The ongoing visit to Sri Lanka by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, has brought mixed expectations, particularly from international human rights groups and the Tamil Diaspora.
India has so far, kept powerful Diaspora groups at an arms length, preferring to deal with the main Tamil political party Tamil National Alliance for engagement with the community.
India has been urged to urgently open a formal dialogue with Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora groups to strengthen moderate voices at this critical juncture in the reconciliation process.
HMS Defender arrived, in Colombo, on January 30, on a brief visit. The Type 45 Destroyer left on the following day.
With local council elections only six months away, according to his own agenda, President Maithripala Sirisena dropped a bombshell last week. He declared that foreign judges and prosecutors should not be involved in investigations into allegations of war crimes by troops and Tiger guerrillas.
To have or not to have foreign judges? That seems to be the question these days. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein is expected to seek an answer to that question when he visits Sri Lanka this week.
Alleging that President Maithripala Sirisena has recently undermined a US-led Geneva Resolution co-sponsored by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) has requested foreign governments to pressure the President to fully implement the proposals.
The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) welcomes the recent report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on the “Situation of Human Rights in Sri Lanka” and the subsequent dialogue at the 57th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva. The report highlights ongoing human rights abuses and calls for national and international actions to advance accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.
The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) extends its congratulations to Anura Kumara Dissanayake on being elected as the 9th President of Sri Lanka. Starting from a humble origin and remaining as a peoples’ person all through his political journey, President Dissanayake’s achievements will inspire a new generation of youth from all backgrounds to dream big.
The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) is saddened by the passing of Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne and would like to extend its condolences to his family and all those who were fortunate to have crossed path with him.
The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) is deeply saddened by the passing of the Tamil elder statesman R. Sampanthan on June 30, 2024. We express our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the departed leader and all those mourning the loss of Mr. Sampanthan.
The Sangha for Better Sri Lanka (SBSL) and the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) are saddened by the untoward incidents that took place during the Maha Shiva Rathri Event (March 8, 2024) at Vedukkunari Aathi Sivan Temple in the North of Sri Lanka.