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UN rights chief seeks foreign prosecutions for Sri Lanka

Published

4 years ago

2022/03/6

The UN rights chief called Friday for sanctions and international prosecutions of Sri Lankan war criminals, saying Colombo had repeatedly failed to ensure accountability for wartime atrocities.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet made the comments a day after British police announced the first overseas arrest over war crimes allegations in Sri Lanka.

The island nation had drifted towards “militarisation” under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a retired army lieutenant colonel, and the rights situation was deteriorating, Bachelet said.

“In the last two years, the independence of the judiciary… and other key institutions have been eroded, and democratic space, including for human rights advocacy constricted,” she said.

In a report to be unveiled at the UN Human Rights Council sessions reviewing Sri Lanka’s record next week, she also noted that the state had dropped investigations into emblematic cases.

“There has been a further drift towards militarisation,” she said, accusing Colombo of protecting military officers facing allegations and even giving them high positions in the administration.

She urged UN Human Rights Council member states to invoke universal jurisdiction and prosecute Sri Lankan officials facing credible allegations of war crimes.

Successive Sri Lankan governments have promised but failed to investigate their own troops accused of killing thousands of Tamil civilians in the final months of the island’s decades-long Tamil separatist war.

The fighting ended in May 2009 following a no-holds-barred military offensive that crushed minority Tamil guerrillas known for their suicide bombings.

Bachelet asked member states to “explore the possibility of targeted sanctions against credibly alleged perpetrators of grave human rights violations and abuses” in Sri Lanka.

The appeal came a day after the arrest of a suspect by British war crimes police over a 2000 murder of a high-profile journalist in Sri Lanka’s northern Tamil heartland of Jaffna, where much of the fighting was concentrated.

London’s Metropolitan Police war crimes team on Thursday announced the arrest of a 48-year-old man in Northamptonshire in connection with the murder of Tamil reporter Mylvaganam Nimalrajan.

British police can investigate anyone who may fall under British jurisdiction and is suspected of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide or torture anywhere in the world under a “no safe haven” policy.

Sri Lankan authorities fear the arrest of the as-yet-unnamed suspect could set a precedent for the detention of current military officers or government officials.

Jayanath Colombage, the top civil servant at the foreign ministry, told reporters in Colombo — before an advance draft of Bachelet’s report was released — that the British move could have implications for current office-holders.

“Invoking universal jurisdiction is another very debatable topic,” he said.

“Any country can use this as an excuse to target people of another country,” he added, calling it a “very big danger”.

“So we need to be prepared for that.”

Western nations have imposed travel bans on Sri Lankan military officials, including current army chief Shavendra Silva.

Colombo has rejected a UN mechanism set up last year to preserve evidence following allegations that Sri Lankan troops killed at least 40,000 civilians in the final months of the war.

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President meets senior officials of the Urban Development Authority

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

A discussion between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and senior officials of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) was held this afternoon (18) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting focused extensively on new development projects planned by the Urban Development Authority. The President emphasised the need to ensure that the budgetary allocations made for these projects in the current year are utilised effectively within the same financial year.

Detailed discussions were also held on projects planned to be implemented jointly by multiple institutions, including the importance of holding consultations with all relevant agencies to reach final decisions and the need to clearly define responsibilities for each institution in both implementation and maintenance phases of the projects.

Attention was drawn to key initiatives such as the Kelani River flood control project, water management projects in Colombo city and the Beira Lake restoration project. The need for a dedicated programme for low-income housing in areas such as Ratmalana and Moratuwa was also highlighted. During the discussion, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake underscored the importance of introducing a structured management framework for the effective coordination of certain projects.

Deputy Minister of Urban Development, Eranga Gunasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Senior Professor Kapila C.K. Perera, Chairman of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), M.G. Hemachandra and the Heads representing the Urban Settlement Development Authority (USDA), Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), National Physical Planning Department (NPPD) and the Condominium Management Authority (CMA) were also present at the meeting.

(PMD)

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CEAT Kelani Branch Inter-Company Employees’ Union makes donation to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

The Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the Kelaniya Branch of CEAT Sri Lanka has made a financial donation of Rs. 1,148,000.00, a day’s salary of its members to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund established to support the restoration of livelihoods and the rebuilding of areas affected by cyclone Ditwah.

Secretary of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, D.G.S.D. Navaratne, handed over the donation to the Chief of Staff to the President, Prabhath Chandrakeerthi at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (18).

Treasurer of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, Y.P.I.C. Karunathilaka, together with members of the Executive Committee, were also present on the occasion.

(PMD)

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Prime Minister off to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum

Published

6 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed on an official visit to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in several high-level academic and diplomatic engagements aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of education, development studies, research collaboration, and international partnerships.

As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will meet with Ms.Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education of the United Kingdom, at the UK Department for Education, to discuss areas of cooperation in education and related sectors. She is also expected to meet Ms.Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, for discussions on matters of bilateral interest and cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Prime Minister is expected to meet Ms.Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, on the sidelines of the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will attend a public event at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and she will also take part in the ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the Institute of Development Studies. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a session at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, followed by a question-and-answer session with scholars and students.

The visit is expected to strengthen Sri Lanka’s engagement with academic institutions, international development partners, and Commonwealth member states, particularly in the areas of education, research, policy dialogue, and capacity building.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]