09/11/2011
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State Department, U.S. Embassy
It is a pleasure to be back in Sri Lanka and to see many old friends. Over the last two days I have had a wide range of meetings in Colombo and Jaffna. In Colombo I met with President Rajapaksa, Foreign Minister GL Peiris, representatives of the TNA and UNP, and members of civil society. I also visited Jaffna to meet with the military commander, NGO representatives, and students from Jaffna University. While in Jaffna I paid a visit to the offices of Uthayan to show America's support of freedom of the press.
08/08/2011
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State Department, U.S. State Department
MR. TONER: I’m – no, I’m not aware of it. I’ll have to take the question.
Go ahead, Tejinder.
QUESTION: The defense secretary of Sri Lanka, Rajapaska, in an interview with headlines today, has rejected calls by the UN, U.S., and other international communities calling for war crimes investigation. He said actually, how can an international mechanism kick in? He says we have done nothing wrong. So what is the reaction of the U.S. and the ongoing UN efforts on this?
MR. TONER: Well, we continue to call on a transparent accounting of Sri Lanka’s actions, and we believe the UN panel of experts is a mechanism that should be taken advantage of in order to carry out that kind of examination and accounting. I’m aware that Sri Lanka has also conducted some reporting on human rights abuses, alleged human rights abuses, but we still believe that an international mechanism to look at these is in everyone’s interest.
QUESTION: He – however, but he redefined the international community. He says these are not the international community; Russia, China, Africa, Middle East, and Southeast Asia is the international community, and they are supporting us. So –
MR. TONER: Again, I’ll have to look at his remarks in greater detail, but broadly put, that’s our position.
05/04/2011
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American Center, American Embassy in Colombo, State Department, U.S. Embassy, U.S. State Department
ASSISTANT SECRETARY BLAKE: It is a pleasure to return to Colombo and see so many old friends. I have had a series of productive meetings with Defense Secretary Rajapaksa and External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris, members of the opposition, and representatives of civil society.
04/08/2011
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State Department, U.S. State Department
2010 Human Rights Report: Sri Lanka from the U.S. State Department. Detailed, with specific examples.
03/04/2011
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State Department
We recently traveled to Jaffna with Ambassador Patricia Butenis, USAID Director Jim Bednar, and other Embassy staff for the opening of our new American Corner on January 24. We flew up in a 17-seat turbo-prop plane at a low altitude, giving us an aerial view of the island and of the recent flooding.
03/01/2011
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AFP, State Department
Blake: So I think there are still a number of important steps to be taken, and our preference is that the Sri Lankans themselves take these. It’s always best for a host nation to take responsibility for these sensitive issues. But I think also it’s important to say that if Sri Lanka is not willing to meet international standards regarding these matters that there will be pressure to appoint some sort of international commission to look into these things.
09/11/2010
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State Department
The United States has closely followed the progress and the passage of the 18th Amendment in Sri Lanka. The amendment eliminates term limits for the president and expands the power of the president over independent institutions, including the elections, police, and human rights commissions, as well as the judiciary.
06/23/2010
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State Department
Statement by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on the Sri Lanka Panel of Experts
06/23/2010
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State Department
The United States supports a robust accountability process that will provide a durable foundation for national reconciliation and the rule of law in the aftermath of Sri Lanka’s decades-long conflict. To that end, the United States welcomes UN Secretary General Ban’s announcement of a panel of experts to provide advice on relevant best practices for investigations into the alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. To be successful, Sri Lanka’s domestic “Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission” should apply the best practices from similar commissions in other countries. We strongly urge the Government of Sri Lanka to take advantage of this UN Panel’s expertise.