சிறிலங்கா நிலவரங்களில் இருந்து பாடம் கற்றுக்கொண்டுள்ளோம்; பான் கீ மூன்

17 டிசெம்பர் 2013, செவ்வாய்

சிறிலங்காவின் அண்மைய நிலவரங்களில் இருந்து பாடம் கற்றுள்ளதாக, ஐக்கிய நாடுகளின் பொதுச்செயலர் பான் கீ மூன் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.
ஐ.நா பொதுச்செயலர் பான் கீ மூன் நேற்று நியுயோர்க்கில் இந்த ஆண்டின் இறுதி செய்தியாளர் சந்திப்பை நடத்தினார்.

இதன்போது, “2013ம் ஆண்டில் உங்களால் முன்னெடுக்கப்பட்ட கொள்கை நகர்வுகளில் ஒன்றான, போருக்குப் பின்னர் சிறிலங்காவின் முன்னிலைத் திட்டம் குறித்து, நீங்களும், பிரதிப்பொதுச்செயலரும் பேசியிருந்தீர்கள். தற்போது இந்த திட்டம் செயற்பாட்டில் உள்ளதா? அது ஐ.நாவின் கொள்கையா?

இன்றுகாலை பிரதிப்பொதுச்செயலரும் சிறிலங்காவின் பாதுகாப்புச்செயலர் கோத்தாபய ராஜபக்சவும் சந்தித்துள்ளது குறித்து விபரம் தேவை? இருவருக்கும் இடையிலான எந்த உறவும் இருக்கிறதா? என செய்தியாளர்கள்  கேள்வி எழுப்பினார்.

அதற்குப் பதிலளித்த ஐ.நா பொதுச்செயலர் பான் கீ மூன், “இந்த உரிமைகள் முன்னிலை நடவடிக்கைத் திட்டம், நாம் சிறிலங்காவின் அண்மைய நிலவரங்களில் இருந்து என்ன கற்றுக் கொண்டோம் என்பதை அடிப்படையாக கொண்டது.

நான் ஒரு நிபுணர் குழுவை நியமித்தேன் என்பது உங்களுக்குத் தெரியும். அந்தக்குழு, ஐ.நா எல்லாவற்றையும் நிறைவேற்றியதா, சரியானமுறையில் செயற்பட்டதா என்று பார்க்குமாறு என்னைக் கேட்டுக் கொண்டது.

நாம் ஒரு தீவிரமான உள்ளக ஆய்வை மேற்கொண்டோம். இதன் பெறுபேறாகவே, நாம் மிகவும் முக்கியமான செயல்திட்டத்தை உருவாக்கியுள்ளோம்.

நிச்சயமாக, இந்த செயல்திட்டம், குறிப்பிட்ட ஒரு நாட்டையோ அல்லது ஒரு விடயத்தையோ இலக்கு வைத்து உருவாக்கப்பட்டதல்ல. இது எல்லா நாடுகளுக்கும், எல்லா விவகாரங்களுக்கும், எல்லா சூழ்நிலைகளுக்கும் பயன்படும்.

அதனால் தான், இதனை நான் ஐ.நா பொதுச்சபையில் எனது பலமான பரிந்துரைகளுடன் சமர்ப்பிக்க வேண்டியிருந்தது. ஐ.நா பொதுச்சபைத் தலைவர் உறுப்புநாடுகளுக்கு அதை விநியோகித்து வருகிறார்.

எனவே இது ஒரு மனித உரிமைகளைப் பாதுகாக்கவும், எந்த விவகாரத்திலும் மனிதஉரிமை மீறல்கள் இடம்பெறுவதை தடுக்கவும், இது ஒரு வழிகாட்டியாக இருக்கும். இதில் நான் உறுதியாக இருக்கிறேன்.

இந்த விடயம் தொடர்பாக, நான் எனது மூத்த அதிகாரிகளுடன்  கலந்துரையாடியுள்ளேன்” என அவர் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார்.

Secretary-General's year-end press conference [full transcript]

New York, 16 December 2013

Q:  Thanks for doing this briefing, and we hope to have more of them in 2014. I wanted to ask you about one of your policy moves in 2013, this post-Sri Lanka Rights Up Front Plan that both you and the Deputy Secretary-General have spoken about. What I wanted to know: is the plan now effective? Is it UN policy? I notice that the Deputy is meeting with Sri Lanka’s Defense Minister, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, this morning, and I wanted to know: is there any relation between the two?

