A new documentary has underlined the state of human rights abuses faced by Tamils in Sri Lanka demonstrating the persecution they are fleeing from on the island, reported Australia’s current affairs programme Lateline. Talking to the programme, former TamilNet correspondent A. Lokeesan, who managed to escape from Sri Lanka and journalist B Abeywardane stated that the documentary “Silenced Voices”, had assembled evidence of war crimes. Both men also stated that since the war ended, the violations have continued unabated. Abeywardane told Lateline, “I think the situation has actually worsened...
India has urged Colombo to discuss and finalise a credible road map for the devolution of power with the TNA, during the Sri Lankan President's visit to the country. Asserting that such a move would send a 'positive signal' ahead of the UN Human Rights Council in March, the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stressed the importance of converting past discussions into firm action. According reports, Rajapaksa said the issue had to be decided by the Parliamentary Select Committee. See here and here .
Amidst protests against President’s Mahinda Rajapasa’s visit to Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, said it was expected that Sri Lanka treated Tamils equally to clear doubts in the minds of people in both nations. During a brief interaction with President Rajapaksa, Chouhan acknowledged the strong relations between India and Sri Lanka, and stressed that “It was expected from the island nation to treat Tamils with equality and that the President should highlight the work being undertaken by his government in this regard”, official sources said. Fulfilling the Sri Lankan...
The visiting delegation from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was told of continuing discrimination at the hand of Sri Lankan authorities during a meeting with the TNA on Friday. In a statement the TNA said they discussed disappearances, accountability and resettlement issues with Hanny Megally, the head of the Asia, Pacific, Middle East and Africa branch of the OHCHR. The TNA said it also said it raised concerns about colonisation and changes in the demographics of the northeast. "Amongst the matters discussed were land issues relating to security zones where the...
Photograph posted on Twitter by @rkguruparan Hundreds of Tamil protestors who had gathered outside the district secretariat in Mullaitheevu, demanding resettlement in their village of Keappa-pulavu on Thursday, were faced with intimidation by the Sri Lankan military. Protesting for over one and a half hours the demonstrators demanded for the occupying military to leave their homeland. Shouting, “We want our homeland, let the military quit our homeland”, the demonstrators held banners reading, "Keappa-pulavu is our village, SL army quite today! Let us go back and resettle." As the protest got underway, the civil society activist, Guruparan Kumaravidvel, reported via Twitter , that there was a heavy Sri Lankan Army intelligence presence. Shortly afterwards, he reported that the TNPF's General Secretary's car had been attacked whilst returning from the protest on Ottuchuttan Road, and the vehicle carrying the TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam was also attacked near Theravil on the way back from Mullaitheevu. Photograph posted on Twitter by @rkguruparan
The visiting delegation from the UN Office of the Human Rights Commissioner today met with members of the TNA reports Uthayan . Discussions were held with reference to high security zones in Valikamam and Sampur, where resettlement has been impeded, and Tamils are restricted from accessing their places of worship due to military land-grabs. Concern was expressed about state sponsored settlement of Sinhalese, under the guise of development schemes, which are in fact changing the demographics of the North-East. Concerns were also raised about reaching an acceptable political solution and on...
Buddhist monks led 300 protesters from the office of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) or National Heritage Party to demonstrate opposite a local UN office, reports the Associated Press. The demonstrators were protesting against a visit from a delegation of the UN Office of Human Rights, complaining of unfair criticism and allegations of abuse since the end of the war in 2009. The protesters voiced fears that the visit was just taking Sri Lanka a step closer to being subjected to an international war crimes investigation. Placards showed the JHU’s concern for human rights in other nations,...
The editor of The Sunday Leader Frederica Jansz has been sacked after the new owner of the paper said articles in the paper were too critical of the president and his family. The Sunday Leader is one of the few newspapers in Sri Lanka openly critical of the government and has previously been the target of violence, including the assassination of its previous editor, Lasantha Wikramatunge. Jansz said that the new owner, Asanga Seneviratne, who is a friend of the Rajapakses, had asked her to stop carrying articles criticising the president. "He said our articles were too slanderous of the...
At least 12 Tamil asylum seekers due to be deported from the UK on Wednesday were taken off a flight heading to Sri Lanka after a senior judge issued a last minute injunction, reported the Independent . The last minute injunction was issued after a judge accepted that Tamil asylum seekers who are deported to Sri Lanka from the UK with allegations against them from the Sri Lankan government of a real or perceived link to the LTTE, face torture. The judge, Mr Justice Wilkie, also accepted that those who have been previously tortured also face torture upon their return to Sri Lanka and should...
25 failed asylum seekers who were deported from Britain on Wednesday night, were questioned by Sri Lankan CID upon their arrival in Colombo The BBC reported that the families of those being deported were anxiously waiting at the airport, whilst the failed asylum seekers were being questioned by CID. According to the International Organisation of Migration 25 people were aboard the flight, after a last minute injunction granted some of the original 60 who were set to be deported a reprieve. Britain has been criticised for its decision to deport failed Tamil asylum seekers, with many human...