By Sujeeva Nivunhella in London Canadian special envoy to the Commonwealth Senator Hugh Segal said Canada will not boycott the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka. Senator Segal, who will be arriving in Colombo tomorrow morning, on a fact-finding mission, talking exclusively to the Sunday Island in London said that there …
By C.A.Chandraprema The original draft of the US resolution that was circulated to members of the UNHRC had a number of provisions which no country will accept. The very delay in finalising this draft is an indication of how unacceptable they are (or were depending on whether they have been revised by the time this …
By AMY KARAFIN As soon as I arrived at the temple, an old man caught my eye and directed me to the inner sanctum. It was hot outside, and the sun was strong. But it was even hotter in the temple, where hundreds of festivalgoers had gathered. Once I walked beyond the crowds and entered …
Continue reading ‘Temples, Islands and Surreally Beautiful Landscapes of Jaffna’ »
by Shamindra Ferdinando Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday said that a section of the Tamil Nadu fishing fleet had been propagating lies against the navy at the behest of interested parties, while poaching and causing immense damage to fishery resources in the country’s northern waters. The Defence Secretary said that much publicised claims of recent …
By A Special Correspondent Movie Star Khushboo, now a member of DMK with and DMK Leader Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi in January 2013 The DMK on Friday night threatened to quit the UPA government unless the U.S.-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka in the United Nations Human Rights Council was strengthened with a firm demand for an …
By K. Balchand Amid the diplomatic parleys to chalk out India’s stand at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has categorically said the stress will be on an impartial and transparent enquiry into allegations of atrocities against them.
The government has asked 438 arts and science colleges in Tamil Nadu to be closed immediately till further orders as student organisations across the state gear up to organise massive protests from Monday. The students are demanding that India vote against Sri Lanka on a resolution expected to be moved at a meeting of the …
(Compiled from Indian News reports in Indian Print and electronic Media) Protest by the student community expressing solidarity with Eelam Tamils gathered pace in the central region on Thursday with agitations reported across Tiruchi and neighbouring districts. However, there were no arrests. Students of Ambedkar Law University staging a protest against the Sri Lankan Government …
By Frances Harrison Canada’s special envoy for the Commonwealth Hugh Segal is on his way to Sri Lanka as pressure mounts to relocate the Commonwealth’s heads of government meeting being held in Colombo later this year because of concerns over deteriorating human rights. Canada’s Prime Minister has said he has no plan to attend the …
by New Delhi Bureau Amid uproar in Parliament, the Centre summoned the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner to South Block and demanded speedy release of 53 Indian fishermen arrested by the island Navy. (Nineteen were arrested on Wednesday and the rest on Thursday) With irate parliamentarians from Tamil Nadu attacking the government for its feeble …
By A Special Correspondent Reacting strongly to the arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the last two days by the Sri Lankan navy, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa demanded on Thursday that the island nation’s envoy be summoned urgently to lodge India’s strong protest and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intervene to ensure their early release.
By Phil Miller In a hotel by the tranquil shores of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam is catching his breath from the relentless repression faced by Tamil activists in Sri Lanka. He is here to attend the UN Human Rights Council’s 22nd session, which will examine the situation in his homeland this month.
