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Foreign Minister Thilak Marapana said that Sri Lanka’s judiciary and law enforcement mechanisms are fully capable and committed to the processes of advancing justice to all concerned while categorically stating that the government will not be deterred by anyone in fulfilling the undertakings given by us to our people, which will lead to building a peaceful, stable, reconciled and prosperous Sri Lanka for all our citizens. He made these remarks during his statement at the 37th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday.

Highlighting a comprehensive list that demonstrated the progress Sri Lanka has made in the advancement and protection of human rights, reconciliation, and good governance, Foreign Minister Marapana said that the government does not consider the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka as a box-ticking exercise. He further said that Sri Lanka is deeply committed to uphold the rule of law and to ensure the equal protection of the law to all individuals without discrimination as guaranteed under the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

Full text of statement is as follows;

It is an honour for me to be here today at the 37th Session of the UN Human Rights Council representing the Government of Sri Lanka.

I am joined today by my Cabinet colleagues, the Minister of Special Assignments, Hon. (Dr) Sarath Amunugama, and the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, Hon. Faiszer Musthapha. My colleagues and I represent the two main political parties that form the coalition government. We are here before this Council together in unison, to speak with one voice, demonstrating the Government’s firm commitment to the advancement of reconciliation, the rule of law, good governance, human rights, justice, equality, and dignity for all our citizens, based on the 100 Day Programme on which President Maithripala Sirisena was elected in January 2015.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the High Commissioner, the Deputy High Commissioner and the staff of the OHCHR for their consistent and constructive engagement with Sri Lanka, the invaluable technical support extended to us, and for their support and encouragement at all times.

We do not consider the reconciliation process in our country as a box-ticking exercise. We are deeply committed to uphold the rule of law and to ensure the equal protection of the law to all individuals without discrimination as guaranteed under the Constitution of Sri Lanka. We also recognize that we owe our citizens equitable socio-economic development, which can only become possible through the establishment of durable peace and reconciliation. We are making every effort, therefore, Mr. President, despite the socio-political and economic constraints and challenges that we face, to realize our vision of a reconciled, peaceful, stable and prosperous Sri Lanka for all our citizens. In this context, and in response to the High Commissioner’s observations on progress made by Sri Lanka thus far, we wish to place on record our most important achievements since Sri Lanka last addressed this Council at the 34th Session on 28th February 2017. Much progress has been made throughout the course of last year as well as previously, demonstrating Sri Lanka’s firm commitment, willingness and ability to advancing truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence of conflict.

We are mindful, Mr. President, that the reconciliation, judicial and reparation processes are for all affected communities irrespective of race, religion, and gender, including the families of missing security forces personnel.

On Sri Lanka’s Independence Day in February 2015, just a few weeks after President Maithripala Sirisena was elected, the Government made a formal Declaration of Peace, which said “Terrorism and violence have ended. The time and space required for healing and building sustainable peace and security for all is upon us. It is now for us to seize this opportunity to ensure that the fruits of democracy and citizenship can be equitably enjoyed by all.” Mr. President, this continues to be our vision – of all our citizens united, irrespective of ethnicity and religion, working together, overcoming the legacy of tragic conflict and guiding our nation towards durable peace and prosperity.

As you are aware, the action by the Sri Lankan security forces during the conflict was against a group designated as a terrorist group by many countries, and not against any community in our country. The operations of the terrorist group, which for the first time in recent history have deliberately targeted innocent civilians have now been adopted by terrorist groups all over the world. All communities in Sri Lanka were united against terrorism in my country, and now that terrorism has been defeated, all communities today work in unison towards reconciliation and economic progress of the country.

A comprehensive list that demonstrates the progress Sri Lanka has made in the advancement and protection of human rights, reconciliation, and good governance since January 2015 to-date has been distributed to all members of the Council. I will therefore set out some of the most important steps we have taken.

· In September 2017, the President formally operationalized the Permanent Office on Missing Persons, pursuant to the enactment of the Office on Missing Persons Act in August 2016, as amended in July 2017. On the recommendations made by the Constitutional Council, the President appointed the Chairperson and members of the Office on 28 February 2018. At a meeting with the Chairperson and members on 28 February, the President assured them of the fullest support of the Government to ensure the effective functioning of the Office. Sri Lanka Rupees 1.4 billion (approximately 9 million USD) has been allocated in the National Budget for 2018, for this Office. The members selected, in accordance with the provisions of the Act, represent the pluralistic society of Sri Lanka. The appointed members are currently receiving training and studying practices of similar mechanisms elsewhere which will help them to discharge their mandate effectively.

