EU delegation calls on Govt. to take action against hate crimes

By Chathuri Dissanayake

At a meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday, Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and Maldives Ambassador Tung-Lai Margue raised concerns over the escalating hate crimes in the country. 

While appreciating the commitment given by the Government of Sri Lanka to address the issue, Political, Trade and Communications Section Head Paul Godfrey said that the Delegation will observe the situation as it develops. 

“This is something that is being raised at a very senior level as well. The ambassador met the President and this was one of the main topics that were discussed. We very much welcome the very public statements that this is unacceptable behaviour. But clearly they need to make sure that it is followed up with action that shows that people cannot act with impunity. We are now looking for the Government to follow through on that element. There has been a start and arrests made, but that needs to lead to prosecution, etc.”

During the meeting with President Sirisena too, the Ambassador had emphasised on the need to take action to ensure that a clear message is sent to the public, he said. 

They have given the message that the situation is unacceptable, and clearly an affront to the dignity of all Sri Lankans. And this is a welcome message. It is important that this message is now followed through by action against the perpetrators. I know that there have been some arrests, and that is a positive sign, but obviously what the community is looking to see is that people are held accountable for their actions. And that is an important element that we support,” Godfrey told Daily FT.  

Call for Entries: Photography Exhibition on “Reconciliation is ...”

The Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), in partnership with the Delegation of the 

European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, yesterday called for entries for the Hope photographic exhibition to be held in September 2017. 

The initiative invites both amateur and professional photographers in Sri Lanka to send in entries capturing what reconciliation means to them, in the context of reaching 70 years since Independence and the way forward towards a just and equitable society.

Out of those submitted, 70 best entries, as evaluated by an expert panel of judges will be featured in a public exhibition in September 2017. Selected photos will also be published in the EU Delegation calendar for 2018 and a booklet produced by ONUR.

The organisers encourage submissions from Amateur photographers including photos taken through Smart phones. Winners of both Amateur and Professional categories will be given valuable prizes.

Commenting on the initiative, of ONUR, Director General, M. S. Jayasinghe said that the initiative is in line with the cultural programs launched to encourage better understanding and reconciliation among the communities.  “This is in line with the priorities of the present government and we are hoping the photography exhibition will allow general public to engage further with us by creatively expressing what reconciliation really means to them.”

This year ONUR has launched number of programs to focus on culture and arts to promote reconciliation, which included a media campaign, an essay competition, art competition and a cartoon competition. 

The selected entries from the art and cartoon competitions will be exhibited in August, Jayasinghe said. 

In addition ONUR has also initiated livelihood focused programs with a budget of Rs. 1000 million.  “Last year our budget was only Rs. 250 million, but this year we have a bigger budget,” he said.  Speaking at the launch EU Delegation Counsellor Paul Godfrey said that supporting reconciliation in Sri Lanka is a key priority for the European Union. 

“We have partnered with the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation in this initiative to encourage Sri Lankans to reflect on their hopes for the future of the country. We want this exhibition to generate discussion about empathising with fellow Sri Lankans on the need for national reconciliation. Through reconciliation, we believe there is the hope of more inclusive identities that value the diversity of people and cultures in the island”.

How to Submit:

Image resolution: In the highest possible resolution and native format

 File Size for Submission: Not exceeding 25MB

Information: Name of Photographer, Location of the Photograph and Preferred Title of the Entry

Email entries to: [email protected]

More information will be available in the newspapers and through the following links:

ONUR Facebook: www.facebook.com/ONURgovLK

EU Delegation Facebook: www.facebook.com/EUDel.Srilanka.Maldives