14:57 GMT In breaking news, riots have broken out between inmates at the Welikada prison and the Sri Lankan security forces. Reports coming through state that on Friday afternoon, Sri Lanka's Special Task Force (STF) and prison intelligence unit conducted a search operation on inmates in the L and Chappell units of the prison, citing authorisation by the minister of prisons and reforms. As inmates protested, STF personnel fired tear gas at the protesters. The situation continued to escalate, with several inmates climbing onto the roof of the prison in protest, and news coming through of serious injuries and fatalities.
15:02 GMT The STF personnel have withdrawn from the Welikada prison riot, allowing troops and snipers from the Sri Lankan military to move in, reports Sunday Times. Armoured vehicles have been situated at the gates of the prison, preventing inmates from leaving. See: Riots at Welikada prison after STF tries to search inmates (09 Nov 2012) Video news report by a Sinhala news channel. Gunshots audible from 00:02:54
23:58 GMT The director of the hospital dealing with casualties from the Welikada prison violence has told AFP that 13 people, of whom at least 11 were inmates, had died. Anil Jasinghe said that a further 32 injured were also brought to the hospital. The BBC reported that it isn’t yet clear how many may have died inside the jail. The army moved in when police lost control of parts of the prison after an attempted search operation. See: STF withdraws, SL army moves in with snipers - Welikada (09 Nov 2012) Riots at Welikada prison after STF tries to search inmates (09 Nov 2012)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, expressed concern at Australia’s new policy of that allows for immediate deportation of Sri Lankan refugees seeking asylum. Speaking at a Democracy forum in Indonesia, Pillay outlined why so many Tamil were leaving Sri Lanka and voiced her concerns about the Australian deportation policy. She said that Sri Lanka was still volatile, despite the end of the armed conflict. “Now that was a conflict area, matters have not stabilised as yet. All the reports reaching me ar that people are concerned over control being imposed over...
The Sri Lankan Army has announced the launch of a brand that will create resorts across the country, as they opened yet another holiday resort on the island. Speaking to reporters, Army chief Jagath Jayasuriya proudly announced the launch of the “Laya” brand hotels, stating , "Our vision is to make the 'Laya' brand one of the most sought-after resort hotels in Sri Lanka". The Army chief went on to comment that the security forces had taken up this task because of necessity, explaining, "We're not going to challenge the private sector but trying to help meet the room requirement for the anticipated tourist arrivals and maintain the best standards." He went on to anticipate a bigger role for hotel resort industry on the island, and possibly the armed forces, telling reporters, "This depends on the rapid build up of room capacity…The government has set a target room capacity of 30,000 by 2015". Earlier this year the Sri Lankan Army opened their second holiday resort in the Jaffna peninsula alone. See below: Army opens yet another holiday resort in Jaffna (11 Jan 2012)
The Leader of the French branch of TCC (Tamil Co-ordination Committee) has been killed in a shooting in Paris’s 20th arrondissement on Thursday evening. A prominent figure in the French Tamil community, Nadarajah Mathinthiran alias Parithi was shot dead as he left TCC's Paris office, allegedly by two hooded individuals on motorbike who fired three shots at their victim. Parithi had previouly been attacked in a stabbing around a year ago, sustaining serious injuries from which he had only recently recovered. A police investigation has been launched into the murder.
The Australian government has sent a group of 30 asylum seekers to Colombo, the second such group in as many days, in a specially chartered flight Christmas Island earlier today. Immigration Minister Chris Bowen told media that the group were "involuntarily"' returned, bringing eh total number of asylum seekers deported to Sri Lanka 186, since new immigration policies were put into place in August of this year. Bowen went on to say , "They were advised of their status and that they were subject to removal from Australia. They raised no issues that engaged Australia's international obligations...
Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, who also happens to be President and Defence Minister, has presented the 2013 budget to parliament today. Three years after the end of the armed conflict, Rajapakse has allocated a record US$ 2.2 billion to the defence ministry. This increase is partly financed by a rise in taxation on luxury goods and other imports, like milk powder. Rajapakse also announced a ban in the sale of land to foreigners, whose purchases are thought to have raised local prices, reported the AFP .
Mavai Senathirajah, TNA (central, speaking) Delegates at the World Tamil Conference - including Tamil activists and politicians from the North-East and the diaspora, as well as politicians and civil society activists from Tamil Nadu - gathered at the British Houses of Parliament for a second day to discuss and endorse the resolution proposed. The resolution put before the delegates, which received widespread backing on the first day, including by several British parliamentarians , called for an international, independent investigation into the allegations war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide by the Sri Lankan state against the Tamil nation.
Tamil Youth Organisation - UK have released a press statement on the recent review of Sri Lanka at the UPR. Full statement below: The United Nations Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) 2 nd Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Sri Lanka formally concluded on Monday the 5 th of November 2012, with the outcome once again confirming the urgent need for drastic action to force Sri Lanka to abide by its human rights obligations. Sri Lanka has rejected outright 100 out of 210 recommendations made at the UPR. These included those made by a number of countries calling for the implementation of recommendations from Sri Lanka’s very own flawed LLRC report, as well as those made by the more credible UN Panel of Experts’ report. Although TYO-UK welcomes some of the effective recommendations made by countries, including the calls for accountability for war crimes and for ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, many of the recommendations lacked the required strength to effect tangible change on the island. Nearly all of the recommendations fail to take into account the ethnic nature of the conflict that continues to blight the Tamil people to this very day. What remains unchanged is that it is Tamils who suffer the consequences of the “time and space” that was requested by Sri Lanka, and granted by the international community.