Visiting Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for South Asia Alistair Burt said yesterday that his country would support the planned procedural resolution by the United States on Sri Lanka at next month’s session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
 
Addressing a seminar, Mr. Burt,  referred to a wide range of issues. While acknowledging progress made by Sri Lanka in the post war period, he was critical of some matters including the impeachment of former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.

Sri Lanka has slammed the US move to introduce a fresh UN resolution against the country over its alleged war crimes committed during the civil war.

"Are UN resolutions the way to treat Sri Lanka, a country that is trying to find its own feet?" said GL Peiris.

The US is all set to move a second resolution later this month at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva against the alleged war crimes committed during the strife in northern Sri Lanka.

Peiris added Sri Lanka was making steady progress in i

“I received information from a third party. Either myself or the Government does not know anything about Eknaligoda – it is only God who knows” – Former Attorney General Mohan Peiris, in a statement before the Homagama Magistrate on 5 June 2012
On Tuesday, 29 January 2013, three years and five days since her husband disappeared without a trace, Sandhya Ekneligoda tied a black cloth over her mouth and took her place at the front row of the Black January protest in Town Hall.
Tireless and unyielding in her

Sri Lanka’s Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is to hold a massive protest march and rally in Colombo next week.  The rally will be held on 6 February after the march at the Hyde Park in Colombo.

Co-convener of the Movement and JVP politburo member K.D. Lal Kantha said the march and the rally are held to protest against the imperialist interventions in the country and the family rule in the country that allows for such interferences. He observed that the imperialist forces used the arbitrary acts of the

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena yesterday assured representatives of the Government Medical Officers’ Forum (GMOF) that he would soon appoint ‘undercover agents’ to tackle corrupt officials. He was unable to take on-the-spot action against errant officials in his Ministry as the Public Service Commission (PSC) was responsible for disciplinary action against such officials. Another problem was that various human rights organizations,too, would blame him for taking stringent action against such officials.
The GM

The Government of Japan has extended US$723,568 (approximately Rs. 90 million) to the “Project on Livelihood Assistance for Returnees in the North and East of Sri Lanka” to be implemented by JEN, a Japanese NGO, in order to improve the livelihood of the resettled communities in the North and East under the Japan-NGO cooperation Grant scheme funded by the Government of Japan.

The project titled “Project on Livelihood Assistance for Returnees in the North and East of Sri Lanka” will support to rehabilitat

Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen says that the number of illegal immigrants arriving in Australia from Sri Lanka has reduced considerably.

Speaking during an interview with an Australian television channel, Bowen said that the number of Sri Lankan asylum seekers in Australia has seen a reduction mainly because the asylum seekers are deported to Sri Lanka.

Australia began deporting Sri Lankans asylum seekers to the country in August last year and accordingly, over been d

Eight students have been expelled from the University of Sri Jayawardenapura.

Media Spokesperson for the University, Professor Praneeth Abeysundara said that  six more students have been suspended.

Professor Abeysundara added that the administrative council of the university had conducted a disciplinary inquiry into these students based on several complaints.

Colombo University Vice Chancellor, Professor Kshanika Hirimburegama, assumed duties as the new Chairman for the University Grants Commission (UGC) today.


Professor Hirimburegama was appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the UGC’s chairman following former Chairman, Professor Gamini Samaranayake’s retirement which came into effect today.

Sri Lanka is confident that India will support it in the face of a US-backed resolution on human rights issues at the UNHRC meet in Geneva this year.

Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was insistent that India would side with Sri Lanka despite Indian media reports to the contrary.

"Our position is that India is our greatest friend and closest neighbour and they have been extremely supportive in many issues and they have been a friend indeed. So we believe that stand," he told the media.