யாழ் திரைகடலோடி

Intellectuals for Human Rights (IFHR) in its report for this year said the Human Rights situation in Sri Lanka has suffered a major setback in the first 10 months with the rule of law, individual liberty and the independence of the Judiciary having received an unprecedented beating. According to the report issued yesterday to coincide with United Nations Human Rights Day, 148 females were murdered and 408 raped during the period under review, but only 10 cases had been filed in courts. The rise of the extrajudicial killings and inhuman torture clearly indicates the lack of respect of society for legal procedures and the rights of the citizens. It symbolizes the lawles…

Russia Duma speaker: Europe doomed by US to hunger, cold This picture taken on January 12, 2022 shows a gas-fired power plant in Lingen, Germany. (Photo by AFP) Europeans have been doomed to suffer hunger and cold to meet the United States' hegemonic demands, warns Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. The United States will “stop at nothing to cling to its power over the world as it throws under the bus the citizens’ welfare and the economies of European countries to achieve this end,” Volodin was quoted by RT on Friday as saying on social media. Volodin noted that natural gas in the US costs $333 …

A Sri Lankan minister has hit out against American sanctions on Iran that are preventing the government from accepting development financing from Teheran. The Obama administration reissued waivers last week that exempt nine countries, including China, India, Sri Lanka and Turkey, from fully complying with U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's oil exports. However these loopholes do little to allow the Sri Lankan government to obtain funding from Iran for poverty alleviation and power distribution programs financed by Iran. A statement issued by the Power and Energy Ministry quoted Minister Champika Ranawaka as strongly criticizing American sanctions as they "infrin…

Election 2020 – An Analysis and Trends HARIM PEIRIS on 08/07/2020 Photo courtesy of srilankamirror.com The general election to parliament is concluded and the official results are out. The anticipated landslide victory to the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has materialised with the SLPP winning a grand total of 145 seats through garnering a total of approximately 6.8 million votes or 59% of the valid votes cast. Through its stated allies, the SLFP (1 seat), the EPDP (2 seats), the TMVP (1 seat) and others in the pro-government political space, it has effectively reached the two-thirds majority it craved, or 150 seats, in the 225-member l…

In a paper published in the latest issue of the US Defence Department's journal 'Prism', Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has reiterated his belief that Islamic terrorism poses a threat to Sri Lanka. Since the LTTE's defeat, some of the Muslim groups in Lanka have begun to engage in activities that go 'far beyond self-protection', he said in the journal brought out by the Center for Complex Operations (CCO). 'There is information that some of these groups have even tried to link up with global Islamic terrorist organisations. This is a situation that requires careful monitoring,' Gotabaya said. 'Some Islamic groups in Lanka have started to…

Just a little over a year ago, voters in Sri Lanka rallied to elect a new president, with high hopes that he would usher in a new era of government accountability and bring healing to a country fractured by the brutal civil war that ended in 2009. President Maithripala Sirisena has taken bold steps to fulfill those hopes since his election last January. But the wounds of war cannot be healed until a transitional justice process demanded by the United Nations in a resolution last October moves forward. On that score, Mr. Sirisena says his government will not act “in haste.” This is unacceptable. Atrocities were committed by both Tamil rebel troops and the Sri Lankan A…

The Department of Immigration and Emigration is preparing to deport 2,115 foreign nationals who have resided in the country under the protection of the UNHCR at a cost of Rs 60 million.Sixty nine Pakistani nationals and 16 Afghans who were staying in the island without necessary visas were being prepared for deportation yesterday (8). Eighty eight Pakistani individuals, 70 Afghans and 2 Iranians are among the 160 persons residing in SL under UNHCR protection, who have been detained at the Mirihana detention centre. According to the UNHCR report handed over to the Department of Immigration and Emigration on 30 June, there were1,562 foreign nationals residing…

