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Amnesty, too, condemns proposed anti-terrorism law

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The Amnesty International has expressed serious concerns over the proposed enactment of new Anti-Terrorism law. In its end of mission statement, AI Senior Director Deprose Muchena, who led the delegation said that any anti-terrorism legislation should be in line with international human rights law.

The Opposition here and international organisations including International Commission of Jurists have condemned the proposed new law.

Drawing attention to a number of human rights issues that he engaged on during his visit to Sri Lanka over the last week, Deprose Muchena, Senior Director for regional human rights impact at Amnesty International, said:

“At a time when many actors including some in the international community have chosen to turn a blind eye to the urgent human rights challenges in Sri Lanka, my visit to the country was an opportunity to listen to affected communities, understand their concerns and have their lived experience guide our work to protect and strengthen human rights in the country.

“We stand in solidarity with victims of human rights violations from across the island, many of whom I met and heard concerns from over the past few days. Amnesty International will continue to work to uphold and protect their right to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. The victims of human rights violations in the context of the civil war and its aftermath as well as organizations working on enforced disappearances, must also urgently and genuinely be engaged by the government to hear their long-standing demands for truth, justice and reparation.

“With government we raised alarm bells around the proposed anti-terrorism legislation that is intended to replace the overboard Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). We maintained our call that any counter-terrorism provisions must be compliant with international human rights law. With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) we reiterated our concerns that the bailout package must meet minimum international human rights standards and not result in cuts to vital public goods and services at a time when Sri Lankans continue to suffer the impacts of an economic crisis. Any agreements and terms and conditions linked to the bailout decision should be made transparent and available for public scrutiny.”

The delegation thanks the Sri Lankan government for their availability during the visit, including President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry. We also extend our thanks to the members of Parliament from the opposition who took out the time to meet us. The delegation is particularly grateful to the mothers of the disappeared from the north and the east, members of the strong and resilient Sri Lankan civil society and Aragalya protest groups, and members of the fishing community for their time and sharing their valuable insights on a gamut of issues including the economic crisis, the right to protest, and transitional justice among others.

An Amnesty International delegation led by Senior Director Deprose Muchena conducted an official country visit to Sri Lanka from 27 March to 2 April 2023. The objectives of the visit were two-fold: South Asia regional launch of Amnesty International’s Annual Report 2022-23 and to meet and engage a number of key stakeholders ranging from sections of government, activists, political parties, civil society and the IMF as part of the continued advocacy efforts to improve the human rights situation in Sri Lanka and the region.



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High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka meets with the Chair of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus in Parliament & Secretary-General of Parliament

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Michael Appelton, High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka, accompanied by Andrew Traveller, Deputy High Commissioner, met with the Chair of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus in Parliament, Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle MP, and Secretary-General of Parliament, Kushani Rohanadeera, recently.

During the meeting, the Ambassador emphasized that gender equality in politics is vital for the achievement of peaceful societies, the realization of full human potential, and sustainable development. He also stated that they have taken several initiatives to ensure equal women’s participation in the New Zealand Parliament.

Dr. Fernandopulle, MP, shared her concerns regarding the lack of gender sensitivity in Sri Lankan politics. She drew attention to the urgent need for a more inclusive political framework that ensures equal representation and participation for women.

The Secretary-General of Parliament affirmed that Parliament has taken actions to increase youth and women’s representation in committees and is currently working on improving disability access to Parliament.

 

 

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Climate Change University to be launched next year

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At the briefing on the progress of Climate Change and Green Growth held on Wednesday (31) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and officials of the Climate Change Secretariat led by President’s Adviser on Climate Change  Ruwan Wijewardene it was revealed that the Climate Change University would be launched next year and that the University Grants Commission had  identified approximately 130 scientists who have gained international recognition for their research on climate change who, together with their international affiliations would be brought together as part of the initiative.

President Wickremesinghe expressing  his perspective on the International Climate Change University, emphasized that it should be a post-graduate institution solely focused on research which does not offer undergraduate courses. Any country or organization that contributes to the university becomes a stakeholder and gains membership on the Board of Governance. The Korean Exim Bank has expressed interest in partnering with the university and  negotiations between Sri Lanka and the Korea Exim Bank, led by the External Resource Department have concluded successfully. The President said that prestigious institutions like Harvard and MIT have also expressed interest in collaboration.

The discussions also revolved around inviting a group of international experts from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, tentatively scheduled for July/August to engage in policy conversations, addressing global issues, and exploring potential research projects that could be derived from these policy dialogues.

President Wickremesinghe emphasized that all future research in the field of climate change should be conducted at this institution.

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IUSF threatens showdown

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By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon

The university system is facing a grave crisis as around 40 percent of the lecturers have left the state education system, says the Convenor of the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) Madushan Chandrajith.

Chandrajith said the ‘exodus’ of top academics would lead to a massive drop in the quality of education as most of those who have left are among the cream of scholars.Chandrajith said that about one-third of students in state universities, eligible for hostel facilities, did not have access to them.He warned that the IUSF will organise massive protests, in the coming weeks, if steps are not taken to resolve the many issues in the University system.

While the Mahapola scholarship has not been increased, the prices of food in the hostels have risen dramatically, he said.

“About 2,500 students in Kelaniya, 4,000 students in Rajarata and 6,000 in Peradeniya do not have hostel accommodation,” he went on to say..According to Chandrajith, a student needs about Rs 20,000 a month to meet basic needs.

“One requires about Rs 12,000 a month for food alone,” he said.

A senior official at the Ministry of Public Administration told The Island that some lecturers and doctors had a 100 percent attendance record but they avoided work.

“They are responsible for the attendance registry and they cook up the books to have full attendance. They take a lot of OT payments by doing this. We are looking at introducing a digital mechanism to mark attendance at universities and hospitals,” he said.

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