யாழ் திரைகடலோடி

The United Nations on Wednesday pointed the finger at Sri Lankan forces over the killing of 17 French charity workers on the island nine years ago, despite repeated denials by the military. A UN war crimes report on Sri Lanka said the 2006 attack against Action Against Hunger (ACF) staff was "the most significant case of humanitarian workers killed" in the country. "Based on the information (the investigation) has compiled, there are reasonable grounds to believe that members of the security forces committed the extrajudicial executions of the ACF staff," the report said. It is the first time a UN organisation has placed blame for the aid workers' deaths on Sri Lank…

The revelation by a scientific monitoring institute in the United States that Pakistan is building a powerful new nuclear reactor has left many in Washington and Delhi wondering. Could it be that the report by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (Isis) was released at a time when it may derail the US-India nuclear agreement? The landmark deal allowing the US to sell civilian nuclear technology to India - for the first time in three decades - is expected to be ratified by the US Congress later this week. Nervous supporters of the deal see the report, which says that Pakistan is capable of using the reactor to produce enou…

Before the presidential election he won last November, Gotabaya Rajapaksa laid out for Banyan his vision for Sri Lanka. It was a sunlit upland of peaceful, inclusive “knowledge-based” development. All the political bickering of recent years, “Gota” promised, would be swept aside by his programme of brisk, technocratic proficiency. His years as an army officer would ensure that. A military timbre to the former lieutenant-colonel’s rule was always on the cards. Mr Rajapaksa’s campaign dwelt on the need for a “disciplined society”. Viyathmaga, a social movement with political ambitions that backed him, counted many former officers among its leaders. The president’s pers…

China’s President Xi Jinping will this year become the first Chinese head of state to visit Sri Lanka in three decades, underlining Beijing’s renewed push to deepen its strategic and economic presence in the neighbourhood and in the Indian Ocean. Mr. Xi’s visit was discussed in Beijing this week as Sri Lankan Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, as the President’s Special Envoy, met with the Chinese leadership. The Chinese leader will become the first President to visit Sri Lanka since former leader Li Xiannian in 1986. His visit assumes significance in the context of strengthening ties between the two countries, with China investing heavily in the islan…

"China is using the space provided by India’s reluctance to sell weapons to Sri Lanka for political reasons to increase its influence in Sri Lanka’s strategic spectrum. So the possibility of the Hambantota project ending up as a remake of the Gwadar episode in Pakistan is very much there". Extracts of the paper presented by Col.R.Hariharan, at the India-Taiwan interaction, jointly organised by the Chennai Centre for China Studies and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry-Tamil Nadu Chapter at Chennai on August 1, 2008: China is aiming to quadruple its per capita GDP to $ 3200 by 2020 from $ 800 per capita attained in 2000. This would imply an ave…

By M. A. Sumanthiran - M A Sumanthiran ‘I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent’. Grief is the inevitable consequence of violence. The tragic and inexcusable events of Weliweriya have left its residents with unimaginable grief. Akila Dinesh Jayawardena was a 17 year-old student of Chandrajothi Vidhyalaya, Yakkala. He was killed by a soldier’s bullet as he inched through protestors searching for his mother. As his body lay at the mortuary of the Gampaha hospital on the evening of August 1, two others, Ravishan Perera and Nilantha Pushpakumara, fought for their lives. But they too did…

The Reign of Terror The Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Diocese of Jaffna would like to bring to the attention of the peace and freedom-loving people, the fact that people in the North of Sri Lanka continue to be tormented by ‘State Terrorism’. Of late the situation has worsened. Since November 2012 the repressive measures of the Sri Lankan government unleashed on the people, and the arbitrary arrests of the Jaffna University students and other youngsters, have reached new heights. We have earlier pointed out four months back that the lasting peace we longed for still remains elusive, and that the measures taken by the Sri Lankan Government do not in …

“A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side” Aristotle If Lord Buddha were here now there is one thing he would do- ban Sinhalabuddhism in Sri Lanka! – With apologies to Mark Twain. As a Sri Lankan and a Buddhist by faith I take it upon myself, as others have not the right, to define the significant differences between the philosophy of Buddhism as per the teachings of Lord Buddha and what is practiced by the majority in this country unde…

