The Chinese Believe That the Jews Control America. Is That a Good Thing?

Prof. Xu Xin’s Institute of Jewish and Israel Studies at Nanjing University seeks to establish Chinese scholarship on Jews

By Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore|March 27, 2014 

Professor Xu Xin, 2010. (Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, York University)

“Do the Jews Really Control America?” asked one Chinese newsweekly headline in 2009. The factoids doled out in such articles and in books about Jews in China—for example: “The world’s wealth is in Americans’ pockets; Americans are in Jews’ pockets”—would rightly be seen to be alarming in other contexts. But in China, where Jews are widely perceived as clever and accomplished, they are meant as compliments. Scan the shelves in any bookstore in China and you are likely to find best-selling self-help books based on Jewish knowledge. Most focus on how to make cash. Titles range from 101 Money Earning Secrets From Jews’ Notebooks to Learn To Make Money With the Jews.

The Chinese Believe That the Jews Control America. is That a Good Thing by nelvely

Google and Facebook fight for web supremacy with drones and balloons

Google and Facebook fight for web supremacy with drones and balloons

Saturday 29 Mar 2014

Facebook’s announcement that it is exploring the use of drones to spread internet access around the world is another illustration of how the world’s largest internet companies are vying to dominate the very architecture behind the web.

As part of its internet.org project, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it was exploring the idea of using drones, satellites and lasers to give internet access to remote areas.

Solar-powered, pilotless craft could stay in the air, potentially for years, with the advantage that they can be pulled down for repairs, unlike satellites which are expensive to launch and retrieve.

An artist’s impression of a drone that could provide internet access (picture: Facebook)

Google has also talked of plans to use high-altitude hot air balloons to provide internet access, under the appropriately-titled Project Loon.

The win from these pie-in-the-sky projects is clear: more internet users probably means more Google and Facebook users, and therefore more eyeballs to put adverts in front of.

But, as I’ve blogged before, there is now a concerted attempt by these companies, who traditionally have provided internet services, to run parts of the very infrastructure that supports the web.

At the moment, that task has been left to giants like Cisco who turn a healthy profit by beavering away in the background to make sure our status updates, tweets and clicks get to the right place. It means there’s been a separation between the platform (the internet) and the services provided through it (social networking, search, etc).

The risk is that, as companies which specialise in the latter get increasingly involved in the former, it’ll be hard for them to resist the temptation to skew the internet so that it makes their own services run better.

It also raises the prospect that in future we may have an array of internet-supplying vehicles hovering in our skies – bringing a whole new meaning to “cloud computing”.

The key question will be: do you want to get your internet from Facebook’s drone or the Google balloon?

Follow @geoffwhite247 on Twitter

- See more at: http://blogs.channel4.com/geoff-white-on-technology/google-facebook-fight-web-supremacy-drones-balloons/821#sthash.dte7mNrb.dpuf

சர்வதேச விசாரணைக்கு அங்கீகாரம் கிடைத்துள்ளது : அமெரிக்க செனட் குழு

29 மார்ச் 2014, சனி

இலங்கையில் இடம்பெற்றதாகக் குற்றஞ்சாட்டப்படுகின்ற போர்க்குற்றங்கள் மீது ஒரு சுயாதீனமான சர்வதேச விசாரணைக்கு இப்போது அங்கீகாரம் கிடைத்துள்ளதாக அமெரிக்க செனட் வெளிவிவகாரக் குழுத் தலைவர் றொபேட் மெனன்ட்ஸ் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

 

அமெரிக்க நியூஜேர்சி மாநிலத்திற்கான அமெரிக்க மேலவையின் இரண்டு செனட்டர்களில் ஒருவரான றொபேட் மெனன்டஸ் கடந்த வியாழக்கிழமை விடுத்துள்ள அறிக்கையில் மேலும் தெரிவித்துள்ளதாவது

 

ஐக்கிய அமெரிக்காவினால் இணைந்து பிரேரிக்கப்பட்டு, ஐ.நா. மனித உரிமைகள் கவுன்ஸிலினால் நிறைவேற்றப்பட்டுள்ள தீர்மானத்தை நான் வாழ்த்துகிறேன்.

