Human Rights Watch (HRW) says that as long as Sri Lanka makes no effort to attain accountability, international measures to seek justice over alleged human rights abuses and war crimes, during Sri Lanka’s military operations against the LTTE, are essential.

Issuing a statement on the recent decision by the UK government to impose sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes against Sri Lanka’s former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda, former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as ‘Karuna Amman’, Human Rights Watch stated that foreign governments should continue to impose targeted sanctions and use evidence that the UN has gathered to prosecute ‘Sri Lankan war crimes suspects’.

Furthermore, HRW, an International Non-Governmental Organisation, claimed that the United Kingdom government has advanced accountability in Sri Lanka by imposing sanctions on “four men implicated in atrocities during the country’s civil war”.

On Monday (24), the UK government has imposed sanctions on the former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda, former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as ‘Karuna Amman’  alleging them of being responsible for serious human rights abuses and violations during the Sri Lanka civil war.

Responding to the decision, the Sri Lankan government said that this is a “unilateral action” taken by the UK government and that such unilateral actions by countries do not assist but serve to complicate the national reconciliation process underway in Sri Lanka.

In the meantime, the then-President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa also expressed displeasure over the UK government’s decision that the action comes over ‘unproven allegations of human rights violations’ during the war with the LTTE.

Rajapaksa also alleged that imposing sanctions on Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan also known as ‘Karuna Amman,’ who broke away from the LTTE in 2004 and later entered democratic politics, is a clear case of penalising anti-LTTE Tamils so as to placate the dominant segment of the Tamil diaspora in the UK.

A special three-day mosquito control programme has been launched in eight districts, starting Thursday (27), in response to the rising number of dengue cases, with over 11,000 reported cases this year. The programme targets high-risk areas, including Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Ratnapura, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Matale, and Matara, where mosquito density is significantly high.

The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) highlighted the ongoing risk of dengue transmission due to intermittent rains, stressing the need for immediate intervention. The programme will run until March 29 and will involve thorough inspections of homes, schools, workplaces, factories, places of worship, and public spaces to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.

The initiative, organised by the Ministry of Health and Media, in collaboration with the NDCU, also encourages the public to actively eliminate any potential mosquito breeding grounds on their properties. In addition to field inspections, the use of drone technology for mosquito control in hard-to-reach areas will be deployed with support from the Sri Lanka Air Force.

The campaign was officially launched Thursday, in Nugegoda, with Western Province Governor Haniff Yusuf and Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe attending the ceremony. Health professionals, the military, and the Sri Lanka Police are participating in the effort, which aims to curb the spread of dengue, especially with the upcoming monsoon season.

The government to launch a nationwide initiative aimed at establishing new restaurants, guaranteeing food security and providing the public access to nutritious and sufficient meals at reasonable prices.

This programme will be implemented with the collaboration of the National Food Promotion Board, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture. It will also involve current restaurant owners to secure their support. The first model restaurant under this initiative is scheduled to launch on April 01 in Narahenpita.

In the second phase of this initiative, the government intends to introduce a programme aimed at improving the standards of existing restaurants.

A preliminary discussion on this programme was held om Thursday (27) at the Presidential Secretariat, with the participation of officials from the National Food Promotion Board, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture.

During the discussion, officials emphasized the importance of protecting the public’s right to safe and nutritious food. The dialogue addressed several key aspects, including creating an environment that allows consumers to access food that meets proper health standards, enhancing consumers trust and encouraging collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Furthermore, discussions were held on the practical implementation of existing food policies and standards, ensuring that the business community embraces the importance of providing nutritious and safe meals. Officials also examined how the “Clean Sri Lanka” initiative contributes to this change in the food sector.

The meeting was attended by Kapila Bandara, Senior Additional Secretary to the President, S.P.C. Sugeeshwara, Additional Secretary to the President and other senior officials representing the National Food Promotion Board, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture.