By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

If the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe coalition of 2015-2019 was tone deaf to outraged mutterings of the citizenry at the time, surely the Rajapaksa-Rajapaksa-Rajapaksa government of 2020 onwards must be wholly dumb, deaf and blind to the roars of fury exploding in their favoured constituencies in Sri Lanka.

On splendid ironies and political victories

As farmers who once gave sweeping mandates to the Government burn their fields along with effigies of the Agriculture Minister and education trade unionists angrily challenge the Public Security Minister, Catholic priests join Buddhist clergy to cry ‘mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa’ for their part in supporting ruling politicians to come to power.

Indeed, Sri Lanka’s political elite may well remind themselves of Marie Antoinette, famously (though spuriously) maligned as having remarked, ‘if they do not have bread, let them eat cake’ to the starving poor who rose up in revolution and disposed the last queen of France and her aristocratic companions through the guillotine.

In that same airy fashion, is the Government showing the middle finger at protesting farmers, in effect, to say, ‘if they do not have rice, let them have milk rice (kiribath)’? This is of course, a splendid irony not only because both rice and coconuts are becoming luxuries in this land (of rice and coconuts) but also in view of the fact that political victories as well as political assassinations of Presidents of this country have been ritually and triumphantly ‘celebrated’ by the faithful with ‘kiribath.’

Continue reading ‘The “Rajapaksa-Rajapaksa-Rajapaksa” government of 2020 onwards must be wholly dumb, deaf and blind to the roars of fury exploding in their favoured constituencies in Sri Lanka.’ »

By

Lucien Rajakarunanayake

The Pandora Papers have moved away from the focus of politics and the fight against corruption.

We can await the report of the Bribery and Corruption Commission, which has its own way of giving innocence to the guilty; much more than the fighters against corruption ever expect. But that is the stuff of Saubhagya.

The Pandora Papers (PP) have also shown the great delight of Nirupama Rajapaksa – Nadesan, in settling down with her children in London. That is just one big success story of the PP. There will be much more success to follow from the PP, with the Rajapaksa politics moving on to bigger dominance in this Siri Lankava, running in circles of disaster to find foreign exchange, despite the big promises of the Central Bank’s Nivard Cabraal.

Continue reading ‘Let us keep praying for the political escape from the wider Rajapaksa governance — moving next from Basil Rajapaksa to Namal Rajapaksa.’ »

By

Dr Nihal Jayawickrama

It was fifty years ago, on October 2, 1971, that the Governor-General, William Gopallawa, assented to the Bill that sought to abolish the Senate, the upper chamber of the Parliament of Ceylon. It was an event that was precipitated by the Senators themselves.

The Senate was one of the five constitutional safeguards that were included in the 1946 Constitution in order to remove the fear of “domination and oppression” by a “permanent and unassailable majority” which existed especially in the minds of Ceylon’s ethnic and religious minorities. The other entrenched safeguards were multi-member constituencies in those electorates in which a substantial minority, whether racial, religious or otherwise, lived; six nominated members of the House of Representatives to represent interests which were either not represented or were inadequately represented; an independent Public Service Commission which would guarantee strict impartiality in all matters affecting appointments; and a prohibition on Parliament enacting legislation either to confer a privilege or to impose a disability on persons of any particular community or religion.

Continue reading ‘How and Why the Senate was Abolished by the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Govt 50 Years ago on October 2nd 1971’ »

(Text of Editorial appearing in the “Daily Financial Times” of October 16th 2021 headlined “Opening the door to international jurisdiction)

This week the Attorney General informed the Court of Appeal that his Department had decided to drop its indictments against former Navy Commander, Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda, who was previously named as an accused in a case concerning the abduction, extortion and murder of 11 Tamil civilians. The abductions for ransom occurred in 2008-2009 when Karannagoda served as Commander of the Navy. Under Attorney General Dappula De Livera, the AG’s Department had indicted several high-ranking Sri Lanka Navy officers on charges of abducting and murdering the 11 young Tamil men.

The ‘Navy 11 case’ as it is better known has come to be regarded as one of the most emblematic of impunity within the Sri Lankan criminal justice system. The case is unique, in that the witnesses and the accused are past and serving members of the Sri Lanka Navy. While Karannagoda commanded the country’s naval forces, a group of officer racketeers were using the fog of war to abduct wealthy Tamil and Muslim youth and then extort their parents for money and gold.

Continue reading ‘The Gotabaya Rajapaksa Administration has strengthened the case for international jurisdiction for crimes committed in Sri Lanka by Dropping Charges Against Ex-Navy Chief Wasantha Karannagoda in the Notorious “Navy 11” Case.’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

First the Panama Papers, then the Paradise Papers, now the Pandora Papers, next will we have the ‘Pappadum’ Papers, a wag may well cynically question?

Cold logic of ‘tip of the iceberg’ disclosures

That passing query has hidden meaning in Sri Lanka, given that the ‘pappadum’, a flamboyant looking and delicious tasting puff lends little nutritional value to the meal that it accompanies.

Likewise, the continuing exposes of ‘politically exposed’ Sri Lankans, caught in the net of the global elite who stash their money in tax havens, shell companies and offshore accounts, have all the sensational flavour of a ‘pappadum.’ But why do they have no real ‘bite’ in the unmasking?

Such disclosures in a land once acclaimed as a ‘paradise isle’ but now more a ‘parasites isle’ are typically greeted with weary shrugs and momentary excitement. This soon fades as another juicy scandal occupies public attention. Much of these ‘open secrets’ are familiar, told and retold in the style of cosy firewood chats, each time with a little bit more colourful embellishment as it were. Even so, captured in the cold logic of meticulously documented reports released by a global investigative journalists forum, such ‘tip of the iceberg’ disclosures should shock, stun the country and its long suffering people.

Continue reading ‘Pandora Papers have brought in their wake, a spectacle of absurdities concerning businessman Thirukumar Nadesan and his politician wife Nirupama Rajapaksa whose holdings have been prominently featured in the exposures’ »

(This article appeared in the Asia section of “The Economist” print edition under the headline “No more Mr Rice Guy”)

Staring glumly at his paddy field in the depths of rural Sri Lanka, B. R. Weeraratne sighs. The regular incursions of greedy elephants have been bad enough. But the government’s outright ban on agrochemicals will, he fears, slash his yields of nadu and samba, two of the most popular varieties of rice. Though the 56-year-old likes the idea of organic farming in principle, he thinks “the soil, the plants and the farmers all need time to learn it.” It should be phased in. Otherwise farmers like him may be flung into destitution.

But Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s president, is adamant. The former army officer was elected in 2019 largely on his reputation for ruthless dynamism. In 2009, as secretary of defence under his brother Mahinda, then the president, he brutally ended a long civil war against Tamil rebels. As urban-development secretary he “beautified” cities by kicking thousands of people out of slums. As president he has taken a military approach to tackling covid-19 by bringing in the army alongside medical staff. More than 70% of over-11s have been double-jabbed.

Continue reading ‘The rush by the ruling Rajapaksas to farm organically has plunged Sri Lanka’s economy into crisis; Like the country’s crops, the Rajapaksas are in need of a pick-me-up -The Economist’ »

by Vijitha Yapa

(Vijitha Yapa is the Founder Editor of the “Sunday Island” and “The Island”Daily. Both publications launched in October and November 1981 celebrate their 40th anniversary this year)

The person at the other end of the phone calling from Nallur was very angry. “Mr Editor, you have killed me in your paper today”. I did not ask him where he was speaking from, as he may treat it as an insult. I did not know what he was speaking about and asked what story he was referring to and after listening to him, told him to call me back in half an hour. There were no ubiquitous mobile phones at that time nor easy access to telephones in the eighties.

The story revolved around the Coroner of Nallur, Mr Francis, committing suicide and Dr Watson performing the autopsy. The call was from Mr Francis who said it was the other way round. I asked the sub editor for the original story submitted by the Nallur correspondent and what the sub editor had edited and compared it with what had been printed in the Island that morning.

Continue reading ‘Birth Pangs and Teething Troubles of a Newspaper:The Launching of the Sunday and Daily Island Newspapers 40 Years Ago in October and November 1981’ »

By
A Subramani & Neeraja Ramesh

Jayalalithaa’s first hero and veteran actor, Srikanth, passed away in Chennai on Tuesday. He was 81. Srikanth’s demise was first announced by Nadigar Sangam (Actors Association) on Tuesday evening.

Srikanth debuted with Jayalalithaa in Vennira Aadai (1965) and went on to do memorable roles in a series of K Balachandar classics like Bama Vijayam, Poova Thalaiya and Ethir Neechal, besides comedies like Kasethan Kadavulada.

