Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Sri Lanka takes objection to US ban on Army Chief

SRI LANKA has taken a "strong objection" to the US imposing a travel ban on its Army chief Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, saying the move is based on "unverified information", after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the allegations of gross human rights violations are serious and credible.

The Sri Lankan government has officially conveyed its protest to US and taken a "strong objection" to the travel restrictions placed on Silva and his family, country's foreign relations ministry said in a statement on Friday (14) night.


"The government of Sri Lanka requests the US to verify the authenticity of the sources of information and to review its decision," the statement said.

The ministry statement said that it was unfortunate that the US was questioning the prerogative of the Sri Lankan president to appoint his Army Commander.

At the time of Silva's appointment, both the US and the European Union had objected.

US Secretary of State Pompeo said that the allegations of gross human rights violations against Silva, documented by the United Nations and other organisations, are "serious and credible".

Silva, 55, was appointed as the Sri Lankan Army Commander last year and previously headed the Army's 58th Division in the final battle against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels of the civil war in 2009.

His brigade was accused of attacking civilians, hospitals and stopping humanitarian supplies to trapped Tamil civilians.

Silva's name was mentioned in the resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2013, alleging rights abuses by the Sri Lankan Army

The Sri Lanka Army has denied the alleged rights abuses.

After the brutal civil war ended, Silva served in New York as Sri Lanka's Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN Mission.

According to a UN report, some 45,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the last months of the war alone.

The ban imposed on Silva's entry to the US are under Section 7031 (c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act.

More For You

In 2022, as chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Jo Sidhu led strikes over legal aid rates, which resulted in the suspension of court proceedings in England and Wales. (Photo: Getty Images)
In 2022, as chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Jo Sidhu led strikes over legal aid rates, which resulted in the suspension of court proceedings in England and Wales. (Photo: Getty Images)
In 2022, as chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Jo Sidhu led strikes over legal aid rates, which resulted in the suspension of court proceedings in England and Wales. (Photo: Getty Images)

KC Sidhu found guilty of misconduct over hotel room incident

Navjot “Jo” Sidhu KC, 58, has been found guilty of professional misconduct by a disciplinary tribunal for inviting an aspiring barrister to spend the night in his hotel room during a criminal trial.

The tribunal unanimously ruled that Sidhu’s invitation to the paralegal, who was on work experience with him, was “entirely of a sexual nature and entirely inappropriate in all the circumstances,” The Times reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Leicestershire Police

According to Leicestershire Police, the two male passengers remain in hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. (Photo: X/@leicspolice)

According to Leicestershire Police, the two male passengers remain in hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. (Photo: X/@leicspolice)

Indian student dies, four injured in Leicestershire road accident

A 32-YEAR-OLD Indian student has died in a road accident in Leicestershire, with four others hospitalised with serious injuries, according to police.

Chiranjeevi Panguluri, a passenger in the car, died at the scene when the vehicle left the road and came to rest in a ditch. The accident, involving a grey Mazda 3 Tamura, occurred on Tuesday morning as the car travelled from Leicester towards Market Harborough.

Keep ReadingShow less
care workers

New report exposed a system that has pushed vulnerable carers into financial and emotional turmoil. (Photo for representation: iStock)

Carer's allowance penalties trap many in debt: report

HUNDREDS of thousands of unpaid carers have been hammered by harsh penalties for minor rule breaches, a damning national audit has revealed.

The National Audit Office (NAO) report exposed a system that has pushed vulnerable carers into financial and emotional turmoil.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman alleges sex GP Thomas Plimmer tried to choke her

The woman described feeling scared and worried that he might cut off her airway (Photo for representation: iStock)

Woman alleges sex GP Thomas Plimmer tried to choke her

A woman has come forward alleging that a former GP, struck off for misconduct, attempted to choke her during an intimate encounter without her consent.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she met Thomas Plimmer on a dating app in 2017. On their second date at her home, she claimed he “started squeezing my throat” during sex, despite no prior discussion or agreement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Planning overhaul targets 1.5 million new homes

Keir Starmer speaks during an Advent reception in Downing Street, London, December 11, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS.

Planning overhaul targets 1.5 million new homes

BRITAIN on Thursday (12) outlined details of an overhaul to its planning system to help boost growth and hit a target of 1.5 million new homes in the next five years, including ordering local authorities to build more houses.

The housebuilding target was one of six measurable "milestones" announced by prime minister Keir Starmer a week ago, as he pledged to revamp a planning system he described as having a "chokehold" on growth.

Keep ReadingShow less