Sri Lanka rules out outside probe

By pearlaction | May 31, 2009 |

[ BBC ] Sri Lanka has dismissed calls for an independent inquiry into claims of human rights abuses by the military, saying its own courts will investigate. Foreign minister Rohita Bogollagama said the claims were being used to boost accusations of genocide against the country’s Tamil minority. Aid agencies and the United Nations have called…

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UN, partners step up efforts to help uprooted in Sri Lanka

By pearlaction | May 31, 2009 |

[ UN News Centre ] The United Nations, along with dozens of partner agencies, are working to improve basic conditions in camps housing people who fled the recently-ended conflict in northern Sri Lanka, it was announced today. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that since the arrival of the last…

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U.N. rights chief calls for Sri Lanka investigation

By pearlaction | May 26, 2009 |

[ Reuters ] The United Nations’ refugee chief called on Tuesday for an international investigation to determine if Sri Lankan government forces and Tamil rebels had committed war crimes. Ensuring accountability for abuses committed in the recent fighting was important for the island nation’s national reconciliation, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said.…

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U.N. official: Sri Lanka ceasefire ‘inadequate’

By pearlaction | April 16, 2009 |

[ CNN ] The United Nations humanitarian chief Wednesday criticized a two-day pause in the fighting between the Sri Lankan army and Tamil Tiger rebels as “inadequate.” John Holmes, the under secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, told reporters that the 48-hour break in hostilities was not sufficient, even as fighting resumed…

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Sri Lankan Civilians Need Protection

By pearlaction | April 15, 2009 |

[ VoA ] The United Nations estimates that trapped with the rebels are over 100,000 civilians who are taking refuge in the no-fire zone. According to the U.N., the no-fire area is being shelled by the Sri Lankan military, and the rebels are firing back. Human Rights Watch, a New York-based non-governmental human rights advocacy…

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