Human right campaigners took to the streets of the U.K. last Saturday (4/9) to ask shoppers to ‘check the labels’ of clothes being sold by high street retailers.

One such company is GAP who likes to call itself an ‘ethical’ company but fails to see the irony of effectively funding an immoral regime! (continue reading…)

Toronto – Hundreds of Canadian Tamils, including members of the National Council of Canadian Tamils and the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, rallied in front of the Sri Lankan Consulate and then proceeded to march along Yonge Street.

“It is either do or die for Tamils.” “The LTTE is not a terrorist organization.” “Canada take immediate action.” “Resettle Tamils back to their homes.” “Close the camps. Save the Tamils.” These were the chants that could be heard throughout the city of Toronto on Friday as hundreds of Canadian Tamils rallied in front of the Sri Lankan consulate and proceeded to march down Yonge Street to Queen’s Park………….. read more

Considerable concerns have been expressed by visiting expatriate Tamils that two prominent Tamil politicians are involved in the illegal land transfer scam.Lands belonging to the Tamils who have left the country long time ago and unclaimed since the defeat of the LTTE are being transferred illegally in bogus names and then disposed off for massive sums.

The scandal is said to involve the government minister and the paramilitary leader Douglas Devananda and the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran. According to information, the scam has slowed down following some private uproar in Jaffna,and subtle revelation in the media but it is said to continue in a small scale still. Whilst Miniter Devanada is involved in many illegal trading activities with the involvement of his paramilitary powerbase which is being tolerated by the government, Premachandran who espouses the Tamils rights so vociferously is said to be indulging in the activities against his own people…………….read more

The Association of Tamil Creativists in Tamil Nadu against the Colombo International Tamil Writers Conference to be held in Colombo from 5th to 8th January 2011 has appealed to all Tamil writers to boycott the Colombo conference in a message to media released Tuesday in Chennai. Several leading Tamil creativists including writers, artists, film industry persons and journalists who took part in the Tuesday press meet have signed the appeal. ………………….. read more

On July 21, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published an interview with Donald Perera, Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Israel. Perera, the former Sri Lankan Air Force commander and Chief of Defence Staff, thanked Israel profusely for its support in the fight against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

He said: “For years Israel has aided our war on terror through the exchange of information and the sale of military technology and equipment… Our air force fleet includes 17 Kfir warplanes, and we also have Dabur patrol boats. Our pilots were trained in Israel, and we have received billions of dollars in aid over the past few years. This is why I asked to be assigned to Israel — a country I consider a partner in the war against terror.”…………… read more

Little girls already see themselves as academic front-runners, but often the rebel boy wins out in the end.

My four-year-old son starts school next week, and is already fizzing with excitement. But if recent gloomy reports are to be believed, the lot of a British schoolboy is fated to be one of slowly shrinking self-belief. Last week it was revealed that almost three out of 10 primary schools are now staffed exclusively by women. It also emerged that, by the age of four, little girls generally hold the opinion that they are cleverer, more successful and harder-working than boys. By the age of seven or eight, the downtrodden boys are inclined to agree………….. read more

This is utter rubbish and absolute lies being spread by the Sri Lankan embassy in Washington DC. It is more than obvious that the SLHC making a desperate attempt to hoodwink the US Secretary of State, The State Dept.. and the US Congress about the state of affairs in Sri Lanka.read more

They have simply forgotten the fundamental rule in foreign affairs of the US Government, which relies on their own embassy in Sri Lanka to formulate their opinion instead of foreign embassies in Washington, or their paid lobb………….

Mahinda Rajapaksa, strengthened by military victory over the Tamil Tigers, easily won the 2010 Sri Lanka elections. But his government’s authoritarianism is frightening the Sinhalese – and the Tamils are afraid of colonisation by the Sinhalese majority read more

The last bastions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) began falling one by one from March 2008. The Sri Lankan army imprisoned in camps almost 300,000 Tamil civilians who had been living under the guerrillas’ strict authority. The Menic Farm site in Vavuniya district in the north held up to 228,000 people. Ten months after the Tigers’ defeat, 70,000 refugees were still behind barbed wire, waiting for permission to return to their villages. The army let me visit a camp, called a “transitory well-being village”……………..

Today the remembrance of arrest and subsequent mass murder of 158 minority Eelam Tamils refugees who had taken refuge in the Eastern University in 1990 in Sri Lanka. More Details of the massacre could found on following link,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_University_massacre

I wish to bring your kind attention on this maasacre which , until now , nobody is charged even there are hundreds of evidence who witnessed the Sri Lanakan military’s abduction and murder.It is also sad to see most of these war criminals are now appointed as ambasadors to UN and other countries include Germany , Malaysia , Great Britain …etc  which a most shameful event for human kind on this earth. None of the world countries could still punnish Sri Lanka and they even have not even shown their displeasure of the these appointements.  (continue reading…)

During the Vietnam conflict, the US military developed some creative ways to increase the numbers of Viet Cong insurgents it claimed to have killed. “If they’re dead, they’re Viet Cong,” meant that any Vietnamese killed by American soldiers would automatically count as enemy fighters. 

Sri Lanka’s defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has taken such creative accounting to new heights. The United Nations reported that at least 7,000 civilians were killed and tens of thousands wounded during the final months of the brutal conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which ended in May 2009. But Gotabhaya has repeatedly cast aspersions on the idea that there were any civilian casualties……………………… read more

(Lanka-e-News, 05.Sep.2010, 00.45 AM) It is reported that the vote of a non Govt. M P who votes with the Govt. for the constitutional amendments has been estimated at a value of Rs. 500 to 1000 lakhs . While the minimum amount on offer is Rs. 500 lakhs , commensurate with the individual’s status, his seniority and his prominence it can go up to Rs. 1000 lakhs.read more

The scheme geared to winning over the non Govt. MPs comes within the purview of the Rajapakses and their groups. Earlier Basil Rajapakse who was engaged in this task is out of it now, it is learnt. Though several seniors in the Govt. are opposed to the proposed amendments and are expressing resentment in whispering tones , they do not come out to the open to express them………………. 

The Executive President of Sri Lanka is the Head of State, Government and the Commander in Chief of Armed Forces. The constitution of Sri Lanka guarantees that the President is above the Law; he/she cannot be brought before any court of law including the Supreme Court in the country. The previous Presidents who came to power misused their powers violating the democratic rights of the people. read more

Since then, the establishment of Presidential system in 1978 replacing the Westminster System has been opposed by all the democratic political parties and organizations. They………………

Sept 05, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main English weeklies have slammed a proposed change to the country’s constitution as the latest in a long list of moves by rulers to destroy individual liberties and break remaining democratic institutions.

• “The watchdogs may bark, but the caravan moves on,” 
• “That might sum up the credo of the all-powerful Government as it motors along with the proposed constitutional amendments that would, in effect, turn the country’s political establishment on its head in time to come.
• “In a sense it is a circus we are watching. Once these amendments are passed, all pretences to an independent public service will disappear…”
• “all pretences to an independent public service will disappear” including the “the Judiciary and the Election arms.”

But more damagingly, it will also break remaining democratic institutions with the independence of the judiciary and the election office also destroyed, The Sunday Times newspaper said. ……………. read more

The watchdogs may bark, but the caravan moves on. That might sum up the credo of the all-powerful Government as it motors along with the proposed constitutional amendments that would, in effect, turn the country’s political establishment on its head in time to come. In a sense it is a circus we are watching. Musclemen carrying the burdens of office; trapeze artists swinging from one side to the other; clowns playing to the gallery – some cheering, some unamused…………… read more

Police will intensify security measures to ensure there are no violent incidents when Parliament debates the 18th Amendment on Tuesday. Police Chief Mahinda Balasuriya met his top officers at Police Headquarters yesterday to discuss how these measures will be carried out.

The Sunday Times understands that the Army will be tasked with providing security along roads leading to parliament to ensure the unhindered movement of MPs on Tuesday. These moves come in the wake of calls by sections of the opposition urging people to stage public protests and demonstrations to oppose the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The Parliament, which meets at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday, will have a one-day debate on the amendment. Voting is to take place at 5 p.m

by Dr Vickramabahu Karunaratne Hitherto, the left in general considered the UNP to be the party of the pro imperialist, conservative bourgeois. Hence the breakaway party led by the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranayke was accepted as the party of liberal nationalist capitalism. People were made to accept that the western colonial traditions were protected by the UNP, whilst the SLFP stood for local traditions. Even Sajith Premadasa insists that the UNP is not a party of the Colombo 7 elite, implying that such an opinion exists in society. This widespread belief is used by the present leaders of the SLFP, the Mahinda crowd, to attract the rural Sinhala middle classes and also to cover up the regime’s total subjugation to the neo liberal policies of global capitalism. I have tried to explain in this column, in the past, the changes that have taken place in imperialism. …………………….. read more

(September 05, Colombo)

There is no doubt that the proposed constitutional amendment is merely a means of consolidating the dynastic ambitions of the Rajapakses. And clearly, the largest opposition, the UNP is quietly imploding and incapable of fulfilling its responsibilities and it is futile to hope that the amendment will be defeated in parliament. At this moment, probably the most crucial moment in Sri Lanka’s contemporary history, the Leader of the Opposition is out of the country on a ‘private visit’! This surely underscores his utter lack of concern for the good of this country, his political ineptitude and his callousness. Certainly, we cannot look to him for inspiration. Mahinda Rajapakse could not have asked for a better Leader of the Opposition. And Rauf Hakeem’s pathetic defence of his capitulation, that he was facing ‘reality’ and taking a ‘pragmatic political decision’ seems to reflect the views of the majority of politicians in this country who have defended this amendment or worse still stayed silent…………….. read more

CLICK Groundviews.com created this timeline to highlight various promises and statements made by the President and government over abolishing the office of the Executive President.

