Sri Lanka averts rift spilling over to UN rights session
March 20, 2019
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka's leader has abandoned plans to oppose his prime minister's support of a United Nations resolution that would give the island nation more time to address war crime allegations stemming from its long civil war.
On the U.N. human rights council agenda this week is a report by High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet criticizing Sri Lanka for failing to fulfill its pledge to investigate alleged atrocities by the military and now-defunct Tamil Tiger rebels. The co-resolution up for adoption on Thursday would extend Sri Lanka's deadline by two years.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena came into power in 2015 promising to help the war-torn country reconcile, including by investigating allegations during the rule of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. With an eye toward upcoming elections, Sirisena has changed his stance.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/sri-lanka-averts-rift-spilling-over-to-un-rights-session
Sri Lanka Explosions Target Churches and 3 Hotels, Killing At Least 129
April 21, 2019
-At least 129 people were killed and nearly 500 hospitalized from injuries after explosions went off at three churches and three hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, the state-run Daily News reports.
A security official told The Associated Press that the fatalities included church goers and hotel guests.
-In Colombo, the capital, blasts were reported at St. Anthony's Shrine and three high-end hotels. Explosions were also reported at St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo, north of the capital, and at Zion Church in the Eastern Province of Batticaloa.
St. Sebastian's Church posted photos of the aftermath on Facebook, pleading for relatives to "come and help if your family members are there."
On Twitter, Harsha de Silva, a member of Parliament, said there were "many casualties including foreigners."
Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera tweeted the bomb blasts killed "many innocent people" and seemed "to be a well coordinated attempt to create murder, mayhem and anarchy."
According to the BBC, President Maithripala Sirisena issued a statement calling for people to remain calm and support the authorities in their investigations.
https://text.npr.org/s.php?sId=715631652