யாழ் திரைகடலோடி

TN people’s concern on Sri Lankan Tamils legitimate: Tewari Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said the Central Government was in no way “insensitive” to Lankan Tamil issues and the protest was in “sync” with the people’s concern in Tamil Nadu. “We understand the sensitivities which are involved with regard to the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils, especially in Tamil Nadu. We are absolutely in sync with some of the concerns which have been articulated...”, Mr. Tewari told reporters on Friday. Mr. Tewari was responding to questions on the protests by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a key UPA ally, against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s…

Home Office criticised over handling of Sri Lankan scientist’s asylum claim Commonwealth Rutherford fellow and his family face deportation from UK amid conflicting messages from department Nadarajah Muhunthan, second from left, with Menussha, Vethesh, Sharmila and Gihaniya. Photograph: Aneta Pruszyńska/The Guardian Diane Taylor Mon 18 Oct 2021 07.00 BST …

Foreign Minister: Sweden also to pull peace monitors from Sri Lanka by Sept. 1 By KATARINA KRATOVAC AP STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Sweden decided Tuesday to pull out its 15-strong cease-fire monitoring team from Sri Lanka, joining Finland and Denmark who last week announced similar moves. Foreign Minister Jan Eliasson told Swedish radio he saw no other option but for the Swedish observers to leave the island, where fighting between government troops and separatist Tamils has escalated. The European Union in May designated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, a terrorist group, prompting the rebels to reject the presence of observers from EU m…

'Fresh fighting' in Sri Lanka Fresh fighting has broken out between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels in north-eastern Sri Lanka, reports say. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan told the Associated Press that the government troops were attacking Tiger-held areas. "They are attacking us on ground and from air," he said. The Sri Lankan military has confirmed the fighting, but given no further details. On Tuesday, both the army and Tamil Tiger rebels said they had reopened the Maavilaru waterway in the north-east after two weeks of fighting. The government had deployed some 2,000 troops in a bid to reopen the waterway after farmers…

In Sri Lanka, the Military Still Runs the Show The international community has a part to play in ending its culture of impunity. By Viruben Nandakumar, an editor at the Tamil Guardian. The Sri Lankan flag is lowered; beneath it stand people in military uniforms. Military personnel in ceremonial uniform lower the Sri Lankan flag at Galle Face Green, a park in Colombo, on July 23. ARUN SANKAR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES In the early hours of Friday, July 22, hundreds of Sri Lankan soldiers marched through the country’s capital. They were preparing for a brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrators who slept in tents at Galle Fac…

Mannar Tamil girls arrested in Negombo Ten Tamil girls who are residents of Mannar district working in a garment factory located in Negombo in the Western Province were arrested by Peliyagoda Police Wednesday. They had been residing in a house when they were taken into custody by the police on suspicion. The father of a girl now in custody of the Peliyagoda police Saturday lodged a complaint with the Regional Office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) regarding the arrest of ten Mannar girls. HRCSL officials in Mannar immediately contacted the Peliyagoda police and inquired about the arrest. Peliyagoda Police told Mannar HRCSL officials that th…

Shocking disclosures A.G. NOORANI In his memoirs Maj Gen. Harkirat Singh has reproduced contemporary documents that reveal a lot that was not known about the IPKF in Sri Lanka. MAJOR General Harkirat Singh (Retd.) is an upright gentleman and a fine soldier; altogether a man of integrity. He was Divisional Commander of 54 Infantry Division when, on July 29-30, 1987, he was sent to Sri Lanka as General-Officer-Commanding (GOC) of the Indian Peace-Keeping Force (IPKF). In January 1988, he got orders “posting me out of Sri Lanka”. The Overall Force Commander (OFC) of the IPKF was the GOC-in-C Southern Command, Lt. Gen. Depinder Singh, who praised h…

Sri Lanka promised to deliver justice after a United Nations human rights report called on Wednesday for a special court to be set up to prosecute war crimes committed during the nation's 26-year civil conflict. The Foreign Ministry stopped short, however, of directly addressing the U.N.'s proposal to set up a special court to prosecute those from the government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels suspected of atrocities. "The government of Sri Lanka will ensure dialogue and wide consultations with all stakeholders ... in putting in place mechanisms and measures that will facilitate the right to know, right to justice, reparations and guaranteeing non-recurrence with the …

