Tamils in London protested on Monday against the on-going intimidation and arrest of Jaffna University students. The protest, organised by British Tamil Forum (BTF), was held outside the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 10th December to coincide with International Human Rights Day.
The Canadian MP for Kitchener Centre, Stephen Woodworth, reiterated his concerns over the human rights situation in the North-East, drawing attention to the recent incidents at the University of Jaffna. In a statement , Woodworth said: “Parliamentarians have the responsibility to make it our first priority to raise our voice in support of every person’s fundamental human rights,” “I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers towards all those that have been affected by the latest violent attacks and I urge the international community to call on the Sri Lankan Government to put in place...
Indian officials have expressed concerns about recent moves by Sri Lanka which increased duty on Indian vehicle import into the country. Sri Lanka has increased the duties for imports of vehicles from India, while giving exemptions to imports from Japan, reported the Sunday Times last month. The paper also reported that a Chinese company was given clearance to set up a car plant. A spokesperson for the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said Sri Lanka has nearly doubled the import tax on vehicles manufactured in India, and if reports about the Chinese plant proved correct,...
Photographs EelamNews Lecturers from the University of Jaffna, protested in solidarity with their students on Friday, against the arrests and intimidation of several students over the commemoration of Remembrance Day on 27th November.
Sampanthan outlines his views on militarisation of the North-East in the Sri Lankan parliament on Friday: Here's a video of his address, extracts reproduced below: "There seems to be a rather mistaken belief among some people in this country that the Tamil people want the armed forces out of the North and East, that's not correct. Let me put it on record, that we realise and we accept that the armed forces have got to be present in the North and East, as they are in the whole country. We only ask that the presence of the armed forces in the North and the East, is not in such a manner as to be...
8 Tamil Nadu fishermen were injured after yet another attack by the Sri Lankan Navy, allegedly taking place off the coast of Talaimannar. The fishermen alleged that the Sri lankan Navy personnel fired shots in the iar before proceeding to snap nets on at least 5 boats. The fishermen have now returned to Rameswaran and with some admitted into hosiptal. The attacks come as the Sri Lankan Navy celebrated its 62nd anniversary. On their website they announced that they remained, "committed to defend the Motherland, being the “Golden Fence around the Nation” with the noble resolve of “Country first...
Bruce Haigh, a former Australian diplomat who served in Sri Lanka and a member of the Refugee Review Tribunal, has written, slamming Australia for being complicit in the genocide of Tamils and called for the country to cut sporting ties with the country. His comments come as the Sri Lankan cricket team begin their tour of Australia. Extracts have been reproduced below. See the full piece here . "Who would have thought that in 17 years, Australia could have gone from being a leading champion in the global fight to end the racial discrimination of apartheid to siding with the corrupt and venal government of Sri Lanka in the genocide of Tamils." "Australia has become complicit in the genocide of Sri Lanka's Tamil minority. Asylum seekers that arrive in Australia are being given no opportunity to make a statement of claims. Acting on the advice of the Sri Lankan government, they are being returned to Sri Lanka on the basis that they have no claims. Any claim they make is regarded as spurious."
Australians call for a boycott of the Sri Lankan national cricket team’s tour of Australia due to the country's poor human rights record, reported the Brisbane Times. The Tamil Refugee Council and Refugee Action Collective in Victoria have been pushing for a boycott ahead of the first Test, due to take place this week. In an open letter, both groups stated , “ There will be a stain of injustice that won’t wash out of cricket whites if the human rights abuses of the ruling Sri Lankan regime pass unremarked ,” Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Australia, Mr Samarasinghe, dismissed the calls for a...
The United States has granted extensions on waivers of US sanctions placed on Iran to 20 countries, including Sri Lanka. The waivers, originally granted in June, mean that these countries will not be hit with penalties by the US, as they continue to reduce their imports of iranian oil. Other countries who were granted extensions on waivers include China, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and Taiwan, Belgium, Britain, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Japan. Announcing the waivers, US Secretary of State Hillary...
In statement published Friday, the US State department expressed concern at the impeachment trial of Sri Lanka's Chief Justice, Shirani Bandaranayake, as "part of a disturbing deterioration of democratic norms in Sri Lanka." Statement : "The United States remains deeply concerned about actions surrounding the ongoing impeachment trial of Sri Lankan Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. As Embassy Colombo’s statement noted earlier today, we urge the Government of Sri Lanka to guarantee due process, and to ensure that all investigations are conducted transparently and in accordance with the rule...