A protest against landgrabs by the Sri Lankan military, organised by the Tamil National People’s Front and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, concluded earlier today in Kilinochchi, despite the detention of the party’s regional coordinator last week by the Sri Lankan army. Protestors called for the release of Thangavel Jegatheeswaran, who was arrested after defying threats by army officials, who demanded that this demonstration be cancelled.
Human Rights Watch has called on Malaysian authorities to assure the safety of three men who were arrested and forcibly deported from the country and sent to Sri Lanka this week. The three men, who are currently being detained by the government's Terrorist Investigation Division in Kilinochchi, are supposed to have been under the protection of the UN agency for refugees. They were arrested by Malaysian authorities for “terrorism”, before being deported to Sri Lanka. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch said , “Sri Lanka’s treatment of these three men who have been...
Sri Lankan security forces arrested 77 Tamils since March of this year, as part of a crackdown across the North-East, reported the Jaffna daily newspaper the Uthayan. The arrests have taken place from the 6th of March, under the government premise that the suspects are working on the regrouping of the LTTE. Just weeks after the first arrests took place, the UN Human Rights Council passed a third successive resolution on Sri Lanka, initiating a UNHCHR investigation into allegations of human rights abuses. Investigations are currently taking place into a further 47 suspects, including 6 women...
The Hindu Rights Action Force, a coalition of religious non-governmental organisations in Malaysia has condemned the arrest and deportation to Sri Lanka of three Tamil refugees, accusing the government of colluding with a mass murderer. Hindraf national chairman P Waythamoorthy stated , “Malaysia should not have submitted to Colombo’s propaganda that portrays Tamils as terrorists... Mahinda Rajapaksa’s military regime had committed crimes against humanity, such as genocide and rape”. He went on to say, “By deporting the trio, who were granted refugees status by the UN, Putrajaya has colluded...
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence rejected demands made by demonstrators in Kilinochchi day who were calling for their land to be returned to them, stating that the land did not belong to the people. Asserting that the demonstrators originated from Chavakachcheri, not Kilinochchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, went on to state that the land was "captured by the army from the LTTE" and the protesters had no legal right to it. “A group of 40 people arrived in Chavakachcheri staged a protest in Kilinochchi asking for the land. The land was captured by...
Buddhist monks occupied the Ministry of Religious Affairs today, staging a sit down protest inside the building against the recently formed police unit dedicated to dealing with religious affairs, reported Al Jazeera . "Nowhere else in the world has there been a special police unit setup to investigate religions. This is a conspiracy led by the Western powers. As the complaints increase, organisations such as the United Nations will say that religious freedom does not exist in the country," Iththakande Saddhatissa Thero, general secretary of the Buddhist monks' organisation Ravana Balaya that...
Members of the TNA in the Eastern Provincial Council have marked the 5th anniversary of the Mullivaikal massacres in 2009, reported the Uthayan . The TNA councillors wore black shawls during the EPC’s monthly meeting earlier today, while paying respect to those that died in the war.
The Sri Lankan Army made 22 applications for land acquisitions in the Jaffna district, said Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran according to Uthayan . Speaking at the Jaffna District Coordination Committee meeting, Wigneswaran said he had rejected all applications, which were in relation to land acquisitions to build army camps. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran said that the land acquisition notices are posted as ordered by the Land Development Ministry of the Sri Lankan government.
A young male was discovered dead in a Vavuniya pond this morning, reported Uthayan . Investigations are being carried out by Vavuniya police.
Newly sworn-in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to do more to 'meet aspirations' of the Tamils and to go 'beyond' the 13th Amendment, during a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh told reporters at a press conference , "In his meeting with the Sri Lankan president, the Prime Minister noted that India valued its relations with the country. He requested the Sri Lankan Government to expedite the process of national reconciliation in a manner that meets the aspirations of the Tamil community for a life of equality, justice, peace and dignity in a united Sri Lanka." She went on to quote Prime Minister Modi telling Rajapaksa, "Early and full implementation of the 13th Amendment and going beyond would contribute to this process."