Sri Lanka: Students march against damage to 'student heroes' monument

Sri Lanka Mirror
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Students marched from Sri Jayewardenepura University to protest the bomb attack that damaged the student heroes statue at the university.

The protestors occupied the entire lane towards Colombo before reaching Pamankada area.

IUSF convener Sanjeewa Bandara told ‘Srilankamirror’ that they would march to Colombo Fort.

No casualties have been reported in the explosion, which occurred during the early hours of Thursday (05) .

A special police team has been deployed to provide protection to the university.

Rakna Arakshaka Lanka security firm, operating under Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry, was made responsible for providing protection to all universities causing student unrest.

Vice chancellor Prof. L.M.A. Karunaratne alleged students were responsible for the blast.

© Sri Lanka Mirror

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Sri Lanka wants UN to lift embargo on evidence

Photo courtesy: UN News & Media

By Shamindra Ferdinando | The Island
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The government expects the UN to lift an unprecedented 20-year embargo on both written and oral material in its hands pertaining to alleged war crimes committed by GoSL troops and the LTTE to help domestic investigations into complaints.

Authoritative sources told The Island that those sceptical of a domestic investigation process as recommended by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) should make available whatever evidence in their possession to facilitate inquiries.

A UN imposed embargo shouldn’t be an obstacle to Sri Lanka’s inquiry, ministerial sources said.

Responding to a query, a senior official said that those wanting to haul up Sri Lanka’s political and military leaders before an international war crimes tribunal should make use of the opportunity and make available information they claim to possess. In fact, such a move could strengthen their case against the GoSL.

The Report of the UNSG’s Panel of Experts (PoE) on Accountability in Sri Lanka declared that written and oral material wouldn’t be accessible for a 20-year period.

The PoE emphasised that nearly all of its records had been categorised as strictly confidential with additional protections regarding future use in some cases.

The PoE comprised Marzuki Darusman, Steven R. Ratner and Yasmin Sooka.

Military sources said that the UN should tell the GoSL whether the embargo on evidence applied in the event Sri Lanka faced charges before an international tribunal. Against the backdrop of the International Crisis Group (ICG) demanding the establishment of an independent international investigation in 2012, it would be pertinent to ask all those wanting to punish Sri Lanka when evidence in the hands of the UN would be made available, sources said.

The PoE is on record as having said that it has received over 4,000 submissions from 2,300 persons.

Success of a local or international inquiry would largely depend on the availability of the required evidence, both written and oral, received by those conducting a particular probe, government sources said referring to the UK’s Iraq war Inquiry. The investigation team is on record as having said that it needs time till summer this year as it had to negotiate the declassification of a significant volume of currently classified material with the government to enable this to be quoted in, or published alongside, the Inquiry’s report.

© The Island

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Sri Lanka to hold first post-war census in March

AFP | The Gulf Today
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Sri Lanka will hold its first post-war census in March which will cover the entire Indian Ocean island for the first time in over 30 years, officials said on Wednesday.

The Department of Census and Statistics will launch the initiative on March 20, gathering information on demographics, education, computer literacy, migration and sanitation in homes.

"It will be our first full survey since 1981," the statistics office Director General Suranjana Vidyaratne told reporters.

"The war in the north and east had earlier stopped us from doing detail island wide census."

The Tamil Tigers were crushed in a military offensive in May 2009 that ended 37-years of ethnic bloodshed, which the United Nations estimated claimed some 100,000 lives.

The department had originally scheduled the census for July last year, but Vidyaratne said they needed more time to complete their work.

Some 80,000 people will be deployed across the country to collect preliminary data in February ahead of the main census day.

© AFP

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Tangalle victim 'raped' - AHRC

BBC Sinhala
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Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) says the companion of the murdered British tourist Kuram Shaikah Zaman was sexually assaulted after the brutal attack on the couple. Russian national Victoria Alexandrovna, 23, is being treated in Karapitiya hospital, Galle at the intensive care unit.

Chairman of the Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha, Sampath Chandra Pushpa Vidanapathirana, was arrested as the main suspect of the assault and murder of the Red Cross employee on Christmas eve in Tangalle.

Found naked

"After the attack Victoria was found naked by the time the police arrived to investigate. According to an eye witness she was raped even as she lay bleeding from the head wound". The chairman of the AHRC Basil Fernando told the BBC Sinhala Service.

The AHRC says the eye witnesses who gave statements are now being threatened and are expressing concern for their own safety.

"Meanwhile several journalists who have reported the incident have also received death threats and reported the matter to their media agencies", says the AHRC.

Not conclusive

"A government spokesman's first reaction to the media was to deny the rape. This is the usual pattern of government spokesmen who tried to defend government politicians even when they are involved in serious crimes". Fernando told the BBC.

However the police spokesman says the evidence about a sexual assault is not conclusive as the final medical reports are yet to be received.

"The final medical reports on the bodily fluids taken from the alleged victim and the suspects will be submitted in court on the 6th of January", Police spokesman SP Ajith Rohana told the BBC Sinhala Service.

Victim moved from hospital

After initial medical treatment at Karapitiya National Hospital, Victoria Alexandrovna was transferred to Lanka private hospital in Colombo.

All her medical expenses are paid by the government of Sri Lanka, Deputy Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardhana told the BBC Sinhala Service on Thursday.

“A criminal investigation was launched by the concerned local authorities to follow-up on the circumstances of the incident”. Spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told the BBC Sinhala Service.

“The ICRC has no further details on the specific circumstances under which Mr. Shaikh was killed. The ICRC is following-up on the matter with the concerned authorities”. Christian Cardon Media and Public Relation officer - South Asia region for the ICRC, in Geneva said.

© BBC Sinhala

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