Finally, someone said, I am sure you have seen this criticism by Medecins Sans Frontieres about the UN – what they describe as inaction in Central African Republic, of sitting in bases, maybe out of security concerns, but not going out and helping people in Bossangoa and Bangui. Do you see any relationship between that plan and the need to take humanitarian action on the ground?  Thank you very much.

SG: First of all, on this Rights Up Front Action plan, it is what we learned from the recent situation in Sri Lanka. As you know, I established a Panel of Experts and the Panel of Experts requested me to see whether the United Nations had done all… addressed properly. We had a very serious internal review. As a result of this we established this very important action plan. Of course, this Rights Up Front Action Plan is not aiming at any particular country or any particular case. This will be used for all countries and all cases, all situations.  That is why I have submitted this to the General Assembly, with my strong recommendation.  The President of the General Assembly has circulated to the Member States, so that this will be a sort of guideline to protect human rights, and prevent any further possible human rights violations in any cases. I am very firm. We discussed this matter even this morning among our senior advisers.                                      [full transcript]

Secretary-General's year-end press conference [full transcript]

New York, 16 December 2013

Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen,

சிறிலங்கா நிலவரங்களில் இருந்து பாடம் கற்றுக்கொண்டுள்ளோம்; பான் கீ மூன் by nelvely

Nelson Mandela funeral in pictures - Telegraph

www.telegraph.co.uk

Nelson Mandela, the late South African president, is laid to rest in his ancestral home in Qunu, ending ten days of mourning

Sri Lanka launches diplomatic offensive ahead of UN rights meet

Sri Lanka is expected to face a third successive resolution criticizing its human rights record.

PTI | Dec 15, 2013, 08.20 PM IST

COLOMBO: Faced with the prospect of a third UN human rights council resolution in as many years, Sri Lanka on Sunday launched a diplomatic offensive to counter international pressure over alleged rights abuses during the final phase of its civil war in 2009.

Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, the military spokesman, said some eight video documentaries produced by the army had been dispatched to Sri Lankan missions overseas and the UNHRC member states.

"These videos will give real facts about the true situation with regard to allegations levelled by the Channel 4 (British TV) and others,” Wanigasooriya stated adding that “the world will come to know about the many crimes committed by the LTTE”.

The videos are part of the external affairs ministry’s briefings to Colombo’s diplomatic community on the post-conflict developments.

The government has also debunked the figures thrown at it by international agencies including the UN that some 40,000 people were killed in the Tamil-dominated north during the final phase of the 30-year ethnic conflict.

Minister Champika Ranawaka who is a senior figure of the Sinhala nationalist JHU party told Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi that if the army wanted to kill Tamils it would not have accepted the surrender of around 11,000 LTTE cadres four years ago.

Akashi was on a visit last week. Ranawaka told Akashi it was unfair for war crimes charges to be raised against Sri Lanka based on false data.

He said a large number of the Sinhala majority community evicted from the north and east during the LTTE’s separatist campaign had not been allowed to return.

He said that in 1981 there were 20,000 Sinhalese living in the north but today the figure was as low as 800.

Sri Lanka is expected to face its third successive resolution criticizing its human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council next March.

Both previous resolutions urged Sri Lanka for speedier implementation of recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

India and US had voted in favour of the resolutions.

Commander-In-Chief Must Give The Right Order For Constructive Transition

By Jehan Perera -December 16, 2013 

Jehan Perera

For any system of government to work it requires an acknowledgement and respect for each other’s role.  Trust and goodwill are also important to have between those who hold key decision making positions within the system.  When the Northern Provincial Council was established following democratic elections in September, it seemed that a giant step forward had been taken in terms of arriving at a political solution to the ethnic conflict that gave rise to protracted war.  But three months after the establishment of the Northern Provincial Council the breakdown of relationships is epitomized by the conflict between its presidentially appointed Governor and democratically elected Chief Minister.  There might still be an opportunity to mitigate this conflict before it reaches a chronic stage of no-return between the government and Northern Provincial Council.