Click and drag the slider at the bottom of the timeline above to adjust the time scale. Click here to view larger version of this timeline, where you can also view it as a list of events / stories. Click on any pop-up / event to get a URL link to the full news story…………. read more

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North remain unregistered to vote, despite it being over three months since voter registration began, claims Director of Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), Keerthi Tennakoon.
These IDPs may still reside in camps, but “it is their basic right” to be registered as voters, he says. The IDPs have not received voter registration forms, he says, due to a serious lack of facilities and manpower in the Grama Niladari (GN) divisions in the North. “After three months not a single IDP has been registered,” states Tennakoon. On July 11 this year, The Sunday Leader ran an article on the possibility of thousands in the Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts losing their voting rights due to the same reasons. According to Tennekoon, there has been little progress since then………………. read more

• “I Am Not Greedy For Power” Chandrika Kumaratunga Condemns The 18th Amendment
• I actually live in a two-bedroom flat in London.
• Finally when asked to describe President Mahinda Rajapaksa in two sentences, Kumaratunga said she could not respond to the question, as “a white van” would be sent for her.
  

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga condemned the 18th Amendment proposed by the government saying it is a “horrendous move” and that she could not agree with it in any way.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader Kumaratunga said that being “a total democrat,” she believes that rulers must not grab power, but on the contrary make it even more democratic. Kumaratunga said she had been firmly committed to abolishing the Executive Presidency and tried to do so in 2000 along with the devolution package, since the position was extremely dangerous to democracy. “Abolishing of the Executive Presidency was also included in the package,” she said,………….… read more

Attached is a PDF copy of the proposed 18th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution. These changes broadly include repealing Presidential term limits, repealing the Constitutional Council, and giving the President more power over commissions, including the National Police Commission.

You can view the Proposed 18th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution as Google Document here………… or read more

Nirupama Menon Rao expressed satisfaction at the progress in resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and development activities of the North, said state-owned Colombo newspaper Daily News Thursday, titling the news as “Indian investment interest rising”. But, reporting on Nirupama’s visit, The Hindu on Friday titled the news “Political solution should be priority” and cited her saying to Colombo-based Indian journalists that “While the focus on development and rehabilitation is very welcome, a long term perspective that also includes the issues relating to the political settlement that would meet some of the needs of the minorities should also be kept in mind.” …………… READ MORE

Amnesty International is today calling on the Sri Lankan government to ensure the safety of three men who have been tortured and jailed following their forced return from Australia in 2009.

Two of the men, Sumith Mendis and Lasantha Wijeratne, were transferred to a hospital to be examined by a judicial medical officer on 1 September amid claims that they were beaten and tortured following an alleged new attempt to seek asylum in Australia. It is not clear if they are still in hospital or have returned to prison. All three are at risk of further abuse from guards and prisoners when they are returned to prison where Sumith’s brother, Indika, is already being held.

“This is an appalling situation that calls into question the actions of both the Sri Lankan and Australian governments,” said Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Asia………………. READ MORE

The Defence Secretary has taken steps to establish permanent military camps in the North and east provinces claiming for the protection of national security. The Defence Secretary opened a camp in Mullikulam in Mannar as a first step in the programme on the 2nd.  The camp has been named as the Navy’s Wayamba Command Headquarters and Rear Admiral Ruwan Dias has been appointed as the commanding officer of the camp.

The coastal area between Udappuwa and Harippuwa and the seas to the west of the area till the Indo-Lanka maritime border and four naval camps in the area have been assigned to the Wayamba Command Headquarters. The Defence Secretary addressing the gathering at the event said that military camps will be established at all key areas for the protection of national security.

Chauvinist Sinhalese ideologues and intelligentsia – one often shades into the other – with rare but woefully inconsequential exceptions were utterly incapable of recognising the democratic content of ITAK’s suggested constitutional reforms. Nor did they grasp the obvious – that the reforms would disperse the powers British colonialism centralised in Colombo, benefit the Sinhalese grassroots equally, if not more, and crucially undermine the institutional basis for a future authoritarian rule.

Instead, and carried away by ‘Sinhala-only’ aggression fed by anti-Tamil jingoism, most Sinhalese civil society individuals and organisations unwisely and illogically equated the centralised power in Colombo to democratic Sinhalese governance. They haughtily dismissed ITAK’s initiative, darkly imputing an anti-Sinhalese ‘hidden agenda’………………. read more

The people of India have not yet liberated themselves from the Dynastic regime. They wish to be ruled by a King or Queen and later by the Prince or Princess. The continuity from Maurya Dynasty to Nehru Gandhi Dynasty has no signs of break. The post independence history started with Jawaharlal Nehru. His family continues to rule the Congress party and India. This disease of Dynastic rule at centre has spread in almost all the states of the Union of India from Kashmir to Tamil nadu.

Now Mrs. Sonia Gandhi is reelected president of Congress party for the fourth consecutive term. This has been declared today in the initial stage of the election process in Congress party. No other person dared to oppose Mrs. Sonia Gandhi to contest the election from the 7946 PCC delegates in electoral college of the Congress Party. Instead of functioning as electoral college, it openly behaves as electoral family…………… read more

Many Eezham Tamils wonder at some recent political developments but they waste their energy in concentrating on individuals. The individuals, whether KP, section of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, others who come out one by one with statements and ‘development’ agenda in support of the KP-line of politics, and the members of the ‘task’ group that executed the sequence are unimportant. Why they are mobilised so and what makes them to take that line of polity are more important. ……………. READ MORE

The Forum of Tamil Parties, comprising government allies such as the EPDP and the TMVP, asked Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao to prevail upon the Sri Lankan government to engage the elected representatives of the Northern and Eastern Provinces in the resettlement and rehabilitation work.

The Forum, comprising ten parties, held an hour-long meeting with Mrs. Rao and discussed its 12- point demands. Tamil National Liberation Alliance TNLA General Secretary M.K. Sivajilingam told the Daily Mirror after the meeting that the Forum   reiterated the importance of meaningful implementation of the 13th Amendment as a step towards the resolution of the national question………….. read more

THREE asylum seekers forcibly removed to Sri Lanka in 2009 are believed to have been tortured and jailed following an attempt to return to Australia, says Amnesty International.

The human rights group said it held grave fears for the men who now risk further torture and abuse from guards and prisoners. The development comes amid warnings from the coalition that Australia faces a surge in asylum seeker traffic following a deal between Labor and the Australian Greens. Authorities this morning intercepted asylum seeker boat carrying 59 passengers and two crew in waters north of Christmas Island – the seventh arrival since the election on August 21……………. read more

A key witness at the commission set up to examine the final phase of Sri Lanka’s civil war has complained his words were not properly translated.

Douglas Devananda, a cabinet minister and ex-Tamil militant, gave a three-hour testimony in the Tamil language. But he stopped several times to dispute English translations by an interpreter, who looked tired and stressed. The panel is investigating war crimes claims at the end of the long war, which the Tamil Tiger rebels lost year.  Mr Devananda, who is the minister in charge of refugee resettlement, also overlooked several requests from the panel’s chairman that he shorten or paraphrase his speech, which he read out……………………. read more

Are we going to watch this and cry when things go wrong? or Are we going to reach Indian leaders and point out them the mistake they are committing?

At alst Nirubama Rao did not even spend time on finding the real ground facts.Her visit just comes like a posh woman’s visit in Sri Lankan Military escorted vehicle parade. She might have done this many time before , but we need to ensure that the news is well spread. 

Tamil never begged India for food or aid , we expected her to find the fact and push for a poltical solution. She never bothered to visit deep Vanni villages. She never tried to meet Tamil people without military presence. She could have asked , but she never did!. Even she was surounded by many Sri Lankan military inteligence and EPDP agents all over the place.

Many people participated in her meetings went silent after seeing the environment. One and only brave professor opened mouth , still he is under military surveilance now!

(continue reading…)

• The young Tamil widows are sexually harassed

• 25,000 Tamil widows are living in the Batticoloa district

Reports states, 89 thousand Tamil women living in the north and east provinces have lost their husbands due to war. Out of them 25,000 widows are living in the Batticoloa district is according to statistics reports. Tamil National Alliance Parliament Member P.Selvaraja made this statement.

Women due to war and various natural disasters have lost their husbands, and the government had failed to provide them skill opportunities in view of their welfare were mentioned by him. He said they are in many ways harassed. The young widows are sexually harassed and many are arrested and still detained is according to his reports. He said the military should take the responsibility to this unbearable situation which they are facing now was mentioned by Parliament Member P.Selvaraja.

The 18th Amendment, proposed by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, if passed by the SL Parliament, will lead to destructive erosion of already fragile democratic culture said Rt. Revd Duleep de Chickera, the Anglican Bishop of Colombo in a statement issued Thursday.

Full text of the statement follows:

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has alleged that “some groups who said they did not have money to fight the war, and signed ceasefire agreements with the LTTE, had money to give the LTTE,” the Sri Lankan state-run paper Dinamina quoted Mr. Rajapaksa as saying in its front page lead story on Thursday. …………….read more

NfR, the Exile Network for Media and Human Rights in Sri Lanka joins democratic forces in Sri Lanka in opposing the proposed 18th amendment to the constitution of Sri Lanka. Condemning this amendment as the final step in establishing a constitutional dictatorship in Sri Lanka NfR urge international democratic forces to voice their opposition in strongest terms in solidarity with democratic aspirations of the Sri Lankan people…..read more

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao expressed India’s sentiments towards the wellbeing of minorities in Sri Lanka but questioned why all Tamil parties couldn’t come together, Nalliah Kumaraguruparan General Secretary DPF said today.  Kumaraguruparan released the statement following Rao’s meeting with the Tamil Parties Forum. 

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao expressed India’s sentiments towards the wellbeing of minorities in Sri Lanka but wondered why all couldn’t come together. She said the Scenario of 1987 has totally changed now and let you all look at everything in the present context. She promised to the best possible within the Limits available to India…………. READ MORE

Working class of Sri Lanka is facing new challenges following the defeat of the Tamil liberation struggle and the capitalist re-unification of the state structure.  In the latest development, the garment factory owners struggling to survive amidst the loss of GSP Plus tax concessions from European Union are in a mass recruitment drive of Tamil girls among IDPs for cheap labour in factories.

Anton Marcus, President of the Progressive Free Trade Zone and Apparel Union told the Sunday Times, “After many years of war, the people in these areas are ignorant of workers rights, wages and so on and are easy prey for the apparel operators. Most of the big names currently touring the north and east are known to be serious violators of labour laws. There is a huge dearth of factory hands at the moment because many are leaving owing to poor wages and working and living conditions. Therefore the apparel bosses have switched to the north and east where there is widespread unemployment. These people are willing to work for any wage and they care less about the working or living conditions. At the end of the day, these workers will be exploited.” ………. READ MORE 

A lawsuit accusing a Wall Street hedge fund manager and his father of using a charitable foundation to funnel millions of dollars to the LTTE, a Sri Lankan terrorist group, can go forward, a federal judge in New Jersey says. 

The suit, filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act, concerns the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), a non-profit that the U.S. Treasury Department shut down in 2007 for allegedly bankrolling the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (aka Tamil Tigers), which the U.S. classified as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997 and as a specially designated global terrorist in 2001. TRO’s assets were frozen and Americans were barred from dealing with it. 

Between their founding in 1976 and their defeat by the Sri Lankan army in 2009, the Tigers killed thousands of civilians in a violent campaign marked by suicide bombings and assassinations whose goal was to establish a separate state for ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka………….. READ MORE

Conflict and disaster on the other side of the globe have people asking for Canada’s help.

In the case of Pakistan, and the millions of people whose lives have been disrupted if not destroyed by the flooding, they are asking for Canadians and our government to give aid and money generously, because we have so much to give.

In the case of the Tamils fleeing Sri Lanka, who came here last month on a ship seeking refuge, they are asking Canadians and our government to share our lives and our homeland, because we have so much to share. The distinction is a subtle one, perhaps. But, generally, Canada is a generous country, always ready to help when a natural disaster strikes and there with open arms to newcomers who are willing to sacrifice to share our values………………… Read more:

The letters by the passengers of the MV Sun Sea claimed they were fleeing mass murders, disappearances and extortion in Sri Lanka. It stated “though the conflict has ended in Sri Lanka, innocent Tamil people detained in prison have not been released. Displaced civilians have not been resettled in their own homes. Instead, there are widespread occurrences of disappearances, mass murders and extortion.”

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Canada Chithrangani Wagishwara has requested the Canadian government not to grant Canadian citizenship to any asylum seeker on the MV Sun Sea. Today, Canada is home to about 300,000 Tamils, the largest Tamil community outside Sri Lanka and India. “I think the exchange of information and intelligence is the key,” Wagishwara said, urging Canada to share more of its intelligence related to illegal migrants. …………. read more

Sri Lanka (SL) genocide forced the West into accepting SL’s ethnic cleansed refugees (whether as boat arrivals or otherwise) for several decades without much ado until recently in post-LTTE (May 2009) period.  The West absorbed the cost of the SL genocide accepting over a million of the oppressed Tamil victims from SL as refugees. Humanitarian considerations drove the West’s acceptance of the SL refugees.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – On a steamy afternoon in the Sri Lankan capital, if you glance across the water at Colombo’s legendary Galle Face Green seaside promenade, past the spray of the Indian Ocean, you can make out a milky line of giant cargo ships at the point where the sky blends with the sea. That ocean traffic on the horizon, those dashes of gray steel, glide along the world’s busiest sea lane, navigated by anywhere from 100 to 200 ships every day. This is the maritime pipeline that makes it possible for China to remain the world’s fastest-growing economy. It is also the visible explanation for China’s generosity toward Sri Lanka and a centerpiece of this country’s vision for the future.Beijing that has its sights on the country formerly known as Ceylon.

Sri Lanka, the small tear-shaped island at the foot of India, has always held a special place in the hearts of global strategists. In earlier centuries, Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial invaders sought to exploit its riches, but they also coveted the island for its location. Now, in what may become the Chinese Century, it is…………. read more 

Rameswaram (TN), Sept 2 (PTI) A group of fishermen from this island were relieved of their fish catch and mobile phones allegedly by Sri Lankan Naval personnel when they were fishing near Katchatheevu. The affected fishermen numbering around 20 told reporters here that when they were fishing near Katchatheevu, an islet ceded to Sri Lanka by India, the Lankan Navalmen entered their five boats and took away their fish catch and mobile phones. Tension prevailed among the fishermen community here as the fishermen, who had put out to sea yesterday, returned to the shores empty handed this morning. As per the agreement between Sri Lanka and India, fishermen from Tamil Nadu can visit Katchatheevu for drying their nets and rest but can’t fish there. Recently the Centre had rejected demands for retrieving Katchatheevu and said they can protect the fishermen as long as they did not cross into Lankan waters………… read more

India has conveyed to Sri Lanka that beyond resettling and rehabilitating displaced Tamils, Colombo should begin the political process to resolve festering ethnic issues that plunged the island nation into decades of civil conflict. “…the focus on development and rehabilitation is welcomed but long term perspective that also includes the issues relating to the political settlement that would meet some of the needs of the minorities should also be kept in mind,” foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said.   

It was learnt that Rao assured President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during their Wednesday evening meeting, that India would continue to aid and support Sri Lanka’s efforts towards people-centric rehabilitation. But the long-term perspective was politically settling the issues…………….. read more

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John Rankin has been appointed British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Non-Resident British High Commissioner Maldives in succession to Dr Peter Hayes, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Rankin will take up his appointment during February 2011, British High Commission in Colombo said.

John Rankin has been Director, Americas in the FCO since 2008, responsible for a network of over 30 British Embassies, High Commissions and other posts in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. He joined the FCO in 1988 as an Assistant Legal Adviser and served as legal adviser to the UK Mission to the UN and to the UK Mission to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. He has also served as Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Dublin, working on the Northern Ireland peace process, and was Her Majesty’s Consul General in Boston between 2003 and 2007…………… read more

For the first time Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP has explained to the Norwegian web site that the plan he made to save Prabhakaran, his wife Madhiwadani, daughter Dwaraka and youngest son Balachandran failed.

He has also said that Prabhakaran’s son Charles Anthony rang him up and said “Uncle KP the situation is very dangerous. Please save our group”. He also said that his plan to send a Tiger air craft to Wanni and take Prabhakaran and his family to a Tiger ship could not be carried out.

KP also revealed that another plan was also under way to get a cease-fire imposed and get Prabhakaran and his team out of Wanni. For which America was willing to help.

Coimbatore, Aug 31 : MDMK general secretary Vaiko today said Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao’s visit to Sri Lanka as special envoy would not help mitigate the miserable conditions of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Talking to newspersons here, he said there was an initiative at international level to declare Sri Lankan President Raja Pakse, ”a war criminal”.  Once this announcement was made, India also would suffer as the UPA government had helped Sri Lanka to destroy the Tamils, he alleged. The proposed visit of Nirupama Rao would only be to save Raja Pakse and his country from this declaration, he alleged. ……………. READ MORE

India on Wednesday rejected reports that it was bringing its own nationals to Sri Lanka to carry out reconstruction work in the war-ravaged northern districts. Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, on a three-day visit to the Island nation, categorically denied that there was any move to bring in Indian labour for reconstruction work here. Construction of houses and other reconstruction work that India was helping Sri Lanka with was being done with local help, Rao reiterated.  

A report in the local Sunday Times newspaper had claimed that India was transporting 20,000 workers to Sri Lanka to carry out reconstruction activities. On Wednesday, Rao visited the eastern coastal town of Trincomalee and Mullaitivu, the final theatre of battle………….. READ MORE

NOT A WORD ABOUT THE PROMISSED POLITICAL PACKAGE

Despite India’s “new” found goodwill and cloak of compassion, the truth is that 40,000 innocent Tamils were killed by Rajapakse’s genocidal war on Tamils with the support of Indian Government and thousands more are still living a life of misery. They continue to live without neither peace or justice, because they’re victims without voices!!!  See here: http://bit.ly/9sId8k

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao underlined that India stood with Sri Lanka in responding to the challenges posed by the task of resettlement and rehabilitation of the large number of IDPs resulting from the end of armed conflict in 2009. She made this statement during her visit to Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Jaffna yesterday (31 Aug).

In particular, she referred to the challenge posed by housing and noted that India had pledged to build 50,000 houses in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, and that Jaffna would be assisted through signature projects such as the Jaffna Cultural Center, Jaffna Teaching Hospital and the Duraiappah Stadium………… read more

Are you violating the criminal laws of your country?

Gothabaya, Kapila, Sri Lanka secret service, KP and NERDO. What do they all have in common? Divide the Diaspora Tamils. If you as citizen of another country like Canada or UK if you are an accessory to them then you are guilty of Treason and Subversion, penalty LIFE TIME IMPRISONMENT without parole. What Sri Lanka is trying to do is interfere in the internal stability of a sovereign foreign country. Most Sri Lankan are now naturalized citizens of their new countries. So any one accessory to their nefarious activities may be guilty of Subversion, Terrorism and Treason.

As you all are aware there are fully organized and well funded Sri Lankan espionage and subversion services to divide the Diaspora and Diaspora and the Western Nations. We were not sure if this was a real situation or not, so we kept probing in the dark. There is a website that was interviewing KP, you all know him. The guy who refused to take the cyanide capsule! In this website readers are allowed to post their comments and after moderation it may be published………………read more

6.00am :
One the morning of the 1st July 1981 I woke up early and got ready to attend an accountancy class scheduled for 6 am. It was conducted by a person we referred to as ‘Ghanam Master’ at his residence on Temple road in Jaffna. I was in time for the class despite the early hour but found on my arrival, scenes of some confusion. I was told that the class had been cancelled because Sinhala policemen, both in and out of uniform, had ransacked and set fire to the home of the Member of Parliament for Jaffna Mr V Yogeswaran. 

