Day: 15 October 2015

Tamil Civil Society Rallies Round Tamil Political Prisoners’ Struggle

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The Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF) has extended its support to the hunger strike protest undertaken by Tamil political prisoners demanding their immediate release. Issuing a statement the TCSF said that it would take part in the token strike and protests being planned to be staged by prisoners’ relatives all across the North-East in the forthcoming days. “TCSF adopts the definition of political prisoners that Amnesty International uses in its work. Accordingly it is our opinion that our brethren who took up arms for the sake of the liberation of the…

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Diaspora festival in Colombo postponed

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The Government has postponed the diaspora festival which was to take place in December, the Foreign Ministry said. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson told the Daily Leader that the festival is now likely to take place next year. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera had told Parliament in June that in order to encourage diaspora members to engage and contribute to efforts in Sri Lanka, the Foreign Ministry is keen to organize a diaspora festival later this year. He said that such an event, depending on how it progresses, could even take the…

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No one can arrest me

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BY SULOCHANA RAMIAH MOHAN Former militant and national list MP of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman says he does not fear ‘arrest’ by the government, following the arrest of former Chief Minister of Eastern Province  Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, popularly known as Pillaiyan, because he has not committed any wrong or crime and there are ‘no allegations’ against him. Karuna also accused the government for arresting Pillaiyan who was the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province during the former government where the present President was in that…

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Sri Lanka & The Politics Of Justice

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By Mark Salter – Truth and reconciliation is a project that inevitably needs to balance short-term politics against long-term justice. There are signs that Sri Lanka’s new government understands the challenges involved. For Sri Lanka it’s been something of a roller-coaster start to the autumn. First, mid-August parliamentary elections handed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa his second defeat of the year at the polls, confirming that the new political era heralded by Maithripala Sirisena’s surprise victory in January presidential polls really was the genuine article. Then almost before the country had…

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Prisoners Of PTA: An Appeal To The President

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By Ratna Bala – His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena,
President of Sri Lanka Your Excellency, You already know the plight of the Tamil prisoners arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) held in prisons for many years. They may have had hope that end of war would pave the way for them to be with their families soon. Since then they have made several kind requests for compassionate consideration of their plight. When all their hopes were in vain for last six years as last resort they are now on fast…

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Govt. promises justice to PTA prisoners

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The government hopes to mete out justice to those held in prison under the Prevention of Terrorism ACT (PTA) before the end of the year, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe assured the prisoners who are currently on a hunger strike calling for their release. The Minister who visited the prisoners who were on a hunger strike at the Magazine prison this morning also assured that the government had already begun a process to repeal the PTA and replace it with another legislation to prevent terrorism. Responding to a question as to…

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‘300 million bribe to sweep the floating armoury case under the carpet’ offered to Minister

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WILL WE NEED A ‘HYBRID COURT’ TO CATCH ROGUES? Twenty two containers with 3,154 firearms and 745,859 rounds of ammunition detected at Galle Port – 8.1.2015 The CID commences investigations on the order of the IGP – 9.1.2015 Court impounds the ship owner’s passport – 23.1.2015 Prohibition on ship owner’s passport lifted and passport released on the recommendation of the Attorney General – 7.7.2015 ‘We have evidence that approval had been granted to release the passport of floating armoury Avant Garde owner’ – Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s statement on 2.3.2015 when…

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Video: Mano Ganesan meets hunger strikers

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Minister Mano Ganesan visited the ex-LTTE cadres who began a hunger strike on Monday (12) at the Magazine Prison. He said a discussion would be held after a committee meeting on the 20th, regarding the strike. “I asked the prisoners to end their hunger strike. I didn’t go to the prison to force them to stop. I only suggested it. It is up to them to decide,” the minister said. “I have protested in front of the prison calling for justice for the people. My ideas are still the same.…

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Jayalalithaa Writes Again to PM Modi, Fishers Arrest by Sri Lanka Rises to 87

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CHENNAI:  Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up at the highest political level the arrest of fishermen from the state by Sri Lanka and said the number of those apprehended has now gone up to 87 besides their 39 boats. Close on the heels of the arrest of 24 fishermen from Tamil Nadu with their 4 boats on October 12, nine more fishermen from Nagapattinam have been apprehended today along with their boat by the Sri Lankan Navy, she said in…

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President assures to look into Tamil prisoners’ matter

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President Maithripala Sirisena has promised to look into the issues faced by a group of Tamil prisoners who are currently on a hunger strike, after National Dialogue Minister Mano Ganeshan raised the issue at the cabinet meeting yesterday. Following this the President has said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Law and Order Minister Tilak Marapana and Minister Geneshan should meet the Attorney General and discuss the issue. The President has also requested a report on the matter following discussions with the AG. According to Ganeshan, the President has said that…

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TNA confident of sweeping victory

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Former Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, P. Ariyannethran said at Ampilanthurai that his party would capture all local authorities in the North and East at the forthcoming Local Government election scheduled to be held in next year. He added that all local authorities had been dissolved and defunct. The government is in a mess to decide the procedure of holding local government election. But however, the local government election in the North and East would be in favour of the TNA. He said that TNA is firm in…

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