The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) accused the government of ‘sinister’ militarisation and land appropriation in the North-East with a ‘definite purpose’ of changing the demographic composition of the North-East with the aim of making a political solution for the Tamils ‘irrelevant and unnecessary.' Highlighting that thousands of Tamil families lost their land to the Sri Lankan military in High Security Zone in the North-East, the TNA leader R Sampanthan, during a statement made in parliament on Thursday , asked if there was a ‘sinister’ motive to the appropriation of Tamil land. Sampanthan said that the land appropriation in the eastern provinces was to break the linguistic continuity of the North-East, whilst highlighting that the Northern and Eastern provinces were historically Tamil areas, and insisting they must become one unit of devolution, with one provincial council. His statement further warned that there was a strategy to break up the ‘linguistic continuity’ of the North-East as part of the government plan to remove the need for a meaningful political solution for the Tamils. He added that, though promises had been made by the Supreme Court to release these lands back to the Tamil people, the commitments had not been met and civilians were not able to resettle in their original lands. Extracts reproduced below. “There are tens of thousands of Tamil families in this position. Why is there no serious effort to address this issue? Despite all the protests and demonstrations that are taking place in the North and the East, despite the matter having been raised in Parliament on several occasions, why is this issue not being addressed seriously? Is this attitude of the Government not indicative of the Government having a sinister objective? I want to pose this question." “All this is being done because you want to change the demographic composition of the North and the East and you want to change the cultural and linguistic identity of the districts in the North and the East. These things are being done with a definite purpose, the purpose being to change the demographic composition of the Northern and Eastern Provinces and the cultural and linguistic identity of the Northern and Eastern Provinces so as to make a political resolution, a political solution irrelevant and unnecessary. That is the objective with which you are pursuing this agenda,” he later said in an answer to his question.
The International Monetary Fund has warned Sri Lanka over its increasing foreign debt, which has been growing year-on-year, according to the latest figures. In its latest assessment the IMF Executive Board concluded that foreign borrowing by the government and banks has left the economy vulnerable and stated, “recent improvements in the trade and current account balances notwithstanding, Sri Lanka remains vulnerable to external shocks.” Reporting after its latest consultations with Sri Lankan authorities, the IMF added, “The IMF staff urges caution with respect to external borrowing of Sri...
The body of a male has been found in Visvamadu, Kilinochchi, reported Uthayan . Local police recovered the body, which remains unidentified, on Sunday morning and brought it to Kilinochchi Hospital. Puthukudiyiruppu police are reported to be investigating the death.
The Bishop of Mannar in a letter to the Presidential Commission on Missing Persons said he would not contribute to the commission due to Sri Lanka’s historic failure of domestic inquiries in addressing injustices faced by Tamils. Bishop of Mannar reads letter to commission Photo:Uthayan Highlighting years of impunity and failed domestic mechanisms in Sri Lanka, Rev Rayappu Joseph, said, “Over the years many commissions such as yours have been set up and there is absolutely no shred of evidence that they have tackled impunity. Most, if not all these commissions have provided only to be eye...
Over 190 individuals and organisations have signed a statement condemning Australia's asylum seeker policy, demanding the government adopt alternative solutions consistent with the Refugee Convention. The Guardian reported that the 190 experts, which included leading human rights lawyers, religious leaders and refugee advocates, accused both major political parties of “wilfully and deliberately” pursuing harmful policies against asylum seekers. The statement accused the Australian government of “pursuing a policy of detention for asylum-seekers, both adults and children, in spite of clear evidence that it causes psychiatric disorders, self-harm and suicide”, “engaging in forced deportations to situations of danger with confirmed fatal outcomes” and “encouraging racist media coverage.”
A 26-year-old man has been injured and admitted to hospital after being attacked by four unidentified men near his home in Jaffna, reports Uthayan. Ranjan Ramanan, was attacked by his house in the Mayilani region of Jaffna Thondamanaaru, by four men on motorcycles. His injuries led to him being initially admitted to the Oorani hospital before being transferred to Point Pedro and then to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, where he is currently receiving further treatment. See more from the Uthayan here .
Photograph: Battinews Unidentified persons with weapons attacked a group of civilians, leaving 6 men and 3 women admitted into hospital with injuries, reports Eastern Province based website Battinews . A group of men brandishing sharp weapons arrived in a three wheeler rickshaw that had its registration plate removed and proceed to attack the men and women. Houses in the town of Akkaraipattu, located in the Amparai district were also damaged in the attack. The injured have since been admitted into Akkaraipattu hospital to receive treatment.
Updated 20:45 BST Four students groups in Tamil Nadu are protesting against the release of two films, which they said "promote the economic and political interests of Sri Lanka", reports The Hindu. Free Tamil Eelam Students Organisation, Maatram Maanavar Ilaiyor Iyakkam, Tamil Youth and Students Federation, and the Progressive Students Front are calling for a ban on the films 'Kaththi' and 'Pulipaarvai'. The film 'Kaththi' is co-produced by Lyca Productions, which is accused of having business links with the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, whilst 'Pulipaarvai' is said to portray the...
Indian security forces arrested nine Eelam Tamil refugees Friday, who were allegedly attempting to flee the country from the town of Oriyur in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, reports The Hindu. “They were to be illegally ferried to Australia when police arrested them,” the Police Superintendent was quoted by the paper as saying. According to the police, the nine men were from refugee camps across Tamil Nadu. See more here .
The Chief Minister of the Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran said the government was withholding funds, whilst publicly announcing it had been delivered. "They [the government] are proclaiming that Rs 500 lakh budget has been given to the Northern Province, but the majority of the funds has not been given [to us]," Justice Wigneswaran was quoted by the Uthayan newspaper as saying. The government was meanwhile claiming via press statements on television and in newspapers that all the funds had been delivered, the Chief Minister said. "Only two-fifths of the funds have been given to us, the...