Category: Breaking News

The UK is pushing for action from the UN Human Rights council as Sri Lanka’s president seeks to quash investigations into alleged war crimes

It was almost midnight when the bark of the street dogs caused Aarvi Radhakrishnan* to wake with a jolt, alerting her to the four men in military combats outside.

Cradling guns over their shoulders, they entered Mrs Radhakrishnan’s home through an open window before inexplicably dragging away her terrified husband, Raghunandan*, in front of their three children and into the dark night.

“They pushed me to the ground and threatened to shoot me. They dragged my husband through our town and I tried to follow them, shouting for our neighbours but they were too afraid to help,” said Mrs Radhakrishnan, 45.

The long search for Raghunandan and 20,000 other Sri Lankans who remain missing after the country’s barbaric 26-year civil war has completely halted after the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is personally accused of an array of war crimes during the conflict, as President in 2019.

But, there may now be renewed hope for Mrs Radhakrishnan, after a United Kingdom-led council at the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) proposed a new landmark resolution in February to investigate those responsible for atrocities.

The abduction of her fisherman husband in June 2008 was the fifth disappearance in the town that year, as the largely Sinhalese Sri Lankan Army accused townspeople of selling goods to the Tamil Tiger (LTTE) insurgents.

“Raghunandan never got involved in anything and therefore we had no reason to think he would be abducted, or else we would have sent him far away from our town,” bemoans Mrs Radhakrishnan.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa served as Defence Secretary during the last four years of the conflict – appointed by his brother Mahinda, who was then President – and is accused of overseeing some of the most horrific war crimes.

The rampaging, victorious Sri Lankan Army allegedly murdered up to 40,000 Tamil civilians, as graphically documented in Channel 4’s award-winning “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields”, during the final few months of the conflict in 2009.

To the horror of Sri Lanka’s minorities, Gotabaya was elected as President himself in 2019, as the majority Sinhalese electorate prioritised security after the Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed 269 people.

Gotabaya wasted no time in withdrawing Sri Lanka from an OHCHR resolution, agreed by the previous regime in 2015, that promised to establish a domestic mechanism to prosecute those who carried out atrocities.

He described the UN agreement as a “historic betrayal” and promised to protect the nation’s “war heroes” from prosecution, pardoning Sunil Ratnayake a sergeant convicted of the wartime killing of eight Tamil civilians, including children.

At least 28 former military personnel were then appointed to key government posts and the Office of Missing Persons, set up in 2017 to log disappearances, has been staffed with Gotabaya’s allies.

“Since the new government was elected, the few cases where police investigations had gone forward to identify and prosecute perpetrators are being stalled,” explains Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at Human Rights Watch.

“One senior police officer who led these investigations had to flee the country, while another was arrested, allegedly in a politically motivated case.”

Mrs Radhakrishnan had already searched fruitlessly for her husband for years, arranging meetings with local police officers, human rights activists, and even her local priest. But, now, she says any remaining channels of investigation are being exhausted.

“During the previous government we could demonstrate, protest and speak to the authorities about our situation but now there would be a huge drama,” said Mrs Radhakrishnan.

In particular, members of the Sri Lankan civil society which previously assisted families of the disappeared have suddenly found themselves under intense scrutiny from Gotabaya’s regime.

In January, more than 40 NGOs reported to the UN that they were receiving harassment from intelligence officials, including regular visits to their homes, anonymous threats, and having their movements tracked.

“Every minute I do this job, I think that there is no real assurance for my life. When I go out, I can’t assure my family whether I will return home, this is how much fear we have these days,” one Sri Lankan activist told the Daily Telegraph.

In 2011, Mrs Radhakrishnan and 200 women formed an activist group to search for their missing relatives but this has ceased to operate following Gotabaya’s election after members were put under surveillance and their spokesperson threatened with arrest.

A human rights lawyer assisting family members of the disappeared said not one abduction case had been resolved since Gotabaya’s election, with judges replaced with regime allies.

“Lawyers now face a host of issues including securing the safety and security of their clients, enduring and mitigating surveillance and harassment from the state and fellow colleagues who accuse us of working for NGOs, and lastly, it is very hard to access the information we need for cases,” said the human rights lawyer.

Infuriated by Gotabaya’s brazen attempts to protect soldiers under his command during the civil war, the OHCHR is expected to pass a landmark resolution on March 22 to begin the collection of evidence related to atrocities committed in Sri Lanka.