by Rajpal Abeynayake Why isn’t your government implementing its own LLRC recommendations? That’s the refrain of those who have made the Geneva UNHRC sessions an article of faith, to coax the Sri Lankan nation to take cognizance of reconciliation issues after the war. In pursuance of that task, they say that there are so many …
Continue reading ‘Why Should We Implement All the Recommendations of “Our Own LLRC”Report?’ »
By Vishwaguptha “An emancipated society, on the other hand, would not be a unitary state, but the realization of universality in the reconciliation of differences.” – Theodor Adorno The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), led by R. Sampanthan and his Party, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), do not seem to realize the gravity of serious politics, …
Continue reading ‘Why Tamils and Tamil National Alliance are Bogged Down in Deep Pothole Today’ »
By Sagarica Rajakarunanayake In seeking better understanding between Buddhists and Muslims we welcome the fact that issues hitherto considered highly sensitive and not subject to question, such as halal products and halal certification, have now come out in the open. Even while we write this piece we learn that the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) …
By Indrajit Coomaraswamy Lasith Malinga should not have behaved in the manner he recently did in relation to the media. However, there is a consensus among those who know him well that he is a very decent person. (I must concede I have never met him.) MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 07, 2012: Lasith Malinga of …
by N Sathiya Moorthy It has been heartening to see the eternally divided Indian polity standing as one in both Houses of Parliament on any issue -thrice in the past year. Yet, their election-driven agendas could not be hidden when the ‘UNHRC vote issue’ spilled over to the streets of the national Capital this time. …
by Tisaranee Gunasekara “Is there no asylum safe enough from your insane and blinded fury?” – Schiller (The Bride of Messina) Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was the Chief Guest at the opening of Meth Sevana, the Buddhist Leadership Academy of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS). In his speech Mr. Rajapaksa said that he decided to attend the …
By Dharisha Bastians The heavy Police guard at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo early Monday morning created the impression that there would be VIP movement at the hotel premises that day. Instead of politicians, it was a large contingent of senior Buddhist monks that alighted at the entrance and made their way towards the hotel’s Ivy …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Having tasted victory over the Halal certification issue the Bodhu Bala Sena(BBS) organization is to begin another widespread campaign targeting the Muslim community on the issue of attire worn by Muslim women in Sri Lanka. The co-founder and head of the Ethno-Religious Fascist Organization Ven.Kirama Vimalajothy Thera has announced that the Bodhu Bala …
If anyone is attempting to stir religious hatred and out to destroy unity and peace, its is a warning to desist from doing so otherwise it would not be possible to escape him’ says the Minister for Public relations, Mr. Mervyn Silva. The minister was speaking at a ceremony at the Sri Wardanarama Temple in …
By Sathya Liyanasuriya For the past two years, controversial parliamentarian Duminda Silva has rarely been away from the spotlight even though away from the public eye. Last week, he hit the headlines again with a sudden return to the country. Silva had been undergoing treatment in Singapore for injuries he sustained in a shooting incident …
Ousted Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake was requested to be present before the Commission to Investigate Bribery and Corruption on March 18. Meanwhile the Lawyers Collective, who vociferously defended the ousted Chief Justice said the government has started ‘it’s much practiced witch hunts of those who do not submit’ to them
By Uditha Jayasinghe The time has come to decide whether the Rajapaksa regime or country is more important insisted the main Opposition Leader yesterday, calling for the Government to implement key accountability processes including holding elections in the north before the island is labelled as a “pariah State” by the international community. Taking an impassioned …
By Damian Thompson Pope Francis I, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, is a priest of holinesss and tremendous modesty of manner – a man who, until now, has taken the bus to work. His challenge is clear. He needs to learn from Benedict XVI’s greatest success – and his greatest failure. …
By Nick Squires in Vatican City Tonight he was to first return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the spartan but comfortable “hotel” within the walls of the Vatican where all the cardinals have stayed during the conclave. He will have a celebratory dinner with his brother cardinals, their ranks now reduced from 115 to 114 …
Continue reading ‘Pope Francis: What Next for the New Pontiff?’ »
