TELO branch was opened and 9 member committee elected in Switzerland on the 16th of April 2011

President Segar,Deputy President Selva,Tharma,Gnanam,Vasee,John,Pandei,Sri,Nesan,

30 April 2011

Representatives of the government and Tamil party discuss political solution to Sri Lanka's ethnic issue

Representatives of the Sri Lankan government and the major Tamil party , Tamil National Alliance (TNA) participated in a discussion on Friday on finding a political solution to the ethnic issue. The fifth round talks between the government and the TNA to discuss a political solution for the Tamil community were held at the Presidential Secretariat today. TNA parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran has told the media that the government and the TNA had discussed matters related to the devolution of power.

Report, a waste of UN funds - Devananda

Traditional Industries and Small Industries Development Minister Douglas Devananda said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has done the biggest damage to the country by preparing an unauthorized report through Darusman on Sri Lanka and releasing it by abusing the UN funds and facilities to satisfy his “masters” and to win his reappointment.In an interview with Asian Tribune, the minister said the controversial Darusman Report pandered to the Tigers, provided material support to the Tigers and attempted to blame the victims.“The international community failed to take action against the Tigers when they repeatedly scuttled the peace talks and resumed hostilities. Had the UN exerted pressure on the LTTE and thousands of innocent lives could have been saved,” the minister said.The minister added that it was a report prepared by ‘contract writers’, employed by the UN Secretary General to gun down Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.He added that the UN Secretary General wasted the resources and valuable funds of the UN by employing a three member panel comprising Marzuki Darusman of Indonesia, Yasmin Sooka of South Africa and Steven Ratner of the United States.“He employed these writers for his personal benefit to satisfy some countries and organizations to win his reappointment, by casting aspersions on the Sri Lankan President and the Army leaders”.“For 15 years, I was an armed cadre leading the fight against the Sri Lankan forces to win rights for my people. Later I joined mainstream politics of this country, but in case my people had been killed as alleged in the Darusman Report , by now I would have resorted to democratic measures to see justice. But it was not so as alleged in the said Darusman Report,” Devananda said. Minister Devananda said: “I have the right and authority to speak on behalf of the Tamils of Sri Lanka. These are the very Tamils who have elected me as their representatives since 1994. He alleged, that because of the failed politics of Prabhakaran and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the country has lost thousands and thousands of innocent civilians. In fact, Prabakaran was responsible for the deaths of more than 70,000 innocent Tamil civilians in the last 30 years during their sway in the Northern and Eastern parts.

Sri Lankan minister says arrested LTTE leader's services could be used to counter international allegations

A Sri Lankan government minister says former LTTE international wing head and chief arms procurer Kumaran Pathmanatahan alias KP could be used by the government to respond to international allegations.Cabinet Spokesperson and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has told the media that the government could use KP to counter the report by the Experts Panel of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.Rambukwella has made the comment in response to a question posed by a journalist.He has said the government would use KP to counter allegations if the need arose.Since his arrest by the Sri Lankan authorities in August 2009 from his hideout in a South Asian country, KP has provided government with some valuable information on the structure and assets of the LTTE overseas establishments and has helped identifying escaped Tiger leaders.

UN disappointed regarding Indian housing project – Douglas, Karuna and Basil are the cause.

The proposed 50,000 housing project by the Indian government to the displaced people had not still begun its construction and regarding this, the United Nation Organization had shown its disappointment. “The Hindustan Times” published this news item by quoting the report made by the United Nation Organization’s Commission for humanitarian activities.Many families are not able to settle in their native lands due to displacement during the final war. The massive problem is housing problem to these affected families. In this situation, many aid organizations intended to construct or renovate about 70,000 houses in the Vanni district. Indian government made assurance of constructing 50,000 houses to the Vanni people but two years have elapsed and still activities are not processed. United Nation in its report had pointed out that advanced activities have not processed hence the displaced people are deceived. 1000 houses construction responsibility has been taken over by Indian R.P.P.Company as the first stage of this housing project is according to information. Meanwhile allegations are regarding the delay in housing assignments not commencing is due to the rivalry between Minister Douglas Devananda and Deputy Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan.

G.L says no protests  

The Government’s has no intention to create any “mass protests” and agitation relating to the Darusman Report, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris told the diplomatic community in Colombo today.“ We are not instigating hysteria nor violence or embarrassment to the UN community and to foreign Missions.  Such allegations have been levelled by those with political agendas to blacken the image of the country at this sensitive moment,” the External Affairs Ministry quoted the Minister as telling diplomats today.Minister Peiris addressed the Colombo-based diplomatic corps at the Ministry of External Affairs in Colombo today to convey the response of the Government of Sri Lanka on the substantive aspects of the Darusman Report.The Minister stated that the Government of Sri Lanka was no longer constrained to comment substantively as the Report is now in the public domain.The Minister went on to highlight some of the fundamental deficiencies, inherent prejudices and malicious intentions that characterize the Darusman Report.  These flaws pertain not only to the contents of the Report, but also to the methodology followed in arriving at its conclusions.  The Minister stated categorically that the Report is legally, morally and substantively flawed.Minister Peiris requested Sri Lanka’s friends in the international community to assess these facts fairly and in a balanced manner and to give the people of Sri Lanka the opportunity to reach their full potential in a peaceful, stable, prosperous and united country.  Based on the mandate of the people at local, provincial, national and Presidential levels, the Government is working confidently towards achieving these objectives, he said.Two sectors are in the attempts of acquiring massive finance in this working project. On this basis many pressure is utilized states reports. In the meantime, Economy Development Minister Basil Rajapakse is opposing in allocating lands for the construction of houses. Reports states in many areas in Vanni, massive lands had been confiscated by Basil Rajapakse.

27 April 2011

Sri Lanka: UN says army shelling killed civilians

Tens of thousands of civilians died in the final phase of Sri Lanka's civil war - most of them killed in shelling by government forces, a UN panel says.In a report on possible war crimes in the last months of the war in 2009, the panel also says Tamil Tiger rebels used civilians as human shields.It wants an independent international investigation into "credible" reports of atrocities committed on both sides.Sri Lanka's government has rejected the findings as biased.It denies that tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the months leading up to the victory over the rebels, who had fought for 26 years for an independent homeland for minority Tamils.

'Credible allegations'

The highly controversial document was the result of a 10-month process of gathering evidence by the three-member panel, which was not allowed into Sri Lanka. Their report paints a brutal image of the final offensive on the rebel-held enclave in northern Sri Lanka between January and May 2009.It said that hospitals, UN centres and ships belonging to international aid group the Red Cross were deliberately shelled by government forces."Tens of thousands lost their lives from January to May 2009, many of whom died anonymously in the carnage of the final few days," said the panel, which was headed by a former Indonesian attorney general."Most civilian casualties in the final phases of the war were caused by government shelling," the report added.It describes prisoners being shot in the head and women raped, while the Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE) used 330,000 civilians as human shields, and shot those who tried to escape.The UN experts said there were "credible allegations, which if proven, indicate that a wide range of serious violations of international humanitarian law and international rights law was committed both by the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, some of which would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity".It urged the government to issue a formal and public recognition of its responsibility for the extensive civilian casualties in the final stages of the conflict.Sri Lanka had asked the UN not to publish the report, saying it could damage reconciliation efforts."The Sri Lankan army is not responsible and [the] Sri Lankan government is not responsible," government spokesman Lakshman Hulugalle told the BBC."We never shelled or we never bombed. We never targeted innocent civilians. It's a wrong allegation and we can prove it," he said.

'A matter of transparency'

The panel also recommended that the Sri Lankan government should respond to the serious allegations "by initiating an effective accountability process beginning with genuine investigations" which would meet international standards.Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he could not launch an international investigation into war crimes allegations unless the Sri Lankan government agreed, or member states called for it.But the BBC's Barbara Plett, in New York, says that the country continues to have strong allies on both the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council.In 2010 Sri Lanka appointed its own commission mandated to look back at the war and learn lessons from the conflict, but human rights groups have expressed scepticism about the independence of the commission.In January 2010, less than a year after the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected by a substantial majority on a wave of unprecedented support following the government's victory over the rebels.However, the UN will carry out a review of its own actions during the conflict. The report criticises UN officials for not pressing the Sri Lankan government hard enough to exercise restraint and for not going public with high casualty figures which, it says, would have put more pressure on the government.In a statement, the secretary general's spokesperson said: "The decision to release the report was made as a matter of transparency and in the broader public interest."He said a copy of the report had been made available "in its entirety" to the government of Sri Lanka on 12 April, adding that the government had failed to respond to a repeated offer to publish its response to the panel's finding alongside the report.Our correspondent says that a divided Security Council was initially reluctant to address Sri Lanka's war and much less call for an inquiry.But the secretary general appointed the panel after mounting evidence of serious human rights abuses and massive civilian casualties in the five-month offensive which ended the war.

Lanka to work with UN                                

The Sri Lankan government has said it will continue to work with the UN Secretary-General in addressing post-conflict challenges including reconciliation and accountability, a UN spokesman has said.Addressing reporters in New York today, a day after the Panel report on Sri Lanka was made public, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky also said that the government has said it will provide carefully considered views on the report.“The initial reaction has been negative. But the Government has also said it will provide carefully considered views, and we will be looking at those,” the UN spokesman said.The Secretary-General, Nesirky said, is reviewing the recommendations by the Panel and added that it is clear that this is a matter of international concern and that Member States will look at the report seriously.Asked whether the Panel had been able to visit Sri Lanka, the Spokesperson said that it had not.Meanwhile the High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Tuesday  welcomed the public release of the report of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on accountability issues related to the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka, and supported the report’s call for further international investigation.“The eyewitness accounts and credible information contained in this report demand a full, impartial, independent and transparent investigation,” the High Commissioner said.  “Unless there is a sea-change in the Government’s response, which has so far been one of total denial and blanket impunity, a full-fledged international inquiry will clearly be needed.”The High Commissioner noted the recent initiatives taken by the Human Rights Council to combat impunity and address accountability issues in different parts of the world, and encouraged its members to reflect on the new information and findings contained in the report on Sri Lanka.She also urged the Sri Lankan Government “to quickly carry out the measures suggested by the Panel which could bring immediate relief to victims.

India should help form Tamil Eelam: Ramadoss

PMK leader S. Ramadoss on Tuesday demanded that India should start work on forming an independent Tamil Eelam state in Sri Lanka. Citing the formation of Bangladesh out of East Pakistan in 1971, Ramadoss said: "India should take preliminary steps for the formation of Tamil Eelam, carving out the areas where Tamils live." He said as per a UN report, more than 40,000 Tamils have been killed in the final phase of the war between Sri Lankan military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009. Ramadoss said the UN report had exposed Sri Lanka's deliberate bombing of civilians moved to secured areas and hospitals, cutting out food supplies and sexual assaults on Tamil women. He said Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa should be tried by the international courts. On Monday, Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi told reporters that he does not differ from Ramadoss' view that Rajapaksa be declared a war criminal. Asked about Tamil Eelam, he said: "These are all international issues. One has to take into consideration India's security and good relations."

Panel gave wrong picture                         

Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa says the UN panel has painted a wrong picture in its report that there is an enduring legacy of bitterness still prevailing in the former conflict zones.In an interview with the Manila Times the Defense Secretary also reiterated that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is pushing Sri Lanka against the wall.“What hurts me is that the panel has failed to recognize the immense steps the government has taken to bring peace and reconciliation, matched with development, to the north and north-east of the country that not too long ago was controlled with an armed fist by the LTTE. Within the first 12 months of the war ending we even re-settled over 350,00 displaced Tamils, an achievement that was applauded by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon himself and several international humanitarian organizations. But instead of acknowledging any of this the panel has painted a wrong picture that there is an enduring legacy of bitterness still prevailing in these areas,” Rajapaksa told the Manila Times.He said that Sri Lanka has always been a responsible and accommodating member of the United Nations.  and never failed to respond to UN requests for Sri Lankan troops to participate in peace keeping missions or humanitarian missions such as in Haiti.He added that on some occasions Sri Lanka agreed to the request even when the army was stretched to the limit during the various stages of the conflict.“So for the Secretary General to pick on Sri Lanka for this sort of arbitrary treatment is very unfair. In fact appointing the panel, which in turn comes out with a report that goes far beyond its original mandate, is a brazen violation of our country’s sovereignty. The Secretary General is needlessly pushing us against the wall and forcing us to seek the help of our friends in the UN Security Council like Russia and China,” he said.

UN releases Lanka report, India studying it

India was studying the report of the UN secretary general's panel of experts on accountability in Sri Lanka and would soon engage with the Lankan government about issues raised by it. President Mahinda Rajapaksa had called up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon after receiving a copy of the report on April 12."The government has seen the Report of the Panel of Experts appointed by the UN Secretary General to advise him on accountability-related issues…The issues raised in the report need to be studied carefully. As a first step, we intend to engage with the Government of Sri Lanka on the issues contained in the report," the ministry of external affairs, said in a statement.New Delhi's guarded reaction comes hours after the report was made public by the UN office in New York in spite of Sri Lanka asking the global agency not to make it public.The three-member panel has recommended an independent international enquiry into the alleged killing of "tens of thousands of civilians" in the last months of the war, saying Sri Lanka's internal mechanism didn't measure up to accepted standards.But what could mitigate Colombo's discomfiture was what UN chief Ban Ki-moon said after the report was released "In regard to the recommendation that he establish an international investigation mechanism, the secretary general is advised that this will require host country consent or a decision from Member States through an appropriate intergovernmental forum,'' a statement issued by the spokesperson for the chief said.It means that Sri Lanka's permission, a highly improbable possibility, will be required for an international investigation mechanism to be set up. Or the recommendation would have to be approved by the General Assembly or Security Council.On its part, the government has already dismissed the report, which severely indicts the military for allegedly bombing civilians. The report also accused the separatist Tamil Tigers of using civilians as a human shield against the advancing army and shooting at those trying to escape.

UN report: India should not bail out Sri Lankan government, says BJP

India should not bail out the Sri Lankan government from being implicated in the report of the United Nations Secretary General's panel of experts on Sri Lanka for violation of human rights during the final stages of the war in the island nation in 2009, BJP national executive member L. Ganesan said on Monday.Speaking to reporters here, he said there had been charges that India supported, financed and armed the Sri Lankan government in its war against Tamils.Now there are allegations that India is attempting to protect Sri Lanka from being implicated of war crimes in the report of UNSG's panel expected to be released in a week's time. “India should not subject itself again to be charged as supporting genocide by Sri Lanka.”On Jan Lokpal Bill issue, he said, “The Congress is nitpicking against civil society members of Jan Lokpal Bill drafting committee.”Asked whether the government side members in the drafting panel were not clean, he said: “If you look for clean persons then you have to search outside the Congress. They are just the government's representatives. Only for that reason civil society members have been included and they are clean.”On the electoral performance of his party in the just concluded elections, he said that the BJP would have members in the new Assembly.

US lawmaker urges SL to act

A senior US lawmaker on Monday urged Sri Lanka to take concrete action on human rights after a UN panel found credible allegations of war crimes in the bloody 2009 finale to the civil war.Representative Howard Berman, the top member of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Sri Lanka must “ensure that those involved in violations of human rights are held to account in a transparent and expeditious manner.”“I am deeply concerned that the government of Sri Lanka has thus far chosen to protest the report's conclusions rather than accept the recommendations of the UN panel,” Berman said in a statement.Berman said he also favored action against any surviving members of the Tamil Tiger rebels accused of rights violations.“Unless the government takes real action to investigate and punish those guilty of war crimes, I fear there can be no sustainable reconciliation process to move the country forward,” the California lawmaker said.

LTTE involved in trafficking-Europol

The European Police Office (Europol) has said in its “Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2011” that the LTTE is involved in the trafficking of drugs and human beings. "Separatist terrorist groups such as the PKK/KONGRA-GEL and LTTE are involved in the trafficking of drugs and human beings to raise funds for their terrorism activities", the reports reads.The report further notes that the LTTE had been engaged in organized crimes such as facilitation of illegal immigration, credit card skimming, money laundering, and fraud for the purpose of funding terrorist (support) operations. Further the report claims that the  LTTE also collected money from their members, using labels such as ‘donations’ and ‘membership fees’, but are in fact extortion and illegal taxation schemes. "In addition to organized extortion campaigns, there are indications that the PKK/KONGRA-GEL and the LTTE are actively involved in money laundering, illicit drugs and human trafficking, as well as illegal immigration inside and outside the EU" the report notes.The Europol report also highlights that the LTTE used international propaganda channels and their own media (TV and radio stations) to spread their ideology.The report also underlines that terrorist and extremist groups are demonstrating increased professionalism in using web-based technologies to present themselves and communicate their ideologies to a larger audience.The TE-SAT is one of Europol's strategic analysis products, providing law enforcement officials, policymakers and the general public with facts, figures and trends on terrorism in the EU.

Indian project on track                                   

India says the housing project to build 50,000 houses for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the North and East under grant assistance from the Government of India is on track.The Indian Embassy in Colombo rejected reports that the project has stalled saying such claims are baseless and misleading A statement by the Embassy explained that the Government of India has appointed M/s Hindustan Prefab Limited and M/s RPP Infra Projects Limited as Project Management Consultants and Contractors respectively to execute and implement the Pilot Project for 1,000 houses which will be spread over all five districts of Northern Province.The contracted agencies have already mobilized necessary resources to undertake the Project.  Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Project will be completed as per schedule and the housing units will be handed over to beneficiaries during the latter half of the year, the Embassy said.The Indian Housing Project, which is targeted to meet the bulk of the housing needs of IDPs in the foreseeable future, is being carried out in close consultation with and cooperation of the Government of Sri Lanka.“In this connection, we await a list of beneficiaries for the Pilot Project from Government of Sri Lanka drawn up on the basis of norm-based and transparent selection criteria.  Early availability of the list of beneficiaries will enable completion of critical project activities in a timely manner. It is our expectation that early implementation of the Pilot Project will also facilitate finalization of arrangements for undertaking construction of remaining 49,000 houses,” the Embassy added.

Sri Lanka seeks N. American market access through Mexico

Sri Lanka is seeking to access North American markets under the NAFTA trade deal through partnerships with Mexican businesses, minister of industry and commerce Rishad Bathiudeen said."Joint business partnerships between Mexican and Sri Lankan companies will help accessing the difficult North American markets," he was quoted as saying in a statement.The comments were made at a meeting with Jaime Nualart, Mexican Ambassador to India, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.Jaime Nualart is leading a Mexican business delegation to Colombo.“The bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Mexico stands at 63 million US dollars," Bathiudeen said."This is still a small volume and there is much potential between the two countries to enhance it."Sri Lanka seeks to "harness synergies of Mexican and Sri Lankan entrepreneurs through mutually beneficial partnerships to exploit promising market opportunities in the US and Canada opened by the North American Free Trade Agreement," he said.The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) among the United States, Canada, and Mexico has liberalized restrictions on trade among the three countries by scrapping tariffs and increasing market access.Mexican Ambassador Nualart said Mexican businesses want to invest in food processing, multiplex cinemas and construction, specially shopping complexes, in Sri Lanka.

UNP to study report                          

The opposition UNP has appointed a committee to study the UN panel report, which was made public yesterday, and give its observations on it.A statement by the UNP said that the committee will be headed by Bradman Weerakoon, former Secretary to the Prime Minister under the UNP regime.Once the committee makes its observations on the report the UNP will announce its stand and issue an official response, the UNP statement said.When contacted by News Now.lk Mr. Weerakoon confirmed that he has been included in a UNP committee to study the UN panel report.After Ranil Wickremesinghe became the prime minister in 2001, Weerakoon was appointed Secretary to the Prime Minister and was an influential figure in the administration, especially in the peace process between the government and the LTTE.

TNA visit to TID a non event

The visit by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) in Vavuniya was cancelled at the last minute yesterday, parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran said.The government had decided to allow the TNA to examine the lists of detainees after it held discussions with the group earlier in the year.Mr. Sumanthiran said TNA representatives were planning to travel to Vavuniya accompanied by ruling party MP Sajin Vaas Gunawardane last morning, but there had been no response from the government. “I sent them several messages but received no response. I then assumed that the trip had been cancelled,” he said.Mr. Sumanthiran said a number of interim decisions were reached during the four rounds of talks with the government, but sadly none of them have been honoured.He said the party would register a formal protest with the government regarding this.Attempts made to get a comment from Mr. Gunawardane also failed.

NORTHERN RAIL LINE UP TO OMANTHAI WILL OPEN BEFORE VESAK
  
The Railways Department says that the Northern Railway line extending up to Omanthei, would be opened before the Vesak Poya.General Manager at the Department, A.G Mahanama said that, construction work on the Railway Line from Thaandi-Kulam to Omanthai has been completed. He noted that once this route is opened, intercity express trains can travel up to Omanthei. The Railway Line from Thaandi Kulam to Omanthai spans to 10 kilo meters long.

Court to inspect Mirisuvil murder scene

A High Court panel will inspect today (Apr. 27) the murder scene of eight civilians at Mirisuvil in Jaffna nearly nine years ago.Judges Deepali Wijesundara, Sunil Rajapaksa and W.T.M.P.B. Warawewa are undertaking the visit, to be facilitated by the Ministries of Defence and Justice.The suspects - five Army personnel - and witnesses in the court case are due to accompany the court panel.The attorney general has filed the case on 19 counts, in connection with the murders that had been committed on 19 December 2002.

26 April 2011

Sri Lanka intensifies anti-UN campaign after war crimes report

Sri Lanka's ruling party and its supporters stepped up its campaign against the United Nations on Monday over a report on alleged war crimes committed during the final phase of the military operations against Tamil rebels two years ago.Anti-UN posters sprung up in various parts of the country and the National Heritage party JHU, which supports the government, protested in the central Kandy district against the UN report.Sri Lanka has called on the UN not to make the report public, but parts have already appeared in local newspapers, saying that there were 'credible allegations' that war crimes were committed during the offensive.Sri Lanka has denied that the military was involved in war crimes.Cabinet ministers, pro-government political parties, trade unions and sections of the clergy have come out to campaign against the UN and its report.One cabinet minister said the report was 'baseless' and that it had ignored the massacres carried out by the rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the three decades of the conflict.'There is clear proof that the LTTE elements were behind this report,' Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was quoted as saying on the Government Information Department's website.External Affairs Minister G L Peiris Monday questioned UN moves to publicise the report, saying that the panel had prepared the report only for the use of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.'The question of publishing the panel report authorized by the United Nations secretary general does not arise since [he], in appointing the panel, was motivated exclusively by a desire to gather information, and insights for his own views,' Peiris told the state-run Daily News.'Sri Lanka cannot be singled out for discriminatory treatment because this would be tantamount to cynical violation of the doctrine of sovereign equality of states, which is one of the core vales embedded in the UN charter,' Peiris said.The report, which is yet to be made public officially, has reportedly recommended that the Ban should immediately establish an independent international mechanism to assess how far the Sri Lankan government is genuinely investigating alleged human rights violations.The panel said there was no authoritative figure for civilian deaths or injuries during the final phase of the fighting, but added that 'credible sources' have estimated there could have been as many as 40,000 civilian deaths.The military operations ended in May 2009 after the entire LTTE rebel leadership was killed after they were trapped in a small area in the north-east part of the country. Civilians were also trapped in the same area.

India playing double game: Sri Lanka

At the top echelons of the Sri Lankan government there is a belief that India is playing a ‘double game’ in the UN war crimes panel issue. The belief stems from the fact that India has been observing an intriguing silence on the issue when the UN, backed by the US and its Western allies, seems to be bent on pillorying Sri Lanka on war crimes charges.The silence intrigues Sri Lankans because India has greater political, strategic and economic stakes in here than any other country. Lankans contrast India’s silence with Russia’s open support for the island nation in its hour of crisis. Although China is yet to make its views known, Lankans are sure of its support.

