• Govt to investigate TNA 'plot' to collect evidence for UN inquiry

    Oct 31

    The Sri Lankan government has launched an investigation to, what it has described as a "plot" by the TNA to collect information on atrocities committed during the armed conflict to submit to the OHCHR Investigation in Sri Lanka (OISL), reported The Island.

    Police is "hunting" for the TNA's Vavuniya organiser Alva Pulle Vijendrakumar over the claim, the paper added.

    Sources told The Island that Vijendrakumar had to be questioned to verify the alleged involvement of two politicians, including an MP, in the collection of evidence, however, he has left his residence and is seeking refuge elsewhere.

    A senior investigator said:

    "The police searched Vijendrakumar’s residence consequent to the recovery of 25 blank UN war crimes complaint forms from Sinnathamby Krishnarajah, a civilian who had received LTTE training. We took Krishnarajah into custody on October 25 at Mulankavil in the Vanni. Under interrogation, the suspect claimed that he received the blank forms from Vijendrakumar on the afternoon of Oct 22 in Vavuniya."

  • Tamil orgs shocked and saddened by Upcountry landslide deaths
    Tamil organisations worldwide expressed shock and sadness at the tragic loss of life in a landslide that affected the Upcountry region this week, and offered their condolences to the families involved.

    The landslide, which struck early on Wednesday morning in Meeriyabedda in Haldummula, is believed to have killed over 200 people, who were buried alive.

    “The Tamil National Alliance extends its deepest sympathies to the victims of the tragic landslide at Meeriyabedda, Haldummulla,” the party said in a statement on Thursday.

    “Our thoughts are with their families and those involved in the rescue operations. We strongly support all efforts to provide relief and avert further tragedy at this time of need ,” the TNA added.

    Describing the incident as the “greatest disaster of the year”, the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) said it was “shocked to learn about the disaster” and blamed the Sri Lankan state for unsafe policies that led to the loss of life.

    “It is estimated that more than 300 may have lost their lives. This is the greatest disaster of the year. We lost many thousands of people due to Sri Lankan government’s genocide [against the Tamil people], we are even more saddened that this happened to our relations before we could recover ourselves from that tragedy,” the party said in a statement in Tamil.

    “Knowing that this disaster could be avoided doubles our grief. Though the National buildings research centre declared this place as unsafe, the government did not take action to settle the people in a safer place. It is the government’s irresponsibility that led to the people having to face this massive disaster. We condemn this carelessness of the government,” said the TNPF. 

    Also criticising the Sri Lankan government's policies, the Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF) warned that the suffering of the Upcountry Tamil people involved in the landslide would be exacerbated by the state's longstanding repressive policies against them. 

  • Travel restrictions to North are anti-Tamil says Bishop of Mannar
    The Bishop of Mannar, Rayappu Joseph said the Sri Lankan government's reintroduction of travel restrictions to the North was "symptomatic of the government's ill will towards the Tamil people".

    "These restrictions which were not there all this time are all quite strange to us. There are more soldiers and security forces present here more than during the wartime and they are disturbing people," he told Ceylon Today.

    "If the government has any suspicions concerning certain persons they can take action against those particular persons by not allowing them entry or access, but there was no reason for such draconian measures," Bishop Joseph added.

  • NPC looks to adopt orphaned Upcountry children to protect Tamil identity from Sri Lankan state
    The Northern Provincial Council indicated that it will adopt the 75 children that lost their parents in the landslide disaster in the Upcountry region last week.

    The decision came after the NPC expressed concerns that the orphans would lose their Tamil cultural and linguistic Tamil identity if adopted by the Sri Lankan government, reports Uthayan.
  • Wife of death row fisherman seeks Madras High Court action
    The wife of one of the five Tamil Nadu fisherman sentenced to death by a Sri Lankan court this week has filed a motion at the Madras High Court, seeking the appointment of a counsel to appeal the sentence, reports PTI.
  • Gota orders army to take control of relief centres for displaced Upcountry Tamils
    The Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered the Sri Lankan military to take "full control" of the relief centres opened up for Upcountry Tamils displaced by the landslide which affected the Meeriyabedda estate in Badulla district on Wednesday.

    The army will control the feeding, health and "entire management" of the displaced victims, reported Colombo Page.
  • Armed forces is building friendships between ethnic groups says Rajapaksa
    The Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa said the armed forces, "equipped with weaponry and knowledge", served as a "bridge which builds the friendship between the ethnic groups", speaking at Temple Trees on Friday evening.
  • UN Human Rights Committee raises concerns in Sri Lanka's ICCPR review conclusions
    The UN Human Rights Committee’s concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of Sri Lanka, released on Thursday,  outlined several concerns on the state of freedom of expression and participation in the political process, freedom of assembly and freedom of association, rights of persons belonging to minorities, torture, enforced disappearances and former combatants.

