Himanshi Dhawan, TNN 

COLOMBO: Riding high on the military victory over LTTE, Sri Lanka has now set its sights on attracting foreign tourists with an aggressive marketing campaign. Sri Lanka, which saw a steady dip in foreign tourist arrivals since last year — arrivals fell from 1.96 lakh in January-May 2008 to 1.57 lakh in 2009 — is now pushing hard to realise the tourism potential of the island country.

Click photo to listen to the speech

Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday, 10^th June, during the consideration of Russia’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report, Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka  made the following statement:

Sri Lanka welcomes the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation and applauds his remarks here today. We also applaud the role played by the distinguished Ambassador of Russia, His Excellency Valery Loshchinin, in the Human Rights Council, in its institution/building package, in the UPR process and the Durban Review conference.

By Our Colombo Correspondent

Colombo, 10 June, (Asiantribune.com): Following representations made to the Government through respective Government Agents in the North and Divisional Secretaries on the desire of displaced families, now in welfare centres to return home, a high level government team will meet in Colombo tomorrow (11), to discuss modalities of resettling those persons as family units at the earliest, well informed sources disclosed.

Colombo: Velupillai Prabhakaran was an "obstacle" for the future of Tamils in Sri Lanka and with his death the road is now clear for the government to address the "genuine political" grievances of the community by devolving powers to northern region, a senior Tamil leader said on Tuesday.

Colombo, 10 June, (Asiantribune.com): The Immigration and Emigration Department (IED) of Sri Lanka has opened a National Resource Centre to counter human trafficking with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

E T B Sivapriyan/PTI / Colombo

Having vanquished the LTTE, the Sri Lankan Army has launched a massive manhunt to recover their weapons, especially claymore mines and other destructive explosives, in the northern areas to facilitate the early resettlement of displaced Tamils in their towns and villages.

Colombo (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Sri Lanka's government is to accept a US$500 million 20-year loan from China to build 100,000 low cost houses for state sector employees, shanty dwellers and people affected by disasters, the Cabinet office said.

Chaminda Perera  

*Over 2,120 people of 551 families resettle today  

*Over 7,000 acres in Musali DS division to be brought under plough 

The resettlement of over 2,120 people belonging to 551 families in their original homes will begin in the Musali DS division in Mannar today under the resettlement of IDPs Phase II in the Northern province.

By Stephen Long - Los Angeles, California

During my recent visit to Sri Lanka I had the occasion to meet with many government officials in many ministries. I also met with several distinguished members of the business community in Colombo. At all of my meetings I asked the question, “Have any of you ever heard of Bruce Fein?” The answer I always received, along with blank expressions, was "No." I couldn’t believe it. I usually said in response, "How can you not be aware of the Washington mercenary attorney, lobbyist, and PR consultant that is paid by LTTE supporters to bury your country?" Usually, there was very little interest in the subject, so we just moved on. How sad, I felt.

Special Correspondent 

CHENNAI: The Union government should cancel the visas of Sri Lankan citizens who are campaigning against their government on Indian soil, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy said here on Monday.

Galle, Sri Lanka. As I travel through Sri Lanka, covering the nation as it seeks reconciliation among its diverse population after decades of conflict, I am receiving e-mails from my friends at home asking me to review the basics for them. Here we go:

By Our EU Special Correspondent

Paris 08 June, (Asiantribune.com) French voters elected 78 MEPs for EU Parliament including 14 each from the Green Party and the Socialists, but outright rejected the LTTE backed Tamil candidates who fielded under independent group for Ile de France district that includes Paris. EPP topped the list with 30 seats while the Liberals came fourth with 6 seats after the Greens and the Socialists.

Trevor JAYETILEKE, Consultant in Energy, Logistics and Utilities, Australia. 

With the defeat of terrorism the Thurstan College educated President Mahinda Rajapaksa the ‘Lion of Ruhuna’ has captured the imagination of his people as a resolute and judicious leader who sincerely cares for his motherland and all his subjects irrespective of race, religion, ethnicity or dialect. He is a leader with an Iron Fist but also wears a Velvet Glove., and a ‘Humble Servant Leader’ who prefers to remain a ‘Trustee’ and The ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ an Egalitarian Dream’ for his people. .

The Right of Reply exercised by Hon. Mohan Peiris, President’s Counsel, and Attorney-General of Sri Lanka during the general debate under agenda item 4 of the UN Human Rights Council

(Click on the photo to listen to the speech)

Mr. President, 

Sri Lanka has taken serious note of the observations made during the debate on Item 4. We are encouraged by the fact that the majority of the members have commended our commitment to post-conflict nation-building, instead of being unfairly castigated repeatedly by a few States hell-bent on pursuing their agendas, and their agendas alone, at all cost. We are however more than conscious that there is no room for triumphalism.

Sri Lanka gets new chief justice

June 08, 2009 (LBO) - The Sri Lankan government has appointed Justice Asoka de Silva as the island's new chief justice.

Justice de Silva took oaths as Sri Lanka’s 32nd chief justice before President Mahinda Rajapaksa Monday morning, the government information department said in a statement.

by Feng Yingqiu 

YANGON, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Top leaders of Myanmar and Sri Lanka exchanged messages Sunday on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Senior-General Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, said in his message to Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka, that the existing friendly relations between the two countries are firmly based on the close religious and cultural affinities which originated thousands of years ago and friendship, mutual understanding and interaction between the two peoples have consolidated in the past 60 years.

By our diplomatic correspondent

 Paris, 06 June, (Asiantribune.com): The United States dropped two atom bombs to kill tens of thousands, injured few more tens of thousands and caused radiation affects on millions for generations. The question is how many of the victims were Japanese soldiers and whether there were civilian casualties.

Sri Lanka's Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka tells UK, France, to submit their own past military conduct to international inquiry

Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka responding to statements by the EU, UK and France supporting High Commissioner Navi Pillay’s call for an international inquiry into alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Sri Lanka, made the following remarks at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva during the General Debate today:

To Listen to the speech click on the photo

Ambassador Gopinathan Achamkulangare of India, responding yesterday to the remarks on Sri Lanka included in the statement of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Navi Pillay said, "...it will be prudent to adhere to the outcome of the special session and be sensitive to the concerns expressed already, rather than take a position on contested proposals or controversial issues and ideas, which did not find eventual acceptance in the outcome of the special session."  

                             Full transcript of the Ambassador's statement: