The Sri Lankan government has declared that the assets of those linked to “terrorist” activity will be frozen and seized, both inside and outside of the country, as part of new regulations put in place by the External Affairs Ministry. A “Competent Authority” will be created to oversee the seizures, appointed by the Foreign Minister G L Peiris and Defence Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The body, once commissioned, will have the authority to freeze and seize all funds, assets and resources of any group deemed to be linked to “terrorists”. Furthermore, the Sunday Times reported that, if any...
The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to Sri Lanka’s GL Peiris on issues of accountability, free media, human rights and demilitarising the North, according the spokesperson Victoria Nuland, a move that was rejected just hours later by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Asked if prosecuting war crimes and responsibility for the estimated 40,000 civilian deaths in the final phase of the armed conflict was discussed, Ms. Nuland replied , “This is precisely what we mean when we talk about accountability in all of it” . She further stated that there were meetings with Robert Blake,...
Sri Lanka has announced that a new subsidy for fertilisers would be granted to farmers with supplementary crop cultivations, expanding a scheme currently only available for paddy farmers. Minister S.M. Chandrasena stated that the new subsidy was decided by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapksa, after discussions with farmers. He announced that the new subsidy was a means of tackling a surplus of paddy cultivation. The move comes just weeks after the government announced that the state-owned company Milco would buy all unsold milk from farmers...
Thousands of people gathered on Marina Beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to remember those that perished in Mullivaikal, shouting slogans of grievance and calling in international independent investigation into war crimes. Organised by the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam and the May 17th Movement, the crowd also called for a referendum in establishing a separate state and were heard to shout slogans such as, “We will never forget India’s betrayal” and “We will never condone”. An organisation called Youth Against War Crimes and Genocide also took part in the event, collecting signatures for their campaign. See below for more photos.
A total of 234 Tamil detainees are now on hunger strike at prisons across the country , which has stretched into its fifth day, with more detainees joining the protest. The detainees, some who have been held without charge for several years, have asked to be either charged or released. TNA MP Sumanthiran told the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency , that he was due to have a meeting with prison authorities today, regarding the detainees. Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with countries in South Asia, Jean Lambert , also told Xinhua that the European Union was calling...
India’s plans to lend ancient fragments of the Buddha’s bones to Sri Lanka have been slammed by Tamil Nadu activists. Sri Lanka signed an agreement with India on Friday, permitting the transfer of the relics for the celebrations marking the 2,600th anniversary of Buddha’s enlightenment. The request was made by President Rajapakse to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a visit last year. Tamil Nadu politician Vaiko criticised India’s decision in a letter to the Prime Minister. The move was "pouring fire in the terribly wounded hearts of the Tamils", said the letter. Speaking at a Mullivaikal...
The Committee to Protect Journalists has slammed the Sri Lankan Supreme Court’s decision to rejection a petition on the government’s website censorship earlier this week, filed by members of the Free Media Movement. Bob Dietz, coordinator of CPJ’s Asia Program stated , “In handing down its decision, the Court appeared to rule that freedom of expression in Sri Lanka is not an absolute right and can be restricted--and you don't need to pass a law to do so . The Supreme Court could have allowed the case to proceed and--after more hearings, the presentation of proof, and the testimony of...
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has used a presidential pardon to grant the former army General Sarath Fonseka release from prison, after he was jailed in 2010. Around 2,000 supporters greeted Fonseka at his release, waving the Sri Lankan flag and chanting , "Victory to our war hero! Victory to our leader!" Photograph: Courtesy of Daily Mirror Photograph: Courtesy of Ceylon Today Supporter Tiran Alles stated that, “They were waiting for this moment. That is why everybody is celebrating all over the country.” Another supporter went on to tell the BBC , "He is the true leader who liberated this...
Addressing the Mullivaikkal remembrance event in Trafalgar Square, London on Saturday, Jan Jananayagam of Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) paid tribute to the thousands of Tamil lives lost, calling them “symbols of strength and courage”. Taking the opportunity to remember life in the Vanni before the assault by the Sri Lankan Army, she stated, “The Vanni was above all a sanctuary. A sanctuary from the horrifying lawlessness of the Sri Lankan state and its military apparatus.” “A military that runs amok today in the Tamil Eelam homeland, eroding and ultimately destroying every good it comes into...
Addressing the Mullaivaikkal remembrance event in London , on Saturday, the Tamil Youth Organisation UK (TYO UK), condemned the ongoing abuses, colonisation and oppression taking place in the North-East and asserted, "history makes two things very clear. Justice cannot be compromised on and oppression will not be tolerated forever ." See TYO UK address in full here . Extracts reproduced below: "Three years ago, tens of thousands of Tamils perished as the Sri Lankan Army annihilated the Vanni. As we wept, the world urged reconciliation." "Yet three years on, May 18th defines precisely what...