· Over 70% of private land which had been with the security forces during the conflict period has now been released to be given to their original and rightful owners. A Committee chaired by the Secretary to the President was set up in January 2018, which will continue to meet frequently with all relevant local stakeholders to oversee and monitor the process of land release, the payment of compensation, and address connected issues.

· The public is already benefitting from the Right to Information Act which was operationalised in February 2017. The Right to Information Commission is currently functioning effectively, and has disposed of a large volume of appeals.

· Demonstrating its firm commitment to a zero-tolerance policy on torture, Sri Lanka acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture in December 2017, and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is designated as the National Preventive Mechanism.

· The Cabinet of Ministers, on 6 March 2018, approved the formulation of legislation by the Legal Draftsman, for the establishment of an Office for Reparations. Once the draft legislation with translations into local languages is finalised, the draft Bill will be presented to parliament.

· Legislation to give effect to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance was passed by the Parliament on 7 March.

· Continuing its active engagement with the Special Procedures, in July 2017, Sri Lanka received the Special Rapporteur on ‘Countering Terrorism while Promoting and Protecting Human Rights’. In October 2017, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Guarantees of Non-recurrence visited Sri Lanka, and in October 2017, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visited the country.

· Demonstrating our firm commitment to reconciliation and ensuring non-recurrence, Sri Lanka acceded to the Ottawa and Oslo Conventions (Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction and the Convention on Cluster Munitions) on 13 December 2017 and 1 March 2018 respectively, and also received the Special Envoy on the Ottawa Convention earlier this month.

· Sri Lanka participated in reviews of its periodic reports by the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in February 2017, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in June 2017, and the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in January 2018.

· The Prevention of Terrorism Act is proposed to be repealed and replaced with a counter-terrorism law that conforms to human rights safeguards and other international standards. In terms of our Constitution and legal processes, this legislation will be finalized after due parliamentary procedures are followed.

· Amendments were brought to the Local Authorities Election Act and the Provincial Councils Election Act, ensuring a quota to elect female representatives to the Local Government and Provincial Councils, which are important grass-root-level decision-making bodies. At the recently concluded Local Government Elections held on 10 February 2018, the legislation ensuring 25% quota for women was implemented ensuring the election of a record number of women to local government bodies for the first time.

For the effective implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan 2017-2021, a three-tier mechanism was established in December 2017, to regularly monitor progress being made by all the relevant line ministries and agencies, and to give necessary guidance and direction.

Sri Lanka participated in the 3rd cycle of the Universal Periodic Review in November 2017, and its report was adopted on 19 March.oThe draft legislation on a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, taking into account relevant recommendations made by the Consultation Task Force, is now in an advanced stage of consultations and will be submitted, at the earliest, for approval by the Cabinet of Ministers.

As we proceed on this important yet challenging journey, we are conscious of the need for the participation of all sections of our society to ensure that these important transformative steps through legislation and administrative means are well entrenched and duly institutionalised. Our firm commitment is reiterated to all stakeholders to reach consensus on a sustainable basis.

Through our firm resolve to ensure non-recurrence of conflict, we are committed to fulfilling the agenda on reconciliation. This agenda is unprecedented. We have undertaken to implement a vast agenda in a very short time. Such measures have taken most other countries, several decades to implement. Despite challenges, our commitment remains firm because we fully recognize that it is the duty of the State to all victims on all sides, to all communities and most of all to future generations to ensure that we lay the foundation for a stable, peaceful, reconciled and prosperous society. We recognise that we must not leave the burden of having to deal with the difficult legacy of our past, to our future generations.

As a nation we are pained by the recent incidents in a few areas of Sri Lanka targeting members of the Muslim community who represent an integral part of the pluralistic society of Sri Lanka. Such acts which go against our shared vision of a Sri Lanka where equal rights and rule of law are guaranteed for all, have no place in a democratic, pluralistic society. The Government has taken swift action against perpetrators of these incidents and is investigating any lapses that may have taken place. Stringent measures will be initiated to ensure non-recurrence. A victim compensation programme has already commenced. We have reason to believe that certain interested parties were behind this, to tarnish our image at a time when this Council is in session.

