Slamming the Sri Lankan government's failure to prosecute those responsible for the killing of 17 aid workers seven years ago and " Sri Lanka's history of inaction on even prominent cases with strong evidence ", Human Rights Watch reiterated the need for " concerted international action ". In a statement published on Thursday HRW, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch, James Ross said: “The Rajapaksa government is good at throwing bones to the international community , but not at taking serious measures to find and punish those responsible for serious abuses,” “If the families of 17...
British University Tamil Societies across London collaborated to hold a Black July remembrance discussion session at the London School of Economics on Monday.
The Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, has rejected Sri Lankan reports that he has confirmed his plans to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November this year. Baird's spokesperson Rick Roth said the Baird was yet to decide either way, and remained concerned about impunity for the allegations of war crimes against Tamils. Roth said : " Canada will continue to monitor events in Sri Lanka and do what we can to try to increase pressure on the government of Sri Lanka to make changes ," "As the prime minister has stated very clearly, we expect our concerns to be addressed prior to the next Commonwealth meeting. However, given the current circumstances, it would be very difficult for this government to fully participate ."
The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) formally confirmed their intention to boycott the upcoming Northern Provincial Council (NPC) elections during a press conference at the party's office on Tuesday. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the TNPF dismissed the idea of provincial councils being able to fulfil Tamil political aspirations and also said that the establishment of the NPC would not in the slightest protect the Tamil nation from attacks by Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism. The TNPF stated that they viewed the 13 th amendment and its implications as measures “attacking the spirit of the...
The Sri Lankan Army organised Pooja ceremonies at the Koneshwaran Hindu Temple in Trincomalee, reported the Ministry of Defence . The Army reported large numbers of people gathering at the temple to wor ship and pay ‘homage to the Gods’.
The Sri Lankan Army has generated over Rs 50m through agriculture on Tamil land. The army is engaging in 6 projects, including in Udayarkaadu, Kandakaadu, Menik Farm, Vellankulam and Nachikkuda, spending Rs 26.16m, according to the Director of Agriculture and Livestock of the army, Colonel Buwaneka Gunaratne . According to the Army, the aim is to promote agriculture that “does not poison the earth or upset the delicate balance of nature, whilst encouraging healthy lifestyles” , reported ColomboPage .
Marking the 30 year anniversary of the anti-Tamil pogrom of Black July, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) released the following statement. Extracts reproduced below, full statement can be found here . " Impunity keeps the scars of 1983 fresh . Wholesale lack of accountability set the conditions for continued abuses, on greater scales, to the present. There has never been accountability nor adequate reparations for Black July . Today in place of Justice, the Sri Lankan State offers countless denials and parades in triumphal fashion, emboldened by decades of international misunderstanding and...
The UK Home Office has revealed that 99 suspected war criminals made immigration applications in the UK last year. Under a Freedom of Information Act request from the BBC , the Home Office said suspects came from countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Rwanda, Serbia and Sri Lanka. The figures show that in the 15 months from January 2012, the Home Office researched nearly 800 cases where individuals were suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Three of the suspects were deported last year, 20 were refused asylum and 46 were refused Birtish citizenship, although it is...
Sri Lankan protesters gathered outside the Indian High Commission in Colombo on Monday calling on the government "not to bow down to Indian pressure". See photo by Reuters here . Carrying placards saying " Hands off Sri Lanka " and " Do Not Bow-Down to Indian Pressure ", dozens of protesters came together under a collective group called the Federation of National Organizations.
Writing in The Guardian, John Pilger, a war correspondent and film-maker, slammed Australia's policy on stopping boats carrying asylum seekers as "cynical and lawless". See here for full opinion. Extract reproduced below: "If a thousand Australians drowned in sinking boats in Sydney harbour, it would be a national tragedy. The prime minister would lead the nation in mourning; the world would offer condolences. By one measure, 1,376 refugees have drowned trying to reach Australia since 1998, many within range of rescue. The policy in Canberra, known as "stop the boats", evokes the hysteria and cynicism of more than a century ago when the "yellow peril" was said to be about to fall down on Australia as if by the force of gravity. Last week the prime minister, Kevin Rudd, reached back to this era when he declared that no refugees in boats would be permitted to land in Australia. Instead, they are to be sent to concentration camps in impoverished Papua New Guinea, whose government has been suitably bribed.