• Army stops youths from attending conference in Jaffna

    Dec 09
    The Sri Lankan military blocked youth from across the North-East from attending a conference for the ‘Association of Friendship and Love’ (AFRIEL) organised in Jaffna, reports Uthayan.

    Soldiers at a military checkpoint in Poonakari questioned those travelling from Mannar for more than an hour and half, whilst others were contacted on their mobiles and warned against participating in the event.

    AFRIEL’s central committee member Ravendra De Silva said the Sri Lanka army and military intelligence had placed pressure on the organisers to stop the event, interfering with attempts to book a venue as well as having a heavy military presence on the day of the conference. Thousands of youth failed to attend following this military intimidation said De Silva.
  • No solution offered to Tamils by either candidate - TNA

    The Tamil National Alliance MP Suresh Premachandran said on Monday that his party was unhappy with both candidates for the presidential elections next month.

    Speaking to the DailyMirror, Premachandran said opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena had sent some negative signals to the Tamil people, while President Rajapaksa's party had indicated that it would not rely on Tamil votes from the North-East.

    “There is no solution offered to the problems of the Tamil people. There is no plan to resettle displaced Tamils. It seems that the common candidate is endorsing the views of Sinhala extremist forces backing him. Let alone a political solution, there is no approach even to address day to day problems,” Mr. Premachandran said.

  • Great risk of violence over presidential elections – ICG

    The forthcoming presidential elections bring a great risk of violence, due to the unexpectedly close contest that is now anticipated between the candidates, said the International Crisis Group in its latest briefing.

    “The opposition’s attempt to reopen democratic space also brings with it risks of violence and instability” says Alan Keenan, the organisation’s senior analyst on Sri Lanka.

    “The tighter the race, the more violent it threatens to be.”

    The report warns that extra-constitutional measures, including the use of the military, under the direct control of the president and his brother, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, are possible if Sirisena’s challenge to President Rajapaksa looks likely to be successful.

    The ICG in the report highlights the absence of Tamil rights issues and power sharing from the opposition platform and says that it is uncertain whether Tamils will be motivated to vote for the “avowedly Sinhala-Buddhist” candidate, Maithripala Sirisena.

    Core questions around national identity, including devolution, accountability and the equal status of Tamils and Muslims will remain contentious whichever candidate wins the election, the report says.

  • LSE Student Union calls for prosecutions and sanctions against Sri Lanka
    The London School of Economics (LSE) Student Union passed a motion calling for sanctions against Sri Lanka and for prosecutions to take place, recognising that the ongoing crisis on the island constitutes a genocide.

    The motion stated that the Student Union believes, “that the ongoing mistreatment of Tamil civilians within the North East of Sri Lanka is representative of genocide and violations of human rights” and that Sri Lanka should “face sanctions and reprimands from the British Government and the United Nations”.

    After a Union General Meeting held last week, students voted overwhelmingly in favour of the motion, passing it with 298 votes for to 15 against.

  • Jaffna University teachers protest against political interference
    The University of Jaffna Teachers' Association held a protest against the politicisation of university affairs by the Sri Lankan government, reports Uthayan.

    Lecturers gathered at the university entrance on Tuesday, demanding that the government cease from interfering in university affairs.
  • US warns citizens of election violence in Sri Lanka
    The United States warned its citizens in Sri Lanka of violence associated with the presidential election due to be held next month, in a new security message.

    "Sri Lanka will hold presidential elections on January 8, 2015.  The campaign will feature large public events‎ and rallies.  Political rallies and election campaigns in Sri Lanka have occasionally turned violent.  U.S. citizens are reminded to avoid polling stations, large public gatherings, political rallies, and demonstrations.  U.S. citizens are advised to monitor local media in case of public disturbances," the security message said.

  • Vaiko calls for Eelam referendum, a day after leaving Modi alliance
    The General Secretary of the MDMK party, Vaiko, called on for the European Union to support the "need for a referendum" on an independent Tamil Eelam, a day after leaving the BJP led alliance in protest at the government's conduct towards Eelam Tamils.

    Speaking to the EU ambassador Joao Cravinho, who is currently visiting Tamil Nadu, Vaiko was quoted by the Economic Times as saying, "the help and contribution of European Union countries in holding a referendum on the Tamils issue in Sri Lanka is very essential."

    On Monday, the MDMK walked out of the NDA, stating that the Modi government was "being insensitive" and "betraying the interests" of Tamils in the North-East and Tamil Nadu, The Hindu reports.