By MIKE STOBBE and MARILYNN MARCHIONEMay 8, 2019 Pregnancy-related deaths are rising in the United States and the main risk factor is being black, according to new reports that highlight racial disparities in care during and after childbirth. Black women, along with Native Americans and Alaska natives, are three times more likely to die before, during or after having a baby, and more than half of these deaths are preventable, Tuesday’s report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concludes. Although these deaths are rare — about 700 a year — they have been rising for decades. “An American mom today is 50% more likely to die in childbirth …

British Labour party Parliamentarian Simon Danczuk has expressed fears of a cover-up by the Sri Lankan Government after Red Cross worker Khuram Shaikh was murdered last Christmas. Speaking as the first anniversary of Khuram’s death approaches, he said he was worried the Government was trying to “quietly drop the case to protect a local politician”. Khuram was shot and stabbed on Christmas day in the resort of Tangelle after he tried to act as peacemaker to rescue a local restaurant owner who was being harassed by a group of drunks. But now, almost a year on, the eight have been released on bail, no charges brought and there is no trial in sight. The politicia…

APMahinda Rajapaksa TOPICS World Sri Lankadiplomacy India-Sri Lanka politics government A recent statement by President Mahinda Rajapaksa that there will be no withdrawal of the army from the north has raised concerns about the Sri Lankan government’s intention as regards its demilitarisation. Explaining his position, the President, in his interview to Al-Jazeera, asked: “Then, if the other Provincial Councils also asked me to withdraw their army camps all over the country where can I have the army?” Ever since the ethnic war ended in 2009, different sections in the country have repeatedly raised issues of heavy militarisation in the north and east and the i…

Sri Lanka 'complicit' in child-soldier recruitment Amal Jayasinghe AFP March 29, 2007 CHILD SOLDIERS: The Sri Lankan government has been condemned by a human rights group for failing to probe the recruitment of child soldiers and of even being complicit in their forced recruitment by the pro-government Karuna group. ( ) COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka came under fresh attack Thursday for failing to probe the recruitment of child soldiers as the government faced more allegations of abductions and extra-judicial killings. The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) offered new evidence of state complicity in the forced recruitment of child soldiers by the "Karuna …

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Osama bin Laden warned Iraq's Sunni Arabs against fighting al-Qaeda and vowed to expand the terror group's holy war to Israel in a new audiotape Saturday, threatening "blood for blood, destruction for destruction." Most of the 56-minute tape dealt with Iraq, apparently al-Qaeda's latest attempt to keep supporters in Iraq unified at a time when the U.S. military claims to have al-Qaeda's Iraq branch on the run. The tape did not mention Pakistan or the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, though Pakistan's government has blamed al-Qaeda and the Taliban for her death on Thursday. That suggested the tape was made before the assassination. …

Did Israel explode a small nuclear bomb in Syria? Spike in radiation report says… Reports have added that the European Union's Radioactive Environmental Monitoring found that the amount of radiation increased in Turkey and Cyprus hours after the intense blast, pointing towards a small nuclear attack. Benjamin Netanyahu In a step that has shocked the entire world, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) carried out an airstrike on the weapons depot in Tartus, Syria on 16 December 2024. Through the massive strike, Israel reportedly destroyed the Scud missile facility located in Syria. However, reports are speculating that the damage cause…

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa rejected claims yesterday that civilians had gone missing in the North during the last stages of the war, insisting that all records maintained by the Army and the ICRC tallied with no discrepancies. Responding to a question posed by a journalist, the Defence Secretary said that the people who came to the Army by sea, during the final stages of the war were registered with the ICRC and with the “Indian hospitals manned by the Indian Army, and not a single person is missing from that list”, when tallied. “This is another factor that many people have forgotten. Take the large number of people who were coming by sea. Where did …

