Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister GL Peiris told the Australian government that the remnants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were still active in Australia and asked them to proscribe the organisation. In an interview with an Australian newspaper, The Australian, Peiris stressed that although the organisation was defeated in Sri Lanka and the war was over, the LTTE networks still intimidate Tamil families in the diaspora to extort money. He then went on to suggest that all people fleeing Sri Lanka were not genuine refugees but economic migrants, alleging that the LTTE were...
For five days from the launch of the official Sri Lankan CHOGM website, a 'Sri Lanka Factsheet' claimed that Tamils accounted for just 3.9% of the population, being outnumbered by 'Indian Tamils' at 4.6% and Muslims, whose numbers were also understated at 7.2%. The ethnicity and religion figures on the site were changed after the BBC's Charles Haviland called up the issue on twitter. The 'fact sheet' currently reads that Tamils form 11.2% of the population, Indian Tamils 4.2% and Muslims 9.7%.
Speaking after yesterday's defeat to India in Cardiff, the Sri Lankan cricket team's captain, Angelo Mathews, said that he "can't really comment" on the anti-Tamil violence by Sri Lankan cricket fans that took place on Monday. Mathews said : "I think it was unfortunate there was a reaction today after the Oval game, but I can't really comment." Asked for his thoughts on Tamil protesters invading the pitch and disrupting play, Mathews said: "I was not really concerned. We as cricketers are not really bothered about what is happening around."
The European Union has confirmed it will build 25,000 homes in the northeast of Sri Lanka next year. The Head of Delegation, Bernard Savage, said a feasibility study is currently being carried out and a delegation would visit Sri Lanka next month to approve the project. Prime Minister of Sri Lanka D. M. Jayaratne commended the support shown by the EU.
Tamil activists in the UK have joined organisers of the 'Boycott Sri Lanka Cricket' campaign in calling for calm at today's protest in Cardiff and condemning any suggestion of retaliatory violence or 'revenge'. In a statement released yesterday British Tamils Forum said: "There are real concerns for the safety of Tamil campaigners at the forthcoming India-Sri Lanka match, to be held in Cardiff tomorrow, Thursday 20 June. In the face of these concerns, British Tamils Forum urges those attending the demonstration tomorrow to display the same courage, dignity and restraint shown by the Tamil...
Sri Lankan ministers alleged today in parliament that the Tamil youth leading the 'Boycott Sri Lankan Cricket' campaign had issued death threats to Sri Lankan cricket team, reports the Daily Mirror. Claiming that the activists had been hired by 'certain groups to carryout various activities including death threats against Sri Lankan cricketers who are participating in the ongoing Champions Trophy one day tournament', the government said they would be investigating the matter. UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekera urged the government to ensure the safety of Sri Lankan cricketers who had received death...
Human Rights Watch slammed the Sri Lankan government's proposed new media code as "overbroad and vague language that could have a severe and chilling effect on free". In a statement released earlier this week, HRW said : "The proposed code comes at a time when the government has taken various measures to clamp down on Sri Lanka’s once vibrant media, including forcing some electronic media critical of the government to close down." HRW's Asia director, Brad Adams, said: “The government’s proposed media code is part of a sustained campaign to control the media and curtail dissent,” “Sri Lankan...
The leader of the National Freedom Front, a key ally in President Rajapakse’s coalition government, has claimed that india is supporting separatist forces in Sri Lanka, after the invitation extended by Delhi to the TNA. "It was no secret that India aided the separatist forces in Sri Lanka," Wimal Weerawansa told reporters. "The TNA has failed to demonstrate even after the LTTE was defeated that they disown their terrorist campaign. Both Singh and Gandhi must know that they are meeting the political and parliamentary front of the LTTE, "They only represent a fraction of the Tamil population."...
Photograph from uktamilnews.com Tamil protesters brought the Champions Trophy semi-final India vs Sri Lanka to a halt yesterday after the pitch was invaded on two occasions by protesters carrying Tamil Eelam flags and placards. Photograph NDTV Sports The first protester ran on, carrying a placard reading '40,000 Commonwealth Citizens massacred by Rajapaksa' with a Tamil Eelam flag draped around his shoulders, and dodged stewards for quite some time before he was rugby tackled to the floor. Later in the afternoon, up to 6 protesters carrying the Tamil Eelam flag invaded the pitch, suspending play once again. The pitch invasions took place as hundreds of Tamils joined activists from the 'Boycott Sri Lankan Cricket' campaign to stage a demonstration outside Swalec stadium in Cardiff calling on countries to suspend sporting ties with Sri Lanka, and support a call for an international, independent investigation into the mass atrocities of 2009.
The TNA delegation in India met with the Prime Minister on Wednesday, after having previously called on the External Affairs Minister and the National Security Adviser. An official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs told media: "The Prime Minister conveyed to the TNA delegation that he was dismayed by reports suggesting that the Government of Sri Lanka planned to dilute certain key provisions of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution ahead of elections to the Northern Provincial Council. It was noted that the proposed changes raised doubts about the commitments made...