5:49 AM

Lankan HR Action Plan

Sri Lanka has formulated a National Action Plan on human rights to be presented to the Office of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) on Today (25).

The OHCHR is scheduled to publish the Action Plan on its website to enable a healthy interaction on the Sri Lanka country report.

The Action Plan, formulated under the auspices of the Human Rights and Disaster Management Ministry, will be discussed at a three-hour interactive session, which is called a ‘Peer Group Review,’ at the UN Human Rights Council.

The discussion will take place on May 13. The Sri Lankan delegation will be led by Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe. Attorney General C.R. De Silva, Peace Secretariat Secretary General Rajiva Wijesinha, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleke, Justice Ministry Secretary Suhada Gamalath and Defence Ministry Legal Advisor Mohan Peiris will be the other members of the delegation.

Highly placed government sources said that according to rules of procedure, every country is subjected to a peer group review under the Universal Periodic Review, which Sri Lanka has to submit six weeks prior to the actual interaction.

12:39 AM

Tamil civilians seek protection with security forces- Mannar

A Tamil family of five including an infant sought protection with security forces at the Naval detachment in Pallemunai, Mannar last morning (March 23).

Three males and one female were among the four adults reached to the government-controlled area seeking protection for their lives. These civilians reached the safe waters of Pallemunai on a 'Wallam' despite the rough sea condition and heavy rain, defence sources said.