Human Rights Ministry Drafts National Action Plan for Human Rights

Human Rights and Disaster Management Ministry is involved in the drafting of a National Action Plan to promote Human Rights and they also hope to finalize and release the draft by the end of November, an official from the Ministry revealed.

Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has also appointed a Committee of eminent persons to investigate the contents of the report submitted by the US State Department to the US Congress recently. President’s Counsel D.S. Wijesinghe has been appointed as the Chairman of the Committee.

Presidents Counsel Nihal Jayamanna, Presidents Counsel and former Attorney General CR de Silva, Attorney- at-Law Mrs Mano Ramanathan, South Eastern University Chancellor Mrs. Jezima Ismail are the other members of the committee.

The Committee is due to hold regular meetings to study the contents of the allegations and file its report before December 31, 2009.

The Ministry also yesterday (November 06) announced that the government has recorded a tremendous progress in the process of IDPs resettlement in the North and East provinces.

The official further revealed that 119, 687 internally displaced persons have been resettled by yesterday. He said that 91,999 persons were resettled with direct intervention of the government and over 26,000 IDPs from six sites in Jaffna have been released to Vavuniya and Mannar to be with their relatives and friends.

He also added that there are 143, 534 IDPs at present in 15 sites, 3373 in Jaffna, 970 in Mannar and 3936 in Trincomalee and over 1000 are getting treatments at government hospitals in the area.

- Asian Tribune -