May 26, Colombo (LNW): The Government Pharmacists Association has highlighted a significant shortage of approximately 2,000 pharmacists within Sri Lanka’s healthcare system.
The healthcare system should ideally comprise 4,000 pharmacists, and this shortfall could precipitate a crisis in the health sector, Thushara Ranadeva, Chairman of the Association, warned.
Ranadeva emphasised that the current number of pharmacists is not proportionate to the number of hospitals in the country.
The circumstance underscores the vital role pharmacists play in the effective provision of medications to patients, he added.
Ranadeva further criticised the Ministry of Health and other relevant officials for failing to implement sufficient measures to address this critical issue.
UN Report Calls for International Prosecutions for Enforced Disappearances
(Geneva, May 23, 2024) – Sri Lankan authorities have threatened and detained Tamils commemorating those who died or went missing in the country’s civil war, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 17, 2024, the United Nations human rights office issued a report calling for international prosecutions and other accountability measures to address the thousands of unresolved cases of enforced disappearances in the war, which ended on May 18, 2009.
“The Sri Lankan government is in denial about atrocities its forces committed during the civil war, so it tries to silence victims and their communities instead of providing truth, justice, and reparations,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s clear that more international action is needed to bring relief to victims and prevent a recurrence of abuses.”
Prior to the May 18 anniversary, police in Sri Lanka’s north and east attempted to disrupt commemoration events. In Trincomalee, they detained four people for seven days for serving “kanji,” a rice porridge symbolic of the starvation conditions many civilians suffered at the end of the war. The authorities also obtained court orders to prevent some relatives of forcibly disappeared people and others from attending events. At some locations, police intervened to prevent events from proceeding, or to block people from reaching them.
In the war’s final months in 2009, the Sri Lankan military bombarded “no fire zones” it had designated, killing tens of thousands of Tamil civilians, while the retreating separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) used civilians as human shields. After the LTTE’s final defeat, the Sri Lankan army forcibly disappeared an unknown number of people; many are believed to have been extrajudicially executed.
Enforced disappearances are defined under international law as the arrest or detention of a person by the authorities followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty, or to reveal the person’s fate or whereabouts.
On May 17 the UN Sri Lanka Accountability Project, established in 2021 to collect evidence of international crimes for use in future prosecutions, published a report on enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka. It found that in 15 years there has been no “tangible progress in realizing victims’ rights,” and therefore “there remains a real risk of recurrence.”
The Accountability Project said that foreign governments should “use all available forms of leverage” to press the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure truth, justice, and reparations for victims. It also calls for “investigations and prosecution [in foreign courts] using universal jurisdiction,” and “the appropriate imposition of targeted sanctions.”
Under the legal principle of universal jurisdiction, countries can prosecute individuals for serious international crimes committed elsewhere. While no country has yet issued an arrest warrant in relation to enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, prosecutors from several countries have contacted the Accountability Project seeking evidence that may support future cases.
Since the 1970s, tens of thousands of people have been “disappeared” in Sri Lanka, about 90 percent of them believed to have been abducted by state security forces. The Sri Lankan government has previously acknowledged that between 1988 and 1990 alone around 27,000 people were forcibly disappeared. Victims include people deemed to be members or supporters of opposition armed groups, as well as journalists, and human rights defenders.
Many relatives of the disappeared, often their mothers and wives, have campaigned for years to press the government to provide information about what happened to them and to see those responsible brought to justice. The relatives often face harassment and surveillance from security and intelligence agencies.
A woman campaigning for justice for her husband, who disappeared in 2000, told Human Rights Watch in 2023 that, “Since my husband was abducted, I lost my freedom to do routine activities.… Even if I go to the market or temple, [security officers] ask, ‘Where are you going?’”
In September 2023, a judge fled the country, having received death threats after ordering the investigation of a mass grave that had recently been accidentally uncovered. Among those appointed in recent years as commissioners of the Office of Missing Persons, the government agency that is supposed to establish what happened to the disappeared, was a former senior police officer who had responsibility for units accused of carrying out enforced disappearances.