By Damien McElroy, and Donna Bowater (The first man outside of Europe in more than a millenium to be elected Pope, the first Jesuit, and a humble man who cooks his own meals – who is Pope Francis? Damien McElroy and Donna Bowater profile the Pope) At the outset of the conclave, few Vatican watchers …
Continue reading ‘Argentina’s Jorge Mario Bergoglio Elected as the New Pope Francis’ »
By Dharisha Bastians Firing from all cylinders, the Bodu Bala Sena yesterday hit back against Monday’s much-welcomed and harmonious compromise on the Halal controversy and its architects, with the monk-led group claiming it would not rest until the Islamic certification is completely banned. The hard-line group which started the anti-Halal agitation through the country said …
by Jayantha de Silva Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, PC admonished two Attorneys-at-Law who staged a walk out before the issuance of an order at yesterday’s resumed hearing of the petition filed by residents of Slave Island in the Supreme Court against their relocation attributed to a development project. The Chief Justice ordered the two counsel, …
By Upul Joseph Fernando Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tour of Japan was scheduled for an earlier date. But because of the sudden political upheaval and change of government in that country, he had to postpone the trip. He is now making the tour at a crucial juncture when America has presented a resolution against Sri Lanka at …
(Text of an Editorial Appearing in the Newspaper”Ceylon Today”) The pressures exerted on the government by one of its fringe elements ultimately got its dividends. The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), the unwitting villains in the halal saga, backed down in the interest of defusing communal tension with the announcement that halal certification would henceforth …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Having refused to negotiate with the US on the text of the forthcoming second US resolution targeting Sri Lanka before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, the government is now faced with the possibility of asking for a vote on the resolution in spite of certain defeat. The UNHRC …
By Kath Noble Pressure for a war crimes investigation continues to mount. With the sessions of the UN Human Rights Council entering their second week, activists descended on key national capitals, urging governments to pass a resolution that calls for international action. As usual, India has been the site of the most extreme interventions. As …
By Dr.Vickramabahu Karunaratne The Families of the Disappeared, a joint organisation led by Brito had organised a protest in Colombo on March 6. Political leaders too were invited to participate in this event to be held opposite the Colombo Municipality near Viharamahadevi Park. The large convoy of family members of the disappeared, nearly 1000, which …
By Susitha R. Fernando with Additional reporting by Lahiru Pothmulla The British Labour Parliamentarian, Simon Danczuk who visited Sri Lanka last week in search of justice for one of his constituents Khuram Shaikh, a Red Cross worker who was cruelly murdered in Tangalle on Christmas eve, 2011 raised the issue relating to the importance of …
By Tasha Manoranjan (Ms.Tasha Manoranjan made the following statement at the UN Human Rights Council session today Tuesday March 12th 2013 on behalf of Pasumai Thaayagam Foundation. Tasha is also a member of USTPAC) Thank you Mr. President. Ms.Tasha Manoranjan of United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) at UNHRC Sessions, Geneva on Mar 12, …
Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka’s Long History of Impunity is Structurally Institutionalized’ »
By Rohantha Athukorala Sri Lanka was just a $ 40 b economy around three years back and today, it is touching a $ 60 b with the landscape of change in high gear, be it the condominiums in Colombo, the new industrial zone coming up in Atchchuvely, or the planned launch of Mattala Airport, just …
Text and Pix by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai The Families of the Disappeared had organized a protest in Colombo on the 06th of March. The large convoy of family members of the disappeared who travelled from the North were stopped by the military in Vavuniya, and were not allowed to proceed to Colombo to take part in …
By Kartiga Thavaraj Statement made by Ms. Kartiga Thavaraj at the UN Human Rights Council on March 11th 2013 on behalf of Pasumai Thaayagam Foundation in Geneva) Thank you Mr. President. Pasumai Thaayagam welcomes the report of Mr. Juan Mendez, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The act …
BY DESMOND TUTU & MARY ROBINSON Absence of war is not peace: the saying is true of Sri Lanka today. While the country’s civil war ended four years ago, and roads have been rebuilt, human rights protections are getting weaker. The personal tragedies of the conflict’s victims have yet to be acknowledged and accounted for. …