 

இலங்கையில் நடந்த விடயங்களுக்கான பொறுப்புக் கூறல் என்பது எப்போதோ நடந்திருக்க வேண்டியது. இருதரப்பாலும் செய்யப்பட்ட பாரதூரமான மனித உரிமைகள் மீறல்களுக்கான பொறுப்புக் கூறல், நீதி மற்றும் நல்லிணக்கம் என்பவற்றை ஒரு சுயாதீனமான ஐ.நா. விசாரணை இப்போது சாத்தியமாக்கும் என்று நான் நம்புகின்றேன்.

 

இந்த மாதத்தின் தொடக்கத்தில் ஐ.நா.மனித உரிமைகள் கவுன்ஸிலின் ஆணையாளருக்கு நான் ஒரு மடல் வரைந்திருந்தேன்.

 

இந்தப் பிரேரணைக்கான எனது ஆதரவை நான் அவருக்கு உறுதிப்படுத்தியிருந்ததுடன், பொதுமக்கள் சமூகம் செயற்படுவதற்கான சூழலின் இயல்புத் தன்மை இலங்கையில் குறைந்து வருவதையிட்டு எனது கவலையையும் நான் அந்தக் கடிதத்தில் அவரது கவனத்திற்குக் கொண்டு வந்திருந்தேன்.

 

இலங்கையிலே – ஊடகத்துறையினர், மனித உரிமைகள் காப்பாளர்கள் மற்றும் சிறுபான்மை மதத்தவர்களுக்கான சூழல் மோசமடைந்து வருவதையிட்டு நான் எப்போதும் மிகவும் கவலையுடனும் கரிசனையுடனும் உள்ளேன்.

 

அதனால் முக்கியத்துவம் மிக்க இந்த விவகாரங்களைக் கவனத்தில் எடுத்து, அவற்றைச் சீர்படுத்துவதற்கான நடவடிக்கைகளையும் எடுக்குமாறு இலங்கை அரசாங்கத்தையும் நான் கேட்டுக் கொள்கின்றேன் - என்றார்.

- See more at: http://onlineuthayan.com/News_More.php?id=463012799830297129#sthash.6vuJhpOp.dpuf

US insists time to seek accountability is now-Resolution not against but in support of Sri Lanka 


By Dilrukshi Handunnetti-

March 29, 2014 
 
The time to pursue lasting peace and prosperity is now, and justice and accountability cannot wait for Sri Lanka that had suffered nearly three decades of war, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Michele J. Sison, said yesterday.
Speaking at a roundtable with Colombo-based journalists, the US envoy emphasized that the resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Thursday was 'not against Sri Lanka but was undertaken in support of the Sri Lankan people' and one that recognized the resilience they (Sri Lankans) have shown after years of war and their yearning for democracy and prosperity.
 
Reiterating the position expressed by the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, about peace and reconciliation in the island having to be pursued 'now,' Sison said, the resolution built on the two previous resolutions, affirming the belief of the international community that .continued effort is needed to help Sri Lanka take meaningful action on reconciliation, justice and accountability.
 
When questioned about the public sentiment that the resolution was 'harsh' and 'judgemental,' the US envoy said, the UNHRC resolution recognized the need to pursue peace and reconciliation as an immediate requirement and had the interest of Sri Lankans at heart. Denying that the draft undermined the domestic processes, Sison said the resolution focused on the implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and that for years, the US has supported a 'Sri Lankan-led process' to resolve outstanding concerns from the conflict.
 
She said the resolution has mandated the high Commissioner to undertake a comprehensive independent investigation into alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes by both parties in Sri Lanka, during the period covered by the LLRC and to establish the facts and circumstances of such alleged violations and of the crimes perpetrated with a view to avoiding impunity and ensuring accountability, with relevant experts and special procedures," adding that the time frame mentioned in the draft indicated, there is significant respect for the 'home-grown formula' to deal with the post-conflict concerns.
 
