3It is reported that Ms. Anandi, the wife of former LTTE Trinco leader Elleelan,has met the UN high commissioner for human rights Ms. Navi Pillai during her visit in Jaffna and is said to have given many important information regarding the disappearances in the North.

The meeting has been held at the UN office in Nallur, Jaffna.

A media right watchdog, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to push Sri Lanka on press freedom when she visits the island next week on a week-long fact finding mission.

The High Commissioner is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka August 25-31 ahead of next month's regular session of the U.N. Human Rights Council.

As part of gradually returning the houses and lands occupied by them during the armed conflict, the Sri Lankan Army has released some more houses and lands in Jaffna to the legitimate owners.

Some more houses and lands in Vadamaratchi East, Pachchilapallai and Valikamam area that had been occupied by the Army were released on Friday (23) after shifting those camps to government lands.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is scheduled to meet visiting United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay on Friday (30) following her return from Trincomalee on Wednesday evening, a senior government official said.

He was responding to allegations that President Rajapaksa had left the country for Belarus on Sunday, in the wake of Pillay’s arrival, as he didn’t want to meet her. The official said that Pillay was visiting the country on an invitation extended by the government, therefore, there was no basi

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, yesterday expressed her concerns to Minister of Justice, Rauff Hakeem, about the police force coming under the purview of the newly-established Ministry of Law and Order. The Rights Chief was of the view the Police Department should come under the Ministry of Justice instead. However, Minister Hakeem had explained that it was a policy decision made by the government.

The United Nations (UN) has termed the protest held outside the UN office in Sri Lanka yesterday as being “peaceful”.

The protest was staged by a group of monks against the Sri Lanka visit of UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay.

During the daily press briefing held at the UN Headquarters in New York, journalists questioned the UN about the protest.

A group of students in Sri Lanka brutally ragged a Grade 11 student at a private tuition class on Thursday, made a video of the ragging and uploaded it on Facebook.

The incident happened in Polonnuruwa in the country’s North Central Province.

The culprits were arrested by police and released on bail on Friday.

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) yesterday said it apprise UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay of the problems faced by the country’s Muslims, during its meeting with her.

SLMC Secretary General Hassan Ali, MP, said a delegation led by Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem was scheduled to meet Pillay during her week-long stay in the country and would use that opportunity to bring to her notice a host of issues affecting the Muslims including attacks on mosques and Muslim business places , the halal disput

The UN's human rights commissioner has arrived in Sri Lanka on a fact-finding mission after the government said she could visit former conflict zones.

As part of her week-long visit, Navi Pillay is due to travel to former war zones in the north and east.

She is also expected to hold talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has condemned the practice of certain countries for using the UN Human Rights Council against countries like Sri Lanka and Belarus, the President’s office said.

The President, who is in Belarus, briefed Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on the current visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to Sri Lanka, it said.