CALLS MANMOHAN

Top government sources confirmed that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had spoken on the phone to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the report. Lakbimanews even said that Colombo sent a copy of the report to Singh for perusal and appropriate action. But, Singh gave Rajapaksa no assurances.

INDIA PRIVY TO CONTENTS  

An official in the top echelons of the Lankan government told Express that India’s man in the United Nations, Hardeep Singh Puri, had met the panel before the latter finalised its report, suggesting that New Delhi had known the panelists’ mind and had a fair of idea of what their report might be like, but had done nothing to prevent it from taking the vituperative form it did.“The feeling in government circles is that India is playing a double game,” the official, who did not want to be identified, said.

BID TO DOMINATE

It is felt here that India may be wanting to use Lanka’s discomfiture to extract concessions from it as it did at the time of the India-Sri Lanka Accord in 1987.“Big Brother has always wanted to dominate us,” the  Lankan official said, pointing out that India’s Permanent Representative at the UN now, had cut his teeth in diplomacy in 1987 in Colombo under the tutelage of the then Indian High Commissioner, J N Dixit, who, according to the Lankans, thought and acted as if he was a “Viceroy”.
 
DISILLUSIONED WITH PREZ

The Sunday Times has said that New Delhi’s silence has to be seen in the context of the problems India’s projects in Sri Lanka are facing under the Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime. The paper noted that New Delhi had been pressuring Rajapaksa to address the Tamils’ grievances.

Tamil detainees should be released – CJ

The Attorney General (AG) and the police have been ordered to release all Tamils in custody for longer periods without charges says Sri Lanka's Chief Justice (CJ).CJ Asoka de Silva said he has taken measures to provide relief to the Tamil detainees during his two-year tenure in the office."We have considered and offered relief whenever an application has been lodged seeking bail for Tamil detainees in custody for long periods or who have being detained unconstitutionally," he said."In addition I have ordered the AG to provide with a report of those who have been detained for long periods."The AG's report submitted to the courts, said Mr de Silva, shows that many suspects are in detention on charges of serious offences such as murder.

15 years

"Not all of them are connected to the war," he said.Human rights groups including the Committee for the Investigation of Disappearances (CID) says that some Tamil detainees are kept in detention for nearly 15 years.There are some more detainees, according to the CJ, whose cases are still being investigated."Once released investigations can be continued and arrests can be made if new evidence is found," he added."We don't encourage the AG or the police to keep suspects in custody without being charged."The CJ earlier said the AG was wrong to withdraw charges against government politicians if there was evidence.He was commenting on AG Mohan Peiris withdrawing murder charges against former parliamentarian Chandana Kathriarachchi and child rape charges against Colombo district MP, Duminda Silva. However, it is for the AG to explain why he withdrew the charges, according to CJ Asoka de Silva.In a series of interviews with BBC Sandeshaya, the CJ also defended the Supreme Court verdict that found court martial a competent court.But he said that it is imperative for any investigative body, let alone courts, to keep notes and records. CJ de Silva was commenting on the military court, that found former army commander Sarath Fonseka guilty, informing Colombo High Court that it did not keep records of the court proceedings.“Not only courts, but any investigation needs to have its notes. If not, that does not become an investigation," said Mr de Silva.The outgoing CJ added that he was working on to improve the judicial services to the war-affected north and east during his two-year tenure.

UK, US behind UNSG’s War Crimes Report

Contrary to the UPFA government accusing UNSG Ban Ki-moon over the hotly disputed ‘war crimes’ report, exclusively revealed by The Island, the UK and US are widely believed to be behind the sordid operation, now gathering momentum, with the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), pushing for an independent war crimes probe.Sources told The Island that the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), which had been pushing for an international war crimes probe targeting Sri Lanka, had the backing of both British and US political establishments, to pursue its campaign. Sources said that the UNSG had acted against Sri Lanka at the behest of the two UN Security Council members, who facilitated the operations undertaken by the GTF on behalf of the Tamil Diaspora.One-time Norwegian peace facilitator, Minister Erik Solheim, too, backed the UK and US move. Sources said that Solheim had publicly called for a war crimes probe.Highly influential US Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) on March 28, 2011 arranged a meeting between GTF and US Assistant Secretary Robert O’ Blake at the State Department. The GTF also received an opportunity to meet the UNSG. Ambassador Blake is scheduled to visit Colombo, in the first week of May.Sources said that the UNSG wouldn’t have met the GTF without US intervention. They pointed out that the powers that be had also facilitated an unprecedented meeting between Sonia Gandhi and the GTF in London, before the GTF met Ambassador Blake and the UNSG.The LTTE assassinated Sonia’s husband, Rajiv in the first and the only suicide attack carried out by the LTTE overseas.The USTPAC and the GTF came into operation in 2009 and February 24, 2010, respectively.  Responding to a query, sources said that the GTF had the blessings of the British political establishment to pursue a campaign overtly hostile towards Sri Lanka. They said that the then British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, Conservatives shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague and Liberal Democrats shadow Foreign Secretary, Ed Davey had been among the speakers at the GTF launch at the Gladstone Room of the House of Commons. Some of the visiting delegates from 14 countries had an opportunity to meet former Prime Minister Gordon Brown privately, sources said.Among other MPs present at the occasion were Virendra Sharma, Keith Vaz and Siobhain McDonagh.Sources said that in spite of the then Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama summoning the then acting British High Commissioner Mark Gooding to lodge Sri Lanka’s protest against Miliband’s participation at the GTF meet, the government appears to have taken no further action. They said that the GTF came into being ahead of the formation of what is now called the Provisional Trans-national Government of Tamil Eelam (PTGT).  The UK-based Diaspora set up the British Tamil Forum in 2006. The BTF played a significant role during eelam war IV. The BTF and the GTF disrupted President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to London last December and went to the extent of moving Court against Maj. Gen. Chagi Gallage, a senior officer accompanying the President, over unsubstantiated war crimes charges. Interestingly, the Court was moved by defeated Labour MP, Ms Joan Ryan on behalf of the GTF.Sources said that since the collapse of the LTTE on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon on May 19, 2009, the LTTE rump had been engaged in a campaign to bring war crimes allegations against the Sri Lankan government. In spite of some of the key Diaspora leaders being sharply divided over their strategy, they had been convinced that an independent investigation was required. Sources acknowledged that the government hadn’t acted swiftly and decisively to meet the threat posed by the joint action undertaken by the Diaspora and a section of the international community.Sources said that those taking part in a mega protest campaign organized by the UPFA on May Day against war crimes allegations wouldn’t even shout an anti-US or British slogan. Instead, they would vent their anger at the UNSG and the Marzuki Darsusman panel.Sources said that an emergency meeting called by President Mahinda Rajapaksa last Friday (April 22), to discuss the war crimes report had revealed shortcomings in the government strategy. Sources said that UPFA leaders had also discussed the failure on the part of the government to identify the danger in agreeing to a joint communiqué issued at the end of UNSG’s visit to Sri Lanka, shortly after the conclusion of the war in May 2009. Economic Affairs Minister Basil Rajapaksa had strongly advised President Rajapaksa not to endorse the communiqué in spite of the External Affairs Ministry supporting the move, sources said. Political sources pointed out that the UN had asserted that UNSG appointed a three-member panel on the basis of the joint communiqué, though the Government of Sri Lanka publicly repudiated the position taken by the world body.

India wanted LTTE destroyed

The former UN spokesman Gordon Weiss said the Indian government wanted to see the Tamil Tigers destroyed and was completely aware of the real situation in the battle zone “The Indian government which wanted to ‘see the Tamil Tigers destroyed’ was ‘fully aware’ of the real situation in the battle zone, including the civilian casualties,” the UN spokesman in Colombo during the peak of the conflict, said. “I believe that Indians were aware of the civilian casualties that were happening, because they had pretty good intelligence inside the siege zone,” he told the BBC Sinhala service, Sandeshaya.He also said that the United Nations should have done more to prevent civilian casualties at the last stage of the war in Sri Lanka. Weiss also said the UN should have exerted pressure on the Sri Lankan government to stop attacks on civilians. “I believe that the UN should have used greater pressure in order to assuage the kind of assaults that it seems was made on civilians,” he said adding that “certainly, casualty figures from a part of that armoury.”However, the UN was not in a position to stop the final assault against the Tamil Tigers apart from trying to minimise civilian casualties, according to Gordon Weiss.

DMK betrayed Lankan Tamils-DMDK

Joining the statement war in Tamil Nadu on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) leader Vijayakant on Sunday accused Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi of betraying the Tamils in the island nation by failing to protect them during the civil war that ended in 2009. In a statement here, he said that when the Sri Lankan Tamils, especially those in the Eelam region, were hoping that Tamil Nadu and its Chief Minister would protect them during the ethnic war in the island nation, Mr. Karunanidhi failed to protect them. On the other hand, he even abetted the butchery of those Tamils, Mr. Vijayakant alleged.

Mere “eyewash”

He described the fast undertaken by Mr. Karunanidhi in April 2009 condemning the Sri Lankan Government's massive drive against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which resulted in the decimation of a substantial number of Tamils, as mere “eyewash.” While Mr. Karunanidhi ended his half-day fast saying that Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had told him that the war had ended in Sri Lanka, “neither the war nor the ethnic annihilation” had come to an end then, Mr. Vijayakant lamented. According to the DMDK leader, it was not only the Indian Government, which is despised by the Sri Lankan Tamils, but also Mr. Karunanidhi, “a Tamilian by birth,” who has betrayed Tamils.

24 April 2011

Sri Lankan government and Tamil party to discuss political solution to ethnic issue on the 29th

Representatives of the Sri Lankan government and the major Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) are to hold discussions on a political solution to the ethnic issue on Friday (29).TNA parliamentarian and Attorney M.A. Sumanthiran has told the media that although the previous rounds of discussions were on the immediate issues faced by the Tamil community and a political solution, the discussion on the 29th will be based only on finding a political solution to the ethnic issue.The government and the TNA commenced discussions on January 10. The two sides had so far held four rounds of discussions on solving the ethnic issue.The government delegation is represented by Ministers Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka, Prof. G.L. Peiris, Nimal Siripala de Silva, and parliamentarian Sajin de Vass Gunawardena.Parliamentarians Sumanthiran, Mavai Senathirajah, and Suresh Premachandran represent the TNA at the discussions.

India to the rescue on Moon report   

Sri Lanka has handed over the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon’s Advisory Panel report on Sri Lanka to India for studying and ‘advising’ as appropriate thereafter. Meanwhile, India has appointed a committee led by National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon to study the same, senior diplomatic sources say.“Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa spoke with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a few days back about the report and handing its contents to India was a result of this discussion,” he said. The committee will study the report and assist Sri Lanka to overcome repercussions arising from it, if necessary, the diplomat said.The report which was issued on April 12 is yet to be officially made public by the UN. However it was leaked to a Sri Lankan newspaper last week and this leaking has been called ‘unethical’ by many. Meanwhile the United Nations and the Government of Sri Lanka have both denied leaking the report. The UNSG said that it is ‘deeply regrettable’ that the report was leaked.“It is deeply regrettable that parts of the report found their way prematurely to a Sri Lankan newspaper. The full report will be released next week,” he said.External Affairs Minister G L Peiris also stated that the government is not behind the leak since it has been against the publication of the report from the beginning. “United Nations (UN) should not publish or act upon the recommendations of the report by the Panel of Experts appointed by UNSG Ban Ki-moon.”

'Allegations against LTTE Must also be investigated' - GTF Fr.Emmanuel

(The Sunday Leader’s Faraz Shauketaly spoke to Head of the Global Tamil Forum, Father Emmanuel, asking him to comment on the UN Advisory Panel Report. Excerpts:)

Q: What is your reaction to the UN Advisory Panel’s report to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon?

A: We have seen a leaked report. We are at the first stage. It is an opportunity to find out the truth and to start a process of true reconciliation. The Report advises that an enquiry be held to hold both the Sri Lankan Government and the Tigers accountable. There has been a lot of emotional reaction from both sides – the Sri Lanka government and the Tamils. We Tamils of course welcome the report as being an objective one. It is an attempt to find out and bring out the truth so that justice can be done and a true reconciliation process can begin.

Q: Do you think that a report such as this could be detrimental to the reconciliation process?

A: A true reconciliation process begins with finding out the truth. The Sri Lankan government has also said that it can be detrimental. Knowing the truth as far as we can is the start so that a real reconciliation process can start. Justice includes accountability on both sides and we are all for reconciliation that’s what we all want.

Q: Some say that by asking for this type of enquiry and reports, it is a case of sour grapes because the Tigers lost the battle. What do you say about that?

A: It is true that the battle was lost but that is not the end. Despite signs of victory euphoria there has been no signs of a real reconciliation process that includes justice and accountability. The people in the war zones are still suffering, the names of those under incarceration have not been released, there is colonisation going on – so the real reconciliation is not there.

Q: What can the government do to assuage the fears of these people and what exactly can they do?

A: For the last two years we have been watching closely what is happening at the ground level. The displaced have been promised many things but the delivery is not there. The displaced have not yet found their homes. Some are still in camps, surrendees are still inside without their names being released. There is small development taking place by the form of colonisation taking place.

Q: You are talking of colonisation in terms of the homes that are being built to house the Army?

A: Yes, there is an increased militarisation, they are making special permanent military camps even though they say the war is over.

Q: Have you yourself been back to Sri Lanka since the war ended?

A: No, the last time was soon after the tsunami of 2004. It is my home and I hope to be able to visit again soon.

Q: Do you really and truly believe not just from this Report but from first hand knowledge that there were war crimes committed by perhaps both the SL Army and the LTTE?

A: Yes, there is more and more evidence surfacing. We also have evidence. We are talking of credible allegations. The evidence must come out.

Q: Your evidence is of crimes committed by the armed forces? What about the claim made by the former MP from Mullaitivu who says that over 600 persons were killed by the LTTE?

A: Such allegations must be investigated. Justice demands that. We must find the whole truth, not just one side. It is wrong for the government to react from the one side, they must think of the Tamil side too. The LTTE too must be investigated.

Q: Is all this designed to discredit and to remove the President of Sri Lanka?

A: Not at all, this is not a personal issue, it is to do with the reconciliation process of the whole country. Justice and accountability and finding out the real truth from all sides.

MR will not meet Blake

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is not expected to meet United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake who is expected to visit Sri Lanka on May 3.Blake’s visit will be to discuss the US country report in which the US State Department has severely accused Sri Lanka of human rights abuses, war crimes and family bandyism.The human rights report for the year 2010 on Sri Lanka released on April 8 by the US State Department was an indictment on President Rajapaksa, his style of governance and his family.The report has said that the government is dominated by President Rajapaksa’s family and that the country’s human rights record was dismal.The Nation learns President Rajapaksa, who is not expected to shake hands with Blake, has already nominated external affairs minister Prof. G. L. Peiris and Fisheries Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne to meet Blake and discuss matters regarding the report.The President who has nominated both senior ministers has, it is learnt, not outlined them the issues they are expected to take up with Blake.The President, it is also learnt, has not told the ministers to counter Blake’s statement regarding his family involvement in the government.However it is believed the senior ministers will question Blake on his personal remarks about Rajapaksa’s family involvement in the government.

UN report on ‘war crimes' in Sri Lanka: Karunanidhi hopeful of action by Centre

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Friday expressed hope that the Centre would take appropriate steps without any delay after the United Nations report on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka is officially released on April 25.In a statement here, he rejected AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa's charge that his fast in April 2009, seeking a halt to military operations in Sri Lanka, was mere eyewash.He also criticised Ms. Jayalalithaa for mocking at the Parliamentarians' team he had sent to the island nation to get a first hand account of the situation after the end of the war.Mr. Karunanidhi said he had seen reports containing extracts from the three-member U.N. panel appointed by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.However, the full contents of the report would be released only on April 25. Even before any details were out on what follow-up action the UN proposed to take or how the Union government proposed to respond, Ms. Jayalalithaa had issued a statement about it.“The people of Tamil Nadu will not forget her own remarks that during a war it was normal for some civilians too to be killed,” he said.“I hope the Centre would respond with suitable steps as soon as the report is officially released. I appeal to the Centre to do so,” Mr. Karunanidhi said.Referring to the critical condition of Sri Satya Sai Baba, the Chief Minister said the spiritual leader had great love and affection for the people of Tamil Nadu. “He is also personally affectionate to me. He came home for a long conversation with me,” Mr. Karunanidhi recalled.“As millions of his devotees pray for his recovery, I also hope that the hope of the devotees would bear fruit,” he said.

India’s 50,000-house project at standstill amid blame game

The project by the Indian government to build 50,000 houses for the displaced people of the north has been further delayed because of a dispute over the bids for the construction, a cabinet minister told the Sunday Times.The initial project for 1,000 houses is also at a standstill. Minister Douglas Devananda said two Indian companies had bid for the project to build the houses at Rs. 500,000 each, but they were now demanding Rs. 700,000 thereby delaying the project.“The Tamil National Alliance has used its influence to increase the bids thereby delaying the project,” he charged. But, TNA Parliamentarian S. Sritharan has dismissed the allegation as baseless. An Indian High Commission spokesman said tenders for the housing project had been awarded and they were mobilizing the local resources.“No deadline has been given to complete the project,” he said. However, the Sunday Times learns that besides the issue of the bidding for the project, there was a deadlock as the Sri Lankan government wanted to play a major role in the implementation. Jaffna’s District Secretary Emelda Sukumar said she had already identified 7,650 beneficiaries and sent the file to the Presidential Task Force.Kilinochchi’s District Secretary S. Ketheeshwaran said she was selecting the beneficiaries. Besides the Northern Province, the Eastern and Central Provinces are also due to benefit from the project. The Indian government’s pledge of 50,000 houses came when President Mahinda Rajapaksa met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi early last year.The foundation stone for the pilot project was laid in Ariyalai, Jaffna November last year by Indian External Affairs Minister, S.M. Krishna.

483 Ex - LTTE members released      

A million rupees is spent monthly by the government for rehabilitation of former members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), says the Minister in charge of Prisons, Chandrasiri Gajadheera.Talking to a gathering at Vavuniya Cultuaral Centre where four hundred and eighty three rehabilitated former members of LTTE were released, he said the funds are set apart to improve knowledge, skills and to provide education facilities.There are another four thousand and seven hundred former LTTE members in custody.Twelve thousand LTTE cadres surrendered to authorities during the last phase of the war.Minister Gajadheera told the rehabilitated members that the knowledge and skills they have got are weapons of development and not weapons of destruction."At a time when such positive change is taking place, certain Tamil leaders specially those living abroad have begun to make harmful comments based on the report of the panel appointed by UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon", he said.

Make foreign policy right - Sajith      

A senior leader of Sri Lanka's main opposition says that the challenge by the United Nation's Committee report could only be defeated by concerted efforts of all political parties along with the release of former army commander Sarath Fonseka.

Foreign policy

United National Party (UNP) co-deputy leader, Sajith Premadasa told BBC Sandeshaya that these issues do emerge due to unscrupulous and unprincipled foreign policy of the government."As a result the whole country has plunged into a pathetic situation for which the government is solely responsible", he said.UNP Co-Deputy Leader, Sajith Premadasa said that no doubt LTTE had to be wiped out but the government should protect its citizens irrespective of caste or creed.

UNP issues

Commenting on issues relating to the UNP, he said that official appointments to the party should represent those who had voiced for its re-organisation."It was unfortunate if they are being victimised", he added.

Marxist party led estate sector union of Sri Lanka to commence protest campaign for a salary increase

Sri Lanka's Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) affiliated All Ceylon Estate Workers Union (ACEWU) has said that it would hold protests demanding a salary increase for the estate workers.According to the ACEWU, the protests will be organized from May 8.ACEWU Secretary J.M. Premaratne has told the media that the protest campaign would be organized as an individual trade union representing the estate workers. The estate sector unions have called for an increase of the estate workers' daily wage to Rs. 700.Premaratne has said discussions for a collective effort of all trade unions who were non signatories of the collective agreement would commence after the May Day celebrations.

LTTE arms cache in Trinco

The Navy has recovered a cache of weapons and communication equipment used by the LTTE in Trincomalee.Navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya said the Navy personnel attached to the Eastern Naval Command had recovered these weapons and communication equipment on Friday.However, according to him it was only yesterday that the descriptions of the weapons and the communication sets were released to the Navy headquarters from the east. Meanwhile the Navy website also said that the Eastern Naval Command on information received had recovered an LTTE armoury and communications sets at Mankernikulam.The following weapons were recovered by the navy: Three T56 SMG weapons (fixed butt), three T56 SMG weapons (side butt), one T81 SMG weapon (side butt), one 40 mm grenade launcher, twenty T56 magazines, five T81 magazines, fifty-six 40 mm grenades, six LTTE hand sets (YESU VX 150), one ICOM Trans Receiver Set (with antenna), three LTTE hand sets antennas, one claymore blasting device, one LTTE belt order, one 40 mm grenade belt order, 165 pistol ammo (9 mm), 2,600 7.62x39 mm ammo, 800 5.56x51 mm ammo and 1,500 7.62x54 mm ammo.

Navy still looking for its 4 sailors gone missing at sea

At least 40 persons have been questioned as Navy investigations deepen into the mysterious disappearance of four ratings off the Mullaitivu coast at the tail end of last month, a senior official said yesterday.He said most of those interviewed were fellow naval personnel and others who had been in touch with the missing group shortly before they went out of contact before dusk on March 29. The four sailors were on routine patrol between detachments in the area, north-east off the Mullaitivu coast, when they failed to return to base, prompting a major search by both the Navy and Air Force, while the Indian Coastguard was also alerted, he added.The quartet was sailing in an unmarked dingy and clad in civvies at the time of their disappearance, the official said. “We are looking at several aspects, including rumours that have been doing the rounds since the four went missing. Some say that they would have made pre-arrangements and boarded a foreign vessel heading for a European port.

23 April 2011

Report will be published in full - UN

While claiming that it would publish the report of the Panel of Experts concerning Sri Lanka, in full and without amendment soon, the United Nations yesterday said that it was still trying to ascertain whether Sri Lanka is willing to avail themselves of the offer.Addressing the daily media briefing acting deputy spokesperson for the UN Chief, Farhan Haq said “It is our intention to release it as soon as is possible, and we still would like to publish it simultaneously with a response by the Sri Lankan Government.”“We are still trying to ascertain whether they are willing to avail themselves of this offer,” he added.The Spokesperson said that the United Nations is in talks with the Sri Lankan Government, including through its Permanent Mission to the United Nations, to see whether Sri Lanka would avail itself in good faith of the opportunity to respond to the report.He emphasized that the United Nations would issue the report in full. At the same time, it was allowing the involved Member State to exercise its own right to respond.Asked whether the Panel ohas verstepped its mandate, the Spokesperson said the report would speak for itself. He added that the Secretary-General believed the Panel had performed its job conscientiously.Asked about the leaking of the report, Haq said that the United Nations has kept scrupulously to its word to keep the contents of the report confidential until it is released.

