Day: 30 January 2015

“Rajapaksa Govt’s Post-conflict Years Seriously Marred by Oppression of the Tamil Population” – Human Rights Watch

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(New York, January 29, 2015) – The Sri Lankan government stepped up pressure in 2014 on human rights activists and journalists, particularly those urging justice for past war crimes, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2015 released today. A new government, elected in January 2015, should order investigations into arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and killings since the final military operations in 2009. In the 656-page world report, its 25th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director…

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‘Why did the Australian government refuse to listen to us?’

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Kathmandu: Nine Sri Lankans repatriated by Australian authorities last year after their boat was intercepted off Christmas Island have been recognised as refugees by the United Nations in Nepal. Hemantha Kuruppu, 41, says he was overwhelmed with relief when he received news on January 1 that the UN Refugee Agency had finally granted formal refugee status to him, his wife and three children. “Since I made the decision to leave Sri Lanka, I have been through so many hardships,” Mr Kuruppu, a former Sri Lankan public service officer, told Fairfax…

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Enables The People To Cast Their Votes

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Timely Action By EC By Nirmala Kannangara Timely action taken by the Elections Commissioner’s Department was able to prevent election violations by creating a fear psychosis amongst the voters in the Jaffna Peninsula and in Trincomalee district on the elections day, Leader of the Akhila Ilankai Tamil Mahasabha and former MP Dr. K Vigneswaran said. Hailing the Elections Commissioner (EC) Mahinda Deshapriya and his officials for taking quick action to ensure the voters their safety in casting their votes in Jaffna peninsula and in the Trincomalee district, Dr. Vigneswaran described…

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Dual citizenship potentially available to all Lankans

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Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake presenting the interim budget 2015 today said that the option of dual citizenship would be available to all persons of Sri Lankan origin and granted after due evaluation. A payment of Rs. 500,000 will have to precede each individual request. Furthermore, provision will be made for foreigners seeking resident status in Sri Lanka who are in a position to invest US$ 10 million in the country. All such applications would be subject to the approval of Defence Ministry, and would need to be renewed every 5…

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Sri Lanka says military ‘sabotaging’ post-war reconciliation

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The government says it is investigating allegations that two senior military officers are training 400 troops to provoke unrest in Jaffna COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka’s new government on Thursday, January 29, accused the military of trying to sow unrest to sabotage its efforts to bring about ethnic reconciliation in the war-ravaged north of the country. VOTER’S CHOICE. Sri Lanka’s joint opposition and Democratic National Alliance presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena casts his vote at the presidential elections in Polonnaruwa, some 240 km east of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 08 January…

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APPG for Tamils video message from Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP

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Please find attached a download link for the video http://we.tl/2bg6VMqKwG The transcript in English is as below: First of all I want to celebrate the contribution of British Tamils to our country.  Across every walk of life from the arts to business to the economy you make an extraordinary contribution. I am proud of the Labour Party’s relationship with the British Tamils and I am proud of the contribution that British Tamils make to our country. Secondly, I wanted to say something about the ongoing situation in Sri Lanka where clearly…

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