Category: Featured Headlines

Writing to Minister of State for Asia, Nigel Adams, UK Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Stephen Kinnock, has called on the government to ‘comprehensively rewrite’ the current proposed UN resolution and questioned why the government’s review of its Global Human Rights sanctions regime does not include “a single senior Sri Lankan government minister, official or military officer”.

In his statement Kinnock criticised the government’s refusal to consider referring Sri Lanka to the ICC, maintain that Britain’s position, “should not be determined simply by the veto-wielding intentions of two of its permanent members”. Britain’s refusal to refer Sri Lanka to the ICC has sparked a great deal of criticism from human rights defenders and Tamil activists.

Failing to rise to the challenge

In his statement, Kinnock, slammed the government’s response maintain that “the UK government has a particular responsibility to demonstrate moral and political leadership on this matter, but unfortunately it is clear judging by this drafting resolution that you are failing to rise to the challenge”.

Kinnock criticised the resolution noting that it was “too vague and insufficiently robust”. Thus failing “to reflect the extent of the devasting impact of the human rights abuses that have been perpetrated in Sri Lanka”. He further maintains that it “falls far short of what is required in terms of tangible action”.

In his statement, Kinnock raised five specific concerns with the resolution

1. Kinnock notes that Britain should support the High Commissioner’s call for the application of universal jurisprudence noting that “it is beyond doubt that the Sri Lankan government and military will continue to deny, delay and evade accountability”. He calls on the British government to confirm that the principle of universal jurisdiction must be applied to the actions of the Sri Lankan government and military
2. The resolution is also criticised as it fails to recommend the establishment of an International Independent Investigative mechanism (IIIM). Kinnock criticises the vague reference in the resolution to strengthening evidence gathering and collation, maintain that the resolution should emphasis that a III-M is required.
3. He also notes that whilst there would be opposition to Sri Lanka being referred to the International Criminal Court, “it is not an acceptable argument against trying”. He emphasises that the UK’s position “should not be determined simply by the veto-wielding intentions of two of its permanent members”.
4. Kinnock highlights that there is nothing in the draft resolution about prevention and asks the government what steps it will take “to ensure that this resolution leads to tangible measures to protect human rights defenders on the ground from the increasingly aggressive actions of the Sri Lankan authorities?”
5. Kinnock also criticises the piece noting that the time scale given for considering accountability options, “18 months”, is “unacceptably long”. The evidence is clear and the UNHRC needs to take action now, rather than allowing the Sri Lankan government yet more time to obstruct and obfuscate”. He calls for this timescale to be amended to “6 months”.

Magnitsky sanctions

Commenting on the UK’s sanction regime, he notes that the UK has not included “a single senior Sri Lankan government minister, official or military officer”. He further notes that Lord Ahmad’s claim that the government is keeping “all evidence and potential listing under review”. Responding to this he asks why “this review is taking so long, given the extent of the detailed evidence that is already widely available about the gross human rights violations that have taken place there?”

Kinnock emphasises “that the chances of the resolution being approved by the UNHRC on 24 March will be enhanced if it is made more robust and substantial”. He further warns that the UK governments’ draft resolution could be rejected “if its too weak and lacks substance”.

He concludes by emphasising that the UK “owes it to the victims and survivors of the atrocities that have taken place in Sri Lanka to ensure that it rises to the occasion and shows the moral courage and leadership that is so urgently needed”.

The entire northern province is experiencing an electricity disruption following a technical issue at the Anuradhapura New Grid Sub-station.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Power Sulakshana Jayawardena speaking to News 1st said several other areas which receive electricity from the Valachchenai, Habarana, Polonnaruwa, and Vavuniya Grid Sub-Station too are experiencing a power-cut.

Both the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts are also in the dark, he added.

The suspects linked to the murder of The former Editor of The Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge are yet to be identified, 12 years since the horrific incident took place in broad daylight.

Last night we focused on the broad scope and state of the investigations, following Lasantha’s daughter, Ahimsa Wickramatunge’s Opinion Piece to The Washington Post.

How was the murder carried out?