Although reported disappearances have declined in recent years, in the absence of reform or accountability, the practice remains entrenched within security forces. On March 14, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka asked the attorney general to investigate evidence that police had held a man in secret detention in April, assaulted him, and threatened to kill him.
The Sri Lankan government should immediately carry out the UN report’s recommendations, Human Rights Watch said, including acknowledging the scale of enforced disappearances, pursuing prompt and credible investigations, seeking international technical assistance to investigate mass graves, establishing an independent prosecutorial authority, and repealing legislation that enables abuses, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Foreign governments and UN agencies should also implement the report’s recommendations, including “using all forms of leverage” to press the Sri Lankan government to act, providing technical assistance for exhumations, pursuing prosecutions abroad under universal jurisdiction, and stricter vetting of Sri Lankan personal involved in UN peacekeeping operations, Human Rights Watch said. “Sri Lanka has a horrific record on enforced disappearances that causes profound suffering to victims’ families and puts the country at risk of future violations,” Pearson said. “It is vitally important for the UN Human Rights Council to renew the Sri Lanka Accountability Project’s mandate in September, and for prosecutors around the world to make use of the evidence gathered to bring those responsible to justice.”
High Commission of India, Colombo has organized a Special Exhibition titled ‘Buddham Sharanam Gacchami’ showcasing works on the life of Lord Buddha by iconic masters of modern Indian art, as a part of the Buddha Rashmi National Vesak Festival at Seemamalakaya, Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo.
2. The Exhibition opened as the Buddha Rashmi Zone jointly organised by the President’s Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office and Gangaramaya Temple was inaugurated by President of Sri Lanka, H.E. Ranil Wickremesinghe. The inauguration event was attended by High Commissioner H.E. Santosh Jha, senior Ministers and other dignitaries on 23 May 2024.
3. A highlight of the exhibition is a digital immersive experience captivating visitors into an exploration of visual allure and spiritual essence of Buddhist art, embodying universal values of wisdom, compassion, and peace. The exhibition was curated by the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, India, with its first showing in New Delhi on the occasion of Vesak in May 2023.
4. The Exhibition is open for public viewing from 23 May 2024 7pm onwards until 26 May 2024.
May 26, Colombo (LNW): In anticipation of the forthcoming elections, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will commence its Constituency Conferences today (26).
The inaugural conference for the Kalawewa constituency is scheduled to take place at the Talawa Bus Station.
SLPP spokesperson Sanjeewa Edirimanne announced that the district meetings will be organised by district leaders S. M. Chandrasena and S. M. Ranjith.
Edirimanne further stated that the first phase of the Constituency Conference initiative will encompass 50 conferences.
May 26, Colombo (LNW): The Parliament Committee on Public Finances (COPF) has once again postponed its inquiry into the contentious VFS Global deal concerning the new visa issuance process, citing the unavailability of key government officials, Committee Chairman, MP (Dr.) Harsha de Silva disclosed.
Silva had previously criticised officials from the Ministry of Public Security and the Department of Immigration and Emigration for failing to attend a scheduled inquiry on 14 May regarding the controversial new visa-on-arrival scheme.
He added that the rescheduled inquiry will take place on June 04, 2024.
#COPF meeting on #VFSfiasco postponed again due to Govt officials' unavailability on May 28th. New date: June 4th. We've uncovered many details & will release everything after the final meeting. COPF is committed to exposing the truth behind the controversial GBS/IVS tender.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe asserts there are plans underway to establish a dedicated commission to enforce legal measures aimed at empowering women, in a move to safeguarding women’s rights: assures the passing of the Gender Equality Bill before the end of June, and expressed hope for unanimous support from the MPs.
