The US Embassy in Colombo has expressed concern over US Marines Corps inviting Sri Lanka Deputy Permanent Representative in New York Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva to deliver a lecture at the prestigious Marine Corps University in South St. Quantico, New York recently.

The lecture was conducted last week.

Well informed sources told The Island that the US Embassy had raised the issue with the State Department while asserting that the Colombo mission should have been consulted.

PMK cadre stage demonstration against “rights violations”

Cadre of Pattali Makkal Katchi staged a demonstration in front of the Anna Statue near New Bus Stand in Krishnagiri on Tuesday, condemning “human rights violations” during the last leg of the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka.

They burnt Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in effigy, in protest against “human rights violations’.

Immediately after reports of violations by the Sri L

 Bishop Emmanuel Fernando yesterday expressed deep regret over a group of Lankan Catholic pilgrims being prevented from visiting the Velankanni Church, in Tamil Nadu on Sunday night.

The pilgrims had gone to Tamil Nadu to fulfill their religious wish and not to hurt or confront anyone, therefore it was a foolish act to prevent them from worshipping at a venerated shrine, the Bishop said.

He also said that they would look into the matter further, but urged the devotees to bear with patience any problems they mig

Hon. Minister Samarasinghe, Minister of Plantation Industries, H.E. the President’s Special Envoy on Human Rights and Leader of the Sri Lanka delegation, who is due to arrive in Geneva on Tuesday, will deliver Sri Lanka’s National Statement during the High Level segment of the Human Rights Council, on Wednesday, 27th February 2013.

The 22nd Session of the Human Rights Council opened today with statements by H.E. Mr. Remigiusz A. Henczel President of the Human Rights Council, H.E. Mr. Vuk Jeremic, President of the G

 Sri Lankan diplomats are working to block a British-made documentary about the Asian country's civil war from being shown on the sidelines of a United Nations human rights meeting this week, arguing that it is part of a concerted campaign by the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels to destabilize the peace.
In a letter obtained Monday by The Associated Press the island nation's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva said the film contained a narrative that was "discredited, uncorroborated and unsubstantiated."

The Sri Lankan security forces have committed untold numbers of rapes of Tamil men and women in custody. These are not just wartime atrocities but continue to the present, putting every Tamil man and woman arrested for suspected LTTE involvement at serious risk.
Brad Adams, Asia director

(London) – Sri Lankan security forces have been using rape and other forms of sexual violence to torture suspected members or supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Human Rights Watch said in a report released to

The World Health Organization (WHO) had made strong recommendations following the completion of its final report on the investigation and evaluation of the Chronic Kidney Disease in Sri Lanka, but the Health Ministry had failed to either come out with the facts or take immediate preventive measures, an official of the Technical Committee, appointed by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), said.

Technical Committee Member Hemantha Withanage, who is the Executive Director of the Centre for Environment Justice, told The

The United States today said that Sri Lanka continues to fall short in implementing even the recommendations of its own Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission, in addressing the underlying sources of its longstanding ethnic conflict.
 
Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer said at the 22nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that the United States will introduce another resolution at this session to ensure that the international community continues to monitor

Minister of State for Faith and Communities in UK, Baroness Warsi addressing the High Level Segment of the 22nd Session ofthe UN Human Rights Council on Monday said that Sri Lanka will continue to attract a huge amount of attention both in the UK and other countries.
Baroness Warsi who is also the Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs said the discussion at the Human Rights Council will be in the spirit of support towards reconciliation in Sri Lanka but the task now is to make concrete progress.

Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe left for Geneva, Switzerland to attend the 22nd UN Human Rights Council sessions.
Manager of the Katunayake Airport said that the minister departed the country at around 2.55 Tuesday morning.
The 22nd UNHRC session which commenced in Geneva on Monday will be held until March 22.
Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe who is heading the Sri Lankan delegation is due to address the session tomorrow.