http://www.uk.oneworld.net/article/country/144/ en_GB_uk Sri Lanka http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/160430/1/ Sri Lanka’s worsening human rights record and failed promises for improvement undermine its claim for a place on the UN Human Rights Council, a coalition of national and international NGOs said in a letter released today. http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/159282/1/ Relief agencies are mobilizing in Sri Lanka's Batticaloa region, where recent torrential rains forced more than 7,000 Sri Lankans -- many of whom were already displaced by fighting between the government and a rebel group -- to flee their homes. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82865 The Asian Human Rights Commission has asked the UN Rapporteur on Torture to help end the detention and alleged torture of a number of uncharged Sri Lankan journalists. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82805 The Sri Lankan government is responsible for widespread abductions and “disappearances” that are a national crisis, a leading rights group says in a new report. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82763 The world has largely turned its attention away from humanitarian crises in Somalia, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burma, but the world body shouldn't, said a prominent human rights group this week. From: Human Rights Watch http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82648 As many as half a million Sri Lankans could be affected in 2008 alone as violence between the secessionist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam, and the government continues to intensify. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82576 Children are increasingly being killed and injured and having their education disrupted as violence between the secessionist group, the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam, and Sri Lankan government security forces escalates. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82271 Landmine clearance in Sri Lanka since the Mines Advisory Group restarted operations there in September 2007 will allow more then 30,000 internally displaced persons to return to their communities, the organisation said. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82087 A Tamil Tiger bomb that killed 28 bus passengers today marked the end of the six-year ceasefire in Sri Lanka's civil war, a day after the military said it wanted to destroy the rebels and finish the 25-year conflict. + OneWorld Guide to Sri Lanka http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/156892/1/ As the truce between Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels ends on January 16, humanitarian agencies have raised concern over its possible impact on aid delivery. Fresh violence could affect over a hundred thousand displaced people and put at risk the safety of its workers, say agencies. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/81952 A series of stories looks at HIV vulnerability, poverty, and women's rights and empowerment since the 2004 natural disaster ravaged Southeast Asia. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/81592 Feuding politicians continually threaten independent journalism and have recently incited violence in Sri Lanka, a country marred by a long-lasting civil war between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), writes Adam Nord. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/154854/1/ The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) has launched a national program to address post-consumer plastic waste. People are being told to segregate the plastic from other garbage to make recycle collections easier and to stop dumping them on roadsides. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/154844/1/ Children of mothers who work overseas are most likely to be subject to Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE), says a leading child protection group in Sri Lanka. There are currently 40,000 commercial child prostitutes in the country, with most of them working in the coastal areas. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/81042 A UN official just back from Sri Lanka has condemned the escalation of hostilities and warned that torture was "prone to become routine in the context of counter-terrorism operations."