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna was flooded with complaints last week from distressed family members whose relatives were arrested by the police. The complaints lodged at the HRC Jaffna rose to 43 by Friday following an intensive operation carried out by the police over allegations that those arrested were ex LTTE cadres. A swoop down on the suspects followed the arrest of eleven Jaffna university students by the police over the lighting of flames by Jaffna university students to commemorate the dead on the LTTE ‘Heroes day’ anniversary last month. Jaffna Human Rights Commission coordinator K. Kanagaraj said that the arrests are all legal as receipts…

‘Every time I write, I think of my land’ The Hindu Theepachelvan: Writing of a war-scarred land. Photo: S.S.Kumar TOPICS arts, culture and entertainment books and literature books and literature Tamil literature authors and poets unrest, conflicts and war conflict (general) Poet-author Theepachelvan on living through the war in Sri Lanka and its impact on his…

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 …

New South Wales Health says they have confirmed three case of the deadly coronavirus, bringing the national number to four. Key points: A Chinese man in his 50s is being isolated in a Melbourne hospital with a confirmed case of novel coronavirus Another three cases have been confirmed in NSW The virus has so far killed at least 41 people in China and sickened more than a thousand more All three NSW cases are being treated in hospitals across Sydney. They are men aged in their 30s, 40s and 50s and contracted the illness in China. One of the men arrived in Australia on January 6 and another arrived on January 19. The t…

பருவநிலை மாற்றம்: மணமற்ற மல்லிகைகள் தெ. ஞாலசீர்த்தி மீநிலங்கோ காலம் தன் பயணத்தில் எத்தனையோ விடயங்களைத் தின்று தீர்த்திருக்கிறது. எமது முன்னோர் அனுபவித்த பலவற்றைக் கேட்கும் பாக்கியம் மட்டுமே எமக்குக் கிடைத்திருக்கிறது. அன்று எமக்குச் சொந்தமானவையாக இருந்தவை இன்று எம்மிடத்தே இல்லை. நாம் அனுபவிக்கும் பலவற்றை, நம் சந்ததிக்கு நாம் விட்டுச் செல்லப் போவதில்லை. ஒருபுறம் காலமாற்றம் அதைச் சாத்தியமற்றதாக்குகிறது. இன்னொருபுறம் விரும்பினாலும் விட்டுச் செல்லவியலாதவாறான காரியங்களை மனித குலம் தொடர்ந்தும் செய்து வருகிறது. எதிர்காலம் எம்மைக் கயவர்கள் என்றும் சுயநலக்காரர்கள் என்றும் அழைப்பதற்கான அனைத்துக் காரியங்களையும் செய்தபடி உலகைச் சுடுகாடு நோக்கி …

Former Miss World: 'I'm not scared to talk about my rape. But I hope men will be afraid' When Israeli Linor Abargil collected her Miss World crown, she was in floods of tears. Why? She'd just been raped. Now, 16 years later, she tells Radhika Sanghani why she's made a film, encouraging female rape survivors to share their experiences Linor Abargil won Miss World in 1998 and is now fighting for women's rights Photo: BRAVEMISSWORLD.COM By Radhika Sanghani Linor Abargil was crowned Miss World in 1998. She was 18 years old and was representing her country, Israel. When her name was announced, she stood on stage, sobbing. But they were not t…

Either we are too naïve or extremely foolish. While the forces against Sri Lanka had been getting ready to degrade Sri Lanka for months, a team leader to counter the allegations on behalf of the country was appointed just 72 hours before the United Nations Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, Switzerland. It has been reported in the media that the decision to appoint President Rajapaksa’s Human Rights envoy Mahinda Samarasinghe to present Sri Lanka’s case in Geneva was a sudden decision. Samarasinghe who had been in the forefront in the previous Human Rights Council sessions was kept in the dark this time about the preparations for Council sessions—if there’s an…

9 new envoys with AF Commander picked to head SL Mission in Canada Names of new nominees to head missions in several important capitals, including Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands and Qatar, sent to High Post Committee of Parliament for confirmation Most among them are career diplomats http://static.ft.lk/assets/uploads/image_740ccc72d2.jpg Air Force Commander Air Marshal Sumangala Dias Air Force Commander Air Marshal Sumangala Dias, who is to retire shortly, has been nominated as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Canada. His name, along with t…