Continue reading ‘Veteran Tamil actor, Srikanth who Debuted in 1965 With Jayalalithaa in “Vennira Aadai” and Acted in Over 200 films in Career Spanning Four Decades Passes Away in Chennai’ »

By M.A. Sumanthiran

(The writer is a President’s Counsel and a Member of Parliament representing the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi)

Sri Lanka is blessed with rich natural resources and a manageable population. We were ruled by foreign powers for 450 years, yet when we attained independence in 1948, the country’s fiscal position was very sound. Economically, we were ahead of Japan, Singapore, and a host of other Asian countries. We strove for independence as a joint nation of Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslims with the claim that somehow, by self-rule, we would make the country move further towards prosperity and splendour.

A look back at the post-Independence history of seven decades shows us that we have gone in the opposite direction to stability and prosperity. So proud of the fact that we have become our own masters at last – that we exercise sovereignty by ourselves – yet we have mishandled that authority and reduced our country to a state of penury. All the things that we are proud of – our rich linguistic and cultural heritages and religions – have been the very things that have divided and separated our people. It cannot be a matter of pride that we have spent over half of the post-Independence era violently fighting each other.

It is true that we – the Sinhalese and Tamils – have our own rich heritages. They are separate and distinct to the extent that we speak different languages, and the majority of these two polities follow different religions. However, we also have a shared heritage and a distinct Sri Lankan culture, to which others – Moors, Malays, Burghers, and Christians – too belong. Such rich and diverse cultures and traditions ought to have been celebrated and nurtured for us to have become another Singapore – the country which went ahead of us after learning from us what not to do.

Tamil is one of the, if not the, ancient languages of the world; it is prehistoric, having its origins in South India and spoken in dozens of countries of the world today. It has also given birth to a few other languages and dialects. Sinhala too has a history of over 2,000 years. It has intertwined with Buddhism, which was brought to our country from India, and a strong Sinhala-Buddhist culture and tradition has emerged and taken root in this country. There are Tamils and Sinhalese who are Christians, with a separate subculture, but nevertheless remain as much an authentic people within the Sri Lankan polity. The same can be said of Muslims as well; though considered a separate ethnic and religious community, they have over the years become enmeshed with the larger Sri Lankan identity.

Continue reading ‘Are there leaders in the country who are willing to join hands with others in a bid to turn the country around?’ »

By Tisaranee Gunasekara

“Strong people don’t need strong leaders”
– Ella Baker (quoted in ‘Moving the Mountain’) –

Berlin, 20 February 1933 – 24 men, the crème de la crème of German industry, gathered to listen to the country’s brand new chancellor, Adolf Hitler. The meeting was a top secret, but posterity has the transcripts.

“Private enterprise cannot be maintained in the age of democracy,” Hitler informed his captive audience. Nazi rule was the only guarantor of stability, only bulwark against communism. Herman Göring, in whose official residence the meeting was held, assured that after this, there’d be no more elections for 10 years, maybe even 100. The Nazis wanted three million Reichsmark for their election war-chest. They got 2.071 million. Election was won, and Germany’s march to a cannibalistic future began.

“The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again,” wrote Nietzsche in ‘The Gay Science,’ explaining his concept and conception of Eternal Recurrence.

The 2018 convention of Viyath Maga was held at Colombo’s newest hotel, Shangri-La. Over 2,000 professionals and business leaders attended the convention, titled ‘An Intellectually Inspired Sri Lanka 2030,’ Daily FT reported.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the man of the moment, began his speech by asking, “What do we need as a society?” and ended by exhorting, “Love your country, play your part in its future.” In between were the usual shibboleths about growth and investment, efficiency and discipline. Iron fists and hobnail boots were unmentioned, but formed the background music to paeans to strong leadership.

That was May. The Digana riot was just two months old. Did the 2,000+ attendees reflect on that conflagration, its causes and what it portended for the future? Did they remember Gotabaya Rajapaksa saying of Sarath Fonseka, the war-winning Army Commander, “That’s a treason. We will hang him if he do that,” in a 2010 interview with BBC HARDtalk? Did they remember how Gotabaya Rajapaksa responded when asked about the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge (again on HARDtalk): “In the whole world there are so many murders. Why are you asking about Lasantha? Who is Lasantha? He was someone who was writing to a tabloid?”

Continue reading ‘The seeds of current economic dissolution were sown as soon as the Rajapaksas regained power, months before COVID-19 reached our shores.’ »

Businessman Thirukumar Nadesan, one of two Sri Lankans named in the Pandora papers exposé, has written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declaring his innocence and requesting an impartial investigation.

“It is commonly believed that all persons whose names have been [divulged in the Pandora papers] are in some way guilty of wrongdoing.

“I assure Your Excellency that my wife and I are totally innocent and are guilty of no wrongdoings,” Nadesan said in a letter addressed to the president and copied to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday (06).

Continue reading ‘“I assure Your Excellency that my wife (Nirupama Rajapaksa) and I are totally innocent and are guilty of no wrongdoings,” states Thirukkumar Nadesan in Letter Sent to President Rajapaksa; Requests Independent Investigation by Retd Judge Saying “We have been presumed guilty, the presumption of innocence reversed”’ »

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapksa has ordered the Bribery Commission to immediately investigate Sri Lankans named in the Pandora papers, cabinet spokesman Minister Dullas Alahapperum said.

The president had issued the directive to the Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption this morning.

Alahapperuma said the Commission is required to submit a report within a month.

Continue reading ‘President Gotabaya Rajapaksa directs Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption to Investigate Allegations Against Sri Lankans Named in the Pandora Papers and Submit Report Within a Month’ »

By Scilla Alecci

In early 2018, workers in a London warehouse carefully loaded an oil painting of Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth, onto a van bound for Switzerland.

The painting, by 19th-century Indian master Raja Ravi Varma, depicts the four-armed goddess clad in a red sari with gold ornaments and standing atop a lotus flower. It was one of 31 works of art, altogether worth nearly $1 million, that were being shipped to the Geneva Freeport in Switzerland. That vast, ultra-secure warehouse complex, larger than 20 soccer fields, stores among its many treasures what the BBC once called “the greatest art collection no one can see.”

The owner of “Goddess Lakshmi,” and the artworks in transit with it, as recorded on the packing slip, was a Samoan-registered shell company with an unremarkable name, Pacific Commodities Ltd. But a cache of leaked documents from Asiaciti Trust, a Singapore-based financial services provider, indicates that a politically connected Sri Lankan, Thirukumar Nadesan, secretly controls the company and thus is the true owner of the 31 pieces of art. His wife, Nirupama Rajapaksa, is a former member of Sri Lanka’s Parliament and a scion of the powerful Rajapaksa clan, which has dominated the Indian Ocean island nation’s politics for decades.

The confidential documents, obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, show that as the country was ravaged by a bloody, decades-long civil war, the couple set up anonymous offshore trusts and shell companies to acquire artwork and luxury apartments and to store cash, securities and other assets in secret. They were able to amass and hide their fortune in secrecy jurisdictions with the assistance of financial services providers, lawyers and other white-collar professionals who asked few questions about the source of their wealth – even after Nadesan became a target of a well-publicized corruption investigation by Sri Lankan authorities.

As of 2017, Rajapaksa and Nadesan’s offshore holdings, which haven’t previously been made public, had a value of about $18 million, according to an ICIJ analysis of a Nadesan trust’s financial statements. The median annual income in Sri Lanka is less than $4,000.

Continue reading ‘“Pandora Papers” Full Article about Financial Dealings of Nirupama Rajapaksa and Thirukkumar Nadesan by Journalist Scilla Alecci in the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism Website’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

There is an “urgent need” to understand the “weaknesses and strengths” of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution and “act accordingly”, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday told Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, while expressing a desire to revive the spirit of the relations of the 1960s and 1970s.

Mr. Shringla called on the President on Tuesday morning, before wrapping up his official visit. In addition to underscoring the need to expedite bilateral projects, the Foreign Secretary, in his meeting with President Rajapaksa on the final day of his visit, reiterated India’s position “on complete implementation of the provisions under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, including devolution of powers and the holding of provincial council elections at the earliest”, the Indian mission said in a statement, referring to the nearly 34-year-old legislation that remains contentious in Sri Lanka.

Continue reading ‘There is an “urgent need” to understand the “weaknesses and strengths” of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution and “act accordingly”, – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Tells Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla; expresses desire to revive the spirit of Indo-Lanka relations of the 1960s and 1970s.’ »

(Text of Press Release Issued by the High Commission of India in Colombp regarding the Visit of Foreign Secretary of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla to Sri Lanka)

1. Foreign Secretary of India, Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Sri Lanka for a 3-day Official visit from 02-05 October 2021. This was his first visit to Sri Lanka in his current capacity. During the visit, Foreign Secretary called on the President of Sri Lanka HE Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka HE Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister of Finance HE Basil Rajapaksa and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris. He held cordial and productive meetings and discussions with the State Minister for Estate Housing and Community Infrastructure Hon’ble Jeevan Thondaman, Foreign Secretary Admiral (Retd) Prof. Jayanath Colombage and Defence Secretary General (Retd) G.D.H. Kamal Gunaratne.

