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The Sri Lankan government should drop plans to resume executions, which would end an unofficial 43-year moratorium in the country, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 31, 2019, President Maithripala Sirisena said that a date had been set to resume carrying out the death penalty in drug trafficking cases.

Sirisena renewed calls for the death penalty following a visit to the Philippines in January, during which he called President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs” an “example to the world.” In March, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, reported to the UN Human Rights Council that up to 27,000 people have been killed in the Philippines’ anti-drug campaign. The UN, nongovernmental organizations including Human Rights Watch, and the media have linked the killings of alleged drug dealers and users to the police and police-backed vigilantes.

“There is no reason to bring the death penalty back to Sri Lanka after a four-decade moratorium,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “President Sirisena’s decision to restore the death penalty because he was inspired by the Philippine’s murderous ‘drug war’ may be the worst possible justification and would violate international law.”

The death penalty has not been carried out in Sri Lanka since 1976. Currently, 1,299 prisoners – 1,215 men and 84 women – are on Sri Lanka’s death row after having been convicted for capital offenses, including 48 for drug crimes. In February, the government began advertising in local newspapers for a hangman, seeking male candidates between ages 18 and 45 with “excellent moral character” and “a very good mind and mental strength.”

The alleged deterrent effect of the death penalty has been repeatedly debunked, Human Rights Watch said. In 2015, the UN assistant secretary-general for human rights, Ivan Šimonović, stated that there was “no evidence that the death penalty deters any crime.” Even with respect to murder, an Oxford University analysis concluded that capital punishment does not deter “murder to a marginally greater extent than does the threat and application of the supposedly lesser punishment of life imprisonment.”

The UN has also opposed the use of the death penalty for drug-related crimes. In a March 2010 report, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime called for an end to the death penalty and specifically urged member countries to prohibit the use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses, and called on countries to take an overall “human rights-based approach to drug and crime control.” In its 2014 annual report, the International Narcotics Control Board, the agency charged with monitoring compliance with UN drug control conventions, encouraged countries to abolish the death penalty for drug offenses.

Imposing the death penalty for drug offenses would violate Sri Lanka’s international human rights obligations, Human Rights Watch said. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Sri Lanka is party, states in article 6 on the right to life that the death penalty “may be imposed only for the most serious crimes.” The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors state compliance with the covenant, said in a 2018 general comment that “most serious crimes” applies “only to crimes of extreme gravity, involving intentional killing. Crimes not resulting directly and intentionally in death, such as … drug … offences, although serious in nature, can never serve as the basis, within the framework of article 6, for the imposition of the death penalty.”

Sri Lanka was one of the first countries in South Asia to cease carrying out the death penalty. In December 2018, Sri Lanka joined 120 countries at the UN General Assembly that voted in favor of a resolution on the “Moratorium on the use of the death penalty.” Only 35 countries voted against the resolution. Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances because it is inherently cruel and irreversible.

“The Sri Lankan government should publicly recommit to its moratorium on the use of the death penalty with a view to permanently abolishing the practice,” Ganguly said. “Executions, whether imposed by a judge or carried out unlawfully by the police, are not the way to address drug offenses.”

Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera said that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) was responsible for destroying the SLFP.

Speaking at a public rally yesterday (21), he stated that the activities of the SLPP during the past year and a half has caused severe damage to the SLFP.

However, he also said that the SLFP and the SLPP have agreed to another round of talks between the two parties scheduled to take place on April 10th.

More than 30,000 children in Sri Lanka will benefit from the new literacy programme launched in their districts, thanks to the partnership of Dubai Cares and Save the Children.

A delegation from Dubai Cares recently visited Sri Lanka to launch the programme that aims to improve children’s literacy levels in the Northern and Southern Provinces of Sri Lanka where there is a critical need to improve the quality of education.

The $1 million (Dh3.6 million) project has three main pillars mainly assessing students’ current literacy levels; building the capacity of teachers, school administrators and government in supporting children’s literacy skills; and working with the community to promote reading awareness and strong language development.