SINCE 1976, more than 70,000 people have been killed in what has been one of the world's most intractable conflicts, that of the separatist rebellion by Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers. In 2002, a ceasefire agreement was reached in the hope of moving towards a peace deal, but last week the Government of Sri Lanka unilaterally withdrew from the ceasefire, marking a likely return to full-scale war. The tragedies of Sri Lanka are manifold. Until the 1970s, Sri Lanka was a leader among the most advanced developing countries, democratic and with high education and life expectancy and low infant and maternal mortality rates. Today it is a country of conflict, going backwards, its…

Q: So can you explain what is the role of Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) and how this particular institution is important for the legal fraternity and also for the ordinary public? The BASL Association of Sri Lanka is the apex body of lawyers. It is a professional organisation and we have a membership comprising over 20,000 lawyers. Our association is now into its golden jubilee (50) anniversary this year. The association was established on November 14, 1974 if I remember right. I was not a lawyer at that time. I was only a schoolboy. But I have read through the history of the association. There was Dr. H. W. Jayawardena, Queen’s Counsel, who was the Emeritus…

Open letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa S. V. Kirubaharan, France “Don’t trust too much. Don’t love too much. Don’t hope too much. Because that too much can hurt you so much” – Gautama Buddha Dear Mr President Gotabaya Rajapaksa - GR I doubt whether I need any introduction! In brief, I am still here to write this letter to you! Regarding your recent victory in becoming the Executive President of Sri Lanka, my conscience does not allow me to congratulate you - it is the same with many of my fellow Tamils. I am sure you must be aware that in July 2019, I predicted your victory. If you have not gone through my article, “Sa…

Action, not words is needed - paper [TamilNet, February 03, 2006 20:43 GMT] The Sri Lankan government’s tardy response to the kidnapping of ten aid workers of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) have raised serious doubts about the prospects of peace talks, the Tamil Guardian newspaper said this week. Arguing that “last week’s optimism [about talks] was premature and, as many Tamils now feel, sorely misplaced,” the expatriate publication said “this incident has demonstrated exactly what the future of negotiations with President Rajapakse and his government is likely to be.” The full text of the Tamil Guardian editorial follows: Norway’s announcement…

Selling Women Short The society that we live is framed as a place where women and men have equal rights; however in reality we live in a society that treats women unequally and still looks at women as sexual objects and baby machines. Selling Women short primarily talks about the sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and low wage and pay differentials among workers at all levels at Wal-Mart. The author is telling the story of the true cost of the low price goods at Wal-Mart by mainly interviewing the plaintiffs who filed the "Dukes Vs. Wal-mart" case, which is the class-action suit against Wal-Mart by some of its female employees. Even though the "Dukes Vs. Wal-mart…

SLN ship under atack off Pulmoddai coast [TamilNet, August 01, 2006 15:13 GMT] The Jetliner ship which escaped in Trincomalee attack Tuesday afternoon with about eight hundred SLA soldiers has come under attack again in the Pulmoddai sea bound for north from six in the evening Tuesday, military sources said. Kfir jets have gone to the area in support of the ship. Villagers of Kokilai, Pulmoddai and other areas close to the Pulmoddai Sea are fleeing from their houses.

The years of toil have paid off and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on the ascendance in Tamil Nadu, looking at bright yet challenging days ahead. Propelled by the "Modi wave", the party used the support base of six regional players it had aligned with as a launch pad to perform creditably in the Lok Sabha election. BJP's pre-poll alliance with the DMDK, PMK, MDMK, KMDK, IJK and NJP raked in 19% of the votes polled and the coalition picked up two Lok Sabha seats. The remaining 37 seats went to the AIADMK, while the Congress and the DMK drew a blank. The BJP, which contested 18 seats in 2009, more than doubled its vote share from 2.34% to 5.48% in 2014 d…

