The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress has warned Muslims on the island to be wary of supporting foreign efforts to push for an international probe into war crimes allegations, reported The Island . SLMC Chairman Basheer Segudawood, MP for Batticaloa district, said that those who are now expressing interest in the welfare of Muslims in the light of religious tension had previously turned a blind eye, and urged the Muslim community to beware of visiting foreign dignitaries. Segudawood stressed that there was no need for foreign intervention as Sri Lanka was capable of handling the issues it faces,...
The Tamil Sangam Rwanda held celebrations earlier this month, paying tribute to their Tamil heritage in an evening of cultural performances and traditional cuisine. Taking place in Kigali, dozens of Tamils gathered to participate in traditional festivities, which included bharatanatyam dance performances and koothu-style drama re-enactments.
The Sri Lankan government has rejected the findings of an Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report, which calls for an international independent investigation into rights violations on the island, reported the Daily Mirror. According to reports, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has sent a copy of the UN findings to the Sri Lankan government. Leaked excerpts , which appeared on the Sunday Times website earlier this week, concluded that Sri Lanka did not have the “political will” to carry out its own investigation and called for an international...
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) should have been banned immediately after the war, the Deputy Minister of Labour and Labour Relations, Sarath Weerasekara, said today, alleging that ‘unwarranted and false’ allegations made by the TNA had damaged the country. Expanding on the Sri Lankan government’s ‘grievous mistake’ the minister outlined that the TNA had ‘no right’ to represent the Tamils in the North-East, stating , “The government and the President made a grievous mistake, on humane grounds, when they allowed the right hand of the LTTE, the TNA, to flourish. Over 500,000 mines have been...
The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, John Rankin, has been on a two day visit to the North-East, where he was briefed on several issues by members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Northern Provincial Council, international agencies working in the area and civil society. Speaking on his visit, Rankin said , “I n all our discussions, we highlighted the continued importance of addressing issues of accountability, the vital importance of pursuing long-term reconciliation and the need for respect for human rights. We believe that positive developments in these areas will contribute to...
The Tamil Sangam Rwanda held celebrations earlier this month, paying tribute to their Tamil heritage in an evening of cultural performances and traditional cuisine. Taking place in Kigali, dozens of Tamils gathered to participate in traditional festivities, which included bharatanatyam dance performances and koothu-style drama re-enactments.
The Tamil Nadu state government has decided to free all seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, a move widely welcomed by all major parties in the state. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced the decision in the state assembly after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday and said the government would release the convicts, who include Eelam Tamils and Tamils from Tamil Nadu, V.Sriharan alias Murugan, A.G. Perarivalan alias Arivu, T. Suthendraraja alias Santhan, Nalini, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran. "The state government will send the Cabinet’s decision to the Centre. If...
The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), was awarded $53,000 today in a successful defamation lawsuit against the head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyyang Technological University in Singapore, Rohan Gunaratna. Justice Stephen E Firestone of the Ontario Superior court ruled in favour of CTC after a case was filed on 21 January 2014 against remarks made by Gunaratna that labelled the CTC as a LTTE proxy. Expanding on the reasons behind the verdict, Justice Firestone commented on Gunaratna’s remarks to Sri Lankan press, stating , “the statements were clearly defamatory , either directly or by innuendo, because they imply CTC is involved in the commission of violent and illegal activity. It is unequivocal and uncontroverted that these statements were, in fact, false and untrue. ” The National Spokesperson for CTC, David Poopalapillai, commenting on the court verdict, said, “The court's decision is vindication to CTC and its members and supporters. The surest way to attempt to destroy an ethnic group is to make its members afraid to even admit that they are part of that group for fear of being labelled terrorist sympathisers or terrorists themselves." He further added, " The Sri Lankan government and its sympathisers have labelled all Tamils as terrorists for far too long. This judgement is a victory not only for CTC but for Tamils everywhere.” A recent upper tribunal country guidance case on Sri Lanka, held in the UK also declared that Gunaratna was 'an insider in relation to the Government of Sri Lanka, and his views are interesting as a reflection of its mindset."
A resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council has called for transport links to be reestablished to connect the Tamil homeland to India. The resolution, presented by Councillor MK Sivajilingam and seconded by Kandaiah Sarveshwaran of the TNA, said flights should travel directly from Indian airports to the airports in Palaly in the Jaffna district and Trincomalee on the east coast. The resolution also called for a resumption of ferry services between Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Thalaimannar in the Mannar district, and demanded that Kankesanthurai Harbour in Jaffna be named as a...
An international investigation into crimes by the Sri Lankan army will be supported by India, according to The Telegraph . The decision to support the campaign for an international probe, led by the UK and the US, will be a serious blow to the Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the British daily said, adding that India’s status as a regional power will increase the likelihood that a resolution will pass at the Human Rights Council. Officials are waiting to receive the draft resolution, but "political considerations" rather than concerns over its relationship with Colombo will determine...