Both Governor G A Chandrasiri and Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran are very capable individuals who rose to the highest levels of their respective professions.  They are now in positions that were meant to be a check and balance on the power of the provincial councils.   Nor surprisingly the appearance and reality today are of a Governor and Chief Minister locked in conflict.  The Chief Minister has found himself to be without the powers to discharge his responsibilities by the people who elected him.

Prior to the establishment of the elected Northern Provincial Council, the Governor was necessarily the key figure in the administration of the province.   He took all the important decisions, including providing budgetary allocations for the construction  of the new provincial council building, and engaging in various acts of charity, including providing funding to individuals who needed medical attention abroad.   With this practice in memory, the Governor has taken the position that the Constitution of the country vests the power of staff appointments to the provincial council with him. As a result the Chief Minister cannot even appoint the key staff, such as the Chief Secretary, he would have work for him in the provincial council. The Governor has also refused to give his assent to some of the initiatives proposed by the ministers of the provincial council.  In public statements in his defense, he cites the Constitution of the country as giving him the power of decision making.

Prevailing Role                                                        Read More

Kosovo Attains Status (on Facebook) It Has Sought for Years: Nation

Valdrin Xhemaj/European Pressphoto Agency

A square in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but the United Nations has not recognized it as a country.

By DAN BILEFSKY

Published: December 12, 2013

But after a campaign waged by an army of devoted Kosovars and strategically placed allies, Kosovo is hailing a grant of legitimacy by a new arbiter of national identity: Facebook.

Kosovo Attains Status (on Facebook) It Has Sought for Years Nation by nelvely

Vasu urges govt. talk with NPC to iron out issues

By Saman Indrajith-December 15, 2013,

National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara told Parliament on Saturday  (14) that he hoped the government would commence talks with the Northern Provincial Council to iron out the differences between the two institutions of governance at the centre and periphery.

The minister, participating in the third reading stage debate, on Budget 2014, under the expenditure heads of the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils, said that there had been no cutting off of funds allocated to the NPC as alleged by the opposition.

"As far as I know we cannot rule a country through authoritarian means but consensual means. This need for consensus has been pointed out by the late South African leader Nelson Mandela. There could be differences between the TNA and our political vision. But the government and NPC should cooperate," he said.

The Minister said that the NPC had asked for a civilian governor for the province. "They never mentioned that they did not want a Sinhala governor. The NPC had made a request and it is up to us to consider whether we could accept it or not. It is a matter that the government and the NPC should discuss to reach a consensus," the minister said.

"Then the NPC had said that the government should have talked to them before appointing a DIG to the Northern Province. The NPC had not asked for police powers that had not been given to other provinces. What they had said was it was better had the government consulted them before appointing the DIG."

"These are just demands. What I am saying is that the government and the NPC should talk and reach a consensus with regard to matters such as these. Without cooperation and consensus we cannot move on. Those talks would not be like the talks between the Alliance and the TNA but between the NPC and the government," the minister said.

Responding to allegations raised by UNP Hambantota District MP Sajith Premdasa, who said the government had withdrawn the funds allocated to the NPC, the minister said the funds to the provincial councils were allocated by the government on the recommendations of the Finance Commission. The Finance Commission took few matters into consideration in allocating funds to PCs such as the population and the per capita income of each Province, the need to reduce social and economic disparities and the need to reduce the differences between the per capita incomes among Provinces. The amounts determined and allocated to each province differed on those grounds the minister said adding that there was no withdrawing of any funds allocated to the NPC.

MP Premadasa, earlier in the day, said that government should not cut funds for the NPC just because it was under the powers of the TNA. "People have come out and exercised their franchise and voted for the party they wanted. They are experiencing democracy for the first time in three decades. Do not let them lose their trust on the means of democracy and push them back to military means by cutting funds meant for them just because you lost the election in the North," the MP said.

Colonization Schemes: What Did The B-C Pact Say?

By R.  Sampanthan -December 16, 2013

R Sampanthan MP

I am happy to follow the Minister, the Hon. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, who, I think, in the course of his statement referred to the multifarious problems that exist in the North and the East pertaining to State land. I will be dealing with some of these issues in the course of my speech.

