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Accountability issues: Zuhair challenges Sabry, demands review of position
Former MP M.M. Zuhair, PC, has questioned the rationale behind Sri Lanka sending a delegation to forthcoming Geneva sessions as Foreign Minister Ali Sabry,PC, has declared that the government wouldn’t accept UN HRC mechanism to gather evidence on human rights violations.Zuhair told The Island that Minister Sabry’s stand should be examined against the backdrop of Sri Lanka allowing foreign agencies to inquire into 21/4 Easter Sunday attacks.
The former Ambassador to Tehran under the Mahinda Rajapaksa presidency has sent us the following statement: “At a time when the country is increasingly dependent on the assistance of foreign countries to tackle the deepening economic crisis and the steeply rising cost of living, the government must objectively address the human rights concerns alleged against Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC) commencing sittings in Geneva.
Addressing the media in Colombo last Monday, Foreign Minister M. Ali Sabry was quoted by Associated Press (AP), that the government cannot agree to any “external mechanism, external evidence gathering mechanism, charging citizens outside the country, getting hybrid judges to come and hear the cases, all these are against the Constitution. So we can’t agree to that”.
While welcoming the Foreign Minister’s assertion that ‘Sri Lankan citizens will not be allowed to be charged outside the country’ and ‘foreign judges will not be permitted to sit in judgment over cases in Sri Lanka’, the question that needs to be raised is, how can the government delegation to UN HRC now refuse UN HRC mechanism to gather evidence of human rights violations in Sri Lanka, having in 2019 allowed foreign agencies to freely investigate 21/4 Easter Sunday attacks? That too without approval of the relevant Sri Lankan Magistrates!
As a respected lawyer, Minister Ali Sabry must surely be aware that none of these foreign non-accountable investigators were authorised by any Magistrate to visit the sites of the explosions, give instructions to the Sri Lankan investigators or to be a part of the investigative team! There were also well known locals, who were not authorised police officers and who too were allowed without any judicial approval to enter protected crime sites, talk to alleged witnesses resulting in polluted investigations. At that time, I cautioned publicly through media statements that those who allowed ‘external investigative mechanisms’ into the country following Easter attacks were virtually laying the groundwork for others to argue later to allow foreign judges to hear cases in Sri Lanka.
Then Minister of Public Security told Parliament on 19th May 2021, during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa presidency that the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) were conducting investigations into the Easter attacks together with the CID.
These and other similar agencies are not similar to the UN HRC gathering evidence of human rights violations. If a US Federal intelligence and security agency, whose government had been notorious for invading several Middle East and regional countries for over 40 years under various pretexts, often false pretexts, could have been allowed to investigate 21/4, what form of credible unbiased investigations could Sri Lankan investigators claim in Courts? Foreign invasion of third world countries was an issue raised by a 21/4 suicide bomber shortly prior to the reprehensible attacks!
In October 2021, British Member of Parliament Sir David Amess was killed, stabbed multiple times at his Essex constituency in the UK. Father Jeffrey Woolnough who rushed to perform the sacrament on the devout Catholic MP was refused access by the Essex Police to perform a simple religious rite. Essex Police told the priest that preserving the integrity of the crime scene was a fundamental part of any investigation and refused entry.
US author William C Chasey in his 1995 book ‘Pan Am 103-The Lockerbie Cover Up’ reveals how the “United States, Great Britain and Scotland conspired to cover up the true identities of those responsible for the world’s most heinous terrorist bomb explosions in Pan Am 103”. The doomed flight exploded in mid-air 31,000 feet over Lockerbie in Scotland killing all 270 persons on board on 21st December 1988. Chasey exposes how the FBI and the CIA tried to keep out the true story of who did it. Chasey reveals how the crime scene was prostituted to accuse Libya of Muammar Gadhafi fame and that the real master minds were others!
Will Minister Ali Sabry and co-delegate Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse find a way to cooperate with UN HRC than confront, as that would be at present the wiser course for the country, similar to the 22 million Sri Lankans now having to take the IMF decoctions?
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
