With Tamil Nadu due to go to the polls within weeks, the issue of Indian fishermen being attacked in the waters between India and Sri Lanka has once again made the news. The oceanic border between India and Sri Lanka has no visible demarcations and fishermen often find themselves on the wrong side. While Sinhala fishermen (often seeking tuna) have been arrested in Indian waters and later released, there has also long been a history of the Sri Lankan navy attacking and killing Indian fishermen.
" A people’s knowledge of the history of its oppression is part of its heritage. Knowing the truth allows victims and relatives to gain a sense of closure, some restoration of dignity and receive acknowledgement of their suffering. " The truth is a tool to combat impunity. It is a tool for justice. And it is a vital step in preventing a recurrence of the events that led to the violations. " - Navi Pillay , UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. See her full statement here .
“In February, [Sri Lanka] Prime Minister DM Jayaratne argued in Parliament that it was important to extend the Emergency partly because remnants of the LTTE were active among the Tamil diaspora. This month, he brought LTTE cadres to Tamil Nadu, a lot closer. What could be the argument next month? ” - Sutirtho Patranobis , writer with Hindustan Times. See his comment here “ The emergency laws grant state authorities sweeping powers of detention and permit the use of secret prisons, a practice that encourages human rights abuses like enforced disappearances, torture and death in custody, which...
Sri Lanka’s government Wednesday denounced the US-led air operation against the Libyan regime with a familiar refrain. “These strikes are harming civilians and are also a violation of the territorial integrity of an independent country ,” External Affairs Minister G.L.Peiris told Parliament. The air strikes were contrary to the United Nations resolution 1973, he claimed. Prof. Peiris was speaking in an adjournment motion moved by ruling SLFP (Sri Lanka Freedom Party) parliamentarian, A.H.M.Azwar. The motion condemned the attacks on Libya and called on other governments to do so as well...
The irony is incredible. Sri Lanka, whose governments over three decades murdered over a hundred thousand Tamil civilians throughout bombardment, blockade, extra-judicial killings and disappearances (and that was before the mass killings of forty thousand more in 2009), has something to say about Libya. The Foreign Ministry statement says the " issue of protection of the civilian population in Libya remains a concern for Sri Lanka , as indeed for the rest of the international community." "Their plight must not be allowed to deteriorate because of the use of violence," the statement adds...
(From Reuters' report Wednesday) Sri Lanka’s bourse is Asia's best performer so far in 2011 with an 8.6 percent gain, after a 96 percent rise last year. But foreign investors have sold a net $55 million (Rs 6.1 billion) in 2011, after selling a record net $240 million (Rs 26.4 billion) in 2010. Sri Lankan stocks are meanwhile amongst the world’s overpriced: The bourse is trading at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E)ratio of 14.7, one of the highest among emerging markets, compared with 12.2 in Asian markets and 11.4 in global emerging markets. P/E is the price of a share divided by its...
The sixth annual Tamil Studies Conference, "Parimaanam: Images, Embodiments and Contestations" organized by the University of Toronto and the University of Windsor, will be held at the University of Toronto from May 13-14, 2011. Registration to the public is open. Click here . See comments from 2010’s participants below:
As the Sri Lankan government continued to massacre thousands of Tamil civilians through mass bombardment, newly inaugurated President Obama addressed the press on the White House lawn, saying : “First, the [Sri Lanka] government should stop the indiscriminate shelling, ... including [of] several hospitals, and ... “... the government should live up to its commitment to not use heavy weapons in the conflict zone . “Second, the government should give UN humanitarian teams access to the civilians who are trapped between the warring parties so that they can receive the immediate assistance...
Extracts from US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake ’s speech to the Asia Society on Monday: (s ee full text here , and video of the whole event here ) “[ Will] prosperity will bring lasting peace and healing in Sri Lanka? I think it’s an essential question to ask. After so many years of conflict, economic growth and improving livelihoods are certainly important for rebuilding the country. But I also believe that reconciliation has important political and social dimensions as well . “ Lasting peace requires a durable political solution. …Economic prosperity...
This is one of the pictures at a recent exhibition in London billed as the “first international showcase of Sri Lanka's leading contemporary artists since the end of the civil war in 2009”: The artist is Pala Pothupitiyie.