2. During his meeting with the President on October 05, 2021, Foreign Secretary underscored the importance India attaches to expeditiously taking forward mutually beneficial projects, including proposals to enhance air and sea connectivity between India and Sri Lanka. Foreign Secretary thanked President for his guidance and close cooperation in the defence and security sphere. Further, he reiterated India’s position on complete implementation of the provisions under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, including devolution of powers and the holding of Provincial Council elections at the earliest.

Continue reading ‘Text of Press Release Issued by the High Commission of India in Colombp regarding the Visit of Foreign Secretary of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla to Sri Lanka’ »

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa explained the relationship between China and Sri Lanka to Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla in a comprehensive manner and informed Shringla not to have any doubts about it, according to a press release by the President’s Media Division yesterday (5).

President Rajapaksa had also emphasised that Sri Lanka would not be allowed to be used for any activity that could pose a threat to India’s security, since there is a clear understanding about the geographical location of the two countries.

The President made these remarks when he met with the Indian Foreign Secretary at the Presidential Secretariat, yesterday.
The President had elaborated on the need to re-establish the friendship and relations between India and Sri Lanka that existed in the 1960s and ‘70s and said that he is expecting to obtain India’s support in advancing the 1971 proposal made by Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike to declare the Indian Ocean a peace zone. Both sides had been of the view that short and long-term steps that should be taken to bring relations between the two countries to a higher level should be correctly identified.

Continue reading ‘President Rajapaksa Tells Visiting Indian Foreign Secy Shringla that Sri Lanka would not let itself be used for any activity that could pose a threat to India’s security,’ »

By

Azzam Ameen

In letter to sent to former Minister Nirupama Rajapaksa and her husband Thirukumar Nadesan, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reporter Scilla Alecci posed a series of questions to the duo, giving them the opportunity to respond to the findings of the Pandora papers.
As extracted from the letter, the questions posed to both Rajapaksa and Nadesan and detailed below:

“Questions for Ms. Nirupama Rajapaksa:

• Documents we have seen show that from the early 1990s until early 2010s (during part of Sri Lanka’s conflict) you were a “controlling party” of Rosetti Ltd, an offshore company used to receive consultancy fees and buy properties in Sydney and London. Is this correct? What was your role in Rosetti?

• Did you declare your ownership of Rosetti when you became a member of parliament, if required to do so by local law? Did you declare your ownership of the properties?

Continue reading ‘Questionnaires Sent by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ (ICIJ) to Nirupma Rajapaksa and Thirukkumar Nadesan Prior to Publication in Pandora Papers’ »

By Meera Srinivasan

Continue reading ‘“India keen on connectivity initiatives with Sri Lanka like the Jaffna to Chennai flight, ferry services between Karaikal – Kankesanthurai, and Dhanushkodi -Talaimanar and the Buddhist Pilgrim Flights to the new international airport at Kushinagar,” Says Visiting Indian Foreign Secy Harsh Vardhan Shringla at “Temple Trees”Meeting’ »

Meera Srinivasan

India has urged Sri Lanka to hold elections to its provincial councils without further delay, according to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) whose delegation met visiting Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday.

Also India does not appreciate any “third party presence” in the Tamil-majority north and east, where New Delhi had “invested heavily”, the Foreign Secretary told the TNA, which is the largest grouping representing Tamils of the north and east in the 225-member Parliament, with 10 MPs.

“Foreign Secretary Shringla told us that he has conveyed to the Sri Lankan leadership that provincial polls be held immediately, along with the full implementation of the 13th Amendment,” TNA spokesman and Jaffna legislator M.A. Sumanthiran, who was part of the delegation led by veteran Tamil leader R. Sampanthan, told The Hindu.

Continue reading ‘“India does not appreciate any “third party presence” in the Tamil-majority north and east, where New Delhi had “invested heavily”, – Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla tells the TNA; “Sri Lankan leadership told that provincial polls be held immediately, along with the full implementation of the 13th Amendment”’ »

BY Dinitha Rathnayake and Pamodi Waravita

Former Water Supply and Drainage Deputy Minister Nirupama Rajapaksa, who is also the niece of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, and her husband Thirukumar Nadesan, have been named in the recent International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ (ICIJ) “Pandora Papers” files leak.

The documents allege that the couple were involved in shell companies, which are inactive companies used as a vehicle for various financial manoeuvres or kept dormant for future use in some other capacity, located in tax havens, which obtained lucrative consulting contracts from foreign companies doing business with the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL).

“Nirupama Rajapaksa and Nadesan, together controlled a shell company which they used to buy luxury apartments in London, England, and Sydney, Australia, and to make investments. Nadesan set up other shell companies and trusts in jurisdictions known for their financial secrecy, and he used them to obtain lucrative consulting contracts from foreign companies doing business with the Sri Lankan Government and to buy artwork. In 2018, one of the companies, Pacific Commodities, transferred 31 paintings and other South Asian art pieces to the Geneva Freeport, an ultra secure warehouse where assets are not subjected to taxes or duties,” the ICIJ claimed.

Continue reading ‘International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ (ICIJ) “Pandora Papers” files State that Nirupam Rajapaksa and Spouse Thirukumar Nadesan Allegedly Acquired Wealth Through Dubious Financial Transactions Undertaken by “Shell”Companies;Nirupama is the Niece of Chamal.Mahinda,Gota and Basil’ »

BY Pamodi Waravita

United National Party (UNP) Leader and Parliamentarian Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday (4) urged Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to inquire from Attorney General (AG) President’s Counsel (PC) Sanjay Rajaratnam about the nature of the evidence against Samagi Jana Balawegeya (SJB) Opposition MP Rishad Bathiudeen to justify his prolonged detention in prison.

Continue reading ‘UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe Urges Speaker to Inquire from the Attorney-General Whether There is Sufficient Evidence to Indict Wanni District MP Rishad Bathiudeen or Justify his Prolonged Detention Without Trial’ »

BY Buddhika Samaraweera

The Special Trial-At-Bar appointed by Chief Justice President’s Counsel (PC) Jayantha Jayasuriya at the request of Attorney General (AG) Sanjay Rajaratnam PC in connection with the main case of the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019, served indictments yesterday (4) on 24 accused over the attacks, including against Mohamed Naufar alias Naufar Moulavi, who the Government has named the mastermind behind the said bombings.

On 13 September, the special Trial-At-Bar appointed to hear 23,270 charges against 25 accused who are allegedly connected to the Easter Sunday terror attacks, issued summons to the said 25 accused to appear before the Trial-At-Bar yesterday.

However, the 15th accused in the case, Mohammad Hanifa Zainul Abdeen, was not produced before the court by the prisons authorities as he is currently infected with Covid-19. The remaining 24 accused were served indictments.

Continue reading ‘24 Persons Including Alleged “Mastermind” Naufar Maulavi Served With Indictments Over Easter Sunday Bombings of April 21st 2019;Special Trial at Bar hearings into 23,270 charges will Commence on Nov 23rd Before Bench Comprising Three High Court Judges’ »

By

Lucien Rajakarunanayake

We have moved to the new Dudley Era.

Dudley Senanayake saw the rise of his era with the political handling of rice. It was to beat the rice control strategy of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

We are now in the Dudley Sirisena era – also with rice as the operative, with both profit and politics.

The government has withdrawn its Gazette on the price of rice to the consumer. It was the last rice Gazette that was withdrawn. There were many rice Gazettes before that. Would the Treasury or any other body try to calculate how much it costs to print and issue a Gazette? How much state funds would be saved if no shaky and wavy Gazettes were issued?

Continue reading ‘The rise of Dudley Sirisena – leading what is called the Rice or “Haal’ Mafia, is a major turn in the Saubhagya Vision of the Rajapaksas. What Dudley Sirisena has told this country is that the government by Gota Gazette is over’ »

Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka

The signs are there and they aren’t good. It started weeks ago. Minister Sarath Weerasekara and Secretary/Defence Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratna’s responses to the questions and criticisms by the Cardinal and the Catholic Church were hardly respectful and were rather testy. They were also irrelevant. Their truculent defence was that a large number of suspects had been indicted and that the slow pace was inherent in the legal process. But that didn’t answer the questions raised and points made by the Cardinal and the spokespersons of the Church.

There was also the episode of the Foreign Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris seeking an audience with the Cardinal, not obtaining it and meeting the Papal Nuncio instead, while a Cabinet spokesperson Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said on the record that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa would meet Pope Francis during his visit to Italy.

The Cardinal then made the point that any attempt to bypass the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka and whitewash the Easter Sunday attack inquiry internationally just wouldn’t work, and that the Church having desisted from going global with its grievances, would now begin to do so.

