Sri Lanka and India held the second round of talks on a nuclear deal, reports LBO and PTI . The talks were aimed at drafting the text of an agreement on Bilateral Civil Nuclear Cooperation, the Indian embassy said in a statement issued yesterday. The Indian delegation, led by Amandeep Singh Gill Joint Secretary (Disarmament) in the Ministry of External Affairs, met with the Sri Lankan delegation led by Dhara Wijayatilake, Secretary of the Ministry of Technology and Research. The next meeting is take place later this year in India.
The Sri Lankan government says it has put aside Rs 300mn to offer to Internally Displaced People (IDPs), whose land was grabbed in Sampur by the military for a High Security Zone, reported BBC Tamil . A case filed by the displaced, currently ongoing at the Sri Lankan Supreme Court, heard that the government will offer the IDPs alternate lands, and if they were not willing to accept this, they can take the money as compensation, the government attorney said. The lawyer for the IDPs said it was illegal for the government to acquire private land without holding an inquiry into the need for the acquisition. However Supreme Court Judge Mohan Peiris accepted the arguments of the government, and requested a report regarding those IDPs who wished to take up the government offer. Commenting on the development, an attorney at law and lecturer in law at the University of Jaffna, Kumaravadivel Guruparan said the Supreme Court’s refusal to deal with the illegality of the land grab was consistent with its past record. "This is not the first time that the Supreme Court has responded to petitions relating to land grab in this fashion," Mr. Guruparan told Tamil Guardian.
Updated 23:30 BST The commander of the Sri Lankan army in Jaffna, General Udaya Perera warned student leaders and members of Jaffna University’s faculty that anyone involved in public commemoration of those who died in 2009 will be arrested, the Uthayan reported today. General Perera told the students that they will remember the leader of the LTTE Velupillai Prabhakaran, as he also died that day, under the pretext of remembering the people and so the army cannot allow that. He added that any mourning should only take place within private homes. The general accused the students of engaging in...
A 70-year old woman was injured near Kaithadi, Jaffna, after being hit by a military vehicle, reported the Uthayan . Pandari Naachchi was admitted to Jaffna hospital, after being hit while crossing the road. Saavakacheri Police is reported to be investigating the incident.
Locals in Batticaloa have demanded that the government officials stops giving land to private companies, instead of rebuilding and improving the livelihoods of the residents affected by the conflict, Uthayan reports. Complaining to their local MP, the residents said government officials were transferring the land without authorisation of the regional or district land application organisation. Over 400 acres in Thambiraanveli, 350 acres in Kaayaankeni, 780 acres in Kurivikkalmalai I, as well as 670 acres in Kurivikkalmalai II, and 50 acres in Vavunatheevu, Oorani and Thiraaimadu have been given private companies, said TNA MP S. Yogeswaran in a letter of complaint to Batticaloa officials. "Giving our district lands to private companies when you should be providing space for rebuilding and improving the livelihoods of our people after the war, is endangering our people's future," he wrote.
Photographs DailyMirror.lk Over 4000 Buddhist monks held a special all-night prayer service invoking their blessings on the government and Sri Lanka. Gotabaya Rajapaksa prays Chanting the 'Jaya Pirith', the Buddhist monks prayed to celestial powers "to help the country's forward march, dispelling all challenges and setbacks posed to the nation", the Daily Mirror reported.
Four Buddhist monks, accused of insulting the Quran, were granted bail on Monday and warned by the court not to "indulge in such activities", reports AFP . The monks, part of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), reportedly intruded n on a meeting of religious leaders and proceeded to make disrespectful remarks against the Quran. "The four priests along with two laymen were summoned by court today and granted bail in the sum of 100,000 rupees ($770) each," police spokesperson Ajith Rohana told AFP. "The magistrate warned them not to indulge in such activities. We will file formal charges when the case is...
Updated 17:28 BST Students of the University of Jaffna have been told that the university will be closed from May 16 to May 20, covering May 18, which is marked by Tamils across the globe, in remembrance of those that died in the massacre in Mullivaikal and the rest of the conflict. Meanwhile posters have appeared in Jaffna, accusing some students and academics of supporting a revival of the LTTE, saying that this was their last chance to cease those activities. A notice issued by the registrar of the university, V Kandeepan, announced the closure and requested all students to vacate their hostels, without providing a reason for the closure.
A search operation by the Sri Lankan Army, Navy and Police, targeting Tamil youths, was conducted in Verukal, Trincomalee this morning, reported BBC Tamil . Military personnel questioned Tamil males over the age of 15 and detained several individuals. The army claimed that they conducted the operation after a T56 rifle was found earlier, reported the BBC. A source in Trincomalee told the Tamil Guardian that security forces indiscriminately targeted houses in the area and dragged out young males. “The raids started at around 4am, when people were still asleep. The Tamil people here are...
A woman in her early 20s has reported being raped by Sri Lankan military personnel in Vanni in early April. The incident has only just come to light after the victim, fearing further sexual attacks if she stayed, was able to flee the Vanni accompanied by her mother. The woman reports the rape occurred at an army camp in Vanni, after father was ordered to bring his family there, a civil society source based in Kilinochchi, in whom the woman subsequently confided in, told the Tamil Guardian. Her father was employed by the military at the time. The woman remains reluctant to speak about the...