Category: Breaking News

18% of Sri Lankan Students Struggle with Mental Health

Posted on | by TELO Admin

A recent survey conducted by the Family Health Bureau of the Ministry of Health has revealed that 18% of school children in Sri Lanka are suffering from various mental health issues.

The survey, which covered over 2,500 students aged 13 to 17 across the country, was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

The survey, carried out between September and October 2024, involved 78 questions across 10 health-related topics.

The findings highlighted several concerning trends among school children, including feelings of isolation, sleep disturbances, and increased anxiety and depression.

Dr. Chiranthika Withana, National Program Manager for Adolescent Health at the Family Health Bureau, noted that 22% of students reported feeling isolated in the past 12 months, while 12% experienced sleep disturbances due to various issues.

Additionally, 18% of students were found to be suffering from depression and anxiety.

Alarmingly, the rates of suicidal thoughts, planning, and attempts have increased compared to 2016, with 4.4% of students contemplating suicide, 9.6% planning it, and 9.1% attempting it.

The survey also revealed that 63% of students suffer from sleep deprivation due to excessive internet use.

Cyberbullying was reported by 5.4% of students, and 63% indicated that they do not get enough sleep, which is crucial for their health.

Dr. Withana highlighted various forms of harassment faced by students, including physical attacks (23.8%), sexual harassment (6.1%), dating violence (10.1%), and cyber sexual harassment (6.9%). Physical fights were reported by 34.5% of students, and despite legal prohibitions, 47.9% of students reported experiencing physical punishment in schools.

To address these issues, Dr. Withana emphasized the importance of creating a healthy environment for children, including promoting healthy eating habits, increasing physical activity, and implementing effective school health programs.

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Mahinda says LTTE killed 27,965 in Sri Lanka forces, asks govt to defend commanders

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Ex- President Mahinda Rajakaksa says the Tamil Tigers killed 27,965 Sri Lanka soldiers and police as well as thousands of civilians and expects the current administration to defend military commanders.

The statement came after The United Kingdom announced sanctions including travel against Sri Lanka’s former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda and former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya and well as a Tiger leader.

“It was I, as the Executive President of Sri Lanka who took the decision to militarily defeat the LTTE and the armed forces implemented that decision on the ground,” President Rajapaksa said in a statement.

“Three decades of LTTE terrorism claimed the lives of 27,965 armed forces and police personnel not to mention the lives of many thousands of civilians including politicians.

“What Sri Lanka defeated in 2009 was the organization that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had officially designated as the deadliest terrorist organization in the world.

“It is noteworthy that the United Kingdom introduced special legislation in 2021 and 2023 to protect their own armed forces from persecution by interested parties.

“Hence I expect the present government to resolutely stand by and defend former armed forces personnel who face persecution by foreign governments and organisations for doing their duty to safeguard Sri Lanka’s national security.”

The full statement is reproduced below :

UK Sanctions against Sri Lankan armed forces Commanders

The United Kingdom govt. has announced sanctions including travel bans and asset freezes against Sri Lanka’s former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda and former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya over unproven allegations of human rights violations during the war with the LTTE. It was I, as the Executive President of Sri Lanka who took the decision to militarily defeat the LTTE and the armed forces implemented that decision on the ground.

Despite the 2002 ceasefire agreement, the LTTE had carried out 363 killings during the ceasefire between February 2002 and the end of September 2005. LTTE attacks intensified in the first few weeks and months after I was elected President in November 2005. Among the most serious such incidents were claymore mine attacks on 4 and 6 December 2005 in Jaffna that killed thirteen soldiers, a suicide attack on a naval craft on 5 January 2006 that killed 15 naval personnel, and the suicide attack on the Army Commander inside Army Headquarters in April 2006.

