Aktuell: Red signal on for NGOs (engl.)

 Seit Anfang Juli verstärken die srilankische Regierung und die vom Präsidentenbruder Basil Rajapaksa geleitete Presidential Task Force (PTF) massiv den Druck auf srilankische und im Land tätige internationale NGOs. Abgelaufene Visa von Mitarbeitern der Nonviolent Peaceforce wurden nicht erneuert, die Betroffenen zur Ausreise genötigt. Durch die Verpflichtung, vom Verteidigungsministerium des Präsidentenbruders Gotabaya Rajapaksa Passagierscheine einzuholen, wird die Bewegungsfreiheit von einheimischen und internationalen NGO-Mitarbeiter_innen systematisch unterbunden. Registrierte NGOs werden zu Verfahren der Neuregistrierung aufgefordert, deren Ausgang ungewiss ist. Sri Lanka Advocacy publiziert dazu unkommentiert erst ein Originaldokument des Verteidigungsministeriums und darunter einen Bericht aus www.lankanews. Wir werden die weitere Entwicklung stetig verfolgen und wenn nötig aktuell öffentlich machen.

At the recent meeting of the security Council it was decided that all International and local non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) shall be registered again, it is reported.

 The Govt. had been watchful and had been paying careful attention to the activities of the NGOs during the war. Some Ministers have indeed criticized the actions of these NGOs.

 Following the decision of the Security Council, it is likely that those NGOs towards which the Govt. is not well disposed will become the victims, when the re-registration is being done. The Govt. appointed a Parliamentary Committee to probe the activities of these NGOs, and a number of the Committee’s interim reports have been forwarded to the Govt.

 The President at Kilinochchi stated, some NGOs are engaged in activities damaging the country, for which he will not allow any room.

 While saying some of these NGO representatives go to foreign countries and carry out publicity campaigns against the country, he pointed out at the roofless buildings on either side of the road, and asked whether they are left that way for him to take notice.

 As these NGOs can exploit taking pictures of these dilapidated buildings and send them abroad to collect millions of rupees as funds, he ordered the officials there to expeditiously complete those buildings by putting the roofs over them.            

 The Govt.’s intelligence unit is consistently keeping a watch over the activities of the NGOs and the foreigners in them. According to the intelligence unit report some of these officers have been deported. The visa extension to them to continue their stay have been refused. Some days ago, visas of two non violent peace task force officers were not renewed. Consequently they had to go back.

 The refusal of visas to these two officers on the basis of the reports of the intelligence unit were reported by the Director General of Immigration and Emigration Dept., and the Director General for national security, media center, earlier. 

http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=9774