Author: TELO Admin

UN Rights Chief to present report on “Human Rights situation in Sri Lanka” at next month’s UNHRC session

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United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who visited Sri Lanka in June, is scheduled to present his report titled “Situation of Human Rights in Sri Lanka” at the upcoming 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

The 60th session of the Human Rights Council is scheduled to begin on September 8 and will continue until October 8.

According to the agenda released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, High Commissioner Volker Türk will present the report on Sri Lanka on the opening day of the session.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk undertook a four-day official visit to Sri Lanka in June, and he is scheduled to include his observations in the report.

His visit to the Chemmani mass grave site is also expected to feature prominently in the report to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and Canada are reportedly intending on tabling a new resolution on Sri Lanka at the upcoming 60th session of the UNHRC next month.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath will represent Sri Lanka at the UNHRC session and is scheduled to deliver the government’s official statement.

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Chemmani excavation uncovers 147 skeletons

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The ongoing excavation at the Chemmani mass grave concluded its activities on August 6, having uncovered 147 skeletons. Excavation work was temporarily halted on August 6 and is scheduled to resume on August 22. The court case related to the mass grave will be heard at the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on August 14, where a full report of the findings will also be submitted.

On August 4, significant progress was made at the site. Three Commissioners from the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Prof. Thaiyamuthu Thanaraj, Prof. Fathima Farzana Haniffa, and Dr. Gehan Dinuk Gunatilleke visited the site to observe the excavation. They were joined by Jaffna Regional Coordinator Thangavel Kanagaraj and other officials, who engaged in discussions with forensic experts on the findings after 30 days of the Phase 2 excavation.

That same day, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) scanning began to locate potential hidden burial sites. Conducted by the Faculty of Technology at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura using specialised equipment, around 20 percent of the scanning was completed, with the rest planned for the coming weeks.

Following a court order, clothing and personal artefacts recovered from the grave were displayed publicly on August 5 to allow families to identify belongings of their missing loved ones. Over 200 people attended, including relatives, officials from the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), and members of the public. The display was organised with support from students of the University of Jaffna’s Medical Faculty and judicial medical officers. However, no items were positively identified.

On the same day, GPR scanning was completed, pinpointing specific areas within the Chemmani Siththupaththi Hindu Cemetery for further excavation. The findings will be submitted to court on August 14. Victims’ lawyers are also expecting a soil analysis report to be presented at the hearing.

August 6 marked a solemn day as six more skeletons were unearthed, raising the total to 147, with 140 fully exhumed. Among the remains were infants, whose fragile condition required especially careful handling. After 41 days of excavation across both phases, nine days in Phase 1 and 32 in Phase 2, the forensic team temporarily paused work due to physical and emotional exhaustion.

Source:Sunday Observer.lk

Three soldiers arrested over alleged murder of Tamil civilian in Mullaitivu

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Three Sri Lankan army soldiers have been arrested in connection with the murder of 32-year-old Tamil civilian Edirmanasingham Kapilraj, whose body was discovered in the Muththaiyankaddu tank in Mullaitivu on Saturday.

The arrests were made following allegations by local residents that Kapilraj was beaten to death by soldiers after he and four others were summoned to the 13th Battalion of the Sri Lanka National Guard in Muththaiyankaddu on August 7 to collect scrap metal.

Upon arrival, the group was allegedly assaulted by around 20 soldiers inside the camp.

While three of the men fled by jumping into a nearby tank and another escaped with the help of bystanders, Kapilraj went missing. His body was found the following morning.

Relatives of the deceased allege that Kapilraj was murdered by the military and that his body was dumped in the tank.

Mullaitivu District Judge Dharmalingham Pratheepan has ordered a post-mortem examination.

Local journalists allege the army had been using village youth to illicitly sell military scrap and channel the proceeds towards drug smuggling into the camp.

Villagers claim this shadow operation was run by several soldiers from the 13th Battalion, and that Kapilraj may have been killed after being drawn into this illegal network.

Police teams, including officers in charge of Mankulam, Oddusuddan, and Puthukkudiyiruppu stations, are conducting an ongoing investigation.

Tensions escalated during a visit by police to the military camp, where local residents staged a heated protest demanding swift justice.

The mobile phone numbers of several implicated soldiers, allegedly used to summon villagers to the camp, were handed over to the police by local residents.

This led to the arrest of four more soldiers, two of whom have since been remanded along with the earlier suspect.

The three soldiers have been remanded until August 19.

