India-Sri Lanka Fishermen Dispute Remains Complicated Despite Modest AdvancesIndia-Sri Lanka Fishermen Dispute Remains Complicated Despite Modest Advances

A working group meeting between India and Sri Lanka on a dispute involving Tamil fishermen has been postponed.

By  Ankit Panda-March 13, 2014

A Sri Lankan court on Wednesday ordered the release of 116 Indian fishermen who had been arrested over the last two months for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) that demarcates Indian and Sri Lankan waters. The prisoner release comes after talks that took place in late January between Indian and Sri Lankan officials and their respective fishermen's associations.

Fishermen was intended to ease the release of the Next Round of talks between the officials, which were to take EXPECTED Place On Thursday this Week, but those talks have been postponed Now.  According to The Hindu  , "Yet is the Date for the Next Meeting to be fixed.

Further complicating matters for the Indian Government, the State Government of Tamil Nadu said that IT would  refrain From engaging  in the Next Round of talks unless Sri Lanka released All 177 Tamil Nadu Fishermen and Their BOATS Currently under 44 Colombo's gist.

Fishing disputes have been a feature of relations between the two South Asian neighbors for some time now. Sri Lankan Navy personnel have on occasion fired at and killed Indian fishermen for fishing in the narrow Palk Strait. Sri Lanka has also arrested several Indian fishermen for crossing the IMBL. The Indian fishermen, the majority of whom are ethnically Tamil, largely allege that the areas in which they conduct their fishing activities should not be a major issue given that Tamil fishermen have traditionally operated in these areas. One Source Notes that around 530 Indian Tamil fisherman  have been killed  at the Hands of the Sri Lankan Navy.

The issue is complicated by the issue of Katchatheevu Island - an uninhabited island that India ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974 based on a conditional agreement. In 2009, Sri Lanka declared sacred land Katchatheevu given the presence of a  Catholic shrine  there - a Move that was widely  condemned by J. Jayalalithaa , the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (Chief Minister at the Time means but she has become a vocal advocate for Tamil interests in Sri Lanka). Jayalalithaa has  also condemned Defense cooperation  between Sri Lanka and
On the Grounds that ignores the interests of IT
's the sizable Tamil Population.

Katchatheevu  isn't a Dispute  between the Governments of Central
and Sri Lanka - the Central Government in New Delhi recognizes Sri Lanka's sovereignty over the Island per the 1974 accord. The issue has become a domestic political issue between Tamil fishing interests, Tamil Nadu politicians, and the central government. Katchatheevu falls under the the territory Tamil fishermen regard as "traditionally" belonging to them and want to preserve the right to fish there.

The Joint Working Group on the fishing issue is therefore composed of central government officials from both countries and individuals representing the fishermen's interest. The goal of the current process is to work out an agreement that reduces the use of force against Indian fishermen straying near or into Sri Lankan waters, and streamlining judicial procedures so that Sri Lanka can respond to fishing violations by Indian fishermen in a manner agreeable to the government of Tamil Nadu, India's southernmost state.

President Rajapaksha and Extremist BBS launch joint attack on former Pre. Kumaratunga's Religious Harmony Campaign

President Rajapaksha and Extremist BBS launch joint attack on former Pre. Kumaratunga's Religious Harmony Campaign

Friday, March 14, 2014

Rajapaksha and Ganasara

Blaming govt. for failure to protect religious minorities: Another NGO project to tarnish Sri Lankas image - President

BBS threaned to turn themselves into an unofficial armed force to clear the country of prayer houses

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has alleged that those seeking to destabilise the country were now accusing the government of causing religious tensions. Addressing an UPFA propaganda rally at Galle on Wednesday, President Rajapaksa said that it was the latest NGO project directed against Sri Lanka during the ongoing sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. The President stressed that there was absolutely no basis for allegations that religious minorities were being targeted in the post-war era.

The war, the President said had been waged against the LTTE not the Tamil speaking people, the majority of whom were living outside the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

The President who is also the SLFP leader was responding to a report commissioned by the South Asia Policy and Research Institute (SAPRI) that dealt with what former President Chandrika Kumaratunga alleged was government backed campaign against Hindu, Muslim and Christian religious places of worship. CBK lambasted the government for turning a blind eye to what was going on in the country, after having met UNP National Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Opposition Leader's Office in Colombo.

Turning towards Buddhist, Hindu and Catholic priests on the stage as well as followers of all religions at the rally, he said the make-up there itself showed that there was no basis for what those trying to cause trouble for the country were propagating.

The SAPRI inaugurated its project on January 28, 2014 at a political event held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI). Among those present on the occasion were Ms. Kumaratunga, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan and Deputy Indian High Commissioner, P. Kumaran.

Ms. Kumaratunga earned the wrath of UPFA constituent, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) as well as Bodu Bala Sena for spearheading the SAPRI attack on the government of Sri Lanka. Both JHU and BBS yesterday addressed the media regarding the unsubstantiated allegations directed against the country. They pointed out that Mrs. Kumaratunga launched the SAPRI report in the wake of UPFA constituent, the SLMC alleging systematic attacks on Muslims. They pointed out that the SLMC leader, Rauff Hakeem went to the extent of calling for UNHRC intervention to save Muslims.

