யாழ் திரைகடலோடி

I had a very productive week of meetings in Geneva at the 34th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Many people I have worked with since 2009 have moved onto different roles, however, it was great to catch up with those who still remain in Geneva. I was able to meet many new people and stakeholders who have a lifetime of work behind them, with inspiring stories of courage, conviction and success on key human rights issues and situations around the world. And as always, reconnecting with my colleagues and my many friends from around the world was always a delight. Despite its shortcomings, I have always felt that the UNHRC is a place where advocacy …

Mr Hague made the comments while attending the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has said he believes it is possible for the Sri Lankan government to establish a war crimes inquiry before March. It comes after PM David Cameron called on president Mahinda Rajapaksa to set up an independent inquiry into alleged war crimes - or face a UN probe. Sri Lanka's government has rejected Mr Cameron's call for an international probe. Mr Hague said that Britain would be pursuing the issue. He made the comments to the Colombo-based Sunday Times while attending the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka. Mr Hague told the paper that it…

The latest case in Australia has been blamed on the government’s treatment of Tamil asylum seekers. Leo Seemanpillai, 29, set himself on fire in Geelong, Victoria, after waiting for more than a year to hear whether he could stay in Australia. He died from his injuries, but Mr Seemanpillai was an organ donor and his death has benefited five Australians. Tamil Refugee Council convener Trevor Grant said he was certain that Mr Seemanpillai’s depression over his refugee application had led to his drastic action. “He knew he would probably be sent back to Sri Lanka ... despite the fact that he would probably be persecuted or taken to jail,” Mr Grant said. “All Tamils I kno…

BlazeVideo HDTV Player is a full-featured and easy to use BlazeVideo HDTV Player software, combining HDTV playback, FM receiving, video record and DVD playback functions. You can make advantage of PC monitor's high resolution, watch, record, playback high definition HDTV program or teletext broadcast program. BlazeVideo HDTV Player also acts as your multi-media center, with superior video and audio quality, it supports DVD, VCD, SVCD, MP3, MPEG and Pictures playback. The more advanced features, such as video/audio record, video capture, bookmark preview, picture slideshow, screen control, special audio effect, optional skin, bring you an infinite wonderful multi-med…

Sri Lanka's government says rebel attack caused more damage than previously reported The Associated PressPublished: October 23, 2007 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: A rebel attack on an air base this week caused far more damage than previously acknowledged, destroying eight aircraft, including a vital surveillance plane, Sri Lanka's prime minister said Wednesday. The admission, in a statement to parliament, came amid growing accusations from the opposition that officials lied about the destruction from Monday's pre-dawn attack on Anuradhapura air base in an effort to limit their embarrassment. The incident was likely to further damage the credibility of a gover…

Supreme Court refuses to hear human smuggling case, affirming acquittals BY THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada has effectively upheld the acquittal of three people who were charged with human smuggling after a rickety ship arrived off the coast of British Columbia carrying hundreds of Tamil migrants. In a decision Thursday, the high court turned down the Crown’s application for an appeal hearing in the case. In August 2010, the Canadian navy intercepted the cargo ship MV Sun Sea carrying 492 people from strife-torn Sri Lanka and escorted it to CFB Esquimalt, n…

The person who gave information to US Embassy about the EPDP ‘s child trafficking rings in Jaffna was abducted on May 07, 2009 and since then, no information has been obtained concerning him. He told US Embassy Colombo on March 26, 2007; “The children are sold into slavery, usually boys to work camps and girls to prostitution rings, through EPDP’s networks in India and Malaysia. Sunthararaj maintains that children are often smuggled out of the country with the help of a corrupt Customs and Immigration official at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo.” Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa “Sunthararaj’s story was partially verified b…

Krishanti Vignarajah launches campaign for Maryland governor Democrat Krishanti Vignarajah announces her candidacy for Maryland governor Tuesday in Woodlawn. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) WOODLAWN, Md. — Democrat Krishanti Vignarajah, a former policy director for first lady Michelle Obama, officially launched her campaign for governor Tuesday at the apartment complex outside Baltimore where she lived with her parents after the family fled Sri Lanka decades ago. “Before anything else, I was an immigrant and proud daughter of schoolteache…