Following investigations, as it was discovered that social media and messaging platforms were being used not only to incite and spread hate and false messages but also to organise attacks, the Government was compelled to impose temporary restrictions on the use of social media. All these restrictions have now been lifted. The Government as a result of this experience has entered into active engagement with social media operators, to work with them on the prevention of hate speech. The emergency regulations which the Government was compelled to impose on 06 March 2018 as a measure to protect communities, were rescinded on 17 March 2018.

The reconciliation and development agenda cannot be successfully achieved by Government working alone. The participation of political parties, civil society, academia, the business community, the media as well as the international community are essential for this important national endeavour.

We would like to stress with sincerity and conviction that we will not be deterred by anyone in fulfilling the undertakings given by us to our people, which will lead to building a peaceful, stable, reconciled and prosperous Sri Lanka for all our citizens.

Sri Lanka’s judiciary and law enforcement mechanisms are fully capable and committed to the processes of advancing justice to all concerned. It has a long history of integrity and professionalism and since January 2015, steps have been taken to further strengthen its independence. And may I add, Mr. President, that all reconciliation mechanisms will be implemented in accordance with our Constitution.

The legacy of conflict in Sri Lanka is heavy, and it permeates our society to this day. Extremists constantly strive to take advantage of this situation to achieve political gain. This realization only makes us even more determined to ensure that we never return to the violent days of the past. It is our intention to ensure the fulfilment of our commitments to all our people and bring closure to a sad and disturbing period of our recent history.

Minister Rajitha Senaratne today denied allegations that a Minister from the government is behind the Mahason Balakaya which has been accused of causing the recent communal unrest in Kandy. “All these allegations are lies,” he said when questioned by a journalist at today's cabinet briefing.

Police Media Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara corroborated this statement saying that during questioning and investigations no such claims have been made by the arrested suspects. “They have not revealed any such information,” he said.

According to Senaratne, however, information regarding the connection of an MP has been revealed. “We will reveal this information soon,” he said.

The debate on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will take place on April 04, said the Speaker's Office.

The office stated that time between 9.30 am and 9.30 pm has been allocated for the debate.

The decision to remove Ariyadasa Cooray as the Secretary of the National Police Commission (NPC) was made by the commission itself says Minister of Law and Order Ranjith Madduma Bandara. The Minister denied that any political reason or interference was behind the removal. “It is an independent commission and the government has nothing to do with its decisions,” he said at the cabinet press briefing today.

Certain civil society organizations have levelled allegations claiming that the removal was due to the Secretary requesting a report into the Teldeniya - Digana incident. However, the Minister vehemently denied this.

Meanwhile, sources say the new secretary to the commission will be appointed tomorrow.

Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery has caused a social media uproar after a notice posted in one of its monasteries went viral this week. The notice put up for the benefit of devotees requested them to not give meals prepared by those of other races to monks at the monastery and that monks would not consume such meals. According to the official Facebook page of the Monastery, this was an internal document put up for its devotees and was not meant to be circulated online.

The notice also claimed that similarly pregnant mothers should not be given meals cooked by such individuals as cooks from other races were caught in once instance trying to add ‘sterilization chemicals’ to food being prepared in an attempt to make them infertile. It also goes on to level various accusations at those labelled as ‘Cooks of other races’.

However, the post has now come under fire with many pointing out that it goes against Buddhist tenets while others have questioned the truth of these claims after many medical professionals recently disclaiming the existence of ‘sterilization pills or medicines’ that cause infertility. Some have also questioned as to if there is such a medicine why it would be of concern to monks that do not produce offspring.

The Mahamevnawa Monastery has also been previously criticized by Buddhist clergy for distorting Buddhism.

The notice put up in the monastery which has caused an uproar

Several MPs' from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) have signed the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

State Minister of Lands T.B Ekanayake, Deputy Minister of Public Administration and Management Susantha Punchinilame, Deputy Minister of Ports and Shipping Affairs Nishantha Muthuhettigamage and Vanni district MP Kader Musthan have also signed the motion.

The no-confidence motion with the signatures of 55 MPs' was handed over by the Joint Opposition today to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya.

Civil society activists and anti-corruption organizations have said that Ministers representing the government who signed the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should not be able to function in those ministries.

Appears to be against PM: But actually against government

According to them though the no confidence motion is against the PM, in reality, it has been brought against the government.