Continue reading ‘The Church and the Catholic community, whether in Sri Lanka or any other part of the world, cannot be cowed or intimidated. Martyrdom is part of the genetic code of Catholics; who will not kill for their cause but will die for it.’ »

By

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Lohan Evindra Ratwatte is a Sri Lankan politician who is often under the media spotlight for the wrong reasons. The 53 year old Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna(SLPP) Kandy district MP- known generally as Lohan – received a great deal of negative publicity last week over an incident in which he reportedly humiliated and terrified a group of Tamil youths incarcerated at the Anuradhapura jail. The Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government’s State Minister for Gem & Jewellery related Industries and State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation brandishing a pistol had forced the prisoners to kneel before him and had even placed his gun thrice to the head of a detained person. The incident caused shock waves nationally and internationally. Subsequently Lohan Ratwatte resigned from the prison management and prisoners rehabilitation minister post but continues to remain the State minister for Gem and Jewellery related industries.

Efforts made to communicate with the State minister Lohan Ratwatte or senior officials of the Prisons dept and ministry for the purpose of writing this article were unsuccessful. However with details gathered from a cross section of informed sources, it was possible to piece together the basics of what had happened in the Anuradhapura prison.

Continue reading ‘How Gun – toting State Minister Lohan Ratwatte Terrified and Humiliated Tamil Prisoners at the Anuradhapura Jail.’ »

By

Anila Dias Bandaranaike, Ph. D.

My father, Sam Wijesinha from Getamanne, a village in Hambantota District, took pride in his Southern heritage. He knew D.M. Rajapaksa (DM), his brother, D.A. (DA) and their families well. Sam was Secretary General of Parliament for almost two decades till 1981, and the first Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman) for 10 years thereafter. He worked closely with several political leaders during that time. Always courteous, he respected MPs who worked for the betterment of the people they represented.

Continue reading ‘The Rajapaksas have given Hambantota, – a colossal District Secretariat , an unused International Conference Centre, a cricket stadium mostly idle , six-lane highways without traffic , a white elephant International Airport and an International Seaport now given to the Chinese. Is this progress towards sustainable development for the people of Ruhuna?’ »

By

Prof.Tissa Vitarana

Prof.Senaka Bibile, a great Sri Lankan professor of Pharmacology, died 44 years ago on September 29, 1977, and this brief article is written in his memory. In my view he is one of Sri Lanka’s greatest products and a top achiever and all Lankans, especially the young, should know what he did and endeavor to emulate him to serve humanity and society regardless of personal gain or profit

With limited means, coming from rural Bibile in the Badulla district, he won a scholarship to Trinity College, Kandy (which he repaid once he became a doctor so that another poor student would also benefit, starting a new tradition). He excelled in his studies, despite taking to sports and music. He passed out of the Medical College, Colombo with a firstt class and several distinctions (surgery etc.).

Instead of becoming a rich surgeon, he chose to join the Pharmacology Department of the University to teach about the proper use of medicines and try to prevent poor patients dying due to the high price of drugs – a major health hazard at that time. He then obtained a Ph.D in Pharmacology in the UK. Back in Sri Lanka he became Professor in the Colombo Medical College for a long period before becoming the founder Professor of Pharmacology in the Medical Faculty of the University of Peradeniya and its Dean as well.

Continue reading ‘Prof.Senaka Bibile Outsmarted “Big Pharma” by Enabling the People to Obtain Medicinal Drugs at Affordable Prices Through his Brainchild the State Pharmaceutical Corporation’ »

It was a power struggle of a different kind, rarely seen in the country. It was not political. It was not a trade union struggle. It was not an armed struggle.

An Executive Presidency, a two-thirds parliamentary majority, a 20th Amendment that gave more powers to the President, even a state of emergency and the appointment of a military officer as the Commissioner General of Essential Services seemed no match to the power of the “rice mafia” as the Government was forced to back down from its gung-ho approach in fighting that mafia and reverse its gazette imposing a maximum retail price for rice.

The decision to rescind the gazette issued on September 2 by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) was taken at the Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is still in the United States of America.

The stated aim of imposing a maximum retail price was to bring down the soaring rice prices, the staple food of the masses right in the stomach. Many millers chose not to sell rice at the prices imposed by the CAA, leading to the imposition of a state of emergency and the appointment of Major General N.D.S.P. Niwunhella as Commissioner General of Essential Services.

The CAA then started raiding storehouses with camera crews where rice was being hoarded and forcibly buying the stocks at prices imposed through the gazette. On TV talk shows, a finger-wagging Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage asked the rice mafia to be warned that he was out to get them.

Continue reading ‘All Powerful Gotabaya Rjapaksa Govt Surrenders to So Called “Rice Mafia”by Rescinding its gazette notification imposing maximum retail prices for rice.’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

When a ‘full time member’ (or its head, have it as you will) of Sri Lanka’s Consumer Affairs Authority records receiving death threats following his resignation over disclosures of multiple corruption scandals at Sri Lanka Sathosa, ranging from rigged sales of garlic, flour, undu and sugar to millions spent on the consumption of tea (and cheese) by Sathosa officials, there is little to be surprised at.

From the Central Bank bond scams to ‘garlic scams’

Let us examine this case as it is both unique and mundane at the same time, symbolising at once, what is perennially wrong with Sri Lanka and why patterns of governance (or rather non-governance) will never change unless citizens themselves change. This was a worthy who apparently once had belief in a Government which he helped to bring to power. Now in his disillusionment if not fury at the frauds that he has uncovered, he courts public attention, loquaciously speaking to the media at every turn and naming Ministers whom he alleges was behind the rackets.

Continue reading ‘The extreme privations that we are undergoing now have mostly been brought about by the sheer inability of this Govt to control the (Ministerial) arch robbers in its midst and the public servants who act in shameful league with them’ »

(Text of Statement issued by Rajavarothayam Sampanthan Member of Parliament for Trincomalee District and , Leader Tamil National Alliance)

TNA leaders, Members of Parliament, and other functionaries generally reside in their respective districts of the North and East. The Corona Virus has been an impediment to personal meetings and group discussions. This has led to lack of clarity on some matters.

The TNA’s main political objective is the evolution of a political solution through Constitutional measurers of the National Question. The Sovereignty of the peoples who have inhabited the country, meaning their powers of Governance fundamental rights and franchise in the whole country, and in their historical habitation, in keeping with commitments made by the Sri Lankan Government and leaders domestically and internationally, and also in keeping with international Covenants and Instruments which Sri Lanka has accepted. On this fundamental question the TNA has articulated its position quite clearly and is firm.

Continue reading ‘“There have also been some elements who have endeavored to disunite the Tamil National Alliance” says TNA leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan’ »

BY

Meera Srinivsan

As many as eight Tamil prisoners in Sri Lanka’s Anuradhapura prison on Thursday petitioned the country’s Supreme Court, seeking relief after a ‘gun-wielding’ Prisons Minister allegedly threatened them a fortnight ago.

The prisoners stated that they fear for their lives, asking to be transferred to a prison in the Tamil-majority Northern Province. Jaffna parliamentarian and senior lawyer M.A. Sumanthiran will appear for them in the case, media reports said.

Continue reading ‘Eight Tamil Prisoners who were Allegedly Threatened at Gun Point by State Minister Lohan Ratwatte at Anuradhapura Jail File Fundamental Rights Petition ;MA Sumanthiran PC to Appear for Petitioners at Supreme Court hearings’ »

By
Nirupma Rao

(Nirupama Rao served as India’s ambassador to America in 2011-13. Earlier, she was the country’s foreign secretary and its ambassador to China, among other diplomatic roles.)

In south asia and the Indo-Pacific, we see ourselves as a region in churn—the geopolitical pathways wind their way to conflict and to peace; they crisscross in perpetual motion. India through its history has been a hub country, porous and permeable, weathering waves of migration, conquest and assimilation, and providing the ultimate definition of being (as the English poet Kathleen Raine put it) “the place of every arrival”.

The region is uneasy about the likelihood of intensified America-China rivalry, particularly after America’s debacle in Afghanistan. The two powers’ competition, confrontation and conflict—or the alternative, an unbridled Chinese hegemony—ought not be the sole, binary choice. A healthy multipolarity among countries, with roles for mid-sized ones as much as for great powers, would provide the ideal political equilibrium for the region.

All involved must understand that the strategy of each country is to safeguard national power, uphold self-interest but also to ensure survival. When superpowers try to trample each other, the ground trembles and fissures deepen for everyone else. The creation of aukus, an agglomeration of Australia, Britain and America, marks a new iteration of naval power in the Indo-Pacific. It is clearly designed to counter China’s capabilities, yet it gives rise to new uncertainties and greater risks of confrontation.

