In a meeting with a senior Sri Lanka Government official, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today emphasized the need for to find a speedy political solution to the underlying factors behind the country's civil war that ended three years ago with a Government victory over Tamil separatist rebels, according to his spokesperson.

In a meeting at UN Headquarters in New York with the Sri Lankan Minister of Plantation Industries and Special Presidential Envoy on Human Rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Mr. Ban noted the Government's latest efforts on accountability as well as the steady progress on resettlement issues, his spokesperson added in a note to the news media.

Sri Lankan Government forces declared victory over the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009 after a conflict that had raged on and off for nearly three decades and killed thousands of people.

Mr. Ban has long called for full accountability, and the UN Human Rights Council in March called on the Government to take "all necessary additional steps to fulfil its relevant legal obligations and commitment to initiate credible and independent actions to ensure justice, equity, accountability and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans."

A three-member UN panel of experts on accountability issues during the civil war found there were credible reports that both Government forces and the LTTE committed war crimes during the final months of the conflict. It recommended that the Government respond to the allegations by initiating an effective accountability process starting with genuine investigations.

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The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is now being drafted by the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), is expected to be released to the four Tamil National Alliance (TNA) political partners to resolve the longstanding stalemate in registering the TNA as a political party before the announcement of polls to the Northern PC , political sources said yesterday. The Bishop of Mannar, Dr Rayappu Joseph also earlier intervened to invite the leaders of the Tamil political parties - TULF, TELO, PLOTE, EPRLF and the ITAK - to bring about a settlement to this longstanding problem of registering the TNA, but gave up after deliberating at length after TULF leader V. Ananda Sangari stormed out of the meeting, the sources said. TNA parliamentarian, M. A. Sumanthiran told The Sunday Island that the Elections Act stipulated that any application for registering a party should be forwarded during the month of January each year and it could not be done if there was a pending election.

Thousands of people came together to take part in a rally through London, in remembrance of the hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians who were killed, maimed and displaced by Sri Lankan forces in Mullivaikkal in May 2009. Leaving Marble Arch at 1pm, the crowd - from toddlers to octogenarians - braved the unseasonably cool May weather to walk to Waterloo Place, near Piccadilly Circus. With the generous co-operation of the Metropolitan Police, busy London thoroughfares such as Park Lane and Piccadilly were closed on a busy shopping day in order to let the procession pass.

The differences of opinion over the 13th Amendment to the Constitution among the constituent parties of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) have come to the surface with Parliamentary Group Leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) threatening to take to the streets, if the government goes ahead with the Northern Provincial Council elections scheduled for September this year. Speaking to a packed audience at the Public Library Auditorium yesterday, Parliamentarian Rathana Thera said his party would present a private member motion to abolish the 13th Amendment and the Provincial Council system. "If the government does not listen to us, and proceeds to conduct the election, we will be on the streets," he warned to an appreciative audience.

Norway has asked Sri Lanka to comply with "well established international rules on diplomatic immunity" after a Colombo Court ruled that the former Norwegian Ambassador and three officials did not have immunity in a huge transaction involving an NGO. Norway's Ambassador Grete Lochen said yesterday that her government had held the position that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations should be respected since Sri Lanka was a party to this convention. "Diplomats and state officials from Sri Lanka are enjoying the same privileges when serving their government," she said in an email interview. The ambassador said the Norwegian embassy was carefully studying the translation of the Colombo District Court order in which four Norwegian nationals including the country's former Ambassador Hilde Haraldstad were being held accountable for the non-fulfillment of a financial transaction with a local NGO.

Sri Lanka's Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya criticized the foreign representatives expressing different opinions about maintaining army camps in the North. Participating in a radio program on the state-run SLBC, the Army Commander noted that there are only three Army camps in the Jaffna peninsula at present, although there were sixteen army camps at the end of the war in May 2009. He told the state run radio that, as the Army Commander he is well aware of what has to be done to safeguard the independence gained by defeating the terrorism. "Foreigners have no right to decide where the army camps of this country should be maintained," he said during the program.

The body of the Navy sailor who went missing following the capsizing of a Navy boat at the Galle Face on Saturday during the victory day parade was found from Bambalapitiya this morning. Four navy personnel had fallen off a small Sri Lanka Navy vessel which had been involved in an accident during the Victory day Parade but three sailors were rescued yesterday at sea.

