Yesterday, the United Nations advisory panel on accountability in Sri Lanka turned over its report to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The panel had been established by Ban last June to advise him on how to pursue accountability for reported war crimes and other human rights abuses committed by both the government forces and the opposition Tamil Tigers during Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war (which ended with a government victory in May 2009).
While the Secretary-General’s spokesperson said yesterday that the U.N. intends to make the report public, he didn’t give a timeframe for doing so. It’s critical that the report be made public as a first step towards achieving accountability.
Amnesty International has been asking the U.N. to establish an international war crimes investigation in Sri Lanka. This past February, I accompanied Yolanda Foster, the Amnesty researcher on Sri Lanka, and Dr. Kasipillai Manoharan, the father of one of the “Trinco 5” students killed by the security forces in 2006, as we delivered to the U.N. offices in New York over 52,000 signatures on a petition to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calling for such an international investigation. Above is the trailer of a short film of our trip, which Amnesty has just released.
Please write to Ban Ki-moon and ask him to make the U.N. advisory panel’s report public. It’s important that the U.N. hears from everyone concerned about truth and justice for the victims and their families in Sri Lanka.
Finally the UN Released Sri Lanka Panel Report !!!!
Impunity breeds contempt. Sri Lanka's brutality towards the Tamils is now undisguised. Recently , Rajapaksa's goons attacked Tamil in London
Rajapaksa's goons attacked Tamil man R. Soosaipillai, known as Thanam, in front of his house in London Monday night. Mr.
Thanam, a veteran activist said that the attackers had the intention of killing him and that he was saved by his resistance and by the timely alert of his family members Monday night around 11:30 p.m.
He was attacked while he was taking out shopping items from the back of his car.
Thanam ducked the hard hit from behind on his head by a rod-like object, but it hit him on his arm. Another attack caused him an injury that needed 8 stitches.
As he fainted in between two cars, his family members raised an alarm and the attackers ran away.
Tamils are still suffering under makeshift plastic tents under broiling sun while Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are constructing luxurious houses build on United Nation aid money meant for long –suffering Tamils !!!
Sinhalese colonization scheme consisting of 12,000 houses with facilities for Sinhala families including hospitals, schools, post offices,
The houses are being constructed in a newly declared SLA High Security Zone, strictly out of bounds for local Tamils.
Hundreds of container vehicles bring the construction material for the permanent houses and heap them along road. These materials are transported in SLA trucks to the construction site so as to prevent any one seeing the work in progress.
Meanwhile, the uprooted Tamil civilians resettled near the area are left on their own abandoned by the Sri Lanka government to suffer in makeshift structures on bare lands without any basic facilities.
The ill-nourished Tamil children of the resettled civilians watch with vacant eyes as lorries after lorries full of construction materials for houses pass them by.
Sri Lanka Army encroaching traditional Tamil villages
The 500 acres of prime Tamil land encroached by SLA are to be used to colonize it with Sinhala families of SLA personnel from South and other Sinhala families, depriving the Tamil residents of the area from cultivating their paddy fields
For 63 years Sinhalese has been destroying the socio-economic fabric of the Tamils in Sri Lanka
63 years have almost destroyed the socio-economic fabric of the Tamil-speaking peoples in the Northeast and there are all signs what has been happening in the last two years will continue which is enough to complete the destruction in two more years.
Effectively it’s the political will of the ethnic majority that can bring about a country with equality for all and thus peace and prosperity for all.
If that cannot be done, there must be a period when the Northeast must be left alone to develop itself as a separate entity
Prevention of Terrorism Act must be Repealed Immediately
The PTA has remained in the statute book over the last thirty years. The normal laws of the land are quite adequate to deal with any threat, real or perceived. The dangers of retaining legislation that allows the law enforcement authorities to bypass the normal legal safeguards for the ordinary citizens are only too obvious. The extra-ordinary becomes the norm and normal activities, whether legal or extra-legal, are suppressed taking cover under the extra-ordinary legislation. Many held under the PTA without any charges being framed against them for many years. Another issue is the admissibility under the PTA of “confessions” made to Police Officers as evidence before courts.
The normal law of the land provides that confessions are valid only if made before a Magistrate. This provision is for good reason. The Magistrate records the confession without the presence of the Police and has to make sure that there has been no threats, inducements or intimidation of the accused and that the confession is made of his own free will. Indeed, the Magistrate tells the accused that there is no compulsion for him to make a confession and is given time to consider before making the confession.
All these safeguards are conspicuously absent in the PTA and a Police Officer of the rank of ASP or higher can record a “confession” within the confines of a Police Station
Allegations are often made of inducements (‘You sign this and you will be released soon’) and threats (physical violence and intimidation) for refusal either to make a confession or to sign a prepared “confession”. That is why the safeguards provided in the ordinary law of the land are so important and need to be restored and preserved
Thenmaraadchi
Well said !!!! 🙂
The oppression of Tamils started 62 yrs ago and still continues in Sri Lanka
In 1948 when Sri Lanka gained its independence from Great Britain, the Sinhala leaders sought to secure dominance over government by virtue of their majority.
The Tamil people are expected to be made second class citizens spanning several decades in Sri Lanka.
Many important policies were enforced in Sri Lanka that would continue to disenfranchise the Tamils from their own country such as in 1956 when the Sri Lankan government passed a measure that would recognize Sinhala as the only official language.
Other legislation approved would give preferential treatment to Sinhala, whether it would be for university or employment applications.
Their new constitution even stated it would protect and foster Buddhism.
All of these actions by the government, forced the Tamils to feel that they were being oppressed, discriminated against and their equal rights were being deteriorated with each passing day.
Due to the policies enacted by Sinhala leaders, the relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities eroded and for the next 60+ years and not only the erosion of Tamil rights but also the erosion of the Tamil homeland.
British Prime Minister warmly greets Tamils
Extending his warmest greetings to everyone celebrating the Tamil New Year, the British Prime Minister and the Leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameroon, on Wednesday said he acknowledged the significant contribution the Tamil diaspora makes to many aspects of British society.
Many conservative MPs including Lee Scott, Andrew Rosindell, Robert Halfon, Theresa Villiers and Gavin Barwell were supporting the work of the British Tamil Conservatives (BTC), and have also joined the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils.
Full text of New Year greetings follows:
British Tamil Conservatives New Year Message
I would like to extend my warmest greetings to everyone celebrating the Tamil New Year. I would also like to acknowledge the significant contribution the Tamil diaspora makes to many aspects of British society. That contribution is built upon enterprise, community, family and social responsibility – values the Conservative Party also holds dear.
So as you gather with your families and friends to celebrate this important festival, I would like to send you and your families my very best wishes for the New Year.
David Cameron
It is shocking to read the story about "Thanam" above. So the goons are in action in London? Was it reporetd to the police and what action was taken?
Finally, quite finally, the Report has been handed over to Ban. But when will he release it to the public?
President Rajapakse has been sitting on the reports by APRC and CoI from July 2009.
How long will Ban take to release this panel report?
Finally the UN Released Sri Lanka Panel Report !!!!
Impunity breeds contempt. Sri Lanka’s brutality towards the Tamils is now undisguised. Recently , Rajapaksa’s goons attacked Tamil in London
Rajapaksa’s goons attacked Tamil man R. Soosaipillai, known as Thanam, in front of his house in London Monday night. Mr.
Thanam, a veteran activist said that the attackers had the intention of killing him and that he was saved by his resistance and by the timely alert of his family members Monday night around 11:30 p.m.
He was attacked while he was taking out shopping items from the back of his car.
Thanam ducked the hard hit from behind on his head by a rod-like object, but it hit him on his arm. Another attack caused him an injury that needed 8 stitches.
As he fainted in between two cars, his family members raised an alarm and the attackers ran away.
Tamils are still suffering under makeshift plastic tents under broiling sun while Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are constructing luxurious houses build on United Nation aid money meant for long –suffering Tamils !!!
Sinhalese colonization scheme consisting of 12,000 houses with facilities for Sinhala families including hospitals, schools, post offices,
The houses are being constructed in a newly declared SLA High Security Zone, strictly out of bounds for local Tamils.
Hundreds of container vehicles bring the construction material for the permanent houses and heap them along road. These materials are transported in SLA trucks to the construction site so as to prevent any one seeing the work in progress.
Meanwhile, the uprooted Tamil civilians resettled near the area are left on their own abandoned by the Sri Lanka government to suffer in makeshift structures on bare lands without any basic facilities.
The ill-nourished Tamil children of the resettled civilians watch with vacant eyes as lorries after lorries full of construction materials for houses pass them by.
Sri Lanka Army encroaching traditional Tamil villages
The 500 acres of prime Tamil land encroached by SLA are to be used to colonize it with Sinhala families of SLA personnel from South and other Sinhala families, depriving the Tamil residents of the area from cultivating their paddy fields
For 63 years Sinhalese has been destroying the socio-economic fabric of the Tamils in Sri Lanka
63 years have almost destroyed the socio-economic fabric of the Tamil-speaking peoples in the Northeast and there are all signs what has been happening in the last two years will continue which is enough to complete the destruction in two more years.
Effectively it’s the political will of the ethnic majority that can bring about a country with equality for all and thus peace and prosperity for all.
If that cannot be done, there must be a period when the Northeast must be left alone to develop itself as a separate entity
Prevention of Terrorism Act must be Repealed Immediately
The PTA has remained in the statute book over the last thirty years. The normal laws of the land are quite adequate to deal with any threat, real or perceived. The dangers of retaining legislation that allows the law enforcement authorities to bypass the normal legal safeguards for the ordinary citizens are only too obvious. The extra-ordinary becomes the norm and normal activities, whether legal or extra-legal, are suppressed taking cover under the extra-ordinary legislation. Many held under the PTA without any charges being framed against them for many years. Another issue is the admissibility under the PTA of “confessions” made to Police Officers as evidence before courts.
The normal law of the land provides that confessions are valid only if made before a Magistrate. This provision is for good reason. The Magistrate records the confession without the presence of the Police and has to make sure that there has been no threats, inducements or intimidation of the accused and that the confession is made of his own free will. Indeed, the Magistrate tells the accused that there is no compulsion for him to make a confession and is given time to consider before making the confession.