The Indian Ocean is one of the busiest trade channels in the world and its security is of crucial strategic importance. Even as America gets tough on China over trade and technology, and as their armed forces are adversarial, many Asian countries, notably mid-sized powers, watch this emerging “tournament of shadows” with unease. Choosing between superpowers is hardly easy and both belong in the region. Governments in the Indo-Pacific want to avoid geopolitical games: they have lives to improve, economies to develop, borders to secure, infrastructure to build and dreams to fulfil.

New alliances for new challenges

The waning of trust in American power and influence, however, is troubling. Even without a formal alliance with India, the United States is viewed as a natural ally: as a democracy, a champion of freedom and pluralism, and with numerous family ties between the countries.

This is why India places a premium on groupings like the Quad, which enable co-operation with like-minded democracies including Japan and Australia, along with America. India is focused on interests such as: the security of sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific; supply chains that are resilient to disruptions and are not held hostage by China; and the negotiated settlement of disputes in consonance with a rules-based international order.
But the Quad must not neglect the continental dimension of the region’s priorities. It must not turn away from salvaging a “development dividend” for Afghanistan that empowers women and promotes minority rights. Co-operative “grids” will be required, involving China and even Iran and Russia. Regional unity against terrorist forces and the Taliban’s known propensity to interact with such elements is crucial. There is also a need to ensure that Pakistan—which is said to have masterminded the Taliban’s resurrection, and is virtually the keeper of this graveyard of empires and thus deeply mistrusted by many Afghans—learns to work for Afghanistan’s betterment rather than its continued ruin.

All this entails co-operation across strategic divides and the adoption of rational approaches that work for the good of the Afghan people.

America’s lack of a grand strategy in the region lets the Chinese see this period as one of great opportunity. The situation has helped China and Russia build a closer partnership, in a display of strategic and political alignment. Theirs is an attempt to define a new, political environment which emphasises dealing with threats to internal stability above everything. Their abilities in the dark arts of online misinformation let them disrupt the existing global order.
There is today a blurring of boundaries between peace and war, military and civilian—grey zones where actions stay below the threshold of major conflict and advanced technologies are deployed in virtual and physical spaces. The cyber domain is as central to the theatre of contest in the Indo-Pacific as is sea and land. One of the areas identified for co-operation in the Quad is technology, and there is scope for a “grand coalescence” among members to collaborate in defence, aerospace, infrastructure, cyber-security and science.

America’s strength in relationships

Despite the failure in Afghanistan, a perceived eclipse of its power and troubling internal divisions, the United States does not have the luxury of time to reassert itself. Only America, with its technological prowess, leading research institutions and universities, open society, institutions of governance and constitutional freedoms can provide a sustainable alternative to China’s advance in the Indo-Pacific.

Yet America’s competition with China must not chart a course for the future of the region in a way that causes irrevocable fault lines. Simplifications like “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” or picking sides do not apply in South-East Asia in particular. Nations there are not averse to practising what some call “promiscuous diplomacy”. Hedging and balancing are in their political dna.

This is where a better understanding of the complex environment and the support of countries like Japan, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore can be invaluable to navigate what would otherwise be a perilous passage for America through the Indo-Pacific, as competition with China replaces the give-and-take of dialogue and engagement. The future of Taiwan is just one area where both wisdom and allies are needed.

China’s overreach can be countered by a strategy that covers demonstrations of military preparedness, including joint exercises and training, political and strategic dialogue with the region’s democracies, co-operation in critical technologies, promoting trade and supply-chain integration, and infrastructure connectivity.

At the same time, America and India can tap well-established mechanisms such as the East Asia Summit and the asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting—which includes countries from outside the region. Countries in the region would prefer that America’s hub-and-spoke approach to security (where countries are connected to it but not to each other) be replaced by a regional order built on “multiple stilts of different sizes and functions” that match the architectural style for houses in the tropics, as nicely described by Evelyn Goh of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

The lessons of the past 20 years since 9/11 and the failures of America’s interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq show that more emphasis should have been placed on strengthening multilateral institutions, on reforming the United Nations to give voice to countries beyond a disunited five permanent Security Council members, and on abandoning economic sanctions as a default punishment that only raises ire against the West.
Today the world must tackle the misery and needs of millions of people displaced from their lands by the tumult of the post-9/11 world. America needs to lead the way, buoyed by its democratic values and an international order based on multilateralism.

Courtesy:The Economist

By

Daniel Alphonsus

“This is not a Sinhala-Buddhist country.” This war cry, triumphantly proclaimed in the deepest south after the Easter bombings, were probably Mangala’s most famous words. And rightly so, for theycaptured the essence of the man.

The attacks unleashed a volcano of fear and hate, which no one could stop. Most were silent, some tried to soothe. It was only Mangala who dared confront. That confrontation arose from compassion. Compassion which also led him to comfort.

From his Matara home, that served as the office of the Mothers’ Front in the 1980s, to the Eid dinner at his Muslim bodyguard’s home after the attacks, Mangala always cared for those who lived in the dark shadow of oppression. He was often the only leader to speak, or march in solidarity. As a friend put it, with Mangala “power spoke truth”. This is why his loss continues to be felt in every corner of the island and will be for many more years to come.

Mangala’s piercing vision for his beloved Sri Lanka arose from his love of people. His dreams were not sterile blueprints but rich and colourful tapestries woven from the joys, hopes, laughs and tears of the people he encountered. The discrimination he personally felt did not make him bitter. Instead it endowed him with great sensitivity.

He wanted nothing more than for Sri Lankans – individually and collectively – to be free and to reach their fullest potential. To think their own thoughts, do what made them happy and to celebrate life in all its glory.

Continue reading ‘Mangala Samaraweera’s conscience’s mastery over the siren song of power and office made him a statesman whose stature will wax rather than wane as the years and decades pass.’ »

By

Otara Gunewardene

I am deeply saddened and disappointed by the recent release of 15 elephants that were in the care and custody of the state; back to persons who are alleged to have unlawfully captured them or purchased the said elephants from those who have unlawfully captured them.

These young elephants were taken into custody between 2010 and 2015 as evidence of illegal elephant trafficking. It is deeply upsetting to know that these wild animals will once again face life in chains, tormented by man. Even though the conditions the state provided for these majestic wild animals are not as ideal as their life in the wild, they were well cared for and free from stress, tension and lived in the company of their own kind.

Continue reading ‘Recent release of 15 elephants that were in the care and custody of the state back to persons who allegedly captured them unlawfully or purchased them from those who unlawfully captured them is saddening and disappointing’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

As President Gotabaya Rajapaksa accompanied by his spouse paid tribute a few days ago to Americans slain in 9/11, both with white roses in their hands at the memorial in New York, it is hard not to imagine how powerfully symbolic that gesture would have been if replicated on this country’s soil for countless victims of all ethnicities in Sri Lanka.

Immune to sorrows at home

‘At least, that’, one might say to the cynics who will undoubtedly and with good reason protest that symbolism, by itself, is not enough. Even so, such Presidential actions would have healed hearts, brought together grieving communities and deprived extremists on both sides of Sri Lanka’s ethnic divide, of fury laced powder for their divisive shots. But no, our Presidents have generally preferred to mourn fatalities overseas, express sympathy for that far away grief rather than the chest beating sorrows of innocents closer at home so to speak.

Instead, on the Wanni’s roads and culverts, protesting mothers whose children ‘disappeared’ as a result of state excesses more than a decade ago, die one by one, their agonies unsatiated. We learn through our religious teachings, from the Gautama Buddha to Jesus Christ, that the hatreds and fears of each generation breeds yet another generation gripped by those very same emotions.

Continue reading ‘Was all the decades-long agony of disappearances, killings, mocking at the Rule of Law, subverting Constitutions and perverting justice, worth it?’ »

By: Colonel R Hariharan

(The writer served as the head of intelligence with the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka 1987-90)

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his first-ever address at the 76th UN general assembly session on September 22 spoke about transitional justice and reconciliation. But his widely reported readiness to have a dialogue with Tamil expatriates to address post-war reconciliation did not find a place in the speech.

This was not an oversight because in March 2021 his government had proscribed a number of Tamil groups such as Global Tamil Forum, British Tamil Forum and Canadian Tamil Congress. The government had also banned a number of individuals based in the UK, Germany, Italy, Malaysia under the UN terrorism designation law. The reason for banning them was their influence on Tamils in Sri Lanka and mould public policy abroad.

This was perhaps the reason the ban followed a scathing indictment of the Rajapaksa government by the UN high commissioner for human rights in her report. It had warned against the deterioration of human rights in Sri Lanka and highlighted “intensified surveillance and harassment of civil society organisations, human rights defenders and victims”.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Needs to Realise that Bringing the Tamil Ethnic Issues to a Closure is Important for India.’ »

Leading press freedom organisations have taken the case over the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge to The Hague.

