warwithoutwitness, Author at War Without Witness in Sri Lanka

Fear of being accused of war crimes: SL Defence Ministry calls state media to hand over all material on Vanni operation

Posted on by warwithoutwitness

The Sri Lankan Defence establishment headed by Gotapaya Rajapaksa is suspicious of the possibility of journalists who covered the northern military operations selling video tapes and photographs to foreign media institutions. Director General, Media Center for National Security, Lakshman Hulugalle has requested the Media Minister to hand over all material related to the military operation […]

Sri Lankan army clashes with detainees – Amnesty International

Posted on by warwithoutwitness

24 September 2009 A detainee was seriously injured and had to be hospitalized as a clash broke out between the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) and detainees being held at a school in Vavuniya in north-eastern Sri Lanka on Tuesday.The detainee, Sri Chandramorgan from Kanahapuram, Kilinochchi, was initially reported to have been killed by the army […]

ICRC deplores misleading public use of its confidential findings on disappearances by Sri Lanka

Posted on by warwithoutwitness

Geneva/Colombo (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) strongly objects to misleading public references to its confidential findings on disappearances that were included in a recent statement by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the statement, issued on 15 March in response to the United States Department of State’s 2007 […]

24th Sept 2009 – Sri Lanka: Health situation in Vavuniya district

Posted on by warwithoutwitness

As of today, 246’000 people who fled from the Vanni remain inside camps in the Vavuniya district and there are concerns about the future situation in the coming monsoon despite the ongoing effort mobilized.Regarding health care provision, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health have mobilized significant resources from all over the country to provide health […]

Sri Lankan IDPs: United Nations Media Release 29-9-09 at end of UN Rep on Human Rights of IDPs visit

Posted on by warwithoutwitness

UNITED NATIONS Press Release Freedom of movement for a quarter of a million displaced, UN Representative discusses with Sri Lankan government GENEVA (29 September 2009) –“Restoration of freedom of movement for more than 250,000 internally displaced persons held in closed camps in Northern Sri Lanka is becoming a matter of urgency, and I remain very […]

Sri Lanka: Government Breaks Promises That Displaced Can Go Home – HRW

Posted on by warwithoutwitness

Enough is enough. It is well past time to release civilians detained in the camps. Sri Lanka’s international friends should tell the government that they will not accept any more broken promises. – Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights (New York) – The Sri Lankan government’s recent statements that it aims to return only […]

Sri Lanka fails to meet Human Rights thresholds for GSP+ says EU Report

Posted on by warwithoutwitness

Full Text of the Notice issued by the EU Commission follows: Sri Lanka has benefited from the European Union’s Generalised System of Preferences special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance (“GSP+”) since 2005. GSP+ provides additional tariff preferences – in the form of additional reductions or even elimination of import duties beyond those […]

Sri Lanka: US War Crimes Report Details Extensive Abuses – HRW

Posted on by warwithoutwitness

A US State Department report on possible violations of the laws of war in Sri Lanka made public on October 22, 2009 shows the need for an independent international investigation, Human Rights Watch said today. The report details violations of the laws of war committed by both government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam […]

Probe into disappearances and abductions in Sri Lanka found 1,830 missing

Posted on by warwithoutwitness

A Sri Lankan Presidential Commission which investigated into disappearances of persons between 13-09-2006 to 01-10-2009 period, confirmed that 1,830 are still missing. According to the Presidential Commission, 1,830 persons had not been found so far though inquiries were continuing. The missing comprises: Western Province (418), East (614), Vanni (323), Jaffna peninsula (148), NCP (73), Uva […]

Satellite Imagery Evidence Showing Sri Lanka Military “Purposely or Intentionally” Targeted PTK Hospital – TAG

Posted on by warwithoutwitness

Evidence Submitted to: The People’s Tribunal on Sri Lanka – Dublin, Ireland 14th, 15th January 2010 CONCLUSION 1. The SLA and Sri Lankan state agents, in a joint criminal enterprise with common criminal purpose and design and which operated under the military command responsibility of multiple persons, including but not limited to President Mahinda Rajapakse, […]