“The victims from all communities of Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war are a decade later still awaiting justice for loved ones murdered or missing, and dealing with the repercussions of violence and conflict,” said Lord Ahmad, the Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth.

“That is why the UK is seeking a new resolution at the UN Human Rights Council to call on Sri Lanka to hold perpetrators of human rights violations to account, improve human rights and deliver justice for the war’s victims.”

If the Sri Lankan Government still then refuses to investigate war crimes itself, the UN could establish an international, unilateral mechanism to assist in bringing the perpetrators to justice, as in the aftermath of the Syrian conflict.

“Before this announcement, various politicians had promised to find my husband but it had been unbearably difficult, I had lost hope,” said Mrs Radhakrishnan, through tears.

“I need to know whether he is alive or not, I just need an answer, I have been through unbearable difficulties.”

*Some names have been changed to protect the identity of interviewees

Source:Telegraph.co.uk

Government and main Opposition politicians traded points over rupee depreciation yesterday, in the backdrop of the Central Bank suspending the requirement for licensed banks to sell 10% of worker remittances and 50% of export earnings to the monetary authority and stopping the purchase of Sri Lanka Development Bonds as part of a multi-pronged effort to stabilise the currency.

Issuing two circulars on Wednesday, the Central Bank suspended the requirement imposed last month making it mandatory for licensed commercial banks to sell 10% of converted worker remittances to the monetary authority. It did the same for the regulation requiring 50% of export earnings to be sold to the Central Bank.

Both suspensions will be implemented until further notice. On Thursday, an additional circular informed licensed commercial banks and National Savings Bank to suspend the purchase of Sri Lanka International Sovereign Bonds with effect from 23 March until 9 April.

“The Central Bank of Sri Lanka with a view to easing pressure on the exchange rate and considering the substantial amount of possible/potential outflow of foreign exchange by banks and its impact on banks’ risk management, licensed commercial banks and National Savings Bank are hereby informed to suspend the purchase of Sri Lanka International Sovereign Bonds with effect from 23 March 2021 until 09 April 2021,” a directive issued by the Governor of the Central Bank said.

The Central Bank had earlier said the rupee recorded a depreciation of 4.9% against the dollar till 10 March. But that was exacerbated this week after the rupee closed at Rs. 202/203 to the dollar in the one-week forward market on Wednesday. It managed to do slightly better yesterday closing at 198.50/199 levels, according to dealers. The bond yields remained unchanged.

Weighing in on the depreciation issue yesterday, State Minister for Money, Capital Markets and State Enterprise Reforms Ajith Nivard Cabraal was confident fresh forex flows are around the corner and backed Government policies for creating the right environment to attract them.

“The right #policies are now in place for non-debt #forex inflows. It’s only a matter of time before the #Rupee appreciation process starts. #Businesses and #industries must prepare for that transformation. @CBSL #SriLanka #debt #GOSL #economicrecoveryplan,” the State Minister tweeted.

However, there was a swift rebuttal from Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and former State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne, who faulted the Government for triggering depreciation by increasing market liquidity levels. He also pointed out that market sentiment was low due to fast shrinking reserves, which the Government had so far failed to boost and warned that unless more clarity is provided on debt sustainability, the rupee could continue its decline. Sri Lanka’s reserves reached $ 4.5 billion in February.

Wickramaratne criticised the Government for pushing the Central Bank to purchase large amounts of Government Securities to finance a high Budget deficit, resulting in the release of Rs. 700 billion into the market. He argued that this high a level of liquidity was causing the rupee to depreciate. The Central Bank has maintained a contradictory stance, pointing out that due to import restrictions, especially on vehicles, demand is being kept subdued and liquidity was not driving depletion of reserves.

“There is a big problem with policy making and management of the economy,” Wickramaratne told reporters at a press conference. “The continuation of the Government’s current fiscal policy will lead to a greater crisis. Printing money is one thing. But if debt servicing is not done properly, it will be disastrous for Sri Lanka.

“The 17 March treasury bond auction is a good example. There wasn’t a demand for Treasury Bills even with a three-month maturity. This is the state of affairs.”

Analysts who spoke to the Daily FT acknowledged pinning down the exact reason for rupee depreciation was tricky but conceded that market sentiment could be under additional pressure due to two large debt repayments in May and July. On 1 May the Central Bank will have to settle an estimated $ 670 million in Sri Lanka Development Bonds, about half what is due for the year. This will be closely followed by a $ 1 billion bond repayment in mid-July.