Together with my friend Rajkumar we proceeded on our bicycles to Mr Yogeswaran’s house that we reached in about ten minutes. The scene before us took us a back. We saw the destruction of the MP’s house which had been set alight and was still smouldering. The MP’s car which was parked within the compound beside the house had also been damaged and set alight. It was still smouldering when we arrived.

6.13.am: …………. read more

More than three dozen Tamil migrants have been segregated from 492 others who arrived by boat for questioning by police on suspicion of being linked to the Tamil Tigers, or other inadmissible groups, including war criminals.

Those held in “segregation” at Fraser Regional Correctional Centre, in B.C., include the skipper of the MV Sun Sea, Kamalraj Kandasamy, a.k.a “Captain Vinod,” his 24-man crew and about a dozen migrants who arrived Aug. 13 off the coast of B.C. after a 90-day trip from Thailand.

Police said the suspects are being interviewed and undergoing extensive background checks by the RCMP, CSIS and Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) on suspicion of alien smuggling, being members of the Tamil Tigers terrorist group, a Sri Lankan paramilitary group or for taking part in crimes against humanity…………… read more

 TNA parliamentarian M. Sumanthiran has told the media that the resettled people in the North have been affected by the heavy rains experienced in the area and that his party has not been permitted to visit the people to look into their needs and help them.

He said that people resettled in Ramavil in Jaffna District and Shanthipuram, Mailmanapuram and Kumarasamypuram in the Kilinochchi District have been displaced by the heavy rains and the government has not focused on the matter. About 270 families living in temporary shelters in the North have been badly affected by the rains and the Kilinochchi District Secretary has taken steps to find shelter for them in the Kilinochchi Hospital. However, the parliamentarian observed the people lacked food, drinking water, other necessities and sanitary facilities.

According to Sumanthiran, the floods would result in the spread of diseases and the matter needed to be addressed.

•  India provided arms and logistical support to Colombo in the Vanni war.
• It didn’t take any effort to stop the war.
• Even after one year of the war, India didn’t act on rehabilitating the incarcerated people,

Accused members of the confederation of citizens’ forums in Jaffna while meeting the visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao on Tuesday. Resettlement is a hoodwink in Vanni, said retired Senior Professor S.K. Sitrampalam of the University of Jaffna, expressing the strong sentiments of Eezham Tamils. Army has occupied the Tamil lands and people have strong doubts whether India would be of any help in Tamils getting a political solution, the civil society representatives told the visiting Indian diplomat. ………….. READ MORE

In a recent paper titled “Why National Reconciliation in Sri Lanka Is Not Possible,” Brian Senewiratne, a renowned physician and an Australia based Sinhala expatriate, says although he had realized that ‘national reconciliation’ in Sri Lanka was ‘totally unrealistic’, after witnessing the major human rights violations inflicted upon the Tamil people, what has made the reconciliation really ‘impossible’ was the most serious recent slaughter of Tamils with features of genocide. In addition, what makes reconciliation ‘most unlikely’ is ‘international meddling’ and ‘power play’, he argues. The 78-year-old member of the Bandaranaike family, who is a long-time defender of the Eezham Tamil cause, also argues in his paper that even the real development of the Sinhala areas is not possible if the ‘developmental power’ is left in the hands of those in Colombo…………….. READ MORE.

By Satheesan Kumaaran 

Canada is a home to about 34 million people with the total area of 9,984,670 square kilometers, the second largest country in the world, after Russia.  Canada was originally occupied by the Aboriginals who must have settled tens of thousands of years ago from Asia, through Bering Sea, although many Aboriginals disagree with this theory. Nonetheless, Canada has been home to the people who had emigrated from various parts of the world.  Now the Tamils who flee their homeland to escape the racist persecution of the Sinhala-majority Sri Lankan government are trying to set foot on Canadian soil as refugees. Heated debate now rages amongst the Canadians who were themselves immigrants one way or the other. However, the Canadian government is trying to brush off these particular refugees, labeling them as terrorists, human smugglers, queue jumpers, etc. 

The already physically and mentally wounded refugees are facing another set of mental harassment and uncertainty by these debates, and the Canadian government, too, is deliberating as to how to deal with this issue.  Canadian Prime Minister Stephan Harper, has recently said that his government will bring tough laws against undocumented people who arrive by boats. Fair enough.  (continue reading…)

'Victims Without A Voice'

by Jay A. Jasan

16 years after the world failed to stop mass atrocities against innocent civilians in Rwanda, the world’s response to the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka is shockingly similar.

A poetry campaign, ‘Victims Without A Voice’, is launched this week to raise global awareness and consciousness of this humanitarian tragedy.

In its aftermath, after more than one year still mothers walk miles to look for their lost children, while mother-to-be walk post to post looking for their husbands, while in orphanages children without parents keep watching the gates for their parents’ arrival. While thousands kept behind barbed wires in detention centres, access to people’s ancestral homes are denied while the colonising army set up camps and check posts all over the territory.

Stella Creasy and Gareth Thomas, Labour MPs for Walthamstow and Harrow West met the Deputy High Commissioner from Sri Lanka at the House of Commons.

Both raised concerns about the continuing lack of access to former combatants, still being held by the Sri Lankan Government in so-called ‘rehabilitation’ camps. Both pressed for the Red Cross to be allowed to visit these combatants. Both raised concerns too about the need for the Government to reach out to all communities and in particular to act on their grievances, such as the lack of power held by politicians elected in the North and East to make a real difference for people in their areas.�
Both MPs also raised concerns about the ability and will of the Government in Colombo to protect human rights, noting the ongoing fears of many about a culture of impunity in the military towards attacks on Tamil and Muslim citizens.

Gareth Thomas MP said:  “I welcome the opportunity to meet the Deputy High Commissioner, but I pressed him on the need for the Government to allow, without conditions, the impartial Red Cross to have access to all former LTTE prisoners.”

Stella Creasy MP said: “The opportunity to put first hand to the Deputy High Commissioner our concerns about Human Rights was very welcome – we will continue to raise these issues and to support moves for peace and prosperity for all the citizens of Sri Lanka.”

The Sri Lankan cabinet on Monday approved the constitutional changes that President Mahinda Rajapaksa wanted to bring about.  The proposed changes are: Removing the two-term limit for a President; diluting the 17th amendment on appointments to high offices with a view to safeguarding the constitutional powers of the President; and introducing the First Past the Post system in a limited way in elections to the local bodies.  

The amendments will be introduced on September 7 and voted upon on September 9. The government now has the support of 147 MPs in a House of 224 and, therefore, slightly short of the required two-thirds majority. However, cabinet spokesman Maithripala Sirisena told newspersons that the  government would eventually get 160 votes.

The Sri Lankan cabinet on Monday approved the constitutional changes that President Mahinda Rajapaksa wanted to bring about. ………………  read more

 The three parties of the left Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Sri Lanka Communist Party, Democratic Leftist Front have decided following discussions that they would oppose the Executive Presidency and to extend its term limit at the upcoming constitutional amendment, Vasudeva Nanayakkara General Secretary of the DLF told Ada Derana. 

However he added that they would like to keep the relationship with the President and the UPFA in good order for which they would have to find a way out. Vasu also stated that due to this reason they would further discuss and make a final decision on how to tackle this problem. According to principle we are against the proposed constitutional amendment but we want to keep the relationship with the government also, this is the problem, Vasu claims. Hence we will take a final decision soon, he added. 

A Sri Lankan tourist died fleeing kidnappers in Malaysia while a friend escaped and another was rescued by police, the force said on Tuesday. The three had just arrived on holiday and to sell gemstones worth 40,000 ringgit $US12,736 ($A14,278) when they were abducted last week at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, district police chief Abdul Rahim Abdullah said.

“The three were trying to get a cheap ride to the city but were instead led into a van and kidnapped by four people and taken to a flat in the suburbs,” he told AFP. “The men were held for ransom and one of them managed to escape their captors on Sunday morning but one died in the escape bid,” he said…………………. read more

Tamils for Obama, a political group of American Tamils, wrote to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts asking for his opinion on whether Mahinda Rajapaksa (president of Sri Lanka and possible author of crimes committed during the recent Sri Lankan civil war) can be arrested as he travels through the U.S. this fall.

Tamils for Obama asked that question in a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

“The United States has arrested and deported accused war criminals in the past,” explained a spokesman for the Tamil American group. “Our country arrested accused Nazis decades after the crimes they were supposed to have committed took place, so this is not unprecedented.

“We guess that this is different because the accusations come from international civilian organizations–the International Crisis Group, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and so forth–rather than courts of law. They say that there is plenty of evidence that Sri Lankan government forces, which were ultimately commanded by President Rajapaksa, committed what would probably be considered war crimes………  read more

You either hate him or love him. That is his personality.

Whatever the world thinks about Prabakaran – the people who he represented have no qualms and are not willing to submit to the opinions of the rest of the world.

Why should they? It’s been one year since the war was declared over, and do any of you feel better at what is happening in Sri Lanka? So many big names from across the world are silent on the ongoing atrocities and land grabbing in the Tamil areas of this nation. A large population still behind bars. There has been not a single word about political rights to the minorities……………….read more

MULLAITIVU, 31 August 2010 (IRIN) – Few studies of children in Sri Lanka have examined the daily stress they continue to face since the tsunami and civil war, focusing instead on the direct impact of both, according to two studies in the latest Child Development journal.

Family trauma and economic problems, including domestic violence, the death of relatives or losing access to healthcare, housing and schooling can be more closely related to a child’s mental health than the 2004 tsunami or the civil conflict that ended in May 2009 after two decades of fighting and three failed peace attempts. The government is trying to boost services in the conflict and………………. READ MORE.

