A network of Tamil civil society groups in the North-East, the Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF), endorsed the call by councillors in the Northern and Eastern provinces for an international inquiry into the crime of genocide. Defending the councillors' right to state make such a call, the TSCF disputed an earlier statement by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which argued that a draft NPC resolution which argued the mass killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan state was a genocide, would prejudice the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka (OISL) currently underway. "Tamils and their representatives have the right to form a legal opinion that the atrocities that were committed (and continue to be perpetrated) against them amounts to Genocide. There are sufficient, reasonable grounds to form such a legal opinion, such that this is not a spurious claim," the TSCF statement, published on Friday, read.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his last budget presentation before the presidential election in January, granted several concessions and handouts to the people of Sri Lanka. Rajapaksa pledged that families of military personnel and police officers would receive Rs. 1000 per a month, as well as a guaranteed a 17.6% rise in rice prices, and pledged to provide farmers with free rice for the next season. Journalists will be given interest-free car loans and school teachers and university lecturers will receive a rise in allowances, his budget further proposed. The president also promised free health check-ups for all citizens and a pension scheme for garment sector employees.
The body of a mother of two children was found on Friday morning in the Mulli region of Vadamarachchi, reports Uthayan . The 36 year old mother, who was from the Nagarkoyil area of Jaffna, went missing on October 20th after visiting a friend's house in Point Pedro.
TNA MP Maavai Senathirajah and leader R. Sampanthan delighted to shake hands with President Rajapaksa. (Photographs BBC Sinhala) The leadership of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) celebrated the 2015 budget with the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran smiles on at Sampanthan-Rajapaksa exchange. The opposition party, UNP, JVP and JHU meanwhile, were not in attendance, according to BBC Sinhala.
The Commonwealth secretary general will visit Sri Lanka tomorrow to brief the Sri Lankan president on Commonwealth goals and review progress made by Sri Lanka in their national development plan and post-conflict plans, reports Colombo Page . Kamalesh Sharma is due to visit the government officials including the external affairs minister, G L Peiris and visit the Northern Province on his 5 day visit to Sri Lanka from the 25-29 October.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) issued a statement on Wednesday, apparently distancing itself from a draft resolution tabled within the TNA led Northern Provincial Council (NPC) which calls on the international community to recognise the genocide committed against the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state. The draft resolution, tabled by the NPC councillor M. K. Shivajilingham, said that the NPC "wished to inform the international community of its strong belief that the Tamil people have been, and continue to be subjected to genocide by the Sri Lankan government and its forces" and "requests the international community and United Nations to create a mechanism to protect the Tamil people from the ongoing genocide of the Tamil people". Whilst stating that "acts specified in article 2 of the Genocide Convention of 1948 have undeniably been perpetrated on the Tamil people by functionaries of the Sri Lankan state over several decades", the TNA leadership said it would be "improper and inappropriate for the Northern Provincial Council or any other political body to make pronouncements in the form of resolutions or otherwise on matters of evidence and law currently being considered by the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka (OISL).
Political parties in Tamil Nadu urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to form close military ties with the Sri Lankan government on Wednesday, following meetings between the Sri Lankan defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his Indian counterpart. Describing such a move as a "diplomatic blunder", the head of the National Committee of the Naam Tamilar Party (NTP), Ayyanathan, asked what how this would benefit India's security given Sri Lanka's close ties with China. "Now, what is the point in saying that this is for our security. Are you sharing your southern security with the Sri Lankan Government and China? This is ridiculous, it is a diplomatic blunder," he told ANI . "You [the Indian government] have decimated Tamils and you are going with Sri Lanka, but Sri Lanka is going with China. This is the mockery of southern security of the country," he said.
Updated 17:40 GMT Tamils across Canada expressed shock and outrage at the attack on Canadian parliament on Wednesday, posting messages of condolence to the family and friends of the Canadian soldier killed. Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC): Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in #HOC and #Ottawa . Stay safe! — Cdn Tamil Congress (@ctconline) October 22, 2014 We salute Sgt. at Arms Kevin Vickers for his heroic and timely move that saved the lives of many in #HOC Our thoughts are w. everyone! — Cdn Tamil Congress (@ctconline) October 22, 2014 Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance (CTYA): Our thoughts and prayers are with our soldier, security guard and their families affected in the Parliament Hill shooting today. — CTYA (@CanTamilYouth) October 22, 2014 NDP Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Rouge River, Rathika Sitsabaiesan : Thoughts and prayers are w/ the families of all the victims and first responders dealing w/ the #parlshooting esp. Soldier from war memorial — Rathika Sitsabaiesan (@RathikaS) October 22, 2014
In an ongoing political spat, the Sri Lankan government and opposition party, UNP, sought to blame each other for the decision by the General Court of the European Union to annul the Council's anti-terror measures taken against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on procedural grounds earlier this month. Following the ruling, posters were displayed in Colombo with a picture of a tiger and the words, "Who is the opposition MP behind lifting the ban on the LTTE", written in Sinhala, in an apparent reference to the UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe who recently travelled to UK where he sought to meet with Tamil diaspora groups.
The presidential commission investigating complaints into those who disappeared during the conflict has denied criticism by the Centre for Policy Alternatives that members of the security forces interfered in public meetings where relatives of the missing gave evidence. Gunadasa said military personnel who were outside the venue were on “routine patrol”, adding that there was “no interference on the part of the security forces” and that the commission was not inconvenienced at any time by the military.