BBC, 06 March 2012 - One of Sri Lanka's governing parties has called for the prosecution of a leading bishop after he condemned the government's human rights record. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Mannar and 30 priests wrote to the UN Human Rights Council calling for an inquiry into the legacy of Sri Lanka's civil war. But Sri Lanka's Buddhist nationalist JHU party accused the bishop of sympathising with separatist rebels. Correspondents say his comments have also led to a rift within the church.

EIN Presswire, March 05, 2012 -- Since the end of the war in 2009, the Tamil diaspora has been incessantly pushing for an independent investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. Despite the government claiming that local mechanisms are in place to look into such issues, diaspora groups like the 'Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam' (TGTE) have refused to accept that this is enough, and have continued to call for an 'independent international investigation.' In an email interview with The Sunday Leader, the TGTE's prime minister, Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, commented on the US backed Resolution recently drafted for the ongoing UNHRC sessions in Geneva, and why the TGTE wanted international involvement in investigating alleged war crimes.

Swiss Info, 05 March 2012 - About 2,000 Tamils demonstrated in Geneva on Monday, calling for the establishment of a tribunal to judge alleged “war crimes” committed by the Sri Lankan authorities in 2009. The Tamils, who had come from all over Europe, marched from the station to the United Nations headquarters, carrying the flags of Tamil Eelam, Britain and France. They also had placards calling for self-determination.

By B Nantha Kumar, Free Malaysia Today, March 5, 2012 - KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional risks losing votes from the Indian community if Putrajaya fails to support a United Nations resolution on alleged human rights abuses during the Sri Lankan civil war. This is according to the MP for Teluk Intan, DAP’s M Manogaran who, along with Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul (PKR) and Senator S Ramakrishnan (DAP), went to Sri Lanka last May to assess the humanitarian situation there in the aftermath of the conflict, which ended in 2009 with the defeat of Tamil rebels.

By Paul Newman, Weekend Leader, 06 March 2012 - In January, the UK based Global Tamil Forum (GTF) led a 7 member delegation under Fr. S J Emmanuel to the centenary celebrations of the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa. Peeved at the invitation to a Tamil diaspora group, the Sri Lankan government had declined to participate at the historic ANC function. The ANC invitation to GTF came as a morale booster for Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora groups fighting for self-determination rights. Last year, ministers of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) were invited to open an embassy in Southern Sudan. These two episodes and the growing support in the international community for an independent international investigation into allegations of human rights violations in Sri Lanka have raised hopes among Tamils all over the world of trying President Mahinda Rajapaksa for war crimes at the International Court of Justice.

04 March 2012 - Several Christian priests from north of Sri Lanka including the well respected Bishop of Mannar Rev. Rayappu Joseph, in a letter to the President and all members of the United Nations Human Rights Council, have called for an international investigation into war crimes. "Given the consistent denial of the Sri Lankan government about the scale and nature of war time abuses as well as pre-war and post-war concerns, refusal to address these, and given also the seriousness of the allegations levelled against it as one of the parties to such abuses, we believe it is an independent international body that could best address concerns of truth seeking, accountability and reparations for victims in a way that victims, survivors and their families will have confidence. It is only by addressing these that we believe we can move towards genuine reconciliation", they said in the letter.

Lanka-e-News, 02.March.2012 - This picture herein reveals how the acting and deputy Minister of external affairs and his supporters burnt the effigy of US President Barak Obama on the 27th of February when staging protests. His crude and barbaric behavior also clearly portrays how dishonorably he carries out his onerous responsible ‘honorable’ Ministerial duties in relation to external affairs . There is a cultured procedure and behavior that shall be followed by a Minister of a country when staging opposition to a country with whom diplomatic relations are maintained. Nowhere in the world has a responsible Minister of any country in the world ever gave such a perfect piece of rowdy display like our (Dis)honorable Minister . Only in SL , this kind of uncivilized Ministers thrive . This is because jungle laws prevail in SL ,since a brute is the chief.

New York, 03 March 2012 - All three Experts of the UN Secretary-General's Panel on Sri Lanka MARZUKI DARUSMAN, STEVEN RATNER and YASMIN SOOKA have publicly criticised Sri Lanka Government in an op-ed article published in print on March 3, 2012 in The International Herald Tribune. It also appeared online at the New York Times website. “For Sri Lanka to experience a true peace, rather than simply the peace of the victor, truth and accountability are essential. This is the lesson from states as varied as South Africa, Sierra Leone and Argentina. The lack of much outside interest in the bloodshed while it happened cannot be an excuse for continuing to ignore the situation. The international community must now assume its duty to ensure that Sri Lanka fulfills its responsibilities to all its people and to the rest of the world”, they said.

By Maria Otero (U.S. Under Secretary of State), US Mission in Geneva, 2 March 2012 - We know from experience that there can be no lasting peace without reconciliation and accountability, but the United States is concerned that, in Sri Lanka, time is slipping away. The international community has waited nearly three years for action, and while we welcome the release of the LLRC report, the recommendations of the report should be implemented. We have engaged Sri Lanka bilaterally on these issues since the conflict ended in 2009, and stand ready to continue to work with them. Action now in this Council will sow the seeds of lasting peace on the ground.

AFP, 1 March 2012 - Sri Lankan government officials, Tamils in exile from the Indian Ocean island and rights groups sparred verbally at an open hearing Thursday during the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.