Today is August 30, the International Day of the Disappeared, observed by Amnesty International and other human rights groups to remember victims of “enforced disappearance“  around the world and to press for justice for them and their families.  An “enforced disappearance”  occurs when agents of the state detain someone and the state then denies any knowledge of the person’s status or whereabouts.   Over the past several decades, Sri Lanka has experienced tens of thousands of enforced disappearances, the vast majority of which remain unresolved.  One recent example is that of the journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, who went missing shortly after leaving work on Jan. 24.  Please write the Sri Lankan government and ask them to conduct an effective investigation into Mr. Eknaligoda’s disappearance and make the results public.  Please also work to get the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance adopted…………… READ MORE.

• Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK,
• Major General Prasanna Silva as the defence attaché to the High Commission in the UK,
• Major General G.A. Chandrasiri as the Permanent Representative to the Sri Lankan Mission to the UN in New York,
• Major General Shavendra Silva as the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York.

The appointment of military personnel as heads of key overseas missions of the country has caused doubts among members of the Foreign Service whether it is a move to militarise the service.

The appointment of Majors General Chandrasiri and Silva comes in the wake of allegations of human rights and rules of combat violations being leveled against the security forces and the LTTE by the UN. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed a panel of experts to inquire into these allegations and accountability during the final stages of the war last year.

The government has decided to appoint former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK, Major General Prasanna Silva as the defence attaché to the High Commission in the UK, Major General G.A. Chandrasiri as the Permanent Representative to the Sri Lankan Mission to the UN in New York, and Major General Shavendra Silva as the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York.
Diplomatic sources, who requested anonymity, told The Sunday Leader that the move to appoint military personnel to key foreign missions was mooted by senior members of the country’s defence establishment……………. read more

The Domestic T20 champions Wayamba Team which will represent Sri Lanka at the forthcoming Champions League tournament will be promoting a pharmaceutical product which enhances sex, according to an Indian newspaper.

The Hindustan Times claimed yesterday that a ‘seasoned’ Sri Lanka cricketer in the Wayamba Team who read fine print on the packet of ‘Musli Power’, the company’s main product was embarrassed and rushed to change his Wayamba jersey as soon the photo session after a press conference to announce the association got over.

Whether the players like it or not, they will have to sport ‘Musli Power’ on their shirts, reported the newspaper.
The product, according to the company website is a “sex enhancer”. It is a “complete solution for sexual problems” and “helps in getting better erections” and “helps in achieving mutiple orgasms” amongst other benefits……………….. read more

TNA willing to work with government on resolving key issues: Sumanthiran

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) says it continues to stand for meaningful devolution of power and that the constitutional reforms should be within a united country and should take the form of a federal structure. In an interview with The Nation, TNA parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran said the President also was looking towards meaningful devolution of power, which was the view of the TNA as well.

“Now the recent joint communique that the President issued following his visit to New Delhi, along with Indian Prime Minister, also refers to meaningful sharing of power. So everyone has been looking in that direction to resolve issue and that’s the direction, in which we are also specifically looking at,” he said. He pointed out that the merger of the North and the East was part of the 13th amendment. The MP stressed that the merger should remain in an improved version of the 13th amendment or if the current format is implemented in full…………………... read more

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has expressed its willingness to work with the government, provided a proper mechanism was implemented with its participation. The TNA had discussed the immediate issues facing the people in the Wanni and on the need for a political solution for the ethnic issue when a party delegation met President Mahinda Rajapaksa in June. “With regard to the resettlement issue, we have been asked to nominate some names for the President to constitute some kind of institutional mechanism. And hopefully, he will appoint a committee with the participation of the TNA,” he said.

He said the names were communicated to the President on Friday (27).
The TNA also met Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa on Monday (23). “He met us just prior to his departure to India. We were told to forward our names to the President and we have done that. We will participate with the government to address those concerns,” Sumanthiran said. Sumanthiran said an agreement had been reached with the President to appoint committees to discuss the solution to the ethnic question and talks were likely to commence early next month………… read more

The Supreme Court of New Zealand Friday dismissed the appeal of the government seeking rejection of the refugee status of an Eezham Tamil who was captaining a ship carrying arms to the LTTE. The court in its judgement said: “At all relevant times the Tamil Tigers was an organisation having the goals of self-determination for Tamils and securing an independent Tamil state in northeast Sri Lanka. The principal objective was to induce the government of Sri Lanka to concede such political change. These characteristics made the Tamil Tigers a political organisation notwithstanding its use, at times, of proscribed methods of advancing its cause. That much is not in dispute”. ………….. READ MORE

Sri Lanka’s Chief of Immigration has terminated the visa given to Ms. Elizabeth Ogaya who is the Project Co-ordinator of the Human Rights Defenders Protection Programme (HRDPP). Ms. Ogaya, the Kenyan born HR professional is attached to the US-based Non Violence Peace Force (NVPF) in Colombo and was given until the 30th of August to prepare to leave the country. Ms. Ogaya becomes the fourth foreign national to have their visa terminated by the Immigration department from the NVPF organisation.
Florington Asirwatham, the Country Director for NVPF, said that no reason had been given. He was of the view that this cancellation was to do with the general tightening up of visas for NGO’s in the country, as opposed to a direct conflict with the government on the Human Rights Defenders programme, which is still active in the North and East of the island

The Sri Lanka Medical Council has question the recognition of a degree which may be offered by a Russian affiliated medical college in Sri Lanka after the institution had published advertisements calling for applications for the post of lecturers. In a public notice the Medical Council says the Medical Ordinance does not have any provisions to recognize a medical degree that may be awarded to those trained at the institution in Sri Lanka.

“The Sri Lanka Medical Council wishes to inform the public that there is no provision in the Medical Ordinance to recognize a medical degree that may be awarded to those trained at the institution in Sri Lanka,” the registrar of the Sri Lanka Medical Council said in the public notice. The Sri Lankan institution has reportedly sought lecturers for the campus in Sri Lanka affiliated to a leading Russian medical academy acknowledged by the World Health Organization.

WINNIPEG, Man. – It is extremely regrettable that the Tamil refugee claimants who arrived in Canada in early August by boat arrived under such a cloud of suspicion, says a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) spokesperson.

“It is not a crime to seek asylum and no one is ineligible until their refugee claim has been assessed and denied,” said Ed Wiebe, MCC Canada’s refugee assistance coordinator. Canadian and international refugee laws recognize that people fleeing persecution will arrive in other countries by plane, foot or boat. The 490 Tamil refugee claimants that arrived in Canada in early August by boat are in compliance of these laws, said Wiebe.

Canada’s refugee laws, he said, are designed to examine each claim on an individual basis and address issues of criminality and security. In keeping with Canada’s humanitarian tradition and international obligations, Canada provides protection to over 15,000 asylum seekers a year……….. read more

A lawyer for a pregnant Tamil migrant is pressing Canada Border Services Agency to expedite identifying her client or, she says, the woman could risk delivering her child in a British Columbia prison.

“There may be a possibility that she could give birth while in custody if we don’t pay much attention,” said Malini Dyonisius, the woman’s lawyer. The clock is ticking for the Tamil woman who arrived on board the MV Sun Sea on Aug. 13 with 491 men, women and children. They all remain in detention because CBSA has not yet confirmed their identities………………… read more

The Tigers are history and Sri Lanka’s ethnic minority remains under the government’s thumb. Think about it – who wants to portray the boat people as a security threat?

The Tigers are history and Sri Lanka’s ethnic minority remains under the government’s thumb. Think about it – who wants to portray the boat people as a security threat?

As the debate about Tamil boat people plays out, Canadians might ask themselves, “In whose interest?” Who has muddied the debate with suggestions that the boats are filled with criminals and terrorists, and why? Again, why all the fuss over an insignificant number of people, when Canada does not have a boat-people problem of the magnitude of Australia’s? Government of Sri Lanka warnings that Tamil boat people are a threat to Canada’s interests are calculated to provoke the kind of public response seen in recent weeks……………. read more

14,000 IDP families will lose voting rights

Nearly 14,000 IDP families will lose their voting rights in the coming local council elections. Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) claim that not a single IDP has been registered three months after the Department of Elections commenced its 2010 voter registry revision and that 14,184 IDP families will lose their chance to vote in the coming local council elections if immediate action is not taken.
“The department commenced the revision on June, 1, 2010. After three months the officials have made dismal progress in the North and the East with less than 10% of the Grama Niladari divisions in the Jaffna District completing the process to date. We must realize that Jaffna district is the better administrated district in the North,” Keerthi Tennakoon, Director CaFFE told LAKBIMAnEWS……………….. read more

A tall, forbidding fence stands between Kumaraswamy Nageswaran and the three acres of fertile land he had once cultivated in the hope of spending his retirement farming. The government now wants to build a power station in Sampur and his cultivation is gone — but Nageswaran holds on to the dwindling hope that he can return home.
In 2006, as the army moved in for a pitched battle with the LTTE, thousands of families fled Sampur and its adjoining villages. The Tigers were chased from Mutur East that year but, nervous about fresh infiltration into a militarily sensitive area, the government established a high security zone (HSZ) that swallowed eleven grama niladhari divisions and threatened to keep 4,000 families away from their homes and lands. ………………. read more

Sri Lanka must thank the JVP and ex-Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva for saving us from the PTOMS and its consequences, though the final thanks go to the Lankan voters who opted for Mahinda Rajapaksa over the Ranil-CBK combine.
Now for some good news: it was great relief to read an extensive statement by a senior Cabinet Minister of the Sri Lankan government which contained a lucid revaluation of the war and a clear, correct policy framework for the post war future. Unsurprisingly, this came from Prof GL Pieris, and suitably enough, it was at a respected think tank (dating from the days of Mao and Zhou en Lai) in Beijing, strategically Sri Lanka’s most reliable friend over the long duration………… read more.

Thirty years of war has taken a lot from the lives of the Mannar farmers and they still await a sense of security. “Be careful and watch your mouth. The government security forces are vigilant and they do not like us talking to outsiders,” my hosts warned. The alert and watchful eyes of weary soldiers scanned every vehicle passing through the checkpoints…………..  READ MORE

India had denied a visa to Sinnaiah Thavaratnam, detained LTTE leader Kumaran Pathmanathan’s (KP) first cousin, when he applied for it after being chosen to be part of a Sri Lankan fishermen team which toured Tamil Nadu to discuss bilateral fishing issues recently. 