The BBS alleged that both Minister Hakeem and Ms. Kumaratunga were following an agenda extremely inimical to national interest.

JHU spokesperson Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe, who is contesting the forthcoming Western Provincial Council on the UPFA ticket, said that anti-Sri Lankan elements shouldn't be allowed to undermine the country especially at a time a section of the international community was working overtime to destabilize the country.

National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa, MP, too, alleged that Minister Hakeem had collaborated with those bent on subverting the country. The NFF leader said that the SLMC leader had obviously contributed to the UNHRC Chief Navi Pillay's damaging report meant to justify international war crimes investigation over accountability issues.

The Island

 BBS takes on CBK Demands she reveal funding source for SAPRI report on Sri Lanka Calls her an 'enemy of Buddhism'

BBS takes on CBK Demands she reveal funding source for SAPRI report on Sri Lanka Calls her an 'enemy of Buddhism'

The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) on Thursday (13), called former President, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, an enemy of Buddhism and demanded to know the funding source of a report on Sri Lanka.

 

They said, if the present regime does not take measures to control the growing scourge of prayer centres operated from homes, the BBS would turn into an unofficial armed force to clear the country of this menace.

 

Dilantha Withanage, Executive Committee Member and Programme Coordinator, BBS, said: "The report of the South Asian Policy and Research Institute (SAPRI) tries to nationally posit and internationally establish, Sinhalese Buddhists as inhumane people. The Chairperson of SAPRI, Kumaratunga, is living off the people, using their money, by maintaining an office and vehicles. "He demanded to know:" From where has this new found love for Sri Lanka come, and why has it come in the form of religious reconciliation? Where was she when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), bulldozed Buddhist sites in the North, or when the Dalada Maligawa was bombed? Why hasn't she reported the destruction of Buddhist museums in the Maldives and the slaughter of Buddhists in Bangladesh? "

 

He further stated: "Kumaratunga is trying to destroy Buddhism by isolating the Sinhalese Buddhists internationally, in order to obtain overseas funds to please certain parties. We challenge her to prove who funded the report by this non-governmental organization (NGO), how much was granted and how the money was utilized, in addition to the research methodology that was used. Her one-sided report has consequences and repercussions for our country, and in fact when she met Opposition Leader, Ranil Wickremasinghe, he too had told her that the report would have been better if the injustices committed on Buddhism, Buddhists and Buddhist monks were also included. This is all a conspiracy. "

 

Chamila Liyanage, Chief Coordinator, Education and Research Unit of the BBS, said: "Kumaratunga is an invalid figure who is trying to regain her social stature. Her report contains only alleged injustices meted out to Hindus, Catholics, Christians and Muslims. She, along with Dr. Kumar Rupesinghe, the Executive Director of the National Peace Council (NPC), Jehan Perera and the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) which is always breathing life in to the slain LTTE Leader, Prabhakaran's mummy, the Berghof Foundation and other NGOs are of the same ilk, cut from the same cloth. They along with the Scandinavian puppet politicians espouse a diluted form of multi-faith, multi-culturalism and separatist politics. Constitutionally, Buddhism is the primary religion of the country. "

By Ruwan Laknath Jayakody

Israel fires on 29 ‘terror sites’ after rockets from Gaza hit populated areas

A trail of smoke from rockets fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza toward Israel is seen above Gaza City on Wednesday

By Michael Martinez. Talal Abu Rahma and Kareem Khadder, CNN- Wed March 12, 2014

(CNN) — Israel responded with heavy fire after five rockets from Gaza landed Wednesday in populated areas of southern Israel, marking “the most substantial attack” in two years against the country, the Israeli military said.

The military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, called the Al-Quds Brigade, claimed responsibility for firing dozens of missiles on what it called “Israeli settlements.”

In response, Israel launched airstrikes on three areas in Gaza — Rafah, Khan Younis and Jabalia — that are believed to belong to Islamic Jihad, according to security sources in Gaza. A Hamas spokesman texted CNN to say they counted six airstrikes, but claimed they were against bases that were empty.

In all, the Israeli military targeted “29 terror sites” in Gaza, the military said on its Twitter page.

"Direct hits were confirmed," the military tweeted.

"In today’s attack, 41 rockets struck in Israel, five hit populated areas and three were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system," the military said in another statement. "This is the most substantial rocket attack from the Gaza Strip since Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012."

                  

Islamic Jihad and Hamas, which is the Palestinian movement running Gaza, evacuated their military and civilian institutions on expectation of Israeli reprisals, the security sources in Gaza said.

Israel intercepts ship with weapons headed to Gaza

In the wake of the attack, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman told Israeli army radio that “the position of my party Israel Beitanyu is that we support the full occupation of the whole of Gaza in any possible future action.”