Despite all that, my government held two rounds of peace talks in January and June 2006 in Geneva and Oslo which were unilaterally halted by the LTTE. The LTTE landmine attack on a civilian bus in Kebithogollawa in June 2006 which killed 64 and seriously injured 86, many of them children – was a pivotal moment for me and my govt. Military operations commenced in July 2006 when the LTTE closed the Mawilaru anicut cutting off irrigation water to cultivators in the Trincomalee district and did not stop until the LTTE was completely defeated on 19 May 2009.

I categorically reject the UK govt.’s allegation of widespread human rights violations during the military operations. Lord Naseby stated in the House of Lords on 12 October 2017 that the then UK Defence Attache in Colombo Lieutenant Colonel Anton Gash had in conversation with him, praised the discipline of the Sri Lanka army and stated that there certainly was no policy to kill civilians.

Because Lt. Col Anton Gash’s war time dispatches to London differ so significantly from the narrative promoted by the UK political authorities, only a heavily redacted version of those dispatches have been released. We conducted military operations only against the LTTE and not against the Tamil people.

Just months after the war ended, when my wartime army commander came forward as the opposition candidate at the 2010 presidential elections, the Tamil National Alliance issued a statement on 6 January 2010 appealing to the Tamil people to vote for the former army commander and he won over 60% of the votes cast in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, thus directly contradicting the narrative being promoted by the UK govt.

Imposing sanctions on Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan a.k.a Karuna Amman who broke away from the LTTE in 2004 and later entered democratic politics is a clear case of penalizing anti-LTTE Tamils so as to placate the dominant segment of the Tamil diaspora in the UK.

When the UK foreign secretary David Milliband came to Sri Lanka in April 2009 and demanded a halt to military operations, I flatly turned him down. Later, a London based newspaper The Telegraph revealed – quoting secret documents made public by Wikileaks – that Mr. Miliband had tried to intervene in Sri Lanka to win Tamil votes for the Labour Party. Regrettably, to this day vote bank politics determines the UK’s stand on Sri Lanka’s war against the LTTE.

Three decades of LTTE terrorism claimed the lives of 27,965 armed forces and police personnel not to mention the lives of many thousands of civilians including politicians. What Sri Lanka defeated in 2009 was the organization that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had officially designated as the deadliest terrorist organization in the world. It is noteworthy that the United Kingdom introduced special legislation in 2021 and 2023 to protect their own armed forces from persecution by interested parties.

Hence I expect the present government to resolutely stand by and defend former armed forces personnel who face persecution by foreign governments and organisations for doing their duty to safeguard Sri Lanka’s national security.

Bandula’s Escape from Batalanda: A Tale of Survival

Posted on | by TELO Admin

TM Bandula, a key witness at the Batalanda Commission, has recounted his harrowing experience of abduction and torture.

Bandula, who served as the personal bodyguard to the late Sri Lanka Mahajana Party leader Ossie Abeygunasekera, provided detailed testimony about the events that transpired on January 27, 1990.

Bandula was assigned to protect Abeygunasekera following the assassination of party leader Vijaya Kumaratunga.

Bandula was assigned the duty of providing security for Ossie Abeygunasekera’s vehicle while riding a motorcycle.

On January 27, 1990 on the day of his abduction, Bandula was traveling by bicycle from his home in Dalugama, Kelaniya, to a nearby shop when he was forcibly taken by an armed group.

Among the abductors was then Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris, who reportedly brandished a firearm.

According to the Batalanda Commission report, Peiris threatened Bandula, demanding he get into a vehicle and warning him of imminent harm.

Bandula was blindfolded and taken to the Peliyagoda Police Station, then transferred to another vehicle and eventually brought to the Batalanda housing complex, with several tires on him.

Bandula was confined to a room, handcuffed to a nearby object, and subjected to severe physical abuse.

Two other individuals in the room were blindfolded and bound.

Bandula inquired from one of them the reason for his abduction to Batalanda.

One of the individuals had previously taken legal action against Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris, accusing him of assault.

The court found Douglas Peiris guilty and ordered him to pay compensation.

Bandula’s testimony revealed that after the compensation was paid, the complainant was abducted and taken to the Batalanda torture chamber.

