• Foreign Correspondents Assoc questions visa restriction on BBC journalist

    Apr 19
    The Foreign Correspondents Association (FCA) said it was "unaware of any time limits on visas issued to foreign journalists posted to Sri Lanka", following reports that the BBC journalist Charles Haviland was refused a one-year visa extension, on the grounds that he had completed five years as a foreign correspondent in Sri Lanka.

    Rejecting reports that Mr. Haviland's visa had been denied, officials at the ministry stressed that it had in fact been extended, by three months, reported the Nation.

    Media Minister and government spokesperson, Keheliya Rambukwella, was quoted in Ceylon Today as saying,
    "It would be unfair to permit any foreigner to live in the country for long periods, let alone journalists,"

    "He has stayed in the country for over five years, and we have granted him a further three-month extension on that visa. Granting him any further extension would be unreasonable."
    Pointing out that the five year time limit also extended to international NGO workers, the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media and Information, Charitha Herath tweeted,
    “Sri Lanka visa policy for foreign correspondents is maximum five years. Some of them are here more than 9, 10 years,”
  • Guard attacks prisoner - Jaffna
    A prisoner in Jaffna was attacked by a prison guard today, reports Uthayan.

    The prisoner, whose identity remains unknown, has been admitted to Jaffna hospital after suffering injuries.
  • We do not welcome South African initiative - Minister Champika Ranawaka
    Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka criticised efforts by South Africa to facilitate dialogue between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), stating the Tamil struggle should not be equated to that against Apartheid.

    “We do not welcome this initiative," Mr. Ranawaka, Minister of Technology, Research and Atomic Energy, and also the General Secretary of the government coalition partner, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), told Sri Lanka's Sunday Times, calling for "a     fuller investigation of all matters".

    Organisations like Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and the British Tamil Forum (BTF) 'had created the impression that the so-called armed struggle in Sri Lanka by Tamil groups was similar to the one waged by those in the African National Congress', the Sunday Times cited him as saying.

    “We fought against separation. In South Africa, they fought against apartheid,” he said, reportedly adding, 'it is only recently that the South African Government has obtained “our side of the story".

  • Talking Taboo: Caste & Religion in the Tamil community

  • War-time restrictions now in Mannar

    The pass-system, which requires Tamil fisher folk to obtain permission from the military before setting out to sea, has now been re-introduced in Mannar, after being restarted in Jaffna earlier this month, reported Uthayan.

  • Protest against SL Navy in Amparai

    A protest was held against the Sri Lankan Navy in Oluvil, Amparai on Thursday, reported Virakesari.

  • Two arrested in Jaffna over posters
    Police arrested two students on Friday, accusing them over being involved over posters that went up near Jaffna Hindu College, reading 'Tamil Eelam will blossom', reports Uthayan.

    Manmatharasa Venuganthan, 24 year old man from Inuvil was arrested a day after, 24 year old Jeyathasan Kajanan was detained.
  • 64 year old woman detained in Kilinochchi
    CID officers detained a 64 year old woman in Kilinochchi today, reported Uthayan.

    The detained woman, Pathmaavathy, has been taken to Vavuniya, however no further details are available.

    Recent weeks have seen widespread arrests of Tamils in the North-East by the Sri Lankan military, and anti-terror officers, over alleged 'LTTE links'.

  • RSF condemns attack on Tamil journalist

    The recent attack on Tamil journalist Sivagnanam Selvatheepan has been condemned by Reporters Without Borders in a statement on its website.

    “Reporters Without Borders joins its partner organization, Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS), in condemning an attack on Sivagnanam Selvatheepan, a journalist who freelances for Tamil media, near the northern city of Jaffna on the night of 14 April.” RSF said.

  • Reconciliation cannot take place overnight – Army spokesperson

    A spokesperson for the Sri Lankan Army has told media that reconciliation cannot take place overnight, in response to a question by a journalist regarding US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal’s statement earlier this week.