By David Miliband In early 2009, as foreign secretary, I travelled to Sri Lanka with Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, so that we could see for ourselves the situation at the end of the brutal 26-year civil war. We met the president and his ministers in Colombo, and then travelled to refugee camps further …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Bodhu Bala Sena (Buddhist Power Force)that has been conducting a widespread anti-Muslim campaign has achieved a significant victory over the controversial Halal Certification issue. The Sri Lankan Government headed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa has caved into the chief demand made by the Ethno-religious Fascist Organization Bodhu Bala Sena that the Halal certification …
Text and Pix by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai Jaffna Music Festival brought in a bursting combination of vibrant music, colour and culture. The second Jaffna Music Festival was recently held at the Jaffna Municipal grounds. A rare treat for festival audience ~ Pushparani (Thavil) and Rajeswary (Naathaswaram) playing at Jaffna Music Festival Local and international musical groups …
Continue reading ‘Jaffna Music Festival: A Celebration of Musical Expressions’ »
The Sri Lankan Government vehemently rejected the new resolution the United States tabled against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday in Geneva, saying that the resolution is “substantive, intrusive and political in nature,” and far from a procedural resolution. Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka at the UN Ravinatha Aryasinha says …
Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Rejects US Resolution at UN in Geneva as “Intrusive and Politicised”’ »
By Chrishanthi Christopher Hirunika, daughter of the slain government politician last week expressed satisfaction at the turn of events in the Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra murder case that brought politician Duminda Silva under arrest. Last month the case entered its watershed when the Magistrate’s Court indicted UPFA Member of Parliament Duminda Silva and 12 others, who …
By Ranga Jayasuriya “A policeman put a pistol into the mouth of a driver and threatened that he would not return to Vavuniya alive if he takes us to Colombo,” Brito Fernando, a human rights activists who was among the family members of the disappeared Tamils, and who had been prevented from coming to Colombo …
By Dilrukshi Handunnetti An academic, economist, author and politician, Dr. Subramanian Swamy is the President of the Janata Party of India and takes strong opposition to what he terms as the ‘leaning politics of Tamil Nadu.’In an exclusive interview with Ceylon Today, the Harvard scholar and former Indian Cabinet Minister who has lately taken up …
By Vishnuguptha “I’d be glad of a retaliation that wouldn’t recoil on myself; but treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends: they wound those who resort to them, worse than their enemies.” ― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights Treachery plays a very significant and decisive part in all human endeavours. Its play is sometimes …
By Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai Mahasivarathri or ‘the great night of Lord Siva’ is a celebration of Siva’s spirit, celebrated by Hindus the world over. It falls on the fourteenth day of the lunar fortnight and is considered the most important day for Siva worshippers and marked with special celebrations.
By M.A.Sumanthiran M.P. In his book ‘Sri Lanka – What Went Wrong: J.R. Jayewardene’s Free and Righteous Society, writer and political commentator V.P. Vittachi refers to a mode of speech he describes as ‘plonking’. Quoting from Stephen Potter’s ‘Lifemanship’ he says, “For maximum irritation remember, the tone of voice must be ‘plonking’…What is Plonking? If …
By C.A.Chandraprema As the UNHRC sessions heats up, one of the questions in the minds of most members of the public is whether the UNHRC can initiate a war crimes probe against Sri Lanka. There are only two ways in which a war crimes trial can take place. One would be for the Security Council …
By C.A.Chandraprema If the Lok Sabha debate last Thursday is anything to go by, the Indian government is acutely aware of the implications of this process that the USA has initiated in the UNHRC in relation to Sri Lanka, for India as well. The debate on ‘The plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka’ began around …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa alleged that large scale foreign funding of NGOs operating in Sri Lanka would be inimical to ongoing post-war national reconciliation efforts hence, such projects should be resisted. The government was seriously concerned about a fresh NGO onslaught in the wake of Western powers working overtime to destabilize the …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Whatever is that distant rumble that I dimly hear?” Christopher Hitchens (Arguably: Essays) It is now a virtual certainty. Barring some last-second, utterly unforeseeable, development, India will vote for the new US resolution on Sri Lanka. The original resolution has been amended to take on board Indian concerns. Indian worries would range …
Continue reading ‘New Delhi, Geneva and the Hambantota Commonwealth Summit’ »