       

Liberman opposed a response short of full occupation. “I am against a limited operation,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was later asked for his reaction to Liberman’s comments at a joint news conference with Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron Wednesday evening in Jerusalem.       

"If it is not quiet in southern Israel, it will be very noisy in Gaza," Netanyahu said in Hebrew.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called upon Israel to stop the “military escalation on the besieged Gaza Strip, considering that this escalation will put the isolated residents in the danger of the war and destruction,” presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said through the official Wafa news agency.

"The Gaza Strip is constantly being targeted by Israeli airstrikes that targeted many areas," Rudeineh said.

Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV flashed a banner stating: “The occupation bares the full responsibility regarding this wave of aggression and the ongoing escalation.”

Abu Ahmad, spokesman for the Al-Quds Brigades, said the rocket fire came “after a long series of violations to the truce with the Palestinian resistance since November 2012.”

"This operation, dubbed ‘Breaking the Silence,’ comes as a response to the ongoing and continued Zionist Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza," Ahmad said.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon ordered a halt to the shipment of goods to Gaza through a crossing on the Gaza-Israel-Egypt border until security assessments are made, the military said in statement.

However, another crossing will be open for humanitarian movements, the military said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the multiple rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel and urged maximum restraint by all parties to prevent an escalation of violence and destabilization to the region, a spokesman said.

Israeli Apache helicopters flew over Gaza City on Wednesday after several rockets were reportedly fired from the Palestinian territory at the Israeli town of Sderot, officials said.

The Al-Quds Brigade claimed responsibility on its website for firing a total of 34 rockets and 14 mortar rounds at “Zionist targets.”

Russia Puts Opposition Leader’s Blog on Internet Blacklist

Alexei Navalny

 13/03/2014

MOSCOW, March 13 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s telecoms watchdog said on Thursday it blacklisted the LiveJournal blog of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and several other independent websites.

The anti-Kremlin activist, who is under house arrest, is forbidden from leaving his residence – an apartment in the Moscow suburbs – and from using the Internet, telephone or any other means of communication with the world outside of his family, lawyers and police investigators until April 28.

“The functioning of this page violates a court ruling establishing terms of confinement for a citizen who is under criminal investigation,” telecoms watchdog Roscomnadzor said in a statement.

Navalny, who played a leading role in mass street protests against Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the winter of 2011-2012, is under investigation together with his brother Oleg for allegedly embezzling money from cosmetics company Yves Rocher.

He is also serving a five-year suspended sentence for an embezzlement conviction in a separate case that he claims was fabricated in retribution for his opposition activities.

Roscomnadzor also blacklisted independent website grani.ru, opposition website Kasparov.ru and the online newspaper Yezhednevny Zhurnal for “inciting users to engage in unlawful activities and take part in mass rallies that are in breach of the law.”

“Telecommunication companies have been ordered to immediately restrict access to all these resources,” the watchdog said.

A 2012 law allows Russian state agencies to block, without a court order, websites they deem to be promoting illegal content.

Russia issues warning after fatal clashes in Ukraine city of Donetsk

Moscow declares right to 'protect compatriots' and accuses Kiev over violence between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian protesters

Police stand between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian crowds on Thursday in Donetsk. A 22-year-old man was stabbed to death during clashes later on. Photograph: Alexander Khudoteply/AFP/Getty Images

 Friday 14 March 2014

Russia said on Friday it reserved the right to protect compatriots in eastern Ukraine after clashes in the city of Donetsk in which one person was killed.

Russia's foreign ministry said the violence in the industrial city, where many people speak Russian, showed the Ukrainian authorities had lost control.

A 22-year-old man was stabbed to death during clashes between pro-Russian protesters and supporters of the new government in Kiev who denounce the seizure of Ukraine's southern region of Crimea by Russian forces.

"Russia is aware of its responsibility for the lives of compatriots and fellow citizens in Ukraine and reserves the right to take people under its protection," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Implying the pro-Russian protesters were not to blame, the ministry said peaceful protesters had been attacked by rightwing groups armed with pneumatic guns and batons who arrived from other parts of Ukraine.

Witnesses, however, said the pro-Russian demonstrators threw eggs, smoke bombs and other missiles and broke through a police cordon, attacking their opponents with batons.

The death was the first reported in recent Ukrainian violence outside the capital, Kiev. Police detained four people accused of fomenting the violence.

The rightwing party Svoboda, hostile to Russian policy, said the dead man was one of its local activists.

Donetsk, a city of one million people, was calm on Friday morning.

Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of supporting groups in the Donetsk region which favour Kremlin rule and sending militants across the border.

The Kremlin says its intervention in favour of ethnic Russians in Crimea was prompted by the removal of the Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich in what Moscow describes as a coup staged by right-wing nationalists.

The Duma, Russia's parliament, has given Vladimir Putin the right to use the armed forces to protect Russians in Ukraine if necessary.

Kerry and Lavrov meet, but omens on Ukraine are not good 

Friday 14 Mar 2014

I suspect that the real achievement of today’s meeting in London between John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov is that it is happening at all.

The lines of communication are staying open at least, despite no sign of a Russian troop withdrawal from Crimea. But the omens for a resolution of this crisis remain very poor.

For the diplomatic chill is set to deepen again this weekend, when Crimea is planning to vote on joining Russia, and when Europe will draw up a list of visa restrictions and asset freezes as part of a first round of sanctions against Moscow.

European sanctions matter more than American ones, because the trade between Russia and Europe is so many times greater – though the prospect of America eventually leading a boycott of this summer’s G8 summit in Sochi would be quite some snub and probably be taken very personally by Vladimir Putin himself.

The idea this week is for the west to punish in order to persuade; to make it clear that if there is no troop withdrawal, or at least no admission of European monitors, or no beginning to talks between Moscow and Kiev on what is fast becoming a territorial dispute, then more sanctions will follow.

Angela Merkel, who urged caution last week, is sounding much tougher on this now. Her patience is wearing thin, despite the mutual damage to Germany and Russia that economic sanctions would cause.

But the irony is that the tougher the west becomes, the more intransigent the Russians are likely to become.

The siege mentality, the years of frustration at Nato‘s and the EU’s eastward expansion, Russia’s need to define its traditional backyard in 19th century military terms, will surely only intensify.

Military confrontation seems unlikely, but if it happened would likely be caused by one of three things: either the Russians provoking violence in eastern Ukraine to justify and possibly expand their troop presence; or the Ukrainians provoking violence out of frustration at the deadlock over their territorial occupation; or a clash between hotheads on both sides with unintended consequences.

- See more at: http://blogs.channel4.com/jonathan-rugman-on-foreign-affairs/kerry-lavrov-meet-omens-good/#sthash.2TxcSlrR.dpuf

ஆர்.ஜே பவித்திராவின் அதிரடி கேள்விகளும், இயக்குனர் லெனினின் எதார்த்தமான பதில்களும் !

வெற்றி வானொலியில் ஞாயிறுதோறும் ஒலிபரப்பாகும் ”Koffee With Pavi” நிகழ்ச்சி, ஈழத்து கலைஞர்களுக்கு கிடைத்த ஒரு வரப்பிரசாதம் என்றே சொல்லவேண்டும். ஒவ்வொரு ஞாயிறும் கலைஞர்களை அழைத்து வந்து, பேட்டி எடுத்து அவர்களின் திறமைகளை உலகறியச் செய்கிறார்கள். ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை மட்டுமல்லாது, ஏனைய விஷேட தினங்களிலும் இந்த நிகழ்ச்சி ஒலிபரப்பாவதுண்டு.

அந்த வகையில் கடந்த 14 ம் திகதி காதலர்தினத்தன்றும் இந்த நிகழ்ச்சி ஒலிபரப்பானது. நிகழ்ச்சியில் A Gun And A Ring படத்தின் இயக்குனர் லெனின் எம் சிவம் அவர்களும், இப்படத்தை பிரித்தானியாவில் வெளியீடு செய்யும் Echo8 நிறுவனத்தின் உறுப்பினர்களும் கலந்துகொண்டு சிறப்பித்தார்கள். நிகழ்ச்சியில் இயக்குனர் லெனின் அவர்களிடம் சரமாரியான கேள்விகளை முன்வைத்தார், நிகழ்ச்சி தயாரிப்பாளர் ஆர் ஜே பவித்ரா. எல்லாக் கேள்விகளுக்கும் சிறப்பான பதிலை வழங்கினார் இயக்குனர் லெனின் அவர்கள். பலராலும் பாராட்டப்பட்ட அந்த நிகழ்ச்சியினை இங்கே மீள் வெளியீடு செய்கிறோம். இந்த ஒலிக்கீற்றுக்களை எமக்குத் தந்துதவிய வெற்றி வானொலி நிர்வாகத்துக்கு எமது நன்றிகள்..!

”A Gun And A Ring” எப்படியான படம்?

எங்கள் பிரச்சனைகளுக்கு தீர்வு துப்பாக்கியா? மோதிரமா?

”விமர்சகர்களின் புகழுரைகளை ஏற்கிறீர்களா?”

தொடக்க கால சினிமா அனுபவங்கள் குறித்து….

உங்கள் தந்தையாரும் ஒரு பிரபல நடிகராமே

உங்கள் திரைப்படத்துக்கு கிடைத்த அங்கீகாரங்கள் எவை?

இப்படத்துக்கு ஒரு லட்சம் கனேடிய டொலர்கள் செலவிடப்பட்டது ஏன்?

சீனாவில் நடந்த மிகப்பெரிய ஊடக சந்திப்பில் முக்கிய கருத்துக்கள் சொன்னீர்களாமே? அப்படி என்னதான் சொன்னீர்கள்?

இயகுனர் பிரேம்கதிருடனான நட்பு பற்றி சொல்லுங்கள்? இரண்டு படைப்பாளிகள் ஒற்றுமையாக இருக்கிறீர்களே? எப்படி?

நடிகர்களிடம் எப்படி வேலை வாங்கினீர்கள்?