    “Reconciliation is a political matter. We have created an environment for reconciliation to take place. Reconciliation cannot take place overnight. Of around 12,000 terrorists who were in rehabilitation only about 60 remain. Most of the rehabilitated persons have been reintegrated to society. We are pleased to say that during operations conducted over the recent past, we only arrested three of the 12,000 who had fallen back into their past ways. That clearly indicates that the rehabilitation process is a success,” Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said at a press conference.

  • An attempt to replicate Sri Lankan success in India
    The Sri Lankan high commissioner in New Delhi, Prasad Kariyawasam, has been appointed as the new ambassador to the United States reports , Colombo Page.

    The diplomat previously served as the permanent representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York from 1995-1998.
  • Sri Lanka to brief international community on ‘LTTE revival’

    The External Affairs Ministry and the Defence Ministry will hold a briefing for the diplomatic community in Colombo, on what the government claims are recent attempts to revive the LTTE, the Daily Mirror reported.

  • Enter South Africa?
    Cyril Ramaphosa, Vice President of the African National Congress and South Africa's Special Envoy on its dialogue initiative in Sri Lanka addresses speaking at a Hindu Easter festival this weekend. Photograph courtesy of Subry Govender.


    An effort by South Africa to facilitate negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) received renewed public interest this month following the visit there by the TNA leadership to meet with Special Envoy, Cyril Ramaphosa, who was appointed earlier this year by President Zuma to facilitate, what is described as the first of the five pillar programme – 'talks about talks'.
     
    The TNA delegation was led by TNA leader R. Sampanthan and including parliamentarians MA Sumanthiran, Selvam Adaikalanathan and Suresh Premachandran.
     
    Arriving in Johannesburg on April 9, they were welcomed by a familiar face, the South African High Commissioner for Colombo, Geoff Doidge, before meeting over the next three days with Mr. Ramaphosa and several officials from the South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) including the Minister of DIRCO, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and the Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim at his residence.
     
    The Sri Lankan government has been noticeably silent on the South African role, and on talks with the TNA, but the high profile of the MPs visit has drawn intense interest, especially as the TNA has since remained tight-lipped over details of their discussions. A press conference to be held on Saturday in Jaffna to elaborate on the visit was cancelled at the last minute. 

    “It was a very preliminary meeting, we just explained about our past experience in dialogue with Sri Lankan government,” Mr Premachandran, spokesperson of the TNA, told Tamil Guardian two days after the delegation's return.
     
    “He listened [to] whatever we said, it was a long discussion,” Mr. Premachandran said of the meeting with Mr. Ramaphosa on April 11.

    Mr. Sumanthiran, confirming the TNA's meeting with DIRCO officials, was upbeat about President Zuma's appointment of a special envoy which he described as an escalation of South Africa’s involvement.
     
    “The South African initiative has been there for more than two years, but has moved to another plane now with the appointment of the special envoy,” Mr Sumanthiran said in an email to Tamil Guardian.
     
    “This was our first meeting with him and it is too premature to comment in detail at this stage,” he added.

  • Police ask public to be alert to 'terrorist' activities
    The Sri Lankan police asked the public to remain alert to and inform police of 'suspicious terrorist activities' at a press briefing by the police spokesperson, Ajith Rohana on Thursday.

    Rohana 'asked the public to be vigilant and advised not to extend any support to suspected terrorists or organizations supporting the revival of terrorism in the country', reported Colombo Page.

    'The security forces are responsible to prevent resurgence of terrorism and repeal the attempts made by some elements to create ethnic and religious disharmony in the country', the news site further quoted Rohana as saying.

    Referring to the proscription of fifteen Tamil diaspora groups and over 400 individuals, Rohana told journalists that Interpol had been informed and Red Notices issued, reported the Daily Mirror.

  • Indian housing scheme stalls in Kilinochchi, local officials cite military interference
    The Indian government's landmark housing scheme has stalled in Kilinochchi, due to on-going land grabs by the military, a local government official told Global Tamil News anonymously.
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