Tamils and the difference between immigrants and refugees By Stephen Hume, Vancouver Sun August 28, 2010 A common refrain regarding the arrival of the Tamil refugees aboard the MV Sun Sea is that they have "jumped the queue" and taken the place of "legitimate" immigrants who await entry to Canada. The accusation is emotive but it is just plain wrong. Immigrants and refugees are entirely different groups. Each has its own stringent set of rules for admission to Canada. Immigrants are people who want to come to Canada and have the opportunity to meet with officials at a Canadian embassy and apply under the criteria established by law. They must me…

[size=5]As the Israelis lay siege to Gaza, killing children by the score, our newsroom received a whole new batch of images from the Genocide in Sri Lanka that ended just a little over three years ago. The subject, as you will see at the bottom of this report, is one I have covered for years in great detail. In fact, past articles exposing these horrific slaughter photos of dead and twisted human bodies, are some of Salem-News.com's most viewed pages right now, even though they were written months ago. The writings and multi-media reports are a sad and terrible tribute for tens of thousands of ethnically cleansed Tamils- the minority group in Sri Lanka forever under …

A. Anita, Director of Niraimathy Niraimathy is the home for women with intellectual handicap. Presently twenty women and girls are cared for here. They are here because they have lost contact with their families or their families are far too poor to carry the burden of caring for them. The women at Niraimathy are encouraged to progress as far as possible towards learning to read and write. In addition they are provided with many leisure activities that also stimulate their brain development. For a longtime Niraimathy struggled to survive without an adequate building. In 2007, a brand new building was opened with donations collected by CWDR-Switzerlan…

The Law Society of South Africa called on President Zuma and the South African Government to consider boycotting the CHOGM. Issuing a statement today the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) expresses its grave concerned that members of an International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) high-level delegation have been denied entry into Sri Lanka during this week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo. The delegation included the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, and the first UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Param Cumaraswamy. Entry for th…

One Word: Christopher Columbus (Native Americans) https://www.facebook.com/storiesbycut/videos/522456597917232/

Sikh-American civil rights advocate Valarie Kaur's plea to her country in the times of Donald J. Trump.

சுதந்திரம், அபிவிருத்தி, தன்னம்பிக்கை கொண்ட தன்னிறைவு DEVELOPED INDIA Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. The President of India I have three visions for India. In 3000 years of our history, people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands, conquered our minds. From Alexander onwards. The Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was ours. Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them. Why? Because we respect the…

Human Rights Situation in Sri Lanka discussed at the UNHRC Side Event Today International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR) and Human Rights Watch today (Friday March 9, 2012) held a informal meeting in UN Human Rights Council’s 19th session in Geneva, Switzerland. This side event presentation on Human Rights situation in Sri Lanka was moderated by award winning Human Rights activist Ms. Sunila Abeyesekara. The panel consisted of Dr. Pakiyasothy Saravanamuttu and Gary Anandasangaree . Dr. Pakiyasothy Saravanamuttu is the Executive Director for Centre for Policy Alternatives in Sri Lanka. Mr. Gary Anandasangaree is a delegate to the…

Despite government claims of peace, torture and abductions continue to be used to stifle ethnic and political dissent. The civil war in Sri Lanka ended in 2009 with the victory of President Rajapaksa's forces over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but there are claims that abduction, torture and even rape of suspected former fighters or sympathisers continues today. In November 2013, Commonwealth leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, converged on Colombo for the bi-annual heads of government meeting. It was a big moment for Sri Lanka, signalling its emergence from post-war turmoil and acceptance as a functioning democratic state …

Obvious discrimination by the International Community Source: TCHR/CTDH Ref : GJ098/PR/2006 25 May 2006 "It would seem to International Educational Development that the Tamil people are not viewed as worthy of attention and this must be viewed as rank and despicable discrimination. What other conclusion is possible when in the face of this long and protracted war, neither the Commission nor the Sub-Commission has issued a resolution since 1987? Have these bodies not paid any attention to the reports of the Commission's Working Groups and Rapporteurs? Are these bodies unaware that Sri Lanka is just behind Iraq in disappearances and that almost all the disapp…