Features

Features

Life for ordinary Tamils gets worse

Jun 20, 2007

Every time 16-year-old Suresh Subramanium steps out of his home in Sri Lanka's heavily-guarded capital, his father says a silent prayer for his son's safe return.

The Subramaniums are ethnic Tamils, and run a grocery store in Colombo. They have lived in the city all their lives, and have little connection to the north and east where government troops are fighting Tamil Tigers.

But they say life for ordinary Tamils in Colombo is getting worse.

"I can't step out of the house without my identity card and police papers.

‘Every night now, I am afraid’

Jun 20, 2007

Sri Lankan authorities were rounding up hundreds of ethnic minority Tamils in the capital of Colombo, forcing them onto buses to destinations unknown.

They were allowed to return two days later , after an international uproar , but many Tamils are afraid the expulsions could mark the beginning of a new wave of persecution, and that the next knock on the door might be even more dangerous.

"I'm scared about what will happen," said the woman, Sanmugam Rasamma, who came back to Colombo after her expulsion.

Tiger planes change war dynamics

Apr 30, 2007

Amal Jayasinghe

The new capability of the Tamil Tigers to carry out airborne attacks has not only made them a rarity among the world's guerrilla outfits but has also badly shaken an entire country.

Sri Lanka's defence ministry has acknowledged that the Tigers may be operating at least five light aircraft, used in three headline-grabbing raids against military and civilian targets over the past month.

The Tigers already possess an effective naval unit known as the Sea Tigers.

Life in embattled Batticaloa

Apr 10, 2007

PK Balachandran

There was not a town in the government-held areas which was not dotted with Karuna's offices or camps, which significantly, were almost always close to the camps of the government forces.

No going back until peace is restored, refugees say

Apr 10, 2007

P. K. Balachandran

The attacker can't be seen. There is no warning that he is going to come. There is no escape!'

Human rights group deplore Sri Lanka abductions

Apr 10, 2007

The levels of killings, disappearances and abductions make clear there is a growing climate of impunity'

Karuna doing Colombo’s ‘dirty work’ - HRW

Mar 28, 2007

Despite promises to investigate abductions of children by the pro-government Karuna group, Sri Lankan authorities have taken no effective action and abductions continue, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday.

“The Karuna group’s use of child soldiers with state complicity is more blatant today than ever before, ” Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW said in a statement. HRW also accused the LTTE of recruiting child soldiers.

“The Karuna group is doing the government’s dirty work,” Adams said.