Thavaratnam, who is the chairman of the Federation of Jaffna District Fishermens’ Associations, told Express on Saturday, that he was given no reason for the rejection. When asked for permission to see a higher officer, it was denied. “I do not know why they keep denying the visa to me these days. In 2006 too, I was denied. But, my wife was able to get it last year and she toured Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Over the 1980s and 1990s,I had visited India more than 25 times without a problem,” he said. …………. READ MORE

Street children in the Third World, having no access to basic needs always become an easy prey of flesh traders. The demand of street children is high among the pimps and the brothel owners because these children sell themselves at cheap rates. These children are at high risk because neither they use contraceptives nor ask the clients to us it. Thus the chances of getting pregnant or catching a sexually transmitted disease is high.

As of now there have been 1249 HIV infected persons out of whom 306 are AIDS patients. The STD unit says that 212 of them have already died. There have been 44 children among AIDS patients and only 15 of them are alive today. 

35,000 to 47,000 full time professional prostitutes operate islandwide, says Dr.Shantha Hettiarachhi of the Health Education Bureau, quoting a recent survey. However, if part time prostitutes also came under this survey the number could have been much more, according to Dr. Hettiarachchi. A considerable number among these part time sex workers are said to be executive grade female officers. The Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) unit says that the number of HIV infected persons could increase with the rise in numbers of sex workers.

CLICK : http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/btfprotest/WalkForJusticeMrSivanthan#
Walk for Justice. Mr Sivanthan Walking from London to Geneva (UN)

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/btfprotest/WalkForJusticeMrSivanthan#
Walk for Justice. Mr Sivanthan Walking from London to Geneva (UN)

Mr. Karu Jayasuriya, deputy leader of the UNP in a statement last Saturday, called on all opposition parties to unite shedding their differences. The statement indicated that the time is opportune for all Lankan political forces, who are opposed to the tyrannical course the present regime has set for this country, to come together to preserve the future of this nation. It further explained that Lanka is in the midst of a crisis and the euphoria of the war victory can no longer overshadow the………. read more

• NO TERM LIMIT AT ALL
• 17TH AMENDMENT AMENDED

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The draft of the proposed constitutional amendments will be presented to parliament during the coming parliamentary sessions in the second week of September. The proposed legislation allows the president to contest any number of times.
“Amendments will also be proposed for changes in the 17th amendment”, UPFA General Secretary Minister of Petroleum Industries Susil Premajayanth said. “There will be no great structural changes to the constitution. The main areas of amendments will be the executive presidency and the 17th amendment to the constitution,” he said.
“Section 32 (2) of the constitution which deals with the limitations on the number of times a person can hold the executive presidency will be removed and the composition of the Constitutional Council will be changed”…………………. read more

by eelamranjan.

An en depth interview with Thamilvany on her experience working in a makeshift hospital in Vanni, Sri Lanka.

please click below link……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPwEYdR0RA&feature=player_embedded

 This photo essay by photographer Natalie Soyza covers the protested animal sacrifice in Chilaw yesterday. The following text and photos are by Ms. Soyza.

Slaughter of 300 goats and countless chickens at the Arulmigu Sri Mahabathrakaliyam Kovil on 25th August 2010.

It should be noted that this can’t merely be considered an act of Hindu devotion. For one, there are many sects of Hinduism and this is one sect of Kali worshippers and for another there were a considerable number of Sinhalese Buddhists who were partaking in the slaughter ritual inside the kovil as well. This is more a social or cultural practice than a religious one…………..CLICK TO VIEW  PHOTOS

President of the All Ceylon Hindu Congress, V. Kailasapillai, his organization not only opposed the sacrifices but had done all it could to stop it. “We held a press conference along with the buddhist clergy to bring about awareness of this issue and even asked the local IGP to stop the sacrifice, but it was of no avail,” he said.

The road that leads to the Bathrakali Amman Temple Muneshwaram had a festive, carnival air about it on Wednesday, August 25. Stalls selling everything from pots and pans to footwear, clothes, pictures and idols of various deities as well as ice-cream vans are to be found dotting both sides of the road

As an ancient religion whose roots are lost in obscurity, Hinduism did once practise animal sacrifice and meat eating extensively but it has been many centuries since it evolved away from it and took up the precept of Ahimsa or non-violence towards all living beings. According to the Director of the Department of Hindu Religious and Cultural Affairs, Shanthi Navukarasan, they are ardently opposed to these types of sacrifices in Hindu Kovils in the name of Hinduism but are unable to do anything because there is no specific law prohibiting it……………….. READ MORE

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President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday stated that he only needed five more members to complete the 2/3rd majority in parliament.

He added that before the door was closed however now it is open for anyone who wants to join the government. President said this at the 28th annual general meeting of the Public Adminis-tration Service Association at the BMICH.Following is the speech delivered by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Annual Convention of Sri Lanka Administration Service at BMICH yesterday……………………  READ MORE

• The only real beneficiaries of the proposed amendment are some members of the Rajapakse Family and their hangers-on.
• Would Basil Rajapakse, for instance, be elated at the thought of a President Namal?
• If the amendment goes through, non-Rajapakse SLFPers will have to be content with nothing more than toothless ministerial posts.
• The term-limit removal issue is the last real hurdle in the path to dynastic rule.

The charade is finally over. President Rajapakse has informed Sri Lanka’s Micawberian Opposition that he intends to remove presidential term-limits and run for a third (and, the Grim Reaper permitting, a fourth and a fifth…) term. Clearly Rajapakse père means to be President for life, and be succeeded by Rajapakse fils. The UNP has been deluded, yet again, and (wittingly or unwittingly) made to serve the dynastic ambitions of the Ruling Family………………. READ MORE

A hard fact that has to be accepted is that none of the aspirants has been able to challenge Wickremesinghe successfully and that is why he still remains as the leader. Leadership cannot be presented on a platter. Leaders are those who fight through thick and thin and reach their ultimate objective, not wait for it to fall into their hands, be ceremonially presented to them or gain it through political skulduggery. The party needs a strategy as badly as an unchallenged leader. If it cannot stand on its own feet now, a joint opposition with other parties is a feasible alternative. What it needs least is a continuing squabble for leadership.
The UNP has risen from the ashes of defeat before; once in 1956 under the leadership of J.R. Jayewardene, then in 1965 under the leadership of Dudley Senanayake and in 1977 once again under J.R. Jayewardene and ruled for 18 continuous years. There is a wealth of support for it in the country…………. READ MORE

The former External Affairs Secretary of United Kingdom David MiliBand will meet the migrant Tamils in London on the 4th of September. Many parliament members will also attend the meeting.

Reporters states, Milband will meet the Tamils at a meeting organized by a group named the “Tamils for workers”. If the labor party wins the forthcoming general election held in London, David Milband will be elected as the Prime Minister of UK. In this situation the Tamils support is required, hence Miliband requires the support of Tamils is according to reports.

David Milband and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown met the migrant Tamils during the last month of February, which created much controversy. Allegations from Sri Lanka were that the supporters of Tamil Eelam liberation tigers had met them.

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) said yesterday India should help Sri Lanka to implement a political package for the Tamils in the North and East. UNP parliamentarian D.M. Swaminathan told a news conference that India’s intervention was essential because the Sri Lankan government had only succeeded in confining the political solution to paper without taking steps for implementing it.

He said it was sad that though it’s more than a year since the war ended the country is no where near implementing a political package for the Tamils. Mr. Swaminathan said though there were 42,115 families in Kilinochchi in 2006, the government and other donor agencies were building only 19,554 houses. He said it was the same in Mullaitivu where only 17,543 houses are being built for 26,423 families as of 2006. Mr. Swaminathan said no proper plan had been implemented to develop the livelihood of the resettled people…………………  READ MORE

 Democratic People’s Front Leader Mano Ganeshan said, the Sri Lankan government does not have any concern to find a settlement to the crisis faced by the Sri lankan Tamils. The government without finding a settlement to the crisis, is more concern to originate splits was pointed out by him. The war has come to an end, and one year and more has elapsed, but the Tamils issues are still the same.  The political parties without giving importance to the people’s aspirations are functioning in the aim of political gains which he mentioned.  In this situation the government is working hard to bring split among the north, east and upcountry Tamils which he alleged………… READ MORE

UNP M.P. Swaminathan addressing a media conference on the 27th at the UNP media unit said, although the Govt. boasts that the families who were displaced due the war in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu have been re settled, there are still 20,970 families who are suffering without re settlement.READ MORE

Before 2006, there were 26,423 families registered in Mullaitivu, but of them only 15,607 families have been re settled. In Kilinochchi in that same year, there were 42115 families registered, but only 19554 families have been re settled. Even those who are re settled have not been provided with the basic facilities for their normal living, Swaminathan lamented……………………………… 

The terrorism charge is the one the government has jumped on with both feet. Apparently, to have ever been a member of or soldier for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is to be a terrorist. Of course, the Tamil Tigers committed a great many terrorist crimes, including pioneering the use of suicide bombing. (That’s where the Palestinian Intifada got the idea.) They also committed political assassinations, both in Sri Lanka and in India. The Tigers also forcibly conscripted children, attacked religious targets, and engaged in piracy and arms smuggling.

But they ran a good portion of northeastern Sri Lanka as a de facto independent country for decades. So the Tamil Tigers organization contains vicious monsters, and it also contains people who worked for the monsters and looked the other way so they and their families could survive. That the Sri Lankan government might not make fine distinctions between the two types of Tigers is a legitimate concern…………….  READ MORE

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

QUESTION: Thank you for relating these details about these important events of the recent past. Your input provides fresh insight into these matters. But now I want to ask you about the present.

