Sri Lanka’s chances of hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) still hang in the balance.

The issue was brought to limelight following a statement by the Commonwealth Secretariat denying that the Secretary General had issued a statement confirming Colombo as the venue.

Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma who was in Colombo for three days, last week for talks with Sri Lankan officials had denied that he made such a statement confirming the venue.

Pressure has begun to mount on the government ahead of what seems like a do or die situation at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Human rights groups say they will push for foreign governments to endorse a hard hitting report on Sri Lanka made public last week by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay.

The report, which will be submitted to the February-March session of the Council, has already drawn a strong reaction from the government, which has called for several amendments before it is formally

Sri Lanka was for decades an example of how sectarian conflict can wreck an otherwise fortunate country. It has had three years to show how devolving power to an ethnic minority can bring about lasting peace. Now it looks as if the opportunity will be lost.

Sri Lanka paid an enormous price to bring 26 years of civil war to an end. An estimated 40, months of fighting in 2009, bringing the conflict’s final toll to more than 100,000. This includes a sitting president, Ranasinghe Premadasa, and a f

Minister Keheliya Rambukwella expressed views about the Geneva human rights council meeting at a function held in Harisspattuwa on Sunday.

Forces that are functioning internationally are acting against us. They are watching who Mahinda Rajapakse is. Where does he come from?''

''When the Geneva Council Meeting is scheduled for next month, a certain group is trying hard to make us look bad.

Few Western countries were louder than Britain in condemning the Sri Lankan army’s shocking violations of human rights as it moved to suppress a bloody rebellion by ethnic Tamils demanding a separate state.

Clearly, those words of reproach were either not intended to be taken that seriously, or we just move on fast from such squabbles because, as this newspaper reveals, the UK sold several million pounds worth of arms last year to a regime we castigated only a few years ago.

A public lecture organised by the JVP was held in Thanabaddegama, Elpitiya, on Saturday.

Speaking at the occasion JVP Politburo member, MP Sunil Handunneththi, expressed these views.

''As soon as we arrived the Elections Commissioner brought out the machine. There is a machine which shows whether the ballot paper is a fake or not. As soon as you put the ballot paper inside it turns blue. The ballot papers found in the garbage outside the technical college near the Eheliyagoda Polling centre in Ratnapura, turne

 The Mt. Lavinia police yesterday arrested two suspects over Friday evening’s shooting of Sunday Leader journalist Faraz Shukataly.

Shuakataly was shot at his guest house, Ocean Blue House at Barnes Avenue off Hotel Road, Mount Lavinia, by three men, who had entered his room on the top floor.He was immediately rushed to Kalubowila hospital by some foreigners who were staying at the guest house. He was later transferred to the National Hospital.

The journalist had received injuries to his neck and underwen

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF), spearheading a campaign to haul Sri Lanka up before an international war crimes tribunal, over accountability issues, has secured space in the British parliament to mount an all-out attack ahead of the US moving its second resolution targeting the country.

According to the GTF, several British politicians, including the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, are scheduled to address a meeting to mark its third anniversary at Committee , on Feb. 2

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethem Pillay, on February 11, 2013 issued the Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on advice and technical assistance for the Government of Sri Lanka on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka. This report is in terms of Resolution 19/2 of the Human Rights Council and in preparation for the debate on the resolution which will take place in Geneva in March of this year. The Sri Lankan government has virtually dismissed

Jaffna Security Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Mahinda Hathurusinghe on Saturday said that since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009, the army had considerably reduced its presence in the Jaffna peninsula.

Responding to criticism of an overbearing military presence, Maj. Gen. Hathurusinghe said that the entire army deployment there comprised 13,100 officers and men, whereas at the height of the conflict the army maintained a 43,000 strong force. "Today, our presence is diminished, though some people still speak of a he