Lands, Sir, is a fundamental issue. It has  enormous influence on vital aspects of human activity and it is crucial, particularly from the point of view of the affected people, like persons displaced during the war and so on. There are private lands. Large extents of private lands are to be acquired by the Government in both the North and the East. The owners are opposed to such acquisition. These are lands on which these people have lived for generations and centuries. People have gone to court in regard to this matter and the Government has given certain commitments to court on this question. But, unfortunately, those commitments have not been kept. In fact I have raised some of the issues in Parliament and I have been given some commitments on the Floor of this House, but unfortunately, even those commitments are not being kept.

There are substantial lands held on permits issued by the State. There are lands possessed by people over long periods of time for which they have not been issued permits because Governmental machinery has not functioned in some of these areas efficiently for a long period of time. No land kachcheries have been held. Necessary action was not taken by Government to give land to landless people. These people are landless people and are entitled to receive land. There is documentary proof of the fact that they have cultivated those lands or lived on those lands. There is what is known as the “Dappu” entered in regard to paddy fields. There are also other documents with Local Government officials to establish that people have possessed these lands. It is necessary that all these people must be given those lands. It is also necessary that a vast number of people who do not have lands are also given lands to enable them to live on such lands and to cultivate such lands.

People were displaced, Sir, in large numbers both in the North and the East. Some have returned Some are unable to return because their lands, particularly agricultural lands, are unlawfully held by others. Those lands have been encroached upon, trespassed upon by other persons and are being held by those persons, largely new settlers from adjoining areas  in the East and in the North, such lands are held by the military.

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Colombo schemes another demographic change to permanently wedge North and East

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 December 2013, 23:12 GMT]
Colombo has schemed a sinister move to demographically annex Thennai-maravadi, a strategic ancient Tamil village in Kuchchave’li division on the border of Northern and Eastern Provinces with the Sinhala dominated Padavi Sripura division of Trincomalee district, civil sources in Trincomalee told TamilNet. By annexing Thennai-maravadi to Padavi-Sripura, all the administrative affairs of the village would be taken over by the Sinhala officials. This will make it easier for Colombo to carry out the Sinhalicisation of the entire area, Tamil officials in Kuchchave’li Divisional Secretariat said. The lands belonging to Tamils will be seized and handed over to Sinhalese settlers with the aim of permanently wedging the demographic contiguity of the northern and eastern provinces. 

The latest move comes parallel to the already completed demographic genocide in the adjacent Mullaiththeevu district, where the entire Ma’nalaa’ru region was annexed with Sinhala division of the North Central Province during the Sinhalicisation and was later carved out as a 100% Sinhala division in Mullaiththeevu. 

The location of Thennai-maravadi

Shown within the box is the target area where Colombo has accelerated Sinhalicisation and colonisation for demographically wedging North and East

Colombo’s Deputy Minister of ‘Economic Development’ Susantha Punchinilame is behind the latest move to annex Thennai-maravadi with Padavi Sripura. 

Through the ‘Mahaweli Development Authority’, which is under the control of Colombo’s central administration has already been appropriating several acres of lands belonging to Eezham Tamils in their traditional village of Thennai-maravadi. 

Padavi Sripuara in Trincomalee district lies adjacent to Padaviya division in Anuradhapura district of North Central Province.

The British of colonial times annexed the kingdoms of Tamils with that of Sinhalese in 1833. Disregarding the concerns of the Tamils, the power was transferred to Sinhalese by the British whose primary concern in 1947 was to see a strategic defense pact with Ceylon enabling the use of the geostrategic harbour of Trincomalee. 

Trincomalee district was made a Sinhala majority district through Sinhalicisation and colonization through the ‘Mahaweli Development’ programme with external funds. 

India, the regional power, sought access to strategic Trincomalee through Indo-Lanka accord in 1987 with the Sri Lankan State. The accord only talked about a ‘temporary’ merger of North and East, subject to a ‘referendum’ in East only could decide the permanent status of the merger. This enabled the genocidal State of Sri Lanka to proceed with the structural genocide on the nation of Eezham Tamils. 

The 2002 Ceasefire Agreement mediated by the West and ‘managed’ by Co-Chair States and India, brought Tamils to Mu’l’livaaykkaal, enabling the Sri Lankan State to conclude a genocidal onslaught on Eezham Tamils. 

Even now, none of these powers that continue to guarantee the territorial integrity of the Sri Lankan State, are prepared to voice for the territorial integrity of the Tamil homeland.