All these safeguards are conspicuously absent in the PTA and a Police Officer of the rank of ASP or higher can record a “confession” within the confines of a Police Station
Allegations are often made of inducements (‘You sign this and you will be released soon’) and threats (physical violence and intimidation) for refusal either to make a confession or to sign a prepared “confession”. That is why the safeguards provided in the ordinary law of the land are so important and need to be restored and preserved
Thenmaraadchi
Well said !!!! 🙂
The oppression of Tamils started 62 yrs ago and still continues in Sri Lanka
In 1948 when Sri Lanka gained its independence from Great Britain, the Sinhala leaders sought to secure dominance over government by virtue of their majority.
The Tamil people are expected to be made second class citizens spanning several decades in Sri Lanka.
Many important policies were enforced in Sri Lanka that would continue to disenfranchise the Tamils from their own country such as in 1956 when the Sri Lankan government passed a measure that would recognize Sinhala as the only official language.
Other legislation approved would give preferential treatment to Sinhala, whether it would be for university or employment applications.
Their new constitution even stated it would protect and foster Buddhism.
All of these actions by the government, forced the Tamils to feel that they were being oppressed, discriminated against and their equal rights were being deteriorated with each passing day.
Due to the policies enacted by Sinhala leaders, the relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities eroded and for the next 60+ years and not only the erosion of Tamil rights but also the erosion of the Tamil homeland.
British Prime Minister warmly greets Tamils
Extending his warmest greetings to everyone celebrating the Tamil New Year, the British Prime Minister and the Leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameroon, on Wednesday said he acknowledged the significant contribution the Tamil diaspora makes to many aspects of British society.
Many conservative MPs including Lee Scott, Andrew Rosindell, Robert Halfon, Theresa Villiers and Gavin Barwell were supporting the work of the British Tamil Conservatives (BTC), and have also joined the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils.
Full text of New Year greetings follows:
British Tamil Conservatives New Year Message
I would like to extend my warmest greetings to everyone celebrating the Tamil New Year. I would also like to acknowledge the significant contribution the Tamil diaspora makes to many aspects of British society. That contribution is built upon enterprise, community, family and social responsibility – values the Conservative Party also holds dear.
So as you gather with your families and friends to celebrate this important festival, I would like to send you and your families my very best wishes for the New Year.
David Cameron
@Sri
Yes, it is shocking to read the story about ‘Thanam’ above. We Tamils should resolve our disagreements without resorting to violence.
It is shocking to read the story about “Thanam” above. So the goons are in action in London? Was it reporetd to the police and what action was taken?
Finally, quite finally, the Report has been handed over to Ban. But when will he release it to the public?
Sri Lanka has a long history of establishing ad hoc commissions to deflect international criticism over its very poor human rights record and widespread culture of impunity.Since independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has established at least 10 such commissions, none of which have produced any significant results.
Every time the international community raises the issue of accountability, Sri Lanka establishes a commission that takes a long time to achieve nothing,"
"US should put an end to this game of smoke and mirrors and begin a process that would ensure justice for all the victims of Sri Lanka's war.
Govt may well be continuing its human rights abuses with these arbitrary arrests and executions.
The level of democracy in the island was best illustrated by the opposition presidential candidate called for the intervention of 'outside governments' to prevent dictatorship and to protect democracy in the island. "There is no law and order in this country,there is nothing we can do about it" he said.
Colombo still seeks to hold back the truth. Tamils right for political self determination has been brutally twisted and crushed.
During the war Mahinda Rajapakse claimed that the armed forces are not fighting a war but have launched humanitarian operations against the LTTE to liberate the Thamils from the clutches of the LTTE. But after the war was over, the Thamil people are treated as children of lesser gods. There are thousands of IDPs still in make-shift camps and welfare centres. Thousands have still not been settled in their original homes and farms. In the meantime the army has grabbed thousands of acres of private land to build cantonments, living quarters, luxury hotels, Buddhist viharas and Buddha statues. Both in the presidential and parliamentary elections people of the North and East overwhelmingly voted against Mahinda Rajapakse and his party. In the recently held LG polls Thamils voted for the ITAK/TNA. What more proof is needed to show the international community that Thamils does not want to be part of the Sinhala government? Let the UNO/EU conduct a referendum among the Thamils to know whether Thamils want to be part of the Colombo government or they want a separate/federal state. That referendum should be held after the occupation Sinhala army is withdrawn from North and East. Is Mahinda Rajapakse and the international community ready to hold a referendum under UN supervision? After all the Timoreans and Kosovo Muslims were given the opportunity to decide their political future and why not Thamils too?
President Rajapakse has been sitting on the reports by APRC and CoI from July 2009.
How long will Ban take to release this panel report?
Even now the murders and disappearances are happening in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Foreign press cannot go to north and east without permission from the government. This is 2 years after the war. Military controlling every events happening in the north.Even school programs cannot be done without the presence of military. Privacy and security of Tamils have been forcibly taken away by Rajapakse and his clan. Is the world going to watch Rajapakse ruling Sri Lanka for the rest of his life. He is not going to relinquish power even if he were to lose power in an election in the future. India should be ashamed of supporting Sri Lanka. If interfering in Libya is as important as bringing justice to Tamils in Sri Lanka. International community where is your justice? Pressure UN to release the report now. NOW not later.
@Sri
Yes, it is shocking to read the story about ‘Thanam’ above. We Tamils should resolve our disagreements without resorting to violence.
Sri Lanka has a long history of establishing ad hoc commissions to deflect international criticism over its very poor human rights record and widespread culture of impunity.Since independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has established at least 10 such commissions, none of which have produced any significant results.
Every time the international community raises the issue of accountability, Sri Lanka establishes a commission that takes a long time to achieve nothing,”
“US should put an end to this game of smoke and mirrors and begin a process that would ensure justice for all the victims of Sri Lanka’s war.
Govt may well be continuing its human rights abuses with these arbitrary arrests and executions.
The level of democracy in the island was best illustrated by the opposition presidential candidate called for the intervention of ‘outside governments’ to prevent dictatorship and to protect democracy in the island. “There is no law and order in this country,there is nothing we can do about it” he said.
Colombo still seeks to hold back the truth. Tamils right for political self determination has been brutally twisted and crushed.
During the war Mahinda Rajapakse claimed that the armed forces are not fighting a war but have launched humanitarian operations against the LTTE to liberate the Thamils from the clutches of the LTTE. But after the war was over, the Thamil people are treated as children of lesser gods. There are thousands of IDPs still in make-shift camps and welfare centres. Thousands have still not been settled in their original homes and farms. In the meantime the army has grabbed thousands of acres of private land to build cantonments, living quarters, luxury hotels, Buddhist viharas and Buddha statues. Both in the presidential and parliamentary elections people of the North and East overwhelmingly voted against Mahinda Rajapakse and his party. In the recently held LG polls Thamils voted for the ITAK/TNA. What more proof is needed to show the international community that Thamils does not want to be part of the Sinhala government? Let the UNO/EU conduct a referendum among the Thamils to know whether Thamils want to be part of the Colombo government or they want a separate/federal state. That referendum should be held after the occupation Sinhala army is withdrawn from North and East. Is Mahinda Rajapakse and the international community ready to hold a referendum under UN supervision? After all the Timoreans and Kosovo Muslims were given the opportunity to decide their political future and why not Thamils too?
Sri Lankan Tamils are still on their knees praying what they have always prayed "Deliver is from the evil one"
Their voices are suppressed. They have lost their strength to fight back the oppression. But their heart cries are obvious. "Free thousands of our loved ones who are going through hunger and torture in the notorious Sri Lankan prisons,", "Give us back our homes and lands", "Give us the freedom to work in our own farms and fish in our own waters", "Stop abducting our sons and daughters" "stop abusing, torturing, raping and murdering our children", "Stop destroying our culture", "Give us back the freedom that we were all born with as humans on this planet"
What make things worse in Sri Lanka are not just the atrocities carried out by the fascist forces but the compromise made by some international elements, who have decided to support the criminals but turned a blind eye to the victims. They danced when the war criminals sang, and hid their faces in the sand when thousands of innocents were murdered in cold blood. UN, who is supposed to be a guardian for the oppressed and vulnerable in the world, had in fact assisted Sri Lanka in mass murdering innocent Tamils, simply by ignoring the cries of the dying at the crucial hours.
Sri Lankan Tragedy is also about an unfair world that is letting the murderers and rapists to walk on red carpets but ignoring the plight of the innocents that are languishing in torture camps and prisons.
When America and the international community came forward to halt the war during the final phase, India gave this assurance to them. http://print.dailymirror.lk/opinion1/38967.html
What Is The Difference Between Libyan Civilians And Tamil Civilians? http://www.thesundayleader.lk/index.php?option=co…
Is what happens today in Libya worse than what happened in Mullivaghzal in 2009? Is what the President of Libya says any different to what was said by the President of Sri Lanka?
Thousands of digital pictures and video clips, many satellite images and other concrete evidences are available to prove without a shadow of doubt that Sri Lankan regime is still committing countless crimes against the Tamil community in Sri Lanka with the excuse of fighting terror.
Story of Sri Lanka in the last sixty five years is simply the repetitions of hundreds and thousands of similar horrific events at different scales. 99% of the perpetrators were either Sri Lankan military or extremist Sinhala mobs and 99% of the victims were innocent Tamils.
Although Sri Lanka claimed that it was fighting a war with the Tamil rebels, guns and bombs were in fact turned against innocent Tamil civilians. Sri Lankan forces killed more than fifty thousands just within month.
Fifty thousand innocent men, women and children were brutally murdered on the sandy beaches and in the jungles of Sri Lanka, by the Sri Lankan Military while the whole world stood back and watched.
Our international legal systems are still failing to bring the culprits to justice.
In Sri Lanka, People disappear from their homes, schools, work places and hospitals like flies. It is not the fulfilment of rapture that is taking place according to the book of Revelation in the Bible. But the Sri Lankan regime has mastered the art of using white vans to abduct and kill anyone who is dare to question the conducts of the government.
Half burned dead bodies with hands tied at the back is a typical scene, one would be able to see quite often in Sri Lanka. Killer demons regularly come on mysterious white vans without number plates on them.
A typical Sri Lankan leader would talk like he has the whole world under his feet and he doesn’t care about outside opinions. Many of us remember the controversial Sri Lankan defence secretary of Sri Lanka who appeared on many TV channels across the globe and thundered that he had the right to bomb hospitals and schools. He had indeed ordered to bomb several hospitals in the recent war in Sri Lanka.
