The 521 Brigade of Point Pedro have been handing out coconut seedlings to recently displaced people in the Vadamaratchi area.

Launched under the Civil Military Coordination (CIMIC) programme, which has already tried its hands at school examinations and Christmas entertainment, the project is run by the Jaffna Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe.

Commenting on the Chief Justice impeachment saga, the spokesperson for the US State Department, Victoria Nuland said on Thursday:

"As we said before, we had serious concerns about the actions that were taken to impeach the Chief Justice and the timing of the impeachment and that it raised serious questions about the process and government pressure on the judiciary."

In a statement last month, the State Department urged the government to "guarantee due process, and to ensure that all investigations are conducted transparently and in accordance with the rule of law", and went onto say:

"These latest developments are part of a disturbing deterioration of democratic norms in Sri Lanka, including infringement on the independence of the judiciary. The United States, along with our partners in the international community, continues to urge Sri Lanka to uphold the rule of law and democratic governance and to continue to address outstanding accountability and reconciliation issues."

See here for our editorial on the (ir)relevancy of the saga to Tamil experience of Sri Lankan rule of law.

An Uthayan employee who was distributing newspapers was attacked and 1500 newspaper set alight, during the early hours of Thursday morning, reports the media outlet.

Using poles, four unidentified men attacked the employee by Maalu junction. The men then threw the victim, 30 year old Nakeswaran Pratheepan, inside a drain before setting alight his newspapers.

He is currently been admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital with injuries including a broken arm. 

See here for photographs.

The French ambassador to Sri Lanka has queried the military’s activities in civil administration, as she travelled across the North this week, reported Jaffna-based newspaper Uthayan.

French ambassador Christine Robin met with the Additional Government Agent Mrs.Rubini Varathalingam and questioned her about the military involvement in the North, as well the situation of young women affected by the war.

She also met with Jaffna Archbishop Thomas Soundaranayam, who talked to her for an hour reportedly informing her of the obstruction of freedom of expression, leading to fear over expressing opinions and even public gatherings, as well as the government’s lack of offering a political solution.

British Members of Parliament have called on the government to boycott this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka, at a debate held in the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday.

The debate, saw MPs from across the political spectrum speak out against Sri Lanka and slamming international inaction on the issue, with many calling for the British Government to refuse to attend the CHOGM due to be held in Sri Lanka, and called for robust action at the UN Human Rights Council.

Many of the lawmakers blasted the Sri Lankan government’s human rights record, with Siobhain McDonagh saying,

"If the Queen were to put her foot on the soil in Colombo it would be regarded as a vindication of the Sri Lankan Government’s actions—and this is at a time when at least 40,000 people are still dying or missing."

Lee Scott also added,

"Should we forget Auschwitz, Rwanda or the atrocities committed in Northern Ireland? No, we should not. That would be an insult to the memories of the people who lost their lives on all sides, and that is not acceptable."

A small group of MPs however, defended Sri Lanka, with Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn slamming them as “the Sri Lankan Government lobby that is in Westminster Hall today”. Amongst them was Conservative MP James Wharton (See our earlier post: Why does the Tory MP for Stockton care so much about Sri Lanka?) and Ian Paisley who stated,

“I took a day out and spent it with the leader of Tamil National Alliance, Mr Sampanthan. I spoke to him and his party colleagues at length, and I waited for him because I wanted to hear from him at first hand, without his being pushed or prodded into some of the difficult issues about the past. He did not raise with me the issue of the disappeared; he did not take time to raise with me the issue of war crimes; he did not take time to talk about routine torture, in his country, of his people. He had a politician with him from this nation and he did not want to talk about those things.

In fact, he actively applauded the Government, whom he opposes.

He applauded them on their investment in the country—in parts of the north—and he said that the most effective thing that many of his people required was practical help to get bicycles and other tools to help them to work and run their country. That was the message of the man who is leading the opposition.”

