• Canadian MP rejects SL claims of CHOGM RSVP

    Jul 30
    The Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, has rejected Sri Lankan reports that he has confirmed his plans to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November this year.

    Baird's spokesperson Rick Roth said the Baird was yet to decide either way, and remained concerned about impunity for the allegations of war crimes against Tamils.

    Roth said:
    "Canada will continue to monitor events in Sri Lanka and do what we can to try to increase pressure on the government of Sri Lanka to make changes,"

    "As the prime minister has stated very clearly, we expect our concerns to be addressed prior to the next Commonwealth meeting. However, given the current circumstances, it would be very difficult for this government to fully participate."

  • TNPF to boycott NPC polls
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  • Soldiers turned priests...

    The Sri Lankan Army organised Pooja ceremonies at the Koneshwaran Hindu Temple in Trincomalee, reported the Ministry of Defence.

  • Sri Lankan army’s profitable agricultural enterprise

    The Sri Lankan Army has generated over Rs 50m through agriculture on Tamil land.

    The army is engaging in 6 projects, including in Udayarkaadu, Kandakaadu, Menik Farm, Vellankulam and Nachikkuda, spending Rs 26.16m, according to the Director of Agriculture and Livestock of the army, Colonel Buwaneka Gunaratne.

  • TAG: Black July - 30 Years On
    Marking the 30 year anniversary of the anti-Tamil pogrom of Black July, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) released the following statement. Extracts reproduced below, full statement can be found here.
  • Nearly 100 war crimes suspects in the UK

    The UK Home Office has revealed that 99 suspected war criminals made immigration applications in the UK last year.

    Under a Freedom of Information Act request from the BBC, the Home Office said suspects came from countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Rwanda, Serbia and Sri Lanka.

  • Sri Lankan protesters: 'Do not bow down to Indian pressure'
    Sri Lankan protesters gathered outside the Indian High Commission in Colombo on Monday calling on the government "not to bow down to Indian pressure".

    See photo by Reuters here.
  • Australia's 'stop the boats' policy is cynical and lawless
    Writing in The Guardian, John Pilger, a war correspondent and film-maker, slammed Australia's policy on stopping boats carrying asylum seekers as "cynical and lawless".

    See here for full opinion. Extract reproduced below:

    "If a thousand Australians drowned in sinking boats in Sydney harbour, it would be a national tragedy. The prime minister would lead the nation in mourning; the world would offer condolences. By one measure, 1,376 refugees have drowned trying to reach Australia since 1998, many within range of rescue.

    The policy in Canberra, known as "stop the boats", evokes the hysteria and cynicism of more than a century ago when the "yellow peril" was said to be about to fall down on Australia as if by the force of gravity. Last week the prime minister, Kevin Rudd, reached back to this era when he declared that no refugees in boats would be permitted to land in Australia. Instead, they are to be sent to concentration camps in impoverished Papua New Guinea, whose government has been suitably bribed.

  • No Fire Zone' shortlisted for Grierson award

  • Rajapaksa reiterates that land and police powers will not be distributed

    Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa outlined today that the issue of distribution of police and land powers to provincial councils would not change, reiterating that the powers would always remain with the government, reported Colomb

  • Sri Lanka lowers tourism targets

    The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has revised its targets for tourist arrivals in 2013 downwards.

    The authrority initially forecast a figure of 1.25 million arrivals, but has now revised it to 1.1 million.

    SLTDA director general D.S. Jayaweera said: "Tourist arrivals have increased drastically over the past four years,

  • SL army intimidates Tamil NPC candidates
    Two Tamil candidates from the Tamil National Alliance, who filed their nominations yesterday to contest the Northern Provincial Council election were questioned by the Sri Lankan army.

    According to the TNA's spokesperson Suresh Premachandran, army personnel had visited the homes of S. Sayanthan and Ananthi Sasitharan, questioning them on their political activities.
  • TNA rejects presidential commission to probe disappearances
    Rejecting Mahinda Rajapaksa's proposed presidential commission to investigate disappearances during the armed conflict, the main Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), said that the Tamils would not accept any such commission.

    The TNA spokesperson Suresh Premachandran said:
  • Special court for the Sangha

    The Sri Lankan Chief Justice has announced that court cases involving Buddhist monks will be heard in special “Sangha Courts”.

    Chief Justice Mohan Peiris said that the courts would process cases in days, unlike other court cases which may be postponed.

  • BJP: Tamils in SL should be given 'special protection'
    The BJP leader, Ananth Kumar, said that Tamils in Sri Lanka should be given 'special protection' and have their 'safety assured', reports PTI.

    Calling on the Sri Lankan government to produce a model where 'Tamils will have a major say in the socio-political and economic development of the island-nation', Kumar said,
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