Number of people massacred on the beaches of Sri Lanka is almost ten times of the people died in the Tiananmen Square massacre in China.
United Nations, who is supposed to be a guardian for the oppressed people in the world turned out to be a silent spectator of a man made disaster that has taken the lives of many thousands.
Leaders of Sri Lanka and some responsible officers in the UN, should be questioned in international courts in order to find out if they were responsible for the deaths of innocent Tamils.
The UN was used as a ploy in arranging and enacting the ‘surrender’ and then to kill the LTTE officials?? http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_04_12_00…
Sri Lankan Tamils are still on their knees praying what they have always prayed "Deliver is from the evil one"
Their voices are suppressed. They have lost their strength to fight back the oppression. But their heart cries are obvious. "Free thousands of our loved ones who are going through hunger and torture in the notorious Sri Lankan prisons,", "Give us back our homes and lands", "Give us the freedom to work in our own farms and fish in our own waters", "Stop abducting our sons and daughters" "stop abusing, torturing, raping and murdering our children", "Stop destroying our culture", "Give us back the freedom that we were all born with as humans on this planet"
What make things worse in Sri Lanka are not just the atrocities carried out by the fascist forces but the compromise made by some international elements, who have decided to support the criminals but turned a blind eye to the victims. They danced when the war criminals sang, and hid their faces in the sand when thousands of innocents were murdered in cold blood. UN, who is supposed to be a guardian for the oppressed and vulnerable in the world, had in fact assisted Sri Lanka in mass murdering innocent Tamils, simply by ignoring the cries of the dying at the crucial hours.
Sri Lankan Tragedy is also about an unfair world that is letting the murderers and rapists to walk on red carpets but ignoring the plight of the innocents that are languishing in torture camps and prisons.
When America and the international community came forward to halt the war during the final phase, India gave this assurance to them. http://print.dailymirror.lk/opinion1/38967.html
What Is The Difference Between Libyan Civilians And Tamil Civilians? http://www.thesundayleader.lk/index.php?option=co…
Is what happens today in Libya worse than what happened in Mullivaghzal in 2009? Is what the President of Libya says any different to what was said by the President of Sri Lanka?
Thousands of digital pictures and video clips, many satellite images and other concrete evidences are available to prove without a shadow of doubt that Sri Lankan regime is still committing countless crimes against the Tamil community in Sri Lanka with the excuse of fighting terror.
Story of Sri Lanka in the last sixty five years is simply the repetitions of hundreds and thousands of similar horrific events at different scales. 99% of the perpetrators were either Sri Lankan military or extremist Sinhala mobs and 99% of the victims were innocent Tamils.
Although Sri Lanka claimed that it was fighting a war with the Tamil rebels, guns and bombs were in fact turned against innocent Tamil civilians. Sri Lankan forces killed more than fifty thousands just within month.
Sri Lankan Tamils are still on their knees praying what they have always prayed "Deliver is from the evil one"
Their voices are suppressed. They have lost their strength to fight back the oppression. But their heart cries are obvious. "Free thousands of our loved ones who are going through hunger and torture in the notorious Sri Lankan prisons,", "Give us back our homes and lands", "Give us the freedom to work in our own farms and fish in our own waters", "Stop abducting our sons and daughters" "stop abusing, torturing, raping and murdering our children", "Stop destroying our culture", "Give us back the freedom that we were all born with as humans on this planet"
What make things worse in Sri Lanka are not just the atrocities carried out by the fascist forces but the compromise made by some international elements, who have decided to support the criminals but turned a blind eye to the victims. They danced when the war criminals sang, and hid their faces in the sand when thousands of innocents were murdered in cold blood. UN, who is supposed to be a guardian for the oppressed and vulnerable in the world, had in fact assisted Sri Lanka in mass murdering innocent Tamils, simply by ignoring the cries of the dying at the crucial hours.
Sri Lankan Tragedy is also about an unfair world that is letting the murderers and rapists to walk on red carpets but ignoring the plight of the innocents that are languishing in torture camps and prisons.
When America and the international community came forward to halt the war during the final phase, India gave this assurance to them. http://print.dailymirror.lk/opinion1/38967.html
What Is The Difference Between Libyan Civilians And Tamil Civilians? http://www.thesundayleader.lk/index.php?option=co…
Is what happens today in Libya worse than what happened in Mullivaghzal in 2009? Is what the President of Libya says any different to what was said by the President of Sri Lanka?
Thousands of digital pictures and video clips, many satellite images and other concrete evidences are available to prove without a shadow of doubt that Sri Lankan regime is still committing countless crimes against the Tamil community in Sri Lanka with the excuse of fighting terror.
Story of Sri Lanka in the last sixty five years is simply the repetitions of hundreds and thousands of similar horrific events at different scales. 99% of the perpetrators were either Sri Lankan military or extremist Sinhala mobs and 99% of the victims were innocent Tamils.
Although Sri Lanka claimed that it was fighting a war with the Tamil rebels, guns and bombs were in fact turned against innocent Tamil civilians. Sri Lankan forces killed more than fifty thousands just within month.
Hurrrahhhh !!!!
The much awaited report is finally out !!
I am dying to see the content of the report produced as I have several reservations in my mind regarding the data collected to prepare the report. The panel appointed by the UN was invited to present the findings to the Lessons learn and reconciliation commission appointed by the GOSL, which was not carried out to my knowledge.
Anyways, I also trust that, being a responsible body as oppose to Amnesty International, the UN panel also would have mentioned the atrocities carried out by the LTTE against the rest of the civilians including their own kind. How can a panel or anything for that matter prepare a report without visiting the country and meeting people from all parties involved? Then there comes a question on how biased the paper would be.
Also worry whether there would be any action taken this time around as the previous reports on the zillion number of Bombs that went off in Colombo and the killings done by the LTTE were went unnoticed.
However, the GOSL has kinda disapproved the report. http://adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=12786#
Let's see how things turn out in the future.
Also, for the LTTE Die ass Pora who seems to be crying on this blog again and cutting and pasting articles – get a life !!
Fifty thousand innocent men, women and children were brutally murdered on the sandy beaches and in the jungles of Sri Lanka, by the Sri Lankan Military while the whole world stood back and watched.
Our international legal systems are still failing to bring the culprits to justice.
In Sri Lanka, People disappear from their homes, schools, work places and hospitals like flies. It is not the fulfilment of rapture that is taking place according to the book of Revelation in the Bible. But the Sri Lankan regime has mastered the art of using white vans to abduct and kill anyone who is dare to question the conducts of the government.
Half burned dead bodies with hands tied at the back is a typical scene, one would be able to see quite often in Sri Lanka. Killer demons regularly come on mysterious white vans without number plates on them.
A typical Sri Lankan leader would talk like he has the whole world under his feet and he doesn’t care about outside opinions. Many of us remember the controversial Sri Lankan defence secretary of Sri Lanka who appeared on many TV channels across the globe and thundered that he had the right to bomb hospitals and schools. He had indeed ordered to bomb several hospitals in the recent war in Sri Lanka.
Number of people massacred on the beaches of Sri Lanka is almost ten times of the people died in the Tiananmen Square massacre in China.
United Nations, who is supposed to be a guardian for the oppressed people in the world turned out to be a silent spectator of a man made disaster that has taken the lives of many thousands.
Leaders of Sri Lanka and some responsible officers in the UN, should be questioned in international courts in order to find out if they were responsible for the deaths of innocent Tamils.
The UN was used as a ploy in arranging and enacting the ‘surrender’ and then to kill the LTTE officials?? http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_04_12_00…
Fifty thousand innocent men, women and children were brutally murdered on the sandy beaches and in the jungles of Sri Lanka, by the Sri Lankan Military while the whole world stood back and watched.
Our international legal systems are still failing to bring the culprits to justice.
In Sri Lanka, People disappear from their homes, schools, work places and hospitals like flies. It is not the fulfilment of rapture that is taking place according to the book of Revelation in the Bible. But the Sri Lankan regime has mastered the art of using white vans to abduct and kill anyone who is dare to question the conducts of the government.
Half burned dead bodies with hands tied at the back is a typical scene, one would be able to see quite often in Sri Lanka. Killer demons regularly come on mysterious white vans without number plates on them.
A typical Sri Lankan leader would talk like he has the whole world under his feet and he doesn’t care about outside opinions. Many of us remember the controversial Sri Lankan defence secretary of Sri Lanka who appeared on many TV channels across the globe and thundered that he had the right to bomb hospitals and schools. He had indeed ordered to bomb several hospitals in the recent war in Sri Lanka.
Number of people massacred on the beaches of Sri Lanka is almost ten times of the people died in the Tiananmen Square massacre in China.
United Nations, who is supposed to be a guardian for the oppressed people in the world turned out to be a silent spectator of a man made disaster that has taken the lives of many thousands.
Leaders of Sri Lanka and some responsible officers in the UN, should be questioned in international courts in order to find out if they were responsible for the deaths of innocent Tamils.
The UN was used as a ploy in arranging and enacting the ‘surrender’ and then to kill the LTTE officials?? http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_04_12_00…
What is there to hide? It must be immediately released to the media's. The Victim's and their families need Justice to be rendered to those who committed the crimes.
Hurrrahhhh !!!!
The much awaited report is finally out !!
I am dying to see the content of the report produced as I have several reservations in my mind regarding the data collected to prepare the report. The panel appointed by the UN was invited to present the findings to the Lessons learn and reconciliation commission appointed by the GOSL, which was not carried out to my knowledge.
Anyways, I also trust that, being a responsible body as oppose to Amnesty International, the UN panel also would have mentioned the atrocities carried out by the LTTE against the rest of the civilians including their own kind. How can a panel or anything for that matter prepare a report without visiting the country and meeting people from all parties involved? Then there comes a question on how biased the paper would be.
Also worry whether there would be any action taken this time around as the previous reports on the zillion number of Bombs that went off in Colombo and the killings done by the LTTE were went unnoticed.
However, the GOSL has kinda disapproved the report. http://adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=12786#
Let's see how things turn out in the future.
Also, for the LTTE Die ass Pora who seems to be crying on this blog again and cutting and pasting articles – get a life !!
Hurrrahhhh !!!!
The much awaited report is finally out !!