Government admits to land issues in the North and East

 Monday, 16 December 2013

The government has admitted to the existence of unresolved land issued in the North and East Provinces.

Lands and Land Development Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon has informed parliament that there are over 100,000 unresolved land issues in the North and East.

Tennakoon has noted that addressing most land issues have been hampered due to ongoing court cases.

He has said that some 22,408 land related issues have already been resolved in the North and East but another 125,950 land issues are yet to be resolved.

Tennakoon has noted that the Ministry has taken steps to resolve the land issues, but court cases have hampered such efforts.

In Front Of Police Peaceful Protestors Were Attacked – Sampanthan Writes To President

December 15, 2013

A peaceful demonstration was held at Trincomalee in close proximity to the  main Bus Stand around 11.00 A.M. on 10^th December 2013, which is the Human Rights Day proclaimed by the United Nations, says the TNP leader R. Sampanthan and Member of Parliament for Trincomalee.

Writing to the President, he said; “The demonstration was conducted by parents, spouses and near relatives of missing persons to draw attention to the grave violation of their Human Rights on Human Rights Day, and to seek redress to their current plight .  Civil Society and democratically elected representatives  of the people also participated  in the demonstration.  The demonstration was perfectly peaceful and those participating in the demonstration carried posters demanding justice.  I am informed that some Police personnel were present  at the scene.”

We publish below the statement in full;

His  Excellency  President  Rajapaksa,

President, Democratic  Socialist  Republic of SriLanka,

Presidential  Secretariat,

COLOMBO – 1.

Your  Excellency,

ATTACK  ON  PEACEFUL  PROTESTORS  ON 10^th.DECEMBER 2013 ,

HUMAN  RIGHTS  DAY  AT  TRINCOMALEE.

A  peaceful demonstration was held at  Trincomalee in close proximity to the  main Bus Stand around   11.00 A.M. on 10^th December 2013, which is the Human Rights Day proclaimed by the United Nations.

The demonstration was conducted by parents, spouses and near relatives of missing persons to draw attention to the grave violation of their Human Rights on Human Rights Day, and to seek redress to their current plight .  Civil Society and democratically elected representatives  of the people also participated  in the demonstration.  The demonstration was perfectly peaceful and those participating in the demonstration carried posters demanding justice.  I am informed that some Police personnel were present  at the scene.

Some time after the demonstration commenced, some persons, a few of whom had concealed their faces with cloth, set upon the demonstrators and assaulted them with hands.  The posters which the demonstrators were carrying were also plucked and damaged.  The demonstrators were warned that they should not carry out protests against the Government.  Some of the demonstrators were injured.

Such an attack on peaceful protestors in not merely highhanded; it is also indicative of a fascist approach, and constitutes a very grave violation of the Human Rights of their people on Human Rights Day.  It is also indicative of the total breakdown of the Rule of Law.

I consider it my duty to bring this to your notice in the expectation that appropriate action would be taken.

Yours Sincerely

R. Sampanthan,

Member of Parliament,Trincomalee.

Sale of honor..! Matara judge Manjula Karunaratne sacrifices his soul at altar of Maharaja’s mammon

(Lanka-e-News-15.Dec.2013, 11.30PM) On November 30 th Lanka e news reported that Sirasa chief Kili Maharaja was moving heaven and earth to get the case file against him in the magistrate court , Matara by a former Minister and present M.P. Mangala Samaraweera , and that Kili Maharaja had made a plea to somehow even arrange a bribe to the judge and save him (Maharaja) from appearing in court . Today , when the case was called up in the Matara court , magistrate Manjula Thilakaratne confirmed that Kili Maharaja has indeed succeeded in his sordid bribery effort , when Thilakaratne dismissed the petition on the ground that it is impossible to conclude beyond any doubt that Kili Maharaja is the chief of ‘Sirasa’ media chain.

Sale of honor..! Matara judge Manjula Karunaratne sacrifices his soul at altar of Maharaja’s mammon by nelvely

I’m Ashamed, We Torture Citizens Of Our Own Country

By Eran Wickramaratne -December 16, 2013

Eran Wickramaratne MP

Today, I am taking the short time allocated to me, to speak on the protection of the lives of those who are arrested by the Police.  We all know of the incident in Kamburupitiya wherein a police officer and his wife were murdered. Three were arrested as suspects.  Now the three of them are dead. They died prior to being convicted of the crime committed. I must state that until the Court condemns a person as guilty, the Police and the Government have the responsibility to protect those who are arrested and treat them as innocent.

