In an article published in the Guardian on Tuesday, a failed Tamil asylum seeker, 'Hari', recounted his harrowing experience of being tortured in the infamous '4th floor' of Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department, accused of 'undermining diplomatic relations by complaining to the UK government' of previous abuses. See here for full article in The Guardian. Extract reproduced below: '... In what he described as a "torture hall" on the fourth floor of the criminal investigation department building in Colombo , Hari, who had already served time for being an intelligence agent for the...
The body of male, found mutilated by Bambalapiti Hindu College on Friday morning , is that of Kanapathipillai Udayakanthan, reported The Sunday Times. Udayakanthan, from Batticaloa, is said to be the former bodyguard of the LTTE political wing leader. According to reports, he returned to Sri Lanka two years ago, after spending several years in the UK.
Published 12:50 BST Thousands of Tamil protesters are marching through London to Marlborough house protesting against Rajapaksa's UK visit. There remains a heavy police presence with more police arriving, as rajapaksas arrival is expected. Follow us on Twitter @tamilguardian for live updates and coverage.
Published 22:40 BST Photographs added 07 Jun 2012 02:01 BST Thousands of Tamils marched through the streets of London on Wednesday protesting against Rajapaksa's UK visit to have a Diamond Jubilee lunch with the Queen, before egging his car as he made his way to the airport. Protesters throw eggs at Rajapaksa's car as he leaves for the airport. At 8am this morning, buoyed but undeterred by the cancellation of Rajapaksa's key note speech at the Commonwealth Economic Forum, hundreds of protesters began to gather outside Mansion House, before marching on to Marlborough House where Rajapaksa was due to have lunch with the Queen. As the march progressed, hundreds rapidly swelled into thousands as scores of Tamils arrived with placards, banners and Eelam flags. By mid-morning the march had reached an estimated 8000 protesters, as they congregated around Marlborough House. Hundreds of Tamils from France, Germany and other European countries joined the protest with their country's flags flying outside. Furious at the invitation extended to him, protesters dragged an effigy of Rajapaksa through the streets and burnt the Sri Lankan constitution.
Speaking to Channel 4 News on the mass protests against Rajapaksa in the UK on Wednesday, the chairman of the Royal Commonwealth Society, Peter Kellner, said the meeting with Rajapaksa had been an embarrassment to the Queen, however it was due to a "mistake" made at the last Commonwealth summit, when "they took no action against the mounting evidence" of human rights violations in Sri Lanka. See here for full interview with Channel 4 News. Transcript of interview follows: Q. I asked whether, in his view, the President of Sri Lanka should have been here today. A. No I don't think he should, it wasn’t a mistake that the Queen or Buckingham Palace made, Sri Lanka is a member of the Commonwealth. The mistake was made by the Commonwealth at their last summit, last year in Perth in Australia, when they took no action against the mounting evidence that you amongst others have provided, of things going wrong and human rights being violated in Sri Lanka . Q. But if they won’t suspend him, then he’s a legitimate leader of a Commonwealth country and has every right to be here and to be heard. A. Here’s the problem, it’s not just any old Commonwealth country, they are, Sri Lanka is hosting the next Commonwealth summit , which the Queen shall attend towards the end of next year, What worries me is that if nothing is done to improve the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, that summit is going to be a disaster .
Sri Lanka deported Channel 4 director, Stuart Cosgrove, and his wife of Tamil descent, Shirani Sabaratnam, on Sunday. Both have now been placed on a " blacklist " and barred from entering the country by the Department of Immigration and Emigration. National Criminal Investigation unit arrested both individuals and deported them. Accoring to Virakesari, Shirani Sabaratnam stayed seven hours in the country before she was refused a visa and turned back at the airport. Meanwhile the BBC reports the Sri Lankan official in charge of immigration told Charles Haviland of the BBC that Cosgrove's...
Across the Commonwealth nations, Tamils have protested against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to the UK to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. An event held in Auckland, New Zealand saw Tamils brave the extreme weather conditions to hold banners and placards, denouncing Rajapaksa as a war criminal. Canadian Tamils too held a demonstration outside the British Consulate-General in Toronto, calling for the arrest of the Sri Lankan President. Photograph courtesy of TamilNet In Chennai, 19 political parties and grassroot organisations handed a memo into British mission,...
Published 00:01 BST. Updated 10:11 BST (more photos added) Tamil protesters gathered once again on Monday, to demonstrate against the arrival of Rajapaksa to the UK. Gathering outside the Park Lane Hilton Hotel since mid-afternoon, protesters shouted for several hours ceaselessly. Holding placards denouncing him as a war criminal, protesters called on the British government to withdraw its invitation. As the Tamil protesters gathered opposite the hotel, eye witnesses state that a coach was seen to arrive by the entrance of the hotel and drop off around 30 Sinhala pro-Rajapaksa supporters who came with Sri Lankan flags and banners expressing support. Although the supporters appeared to be chanting, it could not be heard amidst the protesters shouting. At 17:25 BST, the Sinhala supporters appeared to be packing up to leave when a diplomatic car, flanked either side by security vehicles sped out from the back entrance of the hotel.
Addressing an event in Marawila on Saturday, the infamous minister, Wimal Weerawansa, asserted that the US was seeking to "destablise" the country by working in "separatist organisations". Weerawamsa said , “The geographic location of Sri Lanka and its natural resources are vital for American interest and due to this factor, the Americans have sided with separatist organisations that want to de stabilize this country and then take it over ." “ It is because of this that the US, Britain and the TNA are asking for the removal of the military in the North ." " That would help them sow the seeds...
Rajapaksa's keynote speech due to have taken place at a meeting of the Commonwealth Economic Fourm at 10am on Wednesday has been cancelled amid fears of mass Tamil protests, after a series of protests against his UK visit over the past few days. He will still be attending a lunch with the Queen, at an event arranged by the Commonwealth Secretary General and Marlborough House on Pall Mall. See here for report by Channel 4 News. The organisers, Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), stated on its website : "After careful consideration the morning sessions of the Forum on Wednesday 6th of June...