Protecting Human Rights in Sri Lanka

By pearlaction | July 20, 2011 |

[Huffington Post] U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to India this week offers a vital opportunity for the world’s two greatest democracies to jointly promote their common values supporting freedom and civil rights in South Asia — a region where extremism and China’s influence continues to grow. More specifically, the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue must…

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Sri Lanka weighs options for foreign borrowing

By pearlaction | December 19, 2008 |

[Reuters] Sri Lanka said on Friday it is looking at “alternate sources” of foreign borrowing after a sovereign rating cut this week that analysts expected would drive up the cost of loans. Sri Lanka, weighed down by the cost of a campaign against separatist rebels, needs $2.1 billion in foreign borrowing for 2009, out of…

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In Sri Lanka, Fear of Being ‘Disappeared’

By pearlaction | April 1, 2008 |

[Washington Post] Under a recent military offensive to wipe out those rebels, government forces have abducted hundreds of members of the Tamil minority group, including civilians, according to human rights groups. Many of the “disappeared” never turn up again. Rights activists say Sri Lanka’s growing ties with Iran, China and Russia have emboldened the government…

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Take Aid From China and Take a Pass on Human Rights

By pearlaction | March 9, 2008 |

[NY Times] FOR 25 years, the dirty little war on this island in the Indian Ocean has stretched its octopus arms across the world. The ethnic Tamil diaspora has provided vital funding for separatist rebels; remittances from Sri Lankan workers abroad have propped up the economy; the government has relied on foreign assistance to battle…

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