It is reported that the SLFP has decided to hand over the operational leadership of the future elections in the party to Minister Basil Rajapaksa. The powers have been vested upon the National Organizer of the Party. However, internal party sources say that most of the powers which MP Maithripala Sirisena had enjoyed as the Party secretary has now been given to Minister Basil Rajapaksa. Sources say that this has triggered an internal dispute among its members. Previously, Party secretary had the power to call upon meetings an d to give direct orders to seat organizers. BUt the new decision has releived all these powers from the Secretary.

Election monitors are concerned about the possible strong military presence in the North if elections are held in September. Executive Director of CaFFE, Keerthi Tennakoon said that the political environment, the political freedom, the freedom of press and freedom of movement in the North needs to be addressed before the elections take place. 'There are still restrictions in those areas that could hamper the movement of people engaged in election campaigning. The freedom of assembly on the other hand is always a question mark, because in Mullaitivu, Jaffna and even in Kilinochchi we see that if there are a group of people gathered, there are so many questions being asked by the security forces.

Having consulted External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday afternoon, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told The Sunday Island that contrary to media reports, acquiring land by the government for the expansion of Palaly-Kankesanthurai security zone hadn't been raised by Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid when he phoned his Sri Lankan counterpart on Friday morning. Rajapaksa said that positioning of armed forces during the war as well as post-conflict situation would be the prerogative of the government. The deployment of troops and military assets would be done in accordance with overall post-war security plan hence it couldn't be amended owing to domestic as well as external factors.

The Saudi Arabian government Kingdom has offered a grace period for the overstaying Sri Lankan migrant workers, Sri Lankan embassy of Riyadh said. The grace period is valid from today and the overstaying Sri Lankans can leave the Kingdom under an amnesty. The Embassy asks the overstaying Sri Lankans to report to the Saudi Immigration and Emigration Department to obtain pass to leave the country without being punished. Unconfirmed sources say that around 10,000 Sri Lankans are staying in the Kingdom without valid visa or authorization.

The Tamil National Alliance has urged China to influence the government to address Tamil grievances in a serious manner and put forward a political solution to their concerns. TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran said that the government often banks on China to avoid pressure exerted from countries like India and the United States. 'China must look at the actual situation in Sri Lanka and not do anything that may harm Tamil sentiments. They must use the influence they have on the government to push them to address Tamil concerns,' he said. Meanwhile Tamil National People's Front leader Gajendrakumar Ponambalam said despite the end of the war four years ago the government is now continuing to wage a war against the Tamils by other means.

Two navy personnel had fallen off a small Sri Lanka Navy vessel which was involved in an accident during the Victory day Parade at the Galle Face Green this morning. The boat had capsized during the parade causing both sailors to fall overboard. One of them has been rescued while the other sailor is reported missing at sea. Approximately 170 officers and 2700 sailors of the Sri Lanka Navy had taken part in the Humanitarian Victory Day Parade 2013, which marks the fourth anniversary of ending of terrorism. The Naval Contingent comprised of Naval Forces from the Western Naval Command, the Southern Naval Command, the Wanni Naval Command, the Eastern Naval Command and the Northern Naval Command.

Mrs Ananthi Sasitharan, who personally witnessed Sri Lanka military taking away her husband, Mr Elilan, a political leader of the LTTE, at the end the Vanni War in May 2009, speaks out her experience from a civilian point of view and as a mother caring for her children during the war and the genocidal onslaught. Still living in Vanni, at Ki'linochchi, the 46-year-old mother of three is also running an organization that seeks to establish what had happened to their beloved ones. The SL State is still refusing to reveal the fate of those who were filtered away from the civilians and taken into buses to undisclosed detention camps. The narration of the survivor of the genocidal massacre, told with courage from Ki'linochchi, brings out the spirit and courage of a people who stood with their liberation fighters until the last moment. TamilNet brings out a 40-minute recount by Mrs Sasitharan.