ஒரு கறுப்பினத்தவருக்கும் ஈழ தமிழ் பெண்ணுக்கும் காதல் என்பதாக காட்டியிருக்கிறீர்களே? சமூக காவலர்கள் சண்டைக்கு வரவில்லையா?

உங்கள் படத்தை மக்கள் ஏன் பார்க்க வேண்டும்?

டிக்கட்டின் விலைகள் அதிகமாமே? ஏன்?

நிறைய புத்தகங்கள் படிப்பீர்களாமே?

புதிய படைப்பாளிகளுக்கு என்ன சொல்கிறீர்கள்?

படத்தின் பின்னரான சவால்களை எப்படி சமாளிக்கிறீர்கள்?

சிதறிப்போய் இருக்கும் ஈழத்தமிழ் இனத்தை ஒன்றுபடுத்த உங்களிடம் ஏதேனும் யோசனைகள் உண்டா?

1 comments

The two Sri Lankas

Thursday 13th March 2014

• Strongly opposing views north and south of the island about human rights, the US draft resolution and the prospect of international intervention tells a damning story about how deep ethnic and ideological divisions run in Sri Lanka five years after the war ended 

Five years after the end of a brutal war, the north and south of Sri Lanka have vastly different heroes.
On a humid November day last year, throngs of men, women and children flocked to the dusty grounds of the Nallur Temple in Jaffna. At the appointed time, they moved near the Duraiyappah Stadium, a place where VVIP helicopters typically land. Placards, photographs and black armbands come out, as the crowd stands single file on the road opposite the famous sports ground.

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                                                                                         The Two Sri Lankas by Thavam Ratna

வடக்கில் சுமுக சூழல் ஏற்பட இராணுவம் முற்றாக வெளியேற வேண்டும்; அவைத்தலைவர் சீ.வி.கே பிரான்ஸ் தூதுவரிடம் எடுத்துரைப்பு

10 மார்ச் 2014, திங்கள்

இராணுவம் தற்போதும் எங்களை எதிரியாகவே பார்க்கின்றது. அவ்வாறு இருக்கும் போது நாங்களும் அவர்களை எங்களோடு உள்ளவர்கள் என்று பார்க்க வாய்ப்பில்லை.எனவே வடக்கில் இருந்து இராணுவம் விலகினால் மட்டுமே  சுமுகமான சூழல் ஏற்படும் என வடக்கு மாகாண சபையின் அவைத்தலைவர் சீ.வி. கே சிவஞானம் இலங்கைக்கான பிரான்ஸ் தூதுவரிடம் எடுத்துரைத்துள்ளார்.

பிரான்ஸ் நாட்டின் இலங்கைக்கான தூதுவர்  ஜோன் போல் மொன்ஞ்சு இன்று  வடமாகாண சபையின் அவைத்தலைவரைச் சந்தித்து கலந்துரையாடினார். அதன்போதே தூதுவரிடம் எடுத்துக் கூறியதாக அவைத்தலைவர் ஊடகவியலாளர்களிடம் தெரிவித்தார்.

அவர் மேலும் தெரிவிக்கையில்,

பிரான்ஸ் தூதுவருடனான சந்திப்பில் தற்போதுள்ள பிரச்சிகைள் பல கலந்துரையாடப்பட்டன. அதன்படி வடமாகாணத்தில் தனியார் காணிகளை இராணுவம் தமது தேவைகளுக்காக பயன்படுத்தி வருகின்றது. இதனால் மக்கள் மீள்குடியமர முடியாமலும் வாழ்வாதாரத்தை மேற்கொள்ள முடியாமலும் உள்ளனர்.

அத்துடன் எமது நிலப்பகுதியை ஆக்கிரமித்துக் கொண்டு விவசாயம் , ஜோக்கட் தொழிற்சாலைகள் மற்றும் விருந்தினர் விடுதிகள் என்பனவற்றை அமைத்து வியாபார  நடவடிக்கைகளில் ஈடுபட்டும் வருகின்றனர் இவ்வாறான செயற்பாடுகள் அவசியம் அற்றது. எனவே மக்கள் சொந்த நிலங்களில் குடியமர்வதற்காக தனியார் காணிகளை விட்டு இராணுவம் வெளியேற வேண்டும்.

மேலும் வடக்கு மாகாணத்தில் இராணுவ பிரசன்னம் அதிகரித்து காணப்படுகின்றது எனவே  இராணுவ பிரசன்னம் முற்றாக நீக்கப்பட வேண்டும் . இவ்வாறான அதிகரித்த பிரசன்னங்களால் இராணுவத்தினர் சிவில் வாழ்க்கையில் தலையிட்டு வருகின்றனர் இதனால் சுதந்திரமாக எந்தவொரு செயற்பாட்டினையும் மேற்கொள்ள முடியவில்லை. எனவே இந்த நிலை மாற்றப்பட வேண்டும் என்றும் அவரிடம் கூட்டிக்காட்டினேன்.

