Sri Lanka blocks international impeachment probe
COLOMBO, (AFP): Sri Lanka has blocked entry of a London-based group of lawyers who planned to probe the controversial impeachment of the island’s chief justice, the International Bar Association said on Saturday.
The group expressed “serious concern” over the withdrawal of visas for the Human Rights Institute lawyers, who were due to visit Colombo for 10 days starting Friday. The institute is a branch of the bar association.
The delegation was going to “consult a wide diversity of stakeholders” about “the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in Sri Lanka”, the association said. It did not say how many lawyers who were to travel to Colombo.
The panel was going to study Sri Lanka’s sacking of chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake, the first woman to hold the nation’s highest judicial office.
The government dismissed Bandaranayake despite two Sri Lankan court rulings that the impeachment was illegal and unconstitutional.
There was no immediate comment from Colombo on the association’s statements.
Sri Lanka insists it followed proper legal procedures in firing Bandaranayake, 54, on charges of professional and personal misconduct. Bandaranayake was dismissed by President Mahinda Rajapakse on January 13 — two days after Sri Lanka’s parliament voted to impeach her, despite a chorus of international criticism.
The United States has led international calls objecting to the impeachment as an assault on judicial independence and rule of law in the island.
Bandaranayake has been replaced by former attorney general Mohan Peiris who had been serving as the government’s chief legal adviser.
Source: AFP
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SL should not be treated in this way by various international groups who are puppets of the imperial neo-colonialist West in their pay.
I am very glad such groups are made personae-non-grata by SL govt bravely, as their actions are gross interference in the internal affairs of SL and a challenge to our Republic’s Constitution.
I call on these bodies and other world organisations on human rights issues to investigate openly the gross war crimes of past Presidents of USA and its military commanders in its invasions of small nations, the gross crimes against humanity and human rights violations in US itself against the native Americans and other citizens in USA and also against citizens of countries they have invaded, on the pretext of so called elimination of perceived threats to USA. What paranoia!
USA is hated today around the globe for their attempt to subjugate smaller nations to its iron will in their pursuit of world domination through its military might.
I hope to God that China and Russia develop their military might and form an alliance with the Freeworld to counter the growing global threat of USA and its imperial neo-colonial allies of the West!
Good, good, very good. Even before it took place, the word ‘a pre-gone conclusion’ was frequently used to describe parliamentary probe into CJ affair. What will this ‘probe’ be? Why can not these eminent people can not do a probe as to why a group of unconvicted people being trapped in Guantanamo bay for 10-15 years now by the human rights emperor?
Sri Lanka is not the play ground of the white man’s backyard to go and do as they wish or the butler to obey as they wish, at least during the era of Rajapaksha. Hiring and firing of the Sri lanka’s CJ is a Sri Lanka’s affair and the SL government is there to do it. It is not anybody else’s bloody business.
Of course as it inevitably happened to all the big empires and small kingdoms in this world, MR era will come to and end one way or the other, sooner or later. But it will go down in the history as a few years Sri Lanka did not bend backward to the wish of colonial hypocrites came in various disguises like NGOs, Human right protectors, UN officials and so on.
I have just returned from a think tank session in Italy where the topic of discussion was “Will Sri Lanka militariliy defend an enforced partition of the Country by the United Nations in 2015?”.
The writing is on the wall and deaf and blind opinions such as those of Blogger 1 are driving this nation towards an endless abyss.
May God bless Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankans must just use their full energy to see that, the whole country is united and ready to fight foreign interference.Wasting money on lobby firms, specially in the UK and USA must be stopped.I am sure someone is making a fast dollar on this deal. Develop the country, specially agriculture, fisheries and of course education. I will guarantee you, more development brings harmony and peace, add to it, I am sure the Diaspora would change their minds for the better of the country. They need time, 30 years of war which caused enough destruction cannot be just forgetten. Useless trying to blame each other.
The above reads like a Wimal Weerawansa placard at one of his cream crackers fast unto death. This is no foreign invasion. The true assault is by the government on the democratic rights of the people. When there is no independence of the judiciary there is no place the people could go in any injustice by the government or government goons. There are serious consequences by these foolish acts of the government. The above are good for illiterate voters of Sri Lanka. But the economic consequences created by such
acts will be a hard blow on the people.\Everybody worked hard to defeat the LTTE. But the popularity gained by the victory is used to create a Sinhala Prabhakaran. We are taking the country to to a system of government of Mussolini or Hitler.
There is an ongoing international initiative to conduct a referendum in the North and East and divide the country as was done in Sudan.
The Sri Lankan polity is oblivious to this initiative; SL’s “head in the sand” approach will only assist in accelarating the initiative.
The Australian Intelligence identification of a top official close to the President, involved in human smuggling operations is anothe body blow to our nation.
The Australians are not courageous enough to come out in the open regarding this finding. This information however, will be shared by Australia to the US and EU intelligence organisations.
The US will not be happy to see one of its own citizens involved in human smuggling.
I am fed up of reading this news website because the comments of Nicholas Dias is more than the news in this website itself. His comments dominates the news in the website. He looks like supporting the government and doing nothing for the production of the country. He only reads the news and make comments. But he could be a senior government official keeping warm his chair!. But I still accept he has a right to write in a democratic country.
mr.Basnayake, mr.N.D. has right to write anything freely…that is call freedom and the democraty,where as you will not get any other countries..and when you read his comments,Most of the time his right,and I personaly like his comments.therefore please keep it up,and do not hesitate to write the truth…do not give any chances to international groups to an interfere our tiny land..god bless mr.N.D.
Thank you Mr Pillayan for coming to my defence against Basnayaka who does not appreciate the immense heroism of Hon President and his brother Mr GR in saving Mother Lanka from the evil terrorists LTTE who were used by USA and its allies the imperial neo-colonialist West to dominate SL and SE Asia. It is important we expose the evil of these powers.
UN is totally powerless against USA. UN has done nothing since its inception to arrest and haul before the International War Crimes Tribunal past US Presidents and also the present one for terrible war crimes, including the cold blooded murder of Bin Laden and his wife. What has UN done about the growing human rights abuse and crimes against humanity by USA?
It is unfortunate that Basnayaka and his ilk is not exposing these crimes of these world powers who are the real criminals and not SL for eliminating the evil LTTE from its own shores. SL did not invade any country as USA has done with its evil allies.
Dear Mr.Dias and Pillayan,
I greatly appreciate your decent comments. I am not also supporting to any other party or international community but I confirm that me and you have to be critical in your analysis. I don’t feel Nicholas Dias is examining any issue in a good way but always defense the government. As real citizens we have to convince real issues to the government. I did not agree with the way of impeachment process but you did. Why I can’t reject that process if even ministers did it.
For example government road construction policy is totally wrong. It should be relevant to resource use policy in the country. Road construction in environmental sensitive areas will be exacerbating the problems.
Mr.Nicholas,
Government paid treatment expenses of those who demonstrated in 2 days from Samurdhi fund. There is adequate evidence.
Do you approve it ?
Correction.
Mr.Nicholas,
During impeachment process, a group/s of government supporters demonstrated 2 days in support of impeachment. There were tretaed with food and drinks with Samurdh fund . There is evidence that those 2 days in cultural center in Battaramulla there were seminar organized by the Samurdhi fund and demonstrated attended that one.
Do you agree such expenses from Samurdhi fund ?