15th November 2015

BY Manekshaw The entire Jaffna Peninsula was crippled yesterday (12) due to the boycott in support of demanding the release of all Tamil political prisoners. Tamil political parties irrespective of their differences and various civil society organizations participated in the boycott (hartal) which resulted in the closure of business establishments and schools in the North. Nearly 270 Tami political prisoners put behind bars in various prisons throughout the country launched a fast unto death demanding their release last month. One week later they had given up their fast on the assurance given by President Mithripala Sirisena stating that he would sort out their problem before 7 November. The assurance given by the President to the Tamil prisoners was also conveyed to them in person by […]

In the 35 year history of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (“WGEID”), Sri Lanka ranks number two, shamefully, in the numbers of disappearance cases the WGEID has dealt with.[1] The latest figures from the WGEID are as follows: total cases transmitted to the Government for clarification – 12,341; total cases clarified by the Government – 6,551; total cases clarified by other sources – 40; outstanding cases – 5,750.[2]Further, between 2006 (when disappearances escalated drastically) to date, Sri Lanka has had the largest number of disappearance cases, 637 cases, transmitted to any government (Pakistan was second with 169 cases). There is also a clear spike visible between 2006 and 2009: 2006 had 191 cases, 2007 had 164 cases, 2008 had 147 cases, […]

Jaffna District Parlimentarian Dharmalingam Siddharthan said more hartals will be staged in the future too, until all Tamil political prisoners are released unconditionally. Speaking to the Daily News, MP Siddharthan said President Maithripala Sirisena promised that he will take a strong decision with regard to the issue on November 7, 2015, but, no proper decision has been taken so far. He further said ” The decision has to be taken to release all Tamil political prisoners. On November 9, 32 prisoners were released on bail. That was a legal decision taken by the courts, but, we are seeking for a political decision for the unconditional release of all 230 prisoners. “President Maithripala Sirisena told Chief Minister of the Northern Province C.V. Vigneswaran that a firm […]

by Shamindra Ferdinando Retired High Court judge Maxwell Paranagama yesterday said that the implementation of the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons was the prerogative of the government. Paranagama, who headed the investigation, acknowledged that the government would certainly have to take into consideration the Sept. 30 Geneva resolution that dealt with accountability issues when setting up an inquiry. The retired judge was responding to a query by The Island regarding the government’s response to the report on the Second Mandate of the Presidential Commission assisted by a team of international experts. The Geneva resolution co-sponsored by the government proposed the participation of foreign judges in domestic judicial mechanism. Asked whether he had been consulted on the implementation […]

By S.Gurunathan The Maithri government had again deceived Tamil political prisoners and this is the climax of communal politics of good governance, Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethran, former Tamil National Alliance Batticaloa District Parliamentarian said recently. Majority of the Tamil political prisoners now in prisons were arrested while returning from Middle East countries after completing their contract. They were arrested at the Katunayake Airport in the year 2013, he added. Those Tamil political prisoners produced in court yesterday were not detained for several years. In the past the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime had stabbed Tamils in their chest. But the present Maithiripla Sirisena government has stabbed the Tamils on their back, he said. “We the TNA have been requesting each government in power from 2004 to release all Tamil […]