She added: "The US Government has been vocal in our support of the report by the LLRC and its recommendations for addressing longstanding issues of reconciliation, justice and accountability. But, we are of the view that adequate progress has not been achieved, and this needs to be addressed."
 
When questioned as to why the resolution did not refer to atrocities committed by the LTTE while demanding accountability from the Sri Lankan Government and Sri Lankan Security Forces, Sison said, the resolution referred to a comprehensive investigation into alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes by both parties in Sri Lanka, claiming there was no attempt at exclusions from liability. "However, it is also about State obligations to its own people. Allegations have to be investigated."
 
The ambassador noted, the US was the first country to proscribe the LTTE as a terrorist organization and it remains a designated organization in the US. "We know the horror that this conflict brought on the lives of all Sri Lankan communities. We were encouraged to see the end of that long and terrible conflict and we support the Sri Lankan people and their desire to see a unified, peaceful country."
The ambassador also insisted: "The adoption of this resolution does not mean the door is closed."
When questioned what measures would be taken in the event of non-compliance by Sri Lanka as claimed by the Sri Lankan Government, the ambassador said, the process to follow in establishing an investigation was clearly stated in the resolution and the US encouraged Sri Lanka to co-operate with the Office of the High Commissioner.
 
"We are concerned about continued attacks against human rights defenders, religious minorities and journalists, besides the weakening of the rule of law and increasing impunity for illegal actions. Recently too, we saw the detention of human rights defenders in Sri Lanka, and the harassment and intimidation of many other members of civil society, including lawyers. We continue to call for an end to such acts of intimidation and for all those detained to be provided due process and granted immediate access to legal counsel and urge the Sri Lankan Government to allow human rights defenders to be allowed to carry out their work without harassment or intimidation; their duty is to ensure human rights for all," the Ambassador said.

The Geneva Resolution: A Divided Vote And Even More Divided Responses

By Rajan Philips -March 30, 2014 

Rajan Philips

The UNHCR vote on the Sri Lankan resolution divided along continental boundaries. Europe (Western and Eastern) and America (North and South) were the overwhelming supporters of the resolution. No country from these continents abstained on the vote; only three (Russia, Cuba and Venezuela) voted against, and the remaining 18 accounted for nearly 80% of the 23 ‘yes’ votes for the resolution. Asia and Africa voted in stark contrast: almost half the countries  from each continent (six from each and 12 in all) abstained from voting, nine (six from Asia and three from Africa) voted against, and only five countries voted for – four from Africa and a solitary South Korea for all of Asia.  It will not be too cynical to say that the Sinhalese and the Tamils, rather their self-accredited (if not discredited) representatives are not only at one another’s throats, but they have also managed to divide the world – East and West – between them. India suddenly saw new light and found the whole business “intrusive … inconsistent and impractical” and declared its non-alignment.  Remember Nehru’s famous musing: “I am a queer mixture of the East and the West, at home nowhere, and out of place everywhere!”

The responses to the vote have been equally divided and wholly contradictory, within Sri Lanka and outside. Let us look at the domestic reactions first. While the Sri Lankan President has rejected the resolution out of hand in keeping with the government’s official position that the resolution is ‘illegal’, the TNA leader, R. Sampanthan, has welcomed it as “a victory for all Sri Lanka’s people in their struggle for truth, justice and reconciliation … and … a meaningful opportunity for all communities in Sri Lanka to join an impartial, independent process in which we grapple with serious violations of human rights and crimes committed in our own respective names.”  In between, there are other voices – some calling rather mischievously, for example, for a new LLRC to start probing everything from beginning to end and targeting not just the government and the LTTE but “all parties” to include India; and others suggesting more responsibly that the Sri Lankan government must rapidly and sincerely carry out every requirement in the resolution except agreeing to investigation by the Office of the High Commissioner.  The latter approach was also the exit door that the LLRC Commission suggested to the government to avoid the predicament that it has now gotten into.Read More

உடையார்கட்டில் இளைஞர் கைது

28 மார்ச் 2014, வெள்ளி

முல்லைத்தீவு உடையார்கட்டு பகுதியில் பயங்கரவாத குற்றத் தடுப்பு பிரிவினரால் இளைஞர் ஒருவர் கைது செய்யப்படடுள்ளார்.

உடையார் கட்டு பகுதியைச் சேர்ந்த சின்னத்துரை சிறிகாந்தன் என்பவரே நேற்று வியாழக்கிழமை இரவு 11 மணியளவில் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார்.


விடுதலைப்புலிகளின் முன்னாள் போராளியான இவர் புனர்வாழ்வு பெற்று விடுதலையான நிலையில் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார்.

யாழ்ப்பாணம் புத்தூரைச் சேர்ந்த இவர் உடையார் கட்டுப்பகுதியில் வசித்து வருகின்றார். கடந்த சில நாட்களுக்கு முன் இதே பகுதியில் வெதுப்பகம் ஒன்றில் பணியாற்றிய விசேட தேவையுடைய ஒருவர்  கைது செய்யப்பட்டிருந்தமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

இதேவேளை  ரி.ஐ.டி யினரால் இதுவரை யாழ்ப்பாணத்தைச் சேர்ந்த மூவர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.

- See more at: http://onlineuthayan.com/News_More.php?id=324602793729256296#sthash.zF0HFzYs.dpuf

Still searching for justice: victims in Sri Lanka

Five years on from the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka, the international community’s patience with the government in investigating gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law is exhausted.

War? What war?: the image the government would prefer the world to have of Sri Lanka. Wikimedia / Ekabhishek. Creative Commons.

SHEILA VARADAN 28 March 2014
For the victims and their families in Sri Lanka, the resolution passed by the United Nations Human Rights Council this week in Geneva offers the first glimmer of hope for truth, justice and reparation for the serious human-rights abuses committed by both sides in the final stages of the civil war.

Still Searching for Justice Victims in Sri Lanka by nelvely

After Geneva What?

By Izeth Hussain -March 29, 2014 |

Izeth Hussain

At the moment of writing the vote has not yet been cast on a final anti-Sri Lankan US Resolution in Geneva. If no Resolution is adopted in favour of the immediate setting up of a mechanism for international investigations of alleged war crimes in the final phase of the war, and there are no Western moves for the imposition of sanctions against Sri Lanka, the SL Government can legitimately claim a triumph. At the time of the Cameron visit to Sri Lanka for CHOGM and in the ensuing months, it was widely and confidently anticipated – indeed it was widely assumed as a certainty – that there would be such action following on the adoption of a US Resolution. However the Government’s triumph would only be of a temporary and provisional order if, as is being anticipated at the moment of writing, the Resolution provides a reprieve of just one year: such action could be taken if at the end of the year the Government has not shown that it has got going with credible internal investigations into war crimes, and also taken effective action over a wide range of other matters.

How has this triumph – albeit of a temporary and provisional order – been achieved? I believe that the crux is the incompatibility between investigations into war crimes and movement towards a political solution and ethnic reconciliation. The Government took to emphasizing this incompatibility – an unanswerable point in my view – and has also managed to effect, or promote, changes of a radical order in the Draft Resolution. How can it be squared with any notion of equity that enquiries should be confined to war crimes perpetrated by one side only? Why should they be confined to the final phase of the war only? The British Foreign Secretary’s injudicious parallel with the case of Sierra Leone has led logically to the demand that India’s role in training, arming, and promoting the LTTE, as well as the crimes committed by the IPKF in Sri Lanka, be also investigated. I believe that it is very probable that these arguments have led to our being given a reprieve of one year. I feel that it is an achievement for which Foreign Minister G.L.Peiris should be given major credit.

Read More

Action against us unnecessary: Sri Lanka's envoy on UN resolution

Ravinatha Aryasingha

March 28, 2014 

Geneva:  India yesterday abstained from the vote at the United Nations session in Geneva which calls for an international investigation into alleged war crimes in the final stage of the island's civil war which ended in 2009.