“With limited reserves investors are concerned about how these repayments will be met. This is a key question asked by many foreign investors who call us. Exports also tend to be lower in April due to New Year holidays, and imports tend to increase ahead of the festival period, sometimes creating currency pressures. But these dynamics may have changed due to the pandemic,” opined ICRA Lanka Head of Research and Business Development Lalinda Sugathadasa.

“It is hard to give a specific reason, but sentiment definitely plays a huge role.”

Analysts also agreed that a significant inflow of forex is needed to reverse depreciation but suggested that the recent $ 1.5 billion swap with China was unlikely to meet this requirement as it was a local currency facility and not a dollar one.

“Since the swap is in Yuan the Government can likely only draw down to pay import bills. This is useful since China is one of our biggest import destinations with Sri Lanka regularly importing about $ 3.5-4 billion in goods. But it will not top up reserves and that is what Sri Lanka really needs,” a well-known economist told Daily FT on conditions of anonymity.

So far, the Central Bank’s active intervention in the domestic foreign exchange market through supply of foreign exchange and sell/buy swaps with local commercial banks has contributed to enhancing the foreign exchange liquidity in the market. The monetary authority supplied $ 72 million, on a net basis, to the domestic foreign exchange market in January.

State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director, Major General Suresh Sallay has denied having links with the mastermind of the Easter Sunday attacks, Zahran Hashim.

He says he had not met Zahran Hashim in Malaysia, as claimed by an opposition Parliamentarian.

Major General Suresh Sallay has filed a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) against Parliamentarian Nalin Bandara Jayamaha over the allegations.

Nalin Bandara had made the allegations at a media conference in Colombo.

The Parliamentarian had also claimed that Suresh Sallay had cleared the way for Zahran Hashim to travel to Malaysia, Indonesia and India before the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka.

Major General Suresh Sallay has called on the CID to investigate the claims made by the parliamentarian.

He says the claims are false and has an impact on his family life and the State Intelligence Service.

Director-General of Health Services has issued revised COVID-19 quarantine guidelines for all incoming passengers and tourists arriving in Sri Lanka from overseas.

The guidelines noted that they should receive the approval to enter the country from the Foreign Affairs Ministry and other relevant authorities or from Sri Lanka Tourism, respectively.

All travelers should submit the filled Health Declaration Form to the staff of Airport Health Office at Health Counters at the arriving airport, it read further.

Key points in the guidelines for Sri Lankan citizens/dual citizens and foreign nationals:

• For passengers who have received the recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccine:

– They should arrive in the country after two weeks of completion of COVID-19 vaccination.

– Upon arrival, they should produce the original copy of the vaccination certificate together with a certified copy of English language translation if the certificate is not in English language, to the Airport Health Officer.

– They will be referred to a PCR test within 24 hours upon arrival (Day One) from a private or state sector laboratory approved by the Health Ministry.

– Once the test report is available, they will be released from the quarantine hotel or centre by issuing a discharge document mentioning the date of PCR sample collection and PCR test result.

– They should undergo repeat PCR on Day Seven after arrival to Sri Lanka from a private or state sector laboratory approved by the Health Ministry.

• For passengers who have not received the COVID vaccine or not completed the recommended doses of vaccination and arrive in Sri Lanka within less than two weeks of vaccination:

– If they are undergoing hotel quarantine (single or shared by family members), they will be referred to PCR testing on Day One and Day Seven.

– However, if they are under quarantine at a centre, they will be subjected to PCR testing on Day One and Day Ten.

– If both tests are negative, they will be released from the quarantine procedure, following the second PCR test.

Upon being discharged, all arrivals are required to arrange their own transport method to go to their respective residences from the quarantine hotel or centre.

Immediately upon arriving home, they should inform the area Medical Officer of Health (MOH) by telephone or email and produce a discharge document issued by the designated authority at the quarantine hotel or centre.

After informing the area MOH, the travellers, who have received both vaccine doses and obtained a negative PCR report on Day One of arrival, are not required to quarantine further.

For those who have not received the recommended vaccine doses, a balance home-quarantine period (out of 14 days) under the supervision of area MOH, is mandatory.

All PCR test results must be informed to the MOH attached to their respective residential area. If one of the PCR test results is positive, they should inform the MOH, and follow the treatment protocol of Health Ministry.

If febrile or display respiratory symptoms of COVID- 19 during the quarantine period, they should inform the relevant MOH.

In the meantime, separate guidelines issued for tourists arriving in the country have also been revised by the Director-General of Health Services.