  • We bought weapons used to destroy LTTE' says UNP
    The opposition United National Party's National (UNP) Youth Front President and Parliamentarian Ruwan Wijewardene said that all weaponry used by the Sri Lankan government in order to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009, was bought whilst the UNP was in power.
  • Winning votes: Sinhalese v Tamils
    Photograph Nilshan Fonseka

    Launching his presidential campaign, Mahinda Rajapaksa featured on the front pages of an array of Sri Lankan newspapers in Sinhala, Tamil and English.

    Whilst the Tamil newspapers celebrated apparent reconciliation and 'development' in the North-East, with a photograph of Mahinda Rajapaksa at the opening of the Yaal Devi train and the caption - 'Do you remember this historic day?' , the Sinhala language newspapers exalted the war victory over the Tamil armed resistance group, the LTTE.

    Carrying headlines about the Sri Lankan military's victory over the LTTE, such as 'Nation rescued from terrorists' and 'Final bit of land rescued from LTTE', the Sinhala language newspapers featured a photograph of Rajapaksa     knelt down worshiping the 'motherland', following his arrival back to Sri Lanka a day before he declared victory on May 19th.

  • Former UNP Gen Secretary crosses over to Rajapaksa
    Photograph Colombo Page

    The former General Secretary of the main opposition party, UNP has crossed over to the government side, publicly endorsing the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa for the presidential election next month.

    MP Tissa Attanayake pledged his support this morning at Temple Trees, shortly after Rajapaksa submitted his nomination for the presidency, reports Colombo Page.

    The Democratic Party parliamentarian, Jayantha Ketagoda, has also crossed over to the government side.

  • Tamil Civil Society Forum formally launched
    TCSF convenor -
    Bishop of Mannar, Dr. Rayappu Joseph


    A network of Tamil civil society activists based in the North-East, have formally launched a collective organisation - the Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF).

    The TCSF, which includes over sixty activists at present, held its first Annual General Meeting on November 15.

    "The primary objective of the forum is to create, provide space and act as a medium for articulation and expression of the views of its membership on contemporary issues of social, political, economic and cultural interests to the Tamil people living in the island of Sri Lanka," the TCSF said.

  • Rajapaksa to visit India on astrologer's advice
    Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is set to visit the Tirumala Venkateswara temple in India, on the advice of his astrologer ahead of the Sri Lankan presidential polls next month.

    The visit is set to spark protests from Tamil groups across Tamil Nadu with MDMK general secretary Vaiko announcing a black-flag demonstration against Rajapaksa in Tirupati.

    PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss also commented on Rajapaksa's trip, saying,
    “Nothing can hurt us, Tamils, more than this honour to this murderer, letting him worship at Tirupati with full temple honours despite his role in destroying over 2000 Hindu temples in Eelam.”
  • Fifa chief calls on Mahinda ahead of Jaffna stadium opening

     

     (news.lk)

    The president of Fifa Sepp Blatter visited Sri Lanka last week, meeting President Mahinda Rajapaksa, before travelling to the North-East to inaugurate a new football stadium on the Jaffna peninsula.

    "I was last in Sri Lanka in 2005 and I am delighted to be back again in your beautiful country. This is my third visit to Sri Lanka and I see a tremendous amount of development has taken place. The opening of the Jaffna Stadium is a significant achievement and Fifa is confident that this will serve to further develop football in Sri Lanka," said Blatter.

    "Your President HE Mahinda Rajapaksa renewed his assurance to support the development of local football when we met him and of course FIFA and AFC will always stand behind you, guiding and channeling our resources to help Sri Lanka develop the game and bring its social benefits to your youth," he added.

  • Presidential election not addressing Tamil concerns says TNA
    Sri Lanka's presidential election does not address Tamil concerns, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesperson Suresh Premachandran said on Sunday, stating that neither Mahinda Rajapaksa nor the common opposition candidate, Maithripala Sirisena were seeking to find solutions to problems faced by the Tamil people.

    “We know that there is corruption, we know there is a family rule. We know those things must be removed. But at the same time Tamils are facing different issues,”
    Premachandran told a press conference in Vavuniya at the weekend, the Sunday Leader reports.

    "Tamils are facing various issues. There are hundreds of people who still can't go back to their own lands because Army is occupying them," the     Deccan Chronicle quoted him as saying.

    "There are hundreds of political prisoners. Even after 5 years (of the end of war), people are still in camps".

  • Tamil family removed from Perth despite protests

    Forced removal: The tearful Tamil father taken to the airport, after being removed from the Redcliffe detention centre. Pictures: Alf Sorbello/PerthNow

    A Tamil family seeking asylum in Australia has been removed from a detention centre in Perth, in order to be taken to the government's detention centre in Nauru.

    Protestors attempted to blockade the driveway of the detention centre in Redcliffe, but were dragged away by police, reported PerthNow.

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