During his detention, Bandula was subjected to severe beatings, often being hung upside down and struck with poles.

He was moved between several houses, and at one location, police officers informed him that Denzil, Basil, Upali, and Quintus had been abducted and murdered there.

One morning, a police officer informed Bandula that his arrest was based on false information and that he would be released.

The officer instructed Bandula not to disclose his ordeal to Ossie Abeygunasekera.

However, Bandula overheard a conversation outside the building, revealing plans to take him to the Rathgahahawatta Bridge that night, shoot him near the ear, remove his handcuffs, and throw him into the river.

Fearing for his life, Bandula escaped by jumping out of a window, climbing over a barbed wire fence, and fleeing to Badugewatta village.

There, he sought refuge at a relative’s house, where he managed to remove his handcuffs with their help.

Bandula then fled to Ossie Abeygunasekera’s residence in Colombo.

Bandula stayed at Abeygunasekera’s house for four months before traveling to Saudi Arabia for his safety.

He returned to Sri Lanka in July 1993 and provided a statement to the Criminal Investigation Department in August 1994.

Tragically, Ossie Abeygunasekera was killed in a bomb attack targeting Gamini Dissanayake on November 9, 1994.

Shouldn’t these crimes be thoroughly investigated beyond mere debates?

Shouldn’t justice be served to the victims, even now?

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Can India Reclaim Katchatheevu? Supreme Court to Decide in September

Posted on | by TELO Admin

The Supreme Court of India has scheduled a hearing for 15 September 2025 to address petitions challenging the agreements through which India ceded the Katchatheevu islet to Sri Lanka in the 1970s.

This follows the Court’s recent decision to allow DMK leader T.R. Baalu to substitute the late former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi as the petitioner in the case.

The petitions contest the legality of the agreements signed on 26 and 28 June 1974 and 23 March 1976, which formalised the transfer of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. The petitioners argue that these accords, executed without parliamentary approval, resulted in the unconstitutional cession of Indian territory.

The Katchatheevu issue has been a longstanding point of contention, particularly in Tamil Nadu, where political leaders have periodically called for the retrieval of the islet.

In 2014, the Indian government informed the Supreme Court that reclaiming Katchatheevu was not feasible, asserting that no Indian territory had been ceded, as the area was disputed and had never been demarcated.

The upcoming hearing is expected to revisit these arguments and assess the constitutional validity of the 1970s agreements.

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Sri Lanka responds to UK’s sanctions on former military commanders

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism has issued a statement in response to the decision of the government of the United Kingdom (UK) to impose sanction against three former military commanders and a former minister.

The ministry said it takes note of the Press Release dated 24th March 2025, issued by the UK, Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) entitled “UK Sanctions for Human Rights Violations and Abuses during the Sri Lankan Civil War”.

As stated in the press release, the UK government has imposed sanctions on four individuals, three of whom are former military commanders of the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry said it is also noted that the UK FCDO Press Release refers to “a commitment made during the election campaign to ensure those responsible are not allowed impunity”.

In this regard, the Ministry said it wishes to underline that this is a “unilateral action” taken by the UK government which involves an asset freeze and travel ban on the individuals concerned.

“Such unilateral actions by countries do not assist but serve to complicate the national reconciliation process underway in Sri Lanka,” the ministry said in the statement.

It further said that the government is in the process of strengthening domestic mechanisms on accountability and reconciliation and that any past human rights violations should be dealt with through domestic accountability mechanisms.

The statement further said that the position of the Government of Sri Lanka was conveyed by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath to the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick, today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.

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From 2024 to date : 19 warships, two subs arrived in SL

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Sri Lanka, strategically located on the busy East-West maritime route, has seen a notable influx of warships from major global powers between 2024 and now. India led with eight naval vessels including two submarines, followed by China with five, Japan with three, the United States with two, and France with one aircraft carrier strike group. These increased naval engagements had deepened Sri Lanka’s growing importance in regional maritime security, with global powers deepening defence and security relations in the Indian Ocean region.