Action Against Us Unnecessary Sri Lanka's Envoy on UN Resolution by Thavam Ratna

Happiness is now a global issue-Sri Lanka among ‘saddest’ countries

Happiness is now a global issue-Sri Lanka among ‘saddest’ countries

(Photo by Geri Dagys)

Two years after declaring March 20 the International Day of Happiness, the United Nations has released its first World Happiness Report. The UN has formally recognized the pursuit of happiness as a fundamental human goal. It can be argued that the UN has far more important issues to concentrate on, but surely we can all agree that happiness is every human's deepest wish - and therefore a serious issue.
The UN survey gives us insight into the general mood in different countries. People everywhere are checking it to see where they stand in the happiness rankings.

At first glance the Scandinavian countries are the happiest, with Denmark topping the list, followed by Finland and Norway, and then the Netherlands. In our region Cambodia ranks as least happy, at 140th just 16 places from the bottom of the list. The happiest are Singaporeans, ranked 30th, followed by Thailand, Malaysia (56), Vietnam (63), Indonesia (76), the Philippines (92), Laos (109) and Myanmar (121). By comparison Cambodia is down in the dumps with Sri Lanka (137), Nepal (135), Afghanistan (143) and, saddest of all, Togo (156).

Though the rankings cannot be considered scientific, they give us a rough comparison in the level of contentment across the world. The results are based a 'life evaluation score' that combines a variety of factors, including health, family, job security, political freedom and government corruption.

Most people would agree that there are universal 'barometers' of happiness. Famine and political unrest obviously weigh against our sense of wellbeing, whereas economic indicators like GDP might be important barometers but are not essential. The report suggests that happiness doesn't always mirror GPD. While wealth does affect life satisfaction, the old adage about money not buying happiness seems borne out by the UN study. The happiness ranking places Britain at No 22, higher than Singapore and Japan despite the two Asian countries having higher GDP.

However, the state of the economy does seem to affect the mood in Europe, where countries badly hit by the euro crisis score lower in the rankings. Job cuts and lower wages seem to be major factors in deepening the gloom. Money might not buy you happiness, but an economic slump breeds unhappiness and social discontent. There are plenty of examples around the world of how economic crises have spiralled into a vicious cycles of crime, conflict and political unrest.

The state of the economy is not the only major mood-changer. Loneliness has the same effect on life expectancy as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. A jobless villager can be more satisfied with life than a lonely chief executive in a big city.

"Happiness may have different meanings for different people. But we can all agree that it means working to end conflict, poverty and other unfortunate conditions in which so many of our fellow human beings live," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on World Happiness Day.
 

Following the UN's embracing of happiness as a serious issue to be measured every year, we will never be short of data on international wellbeing. The data are the focus of growing debate, which could eventually lead to more measures to prevent problems like famine and rights abuses. Knowledge is power, and now that we are in the know, it's time to take action to secure our right to happiness.

Lanka Needs An Anti-Corruption Movement

By Kumar David -March 30, 2014 |

Prof. Kumar David

Lanka needs to take inspiration from India’s Anti-Corruption Movement (ACM). Although corruption in India is horrendous an inspiring movement to combat it has grown up. We in Lanka are quite far behind in our ACM mobilisation. The JVP, groups like transparency and individuals are active, but an organised effort to cull crooks is still absent. A start has to be made and the first step is to build public consciousness and encourage awareness of the need for a systematic, organised, anti-corruption drive. Sleaze is the talking point in nearly every social and political conversation; therefore there is fertile soil for activism.