I am dying to see the content of the report produced as I have several reservations in my mind regarding the data collected to prepare the report. The panel appointed by the UN was invited to present the findings to the Lessons learn and reconciliation commission appointed by the GOSL, which was not carried out to my knowledge.
Anyways, I also trust that, being a responsible body as oppose to Amnesty International, the UN panel also would have mentioned the atrocities carried out by the LTTE against the rest of the civilians including their own kind. How can a panel or anything for that matter prepare a report without visiting the country and meeting people from all parties involved? Then there comes a question on how biased the paper would be.
Also worry whether there would be any action taken this time around as the previous reports on the zillion number of Bombs that went off in Colombo and the killings done by the LTTE were went unnoticed.
However, the GOSL has kinda disapproved the report. http://adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=12786#
Let's see how things turn out in the future.
Also, for the LTTE Die ass Pora who seems to be crying on this blog again and cutting and pasting articles – get a life !!
Even now the murders and disappearances are happening in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Foreign press cannot go to north and east without permission from the government. This is 2 years after the war. Military controlling every events happening in the north.Even school programs cannot be done without the presence of military. Privacy and security of Tamils have been forcibly taken away by Rajapakse and his clan. Is the world going to watch Rajapakse ruling Sri Lanka for the rest of his life. He is not going to relinquish power even if he were to lose power in an election in the future. India should be ashamed of supporting Sri Lanka. If interfering in Libya is as important as bringing justice to Tamils in Sri Lanka. International community where is your justice? Pressure UN to release the report now. NOW not later.
Sri Lankan Tamils are still on their knees praying what they have always prayed “Deliver is from the evil one”
Their voices are suppressed. They have lost their strength to fight back the oppression. But their heart cries are obvious. “Free thousands of our loved ones who are going through hunger and torture in the notorious Sri Lankan prisons,”, “Give us back our homes and lands”, “Give us the freedom to work in our own farms and fish in our own waters”, “Stop abducting our sons and daughters” “stop abusing, torturing, raping and murdering our children”, “Stop destroying our culture”, “Give us back the freedom that we were all born with as humans on this planet”
What make things worse in Sri Lanka are not just the atrocities carried out by the fascist forces but the compromise made by some international elements, who have decided to support the criminals but turned a blind eye to the victims. They danced when the war criminals sang, and hid their faces in the sand when thousands of innocents were murdered in cold blood. UN, who is supposed to be a guardian for the oppressed and vulnerable in the world, had in fact assisted Sri Lanka in mass murdering innocent Tamils, simply by ignoring the cries of the dying at the crucial hours.
Sri Lankan Tragedy is also about an unfair world that is letting the murderers and rapists to walk on red carpets but ignoring the plight of the innocents that are languishing in torture camps and prisons.
When America and the international community came forward to halt the war during the final phase, India gave this assurance to them.
http://print.dailymirror.lk/opinion1/38967.html
What Is The Difference Between Libyan Civilians And Tamil Civilians?
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=119&catid=84
Is what happens today in Libya worse than what happened in Mullivaghzal in 2009? Is what the President of Libya says any different to what was said by the President of Sri Lanka?
Thousands of digital pictures and video clips, many satellite images and other concrete evidences are available to prove without a shadow of doubt that Sri Lankan regime is still committing countless crimes against the Tamil community in Sri Lanka with the excuse of fighting terror.
Story of Sri Lanka in the last sixty five years is simply the repetitions of hundreds and thousands of similar horrific events at different scales. 99% of the perpetrators were either Sri Lankan military or extremist Sinhala mobs and 99% of the victims were innocent Tamils.
Although Sri Lanka claimed that it was fighting a war with the Tamil rebels, guns and bombs were in fact turned against innocent Tamil civilians. Sri Lankan forces killed more than fifty thousands just within month.
Fifty thousand innocent men, women and children were brutally murdered on the sandy beaches and in the jungles of Sri Lanka, by the Sri Lankan Military while the whole world stood back and watched.
Our international legal systems are still failing to bring the culprits to justice.
In Sri Lanka, People disappear from their homes, schools, work places and hospitals like flies. It is not the fulfilment of rapture that is taking place according to the book of Revelation in the Bible. But the Sri Lankan regime has mastered the art of using white vans to abduct and kill anyone who is dare to question the conducts of the government.
Half burned dead bodies with hands tied at the back is a typical scene, one would be able to see quite often in Sri Lanka. Killer demons regularly come on mysterious white vans without number plates on them.
A typical Sri Lankan leader would talk like he has the whole world under his feet and he doesn’t care about outside opinions. Many of us remember the controversial Sri Lankan defence secretary of Sri Lanka who appeared on many TV channels across the globe and thundered that he had the right to bomb hospitals and schools. He had indeed ordered to bomb several hospitals in the recent war in Sri Lanka.
Number of people massacred on the beaches of Sri Lanka is almost ten times of the people died in the Tiananmen Square massacre in China.
United Nations, who is supposed to be a guardian for the oppressed people in the world turned out to be a silent spectator of a man made disaster that has taken the lives of many thousands.
Leaders of Sri Lanka and some responsible officers in the UN, should be questioned in international courts in order to find out if they were responsible for the deaths of innocent Tamils.
The UN was used as a ploy in arranging and enacting the ‘surrender’ and then to kill the LTTE officials??
http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2011_04_12_008.html
What is there to hide? It must be immediately released to the media’s. The Victim’s and their families need Justice to be rendered to those who committed the crimes.
Hurrrahhhh !!!!
The much awaited report is finally out !!
I am dying to see the content of the report produced as I have several reservations in my mind regarding the data collected to prepare the report. The panel appointed by the UN was invited to present the findings to the Lessons learn and reconciliation commission appointed by the GOSL, which was not carried out to my knowledge.
Anyways, I also trust that, being a responsible body as oppose to Amnesty International, the UN panel also would have mentioned the atrocities carried out by the LTTE against the rest of the civilians including their own kind. How can a panel or anything for that matter prepare a report without visiting the country and meeting people from all parties involved? Then there comes a question on how biased the paper would be.
Also worry whether there would be any action taken this time around as the previous reports on the zillion number of Bombs that went off in Colombo and the killings done by the LTTE were went unnoticed.
However, the GOSL has kinda disapproved the report.
http://adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=12786#
Let’s see how things turn out in the future.
Also, for the LTTE Die ass Pora who seems to be crying on this blog again and cutting and pasting articles – get a life !!
Sri Lanka lost its faith on the UN as it is not an impartially operated world body. Strategic Geo-Political location of Sri Lanka, attracts the western world more than ever to get their hands in. They have attempted to transform the LTTE Terror into Freedom Fighting Struggle as the LTTE rebels gave them a carte blanche to northern part of the island where they used to control. However, the current regime managed to eradicate the terror nurtured de-facto state of LTTE called the Eelam courageously and the long lost national reconciliation back in place and it works. As Sri Lanka has become a strong supporter of the BRICS nations, the western interest led UN wants to punish Sri Lanka over the LTTE issue in an unscrupulous manner to tarnish its name. UN has got a proven track record of not being impartial with its member nations as the whole world witnessed how the world body tackled the conflicts in Iraq | Palestine | Libya and so forth.
Dublin war-crimes tribunal, conducted by Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) based in Milan, which held hearings on 14th and 15th of January 2010 has found that Sri Lanka Government is “guilty of War-Crimes” and “guilty of Crimes Against Humanity.” Eye witnesses included several escapees from the final week of Sri Lanka offensive in the Mullaitivu “No Fire Zone” where more than thousands of innocent Tamil civilians were allegedly slaughtered by Sri Lanka Army with heavy weapons.
Up to 40,000 civilians ‘died in Sri Lanka offensive’ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/up-t…
Dublin war-crimes tribunal, conducted by Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) based in Milan, which held hearings on 14th and 15th of January 2010 has found that Sri Lanka Government is “guilty of War-Crimes” and “guilty of Crimes Against Humanity.” Eye witnesses included several escapees from the final week of Sri Lanka offensive in the Mullaitivu “No Fire Zone” where more than thousands of innocent Tamil civilians were allegedly slaughtered by Sri Lanka Army with heavy weapons.
Up to 40,000 civilians ‘died in Sri Lanka offensive’ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/up-t…
Dublin war-crimes tribunal, conducted by Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) based in Milan, which held hearings on 14th and 15th of January 2010 has found that Sri Lanka Government is “guilty of War-Crimes” and “guilty of Crimes Against Humanity.” Eye witnesses included several escapees from the final week of Sri Lanka offensive in the Mullaitivu “No Fire Zone” where more than thousands of innocent Tamil civilians were allegedly slaughtered by Sri Lanka Army with heavy weapons.
Up to 40,000 civilians ‘died in Sri Lanka offensive’ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/up-t…
Sri Lanka lost its faith on the UN as it is not an impartially operated world body. Strategic Geo-Political location of Sri Lanka, attracts the western world more than ever to get their hands in. They have attempted to transform the LTTE Terror into Freedom Fighting Struggle as the LTTE rebels gave them a carte blanche to northern part of the island where they used to control. However, the current regime managed to eradicate the terror nurtured de-facto state of LTTE called the Eelam courageously and the long lost national reconciliation back in place and it works. As Sri Lanka has become a strong supporter of the BRICS nations, the western interest led UN wants to punish Sri Lanka over the LTTE issue in an unscrupulous manner to tarnish its name. UN has got a proven track record of not being impartial with its member nations as the whole world witnessed how the world body tackled the conflicts in Iraq | Palestine | Libya and so forth.
Dublin war-crimes tribunal, conducted by Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) based in Milan, which held hearings on 14th and 15th of January 2010 has found that Sri Lanka Government is “guilty of War-Crimes” and “guilty of Crimes Against Humanity.” Eye witnesses included several escapees from the final week of Sri Lanka offensive in the Mullaitivu “No Fire Zone” where more than thousands of innocent Tamil civilians were allegedly slaughtered by Sri Lanka Army with heavy weapons.
Up to 40,000 civilians ‘died in Sri Lanka offensive’
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/up-to-40000-civilians-died-in-sri-lanka-offensive-1897865.html
Mongo, LLRC is another eyewash
Sri Lanka appointed many commissions called the Presidential Commissions of Inquiry into Involuntary Removals and Disappearances of Persons, sofar no one convicted, it is an eyewash. Many people reported missing in Sri Lanka have never been located and are presumed dead. How many more people need to go missing in Sri Lanka?