According to the data, India has been actively strengthening its maritime ties with Sri Lanka, sending a series of naval vessels between 2024 and now, the data showed. Between 8-10 January 2024, the Indian Navy’s INS Kabra, a Fast Attack Craft, docked at Colombo Port. Following that, INS Karanj, a submarine, visited the port from 3-5 February 2024. In late February, the Indian Coast Guard ships ICGS Samarth and ICGS Abhinav arrived at Galle and Colombo Ports between 27 February and 1 March 2024. Between 20-23 June 2024, the INS Kamorta, an anti-submarine warfare corvette, docked at Trincomalee.

Later in the year, the INS Shalki (submarine) visited Colombo from 2-4 August 2024, followed by the INS Mumbai, a guided-missile destroyer, from 26-29 August 2024. In November, INS Vela, another submarine, made a visit to Colombo from 11-13 November 2024. The most recent Indian naval visit was from INS Kuthar, a Khukri-class corvette, which arrived in Colombo for a three-day operational visit from 3-6 March 2025.

China, on the other hand, has sent five vessels, including both warships and support ships, to Sri Lanka. On 26 August 2024, three Chinese warships—Hefei (Destroyer), Wuzhishan (Landing Platform Dock), and Qilianshan (Landing Platform Dock)—arrived at Colombo Port for a formal visit. This was followed by the Po Lang, a Chinese sail training ship, which docked at Colombo on 8 October 2024. On 21 December 2024, the Peace Ark, a Chinese naval hospital ship, arrived in Colombo as part of Mission Harmony-2024, providing medical services to Sri Lankans.

Japan has also increased its maritime presence in Sri Lanka, with notable visits from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). JS Samidare, a destroyer, conducted joint exercises with Sri Lanka’s SLNS Gajabahu at Colombo Port from 20-22 June 2024, and made another visit from 17-19 November 2024. Additionally, the JMSDF’s Murasame arrived in Colombo on 22 March 2025, for a replenishment visit.

The United States Navy made two important port calls in Sri Lanka in 2024. The USS Spruance, a guided missile destroyer, visited Colombo from 19-20 August 2024, and the USS Michael Murphy, another Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, arrived from 16-17 November 2024. In addition to these visits, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, was in Colombo from 19-21 March 2025. Also, Admiral Steve Koehler, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, visited Sri Lanka on 10 October 2024, to strengthen bilateral security cooperation.

France’s Clemenceau 25 aircraft carrier strike group arrived in Colombo on 16 March 2025, reinforcing regional maritime security collaboration. This visit highlights the long-standing maritime ties between Sri Lanka and France, which were further cemented with the establishment of the Regional Centre for Maritime Studies (RCMS) in 2024.

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Doctor’s Chilling Account: Treating Victims in Batalanda’s Torture Chambers

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Numerous witnesses have testified at the Batalanda Commission, revealing the existence of torture chambers within several houses at the Batalanda Housing Complex.

Many individuals who entered these chambers met their end through brutal means, such as being burned with tires or beaten with rods. However, some managed to escape or narrowly survived.

The commission’s report includes detailed accounts of the conditions within these torture chambers, with significant testimony provided by Dr. Wimal Aththanayake, an Ayurvedic physician.

Dr. Aththanayake, who practiced in Bollagala, Biyagama, often treated police officers free of charge.

In 1990, Police Inspector N.M.S.B. Nissanka and his team visited Dr. Aththanayake, bringing two injured detainees with them. The detainees had severe wounds, which Dr. Aththanayake treated.

Three days later, Dr. Aththanayake was summoned to the Kelaniya Police Station, where Inspector Nissanka showed him one of the previously treated detainees, now in critical condition, and requested that he keep the detainee alive for at least one more day.

Dr. Aththanayake treated the detainee and returned home, only to be taken to the Batalanda Housing Complex two days later.

There, he witnessed six to eight individuals tied to a large iron bed with ropes, all bearing severe injuries. Inspector Nissanka had asked Dr. Aththanayake to treat these individuals as well.

