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New York based NGO points finger at Lanka again

Published

3 years ago

2022/08/4

The New York based Human Rights Watch has accused Sri Lanka of using emergency regulations to harass and arbitrarily detain activists seeking political reform and accountability over the country’s economic crisis.

In a statement, HRW said since Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as President on July 21, 2022, the police and military have sought to curtail protests through the intimidation, surveillance, and arbitrary arrests of demonstrators, civil society activists, lawyers, and journalists.

Anti-government protests in Colombo and elsewhere in the country led the then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country before resigning on July 15. On July 22, President Wickremesinghe ordered security forces to disperse protesters and break up their main site in central Colombo. The police have subsequently targeted perceived protest leaders for arrest and detention.

“The Sri Lankan government’s crackdown on peaceful dissent appears to be a misguided and unlawful attempt to divert attention from the need to address the country’s urgent economic crisis,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Sri Lanka’s international partners should be clear that they need to be working with a rights-respecting administration to address Sri Lanka’s deeply rooted economic problems.”

Security forces injured more than 50 people in the July 22 early morning raid on the main janatha Aragalaya (people’s struggle) site in Colombo. Security forces assaulted and beat three journalists from Xposure News – Chaturanga Pradeep Kumara, Rasika Gunawardana, and Shabeer Mohammed – and at least one other journalist, Jareen Samuel of the BBC, during the raid. Wickremesinghe berated foreign diplomats for criticising the security forces’ use of excessive force and took no action to hold those responsible to account.

A number of Buddhist monks and Christian clergy had joined the protests. The media reported that the Colombo Magistrates’ Court on July 25 had issued a travel ban on Father Jeewantha Peiris, a Catholic priest who had been prominent in the protests, and several others. Two days later police visited Father Peiris’s church and said that they had orders to arrest him. In a July 31 statement, 1,640 members of the Catholic clergy condemned targeting the priest, saying that they had all backed the protests.

On July 26, the authorities arrested another prominent protester, Dhaniz Ali, from an international flight about to depart from Colombo. On July 27, unidentified men in civilian clothes abducted Veranga Pushpika, a former student activist and journalist who had also been active in the protests, from a bus in Colombo. Police did not disclose his whereabouts to lawyers or the Human Rights Commission for several hours before acknowledging his arrest.

Human rights defenders said that the police sought to obstruct defense lawyers from meeting with four protesters who had been arrested after they handed over to the police a large sum of money taken from the president’s official residence after protesters had occupied it.

Lawyers and media organisations told Human Rights Watch that they have experienced increased intimidation, including threats of violence and surveillance. In one episode, a group of men claiming to be police officers, but not wearing uniforms, visited the office of an online publication, Xposure News, on July 27 and demanded that a security guard identify people shown in photographs and show them CCTV footage.

On July 31, a student protester said in a statement on Facebook that he had been detained and interrogated for three hours by security force personnel who warned him that they could plant drugs on him and arrest him. Police summoned the social media activist Rathidu Senarathna, known as “Ratta,” on August 1 and arrested him after questioning. A Colombo magistrate also issued a foreign travel ban on Senarathna and 11 others suspected of illegal assembly and causing damage to property. On August 2, the authorities seized the passport of a British national, Kayleigh Fraser, who had posted about the protests on social media.

The authorities arrested at least seven people for the July 9 arson attack on Wickremesinghe’s private residence. Activists said that at least some of those detained were known to have been bystanders. Police are investigating a hotel that allegedly provided food to protesters and has raided, sometimes without warrants, the homes or workplaces of several protesters who are in hiding.

In a statement, 175 Sri Lankan human rights defenders and civil society organisations expressed concern about “disturbing developments of abduction, arrest, intimidation, and reprisals against protesters.” Members of the Catholic clergy said the government should “stop the repression of those involved and supporting the Aragalaya and focus on listening to grievances and aspirations of people and take actions to address both immediate and long-term problems.”

Under the state of emergency that President Wickremesinghe declared on July 18, the period that a person may be detained before being brought before a magistrate has been increased from 24 to 72 hours. The authorities have been granted sweeping additional powers of search and arrest, and the military has been empowered to detain people for up to a day without disclosing their detention. These provisions increase the risk of torture and enforced disappearance.

