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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 16 OctOber 2019

Sri Lanka presidential hopeful says won't honor deal with UN

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Rajapaksa was the top de-
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) fense official during the last
— A former Sri Lankan de- few years of the long civil
fense chief who is a front- war, which ended in 2009,
runner in next month's serving under his brother,
presidential election said then-President Mahinda
Tuesday that if he wins, he Rajapaksa. Under their
won't recognize an agree- watch, Sri Lankan forces
ment the government were accused of targeting
made with the U.N. human hospitals and killing civil-
rights council to investigate ians and rebels who surren-
alleged war crimes during dered to the military at the
the nation's civil war. end of the war, which saw
If Gotabaya Rajapaksa the military defeat Tamil
wins the Nov. 16 election rebels who were fighting
and follows through with for an independent state
his comments, it would be for minority ethnic Tamils.
a severe setback to Sri Lan- Rajapaksa is accused by
ka's post-war reconciliation opponents of being be-
process. Sri Lankan presidential candidate and former defense chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa speaks during hind men in mysterious ve-
"We will always work with a news conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019. hicles whisking away rebel
the United Nations, but I Associated Press suspects, journalists and
can't recognize what they activists. Many people tak-
have signed" with past Sri ference. rejected that agreement our policies and the pres- en away in the so-called
Lankan governments, Raja- "We have already rejected and in public we have re- ent government policies "white van abductions"
paksa said at a news con- that, as a party we have jected that. ... On this issue, are far apart," he said. were never seen again.q

China says postal fees to rise after US complaint

BEIJING (AP) — Fees paid The Trump administration of the postal bureau, Gao
by China to the United complained the U.S. Post Hongtao, said in the state-
States and other countries Office was subsidizing Chi- ment.
to deliver packages will nese exporters, which it Gao said the impact on
nearly triple through 2025 said pay too little to deliver China overall should be
under an agreement by the vast volume of pack- small because fees paid
the global postal union ages generated by online to its post office also will in-
following complaints by commerce. crease.
Washington, the Chinese Washington threatened to The U.S. complaint cen-
post office said Tuesday. pull out of the 192-member tered on reimbursement
Payments will rise 27% next group, which other mem- for delivering "bulky letters
year and by 164% in total bers said would disrupt and small parcels," usu-
through 2025 under the global postal operations. ally weighing more than
Sept. 25 agreement by The increase will "push up 2 kilograms (4½ pounds).
members of the Universal the cost of cross-border They can include high-
Postal Union, the State Post- e-commerce logistics in value items such as mobile Women walk by a China Post mailbox in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct.
al Bureau said in a state- China, bringing a certain phones, memory sticks or 15, 2019.
ment. impact," a deputy director pharmaceuticals.q Associated Press