Dr. Aththanayake’s testimony highlighted the appalling conditions and the severe injuries of the detainees, who emitted a strong odor and had wounds infested with maggots.

After treating them, Dr. Aththanayake was taken to Inspector Nissanka’s official residence within the complex and offered tea.

When questioned by the commission, Inspector Nissanka denied asking Dr. Aththanayake to treat the detainees.

Due to inconsistencies in his statements, the commission decided to examine him under oath.

However, shortly before he was to testify, Inspector Nissanka reportedly committed suicide.

Another individual, Vincent Fernando, who provided a confidential statement to the commission, also died under mysterious circumstances.

These testimonies and attempts to silence witnesses reveal the horrifying truth of the torture chambers that claimed the lives of over 3,000 young men and women.

Despite efforts to suppress the truth, living witnesses can still be found to testify about these atrocities.

Zelensky Seeks Sri Lanka’s Support for Peace in Ukraine As Kyiv Welcomes New Ambassador

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Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to present her credentials.

The meeting, held at the Presidential Office, focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation and exploring joint efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.

In his conversation with the Ambassador of Sri Lanka, the Ukrainian President noted that Ukraine is engaged in constructive negotiations with U.S. representatives and is ready to do everything possible to achieve peace as soon as possible.

Ukraine has proposed steps to lay the necessary foundation for a further negotiation process and counts on the support of this position from other nations, said the Office of the Ukrainian President

“We would be grateful to Sri Lanka for more active support on the path toward securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter and international law,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

The President also noted that Ukraine is interested in developing bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, education, food security, and medical rehabilitation.

The Ambassador of Sri Lanka had emphasized that her nations sincerely wish peace for the people of Ukraine, said the statement.

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More Sri Lankans recommended for target sanctions: ITJP says after UK’s action

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More Sri Lankans who are alleged of human rights violations and corruption have been recommended for target sanctions from the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe countries, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) said.

A source from the ITJP said the human rights body has “submitted more information and names for other governments” for actions.

The UK on Monday imposed sanctions on four key Sri Lankans who played pivotal roles in the island nation’s 26-year civil war between the government military and Tamil Tiger rebels who are popularly known as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after the recommendations by the ITJP.

The UK imposed travel sanctions on former Commanders of Sri Lanka Army Shavendra Silva and Jagath Jayasuriya, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda, and former military commander of LTTE terrorist group Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, popularly known as Karuna Amman,

The sanctions are aimed at seeking accountability for serious human rights violations and abuses, committed during the civil war, and to prevent a culture of impunity.

The measures, which include UK travel bans and asset freezes, target individuals responsible for a range of violations and abuses, such as extrajudicial killings, during the civil war, the UK Foreign office said in a statement.

“The UK government is committed to human rights in Sri Lanka, including seeking accountability for human rights violations and abuses which took place during the civil war, and which continue to have an impact on communities today,” Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Lammy, said in the statement.

“The UK government looks forward to working with the new Sri Lankan government to improve human rights in Sri Lanka, and welcomes their commitments on national unity.”

Continuous Push for Justice

The ITJP is a human rights organization that focuses on accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and human rights violations, particularly in Sri Lanka. It was established to document abuses that occurred during and after Sri Lanka’s civil war (1983–2009), with a focus on seeking justice for victims of enforced disappearances, torture, sexual violence, and extrajudicial killings.

In December, ITJP said it had submitted more than 60 sanctions and visa ban requests against Sri Lankan public and security officials to date as well as a series of universal jurisdiction cases.

These requests have been sent to the Governments of the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the EU as well as the UN.

The submissions cover gross violations of human rights and significant corruption in respect of the Sri Lankan army, navy, air force, police and intelligence officials, Tamil paramilitaries, as well as civil servants including judges and former ministers.

The ITJP’s submissions have covered gross violations of human rights and significant corruption in respect of the Sri Lankan army, navy, air force, police and intelligence officials, Tamil paramilitaries, as well as civil servants including judges and former ministers.

