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UN Resident Rep addresses Justice Ministry Consultative Committee
Govt. efforts to transform Criminal Justice system appreciated
UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Ms. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy has appreciated the ongoing efforts by the Justice Ministry to transform the Criminal Justice System.
Addressing the Justice Ministry Consultative Committee recently the UN official has said that the community based correction system can avoid exposing offenders to the conditions of the prison which can sometimes be violent and unsafe creating a cycle of coming in and going out of prison.
Earlier, Justice Minister M.U.M Ali Sabry, PC directed the “Draft – Report on Community based Correction System in Sri Lanka” to be circulated among all Parliamentarians and to obtain their suggestions and observations for the purpose of being further developed. He further instructed to obtain public views regarding the report. The instructions were issued on Thursday (7) as the initial step towards the transformation of the Criminal Justice System in Sri Lanka.
Hanaa Singer-Hamdy and Robert Juhkam, Resident Representative of UNDP were also in attendance at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice chaired by Minister Sabry.
The Justice Minister was of the view that there was no point of sending people behind bars without reforming them and therefore, community-based correction system would be a more effective method. Accordingly, possibilities of correcting those who were sentenced for less than two years within the community without imprisoning them was taken into consideration.
The discussion on Community based correction was set in motion following the presentation by the Assistant Secretary General of Parliament and former Justice Official. Tikiri K. Jayathilake. The Assistant Secretary General addressing the committee, said that Criminal Law and the notion of justice were entwined and it was important to extricate an individual into society as a responsible citizen rather than labelling them as criminals.
He said that the said objective could be done by the Ministerial Consultative Committee via two tiers. One being the political tier inclusive of the political leadership in stirring towards the requisite reforms. The second tier included officials and professionals representing various fields contributing their expertise towards the creation and development of relevant reforms.
The Assistant Secretary General of Parliament also emphasised that suggestions of Members of Parliament and various stakeholders were imperative in order to develop that system.
Members of Parliament Weerasumana Weerasinghe, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Sagara Kariyawasam, Madhura Withanage, Diana Gamage, Gamini Waleboda, S. Kajendran, Ajith Rajapakse, and Akila Ellawala marked their presence at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice chaired by Minister of Justice Ali Sabry.
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President scheduled to attend a meeting with representatives of Germany’s Tourism and Travel Industry Associations and Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce today
President Anura Kumara Disanayake who is on an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, is scheduled to attend a meeting with representatives of Germany’s Tourism and Travel Industry Associations at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Berlin today (13).
Following this engagement, the President will participate in a Business Forum organised by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), to be held at its headquarters in Berlin.
President Disanayake is also expected to hold bilateral discussions this afternoon with Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms Reem Alabali-Radovan, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
In the afternoon, the President is further scheduled to meet with members of the Sri Lankan community residing in Germany.
Accompanying the President on this official visit are Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath and a delegation of senior government officials, all of whom will participate in these engagements.
It has been reported that, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, General Hamilton Wanasinghe has passed away at the age of 91.
Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake has instructed relevant officials to provide the maximum support necessary to successfully hold the Global Bora Community’s Spiritual Assembly and Convention scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka.
The Secretary to the President issued these instructions during discussions held on Thursday (12) at the Presidential Secretariat regarding the Global Bora Conference and Convention.
The Bora Conference and Convention will be held from 27 June to 05 July, coinciding with the Bora Community’s Spiritual Assembly, centred on the Bambalapitiya Bora Mosque and the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre, with the participation of the community’s Spiritual Leader His Holiness Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin Sahib.
Approximately fifteen thousand members of the Bora Community from India and numerous other countries are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka for this Convention and Conference. Extensive discussions were held regarding the provision of all infrastructure facilities, including airport arrangements, for them.
A group of the Bora Community’s religious leaders, along with officials including the Secretary to the Foreign Ministry, Aruni Ranaraja and Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, participated in this occasion.
President scheduled to attend a meeting with representatives of Germany’s Tourism and Travel Industry Associations and Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce today
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