President assures a skill for life, a livelihood for a skill
President Mahinda Rajapaksa assured to further protect and consolidate the educational rights of children in the north, in the unfortunate circumstances where children were provided guns by Prabhakaran, instead of books.
President Rajapakse has underlined that it is opportune to eliminate terrorism from the world as the terrorist is a terrorist, where ever he lived.
The President observed the terrorists were still arming the youths of the North, when attempts were in progress to grant vocational training to the youths of the country.
Democracy had to be enthroned for this purpose. It will not be possible to fulfill this task until terrorism prevailed. The country should be liberated from the terrorists. This, he added was why a systematic operation was in progress in the North.
The President was honouring ceremony to declare open the Vocational Training Centre in Tangalle. USAID spent over 85 million rupees on the centre.
Action was being initiated to set up five centres in the East after once democracy is stabilized there.
Ministers Chamal Rajapakse, Mahinda Ranaweera and U S Ambassador Robert Blake were present.
Courtesy : Lankapuvath
U.S. Pacific Command Law Exchange Program enhances Sri Lanka’s military justice institutions and promotes accountability in the military
US Embassy Press release
Military law professionals from the U.S. Pacific Command Judge Advocate Office, in partnership with the American Embassy in Colombo, hosted a Military Law Exchange Program to share methods of investigating and reporting human rights abuses. This is the second such program conducted by the US Pacific Command with legal officers, law enforcement officers, operational commanders, investigators and academics from the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs, Attorney General’s Department, Armed Services of Sri Lanka, Police, National Human Rights Commission, and Kotalawela Defense University.
The three day program, led by Captain Pete A. Pedrozo, Staff Advocate Judge with the U.S. Navy, and a four member team at the Galadari Hotel, was an opportunity to exchange information and ideas on military justice systems and legal subjects relevant to both the United States and Sri Lanka. Subjects covered during the program included maritime law, coastal state enforcement authority, military justice, the appellate process, and preventing and investigating human rights violations.
“An important part of ensuring a future of hope and opportunity and facilitating a process of national reconciliation is ensuring respect for human rights. This is particularly important for the men and women of the armed services who represent the Government and the people of their country,” US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake said at the program opening. “The United States has been a strong advocate for human rights in Sri Lanka. I am encouraged by the increasing complexity and practical nature of the discussions taking place here, which I hope will help the Sri Lankan military uphold the highest standards of military conduct.”
Major General Mohanthi Peiris, Director General Legal of the Sri Lanka Army, thanked the US Ambassador and the US Pacific Command for initiating this law exchange program, stating, “The armed forces and police have taken several measures to educate the troops under their command of their legal and moral obligations to respect, and voluntarily and consistently comply with, international humanitarian law, and to protect the human rights of innocent civilians in the course of performing their duties.” Major General Peiris also expressed her appreciation for the services and expertise of Captain Robert Huard, Special Assistant to the Staff Judge Advocate of US Pacific Command, who has been made available to Sri Lanka, on the initiative of Ambassador Blake, to assist with proposed amendments to the Service Acts and Regulations.
The Military Law Exchange Program was established by the U.S. Pacific Command, a department of the U.S. Navy, in 1995 as a means by which to exchange views on legal issues at the military-to-military level. Since then, the Pacific Command’s Judge Advocate Staff has conducted legal exchanges with Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Australia, Nepal, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand, Maldives, Vietnam and Russia. In 2007, the Pacific Command’s Staff Judge Advocate’s Office hosted a similar program with the Sri Lanka Ministry of Defense to exchange ideas on ways to improve transparency, accountability, and human rights within the military justice system. This year’s seminar is part of a series of follow-on activities planned to further enhance Sri Lanka’s military justice institutions and promote accountability in the military.
Courtesy: Ministry of Defence
US training programme on human rights for security forces
A Military Law Exchange programme to share methods of investigating and reporting human rights abuses important to security personal was conducted for the second time in Sri Lanka with the contribution of military law professionals from the US Pacific Command Judge Advocate Office, in partnership with the American Embassy in Colombo.
The three day programme also focused on exchanging information and ideas on military justice systems and legal subjects relevant to both the United States and Sri Lanka. Subjects covered during the programme included maritime law, coastal state enforcement authority, military justice, the appellate process, and preventing and investigating human rights violations.
Legal officers, law enforcement officers, operational commanders, investigators and academics from the Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs, Attorney General’s Department, Armed Services of Sri Lanka, Police, National Human Rights Commission, and Kotalawela Defense University jointly conducted this programme.
This is particularly important for the men and women of the armed services who represent the Government and the people of their country,” US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake said at the opening ceremony of the event.
While commending the US engagement in conducting such a programme and clarifying the measures adopted by Sri Lanka in protecting human rights with the assistance of the security forces, Major General Mohanthi Peiris, Director General Legal of the Sri Lanka Army said that the armed forces and police have taken several measures to educate the troops under their command of their legal and moral obligations to respect, and voluntarily and consistently comply with, international humanitarian law, and to protect the human rights of innocent civilians in the course of performing their duties.
The programme was led by Captain Pete A. Pedrozo, Staff Advocate Judge with the US Navy, and a four member team, who were appreciated by the Sri Lanka Defence authorities for providing additional knowledge pertaining to the subject.