By N. Sathiyamoorthy Coupled with media reports that there may be a ‘consensus resolution’ on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC this time round, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s reiteration of a September deadline for Provincial Council polls in the Northern Province, may be a silver-lining on the otherwise cloudy and confused ethnic front. Mullivaaikkal – May 13, …
Continue reading ‘Ghosts of Tamil Civilians Killed in War Haunting Sri Lankan Nation on the Whole’ »
(DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA INTERVIEWED BY RANGA JAYASURIYA FOR CEYLON TODAY-SUNDAY EDITION) Q: You had been successful in pre-empting an EU backed adverse resolution on Sri Lanka in 2009 by getting a favorable resolution on Sri Lanka passed at the UN Human Rights Council. However, since then a resolution against Sri Lanka was passed last year …
by P.K. Balachandran A Sri Lankan Hindu activist is campaigning to create awareness about the ancient Nandi (sacred bull) flag and revive the practice of hoisting it at religious functions and temple festivals. “Muslims raise the Islamic flag, the Buddhist raise theirs, but Hindus do not hoist any though they have the Nandi flag,” says …
By D.B.S.JEYARAJ Sri Lanka is very much in the news these days as events unfold at the United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHRC) in Geneva.The focus is on the final phase of the war between the Armed forces of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE). The avowed objective is eliciting the truth about …
Continue reading ‘Diaspora LTTE Activists Posing as Human Rights Champions’ »
By Bill Van Auken Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans filled the streets of Caracas to accompany the casket of President Hugo Chavez to the military academy where he began his career and where his body lay in state before today’s funeral. The former paratrooper lieutenant colonel had been in power for 14 years, and the …
By Krishantha Prasad Cooray In recent years, there has been less and less to cheer about in Sri Lanka. Few things bring anything but despondency and frustration to the hearts of young and old. We live in a strange age. What should be a time of national triumph and unity has been transformed into an …
“Haunted by her yesterdays” is a new film by The Social Architects. There will be selected screenings on Friday to mark International Women’s Day, after that we will be working to make sure as many people as possible can see it. Haunted by her yesterdays This documentary tells a story of silent agony, trapped screams …
By Vishnuguptha In the days of television, internet and cellular phones, a period spanning four years seems like an eon as far as the number of events that occur during a 24-hour period is concerned. Life-cycles of events get shorter and so do their memories; the advent of television has brought about a revolution in …
In a move that would embarrass the Government of Sri Lanka, the second draft of the US-sponsored Human Rights Resolution on Sri Lanka has welcomed calls by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay for an independent international investigation into war crimes, while also ‘reiterating’ that the government initiate an independent investigation into alleged …
By Rajavarothayam Sampanthan M.P. (STATEMENT MADE BY MR. R SAMPANTHAN M.P., LEADER TAMIL NATIONAL ALLIANCE AT THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE, 2013, LONDON, OF THE GLOBAL TAMIL FORUM IN COMMITTEE ROOM 14 AT THE UK PARLIAMENT ON WEDNESDAY, 27TH FEBRUARY 2013) Sri Lanka’s immediate post independent history was marked by discriminatory policies on vital issues such …
By The Watchdog March 5th, 2013, Vavuniya On March 5th, 2013, at about 8.30pm, the Police blocked about 600 persons, comprising families of the disappeared and civil society activists from the North, from traveling from Vavuniya to Colombo to attend a protest organized by the ‘Association of the Families Searching for the Disappeared Relatives’ the …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Only hate was happy….” Auden (In Memory of Sigmund Freud) On Tuesday, around 700 Tamils – mostly elderly women – set off from Jaffna. As Lankan citizens, they were exercising their constitutional rights; as family members of the war-disappeared, they intended to participate in a demonstration against extra-judicial killings, outside the UN …
Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa will open the new Buddhist Leadership Academy on March 09. The Academy will be located in the picturesque premises of ‘Meth Sewana’ premises in Ranchawala, Galle. According to Bodu Bala Sena the intention of establishing the particular academy is to improve the leadership qualities in Buddhist clergy, other Buddhist leaders and …
By Ramanan Veerasingham A 39-year old man in the war-torn northern Jaffna peninsula has gone missing from March 3, as the Sri Lankan police blocked dozens of buses carrying hundreds of Tamil families of the disappeared people, to stage a protest rally in the heart of the Colombo. An official source from the Human Rights …
