27 August, 2011
Mass grave unearthed in Jaffna | |||||
Skulls, skeletons and bones belonging to eight human beings have been found in an island off Jaffna, officials say. The human remains were found near the office of the Assistant Government Agent (AGA) in Neduntivy in Delft island by a group of workers when they dug the earth to put up a foundation for a generator room. Acting Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) in Jaffna, Dr S Sivaruban, told BBC Tamil service that the skulls and skeletons were sent to the government analyst for forensic analysis. Full Story>>> ======================================== |
© UNICEF Sri Lanka/2011/Fletcher |
Entrepreneur Amarashanthini and her three children before their new front door. |
By Mervyn Fletcher
MULLAITIVU, Sri Lanka, 24 August 2011 – Amarashanthini proudly shows us the doors of her house – two solid wooden doors, with substantial locks. As a mother of three she now feels more confident about the security of her children.
It is a remarkable story of resilience and forward thinking that has enabled Amarashanthini, 44, a widow, to re-build her conflict-damaged home and start up a small business. Full Story>>>
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A pre-requisite for success of negotiations is a willingness to be flexible. It is in short supply as the turn of events show…. Colombo has been creating irritants in the bilateral relations with Delhi by waving its China card and a Pakistan card occasionally. Yet, the Government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken the consistent stand that President Rajapakse should strive for a political solution. Its message to Jaffna has been to persist with dialogue with Colombo to resolve the problems in the country.
The 10th round of talks between the government and the TNA ended in failure on August 4. After some stock taking, the Tamil party has gone public with the request that the government must ‘meaningfully define’ its response to three issues within two weeks as a condition for further discussions. The three issues relate to the much talked about devolution package for the Tamil dominated North and East of the island. One of the issues is power over the police. The other two primarily give a freehand in deciding local development priorities. Full story
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Sri Lankan talks for a “political solution” reach dead-end
16 August, 201
editorA pre-requisite for success of negotiations is a willingness to be flexible. It is in short supply as the turn of events show…. Colombo has been creating irritants in the bilateral relations with Delhi by waving its China card and a Pakistan card occasionally. Yet, the Government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken the consistent stand that President Rajapakse should strive for a political solution. Its message to Jaffna has been to persist with dialogue with Colombo to resolve the problems in the country.
The 10th round of talks between the government and the TNA ended in failure on August 4. After some stock taking, the Tamil party has gone public with the request that the government must ‘meaningfully define’ its response to three issues within two weeks as a condition for further discussions. The three issues relate to the much talked about devolution package for the Tamil dominated North and East of the island. One of the issues is power over the police. The other two primarily give a freehand in deciding local development priorities. Full story