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| Is handcuffing police the new ‘Rule of Law’? |
| 2013-02-25 |
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Much space in newspapers was taken up by the recent impeachment issue and there were hair-splitting arguments about the rule of law and order and the dispensation of justice. Yet, an incident of much ‘lesser’ significance this week highlights just where the rot has set in.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister and Moneragala district parliamentarian Sumedha Jayasena has admitted that she telephoned Inspector General of Police (IGP) N. K. Ilangakoon and requested the release of three suspects arrested for alleged ill
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| Meeting the UN-HRC Challenge |
| 2013-02-25 |
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The UN Human Rights Council season is upon us. This was heralded by the release of photos of Prabhakaran’s younger son Balachandran who is alleged to have been shot dead by the army. The photos certainly look authentic, since the boy is shown wearing what appears to be the same pair of shorts that he was shown wearing when he was shot, but what strikes a discordant note is the pristine condition of the bunker that he is shown sitting in with its clean new green sand bags. During the last few days of the war, when there was fa
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| Crisis Riddled MR’s Govt To Face Geneva Imbroglio |
| 2013-02-25 |
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The level of preparedness of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government to face the international community this week at the 22nd session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva was evident by the last minute decision to include Presidential human rights envoy, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe to head the government delegation to Geneva.
Mahinda Samarasinghe, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Basil Rajapaksa and Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe
Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to Geneva, Ravinatha Aryasinha was earlier tipped to he
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| GMOF discuss burning health issues with Minister Sirisena |
| 2013-02-25 |
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A senior-level delegation of the Government Medical Officers’ Forum (GMOF) which met with Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena last week expressed concern over the continued functioning of the controversial Malabe Private Medical College (PMC) despite issues relating to standards which the medical profession demanded.
The 15-member delegation warned of drastic action if the proposed amendments to the Sri Lanka Medical Council were pushed through, saying the 14,000 membership would immediately withdraw from services if su
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| International schools shaken up by President’s remarks |
| 2013-02-25 |
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Shaken up by President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s remark to regulate international schools, 23 international schools in the country are now on a feverish mission to rectify the loopholes of the sector, ahead of possible regulatory standards.
In a bid to avert any such move, the resurrected an association called “The International Schools of Sri Lanka” which was defunct for more than 16 years. The organization was informally referred to as the “Association of Heads of International
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| UN Urged To Probe Matale Grave |
| 2013-02-25 |
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The United Nations (UN) has been called to assist in the investigations into the mass grave unearthed in Matale last year.
In a written statement submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, ahead of the 22nd session which begins tomorrow, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a nongovernmental organization, has said that the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances should, through their experts, study the situation and the conduct of inquiries relating to the remains of the the Sri La
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| Bus fare hike imminent |
| 2013-02-25 |
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Private bus owners are to hold a crisis meeting with the Minister of Private Transport on Tuesday (26 February), to demand a bus fare hike in the wake of yesterday’s announcement of a diesel price increase of Rs 6.
They said, as the promised diesel subsidy, demanded by the bus owners to cushion the effects of the previous fuel price hike, was not forthcoming, a bus fare hike is the only option in light of the latest fuel price hike.
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| Call to confront Sri Lanka's 'authoritarian turn' |
| 2013-02-25 |
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A 2012 United Nations review concluded as many as 40,000 civilians were killed in the final months of Sri Lanka's civil war in 2009.
The UN review found credible allegations of war crimes by both government forces and the rebel Tamil Tigers.
Now, the International Crisis Group has issued a new report calling on the world to act to force an investigation into those matters and the restoration of the rule of law in the country.
The International Crisis Group has called for strong international action agai
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| 'Government unsympathetic to Lankan Tamils' |
| 2013-02-25 |
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DMK president M. Karunanidhi Saturday said the central government does not seem to understand the continued suffering of Sri Lankan Tamils who have lost their livelihood and their rights.
Referring to President Pranab Mukherjee's address to parliament Feb 21 on the Sri Lankan issue Karunanidhi said they are just a string of words and did not echo the pain of the Tamilians.
"We are making progress in our engagement with Sri Lanka, including in our efforts to resettle and rehabilitate the internally displaced perso
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| UNHRC must prove its sincerity |
| 2013-02-25 |
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The LTTE rump has resorted to various tactics to mislead the international community ahead of every United Nations Human Rights Council session (UNHRC), UN General Assembly (UNGA) or any other international platform such as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). From the day the LTTE was crushed militarily in May 2009, the Tiger cohorts, LTTE poltergeists and a section of the Tamil Diaspora have conducted similar campaigns. There is no exception this time around as the UNHRC is due to meet in Geneva shortly.
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