As long as the government is successful in covering up the atrocities and mass graves, they can pretend to be happy. But, you can read their faces, they are worried that the truth might come out one day and they may be held responsible for the massacres. Tamils are sad that their sacrifices have gone in vain because the whole world was naive to believe the government and watched in silence the carnage and burial of 50,000 which are still unaccounted for.
Tamils in Sri Lanka have been subject to ethnic discrimination by successive Sri Lankan governments since Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948.
What sri lankan leaders said and did same to Tamils over 62 years
Sri lankan president(Current president killed over 50,000 Tamils)
“Yes, we are Sinhala. The country is also Sinhala. So listen you Demala (Tamil)”
President tells the Tamil people in Jaffna http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_04_03_00…
Def Sec. Gotabaya’s words(President,s brother)
“Let our soldiers feast on Tamil women while the Tamil men’s blood drip into the ocean and make it red”.
Former sec. Foreign Ministery Palitha Kohona:, now UN ref of Sri lanka ‘Victorious soldiers could have raped every single woman’ (july-3-2009) http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&art…
Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka Sri Lankan Army Commander (2008), now in jail
“I strongly believe that this country belongs to the Sinhalese but there are minority communities and we treat them like our people. We being the majority of the country, 75%, we will never give in and we have the right to protect this country. We are also a strong nation. They can live in this country with us. But they must not try to, under the pretext of being a minority, demand undue things”
President: Chandrika Kumarathunga 1999
“Tamils were not the original people of Sri Lanka”
President: D B Wijetunge (1993)
“Minorities are like creepers clinging to the Sinhala tree.”
Oxford educated National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali 1985
“Only way to root out terrorism was to remove the concept of ‘traditional homelands”
Oxford educated Senior Minister Gamini Dissanayake soon after the 1983 Riots
“Who attacked you? Sinhalese. who saved you? Sinhalese. It is that we who attacked and protected you. They are bringing an army from India. It will take 14 hours to come from India. In 14 minutes the blood of every Tamil in the country can be sacrifi ce to the land by us”
President J.R.Jayawardene, Daily Telegraph, July 1983
“I am not worried about the opinion of the Jaffna people.now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or their opinion.the more you put pressure in the north, the happier the Sinhala people will be here Really if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy”
Mrs. Wimala Kannangara M.P (1981)
“If we are governing, we must govern. If we are ruling, we must rule. Do not give into the minorities”
Ceylon’s first Prime Minister,D.S.Senanayake
“Today you are brought here and given a plot of land. You have been uprooted from your village. You are like a piece of driftwood in the ocean; but remember that one day the whole country will look up to you. The fi nal battle for the Sinhala people will be fought on the plains of Padaviya. You are men and women who will carry this island’s destiny on your shoulders. Those who are attempting to divide this country will have to reckon with you. The country may forget you for a few years, but one day very soon they will look up to you as the last bastion of the Sinhala”
Could the Eelamists please calm down? This is all a bit premature. I can only guess at the frustration engendered by the 30-year mantra of 'Eelam is Just Around the Corner' not having amounted to anything in the end. Now its just straightforward revenge, no?
Just remember, it's all just a geo-political game. It's a five-day, full international test and not a 20/20 match.
But I'm curious to know why Jim lauds this report from a patently biased UN commission, yet decries Sri Lanka's own (equally biased) Lessons Learnt Committee – which AI refused to attend claiming that it was 'biased'.
Hmmmm… it seems one sort of 'biased' committee (UN) is better than another (Sri Lanka's LLRC). The only correct committee report is the one that agrees with AI's viewpoint. Obviously.
So Jim, did any of your minions given evidence to the UN Committee?
Mongo, LLRC is another eyewash
Sri Lanka appointed many commissions called the Presidential Commissions of Inquiry into Involuntary Removals and Disappearances of Persons, sofar no one convicted, it is an eyewash. Many people reported missing in Sri Lanka have never been located and are presumed dead. How many more people need to go missing in Sri Lanka?
As long as the government is successful in covering up the atrocities and mass graves, they can pretend to be happy. But, you can read their faces, they are worried that the truth might come out one day and they may be held responsible for the massacres. Tamils are sad that their sacrifices have gone in vain because the whole world was naive to believe the government and watched in silence the carnage and burial of 50,000 which are still unaccounted for.
Tamils in Sri Lanka have been subject to ethnic discrimination by successive Sri Lankan governments since Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948.
What sri lankan leaders said and did same to Tamils over 62 years
Sri lankan president(Current president killed over 50,000 Tamils)
“Yes, we are Sinhala. The country is also Sinhala. So listen you Demala (Tamil)”
President tells the Tamil people in Jaffna http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_04_03_00…
Def Sec. Gotabaya’s words(President,s brother)
“Let our soldiers feast on Tamil women while the Tamil men’s blood drip into the ocean and make it red”.
Former sec. Foreign Ministery Palitha Kohona:, now UN ref of Sri lanka ‘Victorious soldiers could have raped every single woman’ (july-3-2009) http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&art…
Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka Sri Lankan Army Commander (2008), now in jail
“I strongly believe that this country belongs to the Sinhalese but there are minority communities and we treat them like our people. We being the majority of the country, 75%, we will never give in and we have the right to protect this country. We are also a strong nation. They can live in this country with us. But they must not try to, under the pretext of being a minority, demand undue things”
President: Chandrika Kumarathunga 1999
“Tamils were not the original people of Sri Lanka”
President: D B Wijetunge (1993)
“Minorities are like creepers clinging to the Sinhala tree.”
Oxford educated National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali 1985
“Only way to root out terrorism was to remove the concept of ‘traditional homelands”
Oxford educated Senior Minister Gamini Dissanayake soon after the 1983 Riots
“Who attacked you? Sinhalese. who saved you? Sinhalese. It is that we who attacked and protected you. They are bringing an army from India. It will take 14 hours to come from India. In 14 minutes the blood of every Tamil in the country can be sacrifi ce to the land by us”
President J.R.Jayawardene, Daily Telegraph, July 1983
“I am not worried about the opinion of the Jaffna people.now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or their opinion.the more you put pressure in the north, the happier the Sinhala people will be here Really if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy”
Mrs. Wimala Kannangara M.P (1981)
“If we are governing, we must govern. If we are ruling, we must rule. Do not give into the minorities”
Ceylon’s first Prime Minister,D.S.Senanayake
“Today you are brought here and given a plot of land. You have been uprooted from your village. You are like a piece of driftwood in the ocean; but remember that one day the whole country will look up to you. The fi nal battle for the Sinhala people will be fought on the plains of Padaviya. You are men and women who will carry this island’s destiny on your shoulders. Those who are attempting to divide this country will have to reckon with you. The country may forget you for a few years, but one day very soon they will look up to you as the last bastion of the Sinhala”
Mongo, LLRC is another eyewash
Sri Lanka appointed many commissions called the Presidential Commissions of Inquiry into Involuntary Removals and Disappearances of Persons, sofar no one convicted, it is an eyewash. Many people reported missing in Sri Lanka have never been located and are presumed dead. How many more people need to go missing in Sri Lanka?
As long as the government is successful in covering up the atrocities and mass graves, they can pretend to be happy. But, you can read their faces, they are worried that the truth might come out one day and they may be held responsible for the massacres. Tamils are sad that their sacrifices have gone in vain because the whole world was naive to believe the government and watched in silence the carnage and burial of 50,000 which are still unaccounted for.
Tamils in Sri Lanka have been subject to ethnic discrimination by successive Sri Lankan governments since Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948.
What sri lankan leaders said and did same to Tamils over 62 years
Sri lankan president(Current president killed over 50,000 Tamils)
“Yes, we are Sinhala. The country is also Sinhala. So listen you Demala (Tamil)”
President tells the Tamil people in Jaffna http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_04_03_00…
Def Sec. Gotabaya’s words(President,s brother)
“Let our soldiers feast on Tamil women while the Tamil men’s blood drip into the ocean and make it red”.
Former sec. Foreign Ministery Palitha Kohona:, now UN ref of Sri lanka ‘Victorious soldiers could have raped every single woman’ (july-3-2009) http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&art…
Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka Sri Lankan Army Commander (2008), now in jail
“I strongly believe that this country belongs to the Sinhalese but there are minority communities and we treat them like our people. We being the majority of the country, 75%, we will never give in and we have the right to protect this country. We are also a strong nation. They can live in this country with us. But they must not try to, under the pretext of being a minority, demand undue things”
President: Chandrika Kumarathunga 1999
“Tamils were not the original people of Sri Lanka”
President: D B Wijetunge (1993)
“Minorities are like creepers clinging to the Sinhala tree.”
Oxford educated National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali 1985
“Only way to root out terrorism was to remove the concept of ‘traditional homelands”
Oxford educated Senior Minister Gamini Dissanayake soon after the 1983 Riots
“Who attacked you? Sinhalese. who saved you? Sinhalese. It is that we who attacked and protected you. They are bringing an army from India. It will take 14 hours to come from India. In 14 minutes the blood of every Tamil in the country can be sacrifi ce to the land by us”
President J.R.Jayawardene, Daily Telegraph, July 1983
“I am not worried about the opinion of the Jaffna people.now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or their opinion.the more you put pressure in the north, the happier the Sinhala people will be here Really if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy”
Mrs. Wimala Kannangara M.P (1981)
“If we are governing, we must govern. If we are ruling, we must rule. Do not give into the minorities”
Ceylon’s first Prime Minister,D.S.Senanayake
“Today you are brought here and given a plot of land. You have been uprooted from your village. You are like a piece of driftwood in the ocean; but remember that one day the whole country will look up to you. The fi nal battle for the Sinhala people will be fought on the plains of Padaviya. You are men and women who will carry this island’s destiny on your shoulders. Those who are attempting to divide this country will have to reckon with you. The country may forget you for a few years, but one day very soon they will look up to you as the last bastion of the Sinhala”
Terrorism is a Global phenomenon and it is a network. It is camouflaged as radicals, freedom fighters, or you name it. To finance the terror, it gets one’s suffering, puts in a showcase and solicits those who sympathize its cause. It makes sure that the cash flow is there to procure illegal arms and to propagate its mask by lobbying the institutions like the UN and even the NGOs who are lighting up the fire on Fundamental Rights and Human Rights. Also, it extorts and exploits the weaken one to obtain the needed aid in forms of funds, labor, and even in forms of soul to sacrifice. It acts in a faceless manner in the places where it wants to get total control. To eradicate it, the collective effort of the whole World is badly needed as it could happen anywhere of the Globe .. !
