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SL rejects UNHRC resolution

Published

3 years ago

2022/10/8

Sri Lanka has categorically rejected resolution A/HRC/51/L.1 (Rev.1), titled “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka,” tabled by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and the United States, which was adopted by a vote at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, on 06th October.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry delivered the statement, on behalf of Sri Lanka as the country concerned, and called on the Members of the Council to reject the resolution by voting against it.

In support of Sri Lanka’s position, opposing the resolution, the delegation of Pakistan called for a vote. Over half of the members of the Council did not support the resolution with 07 countries (Bolivia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela) voting against the resolution and 20 countries abstaining on the vote. 20 countries voted in favour of the resolution.Representatives of Pakistan, Brazil, China, Venezuela, Japan and Republic of Korea made statements in support of Sri Lanka prior to the vote.

Pakistan said that they share the concerns of Sri Lanka and other Member States that the resolution is intrusive and this level of scrutiny would not be even acceptable to any sovereign state, including the Core Group. They further observed that the resolution fails to recognize the horrendous acts of terrorism committed by the LTTE and its sponsors, lacks balance, proportionality and consistency. At a critical time, when the people of Sri Lanka expect demonstrations of global solidarity and support to face its economic challenges, which are not entirely of Sri Lanka’s own making, the Core Group chose a path that has the potential to exacerbate the problem, instead of improving the situation.

Brazil noted the need to avoid politicization of the work of the Council and reiterated their position that cooperation of the country concerned is key to the success of this Council’s initiatives. Brazil highlighted the responsibility of the international community to support the country in its recovery, including through international cooperation and assistance.

China appreciated the Government of Sri Lanka’s commitment to promoting and protecting human rights, advancing sustainable socio-economic development, improving living standards, protecting the rights of the vulnerable groups, facilitating national reconciliation and combatting terrorism. China regretted that the resolution is tabled without the consent of the country concerned, is a product of politicization, and will by no means play any positive role in the promotion of human rights in Sri Lanka. China highlighted that the work of the Council should be guided by its founding principles and that all parties should promote genuine dialogue and cooperation and refrain from adopting double standards. China rejected the practice of using human rights as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs and undermine the sovereignty of other countries to the detriment of international cooperation.

Venezuela expressed their deep concern at initiatives that do not have the support of the country concerned and that the Core Group is insisting on imposing hostile initiative, monitoring and oversight mechanism without the consent of Sri Lanka, ignoring the progress made by the Government. Venezuela highlighted that the mechanism financially bleed out over 6 million dollars that could have been better used to support the least developed countries and further that the practice of wasting money seems all too common in the Council.

Japan recognized the progress made by Sri Lanka and said that the Government’s own initiatives, efforts and commitments are indispensable to achieving real change on the ground.Republic of Korea noted with appreciation the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to promote national reconciliation, reconstruction and prosperity.Sri Lanka is grateful to the countries which withstood pressure by the sponsors and demonstrated their support to Sri Lanka by voting against or abstaining on the vote as well as by speaking in support of Sri Lanka.

While delivering the Sri Lanka statement as the country concerned, the Foreign Minister regretted that a draft resolution on Sri Lanka is tabled once again despite the progress made domestically on reconciliation and human rights and Sri Lanka’s continued constructive engagement with the Council. He outlined Sri Lanka’s intention to move forward domestically with replacing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) with a comprehensive national security legislation, and the introduction of Constitutional amendments and a legal framework to strengthen democratic governance, participation and the rule of law as well as independent institutional oversight. On reconciliation and human rights, Sri Lanka is awaiting the final report of the Presidential Commission and the establishment of a domestic truth-seeking mechanism is under advanced discussion. He also referred to Sri Lanka’s upcoming engagement with the UPR process.

Minister Sabry highlighted that while the resolution may meet the objective of advancing the political considerations of the sponsors, it is manifestly unhelpful to Sri Lanka.The Minister strongly opposed the resolution, particularly the proposal in Operative Paragraph (OP) 8 that seeks to ‘extend and reinforce’ the so-called “external evidence gathering mechanism” created by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The mechanism is outside the mandate envisaged for the Council. No sovereign state can accept the superimposition of an external mechanism that runs contrary to its Constitution and which pre-judges the commitment of its domestic legal processes.

The Minister also noted that many countries have already raised serious concerns on the budgetary implications of this resolution given its ever-expanding mandate. He further noted that this is an unhelpful and misdirected drain on the resources of all Member States, including the donors in the midst of ongoing global crises. In sharp contrast, he said that we are faced with the dire financial needs of developing countries to prevent hunger and child malnutrition.

Foreign Minister Sabry objected to the references in the resolution to matters which are outside the framework of the Council such as domestic economic and financial policy. He further observed that solutions to economic and financial crises faced today by many countries will not be found in the mandate, the instruments or the expertise of the Council.

The result of the vote demonstrates that the resolution is another example of the North-South polarization and politicization of the Council, contrary to its founding principles. This vote also demonstrated solidarity among the countries of the South which continued to support the basic founding principles of the Human Rights Council of universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity leading to constructive international dialogue and cooperation.The Human Rights Council comprises 47 members, including 13 African states, 13 Asia-Pacific states, eight Latin American and Caribbean States, seven Western Europe and Other States, and six Eastern European States.

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Presidential Suite at Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital opened to the public

Published

11 hours ago

2026/03/27

Priyan

The special ward at Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, which had until now been reserved exclusively for the use of the Executive President, was opened for the public for the provision of medical treatment to the general public from Tuesday (24).

