Author: TELO Admin

In a compelling address to Parliament yesterday, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, a prominent figure in Sri Lankan politics and former Army Commander, urged for an international investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks following startling allegations made in a recent Channel 4 documentary.

The documentary has drawn global attention by linking the head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Suresh Sallay, to the planning and execution of the tragic Easter Sunday attacks in 2019. According to the documentary, the attacks were allegedly orchestrated as a means to bring the Rajapaksas to power.

During his address, Field Marshal Fonseka expressed his concerns about the SIS Chief’s alleged involvement in the attacks. He emphasized that Suresh Sallay had a history that raised suspicions, referring to him as a man who was once relegated to “cleaning the toilets” for the Rajapaksa family.

These shocking allegations have ignited fresh debates in Sri Lanka’s political landscape, prompting calls for a thorough and impartial investigation to ascertain the truth behind the claims made in the documentary.

The removal of MP Dayasiri Jayasekara from his post as SLFP (Sri Lanka Freedom Party) General Secretary appears to be a strategic move aimed at eliminating potential obstacles to the party’s support for President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming presidential election, according to sources.

According to political sources, Mr. Jayasekara has been opposed to the idea of backing the President at the next election. Instead, he has advocated the position that the SLFP should participate in the elections without being part of an alliance led by another prospective candidate.

According to an informed source, the SLFP MPs who hold ministerial positions in the government have been instrumental in sacking Mr. Jayasekara from the party. In a political party, the general secretary is the one who authorizes formal decisions of the party. His signature is key even when entering into any alliance with other like minded parties. The General Secretary is also the person authorized to communicate with the Election Commission and the Secretary General of Parliament on party decisions.

SLFP MPs – Mahinda Amaraweera, Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Duminda Dissanayake – are among those working closely with the political group coordinated by MP Nimal Lanza in promotion of the President as the next candidate.

Earlier, Mr. Jayasekara also charged that those who wanted to make the SLFP an appendage of the United National Party (UNP) are behind his removal.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, in an interview with Sirasa TV on Wednesday night, said that she would have gone for a general election if she had been in President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s shoes.

She said that Wickremesinghe did not go for an election because he feared defeat.Wickremesinghe had been able to halt the rapid decline of the country but he was unable to move forth because he worked with corrupt politicians, she said.

“Only members of one corrupt family is not in government. I don’t think Ranil is stealing but everyone around him steals. Look at the Health Minister, everyone knows people have died due to imported substandard drugs. He should be arrested. The Opposition had to bring in parliamentary motions to get rid of him,” she said.

Kumaratunga said that corruption was the main issue holding back the country and with such crooks in power.

“People are angry. What they expected following the departure of Gotabaya Rajapaksa has not been achieved. The next Aragalaya won’t be peaceful. There will be a bloodbath. Don’t underestimate people’s anger,” she said.

Sri Lanka suffers from an extraordinary accountability deficit that, unless addressed, will drag the country further behind,” says UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Turk in the Human Rights Council’s latest report on Sri Lanka.

The Rights High Commissioner reiterated the UNHRC’s demand that the international community undertake further “targeted sanctions such as asset freezes and travel bans against those credibly alleged to have perpetrated gross international human rights violations or serious humanitarian law violations.”

The High Commissioner’s report is to be presented to the 54 th. session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to be held from September 11 to October 6 in Geneva.

While acknowledging that the Sri Lankan government has been addressing the country’s economic problems and alleviating the miserable conditions that prevailed in 2022, Volker Turk’s report urges the Sri Lankan government and Sri Lankan political parties to “strive for and deliver on long over-due democratic renewal, deeper institutional reforms and tangible progress on accountability, reconciliation and human rights. This would be particularly appropriate in a year that marks both the 75th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence and the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

While financial support from international institutions and structural reforms are important steps to bring the economic crisis under control, it is equally essential that the burden of reforms does not fall unequally upon some segments of society, it adds.

It recommends “robust safety nets and social protection for the most vulnerable from the negative spill-overs of economic restructuring.”

Importantly, it says that it is “vital to address the underlying factors in the crisis, including corruption, centralization of power, lack of accountability.”