Sri Lanka warns UN not to release war crimes report

Sri Lanka has warned the UN that publicly releasing a report on alleged war crimes committed as its civil war was ending could harm efforts at post-war ethnic reconciliation.Gamini Peiris, the foreign minister, told reporters that the UN panel had overstepped its mandate and become an investigative rather than an advisory body to the secretary general, Ban Ki-moon.The report handed to Ban last week criticised the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels on their conduct and said there were credible war crimes allegations against both sides.The UN has not released the report officially, but media reports have been describing sections of it "It's wrong to publish the report. It's equally wrong and unacceptable to take any steps at all on the basis of any findings or recommendations contained in the report," Peiris said."We are very conscious of the fact that the need of the hour is reconciliation. Does [the report] further that objective, or does it make the accomplishment of that objective more difficult than it needs to be?"Ban's deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, told media in New York on Wednesday that the report is expected to be released this week and that the secretary general's senior advisers have "completed their review of the report".Many Sri Lankans are bemused at the push to investigate war crimes, now that the country is enjoying its first peace in almost 30 years. "We live in peace and harmony and now the UN wants to disturb the peace we achieved by defeating terrorism," M A V Upul Kumara, a 40-year-old farmer, told Reuters after signing a petition against the report sponsored by the nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya political party.The UN panel's report says the conduct of the war was a "grave assault" on international law, alleging that the government and the Tamil Tigers had committed serious violations, including some that could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.Tens of thousands of people died in the last five months of the quarter-century war that ended in May 2009.The report accuses the government of large-scale shelling of no-fire zones where it had encouraged the civilians to concentrate, such as hospitals, a UN hub, food distribution lines and near Red Cross ships that came to pick up wounded civilians.It says Tamil Tigers recruited children to its fighting forces, held civilians as human shields, used them as forced labour, and exposed them to danger by firing heavy weapons from nearby positions.The panel also criticises UN bodies and international officials for not acting to protect civilian lives and not publicising casualty figures to show the human toll of the war.The Tamil Tigers fought for 26 years to create an independent state for Sri Lanka's ethnic minority Tamils. The Sinhalese majority controls the government and armed forces. The UN says that between 80,000 and 100,000 people died during fighting.Sri Lanka also experienced Marxist uprisings in 1971 and 1988-89, which the government crushed violently at the cost of more than 100,000 lives, primarily young, rural members of the Sinhalese community.

U.N.: Sri Lanka’s crushing of Tamil Tigers may have killed 40,000 civilians

Sri Lanka’s decisive 2008-09 military offensive against the country’s separatist Tamil Tigers may have resulted in the deaths of as many as 40,000 civilians, most of them victims of indiscriminate shelling by Sri Lankan forces, according to a U.N. panel established by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.The panel recommended that Ban set up an “independent international mechanism” to carry out a more thorough probe into “credible” allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which held more than 300,000 civilians “hostage” to enforce a “strategic human buffer between themselves and the advancing Sri Lankan army.”Extensive portions of the report were published over the past several days by a Sri Lankan newspaper, the Island, and have been quickly repudiated by Sri Lankan authorities. U.N. officials confirmed the authenticity of the report but said the disclosure was incomplete. They said Thursday that the release of the report had been delayed amid discussions with Sri Lanka over the possibility of including a rebuttal in the report.The panel’s findings constituted a devastating indictment of the country’s military conduct during the final stage of the 28-year war, accusing government forces of shelling hospitals, no-fire zones and U.N. facilities, and blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid to victims of the war. The panel calls on Sri Lanka to “issue a public acknowledgment of its role in and responsibility for extensive civilian casualties in the final stages of the war.”But investigators also faulted the United Nations for failing “to take actions that might have protected civilians” and called on Ban to conduct a “comprehensive review” of the U.N. system’s response to the crisis.The Sri Lankan government launched an all-out offensive in 2008 in an effort to crush the Tamil Tigers, one of the world’s most violent and ruthless insurgencies. The operation, which centered on a Tamil stronghold in the Vanni region of Sri Lanka, succeeded in wiping out the armed movement in May 2009. But the operation took a devastating toll on ethnic Tamil civilians, who were largely trapped between the rival forces.“This campaign constituted persecution of the population of Vanni,” according to panel member and University of Michigan legal scholar Steven Ratner. “Around 330,000 civilians were trapped in an ever-decreasing area, fleeing the shelling but kept hostage by the LTTE. . . . From February 2009 onwards, the LTTE started point-blank shooting of civilians who attempted to escape the conflict zone, significantly adding to the deal toll in the final stages of the war.”The Sri Lankan government challenged the report’s finding as “fundamentally flawed.” In a statement, the country’s Foreign Ministry said the “report is based on patently biased material, which is presented without any verification.”Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris urged Ban not to publish the report, saying it could undercut efforts to promote reconciliation between the ruling Sinhalese and the Tamils. “The publication of this report will cause irreparable damage to the reconciliation efforts of Sri Lanka,” he told reporters, according to the Agence France-Presse news agency. “It will damage the U.N. system too.” After the war, Sri Lanka established an eight-member commission to address abuses during the last seven years of the civil war and recommend ways to avoid a recurrence. The U.N. panel said that the commission “represents a potentially useful opportunity to begin a national dialogue on the Sri Lanka conflict” but that “it has not conducted genuine truth seeking about what happened in the final stages of the armed conflict.”The Sri Lankan commission is “deeply flawed, does not meet international standards for an effective accountability mechanism and, therefore, does not and cannot satisfy the joint commitment of the President of Sri Lanka and the [U.N.] secretary general to an accountability process,” according to the report.The report offers an implicit criticism of Ban’s attempts to use quiet diplomacy to persuade Sri Lanka’s president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, a longtime friend, to bring a halt to the worst excesses in the conflict. It also faulted the U.N. reluctance to publish casualty estimates to rally international pressure against Sri Lanka.At the time, the United Nations had informed diplomatic missions that more than 7,000 civilians may have been killed during the final stages of the conflict but was reluctant to make those figures public. Some U.N. officials in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, thought that the toll was far higher.“Although senior international officials advocated in public and in private with the government that it protect civilians and stop the shelling of hospital and United Nations or [International Committee of the Red Cross] locations, in the panel’s view, the public use of casualty figures would have strengthened the call for the protection of civilians while those events in the Vanni were unfolding.”Still, human rights groups praised Ban for authorizing the panel’s examination of excesses in the Sri Lankan war and pressed the United Nations, the United States and other key governments to establish an international investigation into the alleged crimes.“The Sri Lankan government has thus far gotten away with doing the very thing the Security Council stopped [Moammar] Gaddafi from doing in Libya,” said Tom Malinowski, Human Rights Watch’s advocacy director in Washington. “The least the council can do is to pursue the truth about these tens of thousands of civilians who died.”Malinowski said it would be reckless for the United States and other key powers to turn a blind eye to Sri Lankan excesses, saying it would encourage others to ignore the rules of war in prosecuting wars on their own insurgencies.

Jayalalithaa demands steps to make Rajapaksa stand trial

AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa today demanded that the government take 'immediate steps' to make Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse stand trial for alleged war crimes during the conflict between the Lankan armed forces and the LTTE following a UN report."The UN Panel report is very clear. It lists out the war crimes of the Sri Lankan government," Jayalalithaa said in a statement here.Quoting from the report, she said Lankan forces "had shelled no fire zones and hospitals, deprived humanitarian aid in the form of food supply and medicine."Slamming her arch rival and DMK president M Karunanidhi for his 'three-hour fast' in 2009 demanding a halt to the Lankan Government offensive, she said the UN report "clearly holds that the carnage lasted till May 2009, well after Karunanidhi had made his dubious claim that hostilities had ended following his fast on April 27.""The Indian Government, on its part, should initiate immediate steps to make Rajapakse and his cronies stand trial in the International Court of Justice for his war crimes," she said.A three member UN panel had last week called for setting up an "independent international mechanism" into "credible" allegations that Sri Lankan military had committed war crimes in its final decisive offensive against Tamil Tigers in 2009.Describing the report as 'preposterous', Sri Lanka had yesterday asked the UN not to make it public, saying it would cause irrepairable damage to its reconciliation efforts and damage the UN system itself.The world body has, however, rejected the Lankan request, saying it would publish the report in "full".Key excerpts of the report were carried in a mysterious leak by Lanka's widely circulated Island newspaper earlier this week.

India supplies 500 tractors to aid rehabilitation of IDPs in Northern Sri Lanka

Indian government has completed supplying 500 tractors to Sri Lanka under a programme to uplift the livelihoods of the resettled Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Northern Province and to boost the local economy.The programme aims to support the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Northern Province, particularly in the area of agriculture which is their primary means of livelihood, and to jumpstart revival of the local economy, the Indian High Commission said in a statement.The programme was launched on November 1, 2010 with the ceremonial handover of 52 of the 500 four-wheel tractors to the Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa by the High Commissioner of India, Ashok K. Kantha.Subsequently, at the request of the Government of Sri Lanka, the remaining tractors and implements were delivered in lots to various locations in Northern Province in Nov-Dec 2010.The Government of India has also supplied seeds to farmers for the Maha and Yala seasons in 2010-11 along with the 500 tractors and their implements.All the tractors are completely equipped with all the farm implements, namely, 9 Tine Tiller, Rotovator, two-furrow Disc Plough, and cage wheel. The total cost of the project is 600 million Sri Lankan rupees.The government has confirmed that all 500 tractors together with the four implements have been successfully distributed to Agrarian Service Centres (ASC) in the Northern Province.The Jaffna district has received 109 tractors, with Mullaitivu district receiving 112, Kilinochchi district 110, Mannar district 100, and Vavuniya district 69.

Sri Lanka elections monitoring group says LG polls should be held before May 30

An election monitoring group in Sri Lanka has pointed out legal issues that might arise if elections to the remaining local government bodies are not held before May 30 this year.According to People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), if elections are not held for the remaining local government bodies before May 30, elections would have to be held under a different voters list.Elections for the local government bodies are to be held under the 2009 voters' list and last month local polls were held according to that list.PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi says if elections are held after May 30, it would have to be held under the 2010 voter register.Since nominations have also been called for the local government elections under the 2009 voter register, Hettiarachchi says there may be several legal issues that may have to be considered if local government elections to remaining bodies are held after May 30 this year.Sri Lanka held elections for 234 of the 335 local authorities in the country on March 17. Elections for 34 localities were not held at this time due to the hosting of World Cup and other reasons. Elections were postponed in 67 councils mainly due to legal challenges against nomination rejections.

Time omits Mahinda                          

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been omitted from the final list of Time magazines 100 most influential people in the world, which was announced today, despite being selected in the online poll.While the President was ranked fourth at the time online voting in the poll closed yesterday, the final 100 selected by the Editors of the prestigious magazine saw him being dropped.However President Rajapaksa was not the only one omitted from the final list selected by the Editors of Time magazine as several others, including some who were in the top 10 with the President when polling was underway, were also omitted.Internet activist Wael Ghonim was selected as the most influential person in the world as his work led to the revolution in the Middle East which saw Egyptians removing Hosni Mubarak and his regime.

London High Commission submit report against Channel 4

The Sri Lankan High Commission in London had submitted a report against Channel 4 TV Channel for telecasting documents regarding war crime accusations about Sri Lanka. The report was published yesterday opposing to the videos published by the Channel 4 Television quoting the war crimes and the Colombo Government.Many times video footages were published against the government and similarly the Channel 4 television had recently published this video clips was pointed out in the report. The Sri Lankan High Commission in London informed the accusations which are alleged are totally rejected. The said report had been published in the Channel 4 Television website was further pointed out.

19 April 2011

Sri Lankan Tamil party hails UN war crimes report

Sri Lanka's main Tamil political party on Monday hailed a leaked UN report which called for an international war crimes probe into the island's political and military leadership.The moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said the report, commissioned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, amounted to "irrefutable confirmation" of atrocities during the final stages of fighting in 2009."We welcome the recommendations made by the panel and trust that they will be honestly implemented," the alliance said in a statement. The UN report, published in a pro-government newspaper in Colombo on Saturday, detailed "credible allegations" which, if proven, indicate a wide range of violations by both the government and the rebels. The panel appointed by Ban has recommended that an independent commission be appointed to investigate alleged atrocities. The Sri Lankan Government has already rejected the UN report as flawed and biased. The island strongly protested when Ban appointed the advisory panel in June 2010 and refused to allow members to visit the island. President Mahinda Rajapakse has urged supporters to turn in 2011,May Day rallies into a show of strength against calls for war crimes investigations. The TNA said the government should use the UN report to ensure accountability and recognise political rights of minorities. The alliance is the main political party representing Sri Lanka's Tamil ethnic minority, who make up 12.5 per cent of the country's 20 million people. “We urge the government of Sri Lanka not to miss this opportunity and to constructively engage in a process which would result in all the people of Sri Lanka being the beneficiaries of genuine democracy, equality and justice," the TNA said.The UN report said "tens of thousands" of people died between January and May 2009 in the final offensive that resulted in the defeat of the Tigers, ending a decades-old ethnic conflict which had claimed up to 100,000 lives.It also listed alleged violations by the rebel forces, saying they had intentionally used civilians as human shields.

If oppose Ban Ki-moon’s report in return Sarath Fonseka should be released, states Opposition party members

Many opposition party members have appealed, if they to the Ban Ki-moon report, Sarath Fonseka who is in the prison should be released.Regarding this many had submitted appeals to President states Temple Trees information. Some Parliament members had submitted some proposals with conditions, but such requests had been rejected by President.Mainly the proposal made to release Sarath Fonseka from the prison is explictively rejected by Defense Secretary, states sources.

Sri Lanka to summon foreign diplomats to clarify position on UN Expert Panel report

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Ministry had decided to summon the foreign diplomats in the country to enlighten them on the government's stand on the Expert Panel's report on Sri Lanka's accountability during the war that was presented to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week.The meeting is to be held on April 21 in Colombo. It is to be presided by the Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Sri Lanka media reported.The Minister of External Affairs is due to accompany President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his three-day official tour to Bangladesh.The report is not officially released yet and it is under the review of the UN Secretary-General now. However, it was leaked to the Sri Lankan media which published parts of it.The government issuing a preliminary statement said the report is fundamentally flawed in many respects."Among other deficiencies, the report is based on patently biased material which is presented without any verification," the External Affairs Ministry said.

Satellites can track human rights abuses

Satellites that helped us gather real-time data from the most inaccessible and hostile places on earth can also help us track human rights abuses that cause misery to millions of people around the world.Human rights violations can be monitored by inferring into the digital images that satellites transmit to earth. Experts believe this technique could one day help us to prevent such atrocities.US researcher Lars Bromley has proved its effectiveness when he watched the final days of the Sri Lankan conflict unfold with the help of satellites peering down from above. Bromley scrolled through digital satellite photos, measuring 16 feet by 16 feet, in a lab in Washington, as part of the Science and Human Rights Program at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Christian Science Monitor reported.Bromley, a geographer, wanted to determine if the Sri Lankan Army was attacking a civilian safety zone during the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009. Since the photos were not sufficiently fine-grain to reveal corpses, Bromley and his teamfocused on other damage like shattered buildings and mortar craters in places where refugees had previously gathered, the Monitor said.The rectangular grids of Tamil Tiger cemeteries grew every day in the new photos, revealing dozens of new graves. The Sri Lankan government denied targeting civilian areas.One of Bromley's team members who studied meteor craters on Mars noticed sprays of soil kicked up from mortar craters. The orientation of those sprays allowed him to extrapolate the trajectory of incoming shells - and ultimately, trace them back to Sri Lankan Army positions, according to the Monitor.The Worldview 1 satellite built by the Colorado-based company Digital Globe, supplied much of the imagery that Bromley used in Sri Lanka. It orbits Earth at 17,000 mph and photographs a 10-mile by 60-mile strip of land at 20-inch resolution in 25 seconds.The fact that information still got out so quickly from a region off-limits to outsiders is testament that satellites have made the world more accessible than ever. Since 1999, nearly a dozen commercial imaging satellites were launched into orbit by companies that sell imagery to governments and organisations involved in urban planning, telecommunications, environment and human rights.People are still learning new ways to use the data. AAAS had documented home demolitions by Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe's regime in its first satellite project in 2005. Burning of hundreds of villages in Darfur was revealed in a 2007 project. Others have probed abuses in Myanmar, Gaza, North Korea, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.After anti-government protests erupted in the Arab world, human rights organisations started reviewing imagery from Libya, Egypt, and other locations, the Monitor said. Analysts who examined photos of the Kyrgyz city of Osh last July saw something that shocked them: "SOS" was painted on roads and fields in more than 100 places ravaged by ethnic violence. Such events highlight the limits of satellites.Patrick Meier, a visiting scholar at Stanford University, in California, who co-founded the global network Crisis Mappers, said: "You're not just documenting human rights abuses so you can bring someone to justice in The Hague three years later." The question is "can you provide tactical data for people to act on and get out of harm's way?", the Monitor quoted him as saying.Human rights isn't the only area in which satellites have unforeseen impact. Satellites launched to study basic science questions have also located natural resources that could help poor countries, said the report last week.

Rift over Sri Lanka president's call for anti-UN rally

Trade unions affiliated to Sri Lanka's ruling coalition are divided over the president's call for mass protests against a UN report.The leaked summary of the report allege that war crimes were committed at the end of the civil war when the government troops crushed the rebels.President Mahinda Rajapaksa said the claims were not new but called for a "show of strength" against the report.But unions say the May Day protest should be reserved for workers' issues.Responding to a leak of the reports in a Sri Lankan newspaper, Mr Rajapaksa told party officials May Day gatherings should be used to protest.But trade unions affiliated to the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and Communist Party (CP) - both members of the ruling coalition - are angry about the president's call."The challenge for the workers at the moment is not the UN but the IMF," TMR Rasooldeen of Ceylon Workers Union affiliated to LSSP said.He said the workers should focus on "IMF -sponsored" new pension scheme instead of "political issues" on May Day.The union affiliated to president's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) said it will support Mr Rajapaksa's call.The UN-appointed inquiry gathered evidence for 10 months and submitted its findings to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon several days ago."The panel found credible allegations, which if proven, indicate that a wide range of serious violations were committed [by both sides]," the report says, according to excerpts quoted by the Associated Press.Sri Lanka's government, which also received a copy of the report, described it as "fundamentally flawed and patently biased."Both sides were accused of atrocities in Sri Lanka's long conflict. The Tamil Tigers were fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the island's north and east.The BBC has heard numerous allegations from Tamils that their relatives are missing, among them a number of senior rebel fighters.

Thangkabalu, 200 Congress workers arrested

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K.V. Thangkabalu and about 200 party workers were taken into custody on Monday after they tried to march towards the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission at Alwarpet here to protest the alleged killing of fishermen.They gathered near Nageswara Rao Park and tried to proceed towards the Deputy High Commission. They were stopped by the police.Mr. Thangkabalu said that the bodies of fishermen, who went missing some days ago, were found with serious injuries. Such attacks and killings by the Sri Lankan Navy should be condemned.Despite repeated assurances from President Mahinda Rajapaksa, such incidents continued unabated and the latest incident, in which bodies of four fishermen were found, had plunged people into grave sorrow.In a statement, the CPI (M) demanded an investigation into the death of the fishermen and condemned the latest round of killings. The Centre had a duty to conduct a proper enquiry and bring out the truth.Whenever such incidents took place, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi merely wrote to the Union government demanding protection for fishermen, but there was no let-up in such acts by the Sri Lankan Navy, CPI (M) State Secretary G. Ramakrishnan said.

LTTE infiltration: High alert along the coast

The entire Kerala coast was put on high alert on Sunday evening after Central intelligence agencies alerted the state police on a possible attempt by Sri Lankan Tamils to sneak into the state through the coastal regions.Sources with the Intelligence agencies said the alert was issued from Chennai after inputs that a group of 25 persons from Sri Lanka would attempt to enter the country through the coastal regions in Tamil Nadu and Kerala."There is no specific input that the persons will be LTTE suspects. But as the persons are supposedly Sri Lankan Tamils, the state police and coastal patrolling agencies have been directed to maintain tight vigil," sources said.With Tamil Nadu sealing the entire coastal areas in the wake of the alert, there was a possibility for the intruders to eye the coastal regions in Kerala. Meanwhile, city police officials said they had directed coastal patrol boats to conduct a round-the-clock surveillance of the coastal regions and alerted the coastal people to alert the police if they found any boat in suspicious circumstances.The city police also conducted a thorough search in the lodges and hotels in the city to collect information about their inmates. "Vehicles were searched as part of the surveillance," police sources said.

480 ex-LTTE cadres to be released

Some 480 rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres will be released on April 23, Rehabilitation Commissioner General Brigadier Sudantha Ranasinghe said.“All of these rehabilitants are married with children. Their release is made to coincide with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year,” Brigadier Ranasinghe said. The rehabilitants are due to be released at the Vavuniya Cultural centre. He also said that New Year celebrations are held for the rehabilitants at all the rehabilitation centers these days. According to Brigadier Ranasinghe, over 7000 rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres have been released so far and some 4100 are yet to be released.

Decomposed body of Vaithiyalingam who returned from abroad and went missing found

Amidst the numerous accusations of serious human rights violations leveled against the Govt. , the decomposed body of Vaithiyalingam Selvaganeshan was discovered in the vicinity of a high security zone in Jaffna yesterday night. The deceased who returned to Jaffna from abroad went missing two days. Selvaganeshan was 42 years old at the time of his death and his original place of residence is Urumbirai district , Jaffna North. His body was discovered in a decomposed state at about 8.00 yesterday night near a tobacco plantation , Poonani Katuwan , Jaffna. His identity card and travel documents which were with him at the time of his disappearance was found on the ground where his body lay.So far no suspects have been arrested. The Jaffna police is conducting investigations.

Arjuna slams Murali                           

Former Sri Lanka World Cup winning cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga slammed retired spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for siding with India and the Indian Premier League (IPL) and not his country.In a live television interview late this evening, Ranatunga reminded Murali that it was former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and others in Sri Lanka who fought hard for him when the chucking controversy emerged just before the 1996 world cup and not India.Muttiah Muralitharan, who retired from international cricket after the last world cup, had last week slammed the Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLC) for asking its players to return home midway through the Indian Premier League for a tour to England.Murali had gone on to say “There'll be a little bit of friction between the board (SLC) and the players and even the Indian Cricket Board. If the SLC is not going to support they are going to miss a lot from India, because when India tours Sri Lanka it is very important and if we are not playing in the Champions League Twenty20 we are going to lose some money. Friendship between India and Sri Lanka will be negative”.Meanwhile Ranatunga also raised suspicion on the IPL saying it invited foreign players to play with the Indians and finally the Indians are able to identify the weak areas of those foreign players when it comes to games between India and another foreign national side.

N-E archaeological places to be declared World Heritage Sites

Important ancient archaeological sites in the Northern and Eastern Provinces will be declared World Heritage Sites in the near future on the initiative of National Heritage Minister Dr Jagath Balasuriya and with the support of the German government. Ancient harbours which had been important ports along the trade route between China and Rome, Kurundugoda temple in Jaffna which belongs to the pre historic period and ancient settlements Jaffna Fort, Girihandu Seya which is considered the first Stupa built in the world and Thirukethishwaram kovil will be proclaimed world heritage sites.The National Heritage Ministry has taken steps to present the project proposal to the UNESCO National Committee regarding this.A discussion between Dr Balasuriya and German Deputy Ambassador in Sri Lanka Stefan Weak Bark was held at the Ministry to prepare the proposal recently. The ministry will also take action to discover all archaeological sites in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.Minister Balasuriya said that he has paid full attention to proclaim other important archaeological sites in these two provinces as world heritage sites with immediate effect.Dr Balasuriya thanked the German government, the German Embassy and the Sri Lankan UNESCO National Commission for their assistance in this regard.

18 April 2011

Summary of UN Panel report

The Executive Summary of the ‘Report of the Advisory panel of experts on accountability in Sri Lanka Allegations’ that was presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
 
Executive Summary: Report of the Advisory panel of experts on accountability in Sri Lanka Allegations found credible by the Panel

The Panel’s determination of credible allegations reveals a very different version of the final stages of the war than that maintained to this day by the Government of Sri Lanka. The Government says it pursued a "humanitarian rescue operation" with a policy of "zero civilian casualties". In stark contrast, the Panel found credible allegations, which if proven, indicate that a wide range of serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law were committed both by the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, some of which would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Indeed, the conduct of the war represented a grave assault on the entire regime of international law designed to protect individual dignity during both war and peace.

Specially the Panel found credible allegations associated with the final stages of the war. Between September 2008 and 19 May 2009, the Sri Lanka Army advanced its military campaign into the Vanni using large-scale and widespread shelling causing large numbers of civilian deaths. This campaign constituted persecution of the population of the Vanni. Around 330,000 civilians were trapped into an ever decreasing area, fleeing the shelling but kept hostage by the LTTE. The Government sought to intimidate and silence the media and other critics of the war through a variety of threats and actions, including the use of white vans to abduct and to make people disappear.
 
The Government shelled on a large scale in three consecutive No Fire Zones, where it had encouraged the civilian population to concentrate, even after indicating that it would cease the use of heavy weapons. It shelled the United Nations hub, food distribution lines and near the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ships that were coming to pick up the wounded and their relatives from the beaches. It shelled in spite of its knowledge of the impact, provided by its own intelligence systems and through notification by the United Nations, the ICRC and others. Most civilian casualties in the final phases of the war were caused by Government shelling.
 
The Government systematically shelled hospitals on the frontlines. All hospitals in the Vanni were hit by mortars and artillery, some of them were hit repeatedly, despite the fact that their locations were well-known to the Government. The Government also systematically deprived people in the conflict zone of humanitarian aid, in the form of food and medical supplies, particularly surgical supplies, adding to their suffering. To this end, it purposely underestimated the number of civilians who remained in the conflict zone. Tens of thousands lost their lives from January to May 2009, many of whom died anonymously in the carnage of the final few days.
 
The Government subjected victims and survivours of the conflict to further deprivation and suffering after they left the conflict zone. Screening for suspected LTTE took place without any transparency or external scrutiny. Some of those who were separated were summarily executed, and some of the women may have been raped. Others disappeared, as recounted by their wives and relatives during the LLRC hearings. All IDPs were detained in closed camps. Massive overcrowding led to terrible conditions, breaching the basic social and economic rights of the detainees, and many lives were lost unnecessarily. Some persons in the camps were interrogated and subjected to torture. Suspected LTTE cadres were removed to other facilities, with no contact with the outside world, under conditions that made them vulnerable of further abuses.
 
Despite grave danger in the conflict zone, the LTTE refused civilians permission to leave, using them as hostages, at times even using their presence as a strategic human buffer between themselves and the advancing Sri Lanka Army. It implemented a policy of forced recruitment throughout the war, but in the final stages greatly intensified its recruitment of people of all ages, including children as young as fourteen. The LTTE forced civilians to dig trenches for its own defenses, thereby contributing to blurring the distinction between combatants and civilians and exposing civilians to additional harm. All of this was done in a quest to pursue a war that was clearly lost; many civilians were sacrificed on the altar of the LTTE cause and its efforts to preserve its senior leadership.
 
From February 2009 onwards, the LTTE started point-blank shooting of civilians who attempted to escape the conflict zone, significantly adding to the death toll in the final stages of the war. It also fired artillery in proximity to large groups of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and fired from, or stored military equipment near IDPs or civilian installations such as hospitals. Throughout the final stages of the war, the LTTE continued its policy of suicide attacks outside the conflict zone. Even though its ability to perpetrate such attacks was diminished compared to previous phases of the conflict, it perpetrated a number of attacks against civilians outside the conflict zone.
 
Thus, in conclusion, the Panel found credible allegations that comprise five core categories of potential serious violations committed by the Government of Sri Lanka: (i) killing of civilians through widespread shelling; (ii) shelling of hospitals and humanitarian objects; (iii) denial of humanitarian assistance; (iv) human rights violations suffered by victims and survivors of the conflict, including both IDPs and suspected LTTE cadre; and (v) human rights violations outside the conflict zone, including against the media and other critics of the Government.
 
The Panel’s determination of credible allegations against the LTTE associated with the final stages of the war reveal six core categories of potential serious violations: Ii) using civilians as a human buffer; (ii) killing civilians attempting to flee LTTE control; (iii) using military equipment in the proximity of civilians; (iv) forced recruitment of children; (v) forced labour; and (vi) killing of civilians through suicide attacks.
 
Accountability

Accountability for serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law is not a matter of choice or policy; it is a duty under domestic and international law. These credibly alleged violations demand a serious investigation and the prosecution of those responsible. If proven, those most responsible, including Sri Lanka Army commanders and senior Government officials, as well as military and civilian LTTE leaders, would bear criminal liability for international crimes.
 
At the same time, accountability goes beyond the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes that have been committed; rather it is a broad process that addressed the political, legal and moral responsibility of individuals and institutions for past violations of human rights and dignity. Consistent with the international standards mentioned above, accountability necessarily includes the achievement of truth, justice and reparations for victims. Accountability also requires an official acknowledgment by the State of its role and responsibility in violating the rights of its citizens, when that has occurred. In keeping with United Nations policy, the Panel does not advocate a "one-size-fits-all" formula or the importation of foreign models for accountability; rather it recognizes the need for accountability processes to be defined based on national assessments, involving broad citizen participation, needs and aspirations.
 
Nonetheless, any national process must still meet international standards. Sri Lanka approach to accountability should, thus, be assessed against those standards and comparative experiences to discern how effectively it allows victims of the final stages of the war to realize their rights to truth, justice and reparations.
 
The Government has stated that it is seeking to balance reconciliation and accountability, with an emphasis on restorative justice. The assertion of a choice between restorative and retributive justice presents a false dichotomy. Both are required. Moreover, in the Panel’s view, the Government’s notion of restorative justice is flawed because it substitutes a vague notion of the political responsibility of past Government policies and their failure to protect citizens from terrorism for genuine, victim-centred accountability focused on truth, justice and reparations. A further emphasis is clearly on the culpability of certain LTTE cadre; the Government’s plan, in this regard, contemplates rehabilitation for the majority and lenient sentences for the "hardcore" among surviving LTTE cadre. The Government’s two-pronged notion of accountability, as explained to the Panel, focusing on the responsibility of past Governments and of the LTTE, does not envisage a serious examination of the Government’s decisions and conduct in prosecuting the final stages of the war or the aftermath, nor of the violations of law that may have occurred as a result.
 
The Panel has concluded that the Government’s notion of accountability is not in accordance with international standards. Unless the Government genuinely addresses the allegations of violations committed by both sides and places the rights and dignity of the victims of the conflict at the centre of its approach to accountability, its measures will fall dramatically short of international expectations.
 
The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission

The Government has established the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission as the cornerstone of its policy to address the past, from the ceasefire agreement in 2002 to the end of the conflict in May 2009. The LLRC represents a potentially useful opportunity to begin a national dialogue on Sri Lanka’s conflict; the need for such a dialogue is illustrated by the large numbers of people, particularly victims, who have come forward on their own initiative and brought to speak with the Commission.
 
Nonetheless, the LLRC fails to satisfy key international standards of independence and impartiality, as it is compromised by its composition and deep-seated conflicts of Interests of some of its members. The mandate of LLRC, as well as its work and methodology to date, are not tailored to investigating allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, or to examining the root causes of the decades-long ethnic conflict; instead these focus strongly on the wide notion of political responsibility mentioned above, which forms part of the flawed and partial concept of accountability put forth by the Government. The work to date demonstrates that the LLRC has not conducted genuine truth-seeking about what happened in the final stages of the armed conflict, not sought to investigate systematically and impartially the allegations of serious violations on both sides of the war, not employed an approach that treats victims with full respect for their dignity and their suffering, and not provided the necessary protection for witnesses, even in circumstances of actual personal risk.
 
In sum, the LLRC is deeply flawed, does not meet International standards for an effective accountability mechanism and, therefore, does not and cannot satisfy the joint commitment of the President of Sri Lanka and the Secretary-General to an accountability process.
 
Other domestic mechanisms

The justice system should play a leading role in the pursuit of accountability, irrespective of functioning or outcomes of the LLRC. However, based on a review of the system’s past performance and current structure, the Panel has little confidence that it will serve justice in the present political environment. This is due more to a lack of political will than to lack of ability. In particular, the independence of the Attorney-General has been weakened in recent past, as power has been more concentrated in the Presidency. Moreover, the continuing constitution of Emergency Regulations, combined with the Prevention of Terrorism Act in its present form, present a significant obstacle for the judicial system to be able to address official wrongdoing while upholding human rights guarantees. Equally, the Panel has seen no evidence that the military courts system has operated as an effective accountability mechanism in respect of the credible allegations it has identified or other crimes committed in the final stages of the war.
 
Other domestic institutions that could play a role in achieving accountability also demonstrate serious weaknesses. Over three decades, commissions of inquiry have been established to examine a number of serious human rights issues. While some have served important fact-finding goals, overwhelmingly these commissions have failed to result in comprehensive accountability for the violations identified. Many commissions have failed to produce a public report and recommendations have rarely been implemented. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka could also potentially contribute to advancing certain aspects of accountability, but the Panel still has serious reservations and believes that the Commission will need to demonstrate political will and resourcefulness in following up on cases of missing persons and in monitoring the welfare of detained persons.
 
Other obstacles to accountability

During the course of its work, the Panel observed that there were several other contemporary issues in Sri Lanka, which if left un-addressed, will deter efforts towards genuine accountability and may undermine prospects for durable peace in consequence. Most notably, these include:
 
(i) triumphalism on the part of the Government, expressed through its discourse on having developed the means and will to defeat "terrorism", thus ending Tamil aspirations for political, autonomy and recognition, and its denial regarding the human cost of its military strategy;
 
(ii) on-going exclusionary policies, which are particularly deleterious as political, social and economic exclusion based on ethnicity, perceived or real, have been at the heart of the conflict
 
(iii) the continuation of wartime measures, including not only the Emergency Regulations and the Prevention of Terrorism Act, mentioned above, but also the continued militiarisation of the former conflict zone and the use of paramilitary proxies, all of which perpetuate a climate of fear, intimidation and violence;
(iv) restrictions on the media, which are contrary to democratic governance and limit basic citizens’ rights; and (v) the role of the Tamil Diaspora, which provided vital moral and material support to the LTTE over decades, and some of whom refuse to acknowledge the LTTE’s role in the humanitarian disaster in the Vanni, creating a further obstacle to accountability and sustainable peace.
 
An environment conducive to accountability, which would permit a candid appraisal of the broad patterns of the past, including the root causes of the long-running ethno-nationalist conflict, does not exist at present. It would require concrete steps towards building an open society in which human rights are respected, as well as a fundamental shift away from triumphalism and denial towards a genuine commitment to a political solution that recognizes Sri Lanka’s ethnic diversity and the full and inclusive citizenship of all of its people, including Tamils as the foundation for the country’s future.
 
International role in the protection of civilians

During the final stages of the war, the United Nations political organs and bodies failed to take actions that might have protected civilians. Moreover, although senior international officials advocated in public and in private with the Government that it protect civilians and stop the shelling of hospitals and United Nations or ICRC locations, in the Panel’s view, the public use of casualty figures would have strengthened the call for the protection of civilians while those events in the Vanni were unfolding. In addition, following the end of war, the Human Rights Council may have been acting on incomplete information when it passed its May 2009 resolution on Sri Lanka.
 
Recommendations

In this context, the Panel recommends the following measures, which it hopes as a whole, will serve as the framework for an ongoing and constructive engagement between the Secretary-General and the Government of Sri Lanka on accountability. They address the various dimensions of accountability that the Panel considers essential and which will require complementary action by the Government of Sri Lanka, the United Nations and other parties.
 
Recommendation 1: Investigations

A. In light of the allegations found credible by the Panel, the Government of Sri Lanka, in compliance with its international obligations and with a view of initiating an effective domestic accountability process, should immediately commence genuine investigations into these and other alleged violations of international humanitarians and human rights law committed by both sides involved in the armed conflict.
 
B. The Secretary-General should immediately proceed to establish in independent international mechanism, whose mandate should include the following concurrent functions:

(i) Monitor and assess the extent to which the Government of Sri Lanka is carrying out an effective domestic accountability process, including genuine investigations of the alleged violations, and periodically advise the Secretary-General on its findings;

(ii) Conduct investigations independently into the alleged violations, having regard to genuine and effective domestic investigations; and
 
(iii) Collect and safeguard for appropriate future use information provided to it that is relevant to accountability for the final stages of the war, including the information gathered by the Panel and other bodies in the United Nations system.
 
Recommendation 2: Other immediate measures to advance accountability

In order to address the immediate plight of those whose rights were and continue to be violated, and to demonstrate the Government’s commitment to accountability, the following measures should be undertaken immediately:
 
A. The Government of Sri Lanka should implement the following short-term measures, with a focus on acknowledging the rights and dignity of all of the victims and survivors in the Vanni:
 
(i) End all violence by the State, its organs and all paramilitary and other groups acting as surrogates of, or tolerated by the State;
 
(ii) Facilitate the recovery and return of human remains to their families and allow for the performance of cultural rites for the dead;
 
(iii) Provide death certificates for the dead and missing, expeditiously and respectfully, without charge, when requested by family members, without compromising the right to further investigation and civil claims;
 
(iv) Provide or facilities psycho-social support for all survivors, respecting their cultural values and traditional practices;
 
(v) Release all displaced persons and facilitate their return to their former homes or provide for resettlement, according to their wishes; and
 
(vi) Continue to provide interim relief to assist the return of all survivors to normal life.
 
B. The Government of Sri Lanka should investigate and disclose the fate and location of persons reported to have been forcibly disappeared. In this regard, the Government of Sri Lanka should invite the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances to visit Sri Lanka.
 
C. In light of the political situation in the country, the Government of Sri Lanka should undertake an immediate repeal of the Emergency Regulations, modify all those provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act that are inconsistent with Sri Lanka’s international obligations, and take the following measures regarding suspected LTTE members and all other persons held under these or any other provisions:
 
(i) Publish the names of all of those currently detained, whatever the location of their detention, and notify them of the legal basis of their detention;
 
(ii) Allow all detainees regular access to family members and to legal counsel;
 
(iii) Allow all detainees to contest the substantive justification of their detention in court;
 
(iv) Charge those for whom there is sufficient evidence of serious crimes and release all others, allowing them to reintegrate into society without further hindrance.
 
D. the Government of Sri Lanka should end state violence and other practices that limit freedoms of movement, assembly and expression, or otherwise contribute to a climates of fear.
 
Recommendation 3: Longer term accountability measures

While the current climate of triumphalism and denialism is not conducive to an honest examination of the past, in the longer term, as political spaces are allowed to open, the following measures are needed to move towards full accountability for action taken during the war:
 
A. Taking into account, but distinct from, the work of the LLRC, Sri Lanka should initiate a process, with strong civil society participation, to examine in a critical manner: the root causes of the conflict, including ethno-nationalist extremism on both sides; the conduct of the war and patterns of violations; and the corresponding institutional responsibilities.
 
B. The Government of Sri Lanka should issue a public, formal acknowledgement of its role in and responsibility for extensive civilian casualties in the final stages of the war.
 
C. The Government of Sri Lanka should institute a reparations programme, in accordance with international standards, for all victims of serious violations committed during the final stages of the war, with special attention to women, children and particularly vulnerable groups.
 
Recommendation 4: United Nations

Considering the response of the United Nations to the plight of civilians in the Vanni during the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka and the aftermath:
 
A. the Human rights Council should be invited to reconsider its May 2009 Special Session Resolution (A/HRC/S-11/l.1/Rev.2) regarding Sri Lanka, in light of this report.
 
B. The Secretary-General should conduct a comprehensive review of actions by the United Nations system during the war in Sri Lanka and the aftermath, regarding the implementation of its humanitarian and protection mandates

Sri Lanka leader urges protests against UN report

Sri Lanka's president has called for mass protests against a UN report which urged a probe into alleged war crimes committed during the fight against Tamil Tiger rebels, his office said Sunday.President Mahinda Rajapakse said in an address to officials of his Sri Lanka Freedom Party that this year's May Day rally should be turned into a "show of our strength" against international calls for war crimes investigations."All these days we did not demonstrate our strength, but now on May Day we will show our strength," the president said on Saturday. An audio tape of the speech was released by his office.His remarks came after a leaked UN report called for an independent inquiry into "credible" allegations that Sri Lanka committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in its final 2009 offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels.Rajapakse said that a section of the international community was leading a campaign against Sri Lanka and harbouring a "grudge" because he did not allow the country to be divided, as demanded by the Tamil Tigers.He said the world had also benefited from the crushing of the rebels who had mastered the use of "suicide jackets" in their trademark bombings.Rajapakse said allegations of war crimes, contained in a UN expert panel report, were not new but that there were increasing suggestions that those who led the military campaign should be taken before a war crimes tribunal."On behalf of the country, if they ask me to sit on the electric chair, I will happily do it," the president said.The leaked report detailed "credible allegations" which, if proven, indicate a wide range of violations by both the government and the rebels, "some of which would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity".Labelling a Sri Lankan government commission set up to study the handling of the conflict "deeply flawed", the report urged Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to immediately set up "an independent international mechanism" of inquiry.The leaked excerpts were published Saturday in Sri Lanka's pro-government The Island newspaper, with observers suggesting Colombo might have engineered the leak to prepare a full rebuttal that would pre-empt its official publication.Sri Lankan External Affairs Ministry officials said the government will also drum up support from "friendly nations" to prevent any international action against the country and its political and military leaders.Colombo is banking on support from close allies China and Russia to block any UN Security Council move against it. Sri Lanka has avoided censure at the UN Human Rights Council thanks to the support of the two veto-wielding powers.External Affairs minister G. L. Peiris will brief diplomats on Colombo's opposition to the UN report this week after Rajapakse completes an upcoming three-day state visit to Bangladesh, officials said.The UN report said "tens of thousands" of people died between January and May 2009 in the final offensive that resulted in the defeat of the Tigers, ending a decades-old ethnic conflict which had claimed up to 100,000 lives.The report said allegations of attacks against civilians demanded a serious investigation and the prosecution of those responsible."If proven, those most responsible, including Sri Lanka army commanders and senior government officials, as well as military and civilian LTTE leaders, would bear criminal liability for international crimes," it said.It also listed alleged violations by the rebel forces, saying they had intentionally used civilians as human shields.

Female DS says police looked on as minister’s goons attacked her

Public servants in Mannar are to abstain from work tomorrow in protest against police failure to prevent the assault of a female Divisional Secretary by supporters of a Cabinet minister.Divisional Secretary Nandini Stanley de Mel said she was assaulted at Pudukudirippu on Wednesday when she tried to settle a clash during a cycle race organised by the Mannar District Secretariat to mark the National New Year.“I was assaulted in the presence of the police. My driver helped me to escape from the scene,” she said.Ms. de Mel said the culprits were the minister’s supporters who regularly threatened her, demanding permits for sand mining and transportation of illicit timber. Mannar Police said they had arrested four people in connection with the incident.However, the secretariat employees said public servants in the district would go ahead with the token strike to lodge their protest against police inaction.

Rape of teenage student: court directs all soldiers of Wakare army camp to appear before Court

When the Wakare police submitted the plaint in the Valaichennal Court day before yesterday (15th ), in connection with the rape committed by an Army soldier on a teenage student when she went to cut firewood in the jungle , the Magistrate ordered the Commanding officer to produce all the soldiers of the Thattamuni , Wakare army camp on the 22nd of this month.In addition, the Magistrate directed that all registers of the duty records from the 22nd Jan. ( the date of the incident) to yesterday be forwarded to the courts .The 16 year old Tamil student had complained to the Wakare police that when she went to the forest to cut firewood on the 22nd of January 2011 , rape was committed on her by a soldier of the 233 regiment Headquarters located at Wakare , Batticaloa. Consequent upon this rape she is three months pregnant now , she had further stated in her complaint.

Is disappearance of Naval soldiers part of a conspiracy to install a Rajapakse relative to Navy Commander post?

According to information reaching Lanka e news , behind the disappearance of the four naval soldiers who went on a dinghy boat from Chundikulam , Mulaitivu to Chaalai on the 29th of March there is a power transfer agenda conspiracy. After the appointment of the new Navy Commander Somathileke Dissanayake , the appointment to the post of chief of Navy defense staff had been delayed for four months. In order not to fill this vacancy on merits and to install another , this disappearance of four navy soldiers is being exploited , according to reports .Based on internal sources of the Navy , the most suitable individual for that post – given the rank , experience , admission number for the present is Rear Admiral Thusitha Weerasekera , who was the commanding officer of the East .Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera who was the Commanding officer of the East prior to him and is in the same batch joined the Navy at about the same time , is slightly behind Weerasekera in the enrole number ,is having similar widespread experience as Weerasekera.Jayantha Perera is a relative of the Rajapakse family ancestry. The impediment to his appointment is . Thusitha Weerasekera’ whose enrole number is ahead of his. If Weerasekera is appointed to the post of chief of naval staff , Jayantha Perera will have to continue in his present position until retirement . On the other hand , if Jayantha Perera is installed as the chief of staff of the navy , he could next become Navy Commander , get an extension in his service and enjoy the maximum retirement benefits.Sources within the Navy explaining to Lanka e news , said , owing to the reasons enumerated above , the disappearance of the four naval soldiers had been orchestrated to hatch a conspiracy to transfer Weerasekera from the post of Commanding officer of the East to Welisara voluntary regiment , in order to propel Jayantha Perera who is below to the post of chief of staff in navy. Meanwhile a number of crucial questions have cropped up following the disappearance ‘drama’ :Why did the Navy suppress this incident until 24 hours have elapsed following the disappearance of these four naval soldiers ?Food supplies are never conveyed in dinghy boats to the patrolling security navy . Then , how was food supplies carried this way ? who gave these orders ? Naval vessel (SS 32109) ; S S A Somatileke , Engineering Technician ; E E 35603 J G D M Gunaratne , House assistant; S M 43984 R B R Pushpakumara and ordinary vessel S S / 45643 , C P A Gunasekera have gone missing . All these missing naval soldiers have been engaged in their own diverse tasks. Hence , there is absolutely no reason to get them to perform a specific task . Then how did this happen , and who is the Commanding officer who gave these orders ? Why wasn’t the information that the dingy boat in which they travelled was not in the least damaged , and all the firearms they carried were intact not made publicly known ? If they had been attacked , how come the firearms were remaining still unused in the dinghy ?     If these four soldiers have jumped into a ship in mid sea and fled the country as announced by a Navy spokesman earlier, who brought the Dinghy to Wettilaikarni shore? Were the other naval officers engaged in their duties and operations asleep until these four soldiers fled? How did the out boat engine of the dinghy alone get lost ? While there is no war , since when were S S and E M ‘s going on duty in dinghy boats instead of X P ,X L and V N’s who should be going on that duty ? Why has the search for these missing navy soldiers been abandoned and forgotten now ? It is the onerous and paramount duty of the Navy Commander , the Defense Secretary and the President as the Defense Minister to furnish answers to the ordinary soldiers of the Navy , and the people of the country who ultimately bear the burden of paying the salaries of the soldiers, the President , the defense Secretary and the Navy Commander.