Let me start with your relationship with this government particularly the Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse. You have already told me about your arrest and your first meeting with the defence secretary. It’s obvious that both of you have established good rapport. But there are lots of allegations about this. Several opposition leaders and sections of the media have alleged that there is some kind of shady deal in between . What do you have to say?………………….. READ MORE

Some terrible things continue to happen unabated in this Paradise island-nation, one of them being the annual animal sacrifice at the Sri Badrakali Kovil at Munneswaram in Chilaw.

This week more than 400 goats and hundreds of chicken were put to the sword in a gory event that seemingly had the backing of the police and local politicians, as is the case year in and year out. This is an annual ritual that began in pre-Buddhist India and continues to this date not only in parts of India (some states have outlawed it) and Nepal ((Buddha’s birthplace), but also in Sri Lanka (the Dhammadvipa – or the land of the Dhamma).  Much blood has flowed since this sadistic exercise began ‘to appease the gods’. It is now no longer a religious issue though people in authority and religious organisations are afraid to intervene on the grounds that it would hurt ‘religious sensibilities’…………………. read more

The sidling up of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress to the government was not unexpected. With four SLMC parliamentarians set to defect on their own if their leader did not make up his mind, Rauff Hakeem may have had little choice. How the government will benefit from this in the short, medium and long term is obvious. As an immediate dividend, they get to push through their constitutional reforms. In the medium term, they get to present a united front to the world with virtually all major minority parties except the TNA being stakeholders in the government. This not only reduces opposition to the government locally but makes international opposition to this government look silly. In the long term, a third term for Mahinda will consolidate the power of the UPFA further. There will be virtually no downside for the UPFA in the SLMC joining them because they will be coming in on the president’s terms as supplicants bowing to the inevitable…………………  READ MORE.

The slaughter of animals for human consumption in temple premises, especially in a country which professes Buddhism and Hinduism should be banned, the UNP said yesterday.  National List UNP MP D. M. Swaminathan, addressing a news conference in Colombo, alleged that around 400 goats had been inhumanely sacrificed at a kovil in Chilaw recently, with scant respect for the teachings of Hinduism which prohibited the consumption of meat. 

He said that his comments should in no way be construed as a reference to Muslims also, because their religion permitted consumption of meat, that is obtained after following certian religous rituals, to ensure that the animal did not suffer for hours on end………………….  READ MORE

There was a time when those who opposed the military offensive or who were reluctant to criticize the LTTE were called LTTE Proxies, Closet Tigers and so on. The term ‘traitor’ was thrown around loosely and especially at those opposing the Government right up to the end of the war and especially at those bringing up human rights issues and agitating for international intervention to stop the war. Sunanda is perplexed that the Government is not calling KP any names.

The Government did not call Karuna Amman any names either. Pilleyan too was spared. The difference between the Sunandas and those like KP, Karuna and Pilleyan is that the latter were ‘practitioners’ and the former ‘apologists’. One could argue that apologists are also practitioners of a kind and as such are not innocent. One could say ‘there are degrees of culpability’, that punishment (and name-calling) should fit the crime, but I believe there is a BIG DIFFERENCE between killers, arms suppliers, crime bosses etc., and apologists, pickpockets (in a relative sense), political whiners (given to running to key players in the international community at the drop of a hat) etc. The former are directly involved in blood-letting, the latter are launderers. Their actions may all contribute to the same outcome (ethnic cleansing, genocide, displacement, dismemberment, death etc) but the crimes themselves are of different kinds………………. read more.

Mr Fedele said that they are very concerned about the relationship between the European Union and Sri Lanka and noted the case of GSP+ affecting some of the business between Sri Lanka and Italy. He said that though they are very much concerned and understand the problem, they are helpless because they are a member of the EU.

He said that nevertheless, wherever possible they are striving to help the Sri Lankan entrepreneurs to trade with Italy and he inquired whether there are any difficulties that are encountered by those trading partner members. He answered several queries and explained their position in such instances……………… read more

Tight security amidst fears of protests by Fonseka supporters. 

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will lead the Sri Lanka delegation to the United Nations next month. Some of Sri Lanka’s leaders in the business and industry sector will accompany him. They are to hold talks with their counterparts in the United States to promote trade and investment in Sri Lanka. Mr. Rajapaksa will also make private visits to Mexico and Germany during this tour.

Security during President Rajapaksa’s visit would be tight. According to reports reaching the Ministry, there are indications of protests and demonstrations outside the UN – not by Tamil expatriates or LTTE supporters but a group of Sinhala expatriates who are supportive of former Army Commander, Sarath Fonseka. However, a similar protest campaign last month in Los Angeles failed to assemble more than 15 participants………………..  READ MORE

Investigation by the police for alleged corruption charge dropped after supporting President!

UNP Kandy District MP Abdul Cader who recently told SLFP bigwigs that a Tory MP asked him not to switch his allegiance to President Rajapaksa is now believed to have been hoaxed by a UNPer who had called him from London pretending to be a British politician. The MP claimed that he rejected the British MP’s appeal as his primary duty was to strengthen the president’s hands in the wake of the recent general election. Despite strong objections by the UNP, Cader, until recently investigated by the police for alleged corruption charge, voted in support of emergency. The UNP sacked him from its decision making working committee while Cader declared he did not care what the UNP did……………  READ MORE

The Cabinet is expected to tomorrow consider a special memorandum dealing with the constitutional amendment lifting the two-term restriction on the office of president as well as changes to the 17th Amendment, authoritative governmental sources said yesterday. With the two thirds majority wrapped-up, the government intends having the draft Bill presented to Parliament on Sept. 8. Senior cabinet sources confirmed that the Chief Government Whip, Mr. Dinesh Gunawardena, had circularized the 147 members of the government parliamentary group not to leave the country or fix any engagements during the next fortnight as their presence in parliament will be essential.

The proposed changes are also due to be presented for endorsement to the 59th annual convention of the SLFP to be held at Temple Trees on Sept. 2…………….. read more

A large majority of respondents to a Business Times (BT) poll this week sent out a clear “NO’ message on the government’s latest attempt to change the constitution to allow a President to serve more than two terms. In one of the most widely-responded polls in the BT popular email surveys, 90 % responded with a NO to the question as to whether the Constitution should be changed to permit an individual to serve three terms as President.

The BT poll came after President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a UNP delegation on Monday that he planned to seek a third term in office (in 2016 when his second term ends). To do so means amending the Constitution which permits only two, 6-year terms for an incumbent President…………………  read more

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has scrapped visa on arrival for all nationals except those from the Maldives and Singapore, an official said Friday, in a move which could damage the country’s revived tourist industry. “The existing visa regime of granting landing endorsements on arrival for tourists will be withdrawn with effect from the 30th of September 2010,” said Controller General of Immigration W.A.C. Perera. Perera said that visitors from Singapore and the Maldives, which grant Sri Lankan passport holders visa on arrival, would be exempted. Sri Lanka has granted foreign tourists a 30-day visa on arrival since the 1970s as part of a move to promote tourism, which was badly affected by the island’s 37-year ethnic conflict.

The local tourism industry has been buoyed by a near 50 percent increase in foreign visitors since fighting ended in May last year. Sri Lanka hopes to double the number of visiting tourists this year to 600,000. afp

Recognising the need for a political settlement of the Tamil question in Sri Lanka, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Central Committee member T.K. Rangarajan, MP, on Friday said the immediate priority should be to address the concerns of relief, resettlement and rehabilitation of the Tamil civilian population. Addressing the 19th National Congress of the Sri Lankan Communist Party (SLCP) in Colombo, Mr. Rangarajan said the expeditious settlement of the Tamil question should involve the devolution of powers and autonomy for the Tamil-speaking areas within the framework of a united Sri Lanka…………….. read more

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday stated that he only needed five more members to complete the 2/3rd majority in parliament. He added that before the door was closed however now it is open for anyone who wants to join the government.

President said this at the 28th annual general meeting of the Public Adminis-tration Service Association at the BMICH.Following is the speech delivered by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Annual Convention of Sri Lanka Administration Service at BMICH yesterday……………… read more

You may not have heard about it, but a boatload of Sri Lankan Tamils recently arrived in Canada.  The Washington Post published an article quoting a former State Dept. official who advocated summarily sending them all back to Sri Lanka.  I objected to that and wrote a letter to the editor published in the Post.  Well, the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the U.S. didn’t like my letter and issued a statement in which he says he “refuted” my claims.  I didn’t appreciate that and have sent him an open letter in response.  As I said in my letter, I do hope Amnesty International and the Sri Lankan government can move toward a constructive dialogue.  I’m willing to do my part…………….   read more 

Parliamentarians Range Bandara, Lakshman Seneviratne and Abdul Kader from the UNP and seven Parliamentarians from SLMC will cross over to the government concurrently with the presenting of the constitutional amendments to the Parliament say internal sources of the government. 

How much of Money was transfered?

Earlier Parliamentarians Prabha Ganeshan and P. Digamparam joined the government. As such the number of government Parliamentarians would go up to 155. However, five Parliamentarians representing the left in the government have already expressed their opposition to the attempt to strengthen the executive presidency through the amendment.  To get the 2/3^rd majority necessary to pass the constitutional amendment in Parliament the government should have 150 Members. As such, the President has ordered ministers and Members of Parliament of the government not to leave the country until the 15^th of next month.    

All we need is POWER and Money Sir!

A  reliable internal source revealed that the President intends to offer two ministerial portfolios to Muslim Congress to get their support for the proposed constitutional amendment. According to the sources this consensus was reached at the discussion held between President and Rauff Hakeem a few days ago. The source further revealed that among the portfolios to be given to SLMC is the Ministry of Port Development.   Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress which was held today decided to support constitutional amendment unconditionally

Greed for POWER

The President has planned to present to the cabinet the proposed amendment to the constitution on the 30^th and then get it passed at the very next Parliamentary session as an urgent bill. According to internal sources of the government the amendment includes clauses to increase the number of times a person could hold the office of presidentship and to fully implement the 13^th amendment.   