Ethnic and Religious Reconciliation

On the question of ethnic and religious reconciliation, the report calls for accountability on the part of the government.

“Accountability remains a crucial element of any genuine reconciliation agenda. Any new transitional justice measures, including a truth commission, must meet international standards and the expectations of victims and their relatives to deliver lasting gains.”

While the responsibility for addressing rights violations through credible investigations and prosecutions is principally that of the Sri Lankan government, “the international community can play an important complementary role, including through supporting relevant criminal justice investigations and prosecutions, the use of universal jurisdiction, and consideration of appropriate targeted sanctions against persons credibly implicated in serious human rights violations,” the report says.

It recommends that international donors “assess any potential human rights impact of international financial assistance programmes and take preventive measures to reduce it to the minimum.”

“As a matter of priority”, the Sri Lankan government should create an environment for a successful and sustainable transitional justice process. This should include ensuring full, free and safe participation of victims, witnesses and civil society.

The government should end all forms of harassment and unlawful and arbitrary surveillance against victims and witnesses and support initiatives to acknowledge and memorialize the experience of victims.

Broad-based Consultations

Any truth-seeking process should be developed through broad-based consultations, the report says. It should comply with international norms and be complemented by an independent ad hoc special court.

The Sri Lankan government should strengthen the Office on Missing Persons and the Office for Reparations to their full potential, and adopt institutional and other measures preventing rights violations in the future.

The government should undertake a comprehensive security sector reform, including the reduction of military spending, vetting, and the use of the military for civilian duties.

Gender Discrimination

On gender discrimination, the report says that all necessary measures should be taken to increase women’s participation in political life, including in decision-making regarding the economic crisis, at the national, provincial and local levels.

The government should ensure the 25% quota for women’s representation in local government institutions, combat harmful stereotyping, and protect politically active women from harassment and violence.

The report asks the government to review practices in departments dealing with archaeology, forestry, irrigation, and other services regularly in order to avoid land disputes between ethnic/religious communities. Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims have clashed over archaeological diggings and building of shrines in the Eastern Province.

Draconian Anti-Terrorism Law

The government should ensure that new legislation replacing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) complies with Sri Lanka’s international law obligations. There should be a strict moratorium on the use of the PTA, the report urges.

Government should also expedite the release of those detained and imprisoned for a long period under the PTA.

The report demands the acceleration of investigations and prosecutions in emblematic cases of human rights violations, such as the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, in compliance with international human rights standards, with international assistance, and ensure the full participation of victims and their representatives in the process.

The report demands free and fair elections at all levels of government. Elections have been postponed indefinitely in Sri Lanka citing adverse economic conditions.

Economic Crimes

It also wants the international community to support Sri Lanka in the investigation of economic crimes that have an impact on human rights and in the tracing, recovery and return of stolen assets, and in ensuring that returned assets are allocated in an accountable, transparent and participatory manner that contributes to the realization of human rights.

The High Commissioner recommends to all United Nations agencies, funds and programs operating in Sri Lanka and to international financial institutions, that they take into account Sri Lanka’s international human rights obligations with regard to economic, social and cultural rights and pay special attention to issues of accountability, governance and diversity when negotiating or implementing support programs.

Grim Economic Situation

The Human Rights High Commissioner’s report has some valuable data on the grim economic situation in Sri Lanka.

The report says that pricing and access to essential imports stabilized in the second half of 2022, despite the economy contracting 7.8% for the year. Projections from the IMF suggest that the economy will continue to contract by 3.0% in 2023.

Inflation has eased from its peak of 69.8% in September 2022, with growth in the Colombo Consumer Price Index slowing to 6.3% over the year to July.

However, the crisis has resulted in a dramatic increase in the poverty rate, which the World Bank estimates to have doubled from 13 to 25% between 2021 and 2022, creating an additional 2.5 million poor people. The poverty rate is forecast to rise to 27.4% in 2023, and remain above 25% for the next few years.

Food insecurity remained a major barrier for the enjoyment of human rights. Thirty- seven per cent of households were estimated to have faced acute food insecurity in November 2022, and 86% of Sri Lankan families were buying cheaper, less nutritious food, eating less and in some cases skipping meals altogether.