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Constituency Conference is set to commence today, aiming the upcoming elections: Kalawewa Constituency Conference will be held today at Talawa Bus station today: SLPP Sanjeewa Edirimanne says the organisation of district meetings will be chaired by district leaders S.M. Chandrasena and S.M. Ranjith: adds under first phase of the Constituency Conference, 50 conferences will be held.
NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake responds to the SJB’s claim that a JVP member has joined the SJB: refutes the claim, clarifying that the person in question is not a JVP member but an SLFP candidate who submitted nominations for the local government election for the Bendiwewa Division of the Polonnaruwa Municipal Council, known as Hitihamilage Saman Kumara: accuses the SJB of hoodwinking the people by any means necessary.
The Customs Department warns the public of a job offering scam for job seekers in the Department: Dept Spokesman Sivali Arukgoda says they have received many complaints in this regard: adds this scheme is being executed targeting exam candidates of the state sector: asserts there is no such way of joining the customs and that only those who obtain high marks in the competitive exam will be recruited.
Sources say that the draft bill proposing the decriminalisation of consensual same-sex conduct between adults thereby safeguarding the rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals in Sri Lanka is set to meet Parliament scrutiny in the first week of June: The bill was presented by SLPP MP Premnath Dolawatte.
The Meteorology Department warns that the Deep Depression over East central Bay of Bengal has intensified into a Cyclonic storm and located near 18.8°N and 89.5°E at 05.30 p.m. of 25th May: Named “Remal”, the storm is very likely to move northwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by 26th May morning: adds thereafter, it would move northwards and cross Bangladesh and adjoining west Bengal coasts by 26th May midnight.
The National Building Research Organisation issues a potential landslide warning for seven districts: The Padukka, Seethawaka DSD and surrounding areas in the Colombo District, the Attanagalla DSD and surrounding areas in the Gampaha District, the Dodangoda, Walallawita, Agalawatta, Palindanuwara, Horana, Ingiriya, Bulathsinhala and Mathugama DSD and surrounding areas in the Kalutara District, Udapalatha, Udunuwara, Ganga Ihala Korale, Yatinuwara, Ududumbara, Pasbage Korale, Kandy Four Gravets or Gangawata Korale DSD and surrounding areas in the Kandy District, Aranayake, Kegalle, Dehiowita, Ruwanwella, Deraniyagala, Yatiyanthota, Bulathkohupitiya, Warakapola, Mawanella and Galigamuwa DSD and surrounding areas in the Kegalle District, along with along with the Kotmale, Ambagamuwa DSD and surrounding areas in the Nuwara Eliya District have been issued possible landslide warnings: The Nivithigala, Pelmadulla, Opanayake, Kahawatta, Kiriella, Ratnapura, Ayagama, Kalawana, Eheliyagoda, Kuruwita, Balangoda, Elapatha, Imbulpe DSDs and the surrounding areas of the Ratnapura District have been alerted to possible landslides.
The Disaster Mgt Centre (DMC) says spill gates at several reservoirs have been opened due to the adverse weather and the high rainfall in the catchment areas: adds six spill gates of the Deduru Oya Reservoir in the Kurunegala district have been opened for four feet: notes four spill gates of the Thabbowa Wewa have been opened, and two spill gates of the Kala Wewa, one spill gate of the Kukule Ganga Reservoir, and three spill gates of the Polgolla Dam have also been opened: urges those living in low-lying areas to be vigilant over possible floods with the continuous rain during the next few days.
The CIABOC officers arrest the Judge of the Udathalawinna Quazi Court on the allegation of soliciting and accepting a bribe of Rs. 4,500 to issue the divorce certificate of the judgement issued by the Quazi Court: The judge was arrested based on a complaint by a female resident of Rajawella, and is to be produced before the Teldeniya Magistrate’s Court.