17 April 2011

Civilian deaths in Sri Lanka may have been vastly underestimated, U.N. panel says

A U.N. panel has called for an independent investigation into "credible" allegations that tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war two years ago.The fatality estimate used by the three-member expert panel is significantly higher than the 7,000 civilian deaths cited by the United Nations near the end of the last four months of the bloody conflict, although it's unlikely that an exact figure will ever be established.The panel, led by former Indonesian Atty. Gen. Marzuki Darusman, called on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to set up an independent investigation into alleged human rights violations committed by both sides, a move the Sri Lankan government has strongly resisted.Much of the report, to be released this week, was leaked to Sri Lanka's Island newspaper, which published extracts Saturday. It comes down hard on the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, accusing it of deliberately shelling civilians, aid agencies and hospitals.It also accuses the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also known as the Tamil Tigers, of forcibly recruiting ethnic Tamil citizens to fill the rebel group's declining ranks of fighters.The report said the group killed other Tamils who tried to flee as the Sri Lankan army surrounded them in a remote area of northeastern Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka, which has been highly critical of the U.N. and international scrutiny, condemned the 196-page report, copies of which were given simultaneously to Ban and the Sri Lankan government Tuesday."The government finds this report fundamentally flawed in many respects," the External Affairs Ministry said in a prepared statement, adding that it opposed an oversight panel from the start. "Among other deficiencies, the report is based on patently biased material which is presented without any verification."The report was hampered by the government's unwillingness to cooperate. Panel members weren't allowed to travel to Sri Lankan sites, interview officials or have access to official documents. Instead, the report's authors relied on photos, video and testimony.The Sri Lankan government also blocked journalists and international observers from going to the remote northeast during the conflict.The panel said in its report that the government systematically shelled hospitals on the front lines, including all hospitals in the Vanni region, some repeatedly, even though the government was well aware of their location."The government also systematically deprived people in the conflict zone of humanitarian aid, in the form of food and medical supplies, particularly surgical supplies, adding to their suffering," it said. "To this end, it purposely underestimated the number of civilians who remained in the conflict zone."The Tigers also used brutal tactics in the course of their unsuccessful quarter-century battle for a Tamil homeland, frequently using civilians as hostages and as a human buffer to separate themselves from the advancing Sri Lankan army. The Tamils finally acknowledged defeat in May 2009.The rebel group "forced civilians to dig trenches for its own defenses, thereby contributing to blurring the distinction between combatants and civilians and exposing civilians to additional harm," the report said. "Many civilians were sacrificed on the altar of the [Tamil Tiger] cause and its efforts to preserve its senior leadership."

TNA irked by failure to get detainee list

The failure of the government to divulge the list of Tamil detainees for the second time has irked the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).The TNA yesterday expressed its anger and frustration at the government for calling off a scheduled visit to the Terrorism Investigations Department office in Vavuniya at the eleventh hour. The TNA in its meetings with the government delegation has been calling for the release of the list of names of the detainees and the latter agreed to divulge the list. TNA Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran said that UPFA parliamentarian and Secretary to the Committee on Long Term Reconciliation through Political Settlement, Sajin Vass Gunawardena had informed that they would not be able to travel as many were on holiday.“We were supposed to leave today (16), but were informed that it was not possible as the officials were away on holiday due to the New Year,” Premachandran said yesterday.“This kind of attitude shakes the confidence we have in the whole process,” Premachandran added. A similar situation arose a few months ago when the government assured that the list of detainees could be obtained at the Vavuniya TID office. However, the relatives of the detainees who had gone to the TID were sent back. The TNA in a letter to Gunawardena on February 22 said that the government’s misinformation has caused embarrassment to the TNA. The TNA said that the government had handed over a document mentioning the availability of the list of detainees during its meeting with the TNA on February 3.Premachandran said that the TNA would raise this matter with the government delegation during the next meeting scheduled for April 29.

Forced to seek protection from Russia, China: Gota

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday lashed out at the UN experts panel report on the conduct of the Sri Lanka government and armed forces during the last stages of the war against the LTTE in 2009, saying there was an agenda behind the report and if the United Nations cannot protect one of its member states, Sri Lanka will be forced to look for protection from Russia and China.He said the UN seemed to have been "hi-jacked by some countries" and that Sri Lanka as a member-state of the UN needs its protection. "This will push us to other countries to protect us. The UN should not be a pawn of some countries,” he added.Mr. Rajapaksa said the experts panel was "white-washing the LTTE" and had failed to recognise that the LTTE was a terrorist organisation which, at one time, had control of one third of the country."The LTTE had an air wing and a sea wing in addition to cadres fighting on land. It sent suicide bombers to the south and bombed civilian buses and buildings and targeted politicians. It overran army camps and killed thousands in one night. This was not an organisation that could be neutralised by the police. The UN, the US, Norway and others, told us we can’t fight such a ferocious enemy. We had to send in our armed forces and use superior fire-power to overcome them".In an interview with the Sunday Times, Defence Secretary Rajapaksa said the UN report seemed to have ignored reports of UN agencies like the World Food programme (WFP) or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)."Had they asked the WFP or the ICRC, they would have been told how humanitarian aid including food was distributed to civilians caught up in the fighting during the last stages of the war. It was the LTTE that held these civilians as human shields. In the final days, the LTTE had forced them into a lagoon area. When food convoys could not reach them because of the water that surrounded them, we allowed the LTTE to even pick up the food from the sea and hand it over to the civilians".He said there was a Consultative Committee on Humanitarian Assistance (CCHA), a high level government body that included several foreign ambassadors, UN agencies and NGOs that over-looked humanitarian aid during the height of the fighting."We have a legal process in Sri Lanka with a democratically elected President. When fathers and mothers can’t send their children to school, or they are abducted by the LTTE to fight for them, and when two parents don’t travel in the same bus because of the fear of LTTE bombs, or when people praying in mosques and student monks are killed, it is the duty and the responsibility of the government towards the people who elect it to protect them by eliminating the scourge of terrorism.Answering some specific issues raised in the UN report (a summary of which is published on Page 10), Secretary Rajapaksa said one of the issues raised was about disappearances or missing persons. He pointed out that 6,000 government soldiers were killed during the last four years of fighting and 20,000 injured of whom 10,000 were critically wounded.He said the the LTTE's casualty rate had to be greater because the military had superior firepower. "When people complain that someone is missing it could well mean that he was killed in action fighting for the LTTE, but they don’t say that. They only say he is missing.” He estimated the number of LTTE cadres who died in battle to be close to 30,000.Referring to a passage in the report that states that the Army fired on hospitals during the last stages of the war, the Defence Secretary said he had it "in writing" that the hospital had been vacated before the firing had started. "The LTTE moved its heavy guns close to the hospital and started firing at us. We retaliated only after the patients and doctors had left. We dropped leaflets, announced on loud-speakers, declared no-fire zones and had restrictions (on the use of heavy artillery). The report should have taken into account the amount of heavy artillery used by the LTTE. We had a clear justification for the use of force".Describing the report as an unreasonable analysis, the Defence Secretary admitted that the government should have better engaged the UN on this entire issue. He said there was an argument that the report was orchestrated by "certain western powers" and therefore Sri Lanka should challenge its legitimacy and the procedures adopted."We will now engage with the UN provided it has no hidden agendas,” he said. "The UN must see the benefits that have accrued to the people as a result of the end of terrorism. It takes time to bring in changes and change the mind-set of the people who have been under the influence of the LTTE for a quarter of a century, but normalcy is quietly returning to the once war-ravaged north and east and the people will benefit in time to come with the return of peace,” he added.

Uthayan A Target

The Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) has issued a circular banning all government institutions and libraries operated by local government institutions from subscribing to the Uthayan newspaper.Following the Uthayan newspaper’s expose in its March 22, 23 and 24 editions of an irregular tender by the JMC, Jaffna Mayoress, Yogeswari Patkunarajah had instructed all government institutions to not subscribe to this newspaper nor invite any journalists from it to cover state events, interact with the journalists, provide any information or send press releases to the paper, according to its Chief Editor, M.V. Kanamylenathan.“In the true spirit of investigative journalism we exposed how the JMC advertised a tender calling for bidders to build a five storeyed shopping complex in Jaffna town.On October 27 last year Patkunarajah had presented a proposal to the council to build a five storeyed shopping complex. Generally such proposals should come from the members and not from the Mayoress. However in this instance the proposal came from her and she was able to get the necessary approvals from the council. Meanwhile, Patkunarajah  ignoring the local Tamil newspapers in Jaffna, advertised the tender notification in two Colombo publications — the Daily News and Thinakaran which has a small circulation in Jaffna, Mullaithivu, Kilinochchi, Wanni, Vavuniya and Mannar,” Kanamylenathan said.Further, recounting the incident he said as a result there was only one application and this bidder is allegedly a friend of Minister Douglas Devananda. “Although there are no provisions for any local body to offer a tender unless there is more than one bidder, Patkunarajah offered the tender to Minister Devananda’s friend without advertising for a second time,” Kanamylenathan said.According to him, following the exposé the JMC was in turmoil and the opposition members on April 5 had urged the Mayoress to cancel the tender and to advertise once more in the four local Tamil newspapers to which the ruling party however had objected.“Although the opposition members created mayhem in the council requesting her cancel the tender the ruling party decided to go for a vote. Since many opposition members were absent it was passed by one vote the same day. The very next day we once again exposed the heated arguments that had taken place,” Kanamylenathan said.According to Kanamylenathan, it was on that day (April 6) Patkunarajah had issued a circular to all government institutions and libraries that come under the local authorities not to subscribe to the Uthayan newspaper.Our attempts to contact Patkunarajah for a response failed.

Sri Lanka President ranked 6th in TIME 100 List poll

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been voted as the 6th most influential person of the world in the 2011 TIME 100 Poll.Out of the 203 influential persons listed in the poll Sri Lankan President has been placed at the 6th place receiving a total of 95,456 votes so far with 74,357 saying he is influential.The US-based magazine says although official voting for inclusion on the TIME 100 list was closed on April 14th users can continue to vote for their favorites until April 21st.In introducing Rajapaksa TIME says since ending Sri Lanka's 26-year-long war against the Tamil Tigers in 2009, and grabbing control over once independent institutions like commissions on human rights and elections, the 65-year-old President has come to dominate the institutions of his nation more than any other democratically elected head of state."He challenged the U.S., the European Union and the U.N. to prosecute him for war crimes, confident that Russia, China and India would not support it  the latter two have billions of investment at stake in Sri Lanka," the brief introduction said.Rajapaksa is the first Lankan leader to be featured in the annual list. The final list, selected by the editors will be revealed on Thursday, April 21st.

Canada orders deportation of Mrs. Parajasingham

Canada has ordered the deportation of the widow of Joseph Pararajasingham, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian shot dead during at Christmas Mass in 2005 at packed church in the then Sri Lankan government-controlled Batticaloa town, the Toronto Star reported. Canada says 74 year old grandmother, Mrs. Sugunm Joseph, is a member “by association” of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), because her husband was a member of the TNA, the largest Tamil political party of Eezham Tamils in the island. Mr. Parajasingham was killed just weeks after President Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed office after the elections in November 2005. Shortly after her husband’s cold-blooded - and pointedly public - assassination the then Canadian government issued a visitor’s visa so she could flee to safety in Canada, where her son and daughter are citizens.However, in February this year Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board deemed her inadmissible, saying her role as a politician’s wife — supporting her late husband’s career and accompanying him to political events — amounted to membership in a designated terrorist organization.Mrs. Parajasingham fears that if she is deported, she will be targeted by the paramilitaries who targeted her husband and other TNA parliamentarians, party workers and supporters.Mrs. Parajasingham narrowly escaped with injuries when the gunmen opened fire targeting the couple at Christmas mass in 2005.

Bid to defraud Jaffna youth: Army nabs 3 from Trinco

Army on Friday arrested three youth from Trincomalee who posed off as members of the TMVP and attempted to fleece Rs. 500,000 from three Jaffna youth promising to send them to Western countries for lucrative employment.The victims had already parted with an advance of Rs. 30,000 and had got suspicious of the Trincomalee men when they made subsequent attempts to get the balance. The victims informed the Uduvil Army camp and the suspects were caught after they travelled to the victims’ residences in a white van.According to sources in the Army’s Civil Affairs Office in Jaffna, the three suspects, posing off as high ranking members of the TMVP headed by Eastern Provincial Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, had produced TMVP letterheads and said that they would give letters of recommendation to foreign embassies in Colombo stating that they be considered for migration as they have purportedly suffered due to harassment by the armed forces. They have demanded Rs. 500,000 from the Jaffna youth and had accepted an advance of Rs. 30,000 promising to revisit Jaffna with the letters of recommendations and for the balance money.On this occasion the victims had stated their willingness to migrate to Canada. The suspects had visited Jaffna subsequently and when the balance money was not forthcoming they had come in a white van and threatened the youth to part with the balance or face serious consequences. The youth had informed the Uduvil Army Camp and soldiers launched a search operation in the peninsula and took the suspects and the van into custody.

SLA killed my son - Dr. Manoharan

In a video released by Amnesty International in the wake of the submission of a Sri Lanka war-crimes report by a UN-panel to Ban Ki Moon, Dr Manoharan, father of one of the 5 Trincomalee students extra-judicially executed on 2nd January 2006, tells Amnesty that he will continue to challenge the Sri Lanka Government until he receives justice for the "criminal political murder" of his son. The video was shot during Dr. Manoharan's visit to New York during the last week of February 2011 to present the more than 55,000 signatures Amnesty received as part of Amnesty's campaign to urge the UN to begin investigations into the murder of the five Trincomalee students. "Thousands of people have died or being disappeared in Sri Lanka, and human rights abuses keep happening as people are not being held to account," Yolanda Foster, Principal investigator for the Sri Lanka campaign says.On the report submitted by the UN panel of experts to the UN Secretary General Monday, Foster says, Amnesty believes that the report will be very strong [in exposing Sri Lanka's alleged war-crimes], but she expresses her concern that "perhaps UN would just bury this report." Foster urges all concerned to ask their governments to get a copy of the UN report, so that the report is not lost in the UN system. "People should read it and see the scale and gravity of what happened in Sri Lanka."An affidavit containing the personal testimony of Dr Manoharan and two detailed reports of evidence collected on the killings by a Rights Group whose members are in self-exile due to threat to their lives, were submitted as record of evidence to the Dublin war-crimes tribunal hearing held in January 2010, US-based pressure group Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) said. The names and the date of birth of the five students killed in Trincomalee, a big harbor town under the control of and heavily garrisoned by the Sri Lanka security forces are:
Manoharan Ragihar 22.09.1985
Yogarajah Hemachchandra 04.03.1985
Logitharajah Rohan 07.04.1985
Thangathurai Sivanantha 06.04.1985
Shanmugarajah Gajendran 16.09.1985

15 April 2011

AI CALLS TO MAKE PUBLIC UN WAR CRIME REPORT ON LANKA
  
Amnesty International says that the UN report on accountability for war crimes in the Sri Lankan armed conflict, must be made public.Amnesty International's claim comes in the backdrop of the panel of experts submitting their findings to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon yesterday. According to Amnesty International's Asia Pacific Director Sam Zarifi, all Sri Lankans must be allowed to see the panel's findings, as their report concerns a critical period in the country's history. He added that the UN Secretary General had previously said that accountability is an essential foundation for durable peace in Sri Lanka and that Ban Ki Moon must now stick to his word. The UN panel of experts was appointed in June 2010, to advise the UN Secretary General on accountability issues relating to violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, alleged in the final stages of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.Furthermore, the panel was also asked to recommend a course of action that would ensure accountability.

Release of UN War Crimes Report Could Pressure Sri Lanka

While the U.N.-commissioned report has not yet been made public, Sri Lanka's External Ministry rejected it Wednesday as "fundamentally flawed." The ministry issued a statement saying the report dealing with possible war crimes is based on "patently biased material which is presented without any verification." The statement says officials will comment in detail on the report "in due course."Human rights organizations, for their part, have reacted very favorably to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's promise to release the full report to the public, once Sri Lanka's leaders have had a chance to digest it. The report could be made public in a matter of days.The U.N. panel focused much of its attention on the final few months of Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war.  The country's Sinhalese majority government won decisively in its campaign against militant Tamil separatists in 2009.Both sides have been accused of atrocities, but allegations that Sri Lanka's government may have killed as many as 10,000 civilians in those few months have put officials on the defensive.Alan Keenan is a senior analyst on Sri Lanka with the International Crisis Group. He says he hopes the U.N. experts will ratchet up international pressure to get answers."We hope that they will concur with us that the current Sri Lankan government initiative is not adequate, and that therefore some kind of an international commission of inquiry is required," said Keenan.Keenan says it is very unlikely the United Nations Security Council or Human Rights Council would form an investigative body. That is partly because powerful veto-holding members Russia and China are sympathetic to the Sri Lankan position that the civil war investigation is an internal matter."We think the easiest and most likely [option] is for the Secretary-General himself to appoint some kind of investigative body, and that could have enough investigative powers to produce a further, more detailed study than this panel of experts has been able to do," Kennan said.Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director for Human Rights Watch, says she hopes the U.N. report will legitimize her group's accusations, which Sri Lanka has dismissed in the past as part of a conspiracy."What we are hoping is that it will put a final end to this round of allegations hurled at human rights groups that everything is conjured up," said Ganguly.Ganguly says failure to approach the issue of civil war atrocities transparently will cost Sri Lanka's government its legitimacy in the long run. "If Sri Lanka now becomes the proponent for a government that carpet bombs civilians to win a war, that is not the message that is going to be acceptable to most that believe in human rights," said Ganguly. "And Sri Lanka, in a way, is destroying its own credibility by doing this kind of thing, so eventually it will hurt them."The U.N.-appointed experts were prevented from visiting Sri Lanka on their own terms, and experts say they did not have a strong enough mandate to conduct investigations on the ground. A report by Sri Lankan-appointed investigators, known as the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, is expected to be released next month.

Exiled Tamil priest wants peace, truth and justice in Sri Lanka

A Sri Lankan priest who is living in self-imposed exile and campaigning for peace and justice in his homeland visited Brisbane recently to plead on behalf of his people. PAUL DOBBYN reports EMINENT Tamil theologian and academic Father S.J. Emmanuel can count five bishops among those he has educated in his distinguished career - but he is much prouder of five special priests who attended his lectures in Kandy, Sri Lanka.President of the Global Tamil Forum, Fr Emmanuel once told the State Department in Washington that he was "father" to these priests.The five were among 10 priests killed in the final bloody battle between Government and rebel forces in Sri Lanka's north in May 2009.Once called the "Archbishop Tutu" of the Tamil struggle by United States human rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson, the 77-year-old priest was recently in Brisbane to spread the message that his people are suffering widespread human-rights abuses in the aftermath of the country's 30-year civil war.Fr Emmanuel can also count Cardinal George Pell and then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) as classmates and associates.Fr Emmanuel and Cardinal Pell were ordained as priests at St Peter's Basilica in 1966.For the past 14 years he's been in exile and he is Vicarius Co-operator in St Nikolaus' parish, Darfeld, in Munster diocese, Germany.In his interview with The Catholic Leader while visiting Brisbane in February, Fr Emmanuel explained the reasons for his self-imposed exile.The priest of 44 years told of narrowly escaping death on at least one occasion before being forced out, along with about 500,000 other Tamils from civil war-torn Sri Lanka."From 1986 onwards I lived through the ethnic conflict and war in Jaffna in the country's north," Fr Emmanuel said."The first part of this war I spent in the city with no electricity, telephone, postage or fuel."I was ten years rector and lecturer at St Francis Xavier's Major Seminary in Jaffna."During this time, the Government imposed an economic embargo on the region and we lived on dried fish and rice for years."Of far more concern was the constant threat of aerial bombardment."We were always looking up - hearing helicopter gunships overhead," Fr Emmanuel said."One day in 1995 I was nearly finished off when a bomb was dropped outside Francis Xavier Seminary."It was a very close call ... there was a hole in the bedroom wall above my bed where I had been sleeping."Finally in 1995 on October 30, Fr Emmanuel and about 500,000 inhabitants of Jaffna Peninsula were forced out by the military and all headed south, crossing Kilali Lagoon and finding refuge in the jungles of the Wanni region.Thus had begun the great Tamil Diaspora - but far worse was to come for those who remained.Born in Jaffna in 1934, Fr Emmanuel had his early education there, later graduating in physical sciences at the University of Ceylon, Colombo in 1958.After a short period as teacher and journalist, he did his studies for priesthood in Rome, graduating in philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome and was ordained in 1966.In Sri Lanka, he was pastor and diocesan director for lay apostolate.During his second sojourn in Rome (1973-76), he researched lay ministries and obtained a doctorate in theology.From 1976 till 1986, he was Professor and Dean of theology at the National Seminary in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Other roles included eight years as a member of the first Theological Advisory Committee of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC).Books he has written on the plight of the Tamil people include Let My People Go which has been translated into English, French, German and Tamil.Fr Emmanuel said he had been radicalised by his experiences in Sri Lanka."Coming into touch with people's suffering started me thinking from grassroots upwards," he said.The Tamil priest's social activism moved into overdrive with the events of May 2009."Something horrific happened in Sri Lanka's north then," he said."With international support, some 40,000 people were massacred by shelling and bombing and chemical weapons."Many died including priests - even recently I met a priest in Rome who had lost a leg in this action."For a long period some 300,000 Tamil people were incarcerated in concentration camps."The 11,000 LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam) who surrendered are still kept in camps ... It should be remembered the Tamil people took up arms against state terrorism only after 30 years of suffering."The West is allowing much of this to continue happening behind closed doors."As head of the Global Tamil Forum, which met in London for the first time in February last year, Fr Emmanuel is determined not to permit this situation to continue.His speaking tour of Brisbane and other parts of Australia is part of a campaign to focus awareness on the situation of his people.In his interview, he spoke of the Singhalese government's campaign of oppression and what he described as a policy of "state-aided colonisation"."The whole area in Sri Lanka's north is heavily militarised with frequent army checkpoints," he said."There are upwards of 40,000 military personnel in the region and housing is being built for military families so there will be a permanent armed presence."The Government is also settling Singhalese people from the south into Tamil areas."Numbers of Buddhist temples are being built in the north and east in an area which, being mainly populated by Tamils, is mainly Hindu."Street signs are being changed to the Singhalese language."The Government is hellbent on creating a single Buddhist Singhalese culture on the island - naturally all hope for peace and reconciliation is shattered by these moves."Fr Emmanuel said there were no signs of reconciliation occurring in Sri Lanka since the final battle between Government troops and the rebels in 2009"People who speak out against the current injustice - journalists especially - are disappearing," he said."Living in Jaffna means living in fear."And this is not only the case in Jaffna but the middle part of Sri Lanka where the camps were established."People - including children and the elderly - were released to be left under trees and are still no closer to having houses after seven months."Organisations such as the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) are not being allowed to visit the 11,000 Tamils still detained."And Tamils abroad are always concerned if they speak up in the outside world that authorities will take revenge on their relatives living in Sri Lanka."Fr Emmanuel said Catholics were in a unique position in Sri Lanka."The majority of Tamils are Hindu while the Singhalese are Buddhist."However, Catholics come from both ethnic groups, so potentially have a strategic role to play in communication between both sides."But, the situation is complex.Catholics, at only seven per cent of the population, are very much in a minority, although Fr Emmanuel said this was no excuse for not speaking the truth.He accused Sri Lankan Catholics and bishops of "failing to exercise their prophetic voice"."The international community and Australia in particular also have an obligation to find out the truth," he said."If we rely on the news being dished out by Sri Lankan embassy we won't find out."I'd like Australian Government officials to be allowed to move around freely to find out the truth and not just go on guided tours organised by the Sri Lankan Government."I especially appeal to Catholics in Australia to find out the truth and demand justice for the Tamil people."We can't go on like this ... we must find a way to reconciliation and peace through accountability, truth, justice in Sri Lanka."

Loan shark jailed for 8 months

A loan shark running a money-lending business in east London has been jailed for eight months.Kanadasaba Nadarajah, 68, was found guilty of two counts of lending money without a licence.During the trial, jurors were told the loans were offered to members of the Sri Lankan community living in London and the south east. The court heard people would go to Nadarajah when they were desperate for money.One man asked for a loan after falling into arrears on his mortgage, while a woman asked for cash so she could return to Sri Lanka for her father's funeral.Nadarajah was also found guilty of acquiring criminal property. Kanadasaba Nadarajah, 68, from East Ham, is accused of offering more than 700 illegal loans from 2003 to 2010.

