Govt. MPs also participated in Naumann workshops: UNP
While condemning certain media reports labeling UNP MPs as traitors for cooperating with Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), the UNP said earlier today that members in the government had also closely worked with the foundation. “The foundation had organised events and workshops for both the government and the opposition politicians. Even Keheliya Rambukwella and Mahinda Samarasinghe had participated at FNF organised events,” UNP MP Ruwan Wijewardena told a news conference today. Explaining about the Frederick Newman Foundation MP Harshana Rajakaruna said the Germany based foundation was funded by the German Government. The foundation had established in Sri Lanka as a MoU between the two governments in 1988. He said the FNF only seeks to share its…
More than 20 disappearances last year
More than 20 alleged enforced disappearances were reported in Sri Lanka last year, the annual human rights report released today by the London based Amnesty International (AI) said. The victims included political activists, business people and suspected criminals. The report slammed Sri Lanka saying that Government officials and supporters harassed and threatened human rights defenders, journalists and members of the judiciary who spoke out about abuses of power or advocated human rights accountability. The 2013 report which looks at the state of human rights around the world in 2012, said that in Sri Lanka unlawful detentions, torture and enforced disappearances remained rife and went unpunished. It also said that despite the end of the war, impunity…
UN intervenes in land issue in North
Head of the United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Agnes Asekenye-Oonyu, on Tuesday flew to Palaly, where she discussed the issue with Security Forces Commander, Jaffna, Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe. Ms. Asekenye-Oonyu was accompanied by the deputy head of the mission, Mark Prasopa-Plaizier. Authoritative sources told to colombo news paper that Jaffna Commander had explained the circumstances under which some land had been acquired in accordance with the overall post-war development plan encompassing Palaly and Kankesanthurai. The acquisition of some land in the Valigamam north was necessary to expand the Palaly airport as well as the Kankesanthurai harbour, Maj. Gen. Hathurusinghe told the visiting delegation. India recently completed clearing the Kankesanthurai…
Govt. trying to arrest UNP MPs – Ranil
UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said, in Parliament yesterday, that the government was getting ready to arrest a number of UNP politicians who participated in a workshop coordinated by the Friedrich Neumann Foundation. The Opposition Leader said that the issue would be taken to international fora and the MPs who attended the workshop had been accused of trying to overthrow the government. “Yes, we are trying to topple this government but that is through democratic means, through electoral process, by the ballot. That is our sole right as the Opposition. Now, the government has got the CID to harass our MPs accusing them of trying to topple the government through undemocratic means.” The UNP…
Ganeshan Nimalaruban Case: De Facto CJ Denies Petitioner’s Right To See Replies Filed By AG
The Fundamental Rights case of Ganeshan Nimalaruban was taken before the Supreme Court yesterday. The Bench consisted of: Mohan Pieris CJ, P. A Ratnayake PC J and S Hettige J. In the course of submissions by the petitioner’s lawyers, Chief Justice Mohan Peiris made the following remarks: ”When the prison is under siege do you want the prisons commissioner have to read to them the Geneva Conventions?” The AG submitted a confidential report to the Court and Counsel Petitioner requested a copy to be issued to him. CJ Peiris said “Why do you need this? The court is not a place to get documents for the petitioners. This is the way you all procure the evidence and then…
China to lend Sri Lanka $732m
China Development Bank (CDB) Corporation will lend US$580 million (S$732 million) to Sri Lanka to help implement key infrastructure projects, a government document released on Wednesday showed, according to a Reuters news agency report. The loan will bring CDB’s total lending to Sri Lanka to more than US$1.4 billion. China’s increasing influence in the island nation has stoked concerns in neighbouring India. According to the document, US$300 million of the loan will be spent on developing roads and US$200 million on water supply projects, with the rest going to the national business school. It said CDB had already extended US$652 million for road development projects and US$214 million for an irrigation project.
India playing critical role says Basil
Minister Basil Rajapaksa says India is playing a critical role in assisting the return of normalcy in the north and east. He said that the Housing Project undertaken by India in the north and east was indicative of the phased, timely and sequenced manner of India’s development assistance to Sri Lanka which has been based on requirements on the ground. He was speaking during the launch of the Indian Housing Project in the Eastern Province yesterday, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said. Minister Rajapaksa also pointed out that among donor-funded humanitarian assistance projects in Sri Lanka, the Indian Housing Project was unmatched and unprecedented in its scale, reach and impact. In his address, High…
TID questions TNPF on funds
The Terrorist Investigations Department (TID) has questioned the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) on where it gets it’s funds from, TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said. He said that a group of TNPF members who were arrested in Mannar on Saturday and questioned on their identity as well as posters used at a war remembrance event, have now been quizzed on funding. Ponnambalam said that the TNPF members are out on bail but have been asked to report to the police almost on a daily basis. On Saturday the police had visited the TNPF office in Jaffna but no one was arrested there. When contacted, police spokesman Budhika Siriwardena had said that the TNPF members in Mannar were arrested over a…
TNA requests govt. to ‘genuinely implement’ HRC resolution
The TNA yesterday requested the government to take action to “genuinely implement” the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution on “Promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka and to reverse the latter’s current actions pertaining to the land issues in the North and East. TNA Leader R. Sampanthan, moving an adjournment motion in Parliament, said that the government’s actions had resulted in deterioration of the human rights situation in the North and East. “Two statements were made on the floor of the House on April 09, 2013 by the Leader of the Opposition and the Minister of External Affairs, pertaining to the resolution No: A/HRC/22/L.1 on ‘Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka’ adopted by…
Asylum seeker to be freed after ASIO overturns adverse security assessment
A Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seeker has become the second person to have an adverse security assessment overturned by ASIO. Manokala Jenaddarsan, 41, was in the final stages of getting her refugee claim processed in 2011 when ASIO issued her with the adverse assessment. She was held in indefinite detention in Villawood, but will now be released into the community along with her son. Manokala Jenaddarsan has been in detention at Villawood since the adverse security assessment (Credit: Getty Images) A Sri Lankan asylum seeker has become the second person to have an adverse threat assessment overturned by ASIO. Manokala Jenaddarsan, 41, was in the final stages of getting her refugee claim processed in 2011…
