Tag: politics

June 23, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka accused the UN on Wednesday of a “hidden agenda” behind its plans to investigate alleged human rights abuses by soldiers in the final months of the island’s savage civil war. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s appointment of a panel to advise on any violations of international human rights was […]

UNITED NATIONS, June 22, 2010 (AFP) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon Tuesday set up a panel to investigate allegations of human rights abuses in the final months of the civil war in Sri Lanka, his spokesman said. Ban launched the investigation “to advise him on the issue of accountability with regards to any alleged violations […]

June 21, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka is “deeply unhappy” at a move by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to name a panel to look into alleged war crimes committed during the final months of the island’s civil war, an official said Monday. Colombo repeated President Mahinda Rajapakse’s protest to Ban in March that the panel […]

June 20, 2010 (AFP) – A senior leader of Sri Lanka’s defeated Tamil Tiger rebels has agreed to help the government in its post-war reconstruction efforts, a state-run newspaper reported Sunday. The UN estimates that up to 100,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict which began in the 1970s. The UN has also […]

June 20, 2010 (AFP) – A visiting Japanese envoy said Sunday his country backed efforts by the United Nations to investigate alleged war crimes committed in Sri Lanka during the final months of its ethnic conflict. Yasushi Akashi, whose country is a major donor to Sri Lanka, ended a five-day visit saying he detected a […]

June 17, 2010 (AFP) – The United Nations will set up a panel to probe war crimes in Sri Lanka despite repeated protests from the island’s hawkish government, a top UN envoy announced in Colombo on Thursday. Sri Lanka has named a “lessons learnt” panel to study issues that led to conflict, but it has […]

June 18, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka staged a delayed victory parade Friday to mark the first anniversary of the end of its 37-year civil war as pressure mounted for a probe into alleged crimes committed during the fighting. President Mahinda Rajapakse took the salute at the ceremony attended by thousands of troops drawn from […]

June 16, 2010 (AFP) – A visiting Japanese envoy said Wednesday that Sri Lanka must ensure an open and fair process to address grievances of minority Tamils after the end of the civil war last year. “We expect our reconciliation commission to address all issues to the conflict as part of our healing process. ” […]

UNITED NATIONS, June 14, 2010 (AFP) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s top political adviser will visit Sri Lanka this week to discuss political reconciliation, resettlement of minority Tamils displaced by ethnic strife and human rights, a spokesman said Monday. The world body estimates that up to 100,000 people died in Sri Lanka’s Tamil separatist conflict […]

June 11, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s army chief on Friday called for a political settlement to the island’s decades-long ethnic strife, a year after the Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated in a major military offensive. Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya warned that although the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were crushed following the […]

June 11, 2010 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan government has approved lifting the two-term limit for presidents in a move that would allow incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse to run for office again, an official said Friday. Rajapakse, 64, came to power in 2005 and has increased his firm grip on power since defeating the separatist Tamil […]

June 7, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse urged Tamil leaders on Monday to trust him and help resolve outstanding problems following the country’s civil war, warning he would not bow to terrorism. Rajapakse told the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) party, formerly a front for the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels, that he was […]