    Highlighting the attacks on freedom of assembly and association of Tamils in the north-east, the report said,

    “The committee is concerned at the disproportional and discriminatory restrictions on freedom of peaceful assembly and association against Tamils, particularly in the North of the State party, including restrictions of religious and/or civil ceremonies commemorating the loss of loved ones during the armed conflict.”

    Drawing upon concerns regarding the Rights of persons belonging to minorities, the report highlighted further concerns about, “ the restrictions and conditions placed on the enjoyment of cultural, linguistic and religious freedoms of minorities in the State party, such as the Muslim, Tamil and Christian communities, including refusal of school admission on grounds of religion, and harassment against minority religious groups which includes attacks on the places of worship of Hindu, Muslim, Evangelical Christian and Jehovah’s Witness communities.”
  • Protests in Tamil Nadu against SL death sentence to fishermen

    Protests erupted in Tamil Nadu on Friday against a Sri Lankan court’s sentencing of five Tamil Nadu fishermen to death for alleged drug trafficking.

    Effigies of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa were and the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai was laid siege to, reports Deccan Chronicle. Over two hundred demonstrators were arrested said police.

    In Rameswaram, the home of many Tamil Nadu fishermen who have faced arrest and detention by the Sri Lankan navy, local fishermen have launched an indefinite strike unless the Indian government appealed the death sentence in a higher court, the paper added. See more here

  • Tamil youth assaulted in Jaffna by unidentifiable group
    A Tamil youth was assaulted by a group of unidentified persons yielding belts and sticks at a bus stand near Jaffna Hindu College reports the Uthayan.

    Police were called to the scene after the victim defended themselves form the group using a knife.

    Though the group of attackers escaped, the victim was arrested for possessing a knife.
  • UN Human Rights Committee is 'biased' says Sri Lanka

    The Sri Lankan government accused the UN Human Rights Committee of bias, after the Committee raised concerns about the country's adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

    Speaking to media on Friday, government spokesperson and information minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the committee, which is made up of independent experts, had failed to look into acts carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, highlighting the killing of 700 policemen in the nineties, which the government blames on the LTTE.

    In its final recommendations, the committee had raised concerns about the lack of progress on investigations into the killings of Tamils.

  • UN agency says it is ready to support Upcountry landslide rescue
    The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it was ready to assist in the rescue operation following a landslide in the Upcountry on Wednesday, which is believed to have left hundreds dead.

    "The National Disaster Management Center reports that at least six people have died, 300 people are missing and 150 houses are destroyed," a UN spokesperson said.

    "OCHA is in close contact with this centre and stands ready to support as requested."

    "The Sri Lankan Red Cross Society has mobilised first aid teams, while the World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health's efforts to assist the affected communities," he added.

  • Sri Lanka sentences 5 Tamil Nadu fishermen to death, India says men innocent
    A Sri Lankan court sentenced five Tamil Nadu fishermen to death on Thursday on drug trafficking charges.

    The Indian government is to appeal the judgement, through legal channels as well as political channels, reports the Hindustan Times.

    "India's High Commission in Colombo will appeal to higher court through a lawyer against the judgement by the lower court against these five Indian fishermen," India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told a press conference on Friday.

    "Since then this court case has been going through the Sri Lankan judicial process. Now that a lower court has given its judgement, we intend through our High Commission to appeal against this judgement," Akbaruddin told Times Now.

    "Simultaneously, we have been pursuing with the Sri Lankan government our view, that we feel these fishermen are not guilty, because we have done our due diligence on our side, and we find that they are innocent," he added.

  • Review: 'Sri Lanka's Secrets: How the Rajapaksa Regime Gets Away with Murder'


    'Sri Lanka's Secrets: How the Rajapaksa Regime Gets Away with Murder' by Trevor Grant, is a powerful book, containing many details that will inform, energise and enrage even those who are familiar with Sri Lanka, let alone those who are new to understanding the issues that continue to fester on this island. Trevor Grant’s contribution to the literature on Sri Lanka should be compulsory reading for everyone interested in Sri Lanka. His extensive research, access to individuals willing to talk, and ability to tie individual stories back to a bigger argument make this a very powerful book.

  • IDPs suffer as Vali North camp flooded
    Internally displaced persons at the Mallakam, Konappulam welfare centre in Valikaamam North are without basic amenities after the monsoon rains lef the camp flooded.

    The residents, who have been displaced for over 25 years after the Sri Lankan military took over their lands, have complained that no relief has been provided to them, reports Uthayan.

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