அதனையடுத்து இராணுவத்தினர் வடக்கில் இருப்பதால் என்ன பிரச்சினை உள்ளது என்றும் சிவில் நிகழ்வுகளில் கலந்து கொள்வதால் என்ன பிரச்சினை உள்ளது என்றும் என்னிடம் வினவினார்.

அதற்கு இராணுவம் உள்ளதே பிரச்சினை தான். இராணுவம் தற்போதும்  எங்களை எதிரியாகவே பார்க்கின்றது. அவ்வாறு இருக்கும்  போது நாங்களும் அவர்களை எங்களோடு உள்ளவர்கள் என்று பார்க்கக்கூடிய அளவிற்கு வாய்ப்பில்லை. இதனால் வடக்கில் இருந்து இராணுவம் விலகினால் தான் ஒரு சுமூகமான சூழலை ஏற்படுத்த முடியும் என அவருக்கு தெளிவுபடுத்தினேன்.

அத்துடன் போரினால் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட அதிகளவு பெண்கள் தனது குடும்பத்தினை கவனித்து வருகின்றனர். எனினும் குடும்பத்துக்கான வருமானத்தை பெற்றுக் கொள்ள வெளியில் சென்று சுதந்திரமாக தொழிலை மேற்கொள்ள முடியாத நிலையில் உள்ளனர். இதற்கும்  இராணுவ பிரசன்னமே காரணம் என எடுத்துக் கூறினேன்.
அதனை அவர் ஏற்றுக் கொண்டுள்ளதாக தெரிவித்திருந்தார்.

அத்துடன் எமக்கு என உள்ள  இனத்துவ அடையாளங்களை பாதுகாத்துக் கொள்ளக் கூடிய ஒரு அதிகாரம் கொண்ட கட்டமைப்பினையே  நாம் விரும்புகின்றோம். அதற்கு அமையவே நாம் செயற்படுவோம். அதற்குள் இராணுவம் உட்புகுந்து கொள்ளாது விலகிச் செல்ல வேண்டும்  என்று தூதுவரிடம்  தெரிவித்தேன்.

மேலும் போருக்குப் பின்னர் உட்கட்டமைப்பு வசதிகளை வடக்கில் ஏற்படுத்துவதாக அரசு அறிவித்துள்ளதே அவை எவ்வாறு இடம்பெற்று வருகின்றது என்றும் அவர் என்னிடம் கேள்வி எழுப்பியிருந்தார்.

வீதிகள் உள்ளிட்ட சில விடயங்களை அரசு அபிவிருத்தி என்ற அடிப்படையில் செய்து வருகின்றது. எனினும் போரினால் முழுமையாக பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கின்ற எமது வடக்கு மக்களுக்கு மீள்குடியேற்றம் மற்றும் வாழ்வாதார முயற்சிகள் இவையே தற்போது மிகவும் அவசியமாக உள்ளது. அதற்கான உதவிகளை வழங்குவதே சிறந்ததாகும்.

இருப்பினும் வீதி அபிவிருத்திகளை நாம் எதிர்க்கவில்லை. எனினும் முன்னுரிமை அடிப்படையில் அரசாங்கம் உட்கட்டமைப்பு வசதிகளை வழங்க வேண்டும்.  இவ்வாறான விடயங்களை  அவரிடம் எடுக்கூறியதாக அவைத்தலைவர் மேலும் தெரிவித்தார்.

- See more at: http://onlineuthayan.com/News_More.php?id=207932722611383573#sthash.OE4BiaKP.dpuf

Sri Lanka: TNA responses to statement made by FM G.L. Peiris at HRC25

Sri Lanka: TNA responses to statement made by FM G.L. Peiris at HRC25

Open hospital in Vanni war xone(  photo: JDS)

Thursday, March 13, 2014

''In regard to the killing of a large number of Tamil civilians in the final stages of the war, the ascertainment of the truth would largely depend on how many of the persons inside the conflict zone during the final stages have been accounted for. This cannot be ascertained through a census done throughout the whole country. The GoSL claimed that there were around 60,000 persons in the conflict zone. The reality is believed to be that there were upwards of 350,000 persons in the conflict zone. Around 290,000 persons came out. The truth needs to be ascertained by the issue being addressed directly instead of attempting to obfuscate the issue.''

Sri Lanka TNA Responses to Statement Made by FM G.L. Peiris at HRC25 by Thavam Ratna

Monroe, Putin, Modi And Sri Lanka

By Tisaranee Gunasekara -March 13, 2014 

“If America can have Monroe Doctrine in Southern Hemisphere, we can have one in South Asia… Like (Lord) Hanuman, we must realise our strength….” - Yashwant Sinha, BJP Leader[i]

The ascendance of Narendra Modi did not take the Rajapaksas by surprise. On the contrary, the Ruling Siblings did their best to reach out to the BJP. The 2013-visit to Sri Lanka, by a BJP-Shiv Sena-RSS delegation, even as saffron-agents of the Rajapaksas were stoking anti-Muslim fires, marked the apogee of this outreach[ii].

