Category: Politics

UNITED NATIONS, April 25, 2011 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan army killed most of the tens of thousands of civilian victims of a final offensive against Tamil separatists in 2009 but both sides may be guilty of war crimes, a UN panel said Monday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he could not order an […]

UNITED NATIONS, April 26, 2011 (AFP) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said he cannot order an international probe into the killing of tens of thousands of civilians during Sri Lanka’s final assault on Tamil separatists in 2009. His remarks came after a UN panel said Monday that the Sri Lanka military killed most of […]

UNITED NATIONS, April 21, 2011 (AFP) – The United Nations insisted Thursday that a report on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka would be released in full, rejecting demands by the government to hold back the study. “It remains our intention to publish the report of the panel of experts on Sri Lanka in full […]

UNITED NATIONS, April 22, 2011 (AFP) – The United Nations hurtled toward a high-profile confrontation with the Sri Lankan government Friday over international action on alleged war crimes during a military offensive against Tamil separatists. Rejecting a Sri Lankan demand to keep a report by a panel of experts secret, the United Nations said the […]

April 21, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka asked the United Nations on Thursday not to publish a forthcoming report on alleged war crimes during the island’s ethnic war, saying it could set back reconciliation efforts. President Mahinda Rajapakse has asked his supporters to turn this year’s May Day rally into a demonstration against any UN […]

April 20, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition party on Wednesday urged the government to respond to United Nations allegations of war crimes by launching an immediate official investigation. Fonseka quit the army and challenged Rajapakse at January 2010 presidential elections, but after losing the election he was arrested and jailed for 30 months. […]

UNITED NATIONS, April 18, 2011 (AFP) – The United Nations on Monday warned the Sri Lankan government that it must protect UN staff, after the country’s president called for protests against a UN war crimes report. President Mahinda Rajapakse has called for this year’s May Day rally to be turned into a “show of our […]

April 18, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s main Tamil political party on Monday hailed a leaked UN report which called for an international war crimes probe into the island’s political and military leadership. The moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said the report, commissioned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, amounted to “irrefutable confirmation” of atrocities […]

April 17, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president has called for mass protests against a UN report which urged a probe into alleged war crimes committed during the fight against Tamil Tiger rebels, his office said Sunday. President Mahinda Rajapakse in an address to his Sri Lanka Freedom Party officials said this year’s May Day […]

April 16, 2011 (AFP) – A UN panel has called for an independent inquiry into “credible” allegations that Sri Lanka committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in its final 2009 offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels. The panel of experts, appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, submitted its report last week, and leaked excerpts […]

April 13, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Wednesday rejected as “flawed” and “biased” a UN-commissioned report into alleged war crimes committed during the final 2009 offensive by government troops against Tamil Tiger rebels. The External Affairs Ministry said it had received a copy of the report by a three-member expert panel who handed their […]

UNITED NATIONS, April 12, 2011 (AFP) – A panel of UN experts on Tuesday handed over a report on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka against Tamil separatists to UN leader Ban Ki-moon, his spokesman said. But the United Nations would not say whether the panel was allowed to go to Sri Lanka, which publicly […]