Echoing those comments on meeting the TNA leader, Aidan Burley added,

"I met the President in Kandy. I also met, Mr Sampanthan, a leader of the opposition, for several hours in Trincomalee—I recognise the comments of the hon. Member for North Antrim (Ian Paisley)—and I remember him telling us that he wanted a bicycle for every one of his people, which is his main priority."

Extracts from the debate have been reproduced below. Video of the debate can be seen here. Full text can be accessed here.

Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden) (Lab):

Responsibility to protect is a concept at the heart of modern international relations. It has three core elements: first, states are responsible for protecting populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing and from their incitement, but, secondly, the international community has a responsibility to ensure that states fulfil that requirement and, thirdly, the international community—that is us—has a responsibility to use diplomatic, humanitarian and other means to protect populations from those crimes. If a state manifestly fails to protect its population, the international community must be prepared to take collective action to do so. All three pillars of the responsibility to protect were broken in Sri Lanka.

Just as we had a responsibility to protect civilians at the time of the killings, so too do we now for ensuring that there is accountability.

Without accountability, we are seeing torture, disappearances and killings, yet the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting is still scheduled to take place in Colombo in November. What sort of message does that send out? The Commonwealth was right a couple of years ago to take away from Sri Lanka the honour of hosting a summit. If it was right to do that then, how can it be right now to let Sri Lanka have that honour when our fears about its Government have been confirmed? Canada has bravely stated that it will not attend the 2013 summit unless significant progress is made on human rights and accountability. Why cannot Britain show the same leadership? Why are we so determined to brush accountability under the carpet, just as the UN did with the evidence of atrocities four years ago?

If the Queen were to put her foot on the soil in Colombo it would be regarded as a vindication of the Sri Lankan Government’s actions—and this is at a time when at least 40,000 people are still dying or missing.

I note that the Minister is going to Sri Lanka later this year. No doubt his presence will be portrayed by the Government there as yet another vindication of their murderous approach. If he wants to ensure that his visit is not another public relations victory for a regime that feels it is immune from accountability for war crimes, will he use his visit as an opportunity to warn his hosts that Britain and the Queen will not be attending a summit that is built on blood?

However, I am very much afraid that the international community would rather move on and pretend that these events in Sri Lanka never happened, just as it turned a blind eye while the atrocities in the country were taking place. If we are not strong now, we will abdicate our moral authority over Sri Lanka. Regimes such as those in Syria and DRC will see that there is nothing to lose and that justice will not be served.

We have a responsibility to ensure that the international community’s failures in Sri Lanka are addressed. Accountability and reconciliation must take place. When the 22nd session of the UN’s Human Rights Council commences next month, our Government should take a lead. The issue of whether Sri Lanka has complied with previous resolutions on accountability and reconciliation should be a priority. The UN’s HRC, with Britain to the fore, must be prepared to take urgent action to initiate credible, independent investigations in Sri Lanka. For the sake of other civilians around the world who are under threat from their own Government, we have a responsibility to be strong. We should tell Sri Lanka in no uncertain terms that we cannot support its hosting the Commonwealth summit while its reputation is under a cloud. We have a duty to protect, and we cannot fulfil that responsibility by continuing to be weak, weak, weak.

Mr Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) (Lab/Co-op):
Constituents have come to my surgery with clear evidence of torture, which backs up the more widespread reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that torture is still going on routinely in the country.

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Lab):
I compliment my hon. Friend on her work and I urge her to resist the temptations from the Sri Lankan Government lobby that is in Westminster Hall today and trying to claim that all is well in Sri Lanka when the reality is that it certainly is not. Furthermore, holding the Commonwealth conference in the country would be an endorsement of the Sri Lankan Government’s policies on the Tamil people, and would be extremely damaging to the cause of human rights, to the image of Sri Lanka and indeed to the prospect of a peaceful future for the country.

Mr Lee Scott (Ilford North) (Con):
It is easy to say that one should forget the past, but if we do, we predict what will happen in the future. Should we forget Auschwitz, Rwanda or the atrocities committed in Northern Ireland? No, we should not. That would be an insult to the memories of the people who lost their lives on all sides, and that is not acceptable.

