Day: 23 November 2015

Maithiri and Gotha discuss ‘War Crime’ investigations.

Karu

The former Defence Secretary accused of War Crime met President Sirisena at the latter’s Paget Road residence, last week and disussed about the promised investigation by the Sri Lankan government on War Crimes commited by the forces and the leaders who gave orders. It was on news that the than defence seccretary in a meeting with the army had said ‘make the river red with the blood of Tamil men and the Tamil girls are  yours’. A soldier a true Buddhist was so upset with these comments by the Rajapaksha…

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Ethnic crisis related matters were discussed during the meeting with Power

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Ethnic crisis related matters were discussed during the meeting with Power Leader of the Tamil National Alliance R.Sampanthan has stated that the TNA has discussed with regard to the resettlement of the Tamils, land issues, issues of Tamil political prisoners and military presence in the North during the meeting with the US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power. The meeting was held at the official residence of the ambassador to Sri Lanka in Colombo today. While speaking to the media after the meeting, R. Sampanthan stated that they had explained the problems…

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TAMIL DIASPORA: GOOD AND BAD OF BAN

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An Extraordinary Gazette Notification [No. 1941/44], issued recently by the Ministry of Defence, lifted the ban on eight leading Tamil Diaspora organizations. The Tamil Diaspora organizations which were thus removed from the list of banned organizations included the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), British Tamil Forum (BTF), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), World Tamil Movement (WTM), Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT), World Tamil Coordination Committee (WTCC), Tamil National Council (TNC), and the Tamil Youth Organization (TYO). Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Karunasena Hettiarachchi, going to the…

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President, UK envoy discuss UN Resolution

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President Maithripala Sirisena and the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris met today and had talks on Sri Lanka’s progress in implementing the recommendations of the UN Resolution. They also discussed this week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta, the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) and other issues, the UK High Commission in Colombo said. The President met the High Commissioner after planting a Na tree in the garden of the official residence of the British High Commissioner (Westminster House). The event was to mark President Sirisena’s last…

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Samantha Power evades questions in Jaffna on Tamil genocide

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[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 November 2015, 22:22 GMT] Placing high hopes on Colombo regime that it will act positively to accountability demands of the US, and that there would be a vibrant civil society, lasting democracy and increased prosperity in the island, the visiting US Ambassador to United Nations, Ms Samantha Power, in Jaffna, dodged questions on the need for investigations on Tamil genocide, when journalists in Jaffna met her at the Jaffna Public Library on Sunday. During the tightly scheduled visit to Jaffna, Ms Power met with SL Governor to…

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Karuna’s men was also deployed in the final phase of the war to kill more than 40,000 Tamil civilians.

Karu

A highly placed Navy official said yesterday that the secret torture camp the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) is referring to could be the one commander Sampath Munasinghe, the personal bodyguard of the former Navy commander retired Admiral Wasantha Karannagodahad kept Tamil youth who were abducted in Colombo.  The official said that he had no-knowledge of three Navy officers being arrested in connection with the recent revelations made by the UN working group, as claimed by some media Contrary to this notion the officer said that such…

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GTF calls for deproscription of all groups, individuals

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By Shamindra Ferdinando The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) yesterday called for delisting of all proscribed organisations and individuals in Sri Lanka. UK based spokesperson and Director for Strategic Initiatives of the GTF, Suren Surendiran told The Island that the grouping would continue to press for its demand. Surendiran was responding to government declaration that eight organisations and 157 individuals continuing to espouse separatism would remain proscribed. The previous government proscribed 16 organizations and 424 individuals under Gazette Extraordinary No. 1854/41 on 21 March 2014 in accordance with powers under the…

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LONDON MUSEUM BIRD ACCIDENTLY LANDS IN SRI LANKA WITH A STOLEN RING

Karu

The lesser crested tern is a seabird of the tern family has stolen a ring from London museum has landed in Sri Lanka. Lesser Crested tern which was used in London bird museum’s research has flown more than 12000 kilometers distance and has landed in Puttalam. An injury is to be seen on the bird’s foot. The bird has been spotted by a man near Puttalam lagoon and he has caught and made arrangements to hand the bird over to forest department officials. The bird which weighs 300 grams has…

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US would continue to exert pressure on the government for a sustainable solution

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Tamil Chief Minister Wiggy spells out concerns to Power Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran during his meeting with US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, raised a number of issues concerning political prisoners, land rights and military presence in Jaffna. One of the main issues discussed during the 35 minute meeting was that of political prisoners. Power assured that the US Embassy would continue to exert pressure on the government for a sustainable solution, Northern Province Education Minister Thambyrajah Gurukularajah, who was also at the meeting said.…

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Presidential Commission probe: 15 out of 16 ‘mega corruption’ cases dropped

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By Shamindra Ferdinando Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges has dropped investigations into at least 15 cases on the grounds that the state didn’t suffer revenue losses due to those transactions. Having completed investigations into 16 cases, the Commission had recommended further legal action as regards only one of them, authoritative sources told The Island. The Commission late last week informed the Attorney General and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC)…

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‘Northerners’ trust in govt will never be betrayed’?