Could the Eelamists please calm down? This is all a bit premature. I can only guess at the frustration engendered by the 30-year mantra of ‘Eelam is Just Around the Corner’ not having amounted to anything in the end. Now its just straightforward revenge, no?
Just remember, it’s all just a geo-political game. It’s a five-day, full international test and not a 20/20 match.
But I’m curious to know why Jim lauds this report from a patently biased UN commission, yet decries Sri Lanka’s own (equally biased) Lessons Learnt Committee – which AI refused to attend claiming that it was ‘biased’.
Hmmmm… it seems one sort of ‘biased’ committee (UN) is better than another (Sri Lanka’s LLRC). The only correct committee report is the one that agrees with AI’s viewpoint. Obviously.
So Jim, did any of your minions given evidence to the UN Committee?
Mongo, LLRC is another eyewash
Sri Lanka appointed many commissions called the Presidential Commissions of Inquiry into Involuntary Removals and Disappearances of Persons, sofar no one convicted, it is an eyewash. Many people reported missing in Sri Lanka have never been located and are presumed dead. How many more people need to go missing in Sri Lanka?
As long as the government is successful in covering up the atrocities and mass graves, they can pretend to be happy. But, you can read their faces, they are worried that the truth might come out one day and they may be held responsible for the massacres. Tamils are sad that their sacrifices have gone in vain because the whole world was naive to believe the government and watched in silence the carnage and burial of 50,000 which are still unaccounted for.
Tamils in Sri Lanka have been subject to ethnic discrimination by successive Sri Lankan governments since Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948.
What sri lankan leaders said and did same to Tamils over 62 years
Sri lankan president(Current president killed over 50,000 Tamils)
“Yes, we are Sinhala. The country is also Sinhala. So listen you Demala (Tamil)”
President tells the Tamil people in Jaffna
http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_04_03_003.html
Def Sec. Gotabaya’s words(President,s brother)
“Let our soldiers feast on Tamil women while the Tamil men’s blood drip into the ocean and make it red”.
Former sec. Foreign Ministery Palitha Kohona:, now UN ref of Sri lanka ‘Victorious soldiers could have raped every single woman’ (july-3-2009)
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=29705
Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka Sri Lankan Army Commander (2008), now in jail
“I strongly believe that this country belongs to the Sinhalese but there are minority communities and we treat them like our people. We being the majority of the country, 75%, we will never give in and we have the right to protect this country. We are also a strong nation. They can live in this country with us. But they must not try to, under the pretext of being a minority, demand undue things”
President: Chandrika Kumarathunga 1999
“Tamils were not the original people of Sri Lanka”
President: D B Wijetunge (1993)
“Minorities are like creepers clinging to the Sinhala tree.”
Oxford educated National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali 1985
“Only way to root out terrorism was to remove the concept of ‘traditional homelands”
Oxford educated Senior Minister Gamini Dissanayake soon after the 1983 Riots
“Who attacked you? Sinhalese. who saved you? Sinhalese. It is that we who attacked and protected you. They are bringing an army from India. It will take 14 hours to come from India. In 14 minutes the blood of every Tamil in the country can be sacrifi ce to the land by us”
President J.R.Jayawardene, Daily Telegraph, July 1983
“I am not worried about the opinion of the Jaffna people.now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or their opinion.the more you put pressure in the north, the happier the Sinhala people will be here Really if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy”
Mrs. Wimala Kannangara M.P (1981)
“If we are governing, we must govern. If we are ruling, we must rule. Do not give into the minorities”
Ceylon’s first Prime Minister,D.S.Senanayake
“Today you are brought here and given a plot of land. You have been uprooted from your village. You are like a piece of driftwood in the ocean; but remember that one day the whole country will look up to you. The fi nal battle for the Sinhala people will be fought on the plains of Padaviya. You are men and women who will carry this island’s destiny on your shoulders. Those who are attempting to divide this country will have to reckon with you. The country may forget you for a few years, but one day very soon they will look up to you as the last bastion of the Sinhala”
The brutal regime of the family of Mahinda Rajapaksha [now KING] wants to rule the country like a monarch for ever by him and his siblings. He does not want any opposition, no criticism. He does not cares for his country orSri Lanka people. How can anyone expect justice from this government of Rajapaksha Bros. & Co. Kindly view this link – from Catholic Priest:
Kumar
http://www.catholicleader.com.au/news.php/feature….
Exiled Tamil priest wants peace, truth and justice in Sri Lanka
SRI LANKA’S government has got its retaliation in first. On April 12th a panel of experts delivered a report to the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, assessing whether war crimes were committed when the nation’s army bloodily won a long-running civil war against Tamil Tiger rebels early in 2009. The report has not yet been made public, but the government is furious that an independent inquiry took place at all. The report, it says, is “fundamentally flawed” and biased.
In recent weeks Sri Lanka’s rulers have vented their anger, most obviously by cracking down at home, intimidating those they blame for spurring the launch of the UN inquiry in the first place. At the sharp end are Western-funded education and advocacy groups, notably those keen on post-war reconciliation or those that point out flaws in the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Facing the most intense scrutiny are groups which have complained about repression, a muzzled press and a lack of civil liberties.
Top of the list is the National Peace Council, which pushed for a negotiated rather than a violent end to the war. Last month criminal investigators summoned its director, Jehan Perera, demanding details of the group’s funding and operations. Before that, a smear campaign in the press suggested the council takes orders from foreign donors. No specific crime has been alleged, making it harder for the council to clear its name.
http://www.economist.com/node/18561107?story_id=1…
Poddala Jayantha is a Sri Lankan journalist who was nearly killed because of his investigative reporting with regard to alleged human rights violations executed by the Sri Lankan government. He spoke of his experience last Thursday as part of the First Amendment Day celebration in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union.
In his presentation, Jayantha told a room full of future journalists of the role and influence of media in Sri Lanka and how the struggle has caused extreme censorship of the media. He speaks primarily on behalf of the Tamil minority against the human rights violations enacted during the civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan government.
The government tightened restrictions on the media following the end of the civil war in 2009, according to the Human Rights Watch report of 2010.
“As pressure mounted for an independent investigation into alleged laws of war violations,” the report said, “the government responded by threatening journalists and civil society activists, effectively curtailing public debate and establishing its own commission of inquiry with a severely limited mandate.”
Many of the threats were realised, Jayantha said.
“The first shots after the war was over were fired at the journalists and free media,” Jayantha said. “They virtually crushed the free media institutions, and they only have the pro-government media to assassinate the character of the people who oppose them, or they actually use death squads to kill them.”
As a matter of fact, Jayantha was the victim of a death squad, and he suspects they were motivated to silence him for speaking out against human rights violations.
“I was tortured and my left leg was broken,” he said. “And today I’m walking with the assistance of a steel rod that has been placed there. They poured acid on me. They also cut my beard and hair and put it in my mouth and forced me to inhale, which caused severe problems in my lungs subsequently. They thew my unconscious body in a ditch and left me to die. http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2011/04/15/sri-lank…
But it looks like Mahinda Rajapaksa is now trying to impose “Chinese Democracy” in Sri Lanka . It’s not that he’s going to have us rocking to music by Guns n Roses, rather we’ll be dancing to a tune familiar in Beijing: militarized civil administration, ineffective judiciary (though those judges do try) and a corrupt police force that toes the party line. Couple that with the Brothers who control most of the economic spend and (unprecedented in Sri Lanka) have begun to manipulate the banking system by imposing nominees on the boards of major banks. So the erstwhile mouthpiece at the Defence Ministry is now a banker, despite having details of his criminal record published in the national press.
We now have a bizarre scenario where the Army runs holiday resorts in Jaffna! Perhaps they should take over the Tourist Board too and see if they can improve the hotel system nationwide; the Air force could then take over the running of the national airline? Not that far fetched, given that many of the principal diplomatic postings are now occupied by ex-military men as rewards for servility; a situation the will no doubt cause much gnashing of teeth in the ranks of the pseudo-intellectuals who made Faustian pacts with Rajapakse while eying these very same plum postings.
Perhaps the Cabal has made a startling discovery: these sycophants have some vital business know how that our captains of industry lack. We’ve got
The brutal regime of the family of Mahinda Rajapaksha [now KING] wants to rule the country like a monarch for ever by him and his siblings. He does not want any opposition, no criticism. He does not cares for his country orSri Lanka people. How can anyone expect justice from this government of Rajapaksha Bros. & Co. Kindly view this link – from Catholic Priest:
Kumar
http://www.catholicleader.com.au/news.php/feature….
Exiled Tamil priest wants peace, truth and justice in Sri Lanka
The brutal regime of the family of Mahinda Rajapaksha [now KING] wants to rule the country like a monarch for ever by him and his siblings. He does not want any opposition, no criticism. He does not cares for his country orSri Lanka people. How can anyone expect justice from this government of Rajapaksha Bros. & Co. Kindly view this link – from Catholic Priest:
Kumar
http://www.catholicleader.com.au/news.php/feature….
Exiled Tamil priest wants peace, truth and justice in Sri Lanka
It is extremely dangerous to speak even the truth because the punishment is summary death or at best, jail on concocted charges. There are enough examples of courageous people who have been martyred under the regime under continuing Emergency Regulations which makes it open season for government, its forces or its allies to commit serious crimes against humanity without ny accountabilty!. The President's good friend and donor Mu'ammar Gaddafi's Libya is copying the same tactics to target their so-called perceived enemies.
But the astonishing difference is that in the case of Libya the UN and the international community have come down like 'a ton of bricks' on Gaddafi forces presumably to prevent a bloodbath like in Sri lanka. After much dithering and delays all that has happened in Sri Lanka is the UNSG's Advisory Panel Report which has been just published wto eyars after the mass murder in teh wanni ergiosn of Sri Lanka. It has been shared with that government but as yet not released to the public! Meanwhile opponents yet go missing and unaccounted for as in the case of the Lanka e News cartoonist Prageeth Ekneliyagoda whose wife had petitioned the UNSG without any result. Tamils too who have lost tens of thouands of their kith and kin in the vicious genocidal war waged by the state for decades have asked the UNSG to release the Panel Report which will ostensibly deal only with the end of war situation. What the SG plans to do with the Report is yet unclear. Procrastination is the thief of time to deny justice which has been long delayed resulting in more human rights and humanitarian rights abuses by the abusers themsleves. Examples are piling up by the day in an environment of total impunity.