The Rajapaksas may have believed that their anti-Muslim image would suffice to build a bridge-of-commonality to a Modi-India. The knowledge that Mr. Modi was declared a persona-non-grata by the US for his role in the horrendous Gujarati-riots[iii] would have further cemented Colombo’s belief that Sinhala-Buddhist strongmen of Sri Lanka and Hindu-strongmen of India can do business, in amity and to mutual advantage.

The Rajapaksas forgot the Dragon in the Room.

A Modi-government would have been willing to just pay lip service to the Lankan Tamil issue, as the previous Vajpayee-led BJP administration did, but for two critical developments – the death of Vellupillai Pirapaharan (the BJP was not enamoured of the Tiger-leader because of his proven unwillingness to become an Indian-pawn); and Rajapaksa Sri Lanka’s growing dependency on China.

The BJP has not been very vocal on foreign policy issues this election season. References to China constitute a clear exception to this general reticence. Last month Narendra Modi warned China about its ‘expansionist mindset’. BJP President Rajnath Singh has demanded the scrapping of Border Defence Cooperation Agreement with China, arguing that it is against India’s national interests[iv].

The BJP’s stance is simple: India is the pre-eminent power in South Asia and China, by developing close relationships with smaller regional-states, is intervening in India’s natural sphere-of-influence. In BJP-eyes this Chinese presence is not only a threat to India’s security; it also encourages India’s smaller neighbours to ‘disrespect’ India. The BJP believes that India, as the sole-superpower of South Asia, has the same rights in her ‘backyard’ that the Americans claimed for themselves in the 19^th Century via Monroe Doctrine and the Russians are claiming for themselves in Ukraine.

Brashness is a visceral-vice of the parvenu. In 1895, the American government sent a diplomatic-note, demanding that global-superpower Great Britain respects the Monroe Doctrine vis-à-vis the British Guiana-Venezuela border issue. When asked why this diplomatic note was cast in extremely bellicose language, US Secretary of State Richard Olney replied that since “in English eyes the United States was then so completely a negligible quantity….only words the equivalent of blows would be effective”[v].                                                           Read More

Tamil activists and international NGOs reiterate calls for COI

11 March 2014

An event held on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council earlier today highlighted ongoing rights violations occurring in North-East of the island of Sri Lanka, calling for a international Commission of Inquiry into abuses committed during the armed conflict and that carry on to this day.

Organised by the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism on the sidelines of the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council Geneva, the event saw speakers from the North-East who described the violations that continued to take place and called for a international Commission of Inquiry. Speakers that addressed the event included IMADR President Nimalka Fernando, Anne-Kathrin Glatz from theInternal Displacement Monitoring Centre, TNA Northern Provincial Council memberAnanthi Sasitharan, Rev. Jeyabalan a member of the Christian clergy in Mannar, Sri Lankan human rights activist and lawyer Niran Anketell, and Sandya Ekneligoda, whose husband Prageeth, a renowned cartoonist, was disappeared.

See live coverage from the event on our Twitter page - @TamilGuardian

IMADR president Nimalka Fernando also told the event how the denial of the right to self-determination was just one of the several violations currently taking place, adding,

“the reconciliation that is needed should also provide dignity to the Tamil Nation on the island.”

Fernando went on to tell the audience,

"The international intervention we are calling for is a just cause, people in Sri Lanka have waited for long enough... The issue is not just about setting up any international mechanism.... We need a comprehensive international investigation that addresses violations before during and after the war."

Anne-Kathrin Glatz from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre noted the plight of IDPs in the North-East, stating that government figures which claim that there were 23,568 were false. She stated that figures obtained from the organisation’s research suggested that there were over 90,000 IDPs.

Also addressing the event was Reverend Jeyabalan from Mannar who spoke of ongoing disappearances in the North-East, including the recent abduction of a Tamil priest.

Speaking on the current situation he went on to add,

“There is a clear attempt to change the ethnic makeup of the North-East through land grabs and militarisation”.

Northern Province Councillor, Ananthi Sasitharan outlined the ongoing genocide of the Tamil people telling the audience that,

“The government is trying to systematically destroy the Tamil nation. They are destroying its culture, politics economy and society.”

Calling for a Commission of Inquiry and a political solution that addresses the root causes of the conflict, she added,

“Sri Lanka has done nothing towards reconciliation and the root causes of the conflict remain unresolved. The Sri Lankan state is conducting: land grabs amounting to demographic changes, military occupation, coercive birth control methods, torture of political prisoners and other ongoing human rights violations. All of this is aimed at breaking down the Tamil nation. They are using these methods to carry out a genocide of our people.”

See her full speech here.

Speaking on the futility of calling upon Sri Lanka to investigate these crimes, Niran Anketell, a Sri Lankan human rights activist and lawyer stated that the Sri Lankan government does not need any more time and space to address these issues. Commenting on the lack of independence in the judiciary, he went on to say,

“What are the prospects of a domestic process where every judge is picked by the president himself?”

