The Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights notes the release, on 11 March, 2010, of the 2009 Country Report on Human Rights Practices pertaining to Sri Lanka compiled by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the United States' Department of State. Apparently in conformity with the usual practice in the preparation and release of this report, the document is a conflation of historical background, repetition of statements in earlier reports, unverified assertions of fact and broad generalizations. The basis for many assertions are "repo

Five (05) Bozens + 4 Demining machines and spare parts valued at Rs. 250 Million were presented by the Australian Government to Sri Lanka today (the 16th.) These machines of Czechoslovakian origin are to be used to remove land mines placed by the LTTE terrorists in the northern areas during the war.

Honoring a request made by the Government of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka, Her Excellency Ms. Cathie Key Klugman, the Ambassador for Australia handed over these machines to the Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights.

These machines, as advised by His Excellency the President and with the intervention of the Hon. Basil Rajap

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The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva

Minister Samarasinghe Briefs High Commissioner for Human Rights, Country Missions to the UN in Geneva
Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, met with Navanetham Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, at the Palais Wilson in Geneva on Tuesday (09). The Minister, who

The Disaster Management Center (DMC) in collaboration with United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and with the technical support of the Department of Agrarian Development has commenced a project for the development of the small tank (Cascade) system for reducing the effect of drought in North Western Province as a model. It is based on the Madawachchiya tank cascade system in Siyambalawa and Padipanchawa GN divisions in the Galagamuwa DS division in Kurunegala district. The project consists of 3 phases including a study of the watershed, collecting weather & climatic data, evaluating soil & geological functions, water balance study, infrastructure development and mobilizing of

Trincomalee is associated in my mind with two individuals, whose life and work continue to provide guidelines for effort. The first was Denzil Kobbekaduwa, who was in charge of the area when I visited in 1988, to check on the schools furniture project. That was the time of the IPKF, and one could sense some tensions, even though in general officers on both sides behaved with perfect conviviality at army headquarters.

We had stayed with the navy, and were treated right royally since the British High Commissioner headed the delegation. This was David Gladstone, and he was even taken whale watching - though we saw none - and for an early morning swim in China Bay. The British Defence