UK, Canada to table new UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka

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The United Kingdom and Canada have informed the government that a new resolution on Sri Lanka will be presented at the 60th
session of the UN Human Rights Council next month, but the Government expects softened wording on it as compared to
previous resolutions.

This has been conveyed verbally to the Government.

However, with the US, which co-sponsored previous resolutions on Sri Lanka, having left the UNHRC, the composition of the new core group on Sri Lanka is likely to change, a senior government source said. Malawi, Montenegro and North Macedonia, which were part of the previous core group along with the UK, US and Canada, may not be party to the resolution this year, the source said.

UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk, who visited Sri Lanka in June, will present his report on the “Situation of human rights in Sri Lanka” at the 60th session. According to the draft programme, the report will be
presented on September 8, the day the session opens.

High Commissioner Türk visited the Chemmani mass grave site. This is likely to figure prominently in his report on Sri Lanka.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath will represent Sri Lanka at the sessions in Geneva and make a presentation on behalf of the Government.

Mr. Herath told the Sunday Times that since the new government took office last September, there had been a softening of the stance in the resolutions/submissions on Sri Lanka before the UNHRC. “The government has taken several measures to ensure that the domestic process to address accountability is strengthened and free of political interference,” he said.

The minister added that the setting up of an Independent Prosecutor’s Office, as pledged in the NPP election manifesto, would further enhance international confidence in the local mechanism.

“We are committed to setting up the Independent Prosecutor’s Office. The legal process in this regard will be addressed in the coming months,” he said.

With regard to growing calls for an international inquiry into the Chemmani mass grave site, Mr. Herath said the matter came under the judiciary, and there was no government interference in the matter.

“There have been other such sites, such as in Mannar and Matale, and the Government has allowed the due process to take place with exhumations and holding inquiries. We are transparent in these matters,” he said.

Body of another infant unearthed from Chemmani

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Six more human skeletons were uncovered on Wednesday(06-08-2025) at the Chemmani mass grave site in Jaffna, including the remains of infants, as the total number of bodies found continues to climb.

The total number of skeletal assemblages identified now stands at 147, with 140 fully exhumed.

The infant remains were exhumed with extreme care due to their fragile condition. Items discovered alongside other skeletons included a pair of sandals and a bracelet, which have been placed under court custody. Forensic teams also retrieved coins, glass bangles, and other personal belongings from the graves.

The bodies of several children have now been found at site.

In a procedural update, the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court confirmed that excavation will pause temporarily, with forensic teams resuming work on 21 August. The break was granted to allow personnel to rest after weeks of intensive effort.

The Chemmani case, reopened more than two decades after initial revelations, has reignited calls for international justice. The mass graves came to global attention in 1998, following testimony from Lance Corporal Somaratne Rajapaksa – convicted in the rape and murder of Tamil schoolgirl Krishanthi Kumaraswamy – who revealed the existence of mass burials near a military checkpoint in Chemmani. He claimed up to 400 Tamil civilians had been killed and buried during the Sri Lankan military’s occupation of Jaffna in the 1990s.

A hearing at the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court is scheduled for 14 August, where a report on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) scans and soil testing is expected to be submitted. GPR scans, recently completed by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura’s Faculty of Technology, have identified additional areas of interest within the Siththupaththi Hindu Cemetery.

This week also saw over 200 people, including relatives of the disappeared, gather to view artefacts recovered from the site. The exhibit, held under tight security and court restrictions, featured 54 items, including a child’s toy, a baby’s bottle, school bags, and sandals.

As excavation efforts uncover more chilling evidence, pressure continues to mount on both the Sri Lankan government and the international community to pursue meaningful accountability. Tamil political parties, civil society groups, and rights organisations have repeatedly demanded an independent, internationally monitored investigation into Chemmani and other suspected mass graves across the North-East.

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CCD storms Rathana Thera’s temple to arrest him

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The CCD stormed Sadaham Sevana in Rajagiriya to arrest Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera on the night of 07 August.

The Thera is wanted over the kidnapping of Ven. Wedinigama Wimalatissa Thera, general secretary of Apey Janabala Party to threaten him and secure a national list MP seat for him in 2020.

The CCD said Rathana Thera was absent at the temple and also had his mobile phone switched off.

Ven. Wimalatissa Thera was allegedly forced to sign several documents to secure the MP seat for Ven. Rathana Thera.

The CCD has already arrested two suspects in connection with the incident.

Phone records show that Ven. Rathana Thera was in unusual contact with the suspects around the time of the kidnapping.

Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and ex-IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon are also to be questioned regarding the incident.

