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2019 Easter Sunday carnage: Church seeks UN intervention

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Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith with UN official Nada Al-Nashif

Cardinal meets UN Deputy HC for Human Rights

The Catholic Church has appealed to the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to back its efforts to secure a transparent investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage.

Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has made representations in this regard to United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada al-Nashif during a recent meeting in Geneva.

The Cardinal was accompanied by Shammil Perera, PC, to the meeting with the top UN official. A senior spokesperson for the Church told The Island that the UN intervention was sought as the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government seemed indifferent to their repeated pleas for justice.Forty-five foreigners were among the 269 dead in multiple suicide blasts carried out by the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) on the morning of April 21, 2019.

The official said that the government hadn’t responded positively to their request for an internationally supervised comprehensive investigation in the wake of the Channel 4 documentary that dealt with the complicity of some sections of the government in the Easter Sunday attacks.

The government’s effort to launch a fresh inquiry has suffered a setback due to the British Channel refusing to cooperate with the new inquiry team, headed by the retired Supreme Court judge (SF)



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Members of the National Student Parliament meet PM

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Members of the National Student Parliament met Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Monday [02nd of February] at Temple Trees.

The representatives of the National Student Parliament, representing schools from across the island, visited the Temple Trees following their visit to the Presidential Secretariat and the Parliament.

Expressing her views on the occasion, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated,

“The new education reforms were recently initiated starting from Grade One. Discussions are currently underway to include students entering Grade Six this year into the new education reform process in the future. The education reforms will not be halted, and the government is committed to implementing them in a systematic manner without shortcomings”.

She further noted that the reforms are being carried out under five main pillars, with the government’s key objective being to reduce disparities and provide children with quality education, while also nurturing a socially responsible community enriched with human values such as compassion, love for the environment, and a strong sense of civic responsibility.

The occasion was attended by the Deputy Director of Education Kasun Gunarathne, along with officials from the Ministry of Education and representatives of the National Student Parliament.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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Mrs. I.J. Aberathne appointed Director General of the Department of Trade and Investment Policy

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The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution presented by the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, to appoint Mrs. I.J. Aberathne to the post of Director General of the Department of Trade and Investment Policy with immediate effect.

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Cabinet gives green light to provide equipment for the promotion of Aesthetic Education in schools

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Although the teaching of art subjects such as music, dance, art, and drama under aesthetic education continues in the Sri Lankan school system, it has been observed that there is a severe shortage of equipment required for this purpose in many schools. Furthermore, a situation concerning the lack of modern equipment suitable for the needs of the children has also arisen, and it has been reported that most equipment available at present is outdated and dilapidated. It has been observed that this condition has an adverse effect on the quality of the aesthetic education and overall personality development of the children.

Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution presented by the Prime Minister in her capacity as the Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education to implement a project for supplying aesthetic equipment for the promotion of aesthetic education in schools under an estimated cost of Rs. 1,215 million during the period of 2026 to 2028.

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