in Sri Lanka on SDG16: Sustaining Peace – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals It is an honour to be here today to talk about the links between peace and sustainable development. This is my… Read more »

Colombian Negotiators Announce a Final Peace Accord

by Jenny Bouvier, ‘Colombia Calls,’ Washington, DC, August 24, 2016 The suitcase has been ready and there have been several false alarms, but last night it was confirmed that tonight will be the night.  A final peace agreement, pending a few items, has been reached in Havana.  The negotiating teams are expected to spend the… Read more »

America Shouldn’t Rush to Support Sri Lanka’s Military

by Taylor Dibbert, ‘The National Interest,’ August 18, 2016 Colombo needs to shape up before it gets rewarded by Washington. The United States is poised to deepen ties with Sri Lanka’s military. Such an initiative would likely include increased military cooperation between the two countries, training programs and possibly an uptick in military assistance heading… Read more »

Asia Foundation: Sri Lanka Strategic Assessment 2016

by Asia Foundation, San Francisco, March 2016 Asia Foundation Sri Lanka Strategic Assessment 2016 Sri Lanka underwent a major political transition in 2015 with the election of President Maithripala Sirisena and the establishment of a new coalition government between the United Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) and one faction of the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance… Read more »

INFORM – Human Rights Situation in Sri Lanka

by INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre, Colombo, August 18, 2016 Full report at http://www.forum-asia.org/?p=21357 Human Rights Situation in Sri Lanka August 17, 2015 – August 17, 2016 Introduction The January 2015 presidential elections didn’t just defeat Mahinda Rajapakse. It was an electoral rejection of Rajapakse politics and way of ruling by Sri Lankan people, ending also… Read more »

Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka

by M.C.M. Iqbal, ‘Groundviews,’ May 19, 2016 (This is an abridged version of a presentation made at a meeting at the University of London on 25th April, 2016. The full version can be read here) Enforced disappearance of persons remains one of the widely known human rights violations in Sri Lanka. The machinery that had… Read more »

Ambassador Atul Keshap’s Remarks

by Embassy of the US to Sri Lanka & the Maldives, August 15, 2016 Video of Ambassador’s speech posted by Embassy [YouTube] Video of MP Sampanthan speech by LankaSri [YouTube] Video of Sampanthan’s meeting with Amb. Keshap by LankaSri [YouTube] Video of America’s 40 member medical team Jaffna visit by LankaSri[YouTube] Sinhala Translation Tamil Translation Thank… Read more »

From Ilankaiththurai to Lanka Patuna

by ‘Tamil Guardian,’ London,’ August 16, 2016 The newly-built Buddhist temple at Ilankaithurai – re-named Lanka Patuna by the government. A bridge is being constructed to improve access to the site for the increasing number of Sinhala visitors. Tamil Guardian co-editor and PEARL Advocacy Director Mario Arulthas travelled to Trincomalee last month to report on… Read more »

Impunity Reigns In Sri Lanka’s August 14, 2006 Bombing Of Schoolgirls

by Anjali Manivannan, ‘Forbes,’ New York,  August 14, 2016 Anjali Manivannan is Legal Researcher and Advocacy Coordinator for People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL). On August 14, 2006, the Sri Lanka Air Force bombed the Senchcholai Girls Orphanage, killing 61 Tamil children and three instructors and injuring more than 60–150 others. Ten years after… Read more »

US Foreign Assistance to Sri Lanka

Partnership Opportunities with USAID – https://www.usaid.gov/sri-lanka/partnership-opportunities —————————————– http://beta.foreignassistance.gov/, accessed August 17, 2016     ————– US AID Sri Lanka https://www.usaid.gov/sri-lanka , accessed August 17, 2016 It is possible to search the database for which organizations in Sri Lanka were given how much money on the website above. 2016 partial year              … Read more »

Report Sought On Ex-Tiger Injection Scandal

by ‘The Sunday Leader,’ August 14, 2016 A report has been sought from the Prisons Department on claims that rehabilitated LTTE cadres were injected with a cancerous poison. The issue had been raised in Parliament as well last week with the Tamil National Alliance calling for an investigation. It was alleged that the injection had… Read more »