The new programme was driven by the success of the first programme of Dubai Cares in Sri Lanka. It is also expected to indirectly benefit 7,500 children, 1,000 teachers and 13,900 parents through teacher training and community-based activities.

Commenting from the field on the importance of the new programme, Abdullah Ahmad Al Shehhi, Chief Operating Officer at Dubai Cares, said Dubai Cares is encouraged by the success of its first programme in Sri Lanka, which demonstrated the high impact of Literacy Boost within the country’s education system.

“By building up on the success of the first program, we are helping to tackle the education gaps through expanding our reach to more districts throughout the country, as well as supporting the Ministry of Education to phase-in Literacy Boost in every primary school in Sri Lanka.”

Dana Jawad Amr, Programmes Officer at Dubai Cares, added: “From student assessments to capacity-building for teachers and administrators, we are proud to support the creation of skills-based curricula that can embed literacy components and be used by teachers effectively in their pedagogy.”

The Dubai Cares delegation also met with Vijayakala Maheswaran, State Minister of Education in Sri Lanka, and Save the Children’s in-country and global teams, including Helen l’Anson, Country Director.

I’Anson said the Literacy Boost approach helps children improve key reading skills through a mix of school, community and home-based activities.

The Export- Import Bank of China (EXIM Bank) has agreed to provide a concessional loan amounting to US$ 989 million covering 85% of the contract price, for the Central Expressway Project - Section 1 from Kadawatha to Meerigama.  

The total estimated cost of the project is US$ 1,164 million. Furthermore, this loan is the single largest loan approved by the EXIM Bank for Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.    

Since, the implementation of the Section 2 of the Central Expressway has already been commenced with the financial assistance of local commercial banks, this loan facility from China EXIM Bank will facilitate the speedy implementation of Kadawatha –Meerigama section ensuring the connectivity of the expressway network up to Kurunagala.
 
Accordingly, the loan agreement was signed today (22) by Dr. R H S Samarathunga, Secretary, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka and Cheng Xueyuan, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Embassy of China in Sri Lanka on behalf of the Export – Import (EXIM) Bank of China at the Ministry of Finance.

In the process of overcoming economic and social challenges presented before the country, president Maithripala Sirisena said that the intervention of intellectuals is more important than the role of the politicians.  

The president made this remark while participating in the inaugural ceremony of the “INNOVATE SRI LANKA 2019” exhibition held at the BMICH.

This exhibition is organized simultaneously to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Innovation, Invention and Venture Creation Council of Sri Jayawardenapura University.

The president inspected many exhibits accompanied by the Vice-Chancellor of the Sri Jayewardenepura University Prof. Sampath Amarathunga and Vidyajyothi Dr. Bandula Wijey, an international ambassador for Science and Technology.

Swarnavahini management has sacked 15 of its employees today. The sacking comes after a majority of its employees formed the first trade union in a private television channel this week. Writing to the staff members whose contracts were terminated the management had claimed the group had used the company parking space without permission along with the property of the company to hold a meeting. The employees have now been barred from entering the premises.

However, as a result, the morning programs of the station were not aired today as the staff stayed away from work in protest of the management and its decision to let go of 15 staff members. The union meeting held yesterday was attended by the majority of the staff sources said.

Following the defeat of the expenditure heads of two ministries of government on Thursday, the Assistant Chief Government Whip, MP Prof. Ashu Marasinghe of the ruling United National Party has resigned from his post.
 
Marasinghe said the decision to resign was taken at the committee stage budget vote held yesterday.
 
The expenditure heads of the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development Ministry headed by Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka and of Minister Vajira Abeywardena's Internal and Home Affairs and Provincial Councils and Local Government were defeated yesterday in an unexpected move during the committee stage of the Budget 2019 when the opposition unexpectedly called for a division while most of the government members were absent.
 
Prof. Marasinghe, speaking to media today, said he was disappointed that he could not fulfill his role as the Assistant Chief Whip of the government and accordingly decided to resign from the post. He said the Prime Minister and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has accepted his resignation.
 
