In brief
Charles Abeysekera
Dedicated peace activist, Charles Abeysekera, died of a heart attack in Colombo on 3 April. Mr Abeysekera, a champion of human rights and democratic development, was a founder member of a number of human rights agencies including the Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality (MIRJE) and INFORM.
NGO solidarity under his guidance following human rights violations on a massive scale during the 1989 state suppression of the People’s Liberation Front (JVP), led to the formation of the NGO Forum on Sri Lanka, a world-wide network concerned with human rights and development issues.
His unwavering commitment and relentless campaign for peace in Sri Lanka won him admiration at home and abroad. In 1995, he was selected as a member of the government delegation for peace negotiations with the LTTE in Jaffna.
Mr Abeysekera’s death is a loss to the cause of human rights in Sri Lanka. His absence will be particularly felt in the NGO sector which is facing unprecedented crisis.
Bomb
A Tiger tractor bomb killed four civilians and a policeman at Eravur town in Batticaloa District. Over 15 shops and a clock tower were damaged.
Delegation
A 15-member Sri Lankan parliamentary delegation visited Norway in late March to study human rights, development and Norwegian policy on the Sami ethnic minority.
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