Ocean Lady migrants from Sri Lanka still struggling 5 years later Of the 76 men found on the Ocean Lady, 30 have been accepted as refugees Journalist Maran Nagarasa still recalls vividly the sense of elation aboard the Ocean Lady five years ago this week when he saw a plane flying overhead with a Canadian flag. “I was sure God had arrived to save us,” he said. But that feeling soon turned to fear as he and the 75 other Sri Lankan Tamils on board faced armed border guards and RCMP officers. On Oct. 17, 2009, they were arrested, jailed and interrogated. Eventually, most were released to await hearings before Canada’s refugee board. Nagarasa ope…

University Medalist Radhika Kannan speaks at Commencement ccded4b0f9317d81dce1cc9b7dc9bb8f

இலங்கையில் ஒல்லாந்து நாட்டவர் ஒருவருக்கு ஏற்பட்ட அனுபவம் http://www.upiasiaonline.com/human_rights/...ng_and_pimping/

Sri Lanka: Some Thoughts on LTTE's Military Response - Update No 147 By Col R Hariharan (Retd.) [This is the second part of SAAG Note No 458 "Sri Lanka: War after the fall of Vidattalthivu- Part 1–Update No146" dated July 21, 2008 available at http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/notes5/note458.html] During the last one week, Sri Lanka army has kept up its momentum of advance. According to defence sources, the troops of 57 Division are on the periphery of line Tunukkai-Mallavi, west of A9 highway. We can expect them to secure the line from Vellankulam on the coast to Mallavi during the course of the week The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)'s faile…

Will the Tamils Lose the Plot Again? Photo courtesy Christian Science Monitor Chaos and Fear Much has happened in the space of three months. Soon after the Eastern Provincial Council election came the Divi Neguma bill and the subsequent calls for the abolition of the 13th Amendment. The impeachment motion against the Chief Justice and the recruitment of Tamil women to the military followed before the Maveerar Naal (Heroes’ Day) incidents in Jaffna. It would seem that the government is bent on creating chaos and fear. The Present State of Affairs In response to the negative Supreme Court verdict on the Divi Neguma bill, the government did two things: it …

Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian Sumanthiran has cautioned that any law that replaces the Prevention of Terrorism Act with its draconian provisions is despicable. As of information available, the new Counter-terrorism law which will replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has retained draconian and objectionable provisions in the PTA. He was addressing the House participating in the debate on the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill and Law Commission (Amendment) Bill. He went on that if the PTA was going to come back with another name, that would have repercussions on the government when the legislation comes out. Serious concerns have been …

Declaration of Sovereignty by American States The assertion of sovereignty by a growing number of American States bears important pointers for the reconfiguration of Sri Lanka to provide space for Tamil nationhood: http://www.thelocal .se/discuss/ viewtopic. php?t=18361 8 STATES ARE NOW DECLARING SOVEREIGNTY In case you didn't hear about it on the mainstream media (which you haven't because they want to keep us asleep), numerous states are currently declaring sovereignty, including: Washington http://apps. leg.wa.gov/ billinf.. . New Hampshire http://www.gencourt .state.nh. u... Arizona http://www.azleg. gov/Forma…

Although Swiss embassies abroad can no longer grant asylum requests, they can award humanitarian visas. But only 48 visas were awarded between September 2012 and mid-June 2014, the cabinet said on Thursday in response to a parliamentary interpellation. The possibility of applying for asylum at a Swiss embassy in a foreign country was discontinued on September 29, 2012. Between January 1, 2009, and September 29, 2012, almost 20,000 asylum requests were granted to persons whose lives or physical integrity were deemed to be seriously threatened. At the time the option of applying for asylum abroad was discontinued, 16,425 applications were pending. Of those, 4…

இரு அகதிகளை நாடுகடத்தலில் இருந்து காப்பற்றிய பிரான்சின் கிராம மக்கள்

By Simon Gardner COLOMBO (Reuters) - A Sri Lankan government probe into the massacre last year of 17 aid workers that international truce monitors have blamed on the military is beset with shortcomings, an international rights group cautioned on Friday. Authorities are still probing the execution-style killings of local staff of French aid group Action Contre La Faim -- the worst attack on humanitarian workers since a 2003 suicide bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad killed 22 U.N. staff. But so far police have failed to properly explore the possibility that troops rather than Tamil Tiger rebels could have been responsible and forensic evidence was o…