Marasinghe stressed that he will be committed to providing a strong contribution to the party and the government in the future. (Colombo Page)

Parliamentarian Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka claims there is ample evidence to prove that Former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda was involved in the disappearance of 11 youth by a Navy abduction gang. 

He also said it is not fair that various groups are intervening when the CID is attempting to file charges against him. The MP made these comments when questioned by media at an event held recently.

Dismissing an alleged statement made by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore that the Government of Sri Lanka has not provided any documents requesting for the deportation of a person from that country, the President's Media Division (PMD) in a statement said today that Sri Lanka had made an official request on May 28, 2018 through the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence at diplomatic level to extradite Arjun Mahendran to Sri Lanka. 

" Subsequently, the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed the relevant Sri Lankan authorities, including the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, that the attention of the Attorney-General of Singapore has already been drawn regarding the request made by Sri Lanka," the statement said.

The extradition law applicable to Singapore is the Extradition Act enforced in that country. Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation, by its submission 8266/2018-B, to the Fort Magistrate states that the former Governor of the Central Bank has committed an offence that falls within offence No.18 in Section 2 of the Extradition Act of Singapore.

"Based on that report, the INTERPOL has issued a Red Notice on April 19, 2018, and the said Red Notice has also been attached to the extradition request made from the Singaporean government", the statement said.  

During the recent official visit made by President Maithripala Sirisena to Singapore, the President made a request to extradite Mahendran to Sri Lanka based on that foundation. 

Accordingly, the Sri Lankan government has provided the core information necessary for the Singaporean government to extradite Mahendran, and it has also been requested, on that basis, a warrant to be issued against him through the officials of the government of Singapore, the PMD said.

It was also revealed that the Attorney-General of Singapore has informed the Sri Lankan counterpart through the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry to further explain the accusations leveled against Arjun Mahendran and, at present, the Sri Lankan Attorney-General is preparing a detailed report to be submitted to Singapore according to the recent letter received from them.

Marini de Livera was at the grand opening of a rural community’s first schoolhouse library when she got word she had been replaced.

Then the chairperson of Sri Lanka’s National Child Protection Authority, de Livera had made enemies by aggressively investigating child abuse — even when her work led her to the doorsteps of influential politicians. And when public ridicule, death threats and roadblocks from her own government failed to stop de Livera’s investigations, she was simply removed from her position.

Luckily for the children of Sri Lanka, that didn’t stop her either.

De Livera was one for 10 women from around the globe who were honored by the U.S. Department of State during the 2019 International Women of Courage Awards. The program — which recognizes women who put their own lives and personal safety at risk to help others — brings the award winners to the U.S. to share their experiences and to learn from the experiences of their American peers.

As part of her trip, de Livera spent a week in Pensacola discussing her work at Sisters at Law, a child protection organization she founded after being ousted from the National Child Protection Authority. Through Sisters at Law, de Livera serves as a pro bono lawyer for women and child crime victims, as well as promotes alternative care for children trapped in orphanages.

During a tour of Pensacola sponsored by the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council and the federal International Visitor Leadership Program, de Livera met officials from local child protection organizations such as the State Attorney’s Office, the Gulf Coast Kid’s House and Guardian Ad Litem.

De Livera came away energized with new ideas to take home, and thankful that her efforts were being acknowledged.

“I’ve never been appreciated,” she said with a wry laugh. “On the contrary, there’s been so much negativity from everyone around me. The work that I do is a losing battle.”

Sri Lanka is an island nation of about 21 million people off the south-eastern coast of India. De Livera estimated that the population includes about 20,000 children who are trapped in orphanages, and that many of those kids wind up as victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

Explaining the number of orphans, de Livera said, “The poorer people in Sri Lanka think the children will be sent to school and well looked after. They have this notion that because they are in the slums and they don’t have the conditions to bring up a child, that the orphanages are better.”

The children often end up in conditions worse than the ones they left, according to de Livera.