The South Africa-based independent, international, non-profit organisation, however, has not mentioned the names of the officials and people in its submission list.

In December, the US State Department imposed travel bans on Sri Lanka’s ex-envoy to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga and former Sri Lankan Airlines chief executive Kapila Chandrasena among 14.

Both Weeratunga and Chandrasena are facing allegations of corruption. Weeratunga is facing court case against MiG fighter get deal in Ukraine, while Chandrasena has been accused of corrupt Airbus deal.

The ITJP has been collecting testimonies from survivors, whistleblowers, and former members of security forces to provide evidence of war crimes and ongoing violations. It also has been working with international legal bodies to push for accountability, including supporting cases under universal jurisdiction in different countries.

The ITJP, led by Yasmin Sooka, a South African human rights lawyer and former member of the UN Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka, who played a key role in highlighting alleged war crimes committed by Sri Lankan security forces and advocating for international justice mechanisms.

New Govt Yet to Respond

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s new government is yet to respond on the UK’s decision for target sanctions on the three top military officials and the LTTE breakaway leader who worked with the state military to defeat the rebels in the final war.

Since the end of the war in 2009, Sri Lanka has strongly rejected any human rights violation and said it had maintained zero casualties in its final war.

However, ITJP said the submissions looked at state-owned enterprises and misappropriation of public funds that resulted in huge financial losses for the entire country, and contributed to the economic crisis in the country.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) passed a resolution in March 2021 that has given a mandate for the global body to establish a mechanism to gather evidence outside the country over alleged human rights violations during and after a 26-year war that ended in 2009.

The resolution has allowed the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) “to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve information and evidence and to develop possible strategies for future accountability processes for gross violations of human rights or serious violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka.

It is also expected to advocate for victims and survivors, and to support relevant judicial and other proceedings, including in the member states, “with competent jurisdiction”.

External Mechanism

A Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security in the last parliament summoned representatives of the country’s Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry, chief of all three forces, and attorney general to review external mechanisms that have been established as per the UN resolution on evidence gathering mechanism.

The Committee has said in line with the mechanism, legal cases can be filed in different countries under international jurisdictions against the military leaders and those officials who gave orders to the military.

The committee expressed its concerns over any legal actions by various countries against those involved could lead to prosecute Sri Lanka’s military and political leaders at the International Court of Justice ( ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC).

The US has imposed a travel ban on General Silva and his immediate family members, Navy intelligence officer Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi, Army Staff Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake, army officer Prabath Bulathwatta, and former Navy chief Wasantha Karannagoda, citing human rights violations.

Travel bans have already been imposed by the US on senior retired military leader Shagi Gallage and the former defence secretary Kamal Gunaratne as well, the previous government has admitted.

Canada in 2023 imposed financial sanctions to freeze the assets of former Sri Lankan presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, citing rights abuses.

Some top Sri Lankan military officials have been deprived of taking part in lucrative UN Peacekeeping Missions due to human rights allegations during the war.

Junior Rajapaksa Responds

Responding to UK’s sanctions, Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and an opposition Sri Lankan legislator blamed the West claiming it was selectively targeting Sri Lanka’s war veterans while ignoring those who funded and justified LTTE brutality.

“The latest UK sanctions aren’t about human rights—they’re the result of relentless LTTE-backed lobbying, manipulating foreign governments to act against those who brought lasting peace,” he tweeted.

“These sanctions will lower the morale of our forces, and if another crisis arises, they may lack the courage to fight if we don’t support them now.”

Namal Rajapaksa also has faced US travel sanctions in 2018 over a court case related to corruption.

Human rights analysts say some Sri Lankan political and military leaders are still unaware that they have been blacklisted by Western nations for rights abuses and will only become aware of such measures when they request visas from these countries.

The Rajapaksas and military leaders have denied any wrongdoing, and successive governments have rejected an independent international investigation into alleged human rights violations, citing infringement on the country’s sovereignty.