Recently I had the good fortune to be present at a preliminary brain-storming. A small group from diverse class, political, ethnic and religious backgrounds has started coming together to take up the ACM challenge. There was a clear realisation that although old liberal fogies and leftists dinosaurs can do the initial ideas formatting, eventually a contingent of energetic speaking young people must take over and drive the movement.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)

Though I am aware that readers are familiar with Aam Aadmi, Kejriwal and Hazare it is useful to divert to India before returning to the initiative taking shape here. Anna Hazare (age 77), a retired army truck driver, is the father of the Twenty-first Century anti-corruption drive in India and Arvind Kejriwal, an IIT mechanical engineering graduate, his 45 year old ‘son’. Unfortunately unlike in Christian cosmology, in India’s anti-corruption pantheon, father and son fell out. The issue post-2011 was whether, in taking the Jan Lokpal Bill forward, the movement should be broad and politically non-aligned, Hazare’s preference, or be a political party, Kejriwal’s choice. The parting in November 2012 was amicable and at first Kejriwal seemed right because at its first test, the Delhi legislative assembly elections, AAP won 28 of 70 seats and formed a short-lived minority city government with Congress support – the BJP fell marginally short of a majority. Now Hazare himself seems to imply that he was wrong by joining Mammata Banajee in West Bengal in the Lok Sabahaelections. But easy, it’s not so simple, it is early days and the last laugh may still be with Hazare.  Read More

* US disappointed in India's decision to abstain from voting for UN resolution on Sri Lanka
Sat, Mar 29, 2014, 11:28 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Mar 29, Washington, DC: The United States Friday expressed its disappointment over India's decision to abstain from voting on the U.S.-led resolution against Sri Lanka at the 25th session of the United Nations Human Right Council.

At the press briefing Friday, responding to media queries the State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said the U.S. has made its disappointment known to India.

"It is disappointing to us that India abstained from voting on this resolution when they voted yes for the last two years. We have made our disappointment known to Indian officials," Ms. Harf said.

She said for the first time the resolution, adopted by a vote of 23 yes, 12 no, and 12 abstentions, requests a comprehensive investigation to be undertaken by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights into alleged violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes committed in Sri Lanka during the period covered by the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission report, which was 2002 to 2009.

In addition, it requests that OHCHR monitor, assess, report on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, including any relevant domestic processes dealing with reconciliation and accountability.

The Secretary of the State John Kerry said yesterday the vote in the UNHRC to adopt the it US-sponsored resolution sends a clear message to Sri Lanka that time to pursue lasting peace and prosperity is now and "justice and accountability cannot wait".


Sri Lanka however, flatly rejected the "unethical and intrusive" resolution as a conspiracy plotted by interested parties seeking a regime change.

UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka: Positions of the Political parties and Civil organisations

UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka: Positions of the Political parties and Civil organisations

click to enlarge (Tamizh Prabhagaran)

Saturday, March 29, 2014

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UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka Positions of the Political Parties and Civil Organisations by nelvely

Patriotism Without Justice Is Pure Bluff

By Basil Fernando -March 29, 2014 |

Basil Fernando

Human beings, however poor or however oppressed, seek justice in the same way. Even a tuberculosis patient looks for fresh air. All wisdom traditions have associated justice as having the same character as fresh air. To deny justice is to deny a fundamental condition of being human.

If a person cannot get fresh air in the normal way, they have to be provided with air through artificial means of giving oxygen. To treat a patient’s illness, the patient must first be kept alive. If they cannot be kept alive by natural means, they should be kept alive through the use of artificial means. Failing to do that is to resign oneself to sure death.

In the recent decades, the Sri Lankan state, represented by various regimes, lost sight of this essential truth: that people cannot be kept alive if they are denied justice. The way this most basic trend running through all political philosophy – whether it be Western philosophy rooted in Greek thought or Eastern philosophies, including Buddhism – was forgotten and ignored by these governments is hard to comprehend. Even colonial powers cruelly oppressing local populations understood that, for their own good, some avenues for justice (or at least semblances of justice) should be kept alive. This most basic tenet was what the Sri Lankan leaders in recent times forgot and the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakshapays no attention to at all. Perhaps it is a premise that has never entered into his mind. The ruthless and exploitative tradition of the Rajapaksha family in the Hambanthota district over a long period of time may be the reason why he does not know the place of justice in politics.