Courtesy: Government Information Department
Puranawella fishing harbor commissioned
The Fisheries harbor in Puranawella in the Matara District, which was severely damaged in the tsunami, has been fully revitalized with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The Puranawella project is the largest of three fisheries harbours rehabilitated under USAID’s Sri Lanka Tsunami Reconstruction Programme and cost almost US$5 million to complete.
In total USAID efforts to boost the nation’s fishing industry following the 2004 tsunami have assisted over 22,000 fishermen and their families in southern Sri Lanka.
All three projects have been developed in partnership with the Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation under the aegis of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the US embassy in a statement said.
It also said that the harbour is the source of livelihoods for 11,000 fishermen and their families in this tsunami-affected area.
“By helping to rebuild this harbour, the American people have helped improve the livelihoods of fishermen here on the southern tip of Sri Lanka, and thereby strengthened the fishing industry and the local economy,” U.S. Ambassador Robert Blake said at the opening ceremony.
Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Felix Perera and Chairman of the Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation Asanga Abeyagoonasekera were also present at the occasion.
The fishing industry is vital to individual livelihoods in Puranawella and fishing plays an important role in Sri Lanka’s national economy.
The project sought to increase the capacity of Puranawella fisheries harbour. Renovated and extended breakwaters now protect the boats inside the harbour from potentially damaging waves. The auction hall has been renovated; water and sanitation facilities have been enhanced to improve the working conditions for the fishermen, the statement added.
Courtesy: Government Information Department
FM says US report ignored Government’s steps to protect sanctity of Human Life
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rohitha Bogollagama in a detailed response to the US Country Report on Human Rights Practices–2007 stated that it has pointedly ignored the many steps adopted by the Government to protect the sanctity of human life, and uphold fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
In a letter forwarding the Government’s response, addressed to US Ambassador Robert Blake, the Foreign Minister has referred to the preliminary response that had been conveyed to him when he (Blake) was called into the Ministry on March 14, 2008. At that meeting the Minister expressed the concern of the Sri Lankan Government on the substance of the report which presented a distorted view of the actual situation in Sri Lanka during the year 2007 and appears to have been based on unsubstantiated allegations.
The Foreign Minister regretted that none of the positive steps taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to address the concerns on human rights had been reflected in the US State Department Report on Sri Lanka. Minister Bogollagama conveyed the expectation that the US Report would stand corrected in light of the facts contained in the Government response.
He added that it had been observed that the approach of the US Report towards Sri Lanka was critical and judgmental, and such a slant undermined the objectivity and impartiality of the report.
The preamble of the response of the Government highlighted the fact that Sri Lanka is a vibrant multi-party democracy which accords the highest importance to the preservation and promotion of human rights, in keeping with the Government’s constitutional obligations and the rule of law. In recent decades, LTTE terrorism has affected Sri Lanka’s economic and social progress and the welfare of its people. However, it was possible for the Government to clear the Eastern Province last year from the LTTE presence and enable the people of the area to enjoy the fruits of democracy. The Government is determined to clear the remaining pockets in the Northern Province of the LTTE menace and restore the democratic process in those areas as well.
Minister Bogollagama underlined the failure of the US Report to reflect the difficult environment in which the Government operates, namely, promoting and protecting human rights whilst fighting a terrorist organization banned by the US, India, UK, EU and Canada, and described as ‘among the most dangerous and deadly extremists in the world’ by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The Government response referred to a recent FBI report, which described the LTTE as a terrorist organization which ‘has perfected the use of suicide bombers, invented the suicide belt, pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks, murdered some 4,000 people in the past two years alone, assassinated two world leaders – the only terrorist organization to do so.’
It was pointed out in the Government response that the US Report did not refer to the terrorist attacks committed by the LTTE against civilians including women and children, in sufficient detail. In particular, the indifference shown in the report towards the murders of school children by the LTTE, and neglected to reflect the facts in their proper context, could be seen as deeply offending to the feelings and sentiments of the families of the victims and the general public of Sri Lanka.
The Government’s response reaffirmed that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and mutually reinforcing and that all human rights must be accorded equal weight. Sri Lanka’s socio-economic indicators compare well with those of other medium income countries. In the 2007 Human Development Index, Sri Lanka ranked 99 out of 177 countries, the highest in South Asia. Amongst countries affected by conflict, Sri Lanka is unique in that the administrative machinery and infrastructure facilities in uncleared areas affected by the conflict, are funded and maintained substantially by the Government, despite the fact that some of these funds are known to be siphoned off by the LTTE.
Moreover, it was pointed out that Sri Lanka is a Party to the seven core international human rights instruments. Sri Lanka is also a State Party to other related instruments including the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 relating to armed conflict and international humanitarian law. Furthermore, Sri Lanka enacted enabling legislation in 2006 (Act No. 4 of 2006) to fully implement obligations under the Geneva Conventions.
The Government of Sri Lanka expressed its deep appreciation of the pro-active measures taken by the US Government to stop the procurement of weapons by the LTTE as well as to curb fund raising by the LTTE and its front organizations.
The Government’s response underscored the fact that Sri Lanka and the US, are thriving democracies and have a shared and abiding interest in promoting and protecting human rights and therefore it should be the common endeavour of the two countries to engage in a constructive dialogue, which would further strengthen the existing bilateral friendly relations.
The response of the Government concluded with the expectation that the US Congress would take cognizance of the matters presented in its submission so that they would be able to understand the issues in a more balanced manner and also take necessary action to prevent the recurrence of such erroneous and biased reports being presented to it in the future.
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