We are aware that torture and inhuman treatment generally occur. This is something that not only happens in our country but has been happening throughout history. When Kautilya wrote the Arthasastra in 350 B.C. he referred to torture.  Our Hindu devotees know that the  ‘vedas’ refer to various types of torture.  From history we see that when king Ashoka embraced Buddhism, he legally abolished torture. Torture was prevalent in Europe. However, around 150 – 200 years ago, torture was abolished through legal means.

Today, in Europe if even one man is found to have been tortured, it could well lead to the overthrow of a Government. Why?  Because people in those countries, have learnt to despise torture.  However, in Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, we hear stories of some form of torture, in one police station or the other, on a daily basis. Today, if you are on the internet, you would come across many torture victims, speaking about their ordeals. Not only on the web, but you can find many publications on such ordeals. There was a recent publication with stories of about 400 torture victims speaking about their experience.

(The Hon. Alhaj A.H.M. Azwer)

What do you say about Guantanamo detention camp? Have you seen it in the website?

(The Hon.  Eran Wickramaratne)

Please sit down. This, is not an issue concerning party politics. Please do not disturb what’s being said here.

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A letter to President Rajapakse from Nelson Mandela

• by Sunanda Deshapriya 
• - on 12/16/2013 

Mahinda Rajapaksa paying his last respects to the remains of the former South African President late Nelson Mandela. Photo via official Twitter feed. 

Dear Mahinda Rajapakse,

At the outset , I would like to tell you one thing. I regret very much that we have never met and not had the opportunity to share our experience.  Perhaps you could not visit me before I became bedridden because you were bogged down with a difficult war.

First of all I should thank all the people living in your beautiful country for the indomitable solidarity extended by them and their leaders when our country was under the curse of naked racism of apartheid system.  I expressed these sentiments to your former President Chandrika Kumaratunga every time I met her.

A Letter to President Rajapakse From Nelson Mandela by nelvely

VIDEO: MANDELA’S STRUGGLE SIMILAR TO THAT OF SRI LANKAN TAMILS - MANO

December 16, 2013 

The Democratic People’s Front (DPF) says that Sri Lanka is the most appropriate country in the world today to discuss the legacy of the late Nelson Mandela and that his history has many similarities with the Sri Lankan Tamils’ struggle.

 We need Nelson Mandela’s policies and principals to guide us more than any other country in the world, DPF leader Mano Ganesan said.

He stated that this is also the most appropriate time as Sri Lanka, in the post-war era, needs more and more sense of reconciliation.

Therefore we need a Nelson Mandela more than anybody else in the world and we need him right now in this era, he said, addressing a ceremony commemorating the anti-apartheid icon and South Africa’s first black President.

“Nelson Mandela’s history and legacy has many similarities with the Sri Lankan Tamils’ struggle,” Ganesan said.

He stated that many people tend to begin Mandela’s story right after he became President or after he took up arms, but Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) believing in a peaceful struggle within the democratic framework.    

However, when the then South African white regime responded with state terrorism, he had no other option but to start believing in an arms struggle, he said.

He took up arms against the white regime because he thought only the language of arms would be understood by them, he said. 

Similarly the former leaders of this country’s Tamil National Alliance fought against the governments of Sri Lanka democratically in a peaceful manner, however, the government responded with state violence, he said. “And they had no other way but to give into the state violence.”

Then a sizeable number of Tamil youths started believing in violence and an armed struggle, he said, adding, “Of course the TNA and DPF do not approve of violence in any form but a sizeable number of youth in our community started believing in an armed struggle.” 

So we have similarities between the struggle of nelson Mandela and the national struggle of Tamil people in this country, he reiterated. 

Possibly referring to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the DPF leader stated that people travelled from Colombo to Johannesburg to attend the funeral of Nelson Mandela and that he could only hope and pray that they come back taking a few lessons from South Africa, “at least in extending the hand of friendship to minorities.”

If not for the national issue I believe that at least they should understand that Mandela did not amend the constitution of South Africa to extend his term of office as President, Ganesan said.