If the UN wants to have any credibility, it should make the next step and bring all those who committed war crimes to justice.
What is the Sri-Lankan government trying to HIDE from the outside world?
The Sri-Lankan government has repeatedly claimed that NO CIVILIAN was killed in the final stages of the war. Why are they now worried about an investigation? Let the UN investigate and find out the TRUTH!
Sri Lanka is still among the most dangerous places for independent journalists, according to press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In a recent press freedom index, Sri Lanka is rated 158 out of 178 countries listed.
The government does not want any foreign interference when it comes to investigating war crimes. But it wants trade privileges, money and aid from other countries, especially from Western Countries.
Sinhala Only Justice in Sri Lanka is for Sinhalese Only!!!
Tiny Tamil minority in the Sri Lanka has no justice
Many Tamils languish in Sri Lanka prisons for years and years where they endure torture, humiliation and death
Tamil prisoners are taken to the Colombo High Court once every 14-days to mark their presence in the jail, but have no legal representation due to lack of financial resources. " Sinhala Only Judges are reluctant to take action to release the inmates due to political compulsion."
One youth from Batticaloa, arrested when he was 14-years old is in the prison for more than 18 years, exceeding the customary 14-years normally served by prisoners with life-imprisonment.
With the exception two of the Tamil inmates who have relatives visiting them, most of the others Tamils have no visitors and are inflicted with illnesses arising from torture by prison guards
SRI LANKA’S government has got its retaliation in first. On April 12th a panel of experts delivered a report to the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, assessing whether war crimes were committed when the nation’s army bloodily won a long-running civil war against Tamil Tiger rebels early in 2009. The report has not yet been made public, but the government is furious that an independent inquiry took place at all. The report, it says, is “fundamentally flawed” and biased.
In recent weeks Sri Lanka’s rulers have vented their anger, most obviously by cracking down at home, intimidating those they blame for spurring the launch of the UN inquiry in the first place. At the sharp end are Western-funded education and advocacy groups, notably those keen on post-war reconciliation or those that point out flaws in the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Facing the most intense scrutiny are groups which have complained about repression, a muzzled press and a lack of civil liberties.
Top of the list is the National Peace Council, which pushed for a negotiated rather than a violent end to the war. Last month criminal investigators summoned its director, Jehan Perera, demanding details of the group’s funding and operations. Before that, a smear campaign in the press suggested the council takes orders from foreign donors. No specific crime has been alleged, making it harder for the council to clear its name.
http://www.economist.com/node/18561107?story_id=1…
SRI LANKA’S government has got its retaliation in first. On April 12th a panel of experts delivered a report to the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, assessing whether war crimes were committed when the nation’s army bloodily won a long-running civil war against Tamil Tiger rebels early in 2009. The report has not yet been made public, but the government is furious that an independent inquiry took place at all. The report, it says, is “fundamentally flawed” and biased.
In recent weeks Sri Lanka’s rulers have vented their anger, most obviously by cracking down at home, intimidating those they blame for spurring the launch of the UN inquiry in the first place. At the sharp end are Western-funded education and advocacy groups, notably those keen on post-war reconciliation or those that point out flaws in the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Facing the most intense scrutiny are groups which have complained about repression, a muzzled press and a lack of civil liberties.
Top of the list is the National Peace Council, which pushed for a negotiated rather than a violent end to the war. Last month criminal investigators summoned its director, Jehan Perera, demanding details of the group’s funding and operations. Before that, a smear campaign in the press suggested the council takes orders from foreign donors. No specific crime has been alleged, making it harder for the council to clear its name.
http://www.economist.com/node/18561107?story_id=1…
Well, here's another fine mess AI got us into….
Widow, 74, labelled a terrorist and ordered out of Canada
After her husband was assassinated during midnight mass at a church in Sri Lanka on Christmas Eve 2005, Canada welcomed Sugunanayake Joseph.
Five years later, the Immigration and Refugee Board has ordered the 74-year-old Toronto grandmother deported, concluding her role as a politician’s wife — supporting her late husband’s career and accompanying him to political events — amounted to membership in a designated terrorist organization.
In a Feb. 17 decision, adjudicator Oksana Kowalyk found that by a series of associations, Joseph was, in effect, a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Although neither Joseph nor her husband had formal membership in the LTTE, he was one of 22 Sri Lankan MPs who formed a coalition in 2001 known as the Tamil National Assembly, which pushed for peace negotiations between the government and the leadership of the Tamil independence movement.
The Tamil National Assembly functioned as the LTTE’s alter ego in Sri Lanka’s parliament, Kowalyk concluded in her decision.
And by supporting her husband’s activities as a member of the MPs’ coalition, Joseph also furthered the LTTE’s objectives, Kowalyk found.
The adjudicator based her conclusions in part on a letter from Amnesty International Canada, which described the Tamil National Assembly as a “proxy” for the LTTE.
But she also ignored portions of the letter in which Amnesty International stated membership in the Tamil National Assembly could not be regarded as de facto membership in the LTTE, argues Raoul Boulakia, Joseph’s lawyer, who is asking the Federal Court to review the ruling.
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/975087–polit…
Poddala Jayantha is a Sri Lankan journalist who was nearly killed because of his investigative reporting with regard to alleged human rights violations executed by the Sri Lankan government. He spoke of his experience last Thursday as part of the First Amendment Day celebration in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union.
In his presentation, Jayantha told a room full of future journalists of the role and influence of media in Sri Lanka and how the struggle has caused extreme censorship of the media. He speaks primarily on behalf of the Tamil minority against the human rights violations enacted during the civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan government.
The government tightened restrictions on the media following the end of the civil war in 2009, according to the Human Rights Watch report of 2010.
“As pressure mounted for an independent investigation into alleged laws of war violations,” the report said, “the government responded by threatening journalists and civil society activists, effectively curtailing public debate and establishing its own commission of inquiry with a severely limited mandate.”
Many of the threats were realised, Jayantha said.
“The first shots after the war was over were fired at the journalists and free media,” Jayantha said. “They virtually crushed the free media institutions, and they only have the pro-government media to assassinate the character of the people who oppose them, or they actually use death squads to kill them.”
As a matter of fact, Jayantha was the victim of a death squad, and he suspects they were motivated to silence him for speaking out against human rights violations.
“I was tortured and my left leg was broken,” he said. “And today I’m walking with the assistance of a steel rod that has been placed there. They poured acid on me. They also cut my beard and hair and put it in my mouth and forced me to inhale, which caused severe problems in my lungs subsequently. They thew my unconscious body in a ditch and left me to die. http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2011/04/15/sri-lank…
Poddala Jayantha is a Sri Lankan journalist who was nearly killed because of his investigative reporting with regard to alleged human rights violations executed by the Sri Lankan government. He spoke of his experience last Thursday as part of the First Amendment Day celebration in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union.
In his presentation, Jayantha told a room full of future journalists of the role and influence of media in Sri Lanka and how the struggle has caused extreme censorship of the media. He speaks primarily on behalf of the Tamil minority against the human rights violations enacted during the civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan government.
The government tightened restrictions on the media following the end of the civil war in 2009, according to the Human Rights Watch report of 2010.
“As pressure mounted for an independent investigation into alleged laws of war violations,” the report said, “the government responded by threatening journalists and civil society activists, effectively curtailing public debate and establishing its own commission of inquiry with a severely limited mandate.”
Many of the threats were realised, Jayantha said.
“The first shots after the war was over were fired at the journalists and free media,” Jayantha said. “They virtually crushed the free media institutions, and they only have the pro-government media to assassinate the character of the people who oppose them, or they actually use death squads to kill them.”
As a matter of fact, Jayantha was the victim of a death squad, and he suspects they were motivated to silence him for speaking out against human rights violations.
“I was tortured and my left leg was broken,” he said. “And today I’m walking with the assistance of a steel rod that has been placed there. They poured acid on me. They also cut my beard and hair and put it in my mouth and forced me to inhale, which caused severe problems in my lungs subsequently. They thew my unconscious body in a ditch and left me to die. http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2011/04/15/sri-lank…
Well, here's another fine mess AI got us into….
Widow, 74, labelled a terrorist and ordered out of Canada
After her husband was assassinated during midnight mass at a church in Sri Lanka on Christmas Eve 2005, Canada welcomed Sugunanayake Joseph.
Five years later, the Immigration and Refugee Board has ordered the 74-year-old Toronto grandmother deported, concluding her role as a politician’s wife — supporting her late husband’s career and accompanying him to political events — amounted to membership in a designated terrorist organization.
In a Feb. 17 decision, adjudicator Oksana Kowalyk found that by a series of associations, Joseph was, in effect, a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Although neither Joseph nor her husband had formal membership in the LTTE, he was one of 22 Sri Lankan MPs who formed a coalition in 2001 known as the Tamil National Assembly, which pushed for peace negotiations between the government and the leadership of the Tamil independence movement.
The Tamil National Assembly functioned as the LTTE’s alter ego in Sri Lanka’s parliament, Kowalyk concluded in her decision.
And by supporting her husband’s activities as a member of the MPs’ coalition, Joseph also furthered the LTTE’s objectives, Kowalyk found.
The adjudicator based her conclusions in part on a letter from Amnesty International Canada, which described the Tamil National Assembly as a “proxy” for the LTTE.
But she also ignored portions of the letter in which Amnesty International stated membership in the Tamil National Assembly could not be regarded as de facto membership in the LTTE, argues Raoul Boulakia, Joseph’s lawyer, who is asking the Federal Court to review the ruling.
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/975087–polit…
Well, here's another fine mess AI got us into….
Widow, 74, labelled a terrorist and ordered out of Canada
After her husband was assassinated during midnight mass at a church in Sri Lanka on Christmas Eve 2005, Canada welcomed Sugunanayake Joseph.
Five years later, the Immigration and Refugee Board has ordered the 74-year-old Toronto grandmother deported, concluding her role as a politician’s wife — supporting her late husband’s career and accompanying him to political events — amounted to membership in a designated terrorist organization.
