Tamil Affairs

Tamil Lawyers Forum urges release of Tamil political prisoners in Sri Lanka

Nov 15

The Tamil Lawyers Forum released a statement today calling on Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena to release all Tamil political prisoners that are currently being held in Sri Lankan prisons.

Indian government continues to train Sri Lankan troops despite protests

India’s Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar acknowledged that Sri Lankan troops continued to receive training in Indian defence colleges, despite domestic opposition.

Visiting the Coonoor Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), where there are currently 35 defence officers from 24 countries undergoing training, Mr Parrikar stated that no Sri Lankans were present at that particular institute, due to local protests.

EU stresses need for foreign participation to ensure credible accountability in Sri Lanka

The European Council, in a press brief released on Monday, stressed the importance of the participation of foreign judges, prosecutors and investigators to ensure a credible accountability process as a first step towards lasting justice and peace in Sri Lanka.

The Council conclusions on Sri Lanka stressed that “ Accountability is essential to uphold the rule of law and build confidence in the people of all communities of Sri Lanka in the justice system,” adding,

“The participation of foreign judges, defence lawyers, prosecutors and investigators will be important in ensuring that the process is both credible and perceived as such by all sides. The Council underlines the importance of continued cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.”
Stressing the need to address the underlying causes of the conflict, the Council called for devolution of power to the North-East, whilst ensuring that “early steps to build the confidence of communities” were taken.

Families of Tamil political prisoners protest outside UN office in Jaffna

Family members of Tamil Political Prisoners detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) took part in a public protest in front of the UN office in Jaffna on Monday.

The demonstrators voiced concern about the welfare of the hunger striking prisoners that had reached their 8th day of fasting.

Sri Lanka seeks to resume import of Iranian oil

The Sri Lankan government has begun talks with Iran on resuming oil shipments from the country, when sanctions are lifted as scheduled in early 2016.

Sri Lanka imported over 90% of it’s oil from Iran before international sanctions on Tehran came into its place, over its nuclear programme.

The head of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Roknoddin Javadi said that Iran was ready to resume shipments once the sanctions are lifted.

“Iran’s oil negotiations have started with Sri Lanka,” the Mehr news agency quoted him as saying.

“All the countries are serious about purchasing crude oil from Iran,” he said, adding “we believe we will have suitable conditions”.

Sri Lanka's only oil refinery is configured to run on Iranian light crude, which meant that the sanctions were particularly devastating for the country.

Monitoring of Sri Lanka critical to discern government's commitment to healing war wounds - Taylor Dibbert

Continuous monitoring of Sri Lanka's transitional justice plan is vital in discerning how committed the new government is to the commitments made at the United Nations Human Rights Council , warns Taylor Dibbert in the Huffington Post.

Raising concern at Colombo's downplaying of international involvement in a criminal prosecution mechanism, Mr Dibbert writes,

"Since the resolution was passed at the Council, Colombo has been downplaying the notion of any meaningful international involvement for its domestic audience. While the exact level of international involvement remains unknown, it's vital to reiterate that, in the form of the recently passed resolution, Colombo agreed to something other than a purely domestic process."

"Monitoring the implementation of Colombo's transitional justice plan, like the larger set of commitments made in the recently passed resolution, is very important. Yet in order to accurately track progress, understanding the content of the latest resolution is absolutely essential. For that is how we can begin to discern whether Sri Lanka's new government is really serious about healing the wounds of war."

Full piece reproduced below.

Government keen on signing free trade agreement with US

The Sri Lankan government is keen on clinching several free trade agreements with the US and other countries, and regaining lost trade preferences, such as GSP+, as exports and investments have dropped significantly.

TNA and Sri Lanka government must be held accountable if Tamil hunger-strikers die says released prisoner

@JaffnaPressClub

Singapore to assist Sri Lanka in Ministry of Foreign Affairs restructure

Singapore will help Sri Lanka re-structure it’s Ministry of Foreign affairs as a result of talks between Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Singapore’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

The two ministers also discussed how to improve bi-lateral relations and build capacity in Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption measures.

Mr Samaraweera also met with Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam.

Released Tamil Nadu fishermen reach India

Sri Lanka has freed 126 fishermen from Tamil Nadu it arrested over the last few month.

Some of the released fishermen arrived in India on Friday, however their boats remained in Sri Lanka's custody.

The Rameswaram fishermen who had been languishing in Anurathapuram prison complained about inhumane treatment while they were in prison, including being given rotten food.

At least one fisherman said he suffered from food poisoning and was treated in the jail hospital, according to The Hindu.

Earlier this year, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe repeatedly stated the Sri Lankan navy had the right to shoot Indian fishermen who stray into its waters.

UN Enforced Disappearances Working Group visits Mannar mass grave site

The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID) visited families of the disappeared in Mannar on Friday.

The working group investigated the mass grave in Mannar that saw the skeletal remains of 81 exhumed when it was first found, reports Colombo Page.

Sirisena pledges to deal with political prisoners by Monday

President Sirisena assured the Northern Provincial Council Chief Minster CV Wigneswaran that the issue of Tamil political prisoners would be solved on Monday.

Citing legal difficulties Sirisena said that the prisoners could only be released after the legal procedure.

Towns across North-East shut down in support of Tamil political detainees

Updated 12:00 GMT

Shops and businesses in Jaffna are closed in support of hunger striking Tamil political detainees, who demand to be released (Photo: @uthayashalin)

Several towns across the Tamil-dominated North-East have nearly completely shut down in a hartal in support of Tamil political prisoners.

Shops, restaurants, banks, schools and other institutions, owned by Tamils and Muslims are closed in Batticaloa, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee and Vavuniya, locals told the Tamil Guardian on Friday. President Maithripala Sirisena was forced to cancel a visit to Batticaloa, where he was due to take part in the opening of a court complex.

Some business owners in Jaffna town and Nelliyadi opened their shops after they were threatened by unidentified individuals, however later took part in the protest action, despite the threats.

Posters commemorating Maaveerar Naal appear in Jaffna University