Restrictions on political and academic freedom in universities

It is the general view that the `academic freedom` and `autonomy` of the Sri Lankan universities are
eroding as a result of recent practices followed by the administrators. During the brief period of
research before this first report CHR discovered 12 incidents where university staff members have been
forced to seek judicial measures to redress harm caused by university administrators in the last three
years and with many reports rolling in we fear tha

Introduction

It has been a common thing to see biased one sided reporting on matters such as IDP camps, resettlement
process, High Security Zones and development work in the North. Strategic use of the media, creating false
news items and misinformation has become the main tools of this biased reporting.

Since there are no staff reporters in the North, media organizations in Colombo do not have access to first
hand information about what occurs in the North and have to depend on provincial c

By Hand / In Person
7th October 2010

Chitta Ranjan de Silva Esquire, PC
The Chairman
The Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation
24, Horton Place
Colombo 7
Submissions to the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission

Mr.Chairman,

Thank you for the opportunity afforded to me today to make oral submissions before this Commission.
Importance and Scope of the Commission
The Commission meets at a time of historic

I am here to make submissions on the Culture of Human Rights. In the background of erosion of values of all kinds and especially with the consequences of war, human rights have suffered worst causalities.

Therefore, a culture of Human Rights where every citizen respects the rights of the other must be cultivated and where the principle of 'Equality before the Law' is respected and applied should be followed. Equal protection guarantees protection from both legislative and executive acts by way of discrimination.

It

The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) sessions in Jaffna were a stark contrast to those held in Colombo.

While the gallantry of the security forces, commendability of the government’s attempts at rehabilitation and resettlement and the importance of tri-lingual education for better understanding policy dominate the Colombo sessions, hostility, hundreds of mothers and widows cornering the commissioners to complain about lost family members and accusations of colonizationthe foremo

Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva on Thursday (Nov. 18) said that the Army had had absolutely no reason to target civilians during the last phase of the Eelam War IV on the Vanni east front.

Testifying before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) at the Kadirgamar Centre, the former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Task Force I/58 Division said that there couldn’t have been any reason for indiscriminate action at a time the LTTE was clearly on the verg

This imaginary conversation between father and son seems appropriate now with the issue of the horrors of war coming up in evidence before the Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation, and in some happenings connected to it.

It is also in this connection that this columnist has received a power-point presentation that is being re-circulated about the holocaust that took place over sixty five years ago in Germany.

It refers to General Eisenhower giving instructions to

Two doctors who served in the Wanni area up to the end of the war, told the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) of the personal anguish and trying moments they faced during those difficult days, while Maj. Gen. Shavindra Silva, Commander 58 Division during the military operations, in his second appearance before the LLRC, gave details of atrocities committed by the LTTE against civilians in the war zone.

Never ever the tragedy and horror of war

Dr T. Sathiyamoorthy, who was trapped along

The Centre for Human Rights (CHR) – Sri Lanka in a statement has requested the LLRC to ensure a free and secure environment where people can give evidence without fearing future persecution in its up-coming sessions in Trincomalee and Mannaar.

Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) is to conduct its sittings in Trincomalee on December 17, 18 and 19.

The LLRC would record the evidence from relatives of affected persons in the Trincomalee distric