Under international human rights law, protections against torture, the excessive use of force, and other fundamental rights must never be violated, including during a state of emergency. Provisions of the state of emergency contrary to international standards should be immediately revoked, Human Rights Watch said.

The emergency regulations also introduce extreme new sentencing rules for several offenses, including damage to property and trespassing, which can now result in a life sentence and carry a minimum term of 20 years in prison. Among the offenses subject to harsher sentencing is a provision of the penal code that has previously been used to prosecute same-sex conduct. The decree provides that bail will not be available for those accused of offenses under the emergency regulations.

The state of emergency also gives the president and the police broad powers to ban public gatherings, allows the police or military to order anyone to leave any public place or face arrest, and makes it an offense to cause “disaffection” or to spread “rumors.” These provisions are vague, overly broad, and disproportionate in violation of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and movement.

In a statement following the assault on protesters on July 22, the European Union noted that it “expects the new Government to work in full compliance” with its human rights commitments, made in exchange for tariff-free access to the EU market under the bloc’s GSP+ program. The World Bank said in a statement that the government should address “the root structural causes that created this crisis to ensure that Sri Lanka’s future recovery and development is resilient and inclusive.” Earlier, the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee stated that any agreement with the International Monetary Fund “must be contingent on … strong anti-corruption measures and promotion of the rule of law.”

“The people of Sri Lanka are reeling under an economic crisis that has plunged millions into food insecurity, the closure of schools, and shortages of medicine, fuel, and other necessities,” Ganguly said. “The government needs to end its repressive policies and practices and act urgently to address people’s basic needs, win public trust, and uphold the rule of law by holding those responsible to account.”

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Power sector overhaul targets losses, debt and tariffs

Published

22 hours ago

2026/01/20

Sahan Weerasooriya

Independent trade unions cry foul

The government has launched a far-reaching overhaul of the electricity industry, breaking up the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) into six fully state-owned companies, claiming to rein in chronic losses and mounting debt.

Under the Preliminary Transfer Plan, the newly incorporated entities, namely, Electricity Generation Lanka (Pvt) Ltd (EGL), National Transmission Network Service Provider (Pvt) Ltd (NTNSP), National System Operator (Pvt) Ltd (NSO), Electricity Distribution Lanka (Pvt) Ltd (EDL), CEB Employees Funds (Pvt) Ltd (CEBEF) and Energy Ventures Lanka (Pvt) Ltd (EVL), will take over the assets, liabilities and operations of the CEB from the appointed date.

Independent trade unions have opposed the restructuring programme.

At the core of the new model is the creation of an independent National System Operator, which will handle power system planning and competitively procure electricity from Electricity Generation Lanka, Independent Power Producers and non-conventional renewable energy developers. Power will be wheeled through the national grid operated by the NTNSP and sold to distribution companies.

Explaining the economic rationale, Eng. Pubudu Niroshan Hedigallage said the separation of functions was critical to restoring cost discipline in the sector.

“Electricity planning and procurement will now be carried out independently, based on least-cost principles. That is essential if we are to control generation costs and ease the upward pressure on tariffs,” he said.

Electricity Generation Lanka, though a successor to the CEB, will compete with private and renewable energy producers for projects, a move expected to curb inefficiencies and end guaranteed returns enjoyed under earlier arrangements.

“There will be no automatic allocation of projects. EGL must compete in the market like any other generator,” Eng. Hedigallage said.

According to officials, the Preliminary Transfer Plan provides for one generation and one distribution company initially, with further unbundling planned under the Final Transfer Plan to introduce sharper financial accountability at operational level.

Economists note that the restructuring is closely watched by multilateral lenders and investors, who have repeatedly flagged the power sector as a major fiscal risk.

The government has insisted that the reforms do not amount to privatisation, stressing that all six entities remain 100 percent state-owned. However, independent trade unions are of the view that what the government has undertaken is divestiture in all but name.

