US delegation happy with Lanka

US delegation happy with Lanka

March 21, 2015 07:21 Eric P. Schwartz

A US delegation, which visited Sri Lanka to assess the climate for religious freedom, other human rights, and tolerance, have noted progress on the issues in Sri Lanka since the country’s 2015 election.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said that it was encouraged by statements made by officials with whom they met, and in particular welcome
comments in support of national reconciliation among all Sri Lanka’s religious and ethnic communities.

USCIRF Commissioner Eric P. Schwartz said that during their recent three day visit, USCIRF had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affaris, Mangala Samaraweera, Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa, Minister of Buddha Sasana Karu Jayasuriya, and Minister of Muslim Religious Affairs Abdel Halim Mohamed Hasheem, as well as representatives from Sri Lanka’s diverse religious communities, among others.

“We are encouraged by statements made by officials with whom we met.  In particular, we welcome comments in support of national reconciliation among all Sri Lanka’s religious and ethnic communities.  After a devastating war and reports that religious minority communities were increasingly subjected to attacks in recent years, the new government’s engagement with religious minorities is an important step forward in the effort to promote national unity and increased space for all religious groups,” he said in a statement.

USCIRF welcomed other measures by the government, in the areas of freedom of expression and association in particular, which tend to create a climate conducive to religious freedom.

“We are very pleased to hear that reports of abuses perpetrated against minority religious communities have diminished over the last few months.  We encourage the government to hold
perpetrators of such crimes accountable.  We believe accountability will encourage a critical sense of security and well-being among affected communities,” Schwartz added.

While welcoming recent government measures, Schwartz called on the authorities to ensure the ability of religious communities to practice their chosen faiths without restriction.  This
includes the ability to build houses of worship and to be free of any acts of intimidation or harassment.

Schwartz said his delegation left Sri Lanka with a sense of great encouragement, and look forward to further progress on critically important issues. (Colombo Gazette)

Lanka a model for others says UN

Lanka a model for others says UN
March 23, 2015 18:45

The United Nations (UN) says Sri Lanka has served as an important model for other countries in terms of demonstrating the importance of policies such as free-education and free-health  for promoting human development.

Subinay Nandy, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka said

 that Sri Lanka’s recent renewed emphasis on upholding human rights and the rule of law, whilst addressing lingering inequalities and promoting peace, mean that the newly proposed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – which explicitly address these issues – fit well with local priorities, and Sri Lanka’s aspirations and unfolding development vision.

Nandy was speaking at the launch of the Millennium Development Goals Country Report 2014 for Sri Lanka at an event graced by Deputy Minister of Policy Planning and Economic Affairs, Dr. Harsha De Silva, this morning.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a set of eight goals agreed by world leaders in 2000 to be achieved before the end date in 2015. The eight MDGs range from halving

extreme poverty rates to promoting gender equality and providing universal primary education. As countries near the end target date in September 2015, governments around the world are reviewing their progress towards achieving the MDGs in the last 15 years.

The MDG Country Report is the third MDG review report produced by Sri Lanka. It is also the first report that covers the entire country, allowing comparison across the 25 districts and providing policy makers with information to identify and support regions lagging behind. It also analyses achievements and thematic areas requiring further attention.

Speaking at the launch event, Dr. Harsha De Silva said: “The government of Sri Lanka understands the need in building bridges, in integrating our society, and in Sri Lanka being a country of Sri Lankans. I hope that we can make further progress in integrating the differences within communities. We have to ensure that in our market framework there is social goodwill and economic justice. That is what we mean by a social market economy.”

The Report, which was prepared by the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, is a joint publication by the Government of Sri Lanka and the United Nations in Sri Lanka. Its findings show that Sri Lanka has performed well against the MDGs overall, having already achieved or being on-track to achieve the majority of the goals and indicators.

Highlighting Sri Lanka’s MDG performance, Nandy, stated, “The findings in the report make a strong case for Sri Lanka to be a leading and credible actor in the global deliberations around the development agenda for post-2015. Sri Lanka’s long history of INVESTMENT in health, education and poverty alleviation programmes, has translated into robust performance against the MDGs, and Sri Lanka has many lessons to SHARE”.

Ms. Shanthi Sachithanandam – CEO, Viluthu.

Looking to the future, the report also highlights certain areas that require additional focus such as Women’s Empowerment, Nutrition, Climate Change and Regional Disparities and these were discussed during a panel discussion on ‘Priorities Moving Forward’. The panel discussion took place with the PARTICIPATION of Alain Sibenaler – UNFPA Representative, Dr. Suren Batagoda – Secretary of the Ministry of Power and Energy, Ms. Una McCauley – UNICEF Representative, Dr. Shanthi Goonewardena – Director, Nutrition Coordination Division, Ministry of Health, and Ms. Shanthi Sachithanandam – CEO, Viluthu. (Colombo Gazette)

Sri Lanka's new leader heads to China after winding back ties

Sri Lanka's new leader heads to China after winding back ties
AFP By Amal Jayasinghe

Sri Lanka's new president heads to Beijing this week for talks with China's leadership, seeking to smooth ruffled feathers after scuttling Chinese-funded projects and seeking stronger ties with regional rival India.

