Monks destroy Muslim shrine as police stand idle

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  But a prominent Muslim in the area said he was very sad and the sentiment was shared by many Sinhalese too.  
Full Story>>>

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Ganadeviya (deity) statue at Anurapura burnt down using tires


(Lanka-e-News -16.March.2011, 11.00PM) According to reports reaching Lanka e news, a Hindu Temple situated at Devanam piyatissa Mawatha, Anuradhapura had been set on fire by a violent marauding group on the 14th night.
This Temple which had been in existence since 1983, are visited by Tamil as well as Sinhala people for religious activities.
The picture herein shows the statue of Ganadeviya (the deity) within the Temple burnt down by setting fire to it using a tire.

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‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’

“You can bend it and twist it... You can misuse and abuse it... But even God cannot change the Truth.”

by Gareth Thomas

( July 02, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) I rise to raise two issues. 

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Bishop's House appeals to Vatican to urge Colombo to renovate Vanni churches

  

  

Oral Statement on Enforced Disappearances made by Gary Anandasangaree at UNHRC

ORAL STATEMENT on Enforced Disappearances      By: Gary Anandasangaree

18th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Date: September 15, 2011
Item 3 - General Debate
Topic: Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances Report / Accountability

NGOs: Lawyers Rights Watch Canada
Speaker: Gary Anandasangaree

Madam President.

Lawyers Rights Watch Canada join with the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances in calling for increased resources to deal with the 43,000 cases reported to the working group that remain unresolved. We join the working group in deploring the fact that states around the world continue to use enforced disappearances, to prevent remedies for victims and to ensure impunity for perpetrators.

Full Story>>>
 

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NGOs I, GD Item 2 and 3, 9th Plenary Meeting, 18th Session, Human Rights Council

TNA talks with Government

TNA talks with Government

Both parties agreed to move forward - Dr Wijesinghe Tamil National Alliance delegation headed by its leader R. Sampanthan met with a government delegation headed by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva to discuss an acceptable constitutional arrangement for a political settlement. Previously the talks had been called off after the TNA requested a written communiqué about the discussion. "However, both parties have agreed to move forward in a fresh round of talks," said Parliamentarian Dr. Rajeewa Wijesinghe who took part in the talks representing the government. The TNA had placed a set of proposals in March before the government delegation in regard to the structure of governance, the division of subjects and functions between the Centre and the devolved units, fiscal and financial powers. Discussion to continue Speaking to BBC Tamil Service, TNA parliamentarian Suresh Premachandra said “discussion with the government will continue on the basis of proposals put forward by TNA in March 2011, constitutional amendments proposed by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge Government and All Party Roundtable Conference proposals". "However we have to wait and see, ” added MP Premachandran. Parliamentarian Dr Rajeewa Wijesinghe told BBC Sandeshaya that talks continued for more than two hours. “Both parties agreed not to divulge further details of matters discussed during talks” he said. ================================================== Amnesty slams Sri Lanka’s inquiry on civil war  J. BALAJI           NEW DELHI, September 16, 2011 The Amnesty International has slammed the method of inquiry conducted by the Sri Lankan government into the civil war as it was “fundamentally flawed and provides no accountability for atrocities”. The report of the Amnesty International -- When will they get justice? “exposed the shortcomings” of the inquiry commission -- the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), appointed by the Mahinda Rajapakse government in May 2010, it said.         FULL STORY>>> =========================================== Human Rights on the Indian Subcontinent Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo): Before I call Mr Steve Baker to move the motion, I remind Back Benchers that a large number of people wish to take part in this debate and that therefore Mr Speaker has put a five-minute limit on Back-Bench contributions. 3.30 pm Steve Baker (Wycombe) (Con): I beg to move, That this House has considered the issue of Human Rights on the Indian Subcontinent. I am extremely grateful to the Backbench Business Committee for making this debate possible. My predecessor, Paul Goodman, took this issue extremely seriously and I am sure that had this mechanism been available he would have called such a debate. I am also extremely grateful to the Members who turned out to support me at the Committee: my hon. Friends the Members for Colne Valley (Jason McCartney), for Burton (Andrew Griffiths) and for Birmingham, Yardley (John Hemming), my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford North (Mr Scott) who spoke about Sri Lanka, the right hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr MacShane) and the hon. Member for Scunthorpe (Nic Dakin). Full Story>>>

Post War Sri Lanka Under the Rajapaksa: Reconciliation's Two Lost Years

The International Crisis Group (ICG) is known for its detailed on the ground research and its commitment to making impartial but fearless calls. Its conclusion, in its latest report on Sri Lanka, is that the more than two years since the end of the civil war has resulted in lost opportunities for reconciliation. The result is that the different groups that go to make up Sri Lankan society have less understanding of one another's concerns than they did two years ago with the result that the task of creating such understanding is becoming more difficult.     Full Story
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Watchdogs Push Hard for War Crimes Probe in Sri Lanka

By Pam Johnson

WASHINGTON, Sep 16, 2011 (IPS) - Despite months of frustrated efforts to secure a full and impartial investigation into possible laws-of-war violations during the last phase of Sri Lanka's civil war, which ended in 2009, leading human rights advocates in the U.S. launched a fresh charge on the island nation's government this week, vowing that, "If the Sri Lankan government won't provide justice for victims, the international community will."

The push was sparked by a diplomatic spat at the 18th annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which opened in Geneva on Monday, when Navanethem Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, urged Sri Lankan authorities to conduct a full review of its security apparatus.    Full Story>>>

TNA and Lanka government resume devolution talks

PTI | 09:09 PM,Sep 16,2011
Colombo, Sept 16 (PTI) The government and Sri Lanka’s main Tamil party TNA today resumed the stalled direct talks aimed at seeking a solution to the political aspirations of the minority ethnic community on “an acceptable constitutional arrangement”.”It was agreed that the talks could continue on the basis of the discussion paper submitted by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on March 18 along with earlier proposals,” a joint statement said after the direct talks resumed today.The TNA had walked out of the talks at the end of August demanding urgent government response to their proposals.”We have agreed to continue talks on October 3 based on our paper. The paper proposed devolution of power to the provinces - executive and judicial powers, finances, powers to receive foreign aid etc,” Suresh Premachandran, a senior TNA parliamentarian and a participant at the talks told PTI. TNA in other words are looking for meaningful implementation of the thirteenth amendment adopted in 1987 with Indian mediation to end Sri Lanka’s ethnic impasse.Analysts said the resumption of talks was a welcome sign given government statements blaming the TNA of adopting a rigid stance.This was to be the 11th round of direct talks between the two sides and first since the government announced its intention to set up a parliamentary select committee to run parallel with the talks with main Tamil party.The LTTE waged a bloody three-decade civil war for a separate state for the Tamils of Sri Lanka, alleging discrimination against the minority community at the hands of the majority Sinhalas. The Lankan military crushed the rebels in May 2009 and ended the ethnic conflict that killed between 80,000 and 100,000 people.
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US Urged to Deny Sri Lanka President Entry

US Urged to Deny Sri Lanka President Entry

TGTE Urges US to deny Sri Lanka President Entry; Like it denied entry to Kurt Waldheim 
  
/EINPresswire.com/ Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) citing § 212(a)(3)(E)(ii)  and  §  212(a)(3)(E)(iii) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act appealed to the United States Government to not to allow Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse to visit the United States for committing torture, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Tamil people.     Full Story>>>

Lifting of Emergency: Exposing the Sham Exercise

groundviews journalism For citizens

16 Sep, 2011

Photo credit AP

Author is a Human Rights & Constitutional Lawyer, Eisenhower Fellow, Senior Ashoka Fellow

Much has been said about the recent decision of the Government to end the Emergency in Sri Lanka. Some welcomed the move and others are yet to make any pronouncements.  This short essay is an attempt to examine the implications of the decision of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) together with the nature and effect of withdrawal of the emergency.

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Sri Lanka's government under pressure-Turning the screw

 Sep 15th 2011,
THE United States is not in the business of threatening its friends, said Robert O. Blake, US assistant secretary of state, in Colombo on September 14th. But, he added, smiling placidly, there will be pressure. If a domestic commission appointed by Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s president, does not provide credible answers to allegations of war crimes committed by the military, demands for “some sort of alternative mechanism” will mount.    More 

Canada nudges Lanka over accountability issues

September 15, 2011, 12:00 pm 


By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Canadian High Commissioner in Colombo, Bruce Levy yesterday emphasised the importance of Sri Lanka addressing concerns raised by the international community, regarding accountability issues as early as possible.

Levy said that Sri Lanka couldn’t ignore accountability issues if it was keen to ensure peace and development.

The official was responding to a query by The Island regarding a recent statement attributed to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a round table conference.

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Tamil Tigers on trial: controversial screening of war crimes documentary

The Dutch prosecution of five Sri Lankan Tamils continues in The Hague today in a trial which now promises to drag Dutch criminal law into conflict with the Sri Lankan government.
By Richard Walker and Maike Winters in The Hague

On a day bogged down by the virtually lone voice of Judge Van Rossum reading out witness testimonies gathered from Sri Lanka and neighbouring countries, defence counsel Victor Koppe sparked the potential for controversy by requesting the screening of British Channel 4’s “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” documentary. It will be viewed by the court today.
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US warned Sri Lanka against offensive on safe zones

Leaked US embassy cables reveal how then Ambassador Robert Blake warned Sri Lanka that mass civilian civilian deaths would ensue, if its military stormed the government-declared safe zone.
A March 2009  cable, detailing a meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama, said:
“Ambassador recalled continuing reports he has heard that the military intends to take the safe zone by force and told the Foreign Minister if the government did so thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, could be killed. 
“If such casualties occurred the government would be accused of war crimes and its actions would diminish Congressional and public supportfor future US assistance to Sri Lanka.