De Livera was appointed as the NCPA chairperson in April 2017, and she used her position to advocate for children in poverty, as well as for women who leave home seeking economic opportunity and end up victims of violence and trafficking. 

“I would very proactively bring investigations of child abuse,” she said. “I got so many threats from politicians and people who are affected by my investigations, but I continued with my work.”

That was until April 7, 2018, when de Livera’s subordinates learned via text message that a new chairperson had been appointed to replace her. De Livera said she was upset for about two or three hours, then she resolved to continue her work.

“I decided to set up my own organization which is a hybrid between a law firm and a charity known as Sisters at Law,” de Livera said.

De Livera provides free legal services to indigent children and families, as well as helps give parents skills training, assistance finding housing and other services that may help them keep their families intact. She also works to inform families in rural communities of their rights.

After a young girl was raped and murdered in Sri Lanka, de Livera wrote and illustrated a children’s book giving steps on how children can recognize signs they are in danger, ways to get out of dangerous situations and how to report them to adults.

De Livera adapted the book into a traveling street theater performance that she and her team have performed in towns and villages across the country. De Livera said her funding and manpower are limited, and that she would welcome any attorneys or performers who would be willing to volunteer their services in Sri Lanka on a temporary basis.

“Legal aid goes hand in hand with legal literacy,” she said. “If people are not aware of the laws, if people are not aware of the fundamental rights that are enshrined in the constitution, they will not go to an attorney and they will not seek help ... . As long as the people are ignorant of their rights, the perpetrators and all the powers that be will be very happy because they can do their own thing.”

More information about De Livera, Sisters at Law and her visit to Pensacola are available at her Facebook page. 

The U.S. Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Awards are now in their 13th year, and since their inception, the State Department has honored more than 120 women from more than 65 different countries.

The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that partners with the U.S. Department of State to bring up-and-coming foreign visitors participating in the International Visitor Leadership Program to Northwest Florida. The organization’s mission is to create and encourage collaboration between like-minded resident who value sharing our region with the rest of the world.

The body of Rafeeq Abdul Razak, who died of a heart attack in Saudi Arabia on February 27, had finally arrived at the Cochin International Airport on Thursday, or at least, that is what his family thought when they received his coffin. However, a few hours later, they were in for the shock of their lives when they opened the coffin on their way to Rafeeq’s native place in Kummannoor, Pathanamthitta district. It was not Rafeeq’s body; it was the body of a woman in the coffin.

The deceased woman has been identified as a Sri Lankan national. Now, while the woman’s body is in Kerala, Rafeeq’s body is in Colombo in Sri Lanka. “It was a mistake from the part of the Saudi Arabia Airlines at the Jeddah airport,” an official of the airlines in Kochi said.

The identification tags for both the coffins somehow got exchanged at Abha International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Both the bodies were sent to their respective destinations on  Saudi Arabia Airlines, the national carrier of the Kingdom.

“The number for Rafeeq’s coffin was 35, but instead, the number tag of 32 was attached to his coffin,” said Bency Mohan of Navayugam, an organisation in Saudi Arabia that facilitates the repatriation of Indian bodies to their native states.

“When Rafeeq, who was working as a driver in Saudi Arabia, did not turn up for work, his sponsor went to his room and found him dead there,” Bency told TNM. 

His sponsor and the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia helped Rafeeq’s family expedite the paperwork and made sure his body is transported to Kerala.

Now, with both the bodies in different countries, the officials of Saudi Arabian Airlines, also known as Saudia, are working towards exchanging the bodies.

“However, since both the coffins and the shrouds have been opened, the bodies will have to be embalmed again. We will embalm the Sri Lankan woman’s body here. Similarly, Rafeeq’s body will be embalmed in Colombo. So it will take one more day. The Saudia airlines’ offices in Cochin and Colombo are coordinating to exchange the bodies,” the airlines official said.

Former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa says the candidacy of his brother, the Former Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the presidential candidate of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has been confirmed. 

He made these comments at an event while responding to questions posed by media. He also said there has been no proposal to field him or his brother Basil Rajapaksa as the candidate.