Day: 12 February 2015

Lanka Women Want Credible Process for Past Violations

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Lanka Women Want Credible Process for Past Violations Sri Lanka’s war-affected women today appealed to the new government to address past violations and initiate credible and independent probes to bring perpetrators to justice. The appeal was made in a communique signed by over 100 women and 20 organisations, seeking sustained focus on the plight of the women directly affected by the violence. “We make this call as women who have been directly impacted by the violence and witnessed numerous domestic initiatives, including commissions of inquiry and other investigations, that have…

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Sri Lanka to return lands occupied by Military troops

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Feb 12, 2015 (LBO) – Sri Lanka new administration is to return lands and buildings which occupied by the military troops in the time of Tamil tiger war for security reasons, a spokesman said today. “Government policy is to return property covers the entire island, not only the north,” D. M. Swaminadan, Minister of Resettlement, Reconstruction and Hindu Religious Affairs, said at a press conference.The properties and lands in the north and east were taken over by military troops to provide defense against the attacks by Tamil tigers.About 1000 acres…

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NPC seeks Diaspora help

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By Mirudhula Thambiah Northern Province Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Ponnuthurai Ainkaranesan, said at the Council sittings that Rs 1.3 million worth equipment will be sent by the Diaspora community to examine the Chunnakam oil leak and water contamination. He also said the water contamination issue in Chunnakam and Tellipalay in the Valikamam area has severely affected the people as they are facing difficulties in consuming well water. Ainkaranesan also stated that the issue has brought in various strong criticisms on the Northern Provincial Council (NPC). “The central government should…

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Northern Provincial Council’s resolution on ‘historic genocide’ echoes in TN

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The resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council in Sri Lanka seeking a probe into 60 years of ‘genocide’ against Tamils in the island nation has found support among some political parties The resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council in Sri Lanka seeking a probe into 60 years of ‘genocide’ against Tamils in the island nation found support among some political parties in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. While the ruling AIADMK had no immediate reaction, the DMK and the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) felt that more time should be…

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From Sinhalese Frying Pan into Indian Fire?

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Australian Tamil Management Service From Sinhalese Frying Pan into Indian Fire? As per recent  news reports, the Northern Provincial Council of Sri Lanka adopted a resolution in relation to alleged Genocide against Tamils. The Council is invoking UN principles as follows: “It also said that the UN Security Council should refer the situation in Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court for prosecutions based on war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide adding that alternatively or concurrently, domestic courts in countries that may exercise universal jurisdiction over the alleged events…

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THREE THREATS TO CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM IN SRI LANKA

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“To give freedom is still more easy. It is not necessary to guide; it only requires to let go the rein. But to form a free government; that is, to temper together these opposite elements of liberty and restraint in one work, requires much thought, deep reflection, a sagacious, powerful, and combining mind.” – Edmund Burke (1790) Reflections on the Revolution in France With just over a month after the installation of the new government and its commencement of the 100-day reform process, the situation can best be described as…

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Sri Lanka says seeking delay in U.N. war-crimes report

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said on Wednesday his country was seeking a delay of several months in the release of a U.N. report on alleged war crimes during his country’s civil war until the government had time to establish a mechanism to deal with the issue. In March last year, the U.N. Human Rights Council voted to look into reports of abuses during the Sri Lankan civil war, saying the Sri Lankan government had failed to investigate properly. The U.N. report is due out on…

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India Must Support NPC Plea for Probe into Genocide: VCK

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CHENNAI: Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Wednesday urged the Centre to support at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2015 the resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council in Sri Lanka, demanding a thorough probe and report on the genocide of Island Tamils. In a statement here, he said evidences for the genocide had been given in the resolution which detailed the forced surgeries on women to prevent child birth, forced abortions and massacre of over 140,000 Tamils. Tamil Nationalist Alliance Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran had…

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President dismayed

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By Ananth Palakidnar President Maithripala Sirisena has expressed dismay over the ‘genocide’ resolution calling for a UN inquiry to investigate alleged war crimes and the recommendation for prosecution by the …International Criminal Court (ICC) passed by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC), when he met EPDP Leader, Douglas Devananda and NPC Opposition Leader, S. Thavarasa on Tuesday (10). Former Minister Devananda, along with former Deputy Chairman of Committees, M. Chandrakumar and Thavarasa officially met President Sirisena for the first time at the Presidential Secretariat. Thavarasa told Ceylon Today that President Sirisena…

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Curtain on Modi Magic?

