The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has reiterated her commitment to reclaiming the Katchatheevu Island which were given to Sri Lanka by India in 1974, reports Colombo Page. Responding to a later from the opposition , the Chief Minister said, she will bring an amendment that assured the island was retrieved from the Sri Lankan government. Ms Jayalalithaa previously said that he ceding o the Katchatheevu islet to Sri Lanka was one of the root causes behind the Indian fishermen detention problem. Sri Lanka will not return Katchatheevu islet to India (22 Feb 2016) Tamil Nadu Chief...
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a ceremony in Jaffna today for the inauguration of the Duraiappah Stadium, the renovation of which has been funded by the Indian government. Mr Modi said it was a “landmark day” and praised the renovation which cost over Rs 7 crore. The stadium has been out of use since 1997, at which point the Sri Lankan government controlled the Jaffna peninsula. In 2002 at least 23 human skeletons, including those of children, were discovered during refurbishment works. Addressing the ceremony via a video link, Mr Modi said that “after a wait of nearly 20 years your applause and cheers will once again rekindle the soul of Duraiappah stadium”. “Even while we are sitting thousands of kilometres away in Delhi, we can feel the pulse of vibrancy, an atmosphere of change in Jaffna,” he added. The Indian prime minister went on to praise the people of Jaffna stating, “its foundations are supported by your courage and great sacrifices”.
A Tamil woman has been killed and her daughter critically injured after a Sri Lankan military vehicle collided with the couple in Jaffna. Hiru news reported that the mother and daughter were travelling on a scooter, when a military water bowser collided into them.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena declared that invaders had not succeeded in “vandalizing our rich and unique culture” as he praised Sinhala Buddhism in a statement to mark Poson Poya Day and rejected claims that his government was facing international pressure. In a statement on Saturday, Mr Sirisena marked the “the establishment of Buddha Sasana with the arrival of Arahath Mahinda… which occurred 2,323 years ago as the most significant milestone of the Sinhala culture”. “We received an extraordinary spiritual stimulant and cultural pride through Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy,” he added. “We should recall on this important Poson Poya Day that none of the external forces that invaded our country from time to time could succeed in vandalizing our rich and unique culture,” the president declared .
Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has issued directives to police and armed forces arresting people under the draconian Prevention for Terrorism Act (PTA) that call on officials to refrain from humiliating and torturing the detainees, reports Colombo Page. Mr Sirisena’s directive to the armed forces and security forces referred to guidelines for detention under the PTA that were issued by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) last month. The directive places guidance on the arrest procedure, the procceses that must be adhered to after arrest and on the treatment of...
Tamil primary school children were taken around Sri Lanka’s air force camps at the military occupied Palaly airport, in what was described by the Ministry of Defence as an event to “boost goodwill and reconciliation.” Major General Mahesh Senanayake, Commander of the Security Forces in Jaffna, facilitated the visit of the schoolchildren from the Navalar school. Members of Sri Lanka’s Air Force welcomed the children and school staff and provided food and refreshments, whilst taking them on a tour of the once operational public airport.
Members of the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Human Rights Chief “should press the (Sri Lankan) government to follow through on its commitment to meaningful forms of international participation on the proposed special court for war crimes,” said the International Crisis Group's Sri Lanka Senior Analyst Alan Keenan. In a piece entitled “Impunity and Justice: Why the UN Human Rights Council Must Stay Engaged in Sri Lanka” Mr Keenan stated that despite committing to a UN resolution last year, “Sri Lanka today is not yet the success story that many in the international community claim it to be”. “Progress on implementing the Council resolution has been slow and often grudging, and there are growing doubts about the government’s political will and ability to see the complex process through,” he added. “For Sri Lanka to stay on the path toward recovery, it needs sustained international support and engagement.” Since the UN resolution was passed in September, Sri Lankan leaders have repeatedly backtracked from commitments made, in particular the inclusion of foreign judges in an accountability mechanism for mass atrocities. Mr Keenan noted that “under domestic pressure, the president and prime minister backed away from promises to the UN and announced there will be no foreign judges”. “Given the decades-long failures of government commissions and judicial processes, international participation is essential to the credibility and effectiveness of the special court,” he continued.
Tamil Internally Displaced Perons are preparing to march with white flags towards lands that have been occupied by Sri Lanka’s military under the guise of a High Security Zone in Jaffna. The President of the Valikamam North Rehabilitation Society, A Gunabalasingam, on Friday said, the people had stopped protesting for their resettlement after the new president promised in December that the Valikamam North people would be resettled within six months. Speaking at a press conference in Jaffna, he added that the displaced have now realised that they have been deceived by President Maithripala...
Domestic violence and suicides have increased in Jaffna following the end of the armed conflict on the island more than seven years ago according to a counsellor based in the North-East, reports the New Indian Express . Speaking on condition of anonymity, the counsellor said that “domestic violence, mainly in the form of wife beating, is increasing in Jaffna making it a significant social evil here”. The incidence is particularly increasing amongst men who were themselves victims of torture at the hands of Sri Lankan security forces and was having widespread effects on women and children in the area, report the Express. Women have since seen higher rates of suicides, whilst “the new culture of social impunity” has also seen an increase an anti-social behaviour from children, the paper reported.
Britain’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said implementation of a UN resolution calling for international participation in an accountability mechanism is “key”, in an interview with Ceylonews this week. Ambassador Julian Braithwaite told reporters that implementation of the resolution was key, as he emphasised the importance of the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session. “It’s all about implementation on the ground,” said the ambassador.” We know how difficult that is and we know politically it remain difficult. But we are delighted that this issue is coming back here."