• Excellency - 'we'll protect you with our last drop of blood'

    Mar 15
    A poster spotted in Galle this weekend, featuring a large smiling President Rajapaksa,  reads:

    "TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY / HRC GENEVA
    Avoid meddling in Our Motherland
    Do not Touch Out Leader

    Dear Leader,
    Excellency MAHINDA RAJAPAKSHA,
    You Will also Take Our Country to Prosperity
    You are Our Great Leader,
    You are Our President,
    We'll Protect You With Our Last Drop of Blood,
    We are Prepared to Fight on Your Behalf!"
  • NPC to protest against limestone quarrying in Kilinochchi
    The Northern Provincial Council has said it will be lodging a formal protest with the Environment Ministry against the government's approval of a limestone quarrying project in Kilinochchi, reports the Sunday Times.

    “Our Chief Minister [CV Wigneswaran] will be taking it up with the central government and at the district level as even the local officials had not been consulted about the environmental impact of the project,” said the NPC's Environment Minister Ponnuthurai Ayngaranesan.

  • Video of Sri Lankan soldier describing use of chemical weapons - India's News X
    2nd lead (updated 18:58 GMT) comments from Maga Tamizh Prabhagaran

    The Indian news channel 'News X' broadcast today footage of a Sri Lankan army officer reportedly boasting of the use of chemical weapons against Tamil fighters and civilians during the final stages of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.



    The footage, from the documentary 'This land belongs to the army' by the Indian journalist Thamizh Prabhakar, shows a Sri Lankan soldier pointing to a chemical weapon and describing in detail how it works.

  • Two more activists detained - Kilinochchi
    Published 17:24 GMT, last updated 19:42 GMT


    Two rights campaigners, Father Praveen the Director of the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, and the Sri Lankan human rights campaigner, Ruki Fernando, have been detained by security forces in Kilinochchi, local sources said. 

    The sources said the activists were detained by officials from the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID), however Kilinochchi police gave contradicting reports. 

  • BTF: Arrest of disappearances campaigners underscores need for strong UNHRC resolution
    The arrest and detention of the disappearances campaigner Ms. Jeyakumari and her 13 year old daughter Vipoosika on Thursday, "underscores the need for a strong resolution at the UNHRC" said the British Tamils Forum on Friday.

    Calling on the UN Human Rights Council member states to ensure an international investigation with "real authority and clout" is established, the BTF said,
    "The actions of the Sri Lankan state are all the more brazen given their timing. Sri Lanka is currently coming under intense scrutiny at the 25th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, and yet these arrests show it no longer has any concern over its international image and, more worryingly, indicate that Sri Lanka does not expect the international community to take any concrete action to arrest its ongoing persecution of Tamils."
  • Tamils protest in Vavuniya against detention of Jeyakumari and Vipoosika
    Photographs @GGPonnambalam


    Tamils took to the streets in Vavuniya this morning, protesting against the arrest and detention of disappearances campaigners Balendran Jeyakumari and her 13 year old daughter Vipoosika.



    Families, distraught over the disappearance of their loved ones, lined the streets holding photographs of the missing and demanding that their fellow campaigners be released.

    Ms. Jeyakumari and her daughter Vipoosika, came to prominence for their relentless campaigning over the disappearance of her husband and son, particularly during the British Prime Minister's visit to Jaffna.



    Protest organisers, TNPF (Tamil National People's Front) reported Sri Lankan police had attempted to disrupt the protest. Party leader, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, said government intelligence agents were actively "chasing away" Tamils from taking part in the protest.

    Shortly before the protest was due to start, the TNPF Secretary, S. Kajendran received a phone call from an officer belonging to the Vavuniya division, demanding that the protest be cancelled or postponed. Stating that a 'counter protest' had been organised with an expected crowd of over 3000, the officer warned the police could not guarantee the safety of the Tamil protesters if there were "clashes".

  • CMAG pressed on attitude towards Sri Lanka


    The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), the Commonwealth body responsible for dealing with serious or persistent violations of Commonwealth values, came under scrutiny over its handling of Sri Lanka during a press conference following its 43rd meeting in London on Friday.

  • SL Army accuses Ananthy Sasitharan of making 'misleading' statements over Jeyakumari-Vipoosika arrest
    The Sri Lankan Army accused the Northern Province Councillor and campaigner, Ananthy Sasitharan and other politicians of making "misleading statements" that were "politically motivated" about the Sri Lankan police's arrest and detention of the prominent disappearances campaigner, Balendran Jeyakumari and her 13 year old daughter, Vipoosika.