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Barely one year into office Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP government has suffered a massive electoral setback. The Common Man’s Party led by former 46-year-old revenue service officer turned anti-corruption crusader, Arvind Kejriwal, has swept the recent Delhi state assembly polls, securing 67 out of 70 seats! Modi became the BJP and the BJP Modi and, therefore, the Delhi election became a referendum on his style of governance. Its outcome argues the point that he is no longer the flavour of the month in Indian politics. PM Modi has put…

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Ethnic Relations Take Centre Stage In Sri Lanka

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By S. Sivathasan “Tenderer than a flower is love. Very few recognize how delicate it is” –Thirukkural  A Clean Break To the writer yet more tender than love, is the art of nurturing ethnic relations in our midst. More so since it has been ravished for long and is being brought back to life after 67 years. In those times never did we seek to be independent. Our dependence was on strife and turmoil to resolve our tussles. What have we gained from them all? This question is posed only as…

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Sri Lanka’s War Affected Women Call For Genuine Accountability Initiatives

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133 war affected women and 20 organisations have today urged the new government to take immediate steps to address past violations and to initiate credible and independent investigations that lead to indictments and prosecutions of alleged perpetrators. We publish below the statement in full; We, as women impacted by war and ongoing post-war violence in Sri Lanka and working on issues of truth and justice, call upon the Government of President Maithripala Sirisena to take immediate steps to address past violations and to initiate credible and independent investigations that lead…

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TGTE writes to UNHRC on report

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The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), led by Visvanathan Rudrakumaran has written to all the members of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) urging the council members to strictly adhere to the mandate given for the investigation on Sri Lanka, stating that it is important that the March 2014 resolution for an international independent investigation is not compromised but completed and the report presented to Council on 25 March 2015 as planned, with recommendations for further action and referral to the international Criminal Court (ICC) with an action plan for…

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Eastern Governor visits Sampoor Tamil IDPs

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BY S. Gurunathan Governor of the Eastern Province, Austin Fernando, made his first official visit to Sampoor and listened to the grievances of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on Sunday (8). Governor Fernando, who visited the IDPs on the directive of President Maithripala Sirisena, is expected to hand over a report on his findings in Sampoor. The IDPs in Sampoor emphasized that measures should be taken expeditiously for them to return to their original places as early as possible. The IDPs of Sampoor insisted that they should be allowed to…

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If corrupt politicians escape jail President, Premier to blame – JVP

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By Rathindra Kuruwita With corruption never spoken of more than at the recent presidential election, if in the next two to three years the CID does not make arrests of corrupt politicians, it would reflect badly on the President and the Prime Minister, the JVP said. It would mean the President or the Prime Minister would be preventing the arrest of corrupt politicians JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in Anuradhapura, Monday (9). The amount of talk of corruption during the 2015 presidential campaign was the most heard of, since…

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Champika to produce blacklist of corrupt VIPs

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Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka today vowed to publish a blacklist exposing all the VIPs and higher-ups who have allegedly amassed billions of rupees and dollars of ill-gotten lucre and other assets during the tenure of the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. “I have credible information about their bank accounts, the amount of filthy lucre and their sources. I expect to expose all of them with their names shortly,” the minister said adding that taking legal action against them would not be a difficult task because the list would contain…

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Pattani Razeek: No justice 5 years after abduction and killing

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On 11th February 2015, it will be five years since the abduction of Pattani Razeek, a well-known human rights defender in Sri Lanka. His body was exhumed on 28th July 2011. At the time of his abduction, he was the Managing Trustee of the Community Trust Fund (CTF) (www.ctfsrilanka.org) and an Executive Committee Member of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) (www.forum-asia.org). The case has still not been resolved. A key suspect arrested has been released and later made a witness, at least one more person likely…

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Basil Rajapaksa did every possible thing to defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa

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Rajapakse got 490,000 votes less in 2015 than he did in 2010!! In fact in the Jaffna and Vanni Districts he INCREASED his votes in 2015! He got 30,000 more votes in Jaffna and 6000 more in the Vanni in 2015! It is the SOUTH that defeated Rajapakse!! It is a bitter fact that Weerwansa cannot accept!! Basil Rajapaksa wanted President Rajapaksa defeated and he worked closely with international forces to oust his brother, claims controversial politician Wimal Weerawansa. “Basil Rajapaksa did every possible thing to defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa. If…

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