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Human rights in Indian subcontinent debate

The UK should give every opportunity to Sri Lanka to help them create a united country, a Conservative MP has said.

As MPs debated human rights in the Indian subcontinent, Brian Binley said the Sri Lankan government was coming to terms with the consequences of "very considerable strife and conflict", and that it was trying to make advances in addressing human rights abuses.

But MPs from both sides of the House expressed concern at the way Sri Lanka had conducted itself since the end of the conflict almost two years ago when the government declared victory.

 Full Story>>>

Massachusetts Reps. Feted to a Screening of Channel-4 Video

Recent days and months have witnessed a redoubled effort on the part of Amnesty International and its National Chapters to hold to account those who were responsible for the untold human suffering and thousands of civilian deaths in Mullivaikkal, May 2009. In what could be described as their latest triumph, Chapter 133 (Somerville Massachusetts ) of Amnesty International, joined forces with American Chapter of Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam(TGTE) to fete the Representatives of Massachusetts State Assembly, the Academic Community of Massachusetts, and the local journalists to a screening of the now-famous Channel-4 video at the Massachusetts State House.

full story 
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Post War Politics of Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 September 2011, 17:13 GMT]
The conclusion of the 18th session of the UNHRC will reveal whether there is anything left to rely on the International Community of Establishments, writes TamilNet Economic and Geopolitical Analyst in the Asia Pacific. While the Eezham Tamils are the worst affected by the war, they are also at the receiving end of the post war Sri Lankan Politics which is indeed continuation of the war by other means or to put it bluntly the continuation of the Genocide. We should always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. That preparedness is the Solidarity we develop with our Natural Allies. The Natural Allies will certainly include those in the Sinhala society rising up against the Family Rule provided they recognize the Right of Self Determination of the Tamil Speaking Nation, A Recognition (including the right to secede) adopted by the Ceylon Communist Party in 1944, he further said. Full story >>

2 lakh Tamils stranded in north, east Lanka: TNA

P K Balachandran

Express News Service

Last Updated : 15 Sep 2011 08:22:20 AM IST

COLOMBO: The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has claimed that nearly 2,00,000 war-displaced Tamils are yet to return to their homes in the war-hit northern and eastern provinces of Lanka.

Refuting Sri Lankan’s claims at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva that significant progress had been made towards ethnic reconciliation in the nation, the TNA said in a statement on Wednesday that about 2,00,000 war refugees were either in transit camps or had been compelled to take shelter with host families. These include those displaced from Valikamam North in Jaffna, from Sampur in Trincomalee and from several other areas in the Wanni. “Those who have been permitted to go to their original places have been deprived of the aid they are entitled to in order to resettle and recommence their lives,” it said. State lands in the northern and eastern provinces were being given “exclusively” to persons of the majority Sinhalese  community, purportedly for development purposes, but without any public notification, it alleged. The party pointed to the settlement of persons from outside the north and east in different parts of the two regions, and more recently, in the coastal Mullaitivu and Vadamarachchi East areas, and charged that this was being done to change the demographic composition of those areas.

The TNA alleged that the destruction and desecration of Hindu and Christian places of worship and other cultural sites so as to transform the religious and cultural identity of these areas.

On the retention of the Prevention of Terrorism Act despite the lifting of the State of Emergency, the TNA said this ensured the seamless continuation of the Emergency rule.

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Press Conference at the American Center in Colombo

Remarks

Robert O. Blake, Jr.
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

Colombo, Sri Lanka

September 14, 2011

Question: There was a U.S. proposal to have a direct dialogue. Was this taken up with the President? And if so, what was the response?
Assistant Secretary Blake: I talked with all of the senior government officials about the need for the government of Sri Lanka to engage positively with the UN Human Rights Council. I know there’s already a delegation that is there right now led by Mahinda Samarasinghe. I hope that delegation can have the opportunity to brief members of the council, not only on the plans with regard to the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, but also on the wider range of steps that the government is taking with respect to important matters such as its dialogue with the Tamil National Alliance and many of the other important issues of concern to Tamils here on the island.
Question: I have two questions. Do you think, does the United States of America recognize the LLRC? And in the [inaudible] report, will you recognize that as an adequate tool?       Full Story>>>
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Sri Lanka Buddhist monks destroy Muslim shrine

  

South Asia

 A group of Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka led a crowd that demolished a Muslim shrine last week, the BBC has learned.

This incident took place on Saturday in Anuradhapura, an ancient Buddhist city and Unesco world heritage site.

The monk who led the group told the BBC he did it because the shrine was on land that was given to Sinhalese Buddhists 2,000 years ago.

A Sri Lankan news website showed photographs of a crowd including monks apparently reducing a small structure to a pile of rubble. 

But a prominent Muslim in the area said he was very sad and the sentiment was shared by many Sinhalese too.  Full Story>>>

IThe demolition has been denounced by both Muslims and Sinhalese (Photo courtesy: Sri Lanka Mirror)