In an unprecedented effort to achieve justice for the killing of journalists, three leading press freedom groups have established a People’s Tribunal to investigate their murders and hold governments accountable.

The Tribunal, a form of grassroots justice, relies on investigations and high quality legal analysis involving specific cases in three countries. An opening hearing will be held on 2 November in The Hague.

Violence against journalists is on the rise worldwide. Since 1992, more than 1400 journalists have been killed, and in eight out of ten cases where a journalist is murdered, the killers go free. The persistently high level of impunity perpetuates a cycle of violence against journalists, posing a threat to freedom of expression.

Continue reading ‘The People’s Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists to indict the govts of Sri Lanka, Mexico and Syria for failing to deliver justice for the murders of Journalists Lasantha Wickrematunge, Miguel Ángel López Velasco, and Nabil Al-Sharbaji.’ »

BY Pamodi Waravita

A number of Muslim Opposition Parliamentarians have filed complaints with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana D. Wickramaratne, the Police Headquarters (HQ), and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) regarding the alleged hate speech propagated by Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera in a number of electronic media interviews conducted over the past month.

Speaking to The Morning in this regard, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Mujibur Rahuman said that he had filed a complaint with the Police HQ on 24 September, as he fears that the monk’s hate speech could result in racial tensions between the minority Muslim and majority Sinhala Buddhist communities.

“Seven MPs have filed a complaint with the CID and the IGP regarding the matter,” Muslim National Alliance MP Ali Sabri Raheem told The Morning yesterday (27).

Continue reading ‘Seven Opposition Muslim MP’s from SLMC and ACMC who Vote with Govt in Parliament Complain to IGP, CID and Police HQ About Hate Speech Propagated Through Electronic Media Interviews by Bodu Bala Sena Gen Secy Gnanasara Thero’ »

By

Shreen Abdul Saroor

The reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA)that Muslim women have been demanding for over four decades,is back on centre stage. Interestingly, the Muslim elite and religious and political representatives who were instrumental in continuously stalling any reforms now say they want reform; one needs to take this with a pinch of salt. While some male leaders have now come to accept the need for some changes to the MMDA, there has been fierce opposition against the decision of the cabinet, as part of a revised MMDA to abolish polygamy and the Quazi system.

Some even oppose to accommodate the choice of Muslim to marry under General Marriage Ordinance. Looking at the struggle and lived experiences of Muslim women and children, the main reasons for their grave suffering are the fact that the MMDA provides, promotes and protects polygamy without any checks and maintains a Quazi system that stands apart from the regular judicial system.

Surprisingly, and unfortunately, in their outraged rejection of the proposed amendments relating to polygamy and the Quazi system,many Muslim men seem to reduce their heritage and identity to polygamy and the Quazis!Those against the proposed reform rely on an outdated Quranic interpretation and align with the claim by the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU)that theMMDA is a divine law and therefore needs a special system able to interpret sharia clauses. These views depict Islam as a faith that promotes inequality and injustice.The fundamental principles of justice, and fairness preached by the Quran have been conveniently forgotten.
Many of my human rights colleagues tell us now that this is not the right government to ask for such reforms. This is the same argument that many misogynist and elite Muslim men tell us whenever we talk about MMDA reform.

The struggle for reform has taken place across at least four successive regimes starting from Chandrika Kumaratunge. We are continuously told, each time, that it is not the right time. Then tell us, when is the right time? How many more children and adolescents need to be savaged by this system? How many more women need to be unfairly punished and thrown onto the streets to beg and children enrolled in madrasas that only teach to memorize the Quran.Now especially is not the time for silence.

Continue reading ‘The arrogance and egoism of certain ‘learned’Muslims, the militancy of various groups, the thuggery and obstinacy of ACJU and politicians seeking personal gains are the reasons why MMDA is not reformed to date.’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardena

Are we a nation of savage beasts that a drunk State Minister, ironically tasked to oversee prisons reforms, can ‘allegedly’ (a caveat that we are duty bound to enter) lurch into the Welikada and Anuradhapura prisons on sight-seeing expeditions to ‘show the gallows’ to his acolytes in one instance and threaten prisoners of Tamil ethnicity in another?

Violation of the law at several levels

Let us be clear. It is not prisoners who are facing ‘the gallows’ but the State of Sri Lanka. This is a classic example of raw political savagery that has crucified this nation in the eyes of the world.

It is no answer to say that Minister of Prisons Reforms and Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte was carrying a licensed firearm when he ‘allegedly’ put that firearm to the heads of two prisoners, saying that he can shoot them if he pleases. The issue is not whether the firearm was licensed or not but the fact that the law was violated at several levels in a manner that truly beggars the imagination

Firstly, not even a Minister holding a supervisory portfolio is legally entitled to ‘visit’ the prisons at his whim and pleasure, inebriated or not as the case may be. Secondly, as any child would know, a politician had no right to use prisoners as his chattels. What next, we may well question?

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka has been cursed by alternating political regimes of either neo-liberal nonsense with no moorings to the concerns of ordinary men and women or racist Deep State leadership with a dash of plain and ordinary thuggery thrown in.’ »

By Chandani Kirinde

Defending a man charged with the murder of a Prime Minister is not the most popular or easiest thing to do. More so when the slain Prime Minister happens to be S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike who, in April 1956, less than three-and-a-half years before his killing, had led a coalition of parties headed by the newly-formed Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to a historic and decisive electoral win.

As with most governments in power, the goodwill of the public at the beginning of his term as Prime Minister had begun to recede over the years but both his supporters and opponents were left in shock and grief by his untimely and tragic death.

It was on the morning of 25 September 1959, a Buddhist monk who had come to the Prime Minister’s residence at Rosemead Place, Colombo 7 on the pretext of meeting him over an official matter, pulled out a revolver and fired at Bandaranaike. He was grievously injured and died the following day in hospital.

Police investigations into the shooting began immediately and hours after the shooting, Rev. Talduwe Somarama was identified as the man who had shot the Prime Minister. He and several co-conspirators were identified by the Police over the next few weeks and the Magisterial Inquiry began on 14 December 1959, before Chief Magistrate Colombo N.A. de S. Wijesekera.

Continue reading ‘Assassination of a Prime Minister – Revisiting the Bandaranaike murder case 62 years later’ »

BY Dinitha Rathnayake and Azzam Ameen

The report of the Prisons Department investigation into alleged incidents of drunkenness and threatening of Tamil political prisoners by former State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte, whilst at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons, is to be handed over to Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya within two weeks.

Prisons Department Media Spokesman and Commissioner of Prisons (Admin and Rehabilitation) Chandana Ekanayake, speaking to The Morning, said that Prisons Commissioner S. Kodithuwakku, who led the investigation on behalf of the Prisons Department, would hand over the report to Commissioner General of Prisons Upuldeniya.

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Ali Sabry has appointed High Court (HC) Judge (Retd.) Kusala Sarojani Weerawardena to conduct an independent inquiry into the recent incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons involving Ratwatte.

Continue reading ‘Justice Minister Ali Sabry appoints Retired High Court Judge Kusala Sarojani Weerawardena to conduct an independent inquiry into the recent incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons involving State Minister Lohan Ratwatte.’ »

By Azzam Ameen and Ruwani Fonseka

Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress (AITC) MP Selvarajah Kajendren was arrested by the Jaffna Police today (23) while he was attending a memorial held for Rasaiah Parthipan, commonly known as ‘Thileepan’.

Thileepan was a Tamil Eelam revolutionary and member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Video footage circulating of the arrest showed Police manhandling and shoving the MP into a Police vehicle.

Continue reading ‘Tamil Congress MP Selvrajah Kajenthiran and Two Others Arrested in Jaffna Under Quarantine Laws for Memorialising Former LTTE Stalwart Thileepan; Video footage of tarrest shows Police manhandling and shoving the MP into a Police vehicle.’ »

BY

Pamodi Waravita

Justice Minister, President’s Counsel (PC) M.U.M. Ali Sabry, whilst “unequivocally and unconditionally” condemning the incidents which had occurred at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons complexes involving former Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, said yesterday (22) that a retired High Court (HC) Judge will be appointed to independently inquire into the incidents.

“The State Minister in question has already stepped down from the post. There are no interferences into the ongoing investigations by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL). The High Court Judge will also tender a report. Just like everyone else, this individual too is entitled to the presumption of innocence. Based on what the investigations reveal, the political and legal authorities, and the political Party to which he belongs, will take appropriate action,” said Ali Sabry PC in the Parliament yesterday.

Ali Sabry PC made these comments in response to an inquiry made by Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress (AITC) Parliamentarian G.G. Ponnambalam, who questioned as to whether the Government would remove Ratwatte from his remaining Government portfolio as the Gem and Jewellery Related Industries State Minister and subsequently, from the Parliament as well.

