Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights
Sri Lanka is disturbed by the intervention of a single Non-Governmental Organization that detracted from the generally high standard of debate under this Item in pursuing its relentless vendetta against the Sri Lankan state. In the present context of seeking reconciliation however it seems best not to respond in [...]

Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights
Sri Lanka appreciates the concerns about Sri Lanka expressed by countries participating in this debate and records its appreciation, with regard to our efforts to recover from the damage caused by terrorism, of the support and assistance of our neighbours and friends who stood by us in our struggle [...]

Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights
Sri Lanka regrets the disinformation purveyed by some Non-Governmental Organizations in the course of the debate on Item 4 of the Agenda of the Human Rights Council. Sadly we seem to have abandoned traditional values, or rather Christian values and the Ten Commandments, but the Prophet Moses would surely [...]

Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights
Sri Lanka welcomes the Report of the Joint Inspection Unit on the requested follow up to the management review of the Office of the High Commissioner. The Report makes it clear that follow up has in fact been minimal. Recalling that the Review took place in 2003, one is [...]

Rajiva Wijesinha   Secretary General   Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
The international community was horrified by news reports in the Times of London on July 9th 2009 that over 1400 people were dying each week in Welfare Centres in Sri Lanka. The Times continues to conceal its sources. This time the allegation is attributed to ‘Senior [...]

Prof Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
The above headline is clearly an exaggeration, but it is based on the style of reporting adopted recently by the Times of London in its coverage of Sri Lanka. Following its extraordinary assertion, at the end of May, that over 20,000 had been killed in [...]

Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) Prof Rajiva Wijesinha
Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) Prof Rajiva Wijesinha has written to The Toronto Star in response to its coverage of the decision to prevent Canadian politician Bob Rae from entering Sri Lanka last week. His letter is published below.
Michael Cooke,
Editor,
The [...]

Prof Rajiva Wijesinha  Secretary General  Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
16 June 2009

Having just written an article on the pronouncements of the so-called independent media, I was not entirely surprised to discover that the Associated Press had deliberately misrepresented my answer with regard to the winding up of the Commission of Inquiry into several cases [...]

Prof Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
15 June 2009
The University Teachers for Human Rights has issued yet another report on the situation in Sri Lanka which, as with its previous reports, merits serious attention. I have always admired their commitment and efforts  at objectivity and, even when I disagree with what [...]

Response of Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights
12 June 2009
Response of Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, in responding to an intervention by United Nations Watch in the General Debate on the Universal Periodic Review Process.

Mr President, the intervention of United [...]

Intervention on behalf of Sri Lanka by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights,
Intervention on behalf of Sri Lanka by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, in the General Debate on the Universal Periodic Review
Sri Lanka wishes, Mr President, to express its [...]

Prof Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
The appalling behaviour of the West since we started to succeed in our war against terror has been deeply upsetting. In order to deal with it successfully however, we must cease to be sentimental about our old friends and patrons, and analyse why they are [...]

Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
Setting the Stage
Last week, the Times of London announced that 20,000 civilians had died altogether in the course of this year because of the operations in the North. This claim was not surprising since, as I had just pointed out, the British were determined to crucify [...]

Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
For many years we indulged the LTTE, in part because we felt sorry for the Tamils of Sri Lanka and believed the LTTE slogan that Tigers were Tamils and Tamils were Tigers, in part because we thought the Tigers would win out and would provide us [...]

Prof Rajiva Wijesinha  Secretary General  Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
28 May 2009
The special session on Sri Lanka has come and gone, though interested parties such as the Dutch Foreign Minister seem determined to continue on an adversarial path. Nothing can be done however about those with political agendas, and though it is depressing to [...]

Prof Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary GeneralSecretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP)
26 May 2009
We are told that the UN claims that about 7,000 civilians have been killed in fighting between the Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE over the last few months. It is also claimed that 16,700 have been wounded, ‘according to a UN document [...]

Prof Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
When the delegation of British MPs visited Sri Lanka earlier this month, the hostility of the Conservative Party representative was disconcerting. Reports in the Daily Mail indicating that John Bercow is Labour’s favoured candidate for the vacant position of Speaker of the House may explain [...]

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
 

One of the few consolations of having to travel to Geneva practically weekly to deal with yet another British thrust against Sri Lanka is the range of old Alfred Hitchcock movies available en route. One I had not heard of before was ‘Dial M for [...]

Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights Sri Lanka
Response to Times  

The following response to an article published on May 21st was sent to the Times in London. It is regrettable that the correspondent claims he got no response from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights. His failure to use the [...]

By: Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha

When the news finally broke of the death of Prabhakaran, predictably enough there was rejoicing in the country. In Colombo this took the form of crowds bearing flags and processing through the streets. Though there was some inconvenience to vehicles, as far as my own experience went this was minimal, and [...]

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha  Secretary General  Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
The Peace Secretariat welcomes the latest efforts by the Sri Lankan forces, which have enabled over 5000 more of our fellow citizens to escape from LTTE clutches. It is also noteworthy that this has not been accompanied by allegations of large numbers of civilian casualties. [...]

Presentation of Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights

Presentation of Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, at the ‘Sudan, Sri Lanka, CERF Member States Briefing’ conducted by Sir John Holmes, UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief CoordinatorHohh at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, [...]

Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP)
 
 The Peace Secretariat is not entirely surprised by a recent statement of several United Nations Special Rapporteurs, which is of a piece with a recent campaign to rouse emotions about and against Sri Lanka. It is however disappointed that the Rapporteurs have not stopped to think that such statements [...]

Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights
 No contact with Provincial or National Health authorities since October 2008
 The Secretary to the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition, Dr. H.A.P. Kahandaliyanage, has questioned the veracity and credibility of statements attributed to a doctor said to be working in the no-fire zone in north-eastern Sri Lanka. He says: “I [...]

Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP)
The Government of Sri Lanka categorically denies reports attributable to sources aligned with or under duress from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as to supposed civilian casualties in the no-fire zone in north-eastern Sri Lanka. The most recent claim of 378 deaths and over 1,100 injured is [...]

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
 
The Anglo American Corporation Human Rights Watch is now engaged in a campaign, along with its patrons, to denigrate Sri Lanka in the eyes of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. This follows its campaign throughout 2009 to dissuade civilians from leaving LTTE controlled [...]