India condemns suicide attack in Sri Lanka April 26, 2006 02:20 IST Terming the suicide bombing in Colombo, which seriously wounded the Sri Lankan army chief, as a 'brazen act of terrorism,' Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday spoke to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on phone and conveyed India's solidarity with the government and people of the island in its 'difficult hour.' Mukherjee said violence was not the answer to any problem and political dialogue was the only way to resolve outstanding issues, an External Affairs Ministry statement in New Delhi said. He conveyed India's shock at the incident in which Sri Lankan Army Chief Lt…

The son of the most-wanted man in the world spoke Sunday to CNN in a quiet, middle-class suburb about an hour outside Cairo, Egypt. Omar bin Laden, who works as a contractor, said he is talking publicly because he wants an end to the violence his father has inspired -- violence that has killed innocent civilians in a spate of attacks around the world, including those of September 11, 2001. மேலதிக விபரங்களுக்கு http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/01/21/....son/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/01/21/...tml#cnnSTCVideo

France ends military presence in Sahel region with handover of last base in Chad Africa The French army has handed over its last base in Chad in a military ceremony in the capital N'Djamena, marking the end of French military presence in the country. Once a key link in France's military presence in Africa, Chad was its last foothold in the wider Sahel region after the forced withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Trucks carrying French army vehicles and equipment leaving the Kossei base. © Joris Bolomey, AFP The French army has handed over its last base…

Easter Sunday bombs had not been a factor which had determined the results of the presidential election in predominantly Catholic areas as there may have been other issues which led the people in the areas concerned to vote as they did, Catholic politicians in the area said today. Veteran Catholic politician, former Speaker Joseph Michael Perera told the Daily Mirror that there may have been other issues which led New Democratic Front (NDF) Candidate Sajith Premadasa to win Negombo and Wattala electorates at Saturday’s presidential election. “We cannot say that Catholics voted the way they did, defying the propaganda carried out by the SL…

மற்றுமொரு சிங்கள இனவாத பிக்கு

இன்று இளவயதினர் தற்கொலை செய்து கொள்வது முன்னரை விட அதிகரித்துள்ளது. காரணங்கள் என்ன என பெரும்பாலும் பெற்றோர்களால் விளங்கிக்கொள்ள முடியவில்லை!!, சில இடங்களில் பெற்றோர் காரணங்களை ஏற்பதும் இல்லை.. இந்த கட்டுரை சிலவற்றை விளங்கப்படுத்துகிறது. மாணவர்களுக்கு உளவள ஆலோசகர்களாக விளங்கும் சிலர் தமது கருத்துக்களை கூறுகிறார்கள். நேரம் கிடைக்கும் பொழுது மொழி பெயர்ப்பு செய்ய முயற்சிக்கிறேன்.. 9 things college mental health counselors wish parents understood If you're the parent of a college-aged kid, you know that students today have higher rates of depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders. Between 2020 and 2021, more than 60% of college students “met …

BREAKING NEWS Two SLN Dvora vessels damaged in sea clash - LTTE Liberation Tigers officials in Kilinochchi said Sea Tigers retaliated a Sri Lanka Navy flotilla that launched an attackFishermen in Point Pedro said the SLN personnel withdrew and landed in Point Pedro following heavy clashes in the seas. Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopters and Sri Lanka Navy vessels resumed attack on the Sea Tiger flotilla that was returning to Mullaithivu. Sri Lankan military officials in Colombo claimed that they had sunk 3 LTTE boats and killed 20 Sea Tigers. LTTE officials, refusing the SLN claims, said there were no casualties on their side. Meanwhile, the…