Poverty in urban areas has tripled in recent years. While agriculture for self-consumption has provided a safety net for some in the rural areas, it has often come at a cost in terms of lost revenue from selling crops, and overuse of natural resources.

UNICEF expects the number of malnourished children to rise further following the economic crisis, with more than 2.3 million children in need of humanitarian assistance.

Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Defence said that a committee will be appointed to probe the contents of the Channel4 program.

“On the 20th of April 2019, these suicide bombers, while at Span Towers, Mount Lavinia, issued another pledge to establish a Caliphate, and issued a video. What is amusing and astounding is that the video highlighting the intentions of the bombers has been disregarded, and the blame is being passed on from one faction to another,” he told Parliament on Wednesday (6).

He said that the president and the government reached a decision to appoint a committee to investigate the contents of the Channel4 video.

“The president and the government hope to appoint a committee that will allow witnesses to provide evidence via Zoom from overseas, if they cannot return to the country,” he noted.

“What is amusing here is that a Muslim pregnant woman and nine men carried out suicide attacks to bring a Sinhala Buddhist leader to power. These things can only happen in Sri Lanka and in Indian cinema,” said the State Minister.

He also noted that the former Attorney General made a statement in this regard while serving as AG, and the government hopes to summon the former Attorney General before a Parliamentary Select Committee.

Sri Lanka suffers from a continuing accountability deficit – be it for war crime atrocities, more recent human rights violations, corruption, or abuse of power – which must be addressed for the country to move forward, according to a UN Human Rights Office report published on Wednesday.

“More than a year ago mass protests demanded better governance and an inclusive vision for Sri Lanka – in short, a renewal of the social contract. But the potential for a historic transformation that would address long-standing challenges is far from being realized,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

Fourteen years since the end of the war, tens of thousands of victims and their families continue to experience the pain and agony of seeking truth, justice, and remedy. While the Government has proposed a new truth-seeking mechanism, the report stresses that the groundwork needs to be laid by genuine efforts to create the enabling environment for any transitional justice process to succeed.

This starts through meaningful and transparent consultations with victims and civil society on the current truth-seeking proposal and includes an end to all forms of harassment and unlawful and arbitrary surveillance against human rights defenders and victims’ groups, as well as support for initiatives to acknowledge and memorialize the experience of victims.

“Truth-seeking alone will not suffice. It must also be accompanied by a clear commitment to accountability and the political will to implement far-reaching change,” Türk said.

Among other recommendations, the report calls on the authorities to accelerate investigations and prosecutions into emblematic cases of human rights violations, as well as the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. The High Commissioner has previously urged an independent investigation with international assistance to pursue further lines of inquiry into the full circumstances of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The report provides an update on the work of the accountability project established by the UN Human Rights Office pursuant to resolutions 46/1 and 51/1. The High Commissioner repeated his call for the international community to support accountability initiatives, notably through investigations and prosecutions using universal or extra-territorial jurisdiction, with other complementary measures.

The report also details a number of concerns with proposed new laws, including a new Anti-Terrorism Bill and legislation to regulate broadcasting.

The report notes that the President has set a different tone in advancing reconciliation initiatives and has promised to stop land acquisition for archaeological, or security purposes, which has been an increasing source of local conflicts and tension. At the same time, the UN Human Rights Office continued to receive reports of disputes over land, particularly in the North and East of the country.

The continuing impact of the economic crisis of 2022 and the global downturn on people’s human rights and well-being is highlighted in the report, including a dramatic increase in Sri Lanka’s poverty rate which doubled from 13% in 2021 to 25% in 2022. Food insecurity is affecting a significant proportion of the population, in turn impacting the right to health and increasing the risk of school dropouts.

The High Commissioner said the international community, including international financial institutions, should support Sri Lanka in its economic recovery and in meeting its international obligations, while pressing for genuine progress in governance, transparency, and accountability.

“I urge the Government and Sri Lankan political parties to strive for and deliver on the urgent need for renewal, deeper institutional reforms and tangible progress on accountability, reconciliation and human rights,” Türk said. “This would be particularly appropriate in this year that marks both the 75th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence and the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”