UK Under-Secretary to Government: Allow NGOs to Help IDPs

(The Sunday Leader, March 10, 2010) - The Head of the UK Diplomatic Service, Permanent Under-Secretary Sir Peter Ricketts, who arrived in Sri Lanka on March 10, has called on the government to allow humanitarian organizations to play a full role in the resettlement of IDPs.

Sir Peter had expressed the UK’s willingness to support Sri Lanka to restore full freedom of movement to all IDPs, to complete the resettlement process and to help civilians rebuild their lives. Sir Peter made …

March 11, 2010 | Comment | Read More »

UK’s Hi Tech Miliband Is Asked of Somalia and Sri Lanka, by Twitter, Yes or No

(By Matthew Russell Lee, Inner City Press, March 10 2010) - It’s all the rage in diplomatic spin: UK foreign secretary David Miliband is taking questions by Twitter today, during his two day stay in Boston. The UK consulate there has been soliciting questions, saying they will be answered throughout the day.

At the UN in New York, Inner City Press has asked Miliband questions at the Security Council stakeout, several times receiving wordy answers the meaning of which was not …

March 11, 2010 | Comment | Read More »

POLITICS: Sri Lanka Locks Horns with UN over Experts’ Panel

(IPS, 10 03 2010) - The war of words between the Sri Lankan government and the United Nations has begun all over again, this time over the creation of an experts’ panel on the island’s human rights record.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon wants to appoint this panel, but Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa says it is “unwarranted and uncalled for”.

This week’s posturing is the latest episode in a saga that began about two years ago when the United Nations, especially the …

March 11, 2010 | Comment | Read More »

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE ON ARBITRARY DETENTION, ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS

JO BAKER, of Asian Legal Resource Centre, said the Asian Legal Resource Centre remained gravely concerned by the continuing lack of effective action taken by the Human Rights Council on allegations of gross and widespread disappearances, including those which had been reported from Asia. The Human Rights Commission was able to concretely react to numerous cases of disappearances in Nepal by establishing a country Office of the High Commissioner, leading to a marked reduction in such violations. Yet, despite being …

March 11, 2010 | Comment | Read More »

Fears Australia has forgotten boatful of Tamils

(Australia Network News, 10 Mar 2010) - Refugee advocates have staged a rally in the eastern Australian city of Sydney to mark 150 days since a boat load of asylum seekers moored in Indonesia.

About 50 protesters gathered today outside the Prime Minister’s Sydney office.

Greens MP Sylvia Hale says the government has turned a blind eye to the 230 Tamils still onboard the boat moored at the port of Merak.

“Allow those Tamil refugees to proceed to Australia. ” More ……

March 11, 2010 | Comment | Read More »

SRI LANKA - Bishops meet resettled refugees in Jaffna

(UCAN, March 9, 2010) - JAFFNA, Sri Lanka - Six Catholic bishops have met resettled Tamil war refugees in Jaffna diocese in northern Sri Lanka, listened to their grievances and given them relief aid.

The delegation on March 6 went to see for themselves the problems people are facing as they try to rebuild their lives.

During their tour of the Kilinochchi, Mulangavil, Vidaltaltivu, Iranamadhu and Kiran areas, the bishops handed over bicycles, solar lamps, oil lamps, clothing for school children and …

March 9, 2010 | Comment | Read More »

On Sri Lanka, UN’s Ban Restates Concern on Lack of Progress, Unaware of Job Request

(By Matthew Russell Lee, Inner City Press, March 9 2010) - After a weekend during which Sri Lanka’s president and ruling party attacked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for saying he will name a panel to advise himself about possible war crimes in Sri Lanka, Inner City Press asked Mr. Ban for his side of the story.

Ban said ” I am concerned with the lack of progress of the joint statement which both I and President Rajapaksa had agreed during …

March 9, 2010 | Comment | Read More »

Ban announces appointment of new UN police chief

(UN News, 8 March 2010) – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appointed an experienced female Swedish police officer as the top United Nations police official.

“The UN’s top cop is a woman,” Mr. Ban told reporters in New York, noting that today’s announcement of Ann-Marie Orler as UN Police Adviser coincides with International Women’s Day.

Ms. Orler, who first came to the UN to serve as Deputy Police Adviser in 2008, has been Acting Police Adviser since last year.

In her native Sweden, she …

March 9, 2010 | Comment | Read More »

RALLY TO MARK 150 DAYS AT MERAK FOR TAMIL REFUGEES

(Refugee Action Coalition Sydney, 07 03 2010) - Welcome refugees - No Indonesian solution - Let the boats land in Australia - 12.30pm Wednesday March 10, Kevin Rudd’s Sydney office, 70 Phillip st City — Two hundred and fifty Tamil refugees remain defiantly camped on their boat at the Indonesian port of Merak, holding out for a commitment from the Australian government that they will be resettled as refugees. They are there because of Kevin Rudd’s call to Indonesian president …

March 7, 2010 | Comment | Read More »

UN Secretary-General to go ahead with the establishment of a panel of experts to advise him on the way forward on accountability issues relating to Sri Lanka

(UN Department of Public Information, 5 March 2010) - Daily Press Briefing - The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s (5 March 2010) noon briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General:

Good afternoon everybody. And I think there is an expression in show business: “How do you follow that?”

**Secretary-General in Chile

But just to reiterate that the Secretary-General has indeed actually arrived in Santiago, on a visit to Chile to show solidarity with the Chilean people …

March 6, 2010 | Comment | Read More »
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