Sandya Ekneligoda, the wife of disappeared cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda, also spoke at the event saying that all those who lost their love ones need to have truth and justice.

அரசியல்வாதிகளின் துணையுடன் வவுனியாவில் காணிகள் அபகரிப்பு : வட மாகாண சுகாதார அமைச்சர் ஆதங்கம்

09 மார்ச் 2014, ஞாயிறு
வவுனியா மாவட்டத்தில் வெங்கலச்செட்டிகுளம் பிரதேச செயலகத்திற்குட்பட்ட சூடுவெந்தபுலவு கிராமசேவையாளர் பிரிவிலுள்ள பாவற்குளத்தில்  உள்ள நூறு ஏக்கருக்கு டு வருகின்றது என பொது மக்களால் முறைப்பாடு கிடைக்கப்பெற்றிருப்பதாக வமேற்பட்ட காணிகள் இராணுவ குடியிருப்பு அமைப்பதற்காக மிகவும் சூசகமான முறையில் சுவீகரிப்பதற்கான நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்ட மாகாண சுகாதார அமைச்சர் வைத்தயகலாநிதி ப.சத்தியலிங்கம் தெரிவித்தார்.

இது தமிழர்களின் பாரம்பரிய பிரதேசமாகும். இப்பகுதியில் தமிழ்மக்கள் சேனைப் பயிர்ச்செய்கை மேற்கொண்ட வந்துள்ளனர். நாட்டில் ஏற்பட்ட யுத்த நிலைமை காரணமாக வேறுபகுதிகளுக்கு இந்த மக்கள் இடம்பெயர்ந்த நிலையில் இவ்வாறான நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டு வருகின்றது.

ஏறக்குறைய நூறு ஏக்கரிற்கு அதிகமான காணிகளை சுவீகரித்து இராணுவ குடியிருப்பு அமைப்பதற்கான முயற்சிகள் மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டு வருகின்றது. ஏற்கனவே இராணுவத்தின் உதவியுடன் பாதைகள் அமைக்கும் பணிகள் நடைபெற்று வருகின்றது.

இதில் வேடிக்கையான விடயம் என்னவெனில் வெங்கலச் செட்டிகுளம் பிரதேச செயலகத்தின் நிர்வாகத்திலுள்ள இந்த கிராமத்தின் காணியை அரசாங்க நில அளவையாளரை கொண்டு அளவீடு செய்ய வவுனியா தெற்கு சிங்கள பிரதேச செயலாளரின் கோரிக்கையின் பிரகாரம் காணி வரைபடம் தயாரிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இதற்கான காணி எல்லைகள் சிங்களப்பிரதேச செயலகத்தைச் சேர்ந்த கிராமசேவகர் மற்றும் குடியேற்ற உத்தியோகத்தர்களால் இனங்காட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது. அத்துடன் மீள்குடியேற்றம் என்ற பெயரில் மாவட்ட காணி பயன்பாட்டுக்குழுவின் அனுமதியின்றி ஒட்டுமொத்தமாக அனைத்து காணி வழங்கல் தொடர்பான நியமங்கள் எதுவும் பின்பற்றப்படாமல் இரகசியமான முறையில் இந்த காணி சுவீகரிப்ப முயற்சி மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டு வருகின்றது.

இதன் பின்னணியில் அரசாங்க கட்சியின் சில அரசியல்வாதிகளும் துணைபோவதாக தெரிய வருகின்றது. இதுதொடர்பில் தீர்க்கமான முடிவொன்றை எட்டுவதற்காக இந்த விடயத்தை வடமாகாண முதலமைச்சரின் கவனத்திற்கு கொண்டுவரவுள்ளேன் என்று தெரிவித்தார்.

- See more at: http://onlineuthayan.com/News_More.php?id=244602717811376668#sthash.AZvAh9Mf.dpuf

Human Rights Commission Is Inactive: Villagers Of Panama Protest Land Grabbing

March 13, 2014

The People of Panama villages, in the Ampara District including Shasthrawela, Ragamwela, Ulla, Ulpassa and Ragamwela will demonstrate their condemnation of the inaction of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Sri Lanka, in defending their Right to Land and Livelihood tomorrow.

The villagers will protest against the inaction of NHRC in implementing its own recommendations on behalf of the villagers of Panama, outlawing the grabbing of land, torching of houses, and violent physical attack of villagers in 2010, has now resulted in hundreds of families being destitute – Landless, Homeless, and deprived of their livelihoods.

The villagers continue to oppose the World Bank (WB) – Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) joint commissioning of the ‘Arugam Bay Special Tourism Promotion Zone’ in their area, a press release about the demonstration said.

The villagers have organized themselves as the Panam-Paththuwa Surekeeme Sangvidhanaya (Organization for the Protection of Panam-Paththuwa) and will demonstrate in front of the Head Office of the National Human Rights Commission – No.165, Kynsey Road, Borella, Colombo 08., on 14 MARCH 2014 at 10:00 a.m. The people will hold posters and banners expressing their grievances and suffering to condemn the injustice.