If we are to move on, there must be reconciliation and true justice for all. It is not my role as a non-Sri Lankan and a non-Tamil to say who was or was not responsible. Anyone who has watched “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” or listened to independent evidence knows that atrocities were committed, and people need to be brought to justice. Simply saying, “It wasn’t us who did it” is not acceptable. Someone took out women and children, someone raped people and someone interned people. Someone has not said where missing children are, when relatives in the Tamil diaspora around the world want to know what has happened to their families.

All I really want to say is that I want justice for the Tamil people and for all Sri Lankans. For that to happen, however, the UN must play its role. Over a number of years, it let down the Tamil people and allowed things to happen that should never have been allowed.

Barry Gardiner (Brent North) (Lab):
If we take the Commonwealth Heads of Government or the Commonwealth Business Council there, what will we be doing? We will be putting money into the pockets not of Sri Lankan people, but of one family: the Rajapaksas. Anybody who pretends to be part of this debate without acknowledging what is going on in that country currently is fooling themselves. Those Members on the Government Benches may or may not have gone to Sri Lanka, but if they have, they have not looked into the detail of what is happening in that land, because it is corruption and it must end. The Government of this country should not allow Her Majesty the Queen to set foot on Sri Lankan soil.

Robert Halfon (Harlow) (Con):
... before I go on to those, I want to say that I have never been to Sri Lanka. I would not want to go to Sri Lanka as it is currently constituted, just as I would not want to visit President Assad or the President of Iran—because I would be going to a bloodstained nation.

I believe that Britain can put peaceful and diplomatic pressure on Sri Lanka. We are already Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner, their second largest investor behind China and their main source of western tourism. If the UN were to move towards economic sanctions under the responsibility to protect, British involvement would have a huge impact on the Sri Lankan economy. It is very rare for me to disagree with the hon. Member for North Antrim (Ian Paisley), but the Government need seriously to consider, as the Canadians have done, boycotting the Commonwealth event. I do not believe that appeasement works. If the Government said that there would be a boycott unless things dramatically improved, that would have a significant impact on the Sri Lankan regime.

Clearly the Tamil Tigers are no longer a threat to the Sri Lankan Government and can no longer be used as an excuse, but persecution continues. The excuse of security was used as a cover for genocide, and it is now being used for an attempt to wipe out the inheritance of the Tamil-speaking minority. The UN, as the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden said, has a responsibility to protect if a regime is abusing its own people. If we can put peaceful, legitimate but tough pressure on Sri Lanka, whether through sanctions or a boycott of the Commonwealth summit, that is what we must do.

Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP):
I took a day out and spent it with the leader of Tamil National Alliance, Mr Sampanthan. I spoke to him and his party colleagues at length, and I waited for him because I wanted to hear from him at first hand, without his being pushed or prodded into some of the difficult issues about the past. He did not raise with me the issue of the disappeared; he did not take time to raise with me the issue of war crimes; he did not take time to talk about routine torture, in his country, of his people. He had a politician with him from this nation and he did not want to talk about those things. In fact, he actively applauded the Government, whom he opposes. He applauded them on their investment in the country—in parts of the north—and he said that the most effective thing that many of his people required was practical help to get bicycles and other tools to help them to work and run their country. That was the message of the man who is leading the opposition.

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Lab):
If we do not consider those issues, if we do not ensure the closure of what I do not refer to as welfare camps—at the end of the conflict, they were more like concentration camps—and if we do not address rights and opportunities for Tamil people in Sri Lanka, the war will return in a different form at a later stage. It is not a question of the Sri Lankan Government claiming victory over the Tamil people and the Tigers, as they have done; it has to be a question of their perception of the future of that country, otherwise in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time, if any of us are still here, we will be debating the same thing again: yet another massacre of Tamil people and yet another wave of asylum seekers from Sri Lanka trying to flee to a place of safety.

