Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

""
Sri Lanka's United National Party (UNP) has accused the National People's Power (NPP) government of attempting to undermine Buddhism and interfere in the affairs of the Buddhist clergy, as controversy continues over proposed reforms aimed at addressing misconduct within the Buddhist Sangha. The dispute comes amid heightened public scrutiny of Buddhist institutions following allegations of…

“In the North and East, police brutality is a way of life”

Speaking to Parliament earlier this month, Tamil National Alliance MP M.A. Sumanthiran raised the issue of policing in the North-East and the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Extracts have been reproduced below:

Private intelligence firm ‘donated money for Sri Lanka development’ – at Fox’s behest.

A key donor to Pargav Ltd, the company run by Mr. Adam Werritty, the close friend and styled advisor to UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox who resigned on Friday, said its contribution was meant for development activities in Sri Lanka.

Just Desserts

The resignation of British Defence Secretary Liam Fox following revelations about his unauthorised and dubious foreign policy-related activities will be welcomed by all those committed to a just and lasting peace in Sri Lanka. However the serious questions raised – once again – by last week’s media reports about Dr. Fox’s activities must also be answered.

Dr. Fox resigned because, in his own words, “I mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred.” Nowhere is this more true than in the case of Sri Lanka.

Jaffna Students: Sri Lankan Government responsible for assault

Following Monday’s attack on Mr Thavapalasingam, President of the Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU), students from the University gathered in protest against the serious assault and the continued intimidation of Tamil students in Jaffna.

Growing calls for prosecution of Sri Lankan envoy to Australia

The International Commission of Jurists, Australia (ICJA), urged the Australian government to ensure accountability and justice, in a statement released on Monday,

The president of the ICJA, John Dowd QC, called for the suspension of Sri Lankan from the Commonwealth and the prosecution of former navy commander, and current Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia, Thisara Samarasinghe, for alleged war crimes.

Dowd said,

Those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity at the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009 must not be allowed to go unpunished.”

“In continuing violation of international human rights law, there are thousands of former combatants and civilians in Sri Lankan detention camps still not identified or accounted for.”

“The International Commission of Jurists, Australia has furnished the Australian Federal Police with a brief of evidence that corroborates and substantiates the findings of the UN Secretary-General’s Expert Panel. Since October 2009, such evidence has been taken from witnesses in Australia and overseas."

It is clear that Australia has  an  obligation  to  investigate  and,  where  appropriate,  to  prosecute  those responsible."

“Australia owes this much to the Australian citizens and residents who are victims of the Sri Lankan civil war.”

"If the Commonwealth is to mean anything at all on issues like human rights, it has to look to the actions of its members. This is one of its members who's the putative next host in 2013,"

Former Sri Lankan navy admiral Samarasinghe was the North-East commander during 2009. Several eye witnesses statements state that naval ships fired on civilians as they fled the conflict.

Australia's shadow foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, has raised concerns over whether the government knew of Samarasinghe's highly questionable past before accepting him as Sri Lanka's High Commissioner.

Speaking to the Australian press, Bishop said,

"The allegations against the Sri Lankan high commissioner are extremely serious. Kevin Rudd should review whether the government was aware of the allegations prior to accepting his appointment as high commissioner, and whether the government undertook any inquiries or investigations into the appointment."

Samarasinghe has refuted all allegations: "I specifically reject, totally reject such allegations. Such allegations are baseless."

Police to investigate Werritty for possible fraud

The Metropolitan police are to investigate Adam Werritty for possible fraud, following revelations that the close friend of the former defence secretary, Liam Fox, had been posing as an official advisor and sitting in on defence meetings.

The Labour MP, John Mann, has called for the investigation, citing Werritty's distribution of business cards, describing himself as Fox's advisor.  

President of Student Union attacked in Jaffna

The leader of the Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU) K. Thavapalan has been attacked and seriously injured by suspected Sri Lankan Army personnel.

Thavapalan, who was elected as president of the JUSU in 2010, was followed by the assailants before being attacked with iron bars, causing grave injuries.

He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.

Unconventional US court summons for Rajapakse approved

In a precedent setting case, a US court has ruled that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse can be served over TamilNet and through Sri Lankan newspapers, in a case against him for complicity in extra-judicial killings.

Judge Kotelly of the District of Columbia ruled that with Rajapakse having evaded service in person, “it is not reasonably possible or practicable to give more adequate warning”.

Sri Lanka will be discussed at Commonwealth - Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will bring the issue of Sri Lanka to be discussed at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth this month, assured his office, as Canada continues to press Sri Lanka on human rights violations.

Harper's associate director of communications, Andrew MacDougall told reporters in an interview,

"We do expect a discussion at the Commonwealth on this and the prime minister will make his position clear."

Sri Lanka signs oil deal with Vietnam

Sri Lanka and Vietnam have signed agreements to share expertise in oil and gas explorations and for the purchase of oil from a Vietnamese state-run company.