• UK govt should push for an international inquiry now - Labour leader Ed Miliband

    Jan 29


    The leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, stressed his support for an international inquiry and pledged to push the coalition government on this, come the UN Human Rights Council session in March, in a meeting with the British Tamil community yesterday. 

    "We would support a motion for UN international inquiry, but believe March is too late to start the process and British Government should push for this now," said Mr. Miliband's press officer to the Tamil Guardian.

    Highlighting the on-going plight of Tamils in the North-East, and the need for a strong resolution to be passed at the UNHRC, the British Tamils pointed out that the Sri Lankan government has not showed any willingness to undertake an independent investigation, and had indeed proved itself incapable of doing so, given past internal commissions and inquiries.

  • 8 years since abductions of TRO workers

    8 years have passed since 7 TRO workers were abducted by Sri Lankan government-backed paramilitaries in Batticaloa. The kidnappings, which took place on the 29th and 30th of January, has not led to a single arrest.

    The missing aid workers are presumed dead.

  • Australian Tamils slam Labor MPs over visit to Sri Lanka
    Tamils in Australia slammed the three Labor MPs, John Pandazopoulos, Liz Beattie and Marsha Thomson, over their recent visit to Sri Lanka and meeting with the President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

    The spokesperson of the Tamil Refugee Council, Aran Mylvaganam said,
    “It was staggering to read that Beattie and her colleagues had ignored a log of war crimes piled high at the United Nations and described Rajapaksa as ’man of courage'.”

  • GTF's Father Emmanuel calls on Sydney Archbishop to press for international inquiry


    Continuing the campaign to increase support for an     UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka that calls for an international inquiry, Father S. J. Emmanuel of the Global Tamil Forum called on an old friend in Australia last week, the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.

    Old friends from previous years in Rome, Father Emmanuel told the Australian Archbishop of the massacres that took place in 2009 at the end of the armed conflict, and the militarisation, colonisation and violence that continues to take place today in the Tamil area of the North-East.

  • Mannar mass grave count rises to 55
    As excavations continued at the site of the Mannar mass grave in Thirukketheeswaram yesterday, two more human remains were discovered, bringing the toll up to 55, reports the Uthayan.

    Today, skeletal fragments of previously discovered remains were unearthed reported the newspaper. The excavation is set to continue tomorrow.

  • MoD issues threats to TNA ahead of UNHRC
    Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence has threatened to investigate the Tamil coalition party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), over the party's links to the LTTE, reports a pro-government newspaper The Island today.

    Citing a 'senior MoD spokesman', the paper wrote that the investigation would 'focus on the close relationship between the LTTE and the TNA since late 2001, when the political grouping recognised the LTTE as the sole representatives of the Tamil speaking people.  Based on the findings, legal action would be taken against TNA members'.

  • SL navy releases detained Indian fishermen after bilateral discussions
    The Sri Lankan navy today, released 69 Indian fishermen that were detained under Sri Lankan court order.

    The handover was a result of bilateral discussions regarding the fisherman situation held in New Delhi on January 15.

  • NPC resolution calls for Mullivaikkaal memorial

    The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) has passed a resolution calling for a monument to be built to commemorate those killed in Mullivaikkaal earlier this week. 

    The resolution, which was passed unanimously, was proposed by the councillor for Mullaitivu, T Raviharan. Noting that thousands had died, he told Ceylon Today,

    "A monument has not been built to pay respect to the civilians in the Mullaitivu District. Therefore, I decided to bring in a resolution to build a monument remembering all the civilians, who died during the final stages of the war.”

  • International investigation necessary resolves Northern Province

    The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) passed several resolutions on Monday stating that an international investigation was need to investigate the Sri Lankan state's actions against the Tamils which amounted to genocide.

  • Body of missing 10 year old Tamil boy found in Naanu Oya
    The body of a 10 year old Tamil boy, who went missing yesterday, was found today in a pond in Naanu Oya, reports Tamilwin.

    The body was identified as Anthony Robert, who was reported missing by his father yesterday, after he went out to play in the evening after school and never returned.

  • Tamil council member found dead in Nuwareliya
    The body of a 26 year old Tamil man, D. Sasikumar, who worked for the Nuwareliya Council, was found this week reported the Virakesari on Monday.

    One person, who has not been identified, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

  • More skeletons found, total rises to 53 - Uthayan
    A further five human remains were found on Tuesday morning, reported the Uthayan, bringing the total number of remains found at the mass grave in Mannar to 53.

    As excavations continue, on Monday the Northern Provincial Council, called for an internationally run investigation into the mass grave in Mannar.

    Earlier this month the Bishop of Mannar, who has called for an international investigation into the mass grave due to the lack of credibility associated with any internal process, said that the holes in many of the skulls were believed to be from gunshot wounds.

  • Sri Lanka's LLRC does not meet international standards - FCO
    The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, today outlined that Sri Lanka’s domestic Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) appointed to address accountability issues did not meet international standards.

    Responding to questions raised on Sri Lanka, the British Minister of State at the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO), Hugo Swire, said,

    “We have also highlighted that any domestic process should be credible independent and transparent to be accepted by the international community. We do not believe that any of the processes established to date by the Sri Lankan Government – such as the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission – meet these standards.”

  • Canada deports Tamil mother, leaving family behind

    Canadian authorities have deported a Tamil mother to Sri Lanka earlier this week, forcing her to leave her family behind in Canada.

  • US envoy to visit NE and London before discussing SL resolution
    The Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Biswal, will visit Sri Lanka between January 31 and February 2 to discuss issues including post-conflict reconciliation, justice and accountability issues, the US Department of State announced today.

    Biswal’s visit will also include a trip to the North-East to meet Northern Provincial Council officials and civil society leaders.
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