Isis releases 11-point guide for journalists UPVOTE Isis, which calls itself Islamic State, has occupied the world’s attention since it took over large swathes or Syrian and Iraqi territory this year, eventually declaring a new caliphate. But precious little is known about the group, which has its own surprisingly slick PR machine, mainly because its record with journalists is tragically abysmal - militants sparking global revulsion by beheading US reporters James Foley and Stephen Sotloff, as well as killing many other local journalists. Somehow, some journalists continue to report from the region, defying the incredible risks to document the group’s ma…

Western power games and Kosovo ‘independence’ Former Thomian Chaplain Rev. L.J.B. Fernando had a penchant for pithy comments during his short sermons. “Independence means in dependence of God,” was one. I was reminded of this line as Kosovo made its Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) on February 17. Has Kosovo truly gained independence? Or is it actually in dependence of the powerful West? In short, is Kosovo an independent, sovereign state, or a protectorate that is virtually a Western puppet? True status The finest illustration of Kosovo’s true status lies in the Declaration of Independence proclamation read out by Kosovan Prime …

நியூ சவுத் வேல்ஸ் மாநிலத்தில் Blue Mountain காடுகளில் வேகமாக பரவி வரும் காட்டுத்தீ.. இரு வாரங்களிற்கு முன்பு இந்த Bells Lines of Road ஊடாக சென்றது நினைவில் வந்து போகிறது.. சென்ற வருடங்களை விட மிகவும் மோசமாக இந்த காட்டுத்தீ தாக்கங்களை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது.. Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp VIDEO 1:14 Emergency warning issued for Gospers Mountain bushfire near Bilpin ABC NEWS A fire-generated thunderstorm has formed over two fires burning at emergency level on the South Coast as a southerly change exacerbates bushfires on a scorching day in New South Wales. The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) warned residents the thunderstorm "is a very dange…

BREAKING NEWS 15.03.09

British parliament debated on Sri Lanka on Tuesday at Westminster Hall for one and half hours. This is the fourth debate on Sri Lanka in recent times. Member for Mitcham and Morden, Siobhain McDonagh secured the time for the debate and lead the debate. The salient feature of the debate is, irrespective of party differences members across the bench were critical on Sri Lankan government for its ignorance on humanitarian crisis and the refusal to accept Tamil grievances. At the debate, parliament members expressed the frustration of Tamil Diaspora and the inability of the international community to bring a redress to them. Siobhain McDonagh asked, ‘what are we saying …

Will The LTTE make an air Strike on Colombo? by B. Raman (The LTTE has still much bite left in it as seen by the rapidity and deadly effectiveness with which it has hit back against the Sri Lankan Police, Army and Navy after each incident of reprisal killing by the Government in which their hand is suspected……After the spectacular assassination of Laxman Kadirgamar, the then Foreign Minister, last year, the LTTE has not been able to mount any other spectacular strike in Colombo. Most of its post-November,2005, terrorist strikes have been confined to the Northern and Eastern provinces. Is it due to operational weaknesses on the ground in Colombo or due to fears o…

In an appeal to the Prime Minister of Japan Mr. Shinzō Abe, the Prime Minister of Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran has urged the Japanese leader to raise with Sri Lankan President the issue of protection for witnesses who will be testifying before a UN inquiry for the mass killing of Tamils. Prime Minister of Japan Mr. Shinzō Abe begins his visit to Sri Lanka on September 7, 2014. The new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein will also emphasize this issue during his upcoming address to the current UN Human Rights Council Session in Geneva on September 8, 2014. Advance copy of his statement sent by OHC…

What America Needs to Tell Obama https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10152828962344769

Holding Pakistan to Account The Obama administration’s decision to suspend $800 million of its $2 billion in annual security aid to Pakistan inevitably raises the question of why the United States should continue to give Pakistan any military aid at all. The White House acted after Osama bin Laden was found living near Pakistan’s leading military academy and Pakistan then expelled American military trainers. Islamabad should see this as a serious warning that Washington has all but run out of patience with its double games. Both sides will pay a high price if this goes on too long. Ending all military aid would be a serious mistake. This country tried tha…