BCCI in crisis talks with SLC

A day after Sri Lanka's sports minister issued a diktat to its cricketers to quit the Indian Premier League (IPL) midway and return home by May 5 to prepare for the England series starting from May 14, the Indian cricket board said it is trying to sort out the tricky issue with the Sri Lankan board (SLC)."We are in talks with the Lankan board and we hope to find a solution to this crisis soon," a top BCCI official told TOI. According to IPL rules, if a player misses a series of games, he won't be entitled to get paid for those matches. However, the issue is not about money. IPL team owners are worried that if their top Lankan players miss the business end of IPL, it would affect the balance of their sides. Imagine Mumbai Indians trying to fire on the home stretch without the in-form Lasith Malinga; or Koch Tuskers playing without their captain Mahela Jayawardene and Deccan Chargers without skipper Kumar Sangakkara.When the auction took place in January this year, the teams were told that the Lankans would be available till May 22 and team combinations were formed on that assurance. Now, if the Lankan sports minister doesn't change its mind, the teams will have a lot to complain about, which could also lead to tension between the Indian and Lankan boards.Sri Lanka are scheduled to play their fist Test match in England from May 26 and BCCI is hoping that some of the top Lankans players will stay back till the end-the IPL final is on May 28. "We share a good rapport with the SLC. We will sort out this issue," the BCCI official said.

Hakeem meets Norwegian Refugees Council Director

Norwegian Refugees Council (NRC) Country Director in Sri Lanka Aigi Kvernmo and Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem met at the latters Ministry where they discussed legal aid on January 8. The NRC is one of the organisations providing assistance to the Legal Aid Commission.Kvernmo said that the Leagal Aid Commission was providing assistance to the needy, who could not afford to proceed with their legal matters and would also other aid to them.Hakeem said that after the eradication of terrorism, the country was enjoying peace and harmony and steps had been taken to solve the problems and conflicts faced by the people in the North, East and the other parts of the island through the Mediation Board, besides the Courts.The Minister said he appreciated the co-operation extended by the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Sri Lanka's second international airport to be operational by the end of 2012

The government plans to complete the construction of Sri Lanka's second international airport in Mattala of Hambanthota district by the end of the next year.The first aircraft is expected to land at the new international airport by the end of 2012, the state-run radio SLBC said.The foundation stone for the passenger terminal at the new airport Hambanthota district will be laid on April 25th with the participation of parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, the Minister of Civil Aviation Priyankara Jayaratne has said.According to the Minister the new terminal will be constructed with state-of-the-art facilities. Currently, about 80 percent of the construction work related to the runaway has been completed.The Minister has said that the government plans to enhance the air services between Sri Lanka and other countries, and also to increase the frequencies of air services between India and Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka cabinet recently approved a new air services agreement with the United Kingdom to increase present frequency of flights from 14 to 21 every week.Sri Lanka recently inked an agreement with Kenya to allow Kenyan airlines to launch direct flights to Colombo.Sri Lanka has also secured the opportunity of operating direct air services between Canada and Sri Lanka, the Minister revealed.The new airport is expected to handle the anticipated increase in tourist arrivals to the country in the future.

14 April 2011

British PM extends greetings on Tamil New Year

Extending his warmest greetings to everyone celebrating the Tamil New Year, the British Prime Minister and the Leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameroon, on Wednesday said he acknowledged the significant contribution the Tamil diaspora makes to many aspects of British society. I would like to extend my warmest greetings to everyone celebrating the Tamil New Year. I would also like to acknowledge the significant contribution the Tamil diaspora makes to many aspects of British society. That contribution is built upon enterprise, community, family and social responsibility - values the Conservative Party also holds dear. So as you gather with your families and friends to celebrate this important festival, I would like to send you and your families my very best wishes for the New Year.

David Cameron

Sri Lanka rejects secret UN war report as 'flawed'

The Sri Lankan government has rejected a report commissioned by the UN on alleged human rights violations at the end of the country's war two years ago.The report, by a panel of rights experts, has just been submitted to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and to the government in Colombo.Human rights groups are demanding that the report be made public.The government has been fundamentally opposed to the panel of experts since its appointment by Mr Ban last year.It declined to admit them to the country to conduct research.The three-member panel, headed by a former Indonesian attorney-general, was mandated to look into issues of accountability connected with the war.UN officials say this refers to allegations that war crimes may have been committed by either the government or Tamil Tiger separatists, whose top leaders are now dead.The UN says it is "unacceptable" that large numbers of civilians were killed - numbers it estimates to be in the thousands.The Sri Lankan government has now seen the panel's report and has swiftly rejected it.A foreign ministry statement described it as "fundamentally flawed in many respects", and as being based on "patently biased" and unverified material.Mr Ban is studying the report and his spokesman says it will be made public at some point.The government maintains that the military inflicted no civilian deaths during the final stages of its victory.International human rights groups, however, say that thousands of civilians were killed, that both sides were responsible and that a war crimes inquiry is needed.

Sri Lankan cricketers in IPL asked to return by May 5th

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has asked the Sri Lankan players playing for the Indian Premier League (IPL) to return to the country by May 5 to prepare for the tour to England.Minister Aluthgamage has issued a stern warning to take disciplinary action against the players if they do not return in time for practice to prepare for the tour."On a recommendation made by the national selection committee I have instructed the secretary of the board to inform the players to return by at least the 5th of May to prepare for the tour," Aluthgamage said Tuesday.Eleven Sri Lankan national cricketers are playing for the IPL teams and two of the ten IPL teams, Deccan Chargers, and the new team Kochi Tuskers are respectively led by former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena.Lasith Malinga has been a key player for the Mumbai Indians in their two victories while Tillakaratne Dilshan is an explosive opener for Royal Challengers.Angelo Mathews of Pune Warriors, Suraj Randiv and Nuwan Kulasekara of Chennai Super Kings, Thisara Perera of Kochi Tuskers and Nuwan Pradeep of Royal Challengers are the other national team players in the IPL. Muttiah Muralitharan who plays for Kochi Tuskers in the IPL has retired from the international cricket.Indian media reported that a host of Australian players will, however, join their IPL teams this week after the ODI series against Bangladesh.

13 April 2011

Sinhala colonization threatens coastal areas of Mannaar

Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse led United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has been implementing a planned scheme to settle Sinhalese persons in the southern coastal areas of Mu'l'lik-ku'lam, Thampapa'l'li in Ko'ndaichchi and areas along Madu road in the Mannaar district. Lands belonging to Tamil villagers in these areas are being grabbed to settle Sinhalese from the south, said Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, TELO Leader and TNA Vanni district parliamentarian in a statement to media. Mu'l'lik-ku'lam area has been brought under the control of the Sri Lanka Navy with the conclusion of the war. While displaced Tamil families from the village are not allowed to resettle in their houses, the Sri Lanka Navy has taken steps to set up naval base along the coastal areas of the village. Ko'ndaichchi is well known for cashew cultivation. The entire cashew cultivation had been destroyed in the war. Now the Colombo government is engaged in bringing Sinhala people from south and settles them under the guise of rehabilitating the area. At the same time construction of Buddhist Vihares and settling Sinhalese had been taking place in Madu, Mr.Adaikalanathan states in the press release.

UN rights panel delivers its report on Sri Lanka to the UN Chief

The UN’s long delayed report on accountability for war crimes in Sri Lanka is now slated to be handed to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday (12), the Inner City Press reported quoting sources.The report will not be made public at that time, they say, and perhaps it never will, it said.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June, 2010 named a three-member panel of experts to advise him on how he should proceed with investigating violations of human rights and humanitarian law during the concluding stages of that country's long-drawn-out separatist war May, 2009.The panel was tasked to examine the modalities, applicable international standards and comparative experience with regard to accountability processes, taking into account the nature and scope of any alleged violations in Sri Lanka.

Ex-Naval officer arrested for supplying arms to underworld

The police have arrested a retired Sri Lanka Navy officer for supplying weapons to the underworld and some businessmen. A raid conducted by the Kotahena police on information received from the Army intelligence, on a house in Wellampitiya yesterday led to the arrest of an ex-SLN officer with six weapons, 5,000 rounds of ammunition of different types, one hand grenade, two ’ knives, two swords and two sets of camouflage uniforms.A spokesman for Kotahena police told The Island that the suspect once attached to the SLNarmoury had also rented weapons to various persons. A police officer trapped the suspect by seeking to rent a .38 revolver for Rs. 10,000. The police said that arms and ammunition were found buried.The police are conducting investigations to identify those who obtained weapons from the suspect.Sources said that the suspect could have obtained weapons from military personnel or even the underworld.

Thinakkural vehicle hijacked in Colombo

Three persons clad in police uniform hijacked a white van belonging to Thinakkural newspaper at Wall’s Lane in Modera, Monday 6:30 p.m., claiming that they were suspicious over documents that were in the van. Hijackers dropped the driver off the vehicle at Kelaniya in Gampaha police division. Later, the driver S. Selvarajah was detained at Modera police station. Recently, SL government quarters exerted pressure on Thinakkural administration while various actors, including those operated by SL military, were competing to buy the shares of the paper.

Jaffna campus students meet President

Students of Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts of Jaffna University met president Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees on Monday (Apr. 11).It was the first time in their lifetime that these students visited the southern part of Sri Lanka.The students praised President Rajapaksa for eradicating terrorism and taking measures to establish lasting peace and harmony in the country, said the President’s Media Unit.President Rajapaksa discussed with the students their academic progress and other matters related to their day-to-day life in the Jaffna peninsula.

Photos of the LTTE leaders killed after surrendering with white flags revealed

Photos of the dead bodies with gunshot wounds of LTTE political wing leader B.Nadesan and S. Pulithevan who were killed by the military after surrendering with white flags at the last stage of the war have been published by the Tamil websites worldwide.The Sri Lankan government has repeatedly said that no LTTE leader who surrendered with the white flags was killed by the military. But the human rights organisations are of the opinion that the Sri Lankan government will be forced not to repeat that statement after this revelation.A former UN co-coordinator has told Tamilnet website that the UN Colombo representatives were fully aware of all the details of those killed in a similar manner by the security forces. The spokesman has further stated that the LTTE leaders decided to surrender to the Sri Lankan forces after a pledge made to them by the United Nations.All these photographs have already been submitted to the advisory panel appointed by UN secretary General Ban Ki Moon. The panel is to submit its report within the next few days.

12 April 2011

Sri Lanka: Crisis Of Credibility – Analysis Written by: SATP

On the model of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, at the end of three decades of civil war, appointed a Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) on May 15, 2010, to examine the events covering the period between February 21, 2002, and May 19, 2009, and their attendant concerns and issues, and to recommend measures to ensure that there would be no recurrence of such strife.The mandate of the eight member Commission, headed by former Attorney General C. R. De Silva as Chairman, was to inquire and report on the following matters over the period defined: The facts and circumstances which led to the failure of the cease-fire agreement operationalized on February 21, 2002, and the sequence of events that followed thereafter, up May 19, 2009;Whether any person, group or institution directly or indirectly bore responsibility in this regard;The lessons that could be learnt from those events and their attendant concerns, in order to ensure that there would be no recurrence;The methodology whereby restitution to any person affected by those events or their dependants or their heirs, can be affected;The institutional administrative and legislative measured which was needed in order to prevent any recurrence of such concerns in the future, and to promote further national unity and reconciliation among all communities, and to make any such other recommendations with reference to any of the matters that have been inquired into under the terms of the Warrant.The LLRC had been constituted after rejecting calls for an international probe into the killing of thousands of Tamils in the final stages of the civil war and the refusal to allow the United Nations Panel of Experts entry into Sri Lanka. Backing the Commission, the Government argued that the LLRC, made up of Sri Lankan veterans, with a broad mix of local and international experience, had the advantage of “home-turf” and had the ability to conduct business in Sinhala, Tamil and English, to reach out to the people directly and hear testimony from former combatants in prisons, detention centers and rehabilitation camps. Further, it was argued, the UN-appointed Panel ran the risk of widening the split between the Tamil Diaspora and Tamils back home.Sri Lankan authorities were, in fact, never ambiguous about their apathy towards the UN’s stand on the Eelam War. Former Peace Secretariat Chief and United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Member of Parliament Rajiva Wijesinha, after his testimony before the LLRC, for instance, told the media that a thorough inquiry was needed to establish the amount of funds received by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) through various UN agencies. Giving credence to the allegation, according to Wikileaks, former US Ambassador in Colombo Robert Blake, in a classified diplomatic cable sent on June 12, 2007, had explained that LTTE’s fund-raising operations targeted foreign donors, including UN agencies. In the missive captioned “Sri Lanka: Tamil Tigers siphon off part of international relief funds”, Blake had discussed how the LTTE forced UN agencies (UNICEF, UNHCR and WFP) to work with its front organization.The Government’s strong rejection of any UN or international probe into alleged war crimes was, consequently, understandable. Nevertheless, international pressure has induced the Government to conduct its own probe into the ethnic conflict. President Rajapaksa, on March 25, 2011, declared that his Government would study the findings of the LLRC and conduct its own investigations where necessary.Unsurprisingly, international agencies have sought to undermine the LLRC’s credibility from the moment of its announcement. A major attack on the Commission came in the form of a letter dated October 14, 2010, jointly undersigned by the heads of three international NGOs. The signatories, Louise Arbour, Kenneth Roth and Salil Shetty, on behalf of London-based Amnesty International (AI), Brussels-based International Crisis Group and New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), respectively, refused an invitation of the Sri Lankan Government to make representations before the LLRC and unambiguously articulated their dissatisfaction with the Commission. Describing the LLRC as a “fundamentally flawed Commission” the letter claimed that accountability for war crimes in Sri Lanka demanded an independent international investigation, instead of the LLRC, many of whose members were retired senior Government employees and therefore pro-Government.Another blow to the LLRC came on March 1, 2011, when the US Senate unanimously passed a resolution commending the UN Secretary General (UNSG) for appointing a panel to advise UNSG on Sri Lanka’s human rights accountability and calling “on the Government of Sri Lanka, the international community, and the United Nations to establish an independent international accountability mechanism to look into reports of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations committed by both sides during and after the war in Sri Lanka and to make recommendations regarding accountability.”Though the resolution was diplomatic enough in its content and did not frame any direct allegations or doubts regarding the conduct of Sri Lankan authorities, the implicit message was far from ambiguous. The reaction was almost instantaneous. On March 4, 2011, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of External Affairs released an official statement noting:It is well known that motivated groups do target influential bodies such as the Senate of the United States, with a view to persuade those entities to adopt ill-founded positions. It is therefore important that an equal opportunity should be afforded for alternate and more legitimate points of view to be heard, before a conclusion is reached… It is therefore all the more unfortunate that those who framed the text of the Resolution have overlooked the capacity and strong track record of the LLRC as a domestic mechanism, to work for reconciliation and the further strengthening of national amity.Meanwhile, the Tamil Diaspora, among whom the pro-LTTE sentiment has always been high, has continuously criticized the LLRC through the media, particularly in controlled publications. Accusing the Rajapaksa regime of butchering innocent Tamils in the name of the war against LTTE militants, the Tamil Mirror, for instance, questioned the very legitimacy of the Commission appointed by the President:One could ask him or herself how it is possible to seek justice from the butcher for killing animals. The butcher would have his own story. The animals, which are already dead, leave only the witnesses to seek justice from the investigation commission appointed by the butcher. How it is possible to get justice from this commission? This concept applies to the… Commission set up by Rajapaksa and the Tamils who are the victims of the genocidal war.The Commission has, moreover, become embroiled in domestic politics as well. On March 25, 2011, the leader of the United National Party (UNP), Sri Lanka’s main Opposition party, Ranil Wickremasinghe decided not to testify before the LLRC. UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake attributed this decision to LLRC’s lack of interest in fulfilling its stated purpose of reuniting the communities and finding a solution to the problems faced by the people. Most analysts, however, believe the move was provoked by fears that the LLRC would be used as a tool to discredit Wickremasinghe, as he had signed the cease-fire agreement with the LTTE in 2002, an initiative that has long been criticized by Rajapaksa as having conceded too much to the rebels.The Commission, meanwhile, has completed recording testimonies and is to submit its final report on May 15, 2011. With the sustained international and domestic campaign against the Commission, however, it is unlikely that its findings will take the process of reconciliation and political resolution significantly forward.

Sri Lanka announces standard time

Sri Lankan government announced the country's standard time at midnight Monday and made it mandatory for all electronic media and telecommunication companies to display it as the official time of the country.President Mahinda Rajapaksa Monday at the Temple Trees inaugurated the website www.sltime.org, displaying the Sri Lanka's standard time.The Minister of Cooperatives and Internal Trade Johnston Fernando authorized a Special Gazette Notification on the Standard Time.The President has said that it will be mandatory to display it as the official time of Sri Lanka.

Govt 'responsble' to probe Lasantha murder 

The responsibility of investigating the assassination of Sunday Leader editor lies with the Sri Lanka government, says an international media watchdog.Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says attacks on Namal Perera and Upali Tennakoon appear to come from the same source.CPJ Asia division’s Bob Dietz was reacting to ruling party MP Rajiva Wijesinha’s allegation that the British government did not provide details it had on the killing of Lasantha Wickrametunga.The former secretary to the ministry of human rights told BBC Sandeshaya that the defence attaché at the British High Commission (BHC) in Colombo gave him a note that linked Gen Sarath Fonseka to the assassination.

Other 'similar' attacks

Prof Wijesinha also accuses the UK authorities of supporting Gen Fonseka at the January 2010 presidential polls.But a spokesman at the BHC denied the accusation.“I think the bigger question is why the investigation has been dragging on for so long,” Mr Dietz told BBC Sinhala service, Sandeshaya.He insisted that it is the government’s responsibility to conduct a fair investigation to find out the culprits.“I always assumed that it was someone associated with Sarath Sonseka or Gotabhaya Rajapaksa - two of the masterminds behind it,” said the CPJ’s Bob Dietz.“Whether it is one or the other I honestly don’t know,” he said adding that it is the government’s responsibility to prove those assumptions is wrong.

Ahead of Elections, Pro-LTTE Journal Attacks Karunanidhi
 
Just ahead of elections in Tamil Nadu, a pro-Tamil Tiger journal has accused Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and his daughter-cum-MP Kanimozhi of betraying the rebels as they went down fighting two years ago.Ezhamurasu, which is widely circulated among the Tamil Diaspora in the West, has said that a senior Tamil Tiger leader was in touch with Kanimozhi but neither she nor her father did anything to save the guerrillas.The journal has reproduced three brief letters that P. Nadesan, who headed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE) political wing, wrote to Kanimozhi between Oct 14, 2008 and March 30, 2009 - and two from her to the LTTE.Nadesan also reportedly addressed one letter to Karunanidhi but it elicited no response.The last of the letters from Natesan, according to website pathivu.com, was a virtual SOS to the father-daughter duo, asking them to put pressure on the Indian coalition government - of which their DMK was a key component - to persuade Sri Lanka to call off the punishing military offensive.Natesan underlined March 30 that if Karunanidhi and Kanimozhi acted "even at this hour", then the war that was claiming innumerable lives in Sri Lanka's northeast could be halted.According to Ezhamurasu, the desperate appeal did not generate any immediate answer although it was crisis time for the LTTE.When Kanimozhi did respond on April 7, according to the journal, she told the Tigers to lay down their arms, and added that if they took her advice, there was a fair chance of the Indian government coming to their aid.If this wasn't possible, then the LTTE could get in direct touch with the Indian government, she said.Kanimozhi reiterated this in yet another letter, marking copies of both to Home Minister P. Chidambaram and then National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan.With Tamil Nadu inching towards the 2009 Lok Sabha election, the journal said Karunanidhi staged a "drama" of a hunger strike in Chennai towards the end of April to demand a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.That of course never happened, and the LTTE was militarily crushed by the Sri Lankan government in the third week of May 2009.LTTE founder leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who decades earlier used to live in Tamil Nadu, was among the scores of guerrillas killed in May.Another high-profile victim was Natesan himself, a former Sri Lankan police officer who headed the LTTE's police wing when the guerrillas lorded over the island's northeast.In an acerbic tone, the journal accused Karunanidhi of "gifting death to the Tamil people" when they had high expectations from the chief minister.Karunanidhi, it said, had acted like a "traitor" to the Tamil cause.The publication of the letters between the LTTE and DMK leaders comes as Tamil Nadu is set to elect a new assembly Wednesday.

China report criticizing U.S. HR

China accused the U.S. on Monday of pushing for Internet freedom around the world as a way to undermine other nations, while noting that Washington's campaign against secret-spilling website WikiLeaks showed its own sensitivity to the free flow of information, according to the USA Today website. The charges appeared in China's annual report on Washington's human rights record, which lambasted the U.S. over issues ranging from homelessness and violent crime to the influence of money on politics and the negative effects of its foreign policy on civilians.The lengthy document published in official newspapers is a rebuttal to the U.S. State Department's annual assessment of human rights around the world that said China stepped up restrictions on critics and tightened control of civil society in 2010 by limiting freedom of speech and Internet access.The U.S. has also protested the detention of government critics including artist Ai Weiwei as part of a recent Chinese crackdown on dissent."We hereby advise the U.S. government to take concrete actions to improve its human rights conditions, check and rectify its acts in the human rights field, and stop the hegemonistic deeds of using human rights issues to interfere in other countries' internal affairs," the report said.WikiLeaks deeply angered U.S. officials by publishing tens of thousands of secret U.S. military documents on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and secret U.S. diplomatic cables from around the world.The U.S. Army private suspected of supplying thousands of sensitive files to WikiLeaks, 23-year-old Bradley Manning, is being held in military detention in solitary confinement for all but an hour every day. He was charged with mishandling and leaking classified data, and in early March the Army filed 22 new charges against him, including aiding the enemy.

Mervyn’s secretary, 2 cops, remanded for extortion Three senior police officers transferred Suspect left minister’s staff on Thursday – Press Secy

Three top police officials have been transferred with immediate effect over their failure to take action against extortionists.Officers of the Colombo Crime Division on Sunday arrested Public Relations Minister Mervyn Silva’s Parliament Affairs Secretary Jayasena Mudiyanselage Buddhi and three others, including two policemen, for an alleged attempt to extort money from a Tamil businessmen to the tune of five million rupees in Grandpass.All suspects were produced in Courts yesterday and remanded till April 18.The Secretary had arrived in a vehicle belonging to the ministry with two policemen in uniform to collect the protection money when they were arrested.Preliminary investigations have revealed that the two policemen had obtained permission from their superiors to go with the main suspect.The Colombo Crime Division arrested the two policemen, the Secretary and another person.DIG Prasanna Nanayakkara was appointed the new DIG Western Province (North Range), Ananda Wijesuriya SSP (Kelaniya Division) and Mangala Dehideniya Peliyagoda HQI.The officers who were transferred have been accused of not taking action against the extortionists at the Peliyagoda Fish Market.Police Headquarters had to deploy the CCD and Special Task Force officials to curtail the operations of the extortionists at the Fish market.The police officers who were transferred are DIG Western Province (North Range), A. Dayananda, SSP (Kelaniya Division) Kithsiri Ganegama and Peliyagoda HQI S. Perera.Contacted for comment, Minister Mervyn Silva’s Press Secretary told The Island that the main suspect, now in remand, had left the minister’s staff on Thursday. He said there was a conspiracy to politically destroy his minister. He said Minister Silva had ordered the police to arrest anyone suspected of involvement in extortion. However, when asked to name the so-called ex-secretary to the minister, the Press Secretary refused to answer our query and cut off the line.The next question we wanted to pose to him was: "if the secretary concerned had left the ministerial staff on Thursday, how could he have used his official vehicle and influenced the police to release two constables to accompany him on his extortion mission two days later, on Sunday?" The Island hopes either Minister De Silva or his press secretary will answer this question.

