The Sri Lankan Army has said it will target 150 Tamil women from the North-East for recruitment to the Army Volunteer Force. 100 of the Tamil women will be recruited in Kilinochchi and 50 from districts in the east. A press release by the army said that the recruitment is voluntary. "These women enlisted into the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force are able to leave the service whenever they wish to as per the Volunteer Service Regulations. Some parties with vested interests have spread a rumour that the Army is recruiting women forcibly. There is no truth in such allegations. Anyone with required...
The Sri Lankan Army has been collecting the details of unemployed youths, aged between 25 and 30, in the Mullaitivu district over the past few days, reported the Uthayan . Senior officials have said they were not aware of the purpose of the data collection. The Uthayan also added that the army is heavily involved in the recruitment of women to the armed forces.
Sri Lanka’s National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara has called on South Asian countries not to allow the US to pass a resolution against the country at the UN Human Rights Council session in March. The minister said that interference in Sri Lanka may be the first step by the US to interfere in South Asia and warned that they may attempt to force a change of government in the island. Nanayakkara added that Sri Lanka appreciated the decision by India to ban the ‘No Fire Zone’ documentary.
British Tamils gathered outside 10 Downing street, on Friday, to demonstrate against the criminalisation of the Eelam Tamil people’s political aspirations. The protestors gathered with placards to protest against the British defence of the proscription of the LTTE at the European Union.
The documentary ‘No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka’ has been banned from theatrical release in India, after it was refused a censorship certificate on grounds that it may strain relations with Sri Lanka. Indian authorities refused to certify the film stating that it “may strain friendly relations with Sri Lanka”. The decision was slammed by the producers of the award winning documentary, who labelled it “political censorship of unpalatable truths”. In response, they have released the film for free online in India, with Hindi subtitles. It can viewed from Sunday the 23rd of February 2014 at http://nofirezone.org/watch . Reacting to the developments, director Callum Macrae, who was also refused a visa by Indian authorities last year, stated, “I find it very disturbing that a country whose independent history is rooted in the struggle for democratic rights and free speech should have taken what is, in effect, an act of overt political censorship”. The move by Indian authorities follows similar bans or raids on film screenings in Malaysia , Nepal and Sri Lanka. The film has been made available to view for free online in all of those countries.
The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) adopted a resolution today against the Sinhala colonisation taking place in the North-East. The resolution was tabled by NPC councillor T Raviharan, and outlined that 29,311 acres of land had been forcibly appropriated from the Tamil people for illegal settlements. Speaking to Sri Lankan press, Raviharan further outlined that the illegal colonisation and land appropriation was an attempt to change the ethnic make up of the North-East.
Members of the military are demanding information from the Divisional Secretariats about the people who reported to the presidential commission on the disappeared in Jaffna, reported the Uthayan newspaper. The army is said to be focusing on the details of those witnesses who implicated the security forces in their testimony. The majority of the 175 witnesses have blamed the army for the disappearances, the paper further said. Desperate search for disappeared continues (16 Feb 2014)
The Buddhist organisation Sinhala Ravaya has called off its campaign to ban the slaughter of cattle in Sri Lanka after President Mahinda Rajapaksa assured that necessary action will be taken to address the issues raised. Three monks from the organisation started a fast-unto-death, which turned out not to last that long, after the presidential intervention. Sinhala Ravaya chief monk Akmeemana Dayarathna told media that the organisation would resume its protests if the issue was not resolved within six months.
The Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council, CV Wigneswaran has told the BBC in an interview that the Tamil people feel very strongly about accountability and that’s why the NPC passed a motion calling for an international probe into war crimes. Asked by Charles Haviland on his views about the president, the Chief Minister was reluctant to answer, but said that the perception the Tamil people have is that the "majority community" does not want the NPC to work due to “a far more deep-seated attitude” . See below for response given by Wigneswaran when asked for his view on the NPC resolution passed last month, and the rest of the interview. CVW: You see that is the feeling of the people. Every person who has lost somebody in that war feels very strongly about it. There must be some sort of a judicial inquiry into this and those who have done wrong must be brought to book . So it is easy to say, "well, it is all in the past why are you worried about the past". No. everything that has been done, if it has been done deliberately, you can’t say, a person can’t be heard to say, "well I murdered somebody, but then now that is of the past let’s forget about it", no you can’t. So it’s in that spirit that the people, people’s representatives, wanted a resolution to be passed. CH: Obviously you meet the president regularly, how is your relationship with the president and to what extent do you see him as a man that wants you to have appropriate powers or do you feel he is really representative of a government that just wants to keep all the powers for itself and mistrusts the idea of devolving power to the north? CVW: You are trying to put me against the president.. CH: No I’m asking…
Sri Lanka very much appreciates countries such as China, Russia and Australia taking the lead position of not supporting an international investigation against Sri Lanka, outlined the Permanent Representative for Sri Lanka to the United nations, Dr Palitha T.B. Kohona to Sri Lankan press yesterday. Commending China, Russia and Australia’s respect towards fundamental principles of international law, Kohana said , “We hope that every member of the HRC will take the cue from them and not succumb to pressure to isolate and punish Sri Lanka which is likely to have an intensely negative impact...