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Post-war reconciliation: Civil society group tells govt. how to proceed

Published

3 years ago

2023/07/20

A group of civil society activists yesterday (19) underscored responsibility on the part of the government to take into consideration key factors before it undertakes a fresh post-war reconciliation effort.

The following is the text of the statement issued by the grouping in response to the proposed establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission with the support of the international community: “We have learned of processes being undertaken by the government of Sri Lanka to establish mechanisms for truth and reconciliation with support from countries such as South Africa, Japan and Switzerland. Together with the mothers, wives, siblings and children whose loved ones had been forcibly abducted and disappeared over a span of 40 years, and as friends of the families of the disappeared, we wish to outline a few concrete actions from the Sri Lanka government that we consider to be essential to rebuild trust after the failure of every single successive state commission, inquiry or reconciliation mechanism we have witnessed or participated in over the past several decades.

We call for the following steps to be fulfilled before any further mechanisms are set up by the government for ‘Truth and Reconciliation’.

1. Fast-track a process of giving every affected family member copies of the key documents that relate to the incidents or losses they have experienced.

a) This includes copies of police reports, records at different public commissions, complaint records made to HRC, etc.

b) If the original police complaint cannot be found in the Police station records, new complaints-linked to the original complaint should be recorded under this fast-tracked process.

c) In the absence or death of the family members who originally had made complaints, recognise the right of the next of kin in that family who is continuing the struggle for truth and justice to claim these documents.

d) The documents issued under the fast-track process must be guaranteed to have the same credibility for legal and administrative purposes as a police report made at the time of the event.

2.Follow-up on the already-established findings related to a number of emblematic cases in Batticaloa, which were presented to Presidential Commissions on numerous occasions with clear and credible evidence, including eyewitness accounts. Thorough inquiries and investigations must be conducted within one year, and results of these must be made public. The cases to be considered include the following:

a)The enforced disappearance of 158 persons from the Eastern University on the 5th September 1990.

b)The enforced disappearance of 184 persons taken from 4 villages surrounding the Saththurukondan army camp on 9th September 1990.

c)The enforced disappearance of 4 boys (teenage and early 20s) on the 5th May 2009 from Batticaloa Town as an extrajudicial retaliatory response to a case where a schoolgirl was abducted and killed.

3.Many families have already identified to numerous commissions which camps their loved ones were taken. A list of all military camps including those of the Army, STF, Navy, Airforce and all paramilitary camps, as well as the names of the officers-in-charge of these camps over the previous 4 decades must be made public. This way, families can make specific demands with regards to the whereabouts of their loved ones, and for overall accountability for enforced disappearance.

4.Make public all relevant documents concerning military tribunals conducted over a period of the past 4 decades with regard to human rights violations.

5.All documents collected by the government during the war with regards to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and all other armed groups, including details of those with command responsibilities for these, should be made available to the public.

6.Credible inquiries must be initiated into the role and culpability of all armed groups in abductions and enforced disappearances, including by groups like PLOTE, EPDP, Karuna Faction and TMVP that worked alongside the government forces. Government documents related to their role and finding of the inquiries must be made public.

7.Credible inquiries to be initiated and made public into all armed groups that were responsible for child abduction and recruitment as child soldiers, including those that acted under active government protection or complicity.

8.The collective and continuing impact of physical, psychological, social and economic trauma on the lives of affected families cannot be quantified or put in words. Nevertheless, a meaningful monthly allowance must be paid to each affected family – NOT as compensation or in exchange for acceptance of a death certificate, but as a form of recognition of the ongoing impact of this loss in their lives. This should be recognized as a form of ongoing reparation.

9.Directives must be issued to protect the democratic right of affected people (and indeed all citizens) to gather to have peaceful protests, memorials and remembrances in any form without intimidation and surveillance.

10.Repeal the unjust PTA which has been the main cause for state human rights abuses with blatant impunity, as well as withdraw the proposed equally-draconian ATA.

All of the steps outlined above can be undertaken by the government unilaterally before they once again request family members to tell their painful stories to yet another mechanism for the sake of ‘reconciliation’. If the government is sincere about truth-telling, justice or reconciliation, let it first demonstrate this by taking these first steps.

The trust of affected people must be earned. Without this, there will be no reconciliation.”

