When Prof. G. L Pieris, Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister, meets Mrs. Clinton, US Secretary of State tomorrow, he will have in his hand a piece of paper. The ‘Action Plan’ he will present was hastily put together in an attempt to deflect growing international criticism of Sri Lanka’s treatment of the Tamil people.

However, the title of the document is misleading. The ‘Action Plan’ is not actually a blue print for forthcoming action. Instead, and as Sri Lanka’s past record of promised ‘action’ on the Tamil question indicates, all the ‘action’ in the ‘Action Plan’ will be done with its presentation. In other words Sri Lanka’s ‘Action Plan’ to resolve the Tamil issue is simply to present the ‘Action Plan’ and then carry on much the same as before.

The Sri Lankan envoy to Australia Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe has told Australian newspaper The Age that Tamil refugees deemed a security threat by Australian officials are needed back home.

Dozens of Tamil refugees have been given adverse assessments by the Australian Security and intelligence Organisation (ASIO), which makes it impossible for them to settle in Australia. The refugees are unable to appeal the assessment by the ASIO and are stuck in a legal limbo.

Admiral Samarasinghe told The Age that the refugees are welcome in Sri Lanka.

''Help is required in Sri Lanka now. Those who have got a negative assessment, please come back to Sri Lanka. Even if you have been sent out from the place, you will be treated justifiably and fairly and you will be permitted to meet up with your families. Of course, law of the land will prevail.''

Writing on the website www.journalism.co.uk, former BBC correspondent in Sri Lanka, Frances Harrison, slammed the failure of journalists to expose the truth of Mullivaikkal.

Excerpts reproduced below:

Photographs Tamilwin

Posters, condemning the massacre of Mullaivaikal and the affirming the Tamil nation's determination to seek justice and fight for their rights, emerged overnight at locations around the University of Jaffna, Tamilwin reports.  

According to unverifiable photographs published on the news website, the posters carried messages saying, "Mullaivaikkal is not the end of us", "we will give our rights a voice and fight for justice", "embracing our suffering we will attain our dreams", "even though people have died, our aspirations have not", and "this is the day that with the assistance of the international community, the voice of the Tamil nation's rights was suppressed."

As the external affairs secretary meets Hiliary Clinton, and international attention focuses on Sri Lanka's failure to make meaningful progress on accountability, transparency and justice, the Sri Lankan state have made announcements over the past few days pledging to carry out tasks that have eluded them for three years.

Sri Lanka has warned the United States from pushing foreign solutions as an answer to domestic issues the country is facing.

External Affairs Minister GL Peiris was addressing the Woodrow Wilson Centre for International Scholars on Tuesday as part of his four-day official visit to the US and stressed the need for a home-grown solution.

There has been an increase in suicide attempts by refugees in Australia’s detention centres, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Tuesday.

In a book called 'Gota's War', Mahinda Rajapaksa was praised for refusing to consider a ceasefire at the behest of the international community, whilst India was blamed for the rise of armed resistance during the 1980s.

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister, G.L. Peiris, will be leaving for the United States on Monday, to attend his meeting with US Secretary of State Hiliary Clinton on May 18th in order to discuss implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC.

Implentation of specific recommendations contained within was an integral part of a US resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council earlier this year.

President Mahinda Rajapakse has been invited to take part in the celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee.

Mr Rajapakse will travel to the UK on June 3 for a four-day visit, but according to sources in the British High Commission in Colombo it will not be a state visit and no meetings with British government officials have yet been confirmed.