Land cordoned off by the Civil Defence Force The Sri Lankan government has been forcibly acquiring land in the village of Thennamaravadi, an area that links both the Tamil dominated Northern and Eastern provinces, with over 270 acres of land owned by Tamils acquired by the state and Sinhala settlers. Thennamaravadi, located on the border of the Mullaitheevu and Trincomalee districts, has had almost 22 acres of land taken by Civil Defence Division and Civil Security Department members, despite deeds to the land being held by Tamil inhabitants of the village, according to sources on the ground. Sources also told the Tamil Guardian that 250 acres of land used for paddy cultivation has been acquired by Sinhalese farmers from Singhapura and Gayapapura, following harassment from Sri Lankan security forces, who coerced Tamil farmers into selling the land far below their market value.
The Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has offered his country’s support to Sri Lanka against pressure at the forthcoming UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, during a visit by its External Affairs Minister GL Peiris. "China opposes some countries' interference in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka under the pretext of human rights issues," Wang said in Beijing, according to Reuters . "We believe in the Sri Lankan people's wisdom and capacity to handle their own affairs," he said, adding that China backs Sri Lanka in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council has decided to support calls for an independent probe into “alleged severe crimes” during the conflict and current human rights issues. Meeting to decide the EU’s priorities during the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva next month, the Council reaffirmed its commitment to the HRC. “Ahead of the 25th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) and following the conclusion of the Third Committee of the 68th UN General Assembly, the EU reaffirms its strong commitment to and support for the HRC and other United Nations bodies tasked with the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide ,
In a statement released today, the United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) welcomed high level US envoy visits to Sri Lanka, whilst reiterating calls to ignore the thinly veiled threats of the Sri Lankan government's lobbyists, and table a strong resolution at the upcoming United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions seeking a credible international investigation to probe atrocities committed against Tamil civilians by parties in the ethnic conflict. Highlighting the escalating militarised colonisation taking place in the Tamil areas, the US Tamil advocacy group, warned against giving Sri Lanka more time, arguing " more time will only lead to a point of no return in a country whose militarization in the Tamil areas has steadily increased since the end of the armed conflict, and has facilitated land grabs and creating demographic imbalance in favor of the Sinhalese under the guise of reconstruction." Extracts from the statement are reproduced below.
Almost five years after the fighting ceased, impunity still rules. Quiet diplomacy, expert reports, video footage of atrocities and two UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolutions have failed to force Sri Lanka to fall in line. Instead, emboldened by the lack of international action and the military defeat of the LTTE, an increasingly brazen Sri Lankan state is rebuffing the international community, whilst systematically dismantling the Tamil nation and its homeland in the North-East. Sri Lanka's lamentations of insufficient time and space belie a reality where the more time and space granted, the worse the situation becomes for the Tamil people. The end of the armed conflict, far from bringing them the promises of peace, left them at the mercy of a Sri Lankan state drunk on its Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism. Amidst this intensifying crisis, Tamils both at home and abroad, along side all those who believe in justice and accountability, have high expectations for the year to come. As all eyes look to the UNHRC next month, on which key states have pinned warnings and deadlines, the calls for an international inquiry are at fever pitch.
The Colombo stock market, last week saw a significant drop in foreign investment, resulting in foreign investors selling shares that amounted to Rs. 3.06 billion. The Sri Lankan Financial Times news site reported , that pre-prepared local investors nullified the impact of the mass sales, by accelerating their buying to renew confidence in the market.
The Sinhala weekly Divaina reported on Sunday that the government has decided to conduct a special investigation into recent activities of the Northern Provincial Council. The paper reportedly said that the government is seriously concerned about the recent resolutions passed by the council, violating the constitution and undermining Sri Lanka’s national security and foreign policy. A meeting between NPC Education Minister Thambirasa Kurukularasa with the US Pacific Command has also come under scrutiny.
Speaking to the Tamil Guardian, Indian film maker Maga Tamizh Prabhagaran condemned the procurement of Tamil land by the Sri Lankan government as part of a structural genocide, after the London screening of his film ‘This Land Belongs to the Army’. Prabhagaran, who was detained by Sri Lankan security forces whilst visiting the Tamil homeland in the North-East of the island, was eventually deported by Colombo. Upon arrival in London, Prabhagaran also described being held and interrogated for over 3 hours by British police, questioning him on the LTTE and on protests held by the Tamil diaspora. His film, detailing state procurement and Sinhalisation of the Tamil homeland, was screened at an international conference on land grabs earlier this month in London. Land grabs, the Sri Lankan state’s forcible and militarised procurement of Tamil owned land in the North-East, has seen international condemnation with a resolution having been presented to the US Senate this week outlining “ongoing concerns regarding landownership and property restitution”.
The Chief Minister of the Northern Province CV Wigneswaran has stated that Tamil youth are being pushed into drugs and prostitution with the help of the Sri Lankan military, earlier this month. Addressing the ‘Southwest Youth Association’ in Maanippai, Wigneswaran told the audience that brothels were being built with Tamil women as prostitutes and youths being pushed into using cocaine and other drugs. Noting that problems on this scale were new to the Northern Province, he went on to add that these issues have led to Tamil youth abandoning their culture and tradition. See the full report...
A senate resolution on Sri Lanka was presented to US Congress Friday, by the Republican Senator of North Carolina, Richard Burr, reports Colombo Page. Drawing upon the US State department 2012 report on human rights and visits to Sri Lanka, the resolution presented to the Senate on February 6, called on the US and international community to establish an “independent international accountability mechanism to evaluate reports of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations committed by both sides during and after the war in Sri Lanka. ” Noting the intense militarisation in the North-East, the resolution urged unimpeded access for media, international aid agencies and human rights group into all of the country, and called for justice and accountability for attacks on journalists and newspaper offices.