The SLC vehemently refutes the allegations levelled by MP Hesha Withanage concerning the SLC President, the Tournament Director of the LPL, and other SLC officials being involved in a match-fixing scandal related to the LPL: clarifies that SLC’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of cricket led to the engagement of ICC ACU officials in the process, and it was these ICC ACU officials who informed the Special Investigation Unit for the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports suspicious activities involving one of the owners of the Dambulla team: adds the event led to the arrest made by local police authorities: stands firm in its ‘dedication to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and transparency’ in cricket.
May 26, Colombo (LNW): The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) issued a potential landslide warning for seven districts.
Accordingly, the following areas have been issued possible landslide warnings:
The Padukka, Seethawaka Divisional Secretariat Division (DSD) and surrounding areas in the Colombo District,
The Attanagalla DSD and surrounding areas in the Gampaha District,
The Dodangoda, Walallawita, Agalawatta, Palindanuwara, Horana, Ingiriya, Bulathsinhala and Mathugama DSD and surrounding areas in the Kalutara District,
Udapalatha, Udunuwara, Ganga Ihala Korale, Yatinuwara, Ududumbara, Pasbage Korale, Kandy Four Gravets or Gangawata Korale DSD and surrounding areas in the Kandy District,
The Aranayake, Kegalle, Dehiowita, Ruwanwella, Deraniyagala, Yatiyanthota, Bulathkohupitiya, Warakapola, Mawanella and Galigamuwa DSD and surrounding areas in the Kegalle District,
The Kotmale, Ambagamuwa DSD and surrounding areas in the Nuwara Eliya District
The Nivithigala, Pelmadulla, Opanayake, Kahawatta, Kiriella, Ratnapura, Ayagama, Kalawana, Eheliyagoda, Kuruwita, Balangoda, Elapatha, Imbulpe DSDs and the surrounding areas of the Ratnapura District.
May 26, Colombo (LNW): The spill gates belonging to several reservoirs have been opened due to the ongoing inclement weather conditions and the high rainfall in the catchment areas, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said in a statement.
Accordingly, six spill gates of the Deduru Oya Reservoir in the Kurunegala District have been opened for four feet.
The DMC added that four spill gates of the Thabbowa Wewa, two spill gates of the Kala Wewa, one spill gate of the Kukule Ganga Reservoir, and three spill gates of the Polgolla Dam have also been opened.
The DMC urged those living in low-lying areas of the aforementioned areas to remain vigilant over possible floods with the ongoing rainfall during the next few days.
May 26, Colombo (LNW): President Ranil Wickremesinghe asserted that there are plans underway to establish a dedicated commission to enforce legal measures aimed at empowering women, in a move to safeguarding women’s rights.
The President made this remark during the inaugurating ceremony of the “Centre of Excellence for Women’s Healthcare” at the Kilinochchi District General Hospital yesterday (25) morning, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD).
The President assured the passing of the Gender Equality Bill before the end of June, and expressed hope for unanimous support from the MPs.
Full Statement:
“The inauguration of the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health Services signifies a significant milestone in serving the women of our nation. We have implemented various special measures to empower women, reaffirming our commitment to their well-being.
In our country, there has been a notable absence of laws safeguarding women’s rights beyond the basic provisions outlined in the Constitution. To address this gap, we have introduced two new drafts to Parliament aimed at enhancing women’s rights.
The Women’s Empowerment Act proposes essential provisions to legally empower women, including the establishment of a dedicated commission for their implementation. Furthermore, we aim to pass the gender equality draft by the end of June, currently undergoing review by the courts before submission to Parliament, with anticipation for unanimous support.
Our commitment to protecting women’s rights extends to enacting laws against violence and ensuring equal opportunities for women in workplace promotions and transfers. We anticipate the formal legalisation of women’s rights and pledge to operate within this framework.
Additionally, we prioritise the safety of women within their homes. These proposed women’s rights bills are readily accessible on our website, and we encourage everyone to familiarise themselves with them.
Furthermore, we plan to launch a specialised educational programme to raise awareness about women’s rights and empower them accordingly.”