Maithripala Sirisena swept to power in January, ending a decade of rule by Mahinda Rajapakse, whose close alliance with Beijing had irked the island's traditional close ally India.

Sirisena has moved to wind back Beijing's influence, which became the strategically located island's biggest foreign financier and enjoyed significant political and even military influence under Rajapakse.

Sirisena has unnerved China by suspending a $1.4 billion "port city" project in Colombo that India considered a security risk, and ordering a review of other Beijing-financed projects and loans amid allegations of corruption.

Experts say the president will be seeking a divorce of sorts from China during the three-day state visit starting Wednesday, while trying not to upset the economic giant.

Sirisena will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping along with other members of the leadership, Colombo said.

"The former government allowed China a free run in Sri Lanka," Sri Lankan political commentator Victor Ivan told AFP. "President Sirisena wants to maintain a normal relationship that will not irritate India."

The visit is about "bringing balance in Sri Lanka's engagement with two Asian rivals", P. Sahadevan, professor of South Asian studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, told AFP.

Shifting influence 

Sirisena made India -- rather than China -- his first foreign trip after winning the January elections, seeking to rebuild ties with Delhi damaged by tensions over Beijing's influence on the island.

Delhi was reportedly furious after Chinese submarines were allowed to dock at Colombo port last year when Rajapakse was still in power.

Beijing has been accused of seeking to develop facilities around the Indian Ocean in a "string of pearls" strategy to counter the rise of rival India and secure its own economic interests.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Sri Lanka and other Indian Ocean nations in March in a bid to counter that influence, and reassert Delhi's traditional role in the region.

Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, who visited Beijing a month after Sirisena came to power, has said the new administration will not allow Chinese submarines in Colombo.

Colombo is also seeking to renegotiate huge loans given by China for projects at rates as high as 8 percent, Sri Lanka Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake told reporters recently.

China had emerged as Sri Lanka's biggest single financier, accounting for about 40 percent of some $2.03 billion in foreign money spent on infrastructure projects in 2013, according to the latest Central Bank of Sri Lanka report.

China was also one of the few countries to defend Sri Lanka's human rights record under Rajapakse, who angered Western nations for refusing to cooperate with an international probe into allegations of war crimes on the island.

In contrast, the new government has won support from the West for its attempts at reconciliation between ethnic minority Tamils and majority Sinhalese, as well as moves to ensure accountability for crimes committed during the separatist war.

With Western backing and support from Delhi, the government has secured more time to address allegations that troops under Rajapakse's command killed up to 40,000 Tamil civilians while defeating Tamil rebels in the finale of the war that ended in 2009.

Sri Lanka strengthens laws against terrorist financing

Sri Lanka strengthens laws against terrorist financing
Mar 18, 2015 17:19 PM GMT+0530 | 0 Comment(s)

COLOMBO (EconomyNext) - Sri Lanka's foreign minister Wednesday sought parliamentary approval to strengthen laws against terrorist FINANCING and said a local inquiry into alleged
human rights abuses would help create better conditions for foreign INVESTMENT.


Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the amendments, giving effect to United Nations regulations on terrorist FINANCING, were in line with the country's international obligations.

The amendments include widened coverage of freezing orders, expanded provisions for handling foreign requests, reporting of attempted transactions and redress for persons
inadvertently affected.

"The amendments are aimed at strengthening Sri Lanka’s domestic legislative framework to comply with UN Security Council Resolutions on terrorist financing and MONEY laundering,"
Samaraweera said.

"The amendments will strengthen the capacity of the law enforcement and judicial authorities responsible for investigating MONEY laundering and terrorist financing."

Samaraweera also said government action to probe allegations of hman rights abuses in its war against Tamil separatists would strengthen its international credibility and create better
conditions for foreign INVESTMENT.

"Sovereignty carries with it great responsibility which involves duties towards one’s own citizens.

"When a government fails to discharge such duties, external intervention of an unwelcome nature is difficult to prevent," he said, referring to a UN human rights probe launched during the
ousted Rajapaksa regime.

The new government managed to get the UN Human Rights Council report on the allegations, to have been presented in March, deferred till September after promising a domestic inquiry
more robust than one Rajapaksa had done.

Samaraweera said Rajapaksa had "alienated communities within the country as well as Sri Lanka’s international partners" by refusing to address issues of concern locally.

"Taking action locally as a responsible nation that is accountable to all sections of our population, upholding the rule of law, good governance and democracy while working in cooperation with the international community is the only way to project ourselves as a country that is at peace with itself.

"This is the only way to enable a secure atmosphere that is essential for foreign investment that is required for the long-term economic development of our nation," Samaraweera said.

"It is our objective to ensure that the international recognition of our armed forces personnel is further strengthened by taking action against any misdemeanours that some individuals may have committed and tarnished the image of our forces."