In a Feb. 17 decision, adjudicator Oksana Kowalyk found that by a series of associations, Joseph was, in effect, a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Although neither Joseph nor her husband had formal membership in the LTTE, he was one of 22 Sri Lankan MPs who formed a coalition in 2001 known as the Tamil National Assembly, which pushed for peace negotiations between the government and the leadership of the Tamil independence movement.
The Tamil National Assembly functioned as the LTTE’s alter ego in Sri Lanka’s parliament, Kowalyk concluded in her decision.
And by supporting her husband’s activities as a member of the MPs’ coalition, Joseph also furthered the LTTE’s objectives, Kowalyk found.
The adjudicator based her conclusions in part on a letter from Amnesty International Canada, which described the Tamil National Assembly as a “proxy” for the LTTE.
But she also ignored portions of the letter in which Amnesty International stated membership in the Tamil National Assembly could not be regarded as de facto membership in the LTTE, argues Raoul Boulakia, Joseph’s lawyer, who is asking the Federal Court to review the ruling.
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/975087–polit…
Terrorism is a Global phenomenon and it is a network. It is camouflaged as radicals, freedom fighters, or you name it. To finance the terror, it gets one’s suffering, puts in a showcase and solicits those who sympathize its cause. It makes sure that the cash flow is there to procure illegal arms and to propagate its mask by lobbying the institutions like the UN and even the NGOs who are lighting up the fire on Fundamental Rights and Human Rights. Also, it extorts and exploits the weaken one to obtain the needed aid in forms of funds, labor, and even in forms of soul to sacrifice. It acts in a faceless manner in the places where it wants to get total control. To eradicate it, the collective effort of the whole World is badly needed as it could happen anywhere of the Globe .. !
But it looks like Mahinda Rajapaksa is now trying to impose “Chinese Democracy” in Sri Lanka . It’s not that he’s going to have us rocking to music by Guns n Roses, rather we’ll be dancing to a tune familiar in Beijing: militarized civil administration, ineffective judiciary (though those judges do try) and a corrupt police force that toes the party line. Couple that with the Brothers who control most of the economic spend and (unprecedented in Sri Lanka) have begun to manipulate the banking system by imposing nominees on the boards of major banks. So the erstwhile mouthpiece at the Defence Ministry is now a banker, despite having details of his criminal record published in the national press.
We now have a bizarre scenario where the Army runs holiday resorts in Jaffna! Perhaps they should take over the Tourist Board too and see if they can improve the hotel system nationwide; the Air force could then take over the running of the national airline? Not that far fetched, given that many of the principal diplomatic postings are now occupied by ex-military men as rewards for servility; a situation the will no doubt cause much gnashing of teeth in the ranks of the pseudo-intellectuals who made Faustian pacts with Rajapakse while eying these very same plum postings.
Perhaps the Cabal has made a startling discovery: these sycophants have some vital business know how that our captains of industry lack. We’ve got
The brutal regime of the family of Mahinda Rajapaksha [now KING] wants to rule the country like a monarch for ever by him and his siblings. He does not want any opposition, no criticism. He does not cares for his country orSri Lanka people. How can anyone expect justice from this government of Rajapaksha Bros. & Co. Kindly view this link – from Catholic Priest:
Kumar
http://www.catholicleader.com.au/news.php/features/exiled-tamil-priest-w…
Exiled Tamil priest wants peace, truth and justice in Sri Lanka
It is extremely dangerous to speak even the truth because the punishment is summary death or at best, jail on concocted charges. There are enough examples of courageous people who have been martyred under the regime under continuing Emergency Regulations which makes it open season for government, its forces or its allies to commit serious crimes against humanity without ny accountabilty!. The President’s good friend and donor Mu’ammar Gaddafi’s Libya is copying the same tactics to target their so-called perceived enemies.
But the astonishing difference is that in the case of Libya the UN and the international community have come down like ‘a ton of bricks’ on Gaddafi forces presumably to prevent a bloodbath like in Sri lanka. After much dithering and delays all that has happened in Sri Lanka is the UNSG’s Advisory Panel Report which has been just published wto eyars after the mass murder in teh wanni ergiosn of Sri Lanka. It has been shared with that government but as yet not released to the public! Meanwhile opponents yet go missing and unaccounted for as in the case of the Lanka e News cartoonist Prageeth Ekneliyagoda whose wife had petitioned the UNSG without any result. Tamils too who have lost tens of thouands of their kith and kin in the vicious genocidal war waged by the state for decades have asked the UNSG to release the Panel Report which will ostensibly deal only with the end of war situation. What the SG plans to do with the Report is yet unclear. Procrastination is the thief of time to deny justice which has been long delayed resulting in more human rights and humanitarian rights abuses by the abusers themsleves. Examples are piling up by the day in an environment of total impunity.
If the UN wants to have any credibility, it should make the next step and bring all those who committed war crimes to justice.
What is the Sri-Lankan government trying to HIDE from the outside world?
The Sri-Lankan government has repeatedly claimed that NO CIVILIAN was killed in the final stages of the war. Why are they now worried about an investigation? Let the UN investigate and find out the TRUTH!
Sri Lanka is still among the most dangerous places for independent journalists, according to press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In a recent press freedom index, Sri Lanka is rated 158 out of 178 countries listed.
The government does not want any foreign interference when it comes to investigating war crimes. But it wants trade privileges, money and aid from other countries, especially from Western Countries.
Sinhala Only Justice in Sri Lanka is for Sinhalese Only!!!
Tiny Tamil minority in the Sri Lanka has no justice
Many Tamils languish in Sri Lanka prisons for years and years where they endure torture, humiliation and death
Tamil prisoners are taken to the Colombo High Court once every 14-days to mark their presence in the jail, but have no legal representation due to lack of financial resources. ” Sinhala Only Judges are reluctant to take action to release the inmates due to political compulsion.”
One youth from Batticaloa, arrested when he was 14-years old is in the prison for more than 18 years, exceeding the customary 14-years normally served by prisoners with life-imprisonment.
With the exception two of the Tamil inmates who have relatives visiting them, most of the others Tamils have no visitors and are inflicted with illnesses arising from torture by prison guards
SRI LANKA’S government has got its retaliation in first. On April 12th a panel of experts delivered a report to the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, assessing whether war crimes were committed when the nation’s army bloodily won a long-running civil war against Tamil Tiger rebels early in 2009. The report has not yet been made public, but the government is furious that an independent inquiry took place at all. The report, it says, is “fundamentally flawed” and biased.
In recent weeks Sri Lanka’s rulers have vented their anger, most obviously by cracking down at home, intimidating those they blame for spurring the launch of the UN inquiry in the first place. At the sharp end are Western-funded education and advocacy groups, notably those keen on post-war reconciliation or those that point out flaws in the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Facing the most intense scrutiny are groups which have complained about repression, a muzzled press and a lack of civil liberties.
Top of the list is the National Peace Council, which pushed for a negotiated rather than a violent end to the war. Last month criminal investigators summoned its director, Jehan Perera, demanding details of the group’s funding and operations. Before that, a smear campaign in the press suggested the council takes orders from foreign donors. No specific crime has been alleged, making it harder for the council to clear its name.
http://www.economist.com/node/18561107?story_id=18561107&fsrc=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+economist%2Ffull_print_edition+%28The+Economist%3A+Full+print+edition%29
Poddala Jayantha is a Sri Lankan journalist who was nearly killed because of his investigative reporting with regard to alleged human rights violations executed by the Sri Lankan government. He spoke of his experience last Thursday as part of the First Amendment Day celebration in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union.
In his presentation, Jayantha told a room full of future journalists of the role and influence of media in Sri Lanka and how the struggle has caused extreme censorship of the media. He speaks primarily on behalf of the Tamil minority against the human rights violations enacted during the civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan government.
The government tightened restrictions on the media following the end of the civil war in 2009, according to the Human Rights Watch report of 2010.
“As pressure mounted for an independent investigation into alleged laws of war violations,” the report said, “the government responded by threatening journalists and civil society activists, effectively curtailing public debate and establishing its own commission of inquiry with a severely limited mandate.”
Many of the threats were realised, Jayantha said.
“The first shots after the war was over were fired at the journalists and free media,” Jayantha said. “They virtually crushed the free media institutions, and they only have the pro-government media to assassinate the character of the people who oppose them, or they actually use death squads to kill them.”
As a matter of fact, Jayantha was the victim of a death squad, and he suspects they were motivated to silence him for speaking out against human rights violations.
“I was tortured and my left leg was broken,” he said. “And today I’m walking with the assistance of a steel rod that has been placed there. They poured acid on me. They also cut my beard and hair and put it in my mouth and forced me to inhale, which caused severe problems in my lungs subsequently. They thew my unconscious body in a ditch and left me to die.
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2011/04/15/sri-lankan-journalist-speaks-of-attacks-on-media/
Well, here’s another fine mess AI got us into….
Widow, 74, labelled a terrorist and ordered out of Canada
After her husband was assassinated during midnight mass at a church in Sri Lanka on Christmas Eve 2005, Canada welcomed Sugunanayake Joseph.
Five years later, the Immigration and Refugee Board has ordered the 74-year-old Toronto grandmother deported, concluding her role as a politician’s wife — supporting her late husband’s career and accompanying him to political events — amounted to membership in a designated terrorist organization.
In a Feb. 17 decision, adjudicator Oksana Kowalyk found that by a series of associations, Joseph was, in effect, a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Although neither Joseph nor her husband had formal membership in the LTTE, he was one of 22 Sri Lankan MPs who formed a coalition in 2001 known as the Tamil National Assembly, which pushed for peace negotiations between the government and the leadership of the Tamil independence movement.
The Tamil National Assembly functioned as the LTTE’s alter ego in Sri Lanka’s parliament, Kowalyk concluded in her decision.
And by supporting her husband’s activities as a member of the MPs’ coalition, Joseph also furthered the LTTE’s objectives, Kowalyk found.
The adjudicator based her conclusions in part on a letter from Amnesty International Canada, which described the Tamil National Assembly as a “proxy” for the LTTE.
But she also ignored portions of the letter in which Amnesty International stated membership in the Tamil National Assembly could not be regarded as de facto membership in the LTTE, argues Raoul Boulakia, Joseph’s lawyer, who is asking the Federal Court to review the ruling.
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/975087–politician-s-wife-labelled-terrorist-by-association