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The government will never forget the trust the Northern people placed on the it, Public Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim said. He made this observation in Parliament on Saturday in response to TNA MP Sumanthiran during his speech joining the second stage debate on the budget proposals. “The government could win the international community within 11 months,” the minister said and added that the government will place special focus on reconciliation.” The minister said that the government would not mislead by making false statements on the economy. He added that…

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WHO IS SAMANTHA AND WHY IS SHE HERE?

Karu

By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan “So in Sri Lanka’s case, I don’t think anybody’s disputing the right of a sovereign government to put down a rebellion within its territory, never mind one as brutal as the LTTE, but the question is, how you go about doing that and whether you observe the laws in war. Again, my government – Louise Aarbour is here from the International Crisis Group that has done very important work on Sri Lanka, on the ground there, in terms of what was done. Again, the reason that…

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Tamil Nadu fisherman injured in ‘attack’ by Sri Lankan Navy

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A fisherman from Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu was injured in an alleged mid-sea attack on a group of Indian boats by Sri Lankan naval personnel near Katchatheevu early this morning, police and fisheries officials said. The Lankan naval men allegedly attacked a boat carrying four Indian fishermen by pelting stones and bottles. One fisherman identified as Muthu was injured in the forehead while the other managed to escape unhurt, they said. The fishermen retracted to the shores here and the injured has been admitted to the Government Hospital in Ramanathapuram. Doctors…

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ON THE NERVE-TINGLING TRINCO TORTURE CHAMBER…

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By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan The secret detention centre at the Naval Base in Trincomalee which was highlighted by the Northerners, NGOs, the Tamil Diaspora and human rights activists way back in 2010, was visited by the UN Working Group last week. Speaking exclusively to Ceylon Today from the US, after returning from the Sri Lanka mission, Prof. Ariel Dulitzky, said “We were not on a mission to investigate but to monitor the policies the government undertook to implement.” He nevertheless described the 12 chambers beneath ground level in the Trincomalee…

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What the U.S. could do to make Sri Lanka democracy more prosperous

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Samantha Power remarks in Colombo: US Envoy Keshap and Foreign Minister Samaraweera look on Following her bilateral discussions with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera in Colombo soon after she arrived on Saturday for a three-day official talks and a tour to predominantly Tamil Jaffna, Samantha Power in her remarks gave a subtle but serious message that the United States is serious about the accountability process, a semantic infiltration for war crimes investigation. While remarking that the world is closely watching the progress in Sri Lanka and at…

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Mass Protest Against Ranil protecting Mahinda.

Karu

Political parties, university lecturers, artistes civil society activists, teachers, lawyers and many others will take to the streets tomorrow to protest against the government for delaying investigations into allegations of fraud and corruption that had taken place during the previous regime and attempts to cover up these charges. The protest is being organized by the Voice Against Corruption and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) under the theme ‘No more deals’ against the national government. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the government is using the Avant Garde investigation as…

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UK hails de-listing of proscribed organisations

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The British Government today welcomed the move by Sri Lanka to de-list several proscribed organisations and individuals. The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris said that the review is a commendable step to facilitate dialogue and engagement. “Welcome SL government’s review of proscribed organisations and individuals – a commendable step to facilitate dialogue and engagement,” he said in a tweet. The Government lifted the ban on several former LTTE front groups through a gazette notification published by the Government Printer on Friday. Signed by the Secretary to the Ministry of…

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SL calls on remaining banned entities to renounce violence, separatism

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Explaining the move to lift the ban on several earlier proscribed organisations and individuals, the foreign ministry today urged the remaining banned entities to make public commitments condemning violence and renouncing separatism in order for de-proscription of those entities. By a gazette extraordinary issued on Friday, the government lifted the ban on several outfits and individuals previously thought to have been working for the LTTE. On March 21, 2014, 16 organizations and 424 individuals were proscribed under the UN Act No: 45 of 1968. But the latest gazette notification bans…

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No Evidence Against BTF & GTF on helping Terrorism!

Karu

No Evidence Against 8 Diaspora Orgs. And 267 Individuals on Terrow list “Over the last six months, law enforcement and intelligence agencies have conducted a comprehensive and careful review of the proscribed organisations and individuals. The review process concluded that there was no intelligence or evidence justifying the listing of eight organisations and 267 persons. Groups that continue to espouse separatism, including eight organisations and 157 individuals, remain proscribed.” says the Minister of External Affairs. Issuing a statement today the Ministry of External Affairs says; “The initial proscription process was conducted…

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Govt. Fails To Keep Its Promises To Tamils: Wiggie Tells Power

Karu

Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran has requested from visiting US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, to put pressure on the Sri Lankan government to release military held lands in the north, to grant an amnesty for political prisoners and to stop increased militarization of the province, among other issues. During a half an hour meeting with Power, Wigneswaran has said that the present government too has not kept its promises to the Tamil people, despite them voting in their numbers to elect the incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena at the last…

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