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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…

"The Burning of the Jaffna Public Library by the Police in 1981" In 1933, the same year the Nazis burnt large numbers of books that they considered ‘anti-German’, the idea of setting up a library in Jaffna was born. The Jaffna Public Library (JPL) would have celebrated its golden jubilee in 1983 had it not been burned down in 1981. Instead, June 2023 marked the 42 nd anniversary of that tragedy. 1933 was a difficult time in Sri Lanka. The economy was slow and unemployment was very high. Amid the gloom, one K M Chellappah, who worked for the district court in Jaffna, circulated an appeal in English and Tamil for “A Central Free Tamil Lib…

‘If the generals are counting tunnels, it suggests things are not going well’ Yehuda Kfir, an expert in underground warfare, says the IDF can’t keep bombing buildings and infrastructure to locate Hamas’s tunnels: ‘We need to dig from our side to theirs’ By TAL SCHNEIDER 19 December 2023, 4:38 pm 27 Soldiers stand in a large Hamas tunnel found near the Erez border crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, in a handout image published December 17, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces) This week, the Israel Defense Forces publicized what it said was the biggest Hamas terror tunnel uncovered to date, built under the stewardship of…

Apr 26, 2013 NEW DELHI: The doctors, who were part of the medical team attending to the December 16 gang rape victim, told a fast-track court here on Friday that the girl was shifted to a Singapore hospital to provide her with best possible treatment and not because she had died as alleged by the accused. The doctors' response came on the allegation by defence counsel of two accused in the case that the victim was not shifted to Singapore for organ organ transplant or best possible medical care but because she had died and the government did not want the public to know it. Counsel for accused Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur made this suggestion while cross-examinin…

வெற்றியை இழக்கும் நிலையில் சிறிலங்கா - அமெரிக்கா காங்கிரஸ் உறுப்பினர் Grimm: Sri Lankan Government Risks Squandering Hard-Won Opportunity By By Rep. Michael Grimm The end of a three-decade long civil war in Sri Lanka has given the country an incredible opportunity to address the war's root cause — long-standing ethnic tension — and forge ahead with its plans for an open, democratic and prosperous future. The war between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam was devastating to all Sri Lankans: Countless lives were lost, individuals were stripped of their livelihoods and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced. Unfortunately, I worr…

The Cost of Resistance: The interior lives of Tamil activists in the wake of war.by ANUSHANI - "The author is an activist based in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, working with war-affected Tamil communities. This piece draws from conversations with families of the disappeared in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka who have for years been fighting for justice. It seeks to shed light on the inner tumult of those often celebrated as icons of resistance. The author is grateful for the men and women who shared their stories and their courage, and trusted her with their vulnerabilities." The videos are drawn from the Legacies of Conflict In South Asia Archive, a collaborative pr…

இந்திய தேர்த்தலும் அமெரிக்க நெற்கிளிப்சில் வெளிவந்த நகைச்சுவை காட்சியும்

Share prices at the Colombo bourse were high by 12.30 pm having risen in early trade on Monday with brokers and investors cheering new President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s big victory. The All Share Price Index gained by 1.59 per cent to 6,118.37 by 12.30 pm while the S&P rose by 2.03 per cent. to 3,045.60. Turnover was a resounding Rs. 1.7 billion. The presidential election results remove much of the overhang from political uncertainty, analysts say. They say that the possibility of a stable government could lift private investment, a crucial factor for growth given fiscal constraints. Tourism is also likely to pick up after a sharp slowdown following the East…

The first draft of the resolution on Sri Lanka to be tabled at the UN Human Rights Council next week recommends a mechanism to address allegations of war time abuses that includes international judges and independent prosecutors, Daily FT learns. The initial draft was handed over to the Government of Sri Lanka yesterday, authoritative sources told Daily FT. The early draft appears to take into account the recommendation by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for a hybrid special court to try potential war crimes cases, Daily FT reliably learns. The Government, which obtained a draft of the OISL report last Friday (11), held discussions spearheaded by Foreign Minis…