JVP condemns Sonia’s authoritative stance on Sri Lanka

The statement made by the Leader of the Indian Congress Party Sonia Gandhi in Chennai on the 5th on the national question in Sri Lanka reveals the authoritative attitude of the Indian government states the JVP. This is stated in a communiqué issues by the party today (11th).  The communiqué states Sonia Gandhi’s statement that Sri Lanka should amend her constitution assuring equal rights and equal status to Tamils in Sri Lanka indicates the views held by Ms. Sonia Gandhi and Indian government have not changed. The communiqué further states that Ms. Gandhi in her statement has ignored the independence and sovereignty of Sri Lanka and considers Sri Lanka as an Indian state.The communiqué further states the JVP’s stand regarding independence and sovereignty of Sri Lanka is unwavering and vehemently condemns the statement by Ms. Sonia Gandhi. The JVP states  it is regrettable that Ms. Sonia Gandhi has become so bankrupt to use Sri Lanka’s issues to win elections in Tamil Nadu.

Forces stationed at Jaffna private properties will be shortly relocated – Jagath Jayasooriya

Military Commander Jagath Jayasooriya affirmed the forces stationed in private lands in Jaffna will be shortly transferred to some other areas. He said, the forces stationed in private lands will shortly relocate to government lands. He gave his New Year greetings to the forces separated from their families during Tamil and Sinhala new-year days. He made this statement while he addressed at the Palaly Military camp. The forces should function with discipline during a time war has come to an end which is essential, and it is much necessary to sustain the honor achieved was mentioned by him. He mentioned forces are giving considerable commitments towards the development projects advanced by the government, and such dedication should continue in the future.

10 April 2011

Political solution should be in accord with Tamil people’s wishes – TNA leader

Any political solution in the North and East should be in accord with the legitimate needs of the Tamil people, said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan. He was speaking at a ceremony in which 76 local councillors of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) took their oaths. The event was held in Trincomalee yesterday. “What the Tamils demand is a negotiated political solution in keeping with their legitimate needs,” Mr Sampanthan said. “The negotiated political solution cannot depend upon the wishes of the government but on the wishes of the Tamils.”The 76 ITAK councillors, elected at the last local elections, will be joining 15 local bodies in the North and East. ITAK won seats in 12 local authorities, including two Urban Councils (Trincomalee and Mannar) and 10 Pradeshiya Sabhas.The newly elected local councillors were taken in a procession from the Kali Kovil to the Trincomalee Town Hall, where the ceremony took place. Accompanying the councillors were TNA leaders, including Mr. Sampanthan, Mavai Senathiraja,TELO Leader Selvam Adaikalanathan, EPRLF Leade Suresh Premachchandran, PLOTE leader D. Siththarthan, and TNA Parliamentarians

North-East TNA local councilors take oaths in Trincomalee

Seventy six councilors, elected under Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) ticket on behalf of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for the fifteen local authorities in North and East, took oaths on Saturday at Trincomalee Town Hall in the presence of Mr.R.Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the TNA and President of the ITAK, sources in Trincomalee said. Sampanthan is also the Trincomalee district parliamentarian. Parliamentarians TELO Leader Selvam Adaikalanathan,EPRLF Leader Suresh Premachchandran, Maavai Senathirajah, E.Saravanapawan, P.Selkvarajah, P.Ariyanenthran, Sivasakthi Aanandan and S.Vinoharathalingam participated. D.Siththarthan, former Vanni district parliamentarian and the leader of the PLOTE also attended the event At the commencement local councilors and TNA leaders participated in religious events held in Trincomalee St.Mary’s Cathedral and Trincomalee Sri Paththirakali Ambal Kovil. Later they were taken in a procession from Kali Kovil along the Dockyard Road to the Trincomalee Town Hall.Religious dignitaries of the four faiths, Saivaism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity were present and blessed the occasion. Mr.Sampanthan first lit the tradition lamp, and other parliamentarians followed Sampanthan.All local councilors stood up in the hall and took oaths in unison. Thereafter Mr.Sampanthan spoke. Twelve Chairmen and Vice Chairman of the local authorities including two urban Councils (Trincomalee and Mannaar) and ten Pratheasiya Sabais that were won by the ITAK in the elections held on March 17 were among the new local councilors.

President's family 'dominates' Sri Lanka
 
The US annual report on human rights says that the government of Sri Lanka, a multi-party democracy, is dominated by the president’s family.“Two of the brothers hold key executive branch posts as defense secretary and minister of economic development, while a third brother is the speaker of parliament,” says the report.The elections in which President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his coalition came into power in 2010 are described as “problematic” by the report quoting independent observers.The US has also accused the Sri Lanka government “and its agents” of serious human rights violations.“Security forces committed arbitrary and unlawful killings,” the report said, and “disappearance continued to be a problem.”

Impunity

The report, however, noted that the total number of such incidents has declined.The climate of fear among the minority populations as well as those marginalised such as HIV/AIDS sufferers is another serious concern raised in the report.“Official impunity was a problem; there were no public indications or reports that civilian or military courts convicted any military or police members for human rights violations,” it said.The deterioration of the judicial independence is another serious concern, according to US State Department.“The judiciary was subject to executive influence, and the government infringed on citizen’s privacy rights.”The report also noted that the presidential commission chaired by retired justice Mahanama Thillekeratne is yet to hand over its final report although commission’s mandate ended on 16 March.

Judiciary

It says that there has been no progress in investigations into the killing of Sunday Leader editor, Lasantha Wickrematunga and the disappearance of LankaeNews journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.While Mr Wickremathunga was shot dead in Colombo on 08 January 2009, Mr Ekneligoda is missing since he left the office on 24 January, 2010.The report also notes the lack of progress of investigations over the attack on Siyatha television on 30 July, burning the studios and injuring two employees."Witnesses reported similarities in the manner in which this attack was carried out and the January 2009 attack on MTV/MBC studios, and some local groups suspected Ministry of Defense personnel were behind the attack," it said.The US report on Sri Lanka’s human rights record in 2010 says that academics in Sri Lanka were intimidated into practicing self-censorship.“The administration of a university in Colombo prevented the UN from holding an event on school premises that highlighted a number of human rights defenders as part of a celebration of International Human Rights Day in December.”

Corruption

The US has also accused the government of being “not transparent” in the tendering and procurement process for government contracts. “Senior officials served as corporate officers of several quasi-public corporations, including Lanka Logistics and Technologies, which the government established in 2007 and designated as the sole procurement agency for all military equipment,” said the report.“Critics alleged that large kickbacks were paid during the awarding of certain defense contracts.”But a military court in Sri Lanka found former army commander Sarath Fonseka guilty of corruption in arms procurement, leading to his losing of the parliamentary seat.It has later transpired that the military court has not kept any records of the proceedings prompting legal experts to question the legality of the verdict.The US also questions the criteria for granting presidential amnesty to prisoners quoting unsubstantiated reports of “payments to government officials in return” to release 1,312 prisoners in September.The inability of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) use its wide powers to pursue human rights abuses is another serious concern raised by the report.“Rather than taking an investigative approach to determining the facts and details of human rights cases, the SLHRC instead took a more tribunal-like approach, weighing only the evidence brought to it in deciding whether to pursue a case,” it said.

Newspaper changes hands?

The oldest and the highest selling Tamil daily Virakesari owned by the Express Newspapers Ltd. is all set to buy the second highest selling Tamil daily, the 14-year-old Thinakkural owned by leading food stuff importer from India S. P. Samy and the deal is said to have been finalised at Rs. 150 million.However it is learnt that Thinakkural will retain its name under Express Newspapers Ltd. management but will concentrate more on Northern affairs while Virakesari will be a newspaper of general interest to Tamil readers.Well informed newspaper circles said that Samy, the owner of Thinakkural, who is also a leader in the business of import of food items from India while retaining the import business will divert his attention to mega health sector business interests in the North in collaboration with two other Tamil millionaire businessmen. He is already said to have concentrated in establishing state-of-the-art health institutions on par with leading hospitals functioning in Colombo. Knowledgeable circles said that Samy’s son and daughter-in-law being doctors may have influenced his decision to concentrate on the health sector.Meanwhile none of the five districts in the North and for that matter even the Eastern province have any hospitals of repute and patients who could afford, fly to the city for better healthcare. Meanwhile, well qualified doctors, especially specialists and surgeons are expected to be based in Samy’s healthcare institutions to be set up in the North.Well informed sources pointed out that fears of another leading newspaper organization, owned by the pioneers in the trade, coming out with a new Tamil newspaper which is likely to start off as a weekly with subsequent plans to expand it to a daily, could be a reason for Samy’s decision to venture into the healthcare trade.

Sri Lanka's STF personnel recover a cache of arms in Valachchenai

Sri Lanka's Special Task Force (STF) personnel have recovered a cache of arms in Valachchenai, Batticaloa.The STF has reportedly made the discovery following a tip off from a former LTTE cadre.The local media has reported that the STF has recovered six rocket launchers, 226 T 56 bullets, and 40 grenades during the search operations.The STF in Valachchenai is continuing investigations.

In a foreign country No passports for Sri Lankans who apply for refugee status

The Sri Lankan government has decided to stop issuing passports, through its missions, to Sri Lankan nationals who have applied for refugee status in a foreign country. This directive has been enforced with immediate effect following a circular sent to all Sri Lankan missions overseas by the Controller of Immigration and Emigration, officials here said.It had become the practice amongst some Sri Lankans who arrive in a foreign country, particularly in Europe and the US, even through legal means to destroy their passports before claiming refugee status."Political unrest in Sri Lanka" is the most common reason given for their wanting to stay back, these officials pointed out.Earlier, Sri Lankan Tamils in particular capitalized on the war situation to apply for refugee status in large numbers in western countries and the majority of them were successful in winning their cases which allowed permanent residency in those countries.The normal practice in the UK is to allow the successful applicants to remain in the country indefinitely. They become qualified to apply for a British passport after one year. Most of these Sri Lankans who are allowed ‘indefinite stay’ seek new passports from the Sri Lankan High Commission in London to visit their near and dear ones back at home and return to the UK, an official said."With the new directive in place, we will not be issuing any new passports to Sri Lankans who had applied for refugee status here", he explained. "However, the mission can provide them with a temporary travel document to visit Sri Lanka". He said that with the war over, people no longer need to apply for refugee status in a foreign country. Even at the time the war was raging, most of the Sri Lankan who fled to foreign countries were not refugees but economic migrants.

TNA says HSZs not necessary now

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said yesterday it had told the government that considering the present security situation in the North and the recent Supreme Court ruling there was no longer a necessity for High Security Zones (HSZ).A TNA delegation comprising party leader R. Sampanthan, Mavai Senathirajah and Suresh Premchandran met a government delegation comprising House Leader and Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva and Sajin Vas Gunawardena.Mr. Senadhirajah said the TNA drew attention to the fact that the HSZ issue had seriously hampered the re-settlement process with only a few of the displaced people being properly resettled so far.“We gave the government delegation details about areas where the displaced people can safely be resettled and the number awaiting resettlement. For instance, only 9,000 out of 83,000 IDPs have been resettled in the Valley North. There are six Grama Sevaka Divisions with not a single internally displaced family resettled there up to now. Even though I am an MP, I have also not been permitted to visit my home because of this HSZ issue,” Mr. Senathirajah added.He said the government delegation had assured that when it attended the next meeting on April 29, it would have a positive response on resettlement issues.Mr. Senathirajah said power devolution would be discussed later and added that the TNA had prepared a working paper to be submitted to the government and stressed that Tamils did not have confidence in the 13th Amendment as a basis for resolving the ethnic issue and it did not meet the aspirations of the Tamil community.“What we want is a political mechanism that will devolve power meaningfully and the 13th Amendment falls far short of what we expect,” he said and added that successive governments have failed to devolve power even under the 13th Amendment and a good example was land powers, which had not been vested in a single provincial council. Mr. Senadhirajah said he hoped the ongoing discussions between the government and the TNA would pave the way for a permanent solution to the national question and addressed the grievances of the Tamil people.It said it was a good move on the part of the government to release particulars of Tamil youth under rehabilitation.“We believe about 11,000 youth are at rehabilitation camps and we want the government to prosecute them or release if there was no tangible evidence against them,” he said and lamented that discussions held in January, February and March had not produced any worthwhile results. Meanwhile, Minister De Silva confirmed that a discussion was positive and that it focused on the detainees.

Sri Lanka must account for missing - Human Rights Watch

Sri Lanka's government should account for all those detained at the end of the war with Tamil Tiger rebels nearly two years ago, Human Rights Watch says.The group said it believed that more than 20 people, including some rebels, had been "forcibly disappeared" after being captured by troops.The Sri Lankan government denied the allegations, saying it had made public the names of all those it arrested.Troops crushed the rebels in May 2009 after 26 years of bloody civil war.Human Rights Watch Asia director Brad Adams said: "The Sri Lankan government needs to respond to all allegations of disappearances with more than a ritual blanket denial."Family members of the disappeared have the right to know if their loved ones are alive or dead."Both sides were accused of atrocities in Sri Lanka's long conflict. The Tamil Tigers were fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the island's north and east.As many as 100,000 people were killed, including some 7,000 in the final stages of the war, the United Nations estimates.The BBC has heard numerous allegations from Tamils that their relatives are missing, among them a number of senior rebel fighters.
           
US does not support separatism — Blake

Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Robert O. Blake says in a letter to The Island in response to recent reports on his meetings with members of the Global Tamil Forum etc that the US does not support separatism and he has never met individuals or organisations that espouse terror or violence.

Full text of the letter:

I would like to clear up some misinformation and inaccuracies reported in The Island over the past week concerning the meeting I held with Sri Lankans abroad and my plans to visit Sri Lanka.First, regarding my meeting with representatives from the Global Tamil Forum, I meet regularly with Sri Lankan and diaspora groups whose members represent a variety of ethnic backgrounds and viewpoints. Likewise, I meet with diaspora representatives from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and other South and Central Asian nations. I also meet regularly with a variety of non-governmental organizations to hear their perspectives on a range of issues. And, of course, I communicate frequently with government officials from all countries in the region. U.S. policy is not crafted in a vacuum. I and my colleagues at the State Department and at U.S. Embassies listen to a variety of perspectives to gain a better understanding of issues in order to best determine our policy interests and positions. At the same time, we use these meetings as an opportunity to explain U.S. policy priorities.Such was the case with my meeting with members of the Global Tamil Forum. Participants shared with me their perspectives about issues facing Tamils in Sri Lanka and I outlined U.S. policy priorities. I made clear that the United States does not support separatism but rather a united, peaceful and democratic Sri Lanka. Further, I told them that we believe that the diaspora has a critical role to play. With their resources, networks, and expertise, I encourage members of the diaspora to work with the Sri Lankan government, civil society and the international community to promote prosperity and development in Sri Lanka. Finally, to be clear, although I meet with a variety of diaspora groups, I never meet with individuals or organizations who espouse terror or violence, in accordance with U.S. Government policy.Second, I had originally planned to visit Sri Lanka in early April. The purpose of my visit was simple: I wanted to continue my ongoing dialogue with the Sri Lankan government, civil society, and others in order to gain a better understanding of developments in Sri Lanka and to explain U.S. policy. With the Minister of External Affairs out of country at the time of my scheduled visit, the Sri Lankan government asked that I postpone my trip. I look to visiting again soon and continuing the positive dialogue the United States enjoys with Sri Lankans inside and outside the country.

06 April 2011

India pressing for equal rights for Sri Lankan Tamils: Sonia

India is pressing Sri Lanka to amend the Constitution to “guarantee and ensure equal rights and equal status” to Sri Lankan Tamils, Congress president and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi said here on Tuesday.

Significant progress

“In our neighbourhood, there is no issue closer to our heart than the rights of the Sri Lankan Tamil people. There has been significant progress last year and India had committed and provided large sums of money for the relief and rehabilitation of the affected people. We will do everything in our power to rehabilitate them,” she said, addressing an election rally on Island Ground along with Dravida Munetra Kazhagam president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.She said the Union government was spending substantial amount on rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils and “we will continue our efforts at rehabilitation” [of the Tamils displaced in the war between the Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam].She also spoke of the firing on Tamil fishermen in the international waters which claimed a few lives.“We are deeply pained that some lives of fishermen have been lost. We have been assured that there would be no firing in the future and we will continue to work to ensure this commitment is met,” she said.

Nationalisation of rivers

Mr. Karunanidhi, who virtually turned this opportunity to seek the support of the Centre on various issues bedevilling Tamil Nadu, pleaded for the nationalisation of rivers, as that alone could be a “long-term solution” to disputes over sharing river water. “As the first phase, steps should be taken to link all the rivers in the south and funds for the same should be provided to State governments”, he added.

Selection for Vavuniya Town council Chairman will be next week.

Tamil National Alliance informed the final announcement to the selection for Chairman to Vavuniya Urban Council will be notified on the forthcoming 11th. According to the information from TELO Leader and Vanni District Parliament Member Selvam Adaikalanathan, Chairman and vice Chairman selections were discussed by the members contested the local council election.Their opinions were obtained was mentioned by Parliament member. In this situation on the forthcoming 11th, TNA will hold discussions, and the leadership position to the Vavuniya Town Council will be finally decided was mentioned by him.

Sri Lanka gets more IMF cash; warned on excess liquidity

The International Monetary Fund has given Sri Lanka 218.3 million dollars under its 2.5 billion US dollar program but called on the Central Bank to tighten liquidity management to prevent further inflation Sri Lanka stopped permanently sterilizing excess reserves in the banking system late last year and released more than a billion rupees of cash (about a third of the monetary base) as excess reserves.

Liquidity Shock

Sri Lanka now has one of the highest levels of inflation among dollar pegged countries in Asia at 8.6 percent in March, except countries like Vietnam which is also having balance of payments troubles. "Steps to expand the liquidity management tools at the central bank’s disposal will help maintain its control over monetary conditions," IMF's deputy managing director John Lipsky said in a statement. Excess reserves in Sri Lanka's banking system is around 80 to 90 billion rupees, down from 120 billion late last year, or about the third of reserve money, which is defined without excess reserves. Excess reserves leave more cash for banks to lend to the real economy. Credit growth picked up to nearly 30 percent by January. "Going forward, monetary policy will need to be vigilant about the possible second-round effects from higher prices on core inflation and strike the right balance between supporting economic growth and preventing excess liquidity from fueling inflationary pressures," the IMF said. Calls for higher wages are already rising. State sector unions have engaged in sporadic trade union action. Sri Lanka's plantation workers are demanding a 50 percent wage hike in their bi-annual talks with management. Authorities expect Sri Lanka to generate less inflation after April. Sri Lanka is also expected to change the inflation index weights around May, a practice that is used to understate inflation in almost all paper fiat money regimes. India however has a widely watched wholesale price index, which is less easy to manipulate.

Reserves

When excess reserves are loaned to the real economy it will either increase defined reserve money (monetary base) helping push inflation up or cause foreign reserve losses, or both. Sri Lanka's foreign reserves have been flat at around 6.6 to 6.7 billion rupees. The IMF said it was giving 218 million US dollars, waiving key targets, bringing the total disbursed so far up to 1.75 billion US dollars under a 2.6 billion US dollar program. IMF resident representative Koshy Mathai said the waivers were given because data was not available and not because targets were missed. Compared to months of imports, Sri Lanka now has reserves equivalent to 5.8 months of past imports down from 6.3 in October. In terms of projected imports, it is 4.5 months, which is also high. Sri Lanka has a pegged exchange rate and only needs enough foreign reserves to cover the monetary base, provided policy is not loose. If policy is loose, Sri Lanka has to float the currency to conserve foreign reserves. "Allowing sufficient two-way flexibility of the exchange rate will help support the external position and meet the reserves target," the Lipsky said.

Budget

IMF said growth was strong, inflation was in single digits and reserves were comfortable and economy was recovering from the impact of heavy recent floods. "The 2010 budget deficit target has been met and budget developments so far in 2011 are broadly in line with expectations," IMF said. "The authorities’ plan to handle the flood-related expenses by reallocating and reprioritizing expenditure within the existing budget will help maintain the program’s deficit target for 2011." IMF said a state petroleum and power utility is expected to cut their combined losses this year, which would "ensure the durability of fiscal adjustment." The IMF watches the combined number as the state has in the past used one agency to subsidize the other. " To this end, it will be important to allow adjustment of domestic prices to reflect fluctuations in international fuel prices," IMF said. Last week Sri Lanka raised fuel prices but on an arbitrary method. The state petroleum distributor raised diesel prices by only two rupees and petrol by 10 rupees. In Sri Lanka petrol is heavily taxes, while diesel users largely get a free ride by riding on the incomes of petrol users. Lanka OIC, the second retailer raised diesel by 12 rupees, which is more based on cost.

Mervyn denies his men involved in extortion racket

Public Relations Minister and Kelaniya UPFA strongman Mervyn Silva says his associates aren’t involved in the alleged extortion racket at the newly opened fish market complex in Peliyagoda.Minister Silva says he’ll initiate an inquiry on his own to identify those involved in the racket.The minister was responding to a query by The Island in the wake of a spate of allegations that his associates were trying to launch a major extortion racket targeting fish vendors and suppliers.He said: "If the police prove my involvement or any connection of my associates in running an extortion racket, I’ll quit politics and go back to Beliatta. I’m glad President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Minister Basil Rajapaksa set up the complex in my area and I’ll not do anything that will disrupt it."

China to finance US$ 500 mn priority road projects

The China Development Bank Corporation is to provide a US$ 500 million loan to finance priority road projects in Sri Lanka, the government said. Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told journalists in Colombo last week that the monies would be used to improve and rehabilitate roads connecting electorates countrywide.The project once completed would result in the reduction of transport costs, better integration of all parts of the country, increase economic activity and provide more employment opportunities, he said.Rambukwella said that the loan agreement would be signed shortly between the Finance Ministry and China Development Bank Corporation.Japan has pledged to grant Rs 468 million to finance a Food Security Project for Low Income Farmers. It would be used to purchase agricultural machinery and equipment numbering a total of 870 Two Wheel and Four Wheel Tractors, to assist the food production programme, he said.Rambukwella said that the Asian Development Bank has agreed to provide an additional loan of US$ 17.6 million to implement the Muttur Water Supply Scheme under the on going Secondary Town and Rural Community Based Water Supply Sanitation Project, which would benefit 50,000 people.The Cabinet of ministers, he said, had also granted approval for the Finance Ministry to negotiate with the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank, for interest free emergency financial assistance of US$ 38 million for community livelihood projects in the conflict affected areas.Funding was urgently needed to support emergency rehabilitation and restoration of agricultural roads, tanks, minor irrigation schemes and canals that were affected due to the recent floods, Rambukwella said.

Army conduct a cordon and search in east                            

The army will conduct a cordon and search operation in the entire eastern province today as part of a military training exercise, the military said.Military sources in the eastern province said that apart from the cordon and search operation the army will also conduct road patrols and vehicle checks today.The operations will be carried out in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara and will be done in a manner to ensure the public do not face any difficulties, the military said.Military sources said that the training exercise is not aimed at spreading fear among the public but merely to keep the army on its toes.

LTTE Thanam beaten and hospitalised

According to news circulating in London, Two unidentified men attacked R. Soosaipillai, known as Thanam, in front of his house in London Monday night. Mr. Thanam, was one of the key persons who supported the successful re-mandate of Vaddukkoaddai Resolution in UK. He served as a mobilisation coordinator in the British Tamil Forum (BTF) during the crucial time 2008 – 2010. The 47-year-old activist has been a force behind major LTTE public events in UK including the Heroes Day remembrances. He was attacked while he was taking out shopping items from the back of his car. As he fainted in between two cars, his family members raised an alarm and the attackers ran away. Thanam recently founding of ILC Tamil Radio in London according to Tamil net A couple of days before the attack, Thanam was ‘warned’ by some elements who told him that he should ‘fall in line’ with their political agenda.