By J.Balaji Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced that Delhi’s decision on the draft resolution to be tabled by the United States at the ensuing session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva would depend on its content. “..Our decision will depend on the substance of the final text,” Dr. Singh said in the Lok …
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA-Stepping up pressure on Congress-led UPA Government, its key southern ally DMK on Tuesday demanded that India support the US-sponsored resolution at the UNHRC against Sri Lanka as over 4,000 people staged a protest against Colombo’s alleged war crimes. The resolution at UNHRC “will certainly succeed. Our strong demand is that India …
By B. Kolappan Seeking to dispel the impression that the Congress is indifferent to popular sentiment in Tamil Nadu on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, party MPs and Union Ministers have briefed AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi about the need to participate in the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) conference to be held in Delhi on …
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA-Amid sustained pressure by political parties from Tamil Nadu, Government on Wednesday agreed to have a discussion on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue in Lok Sabha on Thursday. “The issue is planned to be discussed on Thursday. It will be discussed on Thursday,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told the House. The …
By A Special Correspondent The Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) called for a general strike in Tamil Nadu on March 12, demanding that India support the resolution to be moved by the U.S. against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council for rights violations in the last phase of the war. A meeting chaired …
By Dharisha Bastians Hard-line Sinhala groups like the Bodu Bala Sena essentially have a singular objective. They aim to spread fear and suspicion about communities and people whose customs and way of life are alien to most. Once upon a time, before a separatist struggle tore the country apart, it was the Tamils. Post-war, their …
By Geoffrey Robertson QC The Commonwealth is sleepwalking towards a human rights disaster, if it goes ahead with November’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, where it will be presided over by Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Perhaps emboldened by getting away with murder – the army slaughter of some 40,000 Tamil civilians …
By Dilrukshi Handunnetti Progress reports often tend to have a feel-good effect – at least for those reporting on the so-called achieved progress. Hopefully, the Sri Lankan Government also has some sense of honest achievement. After all, we are now in Geneva to defend the country’s human rights record (yet again) and armed with a …
by Zacki Jabbar Having supported the establishment of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2006, with a mandate to examine, monitor and publicly report on human rights situations in member countries, the Mahinda Rajapaksa government was now looking for scapegoats, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. It was the current crop of leaders …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Accusing President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government of failing to counter the growing threat on the human rights front in Geneva, Democratic Party Leader General Sarath Fonseka yesterday said that there was absolutely no basis for allegations directed against the military. However, the observations and the recommendations made by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation …
By Gordon Weiss In the past few years, I’ve largely avoided junkets from Sri Lankan diaspora groups, for fear of being tarred with various brushes. The two exceptions (not junkets of course) were from Toronto’s Sri Lankans Without Borders , a group dedicated to building common ground between all of Lanka’s communities, and now the …
By Frances Harrison Publishing a book about a highly charged ethnic conflict in which tens of thousands have died is no path to a peaceful life. You only need to look at the racial abuse and filthy language in the comments sections of online sites frequented by Sri Lankans to see how intense the emotions …
Continue reading ‘Writing and Talking About War Crimes Every Day is Corrosive and Soul Destroying’ »
By Sathya Liyanasuriya Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) General Secretary and Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena found himself in the limelight last week in rather unpalatable circumstances, when his son was involved in an incident of alleged assault of a senior police officer’s son while holidaying in Pasikudah. The usually affable and mild mannered Minister found …
Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena in the Limelight Under Unpalatable Circumstances’ »
By Upul Joseph Fernando “If the LTTE chooses to abandon peace, however, we want it to be clear they will face a stronger more capable and more determined Sri Lankan military. We want the cost of a return to war to be high.” Jeffrey Lunstead, former US Ambassador, American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka …
By Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P. There is a very strange game being played out in Geneva, the implications of which decision makers in Colombo have not understood – or else, having understood, they simply do not care. Though the motivations of those attacking us vary, their aim is clear, namely to undermine national sovereignty. The mandarins, …
By Madura Ranwala In the wake of Parliamentarian Duminda Silva’s arrest and the Colombo Magistrate handing Silva to prison guards at the Nawaloka hospital, Hirunika Premachandra, daughter of slain Presidential Advisor Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra yesterday told The Island that the fight against injustice would begin from now on. When asked why she said so, Hirunika …
by Mike Andree and Madura Ranwala UPFA Parliamentarian Duminda Silva, who returned to the country early yesterday morning, was remanded till March 14 by the Colombo Magistrate, in connection with the killing of presidential advisor Baratha Lakshman Premachandra. Silva, who was in Singapore for treatment for severe head wounds, received in the October 2011 Mulleriyawa …
By Dhamayanthi Rajendra (Statement by ms.Dhamayanthi Rajendra of United States Political Action Council (USTPAC)at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 4th 2013) Mr. Vice President & Madam High Commissioner. The High Commissioner’s report recognizes that the failure of the international community and the UN to understand and address the causes of widespread …
By Vani Selvarajah (Canadian Tamil Congress board of director Ms. Vani Selvarajah made the following statement on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council TODAY (Monday March 4th 2013) on behalf of Lawyers Rights Watch Canada) Thank you Mr. President, Madam High Commissioner, on behalf of Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada and the International Movement …
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF REPORT COMPILED BY SLB AND WATCHDOG TITLED “HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTHERN SRI LANKA IN 2012 Repression and human rights violations in the North remained under-reported throughout 2012. This report attempts to highlight some key incidents and trends facing the Tamils in the North, while recognizing the violations and repression faced by all …
by Chitra Weerarathne Former Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, in a motion filed in the Supreme Court yesterday, has said that she is still the Chief Justice of this country. In reply to notice issued by the Supreme Court, regarding a special leave to appeal application, she has said that she will not participate in …
By R.M.B. Senanayake Recently, some persons, including some Buddhist monks, carried out a hate campaign against members of the Muslim community through public meetings and on the Internet. Several mosques have also been attacked and some Muslim traders have been targeted by unruly crowds calling upon them to close their businesses.
by Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha M.P. I was in Singapore last week when a couple of my former students sent me messages that I had been attacked on Swarnavahini by Wimal Weerawansa. It seems he claimed I had made some reforms to the education system that were not practical. One student thought I should respond, another …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj In a controversial move, a reward of One Crore or Ten Million rupees for the head of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been announced in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu! This provocative act of announcing a monetary reward for anyone bringing the Sri Lankan president’s head has not been made …
By Jack Healey Imagine a global nation of people stretched into a diaspora that numbers perhaps 80 million people, more than five times the global Jewish population. Have you heard of the Tamils? They are in South India, Malaysia, Canada, Sri Lanka and around the world. Mostly Hindu, there is a substantial Christian and Muslim …
Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan Tamils Transforming from Tigers Into Lambs’ »
By Ranjan Mathai I hope to suggest some ideas to take stock of where the [US-India] relationship is. I am part of the squad called upon to sustain the remarkable transformation that has brought the US and India closer together than we have ever been in the past. It is worth emphasising that the nature …
By A Staff Reporter Over 570 persons, including MDMK chief Vaiko and Tamizhar Desiya Iyakkam leader P. Nedumaran, were arrested on Monday for attempting to picket the Sri Lankan mission here stressing that India should support the US-sponsored motion against Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council. They were later released. Around 11 a.m., …