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G.L. meets 17 party leaders

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A meeting with leaders and representatives of 17 political parties was held at the Narahenpita home of former minister Prof. G. L. Peiris on 07 August, reports said.

The main topics of discussion were the performance of the NPP government, economy and the overall political situation.

Among those present were Rauff Hakeem, Milinda Moragoda, Jeevan Thondaman, Kabir Hashim, Mano Ganesan, Ramesh Pathirana and Shehan Semasinghe.

Retired MPs to Take to the Streets Over Pension Abolition

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The Retired Members of Parliament Association has announced it will begin a massive protest next week opposing the government’s decision to abolish parliamentary pensions, its secretary former JVP MP Pemasiri Manage said.

Last week, the association submitted complaints about the pension abolition to three international organisations — the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, the International Commission of Jurists, and the European Parliamentary Assembly — as well as to the neighbouring Indian government.

The group also sent a letter expressing their grievances directly to the President.

Meanwhile, if the pensions are officially revoked, former MPs from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have decided to take legal action to reclaim their parliamentary salaries, according to Manage.

He said the abolition of pensions is a fatal blow to democracy. He warned that after targeting privileges of former presidents and MPs, the government would next come after public servants.

Manage also revealed that he will challenge the decision in court, focusing on unresolved legal issues regarding the retrospective application of the law.

More countries seek free visa entry into Sri Lanka

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In the wake of Sri Lanka waiving visa fees for nationals from 40 more countries, many other countries have sought the same facility for their nationals coming here as tourists, Daily Mirror learns.

Previously, Sri Lanka had granted the facility to seven countries.

The government has now taken a policy decision to add 40 countries to the list. The decision is currently pending with the Attorney General for clearance. The new visa regulation, upon approval by the Attorney General, will be endorsed by Parliament, giving legal effect to the decision.

It is expected to be effective by the end of this month. Once it is in effect, people from these countries can apply online for a free visa to travel to Sri Lanka as tourists.

Meanwhile, Daily Mirror learns that many other countries have inquired about the possibility of this facility being extended to their citizens. Initially, Sri Lanka has prioritised the countries which are its key source markets.

Asked about the addition of more countries to the list, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Buddhika Hewawasam said that it would be considered upon the success of the implementation of the current decision.

Advocata Institute, a leading think tank based in Colombo, emphasised earlier the importance of long-term liberalisation and consistent visa policies to unlock the full economic potential of the tourism sector.

In a press release, it outlines several key policy recommendations—including restoring visa-on-arrival access, easing travel for vetted international visitors, and introducing long-term renewable visas aimed at attracting high-value tourists and remote workers.

Sri Lanka is currently aiming for three million tourist arrivals and USD 5 billion in revenue. Advocata believes that open, clear, and consistent visa policies—combined with a welcoming environment, investment-friendly regulation, and high-value targeting—will be essential to achieving that goal.

“This is a step in the right direction,” said Dhananath Fernando, CEO of Advocata Institute.

“Tourism is one of the few sectors in Sri Lanka with immediate job-creating potential and strong multiplier effects across the economy. Reducing barriers to entry, even something as simple as waiving a fee, can go a long way in making Sri Lanka more attractive as a destination.”

The Institute emphasised that this should not be a one-off gesture, but the start of a broader liberalisation agenda. Advocata calls for Sri Lanka to work toward reverting to at least its pre-2012 visa regime, under which 84 countries were eligible for visas on arrival, without needing to apply for electronic travel authorisation (ETA) in advance. This system was more consistent, easier for travellers, and better aligned with international best practices.

Advocata recommends that Sri Lanka introduce visa-on-arrival access for travellers who hold valid multiple-entry visas to high-screening countries, such as the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, or Australia.

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Courts permits excavation of Sampur mass grave under Army supervision

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Courts have granted permission for the excavation of a mass grave in Sampur, the seventh found in the country, under Army supervision.

It is difficult to ascertain if the three men, whose skeletal remains were found there, died of natural causes, JMO Nirmal Borukgama informed Mutur magistrate Tasneem Fawsan on 06 August.

A team from the British deminer MAG stumbled on the skeletons at the beach area on 20 July.

The National Demining Action Centre informed the magistrate it has to be excavated under the guidance of the Army as mines still remain in the area.

The case will be taken up again on 26 August.

Correspondents report documents submitted to courts showed there was no evidence to claim a cemetery existed at the site, a state-land.

It is located near a children’s park and a memorial built to the memory of 57 civilians shot, hacked and burnt to death, allegedly by the Army, on 07 July 1990.