Switzerland's ambassador, Thomas Litscher, was told of on-going land grabs by the Sri Lankan army, militarisation and the undermining of the powers of the Northern Provincial Council during his visit to Jaffna this week where he met with the chair, CV Sivagnanam, as well as Tamil civil society activists. "I have also stressed about the Vali North [resettlement] issue, and that 24 village divisions of people have not yet been resettled due to their lands being declared as High Security Zones," the Uthayan quoted Sivagnanam as saying after his meeting. He added, "I also explained that the military presence has increased in Vanni region, and [the military] have acquired the majority of lands in the area in the meantime."
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa urged the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the release of 64 fishermen currently in Sri Lankan custody on Tuesday, as 11 more fishermen being detained by the Sri Lankan Navy on Monday, reports the Times of India . Forty-six fishermen were arrested last Wednesday by the Sri Lankan Navy, whilst another seven were arrested the following day. In her latest letter to Modi, Jayalalithaa called for a permanent solution, arguing that such a solution "lies only in [the] retrieval of Katchatheevu island". "Until such time, the Union government must impress upon the Sri Lankan government to abstain from attacks on and abduction of our innocent fishermen on the high seas in the Palk Bay. Further, the joint mechanisms which are designed to ensure the speedy release of apprehended fishermen should be effectively activated," she wrote.
Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumarathunga called on Tuesday for an "impartial inquiry" into the recent anti-Muslim violence by Buddhist groups, expressing concern about the failure of law enforcement agencies to bring those responsible to account, reported Colombo Gazette . “I am appalled by initial reports that the violence seems orchestrated and followed a public meeting and a provocative march by violent extremists who pursue their narrow personal goals, in the name of Buddhism. It is a matter of great concern that the law enforcement authorities have failed to deal with the hate mongering and blatant violation of the Law for nearly 18 months," she said, calling on the government "to institute an impartial inquiry into the incidents without delay and to direct the law enforcement authorities to take strict legal action against the instigators and perpetrators of this savage violence." Mrs Kumarathunge, president of Sri Lanka from 1994 till 2005, faced extensive criticism by international human rights group for impunity and injustice over numerous incidents killings of Tamils by state forces during her long term in office.
The editor of the Daily News, a paper owned by the Sri Lankan state, has called for the arrest of Al Jazeera journalist Dinouk Colombage, for his coverage of recent violence by Sinhalese against Muslims, reported The Australian . Rajpal Abeynayake took to Twitter to accuse Colombage of inciting religious tension through his coverage of the violence in Aluthgama, which left 3 Muslims and one Tamil dead, after attacks by Sinhala mobs. “Lock up this scum to save lives” Abeynayake sid in one tweet, linking to Colombage’s own Twitter page, before tweeting that the journalist and other media were “twitter murderers” who “incited” the violence. U say arrest Atte Gnanasara. Arrest the twitter murderers Groundviews, Colombage etc. what's the differnce? Both didn't do it but incited — Rajpal Abeynayake (@Abeynayake) June 22, 2014 The editor mentioned President Rajapaksa, his son Namal and Consul-general to Australia, Bandula Jayasekara, in many of his tweets, in one of which he described the journalist as a “Twitter murderer sicko scumbag”.
A monk was arrested on his release from hospital, for the “staging” of his attack and abduction, police in Colombo said. Watareka Vijitha was found beaten, naked and tied up, after he campaigned against the anti-Muslim violence in southern Sri Lanka. Police afterwards claimed that the monk’s injuries were self-inflicted using keys and blades.
Parliamentarians and campaigners held a discussion at the Houses of Parliament in Britain on Tuesday, where campaigners highlighted Sri Lanka's repressive Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which has been used to arbitrarily arrest and detain individuals for years. Organised by the Tamil Information Centre, the event was chaired by British Parliamentarian Paul Burlow . Speakers included Member of Parliament Edward Davey , Yolanda Foster from the South Asia desk at Amnesty International, Dr Andy Keef , the Clinical Directer at Freedom From Torture, Alan Keenan Senior Analyst and Sri Lanka Project Director at the International Crisis Group and Kulasegaram Geetharthanan , a human rights lawyer.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, Wednesday, announced further details of the UNHRC mandated probe into rights violations and wartime atrocities in Sri Lanka, noting that the investigation would continue regardless of Sri Lanka's cooperation with UN. The investigation will consist of 3 appointed experts, Mr Martti Ahtisaari, Ms Silvia Cartwright, and Ms Asma Jahangir, that will work with a team of 12 investigators. The experts will provide an advisory role, guidance and advice as well as independent verification throughout the process. Details of the experts reproduced below:
Photograph: Uthayan 28-year-old Murukesupillai Nimalraj has been found dead in Jaffna this morning, reported the Uthayan. The body of the youth was found in Jaffna Thumpalai East by fishermen along the coast in the early hours of the morning. See more from the Uthayan (in Tamil) here .
Sri Lanka is using the mask of ‘counterterrorism’ to hide its own terror, whilst increasingly becoming a hub for international crime, said award-winning exiled Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam in a piece for Foreign Policy . Tissainayagam, a former a Nieman Fellow at Harvard Univeristy, said that by continuing to paint itself as a victim of terrorism, Sri Lanka “absolves itself of its own inaction if not outright compliance with exporting terrorism”. Whilst Sri Lanka may continue to claim the alleged revival of the LTTE as a reason for receiving international assistance, Tissainayagam argues that meanwhile, with government and military involvement, the island has become a hub for international crime.
A Madras high Court, Monday ordered a notice to recall a non-bailable warrant that was issued against a current Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda. In November 1986, Devananda, who was then a part of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Front paramilitary group, was charged alongside nine others for opening fire on civilians in Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai. See full report here .