Summon Sri Lanka’s envoy and lodge protest, Jayalalithaa tells Manmohan

‘Let Sri Lanka not be emboldened by our silence’-March 15, 2013

The fishermen who returned unloading fish in Rameswaram on Thursday. Photo: L. Balachandar

Reacting strongly to the arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the last two days by the Sri Lankan navy, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa demanded on Thursday that the island nation’s envoy be summoned urgently to lodge India’s strong protest and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intervene to ensure their early release.

“We are agitated by incidents of repeated capture of our fishermen while pursuing their livelihood. We expect the Centre to respond and react pro-actively when incidents of this nature happen. Let Sri Lanka not be emboldened by our silence and construe it as a sign of weakness and indifference towards our fishermen,” she said in a letter to Dr. Singh.

She urged the Prime Minister to advise the Sri Lankan government to release the arrested fishermen without foisting any criminal case and desist from future provocations through needless arrests and acts of violence.

A solution to the fishing disputes between the two neighbouring countries could not be resolved by force or by treating the fishermen as criminals.

Describing the targeting of fishermen in their traditional fishing areas as a worrisome trend, she said that they had no alternative but to fish in the narrow Palk Bay fishing grounds that are further restricted by the International Maritime Boundary Line drawn without the consent of the State’s government or its fishermen.

Bharatha’s sister to speak at UNHRC today

FRIDAY, 15 MARCH 2013 

Six family members of slain SLFPer Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra will attend the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva today while one family member is scheduled to address the session with regard to the killing of Mr. Premachandra and other alleged politically motivated killings in Sri Lanka.

The late Mr. Premachandra’s eldest sister Chithra Premachandra told the Daily Mirror that the UNHRC had invited the Premachandra family to make a speech at the Geneva sessions following strong lobbying by human rights groups in Canada.

Besides Ms. Chithra Premachnadra, the rest of the late Premachandra’s siblings are all residents in Canada. The six members of Mr. Premachandra’s family who will attend the UNHRC session includes his sister Swarna Gunaratne, her son Dilan Gunaratne, another sister Sunethra Abeysinghe, her daughter Shanika Abeysinghe, their brother Asela Premachandra, and Brother-in-law Vishwajith Wijeysinghe.

Their sister Swarna Gunaratne is expected to make a speech at the UNHRC session probably followed by another speech by Mr. Premachandra’s niece Shanika Abeysinghe who is a law student.

 “It is not only my brother but there have been a lot of other political murders like this,” Ms. Chithra Premachandra said. Commenting on MP Duminda Silva who is alleged to have been responsible for the killing of Mr. Premachandra, she said law enforcement authorities should take immediate action against him. (Olindhi Jayasundere)