Continue reading ‘Justice Minister Ali Sabry Tells Parliament that a retired High Court Judge would be appointed to independently inquire into the incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons complexes involving former Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation State Minister Lohan Ratwatte’ »

(Text of Speech made by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the 76th UN General Assembly in New York on September 22, 2021)

Mr. President,
Secretary General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Ayubowan.

I am honoured to represent Sri Lanka at this august gathering today.

Let me first congratulate His Excellency Abdulla Shahid on being elected President of the 76th session of the General Assembly.
Mr. President, you have long been a friend of Sri Lanka. We look forward to working closely with you in the year ahead.

I also take this opportunity to convey our appreciation of His Excellency Volkan Bozkir’s stewardship of the previous session of the General Assembly, and to commend Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his leadership in these difficult times.
Mr. President, The COVID19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on humanity.

I sympathise deeply with all who have lost their loved ones during the pandemic.

I thank frontline healthcare and essential workers around the world for their dedication and commend the World Health Organisation for its crisis response. I also greatly appreciate the rapid advances made by the scientific and medical communities in devising vaccines and treatment protocols to combat the virus.

At the same time, we must recognise that the challenges surrounding production, distribution, deployment and acceptance of vaccines must be overcome urgently if the spread of dangerous new virus strains is to be prevented. Ensuring that everyone, everywhere, is vaccinated is the best way out of the pandemic.
Although still a developing nation, Sri Lanka has been very successful in its vaccination programme.

Continue reading ‘“Fostering greater accountability, restorative justice, and meaningful reconciliation through domestic institutions is essential to achieve lasting peace.” President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the UN’ »

(Text of Speech made in Parliament on Sep 22d 2021 by TNA Jaffna District MP Mathiaparanan Abraham Sumanthiran during the adjournment debate on the UN process )

Thank you presiding member for the time allocated for me to speak a few words on this adjournment motion.

The problem with the government seems to be its double speak. I have here with me a tweet by His. Excellency on the 21st of July this year, when he says and I quote” we are committed to work with the UN to ensure accountability and Human development” he says work with the UN on accountability “and achieve lasting peace and reconciliation” and then he says “we are dedicated to resolving the issues and ensure justice and reconciliation by implementing necessary institutional reforms”.

We welcomed it immediately whenever there has been a progressive move by the government we have publicly welcomed it. We tweeted, re tweeted the president’s tweet and we said we welcome and assure our support to the president’s commitment to work with the UN on accountability.

Continue reading ‘“The Problem with this Govt Seems to be its Doublespeak where President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Says Something which is Refuted by his Foreign Ministry”- M. A. Sumnthiran MP’ »

BY CANADIAN STANDARDS the election campaign was the ugliest in many years. Protests dogged the candidates of the main parties. Loutishness went “beyond the typical uptick” for federal elections, said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It came especially from anti-vaccine activists. This month someone threw gravel at Justin Trudeau, the Liberal prime minister, who says that vaccinations should be mandatory for federal employees and on aeroplanes and trains.

Yet the melodrama changed almost nothing. The early results of the vote held on September 20th suggest that Mr Trudeau, who had called a snap election in hopes of gaining a majority in the House of Commons, will instead continue to lead a minority government. The arithmetic in the 338-seat Parliament is expected to change little . Mr Trudeau will continue to depend on smaller parties, especially the left-leaning New Democrats (NDP), to enact his programme. The opposition Conservatives, which had 121 seats in the outgoing Parliament, are thought to have won roughly the same number in the incoming one.

None of Canada’s main political leaders will come out of the election with his standing much enhanced. Mr Trudeau, who strikes some voters as too privileged and excessively woke, has no good answer to the question of why it was necessary to hold an election during a fourth wave of the pandemic. The Liberals’ lacklustre performance may prompt speculation that this week’s election will be the prime minister’s last. The NDP’s leader, Jagmeet Singh, failed to establish his party as the rising challenger to the Liberals for the votes of left-leaning Canadians. He will try to nudge Mr Trudeau’s government to the left, but may find himself supporting much of what the prime minister proposes.

Continue reading ‘Justin Trudeau, who called a snap election in hopes of gaining a majority in the House of Commons, will instead continue to lead a minority government; Ordinary Canadians, though, have given Trudeau a grudging endorsement.’ »

By Buddhika Samaraweera

Claiming the ongoing investigations into recent incidents involving the former Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation State Minister Lohan Ratwatte are not at a satisfactory level, the March 12 Movement (M12M), which advocates for a clean political culture, has requested that an independent committee with a membership respected by society be appointed to investigate the matter.

In a media statement, M12M Convener Rohana Hettiarachchi said that there would not be much public confidence in the ongoing investigation into the incidents led by a Commissioner of the Prisons Department, which is one of the parties associated with the incidents.

In the statement, the M12M claimed that Ratwatte’s resignation from the post of Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation State Minister clearly shows that the latter was involved in the incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons.

Continue reading ‘“March 12 Movement”(M12M) Advocating a Clean Political Culture in Sri Lanka Calls for an independent committee Comprising members respected by society be appointed to investigate the two Incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons Concerning State Minister Lohan Ratwatte’ »

(Text of a Press Release Issued by the President’s Media Division)

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that the UN will provide its full support to Sri Lanka in moving forward to promote unity among different communities.

The UN Secretary-General made these remarks during the meeting he held with the President at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, yesterday (19).

Mr. Guterres, warmly welcomed President Rajapaksa when he arrived at the United Nations Headquarters, reminisced about his visits to Sri Lanka in 1978 representing the Inter-Parliamentary Union and his visits to Kandy, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee.

Continue reading ‘President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Tells U.N. Secry-Gen Antonio Guterres in New York that the internal issues of Sri Lanka would be resolved through an internal mechanism and that the Tamil Diaspora would be invited for discussions in this regard.’ »

By Azzam Ameen

Following the alleged incident where former State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte entered the Anuradhapura Prison and attempted to degrade and punish Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suspects by ordering them at gunpoint to kneel down in front of him, The Morning learns that the detainees affected Ratwatte’s behaviour have requested to be transferred to other prisons.

Speaking to The Morning, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Kavinda Jayawardhana who visited the prison along with SJB MPs Mano Ganesan and Rohana Bandara yesterday (18), said that the detainees have asked to be transferred to the Jaffna prison as they fear for their safety.

Continue reading ‘Tamil Prisoners in Anuradhapura Jail who Were Ordered at Gun Point to Kneel Down Before him by Lohan Ratwatte Request Transfer to Jaffna Because They Fear For Their Safety’ »

By Pamodi Waravita

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader and National People’s Power (NPP) Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (19) claimed that the Government of Sri Lanka had signed an agreement with US-based energy company New Fortress Energy Inc. past midnight on Friday (17), transferring the Treasury’s 40% stake in the Yugadanavi Power Station in Kerawalapitiya to the company.

“An agreement of national importance was signed at 12:06 past midnight. After that the foreigner who came for the signing went back to America on a flight at 2.00 a.m.,” he claimed at a media briefing held yesterday (19).

Continue reading ‘Gotabaya Govt signed agreement with New Fortress Energy Inc. past midnight at 12.06 am on Sep 17 transferring the Treasury’s 40% stake in the Yugadanavi Power Station in Kerawalapitiya to the US-based energy company Alleges JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake’ »

By

Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya

Installation of CCTV cameras in the Welikada prison is currently underway and only three prisons in the country are equipped with CCTV camera system, the Prisons Department said .

In the wake of recent incidents at Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons involving State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, concerns were raised whether the controversial incidents captured in the CCTV systems at those prisons.

Continue reading ‘No CCTV Footage Available of Controversial Incidents Concerning State Minister Lohan Ratwatte at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons Because CCTV Cameras are Not Installed in Both Jails Says Prisons Dept Official’ »

By

Azzam Ameen

As the five-year term of the first Right to Information (RTI) Commission will be coming to an end this month, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has exercised the right given to it under and in terms of Section 12(1) (a) of the Right to Information Act No. 12 of 2016 and nominated Ms. Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena to the RTI Commission.

“The name of Ms. Pinto Jayawardena, who is a sitting Member of the RTI Commission having been previously appointed upon the nomination by the organizations of publishers, editors and media persons, was unanimously approved by both the Executive Committee and the Bar Council of the BASL and has been communicated to His Excellency the President; the Honorable Speaker the and the Members of the Parliamentary Council,” a statement from the BASL detailed.

Continue reading ‘Lawyer -Columnist Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena Nominated by Bar Association of Sri Lanka to Right To Information Commission’ »

By

Lucien Rajakarunanayake

What a gem of a minister he is!

Who?

Who else, State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, the gem and jewel of today.

Why?

He resigned from his Prison Portfolio, not having done anything wrong, as he says it. He has gone beyond the stuff of any politician. He truly deserves to be given the highest regard by the Saubhagya Strategists. Just think of any politician of today, especially from the Pohottuva Team, who will resign from a portfolio for not having done anything wrong, when those who have done so many blatant wrongs, keep glued to their portfolios?

What do you think should follow?

Surely, it is so simple. Get promoted to the Cabinet. Take the “State” off his ministerial title and swear him in as the Minister of Prison Reforms, etc,, and Gem and Jewellery Industry.

Do you think that is the strategy of the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour of the Gotabaya Politics?

Why not? Promotion, elevation or unearned freedom is the very stuff of today’s Rajapaksa governance. We don’t forget the pardoning of former Staff Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake, convicted with death sentence, for the murder of eight Tamil civilians inlcuding three children, affirmed by the Supreme Court.

Continue reading ‘When Lohan Ratwatte Gets Promoted as Cabinet Minister will he be known as the “Muthu-menik Lohan Amathi, Sir”? The true Gem of Pohottuva Politics and Governance!’ »

By
Jamil Husain

State Minister of Gem and Jewelry Related Industries Lohan Ratwatte who has pushed the government into a hot soup over allegations that he threatened a group of Tamil prisoners over the weekend, yesterday denied all accusations leveled against him saying he was ‘not stupid’ to resort to such action.

Breaking his silence for the first time since being forced to resign as the State Minister of Prison Reforms and Prisoners Rehabilitation, Ratwatte told Daily Mirror that he had not threatened the prisoners at the Anuradhapura Prison and had in fact visited the prison on a routine check only.

Continue reading ‘“As a minister, I can walk into any prison at any time. I do not need anyone’s permission.Over the weekend I went to the Anuradhapura Prison only to check as I did with the other prisons. I never broke in and I never threatened any prisoner” Says State Minister Lohan Ratwatte in Interview With “Daily Mirror”’ »

By

Sheain Fernandopulle

Referring to the recent incident transpired in the Anuradhapura Prison involving State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, Industries Minister Wimal Weerawansa said Lohan set an example for political culture by resigning from the post following the incident.

He told reporters that it was obvious for people to make mistakes, but what is important is to admit their mistakes and make sure that they would not do the same in future.

Continue reading ‘Wimal Weerawana Praises Lohan Ratwatte for Resigning his Portfolio when he found he had done something wrong and for Acknowledging his Wrongdoing and Taking Responsibility for wht he had done’ »

BY Dinitha Rathnayake

The Prisons Department and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) have commenced investigations into incidents at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons which involve former Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, while the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is likely to begin its own investigation on the matter today (17).

Speaking to The Morning, HRCSL Commissioner Dr. Nimal Karunasiri said that as the initial stage of this investigation, statements would be recorded from prisoners and jailors, in addition to Ratwatte, as well as others who were involved in the incidents.

“We expect to release a report soon, which will be handed over to the respective officials for further investigations,” he added.

The Prisons Department has also commenced an investigation related to both the incidents where the recording of statements has already begun, according to Prisons Department Media Spokesman and Commissioner of Prisons Chandana Ekanayake. Speaking to The Morning, he said that Prisons Commissioner S. Kodithuwakku would lead the investigation on behalf of the Prisons Department.

Continue reading ‘Three Separate Investigations Commence Into the Antics of State Minister Lohan Ratwatte at Welikade and Anuradhapura by the Prisons Dept, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and the CID’PM’s Media Secy Welivita Denies Mahinda Rajapaksa From Italy was Involved in any Telephone Conversation with Lohan’ »

By

Ruwani Fonseka

Attempts have been made to delete CCTV footage at the Anuradhapura Prison, Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners Chairman Attorney at Law Senaka Perera alleged at a press conference held on SEp 15.

He made such statements with regard to Former State Minister of Prisons and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte’s alleged offences committed inside the prison.

Continue reading ‘Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners Chairman Senaka Perera alleges at press conference that attempts have been made to delete CCTV footage regarding Lohan Ratwatte’s Unruly Conduct at the Anuradhapura Prison.’ »

By

Ruwani Fonseka

The Human Rights Commission in Sri Lanka (HRCSL) visited the Anuradhapura prison on Sep 15 following the incident that took place last Sunday in which Former State Minister of Prisons and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte was allegedly involved, The Morning learnt.

During this visit, the HRCSL was able to the speak to the prisoners and the jailers at the Anuradhapura Prison Complex.

“The prisoners and jailers had two different things to say.

Continue reading ‘Detenues at Anurdhapura Prison Tesify to Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission Representatives the Details of the Incident Concerning Lohan Ratwatte but Jailguards Say they only Provided Security to the State Minister and did not see any such incident’ »

By

Meer Srinivasan

Sri Lanka’s prisons minister resigned on Wednesday, following allegations that he asked Tamil prisoners to kneel, threatening them at gunpoint.

A statement from the Presidential Media Division said: “Lohan Ratwatte, State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation has tendered his resignation, acknowledging his responsibility for the incidents”. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa accepted his resignation, it said.

Meanwhile, official sources told The Hindu that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, currently on a visit to Italy, telephoned the Minister accused of threatening prisoners, to immediately resign, pending investigation.

Continue reading ‘TNA Spokesman MA Sumanthiran Calls for the Arrest of State Minister Lohan Ratwatte Regarding the Anurdhapura Jail Incident and the Launching of a Full-scale Inquiry;”he (Lohan) and all responsible must be prosecuted”says Jaffna MP’ »

By
JAMILA HUSAIN

State Minister of Prison Management, Lohan Ratwatta has resigned from his portfolio a short while ago. He has sent his resignation letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The President’s Media Division in a statement said Ratwatta had tendered his resignation acknowledging his responsibility for the incidents that took place at the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prison premises.

Ratwatte informed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa regarding his decision today and the President accepted his resignation, the PMD said.

Continue reading ‘PM Mahinda Rajapaksa Telephones Lohan Ratwatte From Italy and Tells him to Step Down Pending Inquiry; Mahinda Talks to Gotabaya Also;Lohan Takes Responsibility and Submits Resignation Letter which is Accepted by President.’ »

Responding to reports that Sri Lanka’s State Minister for Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation, Lohan Ratwatte, forcibly entered a state prison in Anuradhapura on 12 September and held Tamil prison inmates incarcerated under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) at gunpoint and threatened to kill them, Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director said:

“These dumbfounding reports go to show that our ongoing concerns regarding Sri Lanka’s treatment of prisoners, especially the authorities’ torture and other inhumane and degrading treatment of PTA detainees are all too valid. They also demonstrate the level of impunity for criminal behaviour that is indulged at the highest levels of government. There must be a prompt, impartial and effective inquiry and the Minister must be held to account for his actions.

Continue reading ‘“Lohan Ratwatte’s alleged conduct further undermines the government’s piecemeal efforts made to address the conditions of PTA prisoners, which is labelled as reconciliation.” -Amnesty International’ »

By

Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) today called for the immediate resignation of State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte for the authorities to initiate a credible investigation into the alleged incidents, and action taken without fear or favour.

In a statement, the CPA stated that it was deeply disturbed by media reports of two incidents this week where the State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte is alleged to have abused his position by entering two prisons inebriated, and attempted to assault remand prisoners.

On Sunday 12 September, the State Minister is reported to have entered the Welikada Prison with a group of friends. Subsequently he is reported to have travelled by helicopter to Anuradhapura where he had entered the Anuradhapura Prison and ordered two suspects at gunpoint to kneel down in front of him.

Continue reading ‘Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) calls for the immediate resignation of State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte; CPA wants authorities to initiate a credible investigation into the alleged incidents, and take action without fear or favour.’ »

(Text of Statement Delivered by UK’s Ambassador to the UN and WTO in Geneva, Simon Manley on behalf of the Core Group of Sri Lanka at the 48th Session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 14th 2021)

Thank you Madam President

This statement is by the Core Group on Sri Lanka comprising Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, Malawi, Montenegro and the UK.

We thank the High Commissioner for her update on Sri Lanka and call for OHCHR to be granted the resources needed to implement resolution 46/1.

We recognise the challenges Sri Lanka is facing due to the COVID 19 pandemic and express our condolences to the people of Sri Lanka for the many lives that have been lost.

We continue to stress the importance of a comprehensive reconciliation and accountability process. We note Sri Lanka’s declared intent to promote reconciliation and to ensure the continuity of the work of the Office of Missing Persons and the Office for Reparations.

Continue reading ‘Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, Malawi, Montenegro and the UK are deeply concerned about current human rights developments in Sri Lanka and call upon Govt to cooperate fully with the UN High Commissioner while remaining ready to support the Government on the implementation of resolution 46/1.’ »

(Text of Statement by Prof G.L.Peiris Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka at the 48th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 14 September 2021)

< strong>Madam President,