The following were the signatories: Batticaloa Peace Committee, Batticaloa Justice Walkers and Family Members of the Disappeared

a) Amara Hapuarachchi

b) Sarala Emmanuel

c) Vijayaluxmy Segaruban

d) A. Sornalingam

e) T. Sharadha Devi

f) S. Ariyamalar

g) P. Jeyatheepa

h) Anuratha Rajaretnam

i) M. Sitralega

j) T. Jayasingam

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Maldivian President plants a sapling to mark 60 years of Sri Lanka–Maldives Diplomatic Relations

Published

26 mins ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

President of the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Muizzu, who is on a State Visit to Sri Lanka at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, planted a sapling this afternoon (04) at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Upon arrival at the Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu was warmly received by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Children lined both sides of the pathway holding the national flags of the two countries and paid tribute to the visiting Maldivian President.

Among those present at the occasion were Deputy Speaker Rizvi Salih, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath and the Mayor of Colombo, Vraie Cally Balthazaar, along with several other dignitaries.

[President’s Media Division (PMD)]

News

Sri Lanka and Maldives strengthen ties with productive bilateral talks

Published

30 mins ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

Following the bilateral meeting between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives, who is currently on a State visit to Sri Lanka, official-level bilateral discussions between the delegations of the two countries were held this morning (04) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The discussions commenced after the formal welcome ceremony accorded to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu earlier this morning within the Presidential Secretariat premises.

Extending a warm welcome to the Maldivian President, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed his appreciation for accepting the invitation to visit Sri Lanka.

President Dissanayake noted that President Muizzu’s visit, taking place as the two nations mark 61 years of diplomatic relations, reflects the strong partnership, mutual trust and longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The President further expressed confidence that the visit would mark a new phase in bilateral relations.

The two leaders engaged in extensive discussions on ways to further expand and diversify multifaceted cooperation, including economic, cultural and social ties, in a manner that delivers mutual benefits to the people of both countries.

Key areas of focus included tourism promotion, educational cooperation, youth and sports development, challenges faced by both nations in the fisheries sector within the Indian Ocean region, education and vocational training, as well as defence training and broader security cooperation.

Representing the Government of Sri Lanka were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Science and Technology, Krishantha Abeysena; Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih, Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired), Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (covering Europe, North America, East Asia and Oceania, Southeast Asia and Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Legal Affairs) M. R. K. Lenagala, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the Maldives, Mohamed Rizvi Hassan and Director (South Asia and SAARC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Mahesha Jayawardena.

The Maldivian delegation included Minister of Foreign Affairs Iruthisham Adam, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, Ahmed Shiyam, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, Chief of Staff to the President, Abdulla Fayaz, Principal Secretary to the President on Foreign Relations, Mohamed Naseer; Chief Government Spokesperson, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, High Commissioner of the Maldives to Sri Lanka,Masood Imad; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Chief of Protocol , Mohamed Shahudy, Deputy Minister at the President’s Office, Mr Mohamed Hassaan and Minister Counsellor at the Maldives High Commission in Sri Lanka, Mr. Ismail Mamdhooh.

[President’s Media Division (PMD)]

News

Maldives and Sri Lanka exchange seven MOUs

Published

37 mins ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

Seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), signed across several sectors between the Maldives and Sri Lanka, were formally exchanged this morning (04) at the Presidential Secretariat in the presence of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives.

Marking a new chapter in Maldives–Sri Lanka relations, the MoUs cover cooperation in the fields of health, sports, tourism, education and defence.

Accordingly:

1. MoU on Tourism Cooperation between the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

2. MoU on Archiving Cooperation between the Department of National Archives of Sri Lanka and the National Archives of the Maldives was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

3. MoU on Training and Professional Development of Teachers and School Leaders between the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Skills Development of the Maldives and the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education of Sri Lanka was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

4. MoU on Sports and Youth Development Cooperation between the Republic of Maldives and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage.

5. MoU on Defence Cooperation between the National Counter Terrorism Centre of the Maldives and the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka was exchanged by the Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired).

6. MoU between the Ministry of Defence and National Service of the Maldives and General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University of Sri Lanka was exchanged by the Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad and the Vice Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rear Admiral Dammika Kumara.

7. MoU on Academic Cooperation between the University of Colombo of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare of the Maldives was exchanged by Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Professor Indika Mahesh Karunathilake.

The state visit of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, undertaken at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, aims to further strengthen economic, cultural and social ties between the two countries, while enhancing their multifaceted partnership.

Cabinet Ministers, government officials and members of the Maldivian delegation, representing both Sri Lanka and the Maldives, were present at the occasion.

[President’s Media Division]