This decision was taken jointly by the Ministry of Health and the hospital administration, in accordance with instructions given by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Constructed in 1984 with a grant from the Government of Japan, Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital was originally established with a capacity of 1,000 beds. However, in line with the initial design, an additional special unit, designated as Room No. 1001, was included exclusively for the personal use of the Executive President.

Over the 42 years since the hospital’s establishment, this facility has been utilised only on a very limited number of occasions. Nevertheless, it has been maintained over the years in anticipation of a possible visit by a sitting President, without being made available for patient use.

With effect from today, this special unit will be utilised for the benefit of general patients receiving treatment at the hospital. This step has been taken in line with the Government’s policy of ensuring the more efficient use of public assets and resources to meet the healthcare needs of the people.

News

Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed to streamline the Public Service meets for the second time

Published

11 hours ago

2026/03/27

Priyan

The second meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed to ensure the orderly functioning of the public service was held on Tuesday (24) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat, under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya.

Extensive discussions were held on the immediate measures required to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of government services to the public and to address the challenges faced by public servants.

Attention was also drawn to maintaining the continuous operation of services under the Ministries of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Health, Education, and Justice. Accordingly, it was decided to ensure that examinations are conducted as scheduled and that essential medicines are supplied to hospitals without disruption.

The challenges in passenger transport services and the railway transport system, as well as future measures, were also discussed at length. Focus was also placed on the steps to be taken regarding the transportation of essential goods.

In addition, attention was given to introducing digital service systems to facilitate working from home and to enhance the efficiency of existing services. It was also noted that these activities would be supervised under the Ministry of Digital Economy.

Instructions were further issued to review the current energy management practices across all ministries and departments and to take steps to implement necessary policy changes.

Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government A. H. M. M. H. Abeyaratne, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Chief of Staff to the President Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government S. Aloka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media Dr Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Energy Professor T. M. Udayanga Hemapala, Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy T. R. W. S. Dhanapala, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration Ayesha Jinasena, PC, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, and Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation D. J. A. S. S. Rajakaruna, along with other committee members, were also present at the occasion.

News

Energy Minister indicted on corruption charges ahead of no-faith motion against him

Published

22 hours ago

2026/03/27

Thilina Walpola

Jayakody

… first NPPer to face charges under Section 70 of Bribery Act

Colombo High Court has issued summons on Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody to appear in court today (27) to serve indictment in a corruption case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). Action has been taken under Section 70 of the Bribery Act. The losses suffered by the government have been estimated at Rs. 8,859,708.

National List (NL) MP Jayakody is the first NPP minister or politician at any level to be indicted for corruption. The NPP parliamentary group consists of 159 including 18 NL members.

The summons has been issued by High Court judge Rashantha Godawalage.

Although CIABOC previously in many instances arrested those who had been under investigation and produced them before Magistrate courts, Minister Jayakody has been directly summoned by the Colombo High Court.

The investigation into alleged corruption in procurement during the time Jayakody served the Ceylon Fertilizer Corporation (CFC) started after the change of government in 2015.

According to the CIABOC investigation, the alleged instance of corruption took place in early 2014 towards the tail end of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second term. At that time Jayakody was CFC’s Procurement Manager, and the CIABOC dragged the investigation until its current leadership under overall speeding up of the cases recently completed the inquiry.

Parliament recently announced that the debate on no-faith motion moved against Minister Jayakody over alleged irregularities in the procurement of substandard coal for the country’s only coal-fired power station at Norochcholai.

SJB MP Mujibur Rahman said that the NPP, having campaigned on an anti-corruption platform during presidential and parliamentary polls in 2025 couldn’t under any circumstances shield minister Jayakody. The indictment of Jayakody over a corruption case that had happened in 2014 and the failure on his part to fulfill obligations as Energy Minister under the current dispensation couldn’t be considered separately, the Colombo District MP said.

The issue at hand is whether the NPP would try to protect Jayakody at the expense of the government, MP Rahman said. Once the NPPer is formally charged in a corruption case the government would find it extremely difficult to keep him in the cabinet, the former UNPer said.

SJB lawmaker S.M. Marrikar recently warned Minister Jayakody that he should be prepared to serve a jail term. The warning was issued at a media briefing that primarily dealt with the alleged irregularities in the procurement of coal and their decision to move a no-faith motion against the minister. Marrikar explained how the crisis coupled with the growing diesel shortage could compel the government to increase electricity tariffs by as much as 18 percent next week. MP Marikkar said that they were eagerly waiting to see who backs Jayakody at the expense of the government during the upcoming vote on the no-faith motion.

There had been a previous case of a sitting minister being charged under the Bribery Act in respect of corruption perpetrated as a government servant. MP Rahman said that they intended to intensify the ongoing campaign against the government on the strength of the unprecedented corruption case and the outcome of the no-faith motion. “Of course, they have the numbers to defeat our no-faith motion. But, in doing so, they end up with egg on their face. That is the reality,” Rahman said, adding that those responsible for waste, corruption and irregularities whichever political parties they represented shouldn’t expect special status.

MP Rahman alleged that the CIABOC granted special status to Minister Jayakody. All those who had been indicted previously were first called to the CIABOC, recorded their statements and then arrested, handcuffed and produced in court. The media was afforded the opportunity to cover their humiliation, MP Rahman said, but in this case the powers that be paved the way for the accused to receive indictments directly from the Colombo High Court.

“Let us see whether the Bar Association of Sri Lanka responds to this development,” MP Rahman said.

By Shamindra Ferdinando