At the time, the judicial medical officer of the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital claimed that Lasantha Wickrematunga had sustained 12 gunshot injuries.

But the Government Analyst as well as the Professor who performed the surgery on the journalist ruled out shooting in their reports.

When Lasantha’s remains were exhumed on the 27th of September 2016, it was confirmed that he had not died of gunshot injuries.

Question Number 1: Were the weapons used in the murder recovered during investigations?

On the 27th of January 2009, a motorcycle belonging to a resident of Vavuniya, believed to be used in the killing, was recovered from a swamp in Attidiya.

At the time of recovery, it had been more than a week since two individuals, including the motorcycle owner, had been abducted and murdered.

Question Number 2: How can the mystery of the motorcycle and its owners be explained?

03. The notebook containing vital evidence

Lasantha Wickrematunge’s notebook, where he allegedly noted down the number of the motorcycle that had been following him on that fateful day, was transferred from the possession of the Officer-In-Charge of the Mt. Lavinia Police Crimes Branch of a Deputy Police Chief in the area at that time.

Both officers were arrested in February 2018 over charges of concealing evidence but were granted bail on the 2nd of July in the same year.

Question Number 3: What happened to the notebook and the vital piece of evidence?

04. Telephone records

Investigations carried out by the Terrorism Investigation Division revealed five telephone numbers believed to be linked to the killing.

A resident of Nuwara Eliya, identified as the bearer of the National Identity Card registered to these numbers, was arrested along with an army intelligence officer.

But the owner of these numbers had died in prison on the 13th of October 2011, while the intelligence officer had been released from charges due to lack of evidence on the 6th of September 2013.

Question Number 4: What happened to the telephone records?

05. Investigations carried out by various units.

On the 25th of November 2009, investigations launched by the Crimes Branch of the Mount Lavinia Police into the incident had been transferred to the Criminal Investigations Department.

These investigations were passed on to the Terrorism Investigation Division following the presidential election in 2010.

The Officer-In-Charge of the Terrorism Investigation Division is now serving as its director.

In 2015, the task of carrying out the investigations, which bore no result, had been entrusted with the Criminal Investigations Department.

The Criminal Investigation Department director who uncovered several vital pieces of evidence at that time is now in prison.

Assistant Police Superintendent Sisira Tissera, who was also part of the investigations, has been given a transfer while Police Inspector Nishantha de Silva had fled the country.

Question Number 5: Why were there so many changes to the investigative team?

In addition to being the Editor of The Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge was a member of the MTV/MBC/News 1st Media Network and a trusted colleague.

12 Years have passed since his murder. His daughter, Ahimsa, recently put down her anguish in an opinion piece, published in The Washington Post.

The Truth can at times be hidden, blocked or suppressed. It can even be twisted.

But just like the sun rises each morning and dispels the darkness, so will the Truth rise with absolute certainty and expose lies and deceit.

There is NO escape from the Truth.

Source:NewsFirst.lk

Following the unequivocal support extended by China to Sri Lanka on the Core Group’s draft resolution at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Sri Lanka questioned the reliability of the data in the report of the Special Rapporteur, Ahmed Shaheed, on the Uighur Muslims of China.

Sri Lanka’s representative C.A.Chandraprema strongly defended China’s treatment of the Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang province of China in the Interactive Dialogue on March 4.

Chandraprema said that Special Rapporteur Shaheed’s claims about discrimination against the Uighurs were based only on biased and sensational reporting in the Western media.

Problems facing the Muslims community in Sri Lanka received a brief reference in Shaheed’s report, specifically referring to mob attacks against Muslims in which the police appeared to be complicit. In reply to Shaheed, Chandraprema said that the Sri Lankan Constitution upholds the right to freedom of religion and denied violence and discrimination against Muslims following the Easter Sunday bombings in April 2019.

Focus On Defending China

Having said that Ambassador Chandraprema quickly switched focus to the UN Special Rapporteur’s findings on the treatment of the Uighurs in China’s Xingjiang province. He said Shaheed’s report on the Uighurs had quoted “various Western media outlets” that had made “various sensational claims” about issues encountered by the Muslims in China.

“We have serious concerns about the credibility of these sources. We note that the policy of freedom of religion has been fully implemented in the Xinxiang province,” he said.

In a broadside against Western countries, the Sri Lankan Envoy said: “Many Muslim countries have been destroyed in the past two decades in the guise of promoting democracy. However, Xinxiang has been at peace and has enjoyed democracy with the rest of China during this period.”

Shaheed had also been critical of the Indian Government in his Islamophobia report which drew a harsh response from New Delhi’s representative participating in the Interactive Dialogue. But the Lankan Ambassador did not make a reference to the allegations against India during his intervention.

Colombage Defends China

Sri Lanka’s Envoy’s remarks came in Beijing’s defense came in the wake of Foreign Secretary Adm. Prof. Jayanath Colambage’s assertion that he had “seen no evidence” to suggest genocide in Xinjiang.

The Foreign Secretary had called the Government of China “guardians” of the people of Xinjiang. Colambage’s interview was widely circulated in the form of a promotional video by the Chinese State media.

China Backed Lanka

China had earlier strongly backed Sri Lanka over the Core Group’s draft resolution on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka and the war crimes charges against its armed forces.

Chinese envoy Chen Xu had said: “The proposed targeted sanctions contained in the OHCHR’s report are clear interference in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka and exceed the mandate of the OHCHR. We hope that the HRC and the OHCHR will strictly follow impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity and non-politicisation principles, respect the sovereignty and political independence of all nations, respect the efforts of the nations for the protection and promotion of human rights, advocate constructive dialogue and cooperation, and abandon the practice of interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and exerting political pressure.”

UN View on Uighurs

Draft UN experts and activists claim that one million Muslim Uighurs are detained in camps in Xinjiang Province. Last week, UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet decried the ill-treatment of the community and demanded access into the region.

In February, the Dutch Parliament passed a non-binding motion saying the treatment of the Muslim Uighur minority in China amounted to genocide, the first such move by a European country.

Chinese Envoy Reprimanded

During Thursday’s Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur, China was reprimanded by the Chair for using its time to launch a scathing attack on Shaheed. The Chinese Delegation said Shaheed had relied “only on BBC and New York Times” to slander and smear China.

The Special Rapporteur was “wantonly” spreading false information, the Chinese representative said, adding that Shaheed lacked “basic professional ethics and serves as a political tool for Western countries”.

The Chair said: “I would like to remind the speaker that I cannot allow derogatory or inflammatory remarks to be made against a special rapporteur. That is not allowed by the rules. No personal attacks should be made.”

Ahmed Shaheed’s Report

Introducing his damning report about Islamophobia world over at the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday, Shaheed said institutional suspicion and fear of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim have escalated to “epidemic proportions.”

The UN Special Rapporteur said that “numerous” States, regional and international bodies were to blame. In a report to the Council, he cited European surveys in 2018 and 2019 that showed that nearly four in 10 people held unfavourable views about Muslims.

In 2017, 30% of Americans viewed Muslims “in a negative light”, the Special Rapporteur added.

Source:https:Newsin.asia

Catholics in Sri Lanka today marked ‘Black Sunday’ as a mark of protest over the failure to find those linked to the Easter Sunday attacks.

Worshippers wore black face masks when attending mass today while some were dressed in black.

Religious leaders from the Buddhist and Muslim faiths also supported the protest by attending some of the services.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith demanded that the Government find the main perpetrators of the deadly attacks.

“Our effort is to establish who was actually behind the attacks,” Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said in a statement.

Ranjith told a press conference last week that he was unhappy with the lack of progress in the inquiry, and laid out an ultimatum.

“If the authorities fail to come up with answers as to who was behind the attacks by the second anniversary of the bombings, we will call for a nationwide black-flag campaign,” he said.

The campaign would involve Sri Lankans flying a black flag above their homes as a sign of protest, the cardinal added.

The US Justice Department in January charged three Sri Lankans with supporting terrorism for their alleged participation in the attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic State group.

All three are in custody in Sri Lanka but have not been charged locally. The Justice Department said it would support their prosecution in the country.

At least 45 foreigners, including five Americans, were among those killed.