A group of persons including two leaders of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) have been arrested by Mannar Police today over a commemoration ceremony. The General Secretary of the TNPF, S. Gajendran and National Organizer, S. Manivannan are said to be among the group of around 15 party members arrested. They were arrested regarding a ceremony organized today to commemorate the deaths of Tamils during the war in Sri Lanka, TNPF leader and former MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam told Ada Derana. He stated that the arrests were made at around 4.00pm today (18) and that they are currently in Mannar Police custody.

Impeached Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayke who appeared before the Bribery Commission issued a lengthy statement denying the charges levelled against her. Sources close to Dr. Bandaranayake said she gave a detailed explanation on how she obtained each and every asset she possessed. She spoke for some three and a half hours giving details of her bank accounts and how she came to own her other properties. She emphasised that she had accumulated her assets in a legitimate way. Dr. Bandaranayake was asked to appear before the commission once again at 9.00 a.m. on Monday. The charges include the non-declaration of assets and liabilities annually and about some 20 bank accounts she held in various banks including nine accounts in the National Development Bank (NDB).

President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing the Victory Day at the colourful ceremony held at Galle Face Green reiterated that the cruel terrorist war was ended four years ago and there will be no more wars and blood bath in the country. He said the country had been united as one nation and the people were free from terror and fear. The President recalled that the entire world warned not to engage the ruthless LTTE but to offer what the terrorists wanted. 'Our brave armed forces displayed that a ruthless terrorist outfit like the LTTE could be defeated though the world had second thoughts',the President said.

UNP MP Ravi Karunanayaka says that the former media spokesperson of the LTTE Daya master had asked to compete from the UNP to the NPC polls but the party did not allow it. He further stated that for the UPFA which considers previous terrorist activities as a qualification for the politics has accepted Daya Master to their list. MP Karunanayaka made this remark at a media briefing held yesterday (17) at the National plantation workers union hall at Rajagiriya. HE said that not only Daya Master, Tamilini, even the former friend of the LTTE leader Prabhakaran Gunasundaram Jayasundaram too will contest to the NPC from UPFA.

President of the National Trade Union Centre (NTUC), K.D. Lal Kantha, alleged the electricity bill of Minister of Mass Media and Information, Keheliya Rambukwella, was Rs 121,114 for the month of March. "This is the bill for his private home. These private bills are paid by his ministry to the CEB. Why can't the President and the Cabinet, as a start, enact a law, to prevent the use of the public money to pay the bills of the ministers?" he questioned. The people of the country must fight to totally abolish the electricity tariff hike in the coming days, without limiting themselves to the reversal of the new electricity tariff plan. He expressed these views addressing the media in Colombo, at a convention organized by the Coordination Committee for the National Trade Union Alliance (NTUA), in response to the remarks made by President of the Federation of University Teachers' Associations (FUTA), Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri, regarding the essential role played by electricity in the daily lives of the masses.

Sri Lanka this morning staged an extravagant military parade at the Galle Face Green in Colombo to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the monumental victory over the terrorist war waged by the Tamil Tiger rebels for three decades. Sri Lankan President as Commander in Chief was the Chief Guest at the occasion where over 13,000 Security Forces personnel of the Three Armed Forces, the Special Task Force (STF) and the Civil Defense Force took part in a grand parade. Also, took part in the parade were 50 naval craft in the sea off the Galle Face and 30 air craft including fighter craft from the sky. The commemoration ceremony was inaugurated with a 21-gun salute by the Artillery unit of Sri Lanka Army. The National War Hero Ceremony will be conducted in front of the statue of the Gallant Soldier at Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte at 4 pm today and the President will lay a wreath to pay tribute to the over 20,000 soldiers who perished in the three-decade long battle.

Any organisation or individual will not be allowed to venerate a terrorist organisation. Anyone participating in a commemoration ceremony for LTTE cadres will be arrested, Vanni Commander Major General Boniface Perera said. 'There is only one military in a country. Any citizen has the right to commemorate their loved ones but no one can commemorate terrorists who were disloyal to the government. If persons are planning to remember LTTE members it is treason. We will arrest whoever is involved in this,' Major General Perera said. He was responding to a query about reports in some newspapers including the Udayan published in the North, that relatives of those who died during the last phase of the war in Vellamullivaikkal and Pudumathalan were planning to organise a commemoration day in Vavuniya today when the government was celebrating Victory Day.