Sri Lanka war atrocities video credible: U.N. envoy
[Reuters] Video footage of summary executions apparently committed during the Sri Lankan civil war appears to be convincing evidence of “serious international crimes,” a U.N. special envoy said on Monday. [Full Story]
Read MoreSri Lanka President Rajapaksa defends military’s role
[BBC] Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has defended the conduct of the military during fighting at the end of the country’s protracted civil war. He was speaking at a huge military festival in Colombo to mark the two-year anniversary of the government’s defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels. A UN panel of experts recently accused…
Read MoreSri Lanka: Military Conference to Whitewash War Crimes
[HRW News] Governments should decline the invitation to attend a Sri Lankan military conference that seeks to legitimize the unlawful killing of thousands of civilians during the armed conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Human Rights Watch said today. The Sri Lankan government has invited 54 countries to its “Seminar on Defeating Terrorism:…
Read MoreSri Lanka begins military-led training for university entrants
[Reuters] Sri Lanka on Monday began compulsory military-led training for thousands of university entrants, despite protests by opposition-backed student unions that called it the government’s latest move to militarise the country. [Full Story]
Read MoreSri Lanka students fight military training scheme
[BBC] Student unions in Sri Lanka have objected to a new scheme under which university entrants must undergo three weeks of training in military camps. The unions have petitioned their country’s Supreme Court to stop the programme, which begins on Sunday. Training will include physical drills and conflict management in a bid to increase mental…
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