05 April 2011

Democratic verdicts of Tamil people should be recognised in a country which claims to function on democratic governance - R. Sampanthan MP

Statement made by R. Sampanthan MP, parliamentary group leader Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and President Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) on the results of the local authorities elections held in the North East The Tamil National Alliance (T.N.A) –The Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (I.T.A.K) has been elected to power in every one of the predominantly Tamil populated Local Authority areas to which elections were held recently in the North East. In the predominantly Tamil speaking Local Authority areas in the North East, with a sizeable Tamil population, the T.N.A – I.T.A.K has performed creditably.The Tamil people have thereby continued to endorse clearly the political goal of the T.N.A – the I.T.A. K, that there should be an acceptable durable and reasonable political solution to the Tamil question, based upon the sharing of powers of governance, which will ensure that the Tamil speaking people can live in security and with dignity, in the areas they have historically inhabited, and which will also ensure the fulfilment of their legitimate political social economic and cultural aspirations and rights, through their own initiatives, and without depending upon the mercy of others.The Local Authorities election results affirm the results of the Parliamentary elections held in April 2010 and puts the democratic verdict of the Tamil people in favour of an acceptable durable and reasonable political solution beyond any semblance of doubt.The democratic verdicts of the Tamil people should be respected and recognised in a country which claims to function on the principle of democratic governance.These democratic verdicts of the Tamil people, are in consonance with the verdicts they have continuously delivered at all elections since 1956 – for over half a century. The failure to give due recognition to these democratic verdicts delivered by the Tamil people since 1956, was the primary reason, for the commencement of violence and the outbreak of an armed struggle. This armed struggle has come to an end but the whole country – the Tamil people in particular, have paid a big price. It is widely believed that in the final stages of the war concluded in May 2009, innocent non-combatant Tamil civilians in large numbers paid a very heavy price. This issue is now in the public domain.The Tamil people do not want a return to violence in any form.Continuous and callous disrespect and disregard of the democratic verdicts of the Tamil people, would only demonstrate that the Tamil people continue to be governed without their consent, and against their free will, and without being granted any access to powers of governance, in an authoritarian and dictatorial manner. Such authoritarian and dictatorial rule, in violation of the democratic, political, fundamental, and the human rights of the Tamil people, must necessarily come to an end, and we do think that the time has arrived for this end to be brought about.The T.N.A on behalf of the Tamil people is currently engaged in a process through which it is hoped that an acceptable durable and reasonable political solution can be evolved. The T.N.A has pledged to work with commitment to achieve such an acceptable durable and reasonable political solution.We appeal to the Tamil people and to all political forces within the Tamil polity, to firmly resolve to be united in the achievement of this objective. The strength of the democratic verdicts of the Tamil people should be accepted by everyone We extend our sincere appreciation to the people and to all party workers who contributed towards the achievement of these results. We convey our warm congratulations and best wishes to all who have been elected to the several local authorities, and appreciate their cooperation and unity.
           
Suspect in Katunayake attack and in hiding arrested after many years in an European country

A prime LTTE suspect who was involved in the attack launched on the Katunayake Airport and was in hiding after escaping was arrested in an European country by its intelligence division on the 31st of March .This suspect whose name is Kamal is from Velvetiturai, Sri Lanka .When he moved to another European country from Switzerland , he had been taken into custody. This intelligence division has thrown a surveillance net around him for several years , and it also has his DNA report . Hence the suspect had been identified beyond any trace of doubt.Of the attackers on the Katunayake Airport, 14 died while three suspects escaped. Kamal is one of those who escaped.The intelligence service had disclosed that this suspect had been in the process of collecting information and data on the flights undertaken by President Rajapakse .The Katunayake attack was launched on 24th July 2001 . 14 LTTE cadres and 7 members of the Forces died in the attack while 4 civilians also died and another 12 sustained injuries. The loss incurred owing to the damage caused by the attack was in the region of US. $ 350 million .

04 April 2011

Tamils protest at asylum policy shift

Hundreds of people have protested in the Swiss capital Bern against the potential repatriation of asylum seekers to Sri Lanka. Protestors called for a rethink of a decision in force since March 1, saying the human rights situation in Sri Lanka remained precarious. At the start of the year, the Federal Migration Office said the situation in the country had improved and decided that most asylum seekers could return to the north and east of the country following the end of civil war.But the Swiss Council of Eelam Tamils who organised Saturday’s demonstration fear Tamils will be arrested and tortured on their return to the country. They said refugees should only be sent back if the Sri Lankan government authorises an international inquiry into alleged war crimes and ends the emergency rule. The International Committee of the Red Cross should also be given access to all political prisoners, they said. The Federal Migration Office said there were 2,100 Sri Lankans whose asylum applications were pending in Switzerland by the end of last year. Sri Lankans are one of the biggest migrant groups in Switzerland. There were 27,721 people of Sri Lankan origin in the country at the end of 2008. Since 1973 more than 11,000 Sri Lankans have acquired Swiss citizenship.

Ready to support Govt – Ranil

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday vowed to give his fullest support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa led government if the government assured to increase the salaries of public servants before June this year.“We are ready to give our fullest support to the government if the government increased the salaries of the public servants before June,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said in Passara.He said that the salary increase should include government servants and armed forces, police and corporations as well.Commenting on the price increase of several essential items during the weekend, Mr. Wickremesinghe said that the government took the ICC World Cup cricket match as cover to increase the price of fuel and gas while the Lankans were engrossed in the World Cup cricket match in Mumbai

Delayed LG polls to cause legal snag

Elections to the remaining 66 local bodies will run into a serious legal snag if polls are not conducted on or before May 31.According to the elections law, the elections to the balance 66 local government bodies must be concluded by end May under the 2009 electoral register.If elections were to be postponed further, then the Elections Department will have to use the 2010 electoral register, which many local poll watchers say will lead to various problems.According to the new polls chief the department is in the process of preparing the new register.The government held its first local government election after the three-decade old conflict on March 17.The United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa recorded a landslide victory at the elections and swept through 205 out of 235 local bodies. Elections for the remaining bodies were postponed as the Elections Commissioner rejected nominations submitted by the respective political parties to these councils on the basis they lacked proper information. So far there has not been any official intimation from the government regarding elections to the remaining local bodies.The Supreme Court has also, so far, not issued its verdict on the cases filed by several political parties, challenging Elections Commissioner’s decision to reject their nominations.The March 17 local government elections were conducted under the 2009 electoral register and the election law insists that polls to the remaining local bodies too must be held under the same electoral register.The newly appointed Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya told The Nation that according to the law elections to the remaining bodies must be held before May 31. But added there has not been any official intimation to this effect from the government.He said the government can always postpone the elections under the Emergency Regulations (ER) but then the court will have to decide how elections should be conducted thereafter.Peoples Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) chief Rohana Hettiarachchi said while his organisation was getting prepared for the elections, he too was concerned about the date of the polls.He said he has already made an appeal to the government to hold the elections on a single day and not to hold future elections on a staggered basis.He said if the government went further to postpone elections to the remaining councils then there could be more problems. Candidates whose ages were calculated depending on the 2009 electoral register will not be allowed legally to contest elections if they are conducted after May 31, he said.Meanwhile when contacted a legal luminary said on the condition of anonymity that every June 1st, new election registers come into operations adding by May 31 the old register becomes obsolete.As for the present legal registry he said the ‘2009 electoral register’ which is revised and certified is considered as the legal register.He said candidates who contested the March 17 elections were qualified only to contest any elections up to May 31 and added if an election is held after May 31, the candidates qualified to contest under the present 2009 electoral register will not be eligible to contest.“In all fairness to the candidates, it is only proper to have the elections under the present register or call for fresh elections,” he said.

Mob attack in Hatton following WC final    

Police in Sri Lanka say that they have arrested four people suspected on an attack following a the protest threat by a cabinet minister. Superintendent of Police Prishantha Jayakody told BBC Sandeshaya that the suspects were remanded until the 15th of March."This was a clash between two groups and the situation is under control," he said.However, a government minister maintained that they have provided names of four people 'who were among a mob that attacked Tamil community in Up Country”. The leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Arumugam Thondaman, had earlier threatened to stage a Hartal if police do not arrest those who were involved in the attack. He told journalists that a mob attacked Tamils of Indian origin in Hatton after India beat Sri Lanka to the cricket world cup on Saturday.Three people with injuries have been admitted to the Dickoya hospital.Minister Thondaman said that the mob who first threw fireworks into houses later attacked them.Several houses in Samanalagama and Hijrapura have been damaged. The attackers were reportedly disappointed that Pakistan, whom they first supported were out of the World Cup."Police must arrest the unruly people who are trying to undermine the communal harmony in Hatton," said S Muttu Sivalingam, the leader of the CWC. The minister said that no Sinhala nationals were among the attackers 'although there were efforts to incite them'.

MDMK men burn Rajapaksa effigy

COIMBATORE: As many as 20 MDMK workers were arrested in the city on Saturday after they burned the effigy of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemning his visit to Mumbai to watch the India -Sri Lanka world cup final match on Saturday. More than 100 MDMK workers had congregated near Gandhipuram bus terminus on Saturday morning. "He is responsible for the death of hundreds of Tamils in Sri Lanka. How can he come and enjoy a day of cricket in Mumbai? We strongly condemn the incident," said M Krishnasamy, corporation councillor. The MDMK men came armed with kerosene and the effigy of Rajapaksa at around 11.15 on Saturday. They raised slogans against the union government before they set the effigy on fire.

Sri Lanka Police recover boats hidden by the LTTE during the war

Sri Lanka Police said on Sunday that 23 fiberglass boats belonged to the LTTE have been recovered in Mankulam, the second largest town in the Vavuniya District of Northern Sri Lanka.Police Spokesperson Senior Superintendent of Police Prishantha Jayakody told the media that the boats had been hidden in a forest area in Mankulam by the LTTE during the war and a police team has recovered them.The Mankulam police are conducting further investigations into the recovery.

02 April 2011

EU, Sri Lanka meets                          

A discussion was held between the Heads of Missions of EU member States in Sri Lanka and the External Affairs Ministry in Colombo, the External Affairs Ministry said today.The Ministry said that the Acting Minister of External Affairs Neomal Perera took part in the discussion with the EU delegation which was held yesterday. The discussions centered on strengthening the bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the EU and Sri Lanka, the External Affairs Ministry said without elaborating further..Willy Vandenberghe, Chargé d'affaires of the EU accompanied by Mrs. Leoni  Cuelenaere, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,  Mrs. Christine Robichon, Ambassador of France, Mr. Mark  Gooding, British Deputy High Commissioner and Dr. Gianluca Rubagotti Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Italy took part in the discussion

IUSF wants UN intervention

The Inter University Students Federation (IUSF)has called for a UN intervention against the alleged suppression on university students right in Sri Lanka. IUSF today handed over a letter addressed to the UN office Colombo calling for its intervention to stop the alleged harassments of students. IUSF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara told Daily Mirror that they handed over the letter seeking intervention and to create awareness on the alleged harassments which the students have to undergo from the hands of the authorities. In its letter the IUSF said the university students have to undergo harassments from the higher education authorities and the government as a whole. It said such assessments have been prevailing for the last 3 decades and they were unleashed by the governments in the past. The union had alleged that nearly 300 students have been suspended from the universities over false accusations at the recent times. They also alleged that 50 students have been arrested. In addition they said in the latter there have been many attacks on the students’ protests injuring some of them.

SL concerned over US-LTTE meet ahead of UN ‘war crimes’ report

The Sri Lankan government is concerned over a recent meeting involving senior representatives of US State Department, Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and British Tamil Forum (BTF) at the State Department, where they are believed to have discussed a strategy to compel Sri Lanka to accept an international ‘war crimes’ probe.Authoritative sources say that in spite of both GTF and BTF pursuing the LTTE’s separatist agenda, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake met the head of the GTF Fr. Emmanuel, Suren Surendiran of the BTF and the US-based head of the GTF Dr. Jeyarajah on March 28.The meeting took place ahead of a three-member UN Panel, appointed by UNSG Ban Ki-moon releasing its ‘war crimes’ report on the final phase of Eelam war IV. Sources said that this week’s rehearsal at the UN mission in Colombo indicated that the UN expected a possible siege on the offices after the release of the report.Responding to a query, intelligence sources told The Island that the BTF was spearheading the separatist campaign. The Diaspora was trying to achieve through international intervention what the LTTE couldn’t do with arms and the support of a section of the international community.In fact, the GTF had been created by the UK-based BTF as part of its strategy to strengthen hardliners, led by Norway based Perinpanayagam Sivaparan aka Nediyawan.Sources said that the US move could undermine US-based attorney-at-law V. Rudrakumaran, the first ‘Premier’ of the Transitional Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) now under pressure not only by the GTF and BTF but a section of his so-called cabinet of ministers.Asked whether the BTF had received the support of political parties in Europe and the US, sources said that the Diaspora had launched the BTF on Feb. 24, last year at the House of Commons in the presence of the then British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. Since then, the BTF had established offices in at least 15 countries, with its main secretariat in London. Sources said that the London Secretariat is headed by former Labour MP for Enfield North Joan Ryan, who first entered parliament in 1997 until her defeat at the 2010 General Election.Ryan on Dec. 3, last year filed an application on behalf of the GTF in London for an arrest warrant against Maj. Gen. Chagi Gallage, of the Presidential Security Division, alleging that he had committed ‘war crimes.’ Maj. Gen. Gallage, one of the key officers involved in executing ground operations, was accompanying President Mahinda Rajapaksa on a private visit to London.

Prof Peiris meets with UK lawmakers

External Affairs Minister Prof GL Peiris is currently on an official visit to the United Kingdom. His program includes meetings with Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, Minister of State for Trade and Investment; Dr Liam Fox MP, Secretary of State for Defence and MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Alistair Burt.At the House of Commons, Minister Peiris will interact with a cross-party delegation of British Parliamentarians representing both Houses of the British Parliament.He will also meet with a group of leading British entrepreneurs. The Minister will be the Chief Guest at the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Professional Sri Lankans (APSL -UK), representing over 400 professionals of Sri Lankan origin residing in the UK. The Minister is scheduled to conclude his visit with a Press Conference, addressing representatives of the British and international media at the High Commission in London.On March 30 Minister Peiris met a cross-party group of British lawmakers in the House of Commons. The luncheon meeting included the Chairman of the All Party Parliamentarians Group for Sri Lanka in the British Parliament Lord Naseby (Conservative), Lord Sheikh (Conservative), Lord Dholakia (Liberal Democrat), Stephen Hammond MP (Conservative), David Amess MP (Conservative), Steward Jackson MP (Conservative), and Mark Pritchard MP. (Conservative). Pritchard is also the Deputy Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Conservative Party.The British lawmakers had a cordial discussion with the Minister about the latest developments in Sri Lanka including overall post-conflict progress. Several of the Parliamentarians present who had recently visited Sri Lanka, recalled the positive impression formed during their visit including to the North and East.Minister Peiris updated the MPs and Lords on the issues raised in the British Parliament on Sri Lanka in the recent past, and the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to address all aspects of post-conflict recovery phase, as well as on ongoing political talks.The British lawmakers acknowledged the progress made under challenging circumstances, and agreed to share these perspectives with the Sri Lankan diaspora in their respective constituencies.Recalling the time-tested friendship between the two countries they discussed modalities to further strengthen the bilateral relationship, which holds great potential for increased bilateral trade and investment ties and enhanced people to people contact.

Moving globally against the Tigers

Concerted international action to curb fund-raising and weapons procurement by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) started in the first half of 2006, around the time Sri Lanka's fragile ceasefire broke down and an all-out war started. It was the United States that unveiled and initiated the plan to create two international ‘contact groups', one each to move against fund-raising and weapons procurement by the LTTE.U.S. Embassy cables accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks reveal that Sri Lanka was excited about the proposal and wanted to bring India on board to operationalise the contact groups. The Americans believed that India “was on the same page” as them on what to do about the stalled peace process — “getting the President [Mahinda Rajapaksa] to fill in the details of a political solution to deflate LTTE claims that the GOSL [Government of Sri Lanka] was ignoring Tamil aspirations — and working to cut off LTTE access to weapons and money.”These were the words in a cable sent to the State Department under the name of U.S. Ambassador in Colombo Jeffrey J. Lunstead on May 3, 2006, eight days after the LTTE tried to assassinate Sri Lankan Army Commander Sarath Fonseka (62637: confidential).Over the next couple of months, there are repeated references in cables to the ‘contact groups.' Their composition is revealed in an Aide Memoire that Sri Lanka submitted to the U.S. in August 2006. Despite indications in cables that date back to June that year that India was quite happy with the idea of the contact groups, Sri Lanka requested in the Aide Memoire for U.S. help to put pressure on India to get on board the international plan to rein in Tiger finances and arms purchases.The Aide Memoire, quoted in full in an August 21, 2006 cable sent from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, discloses the composition of the contact groups for the first time: representatives of Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States (75589: confidential).The May 3 cable recounts an interaction between the U.S. Political Officer in Colombo and India's First Secretary Amandeep Singh Gill. It is clear that India was pushing Sri Lanka to come out with a political solution, but had made little headway in its efforts.On June 12, the Acting Political Counselor in the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi met Mohan Kumar, Joint Secretary (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar) in the Ministry of External Affairs, to deliver a demarche, presumably containing the action plan on the contact groups. A cable, sent on the same day, said: “Kumar said he had ‘previously discussed the idea with [Foreign Secretary] Saran', and thought it made sense to have two distinct contact groups to examine LTTE fundraising and arms procurement.” (67636: confidential). It was signed by Ambassador David Mulford.Mr. Kumar wanted Canada to be included in the contact group dealing with terror-financing, but did not have any additional comments regarding the group's composition. The cable recounted an earlier conversation with an American representative in which he had suggested involving South-East Asian states such as Thailand and Malaysia to restrict arms flows, “and therefore [he] was pleased at the proposed composition of the weapons procurement contact group.”On June 20, Mr. Lunstead called on his Indian counterpart, Nirupama Rao, in Colombo to discuss the possibility of a joint demarche by India and the U.S., and the plan to form contact groups. “Rao thought this was a good idea,” Mr. Lunstead said in a cable to the State Department on June 21 (68835: confidential). Ms. Rao was not “encouraging” on the idea of a joint demarche.In New Delhi on June 22, S. Jaishankar, Joint Secretary (Americas) at the MEA, called the Acting Political Counselor in the U.S. Embassy “to relay the considered Indian response” that it favoured parallel demarches to Sri Lanka instead of a joint demarche because it would have a “better impact.” Mr. Mulford said in a cable sent the same day: “India was amenable to coordinating messages prior to delivery.” (69020: confidential).Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran visited Colombo in the first week of July. Later that month, the Sri Lankan Army formally crossed the ceasefire line to free a reservoir that the LTTE had shut down and refused to reopen, marking the beginning of a prolonged military operation that culminated in the liberation of the eastern region in 2008. Even during this phase, India was pushing for a political solution. This was the theme of an August 18, 2006 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Delhi (75386: confidential).Small wonder, then, that Sabarullah Khan, the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi, submitted an Aide Memoire to the Acting Political Counselor in the U.S. Embassy. “Khan said that the GOSL is pressing the Indians to come up with more concrete plans for resolution of the ongoing conflict and more movement on the contact groups concept.”And Mr. Khan added: “…the Government of Sri Lanka would greatly value the support of the Government of India for the initiative taken by the State Department of United States and the comprehensive participation of India in the work of the two Contact Groups” (75589: confidential, dated August 21, 2006, also cited above).(This article is a part of the series "The India Cables" based on the US diplomatic cables accessed by The Hindu via Wikileaks.)

Victory similar to war victory - SF

Jailed DNA Leader and former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka said it is the sincere hope of his party that the Sri Lankan cricket team would win the World Cup final and that it would be a victory similar to the Great War victory achieved two years ago. “It is our wish that the Sri Lankan cricketers would win the final despite he present social, political and economic crisis, “he said issuing a statement.Chief opposition whip John Amaratunga who conveyed his best wishes to the Sri Lankan cricket team on behalf of the UNP said it is his and the party’s hope that they emerge victorious at tomorrow’s match. Mr. Amaratunga said the Sri Lankan team has the capability of repeating its feat in 1996 where the team led by Former Captain Arjuna Ranatunga comprehensively beat Australia in Lahore.

Weapons haul in Vavuniya

The Police Special Task Force seized a haul of weapons including five claymore mines in Vavuniya during search operations conducted on Wednesday and Thursday.The haul included claymore mines, RPG rounds, detonators, Arul bombs, hand grenades and anti personnel mines.The search operations were conducted in Alampil North in Mulaitivu, Vellamullawaikkal, Settikulam and Periyathampane.The weapons were handed over to the Mullaitivu Police and Settikulam Police.Investigations were conducted by the STF led by Inspector E P S N Edirisinghe on the supervision of SSP Jayaweera on the instructions of STF Commandant DIG R W M C Ranawana.

Vasanthi Arasaratnam becomes Vice Chancellor, Jaffna University

Senior Professor of the Medical Faculty of the University of Jaffna, Ms.Vasanthi Arasaratnam has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna with effect from 28th March. She gets the rare distinction of being the first woman Vice Chancellor of the university. Prof. Arasaratnam earlier served as the Dean of the Medical Faculty. She secured the highest number of preferential votes of the university council among the three nominated to the post a few months ago. Prof. Arasaratnam succeeds Prof. N. Shanmugalingan of the Sociology department who held the post for the past three years.Prof. Arasarstnam is well recognized for her steadfast attachment to the university throughout its difficult years and for her progressive views about gender and society.Meanwhile, another council nominee for the post of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Ratnajeevan Hoole, who recently returned from the USA, has been given an assignment and an office in the University of Jaffna to plan and build a new Engineering Faculty for the university, academic circles in the university said.

Former LTTE members released

A group of 206 LTTE cadres who surrendered to the security forces during the military conflicts in the North and the East were released today after being rehabilitated  for one and half years. They were residents of Vavuniya, Kilinochchi , Mullativue and Jaffna Districts. Additional Secretary to the Minister of Rehabilitation and Prisons P.W.Kodippili was the chief guest of today ceremony at the Vavuniya cultural centre.Commissioner of Rehabilitation Brig. Sudantha Ranasignhe said 6100 LTTE cadre have been rehabilitate and handed over to their parents to date.The released LTTE cadres were provided transport and security to travel to their areas of residence

Lanka arrests scribe

A senior web journalist was arrested on Thursday for allegedly threatening the brother of a suspect, said to be behind the arson attack which gutted a website office in January this year. News editor of Lanka E News website, Bennet Rupasinghe, was picked up by the police on Thursday after he went to the police station to give a statement.Police spokesperson Prasahanta Jayakkody told reporters that Rupasinghe has been taken into custody on the basis of a complaint made by the brother of the suspect who is under police remand and is being questioned over the arson attack on the office of the Lanka e News earlier this year.He was later remanded to judicial custody till April 7 by a court.Reports said Rupasinghe was additionally charged for allegedly having an armed group threaten the complainant at gunpoint on March 11 and withholding information from the police regarding the attack on Lanka e-News.In January this year, a group of unidentified people broke into the office of the Lanka E News portal and set fire to all the fixtures and equipment they could find.Following protests by media groups, the government had ordered an enquiry into the incident. Subsequently, arrests were made in the case.Earlier Prageeth Eknaligoda, a cartoonist and columnist with Lanka E News went missing in January 2010, just days before polls opened in Sri Lanka’s presidential elections. He has not yet been traced.The US embassy in Colombo had expressed concern over the attack on the news portal and had urged the Sri Lanka government that the investigation be conducted quickly and fairly and that all the perpetrators be brought to justice.In a strongly worded statement, the US embassy said that “regardless of who is responsible for this incident, such violence directed against a media institution silences voices, further threatens freedom of expression, and undermines democracy throughout the country.”