Since 1971, the processes of justice – however limited they might have been – have been continuously and ruthlessly wiped out from Sri Lanka. In 1971, State agencies began the practice of securing people’s arrest and then killing them, and that practice was continued. One of the most basic tenets of justice, which is to protect persons who have been taken into State custody, was most carelessly abandoned. At no time did the Parliament exercise its power to reexamine and review the factors that led to the adoption of this most pernicious practice. Nor did the Sri Lankan judiciary take the risk of defending the rights of the individual at the cost of offending the executive.

The principle so beautifully entrenched in the Bracegirdle case of 1937 was not a sacred enough principle for the Sri Lankan judiciary to put their all their effort in to secure. The result is simply that even the most basic legal remedy, habeas corpus, became a remedy that is impossible to obtain in Sri Lanka. Literally hundreds of cases demonstrate the carelessness with which this most basic remedy was trampled upon and discarded.

The rest of the history of Sri Lanka’s descent into a justice-less nation needs no enumeration here, as it is a tale so often retold by so many persons. The last episode of this frightening drama was the manner in which the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka was dragged down and trampled upon by the executive. Volumes of literature exist on this particular aspect.

At the moment, Sri Lankan Presidents and governments attack the resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council on the 27^th of March, during its 25^th session, with loud cries of great patriotism. When rulers deny justice, what right have they to talk about patriotism? We are witnessing a moment of enormous hypocrisy exhibited through the largest possible use of public media. However, that is no answer to a people denied justice. They want to breathe. No ruler can stop the people’s wish to breathe.

Seeking the assistance of the international community may be a resort to a ventilator. Between death and the ventilator, it is only natural that anyone would choose the latter. Crying foul against an international body, which was established for no other reason than to provide some avenues for justice when the internal processes failed, is itself an enormous bluff.

It is time, though it is now far too late, to wake up and grasp the fundamental political tenet that no ruler can rule while denying a modicum of justice to their people. We are witnessing a dramatic moment in which this basic truth is once again being reasserted.

'India did not vote against Sri Lanka for Tamils' good'

Friday, March 28, 2014,

New Delhi: India Friday justified its abstention from voting on the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC, saying the decision was driven by welfare of Tamils in that country. 

Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh said India's position on the UNHRC resolutions on Sri Lanka has always been consistent with its view that the process of national reconciliation must be expedited in a manner that meets aspirations of the Tamil community for a "life of equality, justice, peace and dignity within a united Sri Lanka". 

"We believe that our abstention yesterday is in the best interest of the Tamils in Sri Lanka and will assist us in our efforts to help them," Singh said.

India had abstained from voting on the resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC yesterday which was adopted by 23 votes in favour and sought an international inquiry into alleged war crimes in the last stages of conflict with the LTTE in 2009. 

India, along with 11 other countries, abstained from voting while 12 other countries including Russia, China and Pakistan opposed the resolution. 

The Foreign Secretary said the decision was also in the interest of the fishermen community in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

"You would have seen the announcement by the government of Sri Lanka this morning of their decision to release all Indian fishermen in custody as a goodwill gesture. This is the first step towards a long-term solution to the fishermen's issue," she said. 

Asserting that India always attached "highest priority" to the welfare and well-being of Tamils in Sri Lanka, she said the international community needs to work with Sri Lankan government in ensuring justice and progress for Tamils. 

"We believe that our decision to abstain on the UNHRC resolution adopted yesterday would strengthen our hand in achieving our objective vis-a-vis the Tamil community of Sri Lanka," she said. 

PTI

An 18-day walk through Europe is the latest in the struggle for Eelam

   By  Paul Newman
   Geneva30 Mar 2014

Posted 29-Mar-2014
Vol 5 Issue 13

Yogendran is 60, hails from Ottawa, Canada. Thirukumaran is 48 and lives in London. As the 25th UNHRC began in Geneva early March, both these Tamils wanted to contribute their mite to raising awareness on the struggle for justice at the UN against Sri Lanka, which killed thousands of Tamil civilians in a genocidal war that ended in 2009.

An 18-Day Walk Through Europe is the Latest in the Struggle for Eelam by Thavam Ratna