India's Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj stated the Indian government attaches the “highest importance” to the safety of Indian fishermen, as reports of attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy continue to take place. Speaking in the Lok Sabha last week, Swaraj responded to a question on the harrassment and abduction of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy by saying, “At the outset, let me take this opportunity to reiterate, in no uncertain terms, that Government attaches the highest importance to the safety, security and welfare of Indian fishermen.”
The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) called on the Tamil people to boycott Sri Lanka's presidential election next month, stating that the policies in relation to the Tamil question of the common opposition coalition did not differ from that of the ruling regime. "There is no doubt that every Tamil person wants an end to this regime's policies - that of targeting the Tamil nation," said the TNPF President Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam at a press conference on Thursday. "However, what is important is that there is an end to the atrocities being committed. It is not merely to oust Mahinda Rajapaksa. The key aim of every Tamil person is to put an end to the things that he is doing." "From our point of view, the most important question is to what extent will a new regime, brought in by someone new, provide progress to the Tamil nation." "In order to defeat the Rajapaksa regime, what kind of person do we need to bring? Do we need to defeat Rajapaksa as an individual, or do we need to defeat his policies?" "As far as we are concerned, it is not Mahinda Rajapaksa as an individual that is the problem, but his policies. If the next person [to assume the presidency] is going to follow his same policies then what is really taking place here is not the change of a regime, ie. that of policies, but merely a personality change." "Our party's humble request to the Tamil people is that the wisest thing to do at present would be to stay away from this election. At no point in the future should it be said that the Tamil people willfully gave a mandate to destroy the Tamil nation."
Members of the government aligned paramilitary group, the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), attacked Northern Provincial councillors at a Jaffna District Coordinating Committee meeting, on Tuesday morning. At least two councillors sustained injuries and were sent to hospital, as government forces failed to protect the assaulted northern provincial councillors. Northern Provincial Council members that protested the EPDP MP Douglas Devananda’s political canvassing against the Tamil National Alliance and Northern Provincial Council during the development meeting were attacked by uninvited EPDP paramilitary party members, sources at the meeting told the Tamil Guardian.
Common opposition Presidential candidate, Sirisena, at rally today. Photograph BBC Sinhala A former cabinet minister, Rajitha Senaratne, who crossed over to join the common opposition platform led by Maithiripala Sirisena, reiterated their rejection of an international inquiry into mass atrocities against the Tamil people, in an interview with The Hindu on Thursday. Stating that the opposition would strengthen domestic mechanisms, Senaratne stressed that they would "settle our matters in our country".
More than half of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party's local government members have left to back incumbent Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa at the upcoming presidential polls. Western Provincial Councillor Udaya Gammanpila, who had earlier announced his support for Rajapaksa last week, was joined by 17 of 29 local government members who defected to the ruling UPFA coalition. Gammanpila said that a new party with the defectors would be formed, adding, "Our party is founded on policies that are our foundation. We have suddenly strayed towards an alliance with the United National Party and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. There is a void in society for a Buddhist political party." "We will also discuss with the Bodu Bala Sena and Sihala Ravaya. We have had discussions with leaders of Buddhist organizations, and so far the reactions have been positive," continued Gammanpila.
The former Sri Lankan president, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, claimed responsibility for finishing 75% of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during her tenure. Speaking at an interview in her residence, Kumaratunga, who plays a key role in the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena’s election campaign, said , “How can one deny it? Our people do not believe in falsehoods. Are our people a bunch of donkeys to believe in untruths? Nearly 75 per cent of the areas controlled by Prabhakaran were liberated under my government. I do not lay claim to be the...
BJP National General Secretary Muralidhar Rao meets with BTF delegates The BJP, the Indian government's main political party, stressed that those responsible for committed atrocities against the Tamil people in Sri Lanka “must be brought to justice”, in a meeting with a delegation of the British Tamils Forum (BTF) last month. Meeting with several BJP officials, including the party's National General Secretary, Muralidhar Rao and the Incharge & Prabhari of Tripura State, Vijay Jolly, who recently travelled to Sri Lanka to attend the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, as well as the Tamil Nadu's State General Secretary, Vanathi Srinivasan and Minister Ponn Radhakrishnan, the BTF delegation discussed the need for accountability and justice for mass atrocities against Tamils, the ongoing displacement of Tamils and the Buddhisisation occurring through out the Tamil homeland.
A young Tamil footballer from Ilford, will have the opportunity to train with Premier League talent scouts after winning a national football competition last month. After being ranked first out of over 500 footballing applicants in the under-16 category, Raj Vijayarajah, will be given the chance to train at the English Football Association’s St George’s Centre of Excellence. Pho tograph: Grifith Photographers Speaking on his success to the Tamil Guardian , Vijayarajah said, “It was great winning the competition. I doubted myself at first, but once on the pitch I felt I was going to win. It’s great to see that competition is encouraging different ethnicities to be professional footballers. There have never Asian footballers to inspire me to pursue professional football as I grow up. I think Tamil parents are afraid to commit to football because after fleeing oppression in Sri Lanka they want to encourage their kids to look for stable careers. As a Tamil, I hope that my success at this early stage will inspire others in the community to pursue their football dreams.”
The Tamil National Alliance MP Seenithambi Yogeswaran said that his party will announce by the end of the month which one of the two presidential candidates it will support. Speaking during a conference in India on Saturday, Yogeswaran said the TNA did not want to influence the outcome of the elections by backing a candidate pre-maturely and that the party would wait for both ‘anti-Tamil’ candidates, incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa and his challenger Maithripala Sirisena, to release their manifestos, The Hindu reported. The MP said the TNA will not boycott the election. “We will take part in the democratic process and exercise our democratic right,” he said. “As of now, Mr. Sirisena’s prospects look bright.” Meanwhile the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), the largest constituent party of the TNA, said its members are “keen” to exercise their franchise and vote at the elections.
Two Tamil women have testified that their children were shot and killed by the Sri Lankan Army, as the Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons (PCICMP) began to collect testimonies from Vavuniya on Sunday. Uthayan reports the two mothers describing to the Commission how their children failed to return home from a visit to the Chettikulam hospital, and were shot dead near an army camp three days later.