The United States is sure that India will support a country-specific resolution sponsored by it in the coming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The U.S. representatives revealed here that it had “decided to sponsor a procedural resolution at the March 2013 session of the U.N. Human Rights Council along with international partners”.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Moore told select media here that “the resolution will be straightforward; it will be a proced

External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday said that the visiting US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Moore had an excellent opportunity to compare the situation in Sri Lanka as he was based in Colombo during eelam war IV.

 Moore was Deputy Chief of Mission from 2006 to 2009 and headed the mission during the absence of the then Ambassador Patricia Butenis.

 Prof. Peiris was addressing the visiting delegates, Moore and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jane Zimmerman and Ambassador Mi

Last March when the US sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka was passed in Geneva it was more of a story of betrayal than learning lessons. In the aftermath of the tragedy, what stole the headlines more than somewhat the arbitrary action of the US was the fact that India voted against its tiny little neighour in the latter’s hour of need. Those who protested in front of the UN mission in Colombo and the ones who vehemently demanded that the foreign elements take their hands off Sri Lanka knew little about the content of the resolu

This is an extract from the first Chapter of the Report of the Army Board on ‘Implementation of the Recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’ (LLRC) delivered by Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary Defence and Urban Development.

HUMANITARIAN LAW ISSUE
Observations, recommendations, and action plan for measures to safeguard civilians and avoid civilian casualties.
The Commission is satisfied that the military strategy that was adopte

Following the U.S. decision to move a second resolution on Sri Lanka at the upcoming UN sessions, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for South Asia Alistair Burt arrived here on Thursday morning for what is tipped to be a crucial meeting with government officials.

The British embassy reported Burt's second visit to the country in the statement.

It further added that during his two-day visit, the minister will meet senior members of the government and opposition parties, the business community and Internatio

The Government will ratify a United Nations obligation in Parliament next week to ban anyone in Sri Lanka aiding and abetting internationally proscribed terrorist organizations that include Al-Qaeda or the Taliban.

In this regard, the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Bill will be enacted in the House after a debate.  The Bill seeks to ratify a UN obligation, prohibiting Sri Lankan financial institutions entering into transactions with terrorist organizations banned by the UN. The list of te

Engineering undergraduates of the Moratuwa University will march from the Katubedda Junction to their university to protest against the recent attacks on them, carried out allegedly by National Diploma in Technology (NDT) students.

President of the Engineering Faculty Students’ Union Kasun Samarawickrama told The Island that out of four engineering undergraduates hospitalized, after the bloody attack on the night of January 16, one student was still under treatment at the neuro-surgical unit of the National Hospita

By reasoning national defense, the people of Waligamam north for the past 23 years was denied access for resettlements by the forces, but currently  the 180 acres of land from that area is utilized for agriculture activities based on skills is according to sources.
 
People are in a disturbed state of not able to get resettled in their native lands, and the activities of forces are making them more frustrated was said by the area people.
 
Mayility area which was denied for resettlement to the people so

There are at least two codes of ethics for journalists in the print media but there appears to be none for journalists in the electronic media – i.e. radio and TV. The first code for journalists in newspapers came in 1973 when the United Front Government under the pretence of ensuring greater freedom for journalists shackled them with the Press Council Law and a Code of Ethics which was approved by parliament. The Radio was the only other means of mass communications and there was no need to gag radio journalists because the only b

As I said last week, it is easy to become disheartened with the way that things are moving in Sri Lanka. One disappointment follows another, and each is more extraordinary than the last.

The impeachment of the Chief Justice was particularly disturbing. It demonstrated just how little space there is for dissent. Even the mild disturbance created by Shirani Bandaranayake when she ruled that the Divi Neguma bill had to be referred to the provincial councils or passed with a two thirds majority was intolerable to the administratio