• Government  “deliberately shelled” civilians and hospitals.

• Holmes said that the “ACF massacre,” is still not been explained or even investigated.

• Nambair’s still unexplained role in telling LTTE leaders who wanted to surrender to come out with white flags and than killed.

• Ltte leaders surrendered with White flags were killed, and the leader of the unit which did the killing is now reportedly coming to the UN as Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative.

UNITED NATIONS, August 26 — Asked about Sri Lanka on his final day as UN Humanitarian Coordinator, John Holmes offered a defense of his department’s funding of the government’s internment camps while admitting the government may have “deliberately shelled” civilians and hospitals. Video here, from Minute 17:29.

  Inner City Press asked Holmes about criticism of his and the UN’s actions in Sri Lanka, for example pulling out of Kilinochchi, funding the internment camps and failing even now to get to the bottom of the murder of the Action Contre La Faim humanitarian workers. Video here, from Minute 14:30.

  Holmes called this the “ACF massacre,” and said it has still not been explained or even investigated. He did not explain the Kilinochchi pull out, which has been criticized including the International Crisis Group. …………..  read more

The 492 Tamil refugees arrived by boat and a clamour over bogus claimants flocking to Canada because it’s so easy to get in arose once again.

How about a few facts?

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says there is no upsurge in asylum seekers trying to get into the rich countries of the world. Analyzing its exhaustive statistics, the UN agency says the numbers of asylum seekers remain stable and that while they did increase in some countries they fell precipitously in others. Nineteen countries posted increases, 25 countries registered declines. But on average, little change………………. read more

 Former Media Spokesman for LTTE Daya Master and its official Interpreter George Master were produced before Colombo Chief Magistrate today (26) against charges of supporting the LTTE and encouraging terrorist activities.  

Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan has urged the army and police to investigate the incident where a Batticaloa Municipal Councilor was reported missing and allegedly abducted. read more

The family of a Batticaloa Municipal Councilor at a meeting with the Eastern Province Chief Minister last evening, had raised suspicion over who is involved in his alleged abduction. At the meeting with Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, the family of Pragasam Sahayamany, who was allegedly abducted on Monday, said that they had strong suspicions that the “authorities” maybe involved in the abduction, TMVP Spokesperson Azath Maulana told Daily Mirror online……………………….

TamilNet plans to launch shortly a weekly video programme Palaka’ni, fulfilling repeated requests from its readership to extend services in Tamil. The programme will have panel discussions on current affairs in Tamil. Even though constraints faced by TamilNet are manifold, we go forward in this venture considering the needs of the times. TamilNet appeals for continued support and cooperation of its readership, which has been the sole provider of support to the functioning of TamilNet until now. TamilNet reiterates its independent and democratic support to the national cause of Eezham Tamils. As an alternative media TamilNet may have to continue functioning in alternative ways to maintain its freedom, independence and commitment to the cause. Our request to the media world is not to view us in conventional terms but to help us in this experiment of information liberation……………….. read more

Last week, a commission began investigating the final phase of a horrendous decades-long civil war. This war, which ended last year, caused tens of thousands of deaths, prompted military interventions from a regional power, drew in a transnational diaspora, and spawned numerous refugees. The war’s aftermath presents significant implications for the international community concerning counterinsurgency, terrorism and refugee flows. Unfortunately, it occurred in Sri Lanka, a country that receives negligible, if any, attention in US media or political discussions. If the international community were to focus on this crisis, however, diplomatic pressure to address the grievances driving the conflict combined with reconstruction aid could yield tremendous benefits………………..read more.

JHU Secretary Minister Champika Ranawaka has said the party was of the view that Kumaran Pathmanathan needed to be used to completely destroy the remnants of Tamil Eelam separatism and terrorism that still linger locally and internationally. He says the JHU stance is that Kumaran Pathmanathan should be properly managed in the same manner like Karuna Amman and Pillayan during the war and should be used to destroy the LTTE’s international network as well as to win over the modest members of the Tamil Diaspora.

The JHU Secretary had made this statement in response to an article published in the Ravaya newspaper last week. The news article was about KP and was based on comments made by JHU National Organizer and Spokesperson Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe……………… read more

The United Nations Resident/ Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) Neil Buhne reiterated the urgent need to stay the course in helping displaced persons and returned communities when briefing donors assisting the work of humanitarian organizations supporting Sri Lanka’s national efforts.

“The job is not yet done. It is still a critical period and we ask for your continued support to meet the remaining crucial needs” Buhne said. He also stressed that the effectiveness of assistance during this period will affect both the people directly and Sri Lanka’s overall development. “The welfare of the returned people, is an important element in reconciliation and ultimately, sustainable peace and development”………………… read more

Sri Lankan government Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa had alleged the reason for GSP Plus tax exemption got cancelled, is due to the Migrant Tamils.

United National Party Deputy Leader Karu Jayasooriya had recently alleged that government had met defeat in obtaining the GSP Plus benefit, hence by replying to this, he made this statement. The migrant Tamils who are in support of TamiL Eelam Liberation tigers opinions are similar to United National party was mentioned by Minister.

Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) Chairman C.R de Silva said yesterday residents of Vavuniya and its outskirts had complained to him when he visited the area that they lacked equal opportunities in the country. Mr. de Silva said this when he asked a question from  former Government Peace Secretariat Head Jayantha Dhanapala who made his submissions to the Commission yesterday.

“They are not the least bit concerned about constitutional reforms. What concerns them is their inability to make a complaint to the police due to language barriers, the shortage of property to meet the needs of the people and other basic needs. Some 99 per cent of the people say they want to be treated like equals. They are not interested about the mega projects taking place in the area,” he said………………. read more

(Reuters) – The United Nations on Thursday urged donors to provide $165 million to Sri Lanka this year to help resettle around 100,000 people displaced by decades of fighting. While 200,000 people have been resettled since the war ended last May, the others remain in transit camps near their home areas and less than 35,000 in emergency sites.

“The job is not yet done,” Neil Buhne UN, the UN resident coordinator for Sri Lanka said in statement. “It is still a critical period and we ask for your continued support to meet the remaining crucial needs.”………………… read more

The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (Caffe) issuing a statement on the ground level survey being carried out to record the voters in the Jaffna District says that only 30 grama niladhari areas have been covered out of a total of 438.

While there are 28 and 40 grama niladhari divisions in the Jaffna and Nallur electorates, the survey has been concluded only in five and three divisions respectively. The survey has also been carried out in four out of 39 divisions in Vadukkodai, seven out of 45 in Point Pedro and six out of 44 in Uduppiddi………………. read more.

Any guidebook on Sri Lanka will justifiably list endless quotes from historical, literary, and religious figures who have exalted the island’s utopian beauty.  Visitors have always played an important role in Sri Lanka—and now, in the post war context, the government is working hard to lure foreigners back to its beaches, rain forests, and ancient cultural monuments.

Personally, I have complicated feelings about traveling the island as a tourist.  This weekend I went to one of the Sri Lanka’s most visited sites, The Temple of the Tooth.  Buddhists and tourists from all over the world journey to Kandy to worship Buddha’s tooth, to take in Sri Lankan cultural dances, and to swoon over baby pachyderms at the near-by elephant orphanage…………….. read more

In recent weeks, the United States has taken some assertive steps in the South China Sea — and Beijing is watching anxiously. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an explicit move away from the administration’s usually conciliatory tone when she declared in late July that it would be in America’s “national interest” to help mediate the disputes among China and several other Asian countries over islands and maritime rights in the sea. Then, on July 22, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that the United States would resume ties with Indonesian special forces after a 12-year hiatus, with the aim of eventually restoring full military-to-military relations. He also confirmed other collaboration with China’s maritime rivals, including a series of multilateral military training exercises in Cambodia, joint U.S.-Vietnam naval exercises, and serious discussions with Hanoi on sharing nuclear fuel……………. read more

Canada should consider immediately to address the underlying issues: adding Sri Lanka to the source country class so that Sri Lankans could seek the protection of Canada while overseas, pressing the government of Sri Lanka to end human rights violations against its minority population.

Toronto – As public debate regarding the plight of the 492 Tamil refugee claimants intensifies, B’nai Brith Canada has warned against allowing racism to creep into public discourse on the issue and recommended three proactive solutions.

Frank Dimant, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, said, “Let us learn from our past.  As discussed in our coming National Holocaust Task Force Student Resource on the history of Canadian immigration policy, there have been tragic incidents in Canada’s not-so-distant history, where boatloads of refugees were turned away from our shores due to attitudes laced with racism. ………………. read more

 “The Buck Stops Here ” talk show of NDTV anchored by Ms.Barkha Dutt had an interesting discussion on August 25,2010, on the passing reference to the recently noticed phenomenon of “Saffron Terror” made by Shri P.Chidambaram, the Home Minister, while inaugurating a conference of Directors-General of Police at New Delhi the same day. read more

The discussion was balanced and free of accusations and counter-accusations. It was refreshing to note that all the participants, including Shri Swapan Dasgupta, shared the concern of Shri Chidambaram over this phenomenon. There was no attempt to deny the fact that some Hindu elements, known to be close to the ideology of the Hindu nationalist group, are suspected of involvement in acts of terrorism against members of our Muslim community and that there was a need for a thorough investigation into this………………..

After nearly four decades of bloodshed since Sirima Bandaranaike’s regime (1970-1977) Members of Parliament (MPs) in Sri Lanka have come to the most crucial juncture of our history. The key question everyone has to ask themselves is: Are we going to vote for democratic changes (constitutional reforms) or another dictator? Should we go back to the era of elected dictators such as Sirima Bandaranaike or JR Jayewardene? I (humbly) urge everyone to refresh their memories with the help of my previous article ‘Idi Amin returns as Asian Leader’ see links below. The article did not aim to compare the late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin with President Mahinda Rajapaksa. It has to be understood within the context of Rajapaksa’s campaign for a two-thirds majority in Sri Lanka’s parliament………….  read more