By A Special Correspondent L. Mani (48), belonging to the fishermen community at Nallavadu near here, who attempted immolation in front of the Cuddalore Collectorate on Monday afternoon and suffered over 70 per cent burns, died in the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital in Chennai at night. Earlier, he had been taken to the Cuddalore headquarters …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj A calculated propaganda stunt engineered by the Sri Lankan Ethno-Religious Fascist movement ”Bodhu Bala Sena” (BBS) in Colombo city against Muslims engaged in the meat trade ended in a fiasco on Friday March 1st 2013. The neo-fascist Bodhu Bala Sena storm troopers were compelled to call off “Operation Dematagoda” a few hours after …
(Text of Appeal Letter Issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission) Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Varnakulasingham Arulanandam was rearrested by the Terrorist Investigation Division after he was released by a court of law for lack of evidence. He has been severely tortured, his wife has only …
By Vishnuguptha “I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.” ~ Khalil Gibran Every major religion in the world is facing this threat; not from outside but from within. The original teachings …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka The major challenges Sri Lanka faces in Geneva this month are threefold: the possibility of a vote and losing that vote; the possibility of getting fewer votes or losing that vote by a larger margin than a year ago in March 2012; the possibility of an unfair or imbalanced compromise which is …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Presidential Human Rights envoy and Plantations Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has caused quite a diplomatic stir in Geneva by skipping a meeting called by United Nations Human Rights Commissioner (UNHRC) Navi Pillay, following a swipe he had at her in Geneva last week. The reason for his decision to keep away was not …
by Chitra Weerarathne A nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, today, will take up the fundamental rights violation applications and the special leave to appeal application filed in respect of the former Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake’s impeachment. The fundamental rights violation applications have alleged that the Parliamentary Select Committee, appointed under standing order 78A, …
By Charitha Ratwatte The Divi Neguma Act which was certified into law on 11 January 2013 and published in the Gazette of the same day is designed to promote a development intervention based on the community. The Act creates two basic institutions at the community level (see Organigram of Divi Neguma). In Part II of …
By Harim Peiris Former Royal Rugby captain CR (Bulla) De Silva, the Attorney General and loyal friend of President Rajapaksa, must indeed be a puzzled man, even as a whole host of senior officials from the Attorney General’s Department, which he headed in the not too distant past, take wing to Geneva, to play defence, …
By Dr.Vickramabahu Karunaratne Let’s put things in perspective. Whatever the Geneva Resolutions bring, whoever votes against Mahinda’s regime, whatever embargoes are imposed, Mahinda expects to rally round chauvinist Armed Forces, because they remain the only power to repress the opposition movement. Following other global powers, the Indian Government is not bothered to win the popularity …
By Robert Amsterdam This week the United Nations Dispute Tribunal handed down a decision finding several officials from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe in 2008 involved in grave misconduct concerning the inhumane treatment of the former Head of Office in Zimbabwe, Dr. Georges Tadonki, …
By W.A Wijewardena Asoka Handagama, mathematician turned central banker turned quantitative economist turned rural developer turned artiste of numerous genre, has sought to kill two birds with one stone, a stone in the style of a Sri Lankan ‘Oscar’ this time. His first bird is to support the ailing external sector of the country. His …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA THE LEFT AS POLITICAL ACTOR (PART 2) This year and month mark the 130th death anniversary of Karl Marx. 2013 also marks the 60th anniversary of the assault on Moncada led by Fidel Castro and of his address ‘History Will Absolve Me’. It is then an appropriate year for any Left …
By Yohan Perera United National Party (UNP) and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday stressed the need for sharia law to instill discipline in the rank and file of the party. “We will have to deal with those who sabotage the current UNP membership drive in the way that the Muslims deal with those who disobey …
By Dharisha Bastians The Joint Opposition laid the blame for rising anti-Muslim sentiment squarely on President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s shoulders yesterday, after the Bodu Bala Sena held a massive anti-Halal demonstration in Weeraketiya, in the Hambantota District on Saturday (2).
By Frances Harrison The stocky Tamil man twisted himself nervously inside his thin black anorak, ill suited to one of the iciest days of winter, as he explained how he turned informer, betraying the very man he was supposed to protect, in order to save his own life. We endured the bone-chilling cold sitting outdoors …