    Rejecting international concern over their arrest, the Army asserted,
    "The actions taken by the law enforcement authorities are well within the existing legal framework and are carried out to ensure peace, territorial integrity and national unity."


    Ananthi Sasitharan addressing UNHRC on March 14th

    Explicitly naming Ms Sasitharan, who raised the issue of Ms. Jeyakumari's and Vipoosika's detention to UN Human Rights Council member states, during an address to the Council on Friday, the Army said in a statement issues today,

    "The allegations made by Ms. Ananthy Sashidharan and other politicians with vested interests that this arrest was carried out as the suspect was one of their supporters is incorrect and totally baseless.  Such misleading statements are politically motivated and we reject these attempts to hide the truth."
    Accusing Ms. Jeyakumari of giving shelter to an armed criminal, the Army claimed that her 13 year old daughter was "also taken in to protective custody as there was no adult in the neighborhood willing to give shelter to her."

  • British Tamils demonstrate for the release of Tamil activist and daughter
    Tamils protest outside Downing Street in London (Pictures: @tamilguardian)


    British Tamils gathered on Whitehall today to call for the release of Tamil activist Jeyakumari and her daughter Vipoosika, who were arrested by Sri Lankan police in Kilinochchi on Thursday.

    Calling on the British government to act, the protestors demanded that Britain puts pressure on Sri Lanka to release the activist and her daughter. Jeyakumari and her 13-year-old daughter gained prominence during Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to Sri Lanka, when they were protesting to bring attention to Tamils who had disappeared, including Jeyakumari's son, who has been missing since 2009.

  • Basing Sri Lankan identity on religion detrimental to rights of other communities - UN expert

    Speaking at a side event Wednesday hosted by the European Union on countering religious hatred while respecting human rights, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Mr. Heiner Bielefeldt, drew upon Buddhism in Sri Lanka to highlight that emboldening identity through religion could cause detrimental effects on rights of other communities.

    He was speaking to themes in his address on Tuesday to the UN Human Rights Council earlier this week, and in the report he presented.

  • Detained Tamil campaigner held under PTA act by TID

    The Tamil campaigner Balendra Jeyakumari and her 13-year-old daughter Vipoosika, who were arrested yesterday after a police raid, are being held by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) under the draconic Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), local sources said on Friday.

    According to other sources in Sri Lanka, Ms Jeyakumari last year submitted a petition on disappearances to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Office in Colombo. The report was submitted whilst the UNHRC met in March for its regular sessions.

  • Ananthy Sasitharan calls for international investigation into genocide of Tamils

    Addressing the general debate on the Promotion and Protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, the Northern Provincial Councillor Ananthy Sasitharan made a statement on behalf of the NGO, Collectif des Femmes Africaines du Hainaut (CFAH), in which she called for an international investigation into the genocide of the Tamil people.

  • CoI needed as an 'immediate step' - Ananthy Sasitharan tells UNHRC

    Addressing the council again on the general debate of the Item 2, Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General, Ananthy Sasitharan spoke for a second time on behalf of the NGO, Collectif des Femmes Africaines du Hainaut (CFAH), calling for a Commission of Inquiry as an immediate step to halt the on-going genocide taking place in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

  • Heavy military presence in Vanni following detention of campaigner and daughter

    A heavy military presence has been reported in Vanni, following the arrest of a Tamil disappearances campaigner, Jeyakumari, and her 13-year-old daughter, Vipoosika, in Kilinochchi yesterday.

    Sources told the Tamil Guardian that there was a large military presence around Tharumapuram, with restrictions being placed on the movement of the public, including Tamil parliamentarians.

    Local residents have said that over 2000 troops are currently present in Vanni. 

  • ‘This is a serious threat' warned detained Tamil campaigner in interview to C4 last month

    Jeyakumari in her video to Channel 4

     

    Tamil campaigner Balendra Jeyakumari, who was arrested along with her 13-year-old daughter Vipoosika under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, warned of unknown people following her home and threatening her, in a video sent to Channel 4 last month.

    Channel 4 revealed earlier today that Ms. Jeyakumari had sent a video where she warned of unknown persons looking for and following her. She told the British broadcaster,

    "Unknown faces follow me and track me whenever I go home after protests. [To me, in my mind, this frightens me]."

    “This is a serious threat. We are terrified to live here.”

    “I gladly give this interview to Channel 4 to publicise my plight.”

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