New York: An international right s watchdog has urged the Commonwealth foreign ministers who are meeting in New York today to apply pressure on Sri Lanka to address country's human rights abuses.

New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW)asked the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), a group of foreign ministers from eight Commonwealth countries to make the human rights situation in Sri Lanka a priority at its meeting on Friday, September 27 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly currenly on going in

Canada stood firm on its views on Sri Lanka when Commonwealth foreign affairs ministers met in New York yesterday (Thursday) on the margins of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The meeting provided an opportunity for ministers to discuss a troubling lack of progress in Sri Lanka and the volatile situation in the Maldives. On Sri Lanka, Canada has repeatedly called for Commonwealth engagement in response to that country’s violations of the organization’s core values and principles.

The government has accused the US Embassy in Colombo of pursuing a political agenda extremely detrimental to Sri Lanka’s interests.

A statement posted on the government information department website said that when the government is doing everything in its power to restore democracy following three decades of war, the US embassy is all out to undermine it.

Sri Lanka received crucial support from  Australia for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in November.

The Associated Press quoted Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop as saying that while there remain important concerns about human rights and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, Commonwealth leaders must still participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Sri Lanka in November.

The Commonwealth is working with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) to determine a roadmap for the Commission’s role in national reconciliation efforts.

The Commonwealth Secretariat will facilitate a roundtable from 26 to 27 September in Vavuniya to discuss this, the Commonwealth Secretariat said.

India will help create a conducive situation for the Sri Lankan army to withdraw from the island’s Northern Province as there can be peace only after demilitarisation, Indian Union Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan said.

The Hindu newspaper qouted him as saying that Sri Lanka went ahead with the conduct of the Northern Provincial Council election as scheduled only due to the Union government’s pressure.

The Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) yesterday clained that one of their activists had been threatened with death, at his residence in Kurunegala on Monday night, by a group identifying themselves as Defence Ministry officials.

IUSF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara said that Chinthaka Rajapaksha’s parents and brother had been questioned and threatened by the group at his home in Nikawewa in Kurunegala.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has been accused of ignoring human rights issues in Sri Lanka and even shielding the country from criticism.

The New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that Sharma has stated that the Commonwealth is active in promoting its values in Sri Lanka, such as respect for human rights and free speech.

The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that under the constitution, land powers cannot be in the hands of the provincial councils.

In the ruling issued today the Court said that the right to land powers is in the hands of the central government and not the provincial councils.

As with every war the silencing of the guns or the signing of a treaty are often only a small step in a long journey of reconciliation. The true progress in rebuilding a society or country fractured through years of conflict can only happen when the people of that country are able to heal within themselves.