• GTF - 'Diaspora will not barter justice'

    Oct 21
    The Global Tamil Forum, an international body comprising of Tamil diaspora groups, has reasserted the position of the diaspora, stating that justice for the deaths of over 40,000 people remains paramount over political negotiations.

    Speaking to BBC Sinhala a spokesperson said,
    'If Rajapaksa regime thinks that the Diaspora will compromise on the demand for justice through an independent international investigation into  the allegations of crimes committed at the end of the war, then he is wrong.

    We will not barter the justice process to any political negotiations. Over 40,000 of our people were killed, we want to know the truth of what happened and how they perished.'
    Responding to reports that the Sri Lankan government was to engage in talks with the Tamil diaspora, the GTF said,
    'As far as we know there is no credible Diaspora organisation that is currently in any talks with the Government of Sri Lanka'

    If (Sri Lankan President) Rajapaksa wanted to resolve the Tamil National Question he could have easily done so by talking with the elected members of the Tamil people the TNA... Nearly 4 years have passed but no genuine efforts have been made by Rajapaksa government in resolving the Tamil National Question.'

    'We feel that because of the UN processes that are forthcoming where  Rajapaksa government will be answerable to the international community is  why he is now coming up with these suggestions of talks in such a rush.'
    The spokesperson further stated,
    'Unless the current government recognises that just as there is a Sinhala Nation that there is a Tamil Nation too in that island, there will be little point in talking'
  • Sampanthan trusts India to take up the Tamil issue

    The leader of the TNA, R. Sampanthan, has affirmed his faith in India to take up the Tamil issue on the island of Sri Lanka, reported Uthayan.

    Delivering a statement on the recent trip of a TNA delegation to New Delhi, Sampanthan is reported to have said:

    “Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given his assurance that India will take responsibility in ensuring that the Tamil people in Sri Lanka can live with justice, dignity and self-respect. Manmohan Singh said that he will do everything he can for this.”

    “Upon meeting leader of the opposition, Sushma Swaraj, we were reassured that this would remain the case regardless of regime changes in India. She further said that it is not just the Tamil Nadu government that is concerned about the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Each state in India is on the side of the Tamil people. Ms Swaraj told us that all Indian states are committed to resolving the problems of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.”

    “India’s attitude to the problems of Tamil people is a sympathetic one. I believe that they will soon take up responsibility in finding a solution to these problems.”

  • Gotabaya repeats calls to repeal 13th Amendment

    The defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse has repeated calls to abolish the 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution, reported The Island.

  • Sri Lanka’s sole refinery faces closure after Iran sanctions
    Sri Lanka’s only oil refinery may be forced to shut for up to two weeks after sanctions on Iran have led to Sri Lanka struggling to seek out alternative supplies of crude oil.

    Sri Lanka depends almost entirely on Iran for crude oil, with the 50,000 barrels-per-day refinery in Sapugaskanda only able to process that particular type of crude oil.
  • In a hurry to resettle refugees in India

    The Sri Lankan government has issued 50 birth certificates, 130 citizenship certificates and 60 passports to Tamil refugees at a camp in Rameswaran, Tamil Nadu, reports the Hindu.

    The Deputy High Commissioner, RKMA Rajakaruna, said:

  • More calls to repeal the 13th Amendment

    Adding to the chorus of Sinhala voices calling for the 13th Amendment to be abolished, the JHU and the now infamous Minister of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities, Wimal Weerawansa, joined in.

    In a letter to President Rajapaksa, Weerawamsa, requested that a referendum be held to repeal the provincial council system, stating that the system was introduced without the public consent through the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987.

    Meanwhile the JHU's deputy leader, Udaya Gammanpila, told the SundayTimes.lk that the party plans to launch a campaign to repeal it, adding, the "13th Amendment is harmful to the government and, therefore, it should be abolished. This will bring an end to a series of problems."

    Extract of Gammanpila's comments to the SundayTimes.lk:

    ‘Our party has requested the government to abolish the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. We have done this because the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has based all its arguments on devolution of powers as well as ideas of separatism based on the 13th Amendment.

    “The TNA has resorted to action in the courts based on this 13th Amendment. The judiciary is helpless as this is now part of the Constitution. The existence of this Amendment is an obstacle to the development of the country. Whenever the country tries to move forward the issue of this amendment is brought forward stalling the progress. The 13th Amendment is harmful to the government and, therefore, it should be abolished. This will bring an end to a series of problems.

  • Attacks now 'commonplace' - say TN fishermen

    As concerns are raised about four Tamil Nadu fishermen who never returned home after setting off on Saturday night, fishermen in Tamil Nadu spoke to the Times of India, of the relentless alleged attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy.

  • Lankan Navy continues attacks on Tamil Indian fishermen
    Fourteen Tamil Indian fishermen were attacked yet again by the Sri Lankan Navy off Kodiakkarai on October the 17th.
  • Sri Lanka plans to use KP to speak to Tamil diaspora

    Adding to recent unsubstantiated claims by the Sri Lankan government that it is talking to the Tamil diaspora, the Minister Keheliya Rambukwella explained that it was a government strategy to use the recently freed former LTTE commander, Selvarasa Pathmanathan or KP to forge "constructive dialogue" with the Tamil diaspora.

  • Case filed against detainees for 2007 offensive
    A high court complaint has been filed against two political detainees, allegedly ex-LTTE cadres, for the deaths of four soldiers, including two senior officers, in the Wilpattu National Park in 2007. According to Uthayan , the complaint, filed at the Anuradhapura High Court, accuses the detainees of a bomb attack and gunfire, killing two senior army officers and two further army personnel. The detainees
  • UK to deport 60 asylum seekers on Tuesday

    British authorities are set to deport 60 failed asylum seekers to Sri Lanka on Tuesday the 23rd of October, according to reports.

    A specially chartered plane is set to take the asylum seekers to Sri Lanka, departing from an undisclosed terminal at Heathrow Airport reported Ceylon Today.

  • Douglas arrest warrant not revoked

    A court in Chennai has refused to revoke a non-bailable arrest warrant for Sri Lankan Minister of Traditional Industries & Small Enterprise Development, Douglas Devananda.

    Douglas is wanted in India for the shooting and killing of a lawyer in Chennai in 1986 and has been wanted for murder in the country since.

  • 13th Amendment won't work says JVP

    The JVP reiterated their stance that the 13th Amendment to the constitution will not provide a solution to the 'ethnic issue', reports Colombo Page.

  • Legislation to ‘monitor NGOs’ to be introduced
    The Sri Lankan government has planned to introduce new laws that will monitor non-governmental organisations in the country, reported ColomboPage.
  • Resettled in the forests
    110 families from Kepapilavu are to be resettled permanently in the Suriyapuram forest areas where they are currently staying, despite being promised that they could return to their own homes within two months, reported Jaffna newspaper Uthayan.
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