Tamil Affairs

Tamil News

Latest news from and about the homeland

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The Vavuniya High Court has issued an interim order suspending the gazette through which the Northern Province governor removed the Vavuniya mayor, S. Kandeepan, from office, freezing the decision that had triggered protests across the town. The order was made on Friday, when the court took up a writ application filed by Kandeepan challenging the governor's move. Speaking to reporters…

International role in justice mechanism of 'utmost importance' says Amnesty

Amnesty International urged UN Human Rights Council's member states to ensure justice is delivered to victims in Sri Lanka and highlighted the "utmost importance" of international role in justice mechanism.

"Engagement of international judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers, forensic experts, and victim and witness protection experts will be of the utmost importance to maintain the credibility, independence and effectiveness of the process," Amnesty said, in a written statement submitted to the UNHRC ahead of the Council's upcoming session.

Police constable stabbed after entering Batticaloa home at midnight

A Sri Lankan police constable was stabbed after he attempted to enter a home in Batticaloa at midnight, dressed in civilian clothes, BattiNews reported.

The incident occurred on February 24 at around 11.30pm in Kommathurai in Batticaloa.

Hearing someone attempt to enter the house, the residents called out. The police constable reportedly tried to run away.

Resolution passed demanding Sri Lankan military leaves Kilinochchi

A resolution was passed by the Kilinochchi district coordinating committee on Saturday demanding the military leaves the district.

Speaking at the event along side the chief minister of the northern province, C V Wigneswaran, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, S Sritharan said Kilinochchi was under military rule which was preventing the development of the area into a true city.

"The military is selling black lentils, selling pulses, selling rice, selling white flour. The military is leasing land. It's the military that's building schools here. Do you know what the military is doing? It's doing everything. It's running pre-school. The military has everything. So what then, it is military rule that is happening here," Mr Sritharan said.

 

கிளிநொச்சியில் எங்கும் இராணுவம் எதிலும் இராணுவம்.....

Posted by Shritharan Sivagnanam on Saturday, 27 February 2016


Wigneswaran calls on India to pressure Sri Lanka for federal political solution

The Chief Minister of the Northern Province CV Wigenswaran said that he had sought India’s intervention to set up a federal government system in the Northern and Eastern provinces.

Speaking at an event to welcome back Tamil academics from the Northern Province who went to India to further their studies, Wigneswaran said that India understands that a federal government is the only political solution for the Tamil people.

Two UN Special Rapporteurs to visit Sri Lanka

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and Lawyers are set to visit Sri Lanka in April reports Colombo Gazette.

Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment Juan Mendez is set to visit Sri Lanka from 29 Apr 2016 to 7 May 2016.

Sri Lanka to restructure foreign ministry with Singapore's assistance

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry is set to be restructured with the assistance of Singapore’s government experts according to government sources .

Singapore’s government has agreed to help restructure Sri Lanka’s ministry of Foreign Affairs following talks held between Foreign Ministser Mangala Samaraweera and his Singapore counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan last year reports SundayTimes.lk.

Dead body found in Batticaloa

The body of a dead man was found floating in the Seelaamunai river in Batticaloa on Friday, Battinews reported.

The body has been identified by police as a 33 year old man named Sivanesaraja Prasanth who is from the Kiraankulam region.

The police are carrying out further investigations.

 

Tamil political prisoners continue hunger-strike despite 2 stopping

Two of the 14 Tamil political prisoners that launched a hunger strike demanding their release have ended their fast, reports Adaderana.lk

The two Tamil prisoners, who were detained under Sri Lanka’s draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), started their strike in Anuradhapura Prison last week.

On Thursday 3 other political prisoners were admitted to hospital after fainting.

Gotabhaya payed for assassination of Tamil MP says witness

Former defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa arranged payment of Rs 50 million for the assassination of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Nadarajah Raviraj alleged a police constable giving evidence in court.

The police constable of the intelligence unit Liyanarachchige Abayaratne, giving evidence before Colombo Additional Magistrate told the court that the former defence secretary had known about the murder and arranged a payment to the break of faction of Karuna faction.

The police constable added that he had been in communication with the Karuna faction, and was aware of the faction’s meetings with Sri Lanka’s navy to conspire to assassinate the Tamil MP, reports Colombo Page.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister pledges special courts in six months


Photograph: Twitter @USIP

The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera pledged that his government would set up special courts to deal with violations of international humanitarian law committed during the final stages of the armed conflict within the coming six months, in a speech delivered in Washington on Thursday.

Speaking at the US Institute of Peace, Mr Samaraweera said his government has "committed to have a judicial process with international participation" in a recently passed UN Human Rights Council resolution.

"We will work the final contours and the architecture of such a court in the next five to six months after the consultations, with the TNA and other parties as well," said the foreign minister.

"Across the board there was a general agreement that there has to be special courts be set up in Sri Lanka if that process is to have any credibility at all," he said. "As I said before over the last 10 years the credibility of the judiciary was totally lost because of the politicisation of the process."

"I think it is only fair that the victims of the war would want some form of guarantee that the new courts will deliver justice and accountability in a fair manner and for that are willing to consider the participation of international actors," he added. "They could  be judges, they could be forensic experts, investigators, prosecutors. All these options are being looked at.