The Sri Lankan government is intensifying its crackdown on critics through threats, harassment, imprisonment and violent attacks, Amnesty International said in a report released today.

The document, Assault on Dissent reveals how the government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa is promoting an official attitude that equates criticism with “treason” in a bid to tighten its grip on power.

Journalists, the judiciary, human rights activists and opposition politicians are among those who have been targeted i

Jaffna District Parliamentarian and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Spokesperson, Suresh K. Premachandran, said he is prepared to be taken into custody, if the authorities so decide. He was participating at a mass protest against the alleged acquisition of 6,000 acres of land belonging to the people of the North and East of Valikamam, in the Peninsula.

Thousands of people, comprising mostly internally displaced persons (IDP) from Valikamam, defying police barricades and warnings, staged a mass protest opposite the Tellipal

A federal Labor backbencher has broken ranks and called for Australia to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka later this year.

Canada’s government has already threatened to boycott the November meeting in protest against alleged human rights violations.

Sri Lanka has been accused of sanctioning the torture of Tamil civilians and abuse of the media, judges and opposition politicians.

 The UK based Global Tamil Forum (GTF) yesterday vowed to intensify its campaign aimed at discouraging the Queen and main member states from attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2013) though its project to thwart the meeting failed.

GTF spokesman Suren Surendiran told The Island that it would go all out against the Sri Lankan government to make it impossible for world leaders to shake hands with President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka is gearing up to play host to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November. The privilege represents an important opportunity for the country to boost its prestige and international recognition. But the question in some capitals is this: does Sri Lanka deserve the honour?

Last week Canadian foreign minister John Baird, whose nation is one of the 54 members of the Commonwealth, said it was "appalling that Sri Lanka would be taking on a leadership role in the Commonwealth". Mr Baird cited as reaso

In spite of Tamil Diaspora efforts to win political asylum for more of their community on grounds of security in post-war Sri Lanka, the Australian government has stepped up deportations, with 201 persons sent back to Colombo since February last year.

Authoritative sources told The Island that the Australian government had taken a tough position against those trying to exploit the system with the help of certain professionals based in Australia. "We really appreciate tangible measures taken by Australia to discourage thos

Every two years, the leaders of the Commonwealth of Nations assemble at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the association's principal policy and decision-making forum. This year, the meeting is set to take place in Colombo from 15 to 17 November, where the Sri Lankan Government will host the illustrious gathering.

The Commonwealth Secretariat has invited the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) for a discussion on reconciliation, justice and accountability in Sri Lanka, the Human Rights Commission sources said.
The Human Rights Commissioner Dr. Prathibha Mahanamahewa has been invited for this roundtable by the Commonwealth Secretariat which is scheduled to be held from 29 April to 3 May in London. 

A UN human rights expert says she’s shocked the Sri Lanka will be allowed to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this year despite ongoing cases of torture and disappearances.

Yasmin Sooka, who was asked by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to investigate allegations of human rights abuses during Sri Lanka’s war, says the country is still perpetrating abuses against its own civilians.

Five crew members were kidnapped in an attack by pirates off Nigeria, the latest in a series in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, the Xinhua news agency reported quoting the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

The IMB said the container ship was targeted by 14 pirates on April 25 off Nigeria’s Bayelsa State. The kidnapped crew members came from Sri Lanka, Russia and Myanmar.