 They say that there is no possibility of bringing a no-confidence motion only against the PM according to the Constitution and a no-confidence motion if brought is considered to be against the government under the 19th amendment of the constitution.

According to them, this fact is clear from the no-confidence motion documents presented to the media and therefore the Ministers who signed should not hold posts in the government.

As a result, the three Ministers who signed the no-confidence motion should resign immediately from their respective ministries and they should transfer the privileges granted through the appointment of their ministerial portfolio, including their official vehicles the activists said.

Three government Ministers had signed the no-confidence motion. They have been identified as State Minister of Land, T.B Ekanayake, Deputy Minister of Ports Nishantha Muthuhettigama, and Deputy Minister of Public Administration Susantha Punchinilame.

MR avoids signing the no-confidence motion

The no-confidence motion by the Joint Opposition was presented to the speaker today. While 55 MPs has signed it, however notably former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had failed to sign the document despite previously claiming that he would.

The signed no-confidence motion which was handed over to the Speaker

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that Sri Lanka’s post war economic growth was dominated by a debt funded, state driven construction boom that was unsustainable. He made these remarks at a networking event organised the Board of Investment (BOI), yesterday.

Addressing an audience that comprised of key players in Sri Lanka’s economic development, the Minister said that The focus of this government since coming to power has been to improve the investment climate to encourage further expansion of the existing investments and attract new investors.

“As a part of this economic reform agenda, a number of measures are being implemented to facilitate private investment. These reforms include the elimination of para- tariffs, opening of a “Single Window” for investment approvals, promotion of identified sectors for investment, the establishment of new export-processing investment zones, and digitization of public services”, the Minister said.

Minister Samaraweera said that the government is in the process of entering into new strategic trade agreements with a significant focus on investment. Along with EU GSP + facility, Sri Lanka will have duty free market access to India, China, Pakistan, Singapore and Europe.

“As the FTAs come into effect, investors will have opportunities to link into regional and global value chains, with Sri Lanka as a fulcrum of activity”, Samaraweera said.

He also said that the government is keen to maintain investor confidence as Sri Lanka’s track record in policy stability has not been perfect and underscored the government’s resolve to consolidate a set of rules based, predictable and consistent policy framework.

"Open ended tax holidays have been replaced by targeted capital allowances which directly reward the investment in capital. There are also benefits for investment in R&D and the IT sector, and for investments in the Northern Province. Strategic sectors such as exports, tourism, and IT are taxed at a concessional corporate tax rate of 14%. These incentives are expected to be superior to previous regimes of open ended tax holidays", Samaraweera added.

President Maithripala Sirisena will leave to Pakistan tomorrow on the invitation of its President, Mamnoon Hussain.

President Sirisena will be in the country for three days, the Foreign Ministry said, to observe Pakistan’s National Day.

The Ministry said that he plans to sign four Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with President Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of Pakistan on the topics of youth development, diplomatic training, national security studies, and development and public policy.

President Sirisena will also open the refurbished International Buddhist Center in the diplomatic enclave in Islamabad, according to a release.

Source : Daily News

Joint Opposition says that the No Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be handed over to the Speaker today.

Since last week, the party has been gathering signatures for the motion claiming that it is widely supported by the SLFP and certain UNP MPs.

The JVP has said it will also support the motion if it is factual and shows good cause.

The no-confidence motion by the Joint Opposition was presented to the speaker today. 55 MP’s had signed the document. However notably former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had failed to sign the document despite previously claiming that he would.

President Maithripala Sirisena is claimed to have given the green light for SLFP members to sign the no confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe says ‘Lanka C News’ a website run by National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa.

According to the website President had given him permission to the SLFP group during a discussion held between him and SLFP Ministers.

The website has also claimed the discussions to gain the support of members representing minority parties who have won their seats through the UNP ticket are proving to be successful.

“No confidence motion an attempt to create discord between the PM and President and destroy the consensus government” - Minister Duminda Dissanayake

However General Secretary of the SLFP, Minister of Agriculture Duminda Dissanayake says he is vehemently against the no confidence motion the Joint Opposition is set to bring against the PM.

While stressing that this is his personal view, he said it is not the position of the SLFP. The Minister claimed the party has no made decision regarding the matter. He also claimed the group organizing the motion has not officially invited or informed the SLFP to join them. The Minister said he is against the no-confidence motion as one person cannot be faulted for the recent performance of the government at the local government polls.