By Ifham Nizam

News

India, Sri Lanka speakers discuss technology-driven parliamentary innovation, including AI-enabled systems

Published

22 hours ago

2026/01/20

Sahan Weerasooriya

Indian and Sri Lankan delegations meet in New Delhi (pic courtesy IHC)

Speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla and Sri Lankan Speaker (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne recently discussed the possibility of expanding parliamentary cooperation through regular exchanges, formation of friendship groups, collaboration in policy and programme design and deeper engagement in technology-driven parliamentary innovation, including AI-enabled systems, real-time multilingual translation, and capacity building through Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE).

The discussion took place on the sidelines of the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) held in New Delhi recently.

The following is the text of the statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Colombo: ” Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne concluded his visit to India from 14-18 January 2026, for participation in the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) held in New Delhi. This was his first visit to India after assuming office. He was accompanied by Secretary-General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera and Assistant Director, (Administration) of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Kanchana Ruchitha Herath. Following the 28th CSPOC from 14-16 January 2026, Speaker and his delegation visited Jaipur, Rajasthan as a part of a two-day tour for CSPOC delegates from 17-18 January 2026.

The 28th CSPOC was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 15 January 2026 at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, Parliament House Complex, New Delhi. Welcoming parliamentary leaders from across the Commonwealth, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the success of Indian democracy in providing stability, speed, and scale. He shared India’s efforts at giving voice to the Global South and forging new paths of cooperation to co-develop innovation ecosystems. He underlined the use of Artificial Intelligence by the Parliament of India to attract youth to understand Parliament. Prime Minister expressed his confidence in the CSPOC platform for exploring ways to promote knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy.

The conference, chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, convened 44 Speakers and 15 Deputy Speakers from 41 Commonwealth countries, along with representatives of four semi-autonomous Parliaments. The theme of the conference was “Effective Delivery of Parliamentary Democracy.” During the conference, participants addressed the role of Speakers in reinforcing democratic institutions, the integration of artificial intelligence in Parliamentary functions, the influence of social media on Members, approaches to enhance public engagement with Parliament, and measures to ensure the security, health, and wellbeing of Members and Parliamentary staff.

The visit marked a significant milestone in the evolving parliamentary partnership between India and Sri Lanka. Last year, two Parliamentary Delegations visited India for Orientation Programmes in May 2025 and August 2025 respectively. These visits, in line with the intent of the India – Sri Lanka Joint Statement on ‘Fostering Partnerships for a Shared Future’, further reinforce the strong democratic ethos and enduring friendship shared between the two nations.”

News

Pakistan HC celebrates academic achievements of Lankan graduates

Published

22 hours ago

2026/01/20

Sahan Weerasooriya

A section of the participants at the Pakistan HC event

The High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka hosted a special reception on Friday (16) for Sri Lankan alumni who have recently returned from their studies in Pakistan. The event, held at the Pakistan High Commission, celebrated the academic achievements of the graduates and reinforced the deep-rooted educational ties between the two nations.

The Allama Iqbal Scholarship Programme, a flagship initiative launched in 2019, has become a vital pillar of bilateral cooperation. The High Commissioner highlighted that Pakistan offers 1,000 fully funded scholarships at graduate, postgraduate, and PhD levels, with over 500 Sri Lankan students currently pursuing their education in Pakistan’s premier universities.

“Sri Lanka and Pakistan share an enduring friendship rooted in a shared history of mutual respect and culture,” the High Commissioner remarked during the address. “Education is the key to unlocking the success of your brilliant futures and creating bonds that extend well beyond the classroom”.

Addressing the alumni as “custodians” of a noble cause, the High Commissioner urged the alumni to act as brand ambassadors by sharing their knowledge to guide deserving students toward academic opportunities in Pakistan.

He emphasised their responsibility to mentor young minds, ensuring no capable student misses the chance for a promising future. Furthermore, the alumni were encouraged to take an active role in organising frequent educational and cultural engagements to inspire and enlighten others while strengthening the ties between the two nations.

The High Commissioner emphasized that each graduate serves as a “bridge” between the two countries, playing a meaningful role in uplifting Sri Lanka while further strengthening Pakistan–Sri Lanka relations. The alumni were invited to remain closely connected with the High Commission to facilitate future initiatives that strengthen people-to-people ties.

The evening concluded with a traditional Pakistani dinner, where the alumni shared stories of their academic growth and cultural experiences in Pakistan in a spirit of friendship and togetherness.