The head of Buddhist nationalist organisation Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has been arrested in Sri Lanka, reports the Daily Mirror . BBS chief secretary Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera had an arrest warrant issued for participating in a protest outside the bribery commission, which is currently investigating financial crimes committed by the previous government. The protest, organised on the day former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa appeared before the commission, was led by the BBS. Several people, including parliamentarians, were arrested for their participation. The head of BBS was “was out...
The Sri Lankan military hosted an event earlier this month to “educate” the women of Kilinochchi about personal hygiene, reports the Sri Lankan army. Some 200 women were “educated on ‘Personal Hygiene’” earlier this month, according to the Sri Lankan army website . The event, organised by the Security Force Headquarters - Kilinochchi (SFHQ-KLN) saw Brigadier M P Wijesundara, the Deputy General Officer of the 57 Division as the chief guest. Other participants included the Commanding Officer, 6 (V) SLAWC, Civil Affairs Officer and other ranking soldiers within the military.
2nd lead Photograph Tamil Guardian The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena visted Jaffna on Monday following last week's protests over the rape and murder of a school girl in Pungudutivu.
The chief minister of the northern province, C V Wigneswaran told the Sri Lankan president on Tuesday that the north had much greater needs than the rest of the island and therefore much more financial resources should be allocated to it compared to other provinces. Mr Wigneswaran asked the president, Maithripala Sirisena, this whilst he visited Jaffna on Tuesday following sustained protests over the rape and murder of school girl in Pungudutivu. The development needs of the north were three to four times greater, Mr Wigneswaran added.
The family of murdered schoolgirl S Vithiya have said that they are experiencing ongoing harassment and have requested to be relocated. Vithiya’s mother and brother told Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena during his visit that they feared for their safety and wished to be moved. Mr Sirisena told the family that they would receive aid from the President’s fund and that he would discuss the issue of the family’s security with Northern Province chief minister C V Wigneswaran. See also: Sirisena visits Jaffna after protests over school girl rape
Criminal Investigation Division (CID) officers arrived in Jaffna on Saturday to probe whether protests over the rape and murder of a Pungudutivu school girl involved "anti-national groups" who were trying to destablise the Jaffna peninsula, the Sunday Times reported. Vithiya, who went missing after school on May 13, was found dead with her hands and feet tied to logs the next day. Arrests have been made regarding the incident as demonstrations were held across the North-East, demanding prompt action against the perpetrators. Peaceful protests calling for those responsible to face justice turned violent on Wednesday, as distrust and scepticism over whether the Sri Lankan police and legal system would ensure justice increased, following the escape of one of the suspects to Colombo. The suspect was later found and returned to Jaffna police station.
The Bishop of Trincomalee, Rt Rev Dr Kingsley Swampillai, said that despite the new government that came to power in Sri Lanka there was "still no ray of light" for Tamils seeking a solution to the islands ethnic conflict. “Although the Tamils have been waiting for a solution to relieve their plight for a long time, there is still no ray of light in this regard,” Bishop Swampillai said in an interview to TamilNet this week.
The following account is based on interviews to Tamils Against Genocide . Personal details of Kumaran (not his real name), place names and dates have been changed to protect his identity. Illustration Keera Ratnam When Kumaran wakes up in the room he has been given by the Home Office, it takes him a few minutes to adjust to his present surroundings. Sleepless nights, recurrent nightmares and depression help contribute to this disorientation. He feels an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia, of the walls moving in, caging him once again. His room, his present day cage, reminds him of the cell he had been kept prisoner in for two years. It is difficult for him to differentiate between the nightmares of his sleep and his present reality. For Kumaran, life in his room in the UK is one of living torture: uncertainty and threat of deportation mirror the uncertainty and fear which shadowed him when locked away for so many months. For Kumaran the years ahead seem to hold nothing but ceaseless striving: to reconcile the trauma of his past with the relative security of his present.
The British prime minister, David Cameron, discussed progress on reconciliation with the Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe on Monday, as he congratulated Mr Cameron on his electoral victory. In tweet this morning, Number 10 said: "PM congratulated by PM Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka on election. Discussed progress on reconciliation & agreed to build bilateral relations."
A South African delegation, headed by the Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Nomaindiya C Mfeketo, held an official consultation with Tamil diaspora organisations with regards to Tamil affairs in Sri Lanka and work towards bringing a sense of normalcy to the North-East of the island. A series of discussions were held on Monday at the South African embassy in London, with representatives from Tamil diaspora organisations including, the South African Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice in Sri Lanka (SGPJ), British Tamil Forum (BTF), United States Tamil Political Action Campaign (USTPAC), Global Tamil Forum (GTF), International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET), National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) and Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE). A source from the meeting said that some of the discussions were centered around actions needed to produce a conducive environment in the North-East to foster a future process to end the ethnic conflict on the island. The South African delegation consisted of the Deputy Director General for Asia & Middle East Dr Anil Sooklal, Special Advisor to Deputy President Ms Nokukhanya Jele, Deputy Director for South Asia Mr Tielman Furter and the South African High Commissioner to the UK Mr Obed Mlaba. Speaking to the Tamil Guardian, the SGPJ General Secretary, Pregasen Padayachee said, “We outlined the importance of bringing about a sense of normalcy to the Tamil North-East before any actual negotiation process is put in place with the Sri Lankan government to solve the ethnic conflict.” The Deputy Minister for International Relations Nomaindiya C Mfekto met with the SGPJ earlier this month in South Africa. The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in a statement released on Monday said, "One of the cornerstones of the South African Initiative in Sri Lanka is to consult with stakeholders within and external to Sri Lanka as part of South Africa’s initiatives aimed at promoting a lasting political solution, peace initiatives, truth-telling and reconciliation in Sri Lanka . This includes some members of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora "