Students at the University of Jaffna announced two days of strike, protesting over the anonymous death threats issued to staff and students earlier this week. In a posters around the premises, students said : "We the students of the University of Jaffna, hereby declare a two day (Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd) strike because of the anonymous [threats] to the University Society."
Photograph @Hamsanan The Northern Provincial Council held a Mullivaikal memorial event this morning, during the NPC's 9th meeting in Kaithadi, lighting candles in remembrance of the tens of thousands that were slaughtered in May 2009. Photograph @Uthayarasashalin Wearing black shawls around their necks several NPC members including Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, Ananthy Sasitharan and M.K. Shivajilingham of the Tamil National Alliance, as well as NPC opposition leader, Thavarasa, took part in the remembrance event, the Uthayan reported. Photograph Uthayan
Political parties in Tamil Nadu have criticised the decision to invite Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the swearing in ceremony of India's Prime Minister-designate, Narendra Modi. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa, whose party emerged as the third largest party in the country after the recent election, is considering boycotting the event stating that President Rajapaksa's presence "would hurt the sentiments of the people in the state [of Tamil Nadu]", the Times of India quoted a source within the AIADMK as saying. Criticising the decision, Vaiko of the MDMK party said...
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa, has expressed her dismay at the invitation of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the swearing in ceremony of India's Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi, stating that it has “deeply upset the people of Tamil Nadu”. In a statement released on Thursday, Jayalalithaa, who heads India's third largest party, said, “The entire country and indeed the entire world is aware of the various Resolutions passed in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly during the last three years, with regard to the war crimes, ethnic pogrom and genocide perpetrated against the Sri Lankan Tamil people by the Sri Lankan Army under the Rajapaksa Government in Sri Lanka during the final stages of the civil war in Sri Lanka.”
After blocking off attempts by the local Tamil population in Jaffna to donate blood earlier this week, the Sri Lankan military dismissed any criticism of its actions, declaring that no organisation had given more blood to Jaffna than the armed forces. Responding to questions from journalists in the North, Military Spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya stated that the Sri Lankan troops had donated more blood than any other organisation in Jaffna, challenging anyone who had done more to come forward.
Pictures: @uthayarasashali A remembrance event was held in the University of Jaffna the day it was reopened, after it was closed in the run up to the 5th anniversary of Mullivaikal. Hundreds of students and faculty members packed the auditorium at the university on Wednesday morning, lighting candles in memory of those that died in the ethnic conflict.
The National Freedom Front (NFF), a partner in President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ruling coalition, urged the government to take action against members of the Tamil National Alliance who organised events to commemorate Tamils that died in May 2009, reports ColomboPage . The TNA's actions violated the constitution as an act that could divide the country or disrupt the ethnic harmony, said the NFF spokesperson Mohamed Muzammil. The spokesperson further criticised the government for taking a ‘sleepy’ attitude towards Tamil MPs and heads of non-governmental organisations who were involved in ‘anti-Sri...
The External Affairs Ministry summoned the Canadian High Commissioner, after she announced that she would not be attended the Sri Lankan government’s annual Victory Day parade on May 18, and considered it detrimental to post-war reconciliation, reports The Island . Shelly Whiting in a statement made to The Island last week said that the government’s annual victory day event perpetuated roles of victors and vanquished and pointed out that the Tamil people had been denied an opportunity to commemorate their war dead. The External Affairs Ministry rejected Whiting’s criticisms and stressed that...
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today, condemned the Sri Lankan military’s blocking of roads and access to the offices of the Uthayan and Yarl Thinakkural, in Jaffna on May 18. “Such harassment of Tamil newspapers is unacceptable and against the basic notion of Sri Lanka’s democracy. We urge the government to respects its citizens’ human tights and be sensitive toward those representing minorities. If the government is sincere in their pursuit for peace and reconciliation in post-war Sri Lanka they must ensure that minorities are given a voice in the media – and that...
Writing in Just Security this week, Ryan Goodman, a Professor of Law and Co-Chair of the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at New York university School of Law, member of the Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Law and member of Council on Foreign Relations argued that the US should prosecute Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa for war crimes and crimes against humanity. See full opinion below.