Mr Aidan Burley (Cannock Chase) (Con):
I met the President in Kandy. I also met, Mr Sampanthan, a leader of the opposition, for several hours in Trincomalee—I recognise the comments of the hon. Member for North Antrim (Ian Paisley)—and I remember him telling us that he wanted a bicycle for every one of his people, which is his main priority.

Simon Hughes (Bermondsey and Old Southwark) (LD):
What will we do about the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting? It should not have been agreed to hold it in Colombo. Unless Colombo shows that it is moving in a fundamentally different direction, the UK should not support the Commonwealth, which has been weak on the issue, or endorse the Commonwealth’s support for the regime by its presence in Colombo. That would not be the right approach for the British Government. I hope that the Minister will be robust. We need Britain to be robust, in the interests of everybody in Sri Lanka and of a successful future for Sri Lanka as a whole.

Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab):
It is interesting that the hon. Member for Cannock Chase (Mr Burley) discussed the eight-day trip to Sri Lanka in July, which was arranged by the Sri Lankan high commission. Nine Conservative MPs went on that trip, plus the hon. Member for North Antrim (Ian Paisley). I certainly was not invited. As I am the Opposition spokesperson on Sri Lanka, one might think that I would have been the first port of call if the high commission genuinely wanted it to be a cross-party trip. It is obviously useful and important to visit countries and see the situation on the ground, but the experience on such trips and the lessons learned tend to depend on what one is shown and who is the host. This debate has amply demonstrated how going to see things on the ground does not necessarily give the whole picture.

We should not forget the atrocities committed on Sri Lanka’s killing fields, the tens of thousands who needlessly lost their lives during the civil war or the many other civilians who have been affected. I do not support calls to draw a line under those atrocities; I do not think that the time has come to say that we can now move on and forget what happened. Many people have not been held to account for the crimes that they committed, and we must still focus on that. I thought it quite shocking that one Government Member referred to irregularities in the past. They were much more than irregularities. It is also shocking that people cast doubt on the evidence, such as was shown in the Channel 4 programme, about what happened in Sri Lanka. It is well documented by international organisations.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Alistair Burt):
The March 2012 Human Rights Council resolution, supported by the UK and a number of member states, called on the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the LLRC recommendations and address alleged violations of international law. I assure hon. Members that we will be robust in pursuing that in the March 2013 council meeting.

It is too soon to talk about our attendance plans for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. We will not move from that position for a period of time. Sri Lanka was scheduled to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in 2011, but given ongoing concerns about the humanitarian and human rights situation, the UK and other Commonwealth members did not support its bid. However, Commonwealth members decided that Sri Lanka would host in 2013.

Nothing has been swept under the carpet and we are mindful of what has happened in the past and of the wishes of all Sri Lankans for the future.

The Immigration and Emigration department will resume processing of dual citizenship applications in three months, after it was suspended last year.

Confirming recent reports that the process with include a final panel assessment led by the Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Ministry of Defence has stated that the panel will assess the applicant's "professional qualifications, investment capability and the need to acquire dual citizenship", and that "information relating to how they acquired a foreign citizenship has to be furnished by every applicant and the reason for seeking dual citizenship in Sri Lanka is also to be properly justified by every applicant".

Controller of Immigration and Emigration Chulananda Perera said 'information provided by the applicants will be cross-checked with the relevant overseas Sri Lankan missions and officials of the Immigration and Emigration Department and other state stakeholders will evaluate the application before granting the permanent residency and dual citizenship status.'

Addressing an award ceremony at Temple Trees, Rajapaksa asserted that as a lawyer himself he had absolute confidence in the independence of the judiciary.

He went on to say:

“High Court judges are appointed by the Chief Justice. The Chief Justice is appointed by the president. The president is appointed by the people. If the president commits an offence he can be impeached. For the impeachment a minimum of 113 Members of Parliament must sign. The Chief Justice must carry out the orders of the legislature. The unseating of the Chief Justice rests with legislature”

“President Premadasa had a narrow escape from impeachment as the then Speaker Mohamed rejected those who attempted to impeach him. There are attempts to topple this government backed by the spirit of separatism and those who supported the LTTE."

