News
Wigneswaran wants SL taken to International Criminal Court
Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootan (TMTK) leader CV Wigneswaran in an interview with Tamil Guardian has stated that Sri Lanka should be referred to the International Criminal Court.Stating that the resolution passed against Sri Lanka at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council session was weak, Wigneswaran slammed the resolution as “insufficient” noting that the latest draft had been diluted in favour of Sri Lanka.
As evidence, he highlights the removal of paragraph 19 and how paragraph 5 has been amended to draw less emphasis on the continued militarisation of the Sri Lankan state. The latest version of the resolution instead notes the “importance of preserving civilian government functions from militarisation”.
The “government seems to have done its homework rather belatedly to dilute the draft Resolution,” Wigneswaran said.
He also highlighted his disappointment with the resolution’s failure to call for Sri Lanka to be referred to the ICC. Despite this, he remains optimistic stating:
“Each year the resolution is getting closer to bringing justice to our people. Those who committed severe war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are not going to avoid the Sword of Damocles falling on them”.
During the interview, Wigneswaran, while stressing the need for Sri Lanka to be referred to the ICC, noted the difficulties of achieving this:
“Under the Rome Statute, the ICC can only investigate and prosecute the four core international crimes in situations where states are ‘unable’ or ‘unwilling’ to do so themselves; the jurisdiction of the court is complementary to jurisdictions of domestic courts. The court has jurisdiction over crimes only if they are committed in the territory of a state party or if they are committed by a national of a state party; an exception to this rule is that the ICC may also have jurisdiction over crimes if its jurisdiction is authorized by the United Nations Security Council”.
“Ranil Wickremeisnghe was responsible for our not ratifying the Rome Statute,” Wigneswaran said. But he however noted that Wickremesinghe will take steps to ratify the Rome Statute if international aid was made contingent on this.
Prime Munister Dr Harini Amarasuriya returned to the island this (23rd) morning after attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,
The Sri Lanka Navy successfully conducted a diving operation on 19 Jan 26 to inspect and restore the sluice gate of the Bomburuella Reservoir.
Acting on a request from the Department of Irrigation, the Sri Lanka Navy deployed a specialized diving team from the Western Naval Command, for the urgent requirement.
Through concerted effort, the Navy divers successfully cleared accumulated debris, including a significant quantity of wooden fragments, which had impeded the sluice gate mechanism.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya held a series of high-level bilateral meetings on Wednesday [January 21] on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, engaging with representatives of the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme, and the global private sector.
The Prime Minister met with Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management. During the meeting, she expressed Sri Lanka’s appreciation for the support extended by the European Union and its member states following Cyclone Ditwa. The Prime Minister also briefed the Commissioner on the key findings of the World Bank’s GRADE report and requested continued EU support for Sri Lanka’s development and recovery efforts.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya also met with Alexander De Croo, representing the United Nations Development Programme. She expressed appreciation for the longstanding partnership between Sri Lanka and the United Nations and acknowledged the UN’s support in flood relief and livelihood assistance. The Prime Minister noted that, following the mandate received at the parliamentary election, the government is focused on meeting public expectations through national rebuilding grounded in public trust and good governance. She further reaffirmed the Government of Sri Lanka’s commitment to strengthening social protection systems and safeguarding vulnerable communities.
In addition, the Prime Minister met with Robert M. Uggla, Chairman of A.P. Moller Holding. The discussion focused on engagement with the private sector and potential areas of collaboration.
These meetings reflected Sri Lanka’s continued engagement with international partners and global stakeholders to support recovery, development, and long-term economic stability.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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