The DPF believes that a peaceful, reasonable and fair discussion between Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim communities would only pave the way for peaceful coexistence and the sharing of political power, he said in conclusion.  

The Chief Incumbent of the Kotte Nagaviharaya, Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero, and TNA leader R. Sampanthan also attended the event.

Sobitha Thero, addressing the gathering, stated that Nelson Mandela, who retired after just one term as Presidnet, should serve as a great example for all world leaders who are greedy for power.

Fools Barge In Where Angels Fear to Tread

Dec-16-2013

President Rajapaksa’s visited South Africa, to pay his last respects to Mandela, but it is also an attempt to further strengthened the SA initiative.

Courtesy: Sri Lanka Guardian

(COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Guardian) - Suren Surendiran was elated when the South African officials announced the list of international delegations present at the funeral of Nelson Mandela, that included Global Tamil Forum (GTF) "as represented", but he failed to mention whom it was representing. GTF held talks with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and has been “officially invited” to “represent Tamils” at the funeral of former South African President Nelson Mandela. GTF Director and spokesperson Suren Surendran held talks with Obed Bopela, Deputy Minister in the Presidency. He is also Chairman of ANC’s International Relations Division. Suren also signed the official book of condolence during Mandela’s funeral.

Fools Barge in Where Angels Fear to Tread by nelvely

Nelson Mandela memorial interpreter 'was a fake'

Man who provided sign language interpretation on stage for Nelson Mandela's memorial service, attended by scores of heads of state, was simply "making childish hand gestures" for hours

By Aislinn Laing, Pretoria and Josie Ensor-11 Dec 2013

A mystery South African man who acted as a sign-language interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was a “fraud” who simply made “childish hand gestures” for hours as he stood on stage.

Deaf groups say the man, who has not yet been identified, made no sense in any language to those relying on him around the world, and did not seem to know the recognised signs for South Africa, Mr Mandela’s clan name Madiba, President Jacob Zuma or former President Thabo Mbeki.

As a result, they say, he had the effect of marginalising the deaf community, which was “contrary to everything Mandela fought for”.

The embarrassing revelation also raises questions about the security at the landmark event, which was attended by 91 heads of state and government including Barack Obama and David Cameron.

^{President Barack Obama stands next to the sign language interpreter after making his speech (AP)}

• 10 Dec 2013

The interpreter, who wore the clearance pass of a government official, stood just feet from Mr Obama as he made his widely-praised speech, and also interpreted for South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, who apparently faces such a high threat level that he recently spent £12.4m on security upgrades to his private home.

The latest embarrassment was compounded by the news that Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s house in Cape Town was burgled as he spoke at the event.

David Buxton, the CEO of the British Deaf Association, called on the South African authorities to “name and shame” the man who, he said, had acted in a way that was “disrespectful and hurtful” to deaf people around the world.

While some South Africans took to Twitter to claim the man had been signing in a South African language such as Xhosa or Zulu, Mr Buxton said he was purely making “childish hand gestures and clapping, it was as if he had never learn a word of sign language in his life”.

“It was hours of complete nonsense,” he said. “He is clearly a fraud who wanted to stand on stage with big and important people. It’s quite audacious if you think about it,” he said.

“It is incredibly disrespectful and hurtful to the deaf community.”

Mr Buxton said the man had provided sign language for a speech for Mr Zuma at a military event last year. At that appearance, a deaf person in the audience videotaped the event and gave it to the federation for the deaf, which analysed the video, prepared a report about it and submitted a formal complaint to the African National Congress (ANC).

Sign language experts in South Africa said that all of the country’s 11 official languages were covered by the same signs, and they saw none of them used, nor any of the facial gestures that usually feature.

Ingrid Parkin, principal of the St Vincent School for the Deaf in Johannesburg, said she had received complaints from deaf people from around the world about the “gibberish” interpretation.

“This man himself knows he cannot sign and he had the guts to stand on an international stage and do that,” she said.

Martie Miranda, a sign language instructor at the University of the Free State, said a simple phone call to DeafSA would have prevented the spectacle, which marginalised deaf viewers and was “contrary to everything Mandela fought for”.

It remains unclear whether the man was sourced by the government which organised the event, the ruling ANC or the national broadcaster the SABC.

The government said it was still looking into how the man was recruited. The SABC could not be reached for comment.