“It was the JVP that said there were suspicions regarding the dealings of the husband of the Chief Justice. It was they who lodged complaints against him with the Bribery Commission. Now they are scolding me for the impeachment. The JVP says one thing in the morning and something else in the afternoon. But we cannot do that. We do what we say and we say what we do,”

Rev. Fr. Praveen OMI was interrogated by Sri Lanka’s Terrorist Investigation Department for 7 hours on Tuesday, as the government continues its crack down.

As the Director of the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, a Catholic organisation that does work regarding disappeared peoples in Jaffna, the priest’s offices were also searched, and he was told to report to the infamous  ‘Fourth Floor’ of the Criminal Investigation Department’s headquarters in Colombo.

See the full report from TamilNet here.

Also see our editorial: Tamil activism and the international community’s responsibility to protect (03 January 2013)

Mahinda Rajapakse's planned visit to Jaffna on the 15th and 16th of January has been cancelled, reports Uthayan.

Rajapakse was due to participate in the opening cerenomy of Jaffna Teaching Hospital's new building, as well as in national Pongal celebrations.

Jaffna Divisional Secretariat announced that his visit was cancelled due to the 'imbalance' of the current 'climate' on the island, but that the events would go on as planned, although sources from Jaffna Hospital have claimed that the opening ceremony would be rescheduled.

It is reported that improvement of Jaffna Town's streets, initially undertaken for Rajapakse's visit, went ahead despite the cancellation, although there were also reported 'changes' in the increased security presence.

A delegation of Italian officials arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday to examine investment opportunities on the island.

The governor of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol, Luis Durnwalder, was welcomed by Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakoddy at Bandaranaike International Airport.

The government news portal News.lk reported that Mr Durnwalder, Trade Minister Thomas Pitchman and World Fair Trade Organisation Chairman Rudi Dalvali will visit several sites where development projects have been launched and are expected to look into the possibilities of opening a hotel school in Rajapakse’s home town of Hambantota.

The Korean Embassy in Colombo has announced it will provide a soft loan of $290m to Sri Lanka, to be used for renewable energy and infrastructure projects.

"Under the arrangement, the two Governments are expected to work closely to develop a range of projects including construction of administrative complexes, renewable energy plants and infrastructure development," the embassy said in a statement.

"The projects will be facilitated by the Korean Embassy and the Export and Import bank of Korea."

The loan will be provided at a low interest rate of 0.1%pa and is repayable over 40 years, according to the statement.

Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, has told reporters in Colombo that  Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will not be attending the next Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting due be held in Sri Lanka, unless more is done to address human rights violations on the island.

Speaking whilst visiting the country, Kenney said,

“We will not go along, to get along”

"Canada again calls on the government of Sri Lanka to live up to the standard of membership in the Commonwealth and show tangible progress on a process of national political reconciliation and to seriously address allegations of human rights violations by both sides during the civil war... Our Government will continue to stand up against human rights abuses abroad, including with commonwealth member countries."

He went on to express "profound concern over human rights violations and lack of progress in political reconciliation in the field of accountability for crimes that have been committed at the end of the war".

Kenney also addressed the issue of asylum seekers fleeing the island, stating,

"We believe there are a mixture of motivations for Sri Lankans seeking (to move out), one of them probably economic opportunity,"

"But we are also very concerned that in this post-war environment there appears to be growing pressure for emigration from Sri Lanka, whether to Australia, to Canada or elsewhere due to push factors in this country,"

The lack of progress in achieving a political solution, accountability for crimes committed during the last stages of the war, resettlement and human rights issues are some of the factors that are compelling individuals to seek asylum in Canada and this is an area of profound concern for Canada,”

"There are more people trying to enter Canada and Australia through illegal means now, than during the period of the conflict – this is a demonstration of the worsening situation".