Parliament resumes with tribute to former NDP leader Layton

The Globe and Mail 

Monday, Sep. 19, 2011

Jack Layton could not keep his promise to return to the House of Commons, but the memory of the former NDP leader was very much alive Monday when politicians took their seats for the first time since his death in August.

BACK TO ARTICLE Parliament resumes with tribute to former NDP leader Layton

Video: MPs remember Jack Layton

Full Story>>>

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Tamil protesters ask for probe into war crimes allegations

Tamil protesters ask for probe into war crimes allegations

19/09/2011 18h45 GMT

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©AFP / Fabrice Coffrini

A Tamil activist reacts during a demonstration at the UN's European headquarters in Geneva

GENEVA (AFP) - Tamils from across Europe demonstrated at the UN's European headquarters on Monday, calling for a probe into alleged war crimes committed by Sri Lanka at the end of the country's 2009 civil war.

According to local police, around 1,000 protesters gathered in Geneva's iconic Place des Nations, to urge the Human Rights Council to investigate the killing of tens of thousands of civilians by Sri Lankan forces in the final push of the country's brutal war against separatist Tamils.

"We want an international independent investigation" into the war crimes allegations, Kandiah Rajamanoharan, who had travelled from London to Geneva for the day, told AFP.

He added that the organisers were expecting between 5,000 to 10,000 demonstrators.

"And we are all for the independence of our Tamil homeland," he added.

Last week, UN leader Ban Ki-moon sent a report detailing similar allegations against Sri Lankan troops to the Human Rights Council, saying that he alone cannot order an inquiry into the killings but that a forum such as the UN's rights body could do so.

"We expect the United Nations to take up this issue," Rajamanoharan said.

Another demonstrator, Nivethan Nanthakumar who is still in high school and travelled from northern Switzerland, added that "two years after (the end of the conflict) the international community is doing nothing."

Tamil protesters ask for probe into war crimes allegations

Is This How Wars Start? India and China Now Feud Over the South China Sea

The INS Airavat sails out of the harbor in Vishakhapatnam, India, Tuesday, May 19, 2009. (Photo: Press Information Bureau / AP)

Last week, one of the world's most intractable disputes got even stickier. News leaked that the international-arm of India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) was in talks with the government of Vietnam over hydrocarbon exploration rights in the South China Sea. In most parts of the world this would seem a routine bi-lateral development between two countries driven by their dynamic economies. But the South China Sea, whose waters are claimed to varying degree by half a dozen countries and almost in full by China, is unlike any body of water in the world, and where an oil company may see opportunity, most others only see a swirling geo-political maelstrom.

Read more:>>>

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Independence and Freedom Of The Press: The Sri Lankan Experience

Monday, September 19, 2011

By Lakshman Indranath Keerthisinghe

The Fourth Estate and John Mills statement came true in the case of Thilak Karunaratne v. Sirima Bandaranaike

If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had power, would be justified in silencing mankind.’ -John Stuart Mill in his essay ‘On Liberty’ (1859) Dheeraratne J in the case of Thilak Karunaratne v. Sirimavo Bandaranaike and others quoted this statement with approval and said: ‘passage of time has not staled the force of John Stuart Mill’s statement.’

Read More »

Commonwealth’s Human Rights Journey: Final Destination Sri Lanka?

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)
Monday, 19 September 2011,
Article: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
Maja Daruwala, Director, CHRI
September 16, 2011

The decision to hold the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka is strongly rumoured to be a done deal. The dice, it is said is cast. The Heads of Government meeting in Perth this October end is expected to cement the decision as a mere formality. To call it to question is a waste of energy and breath – unless the Commonwealth’s fundamental principles matter. In 2009 at the Trinidad CHOGM, deep concern about the country’s suitability to play host resulted in pushing back consideration of Sri Lanka as host from 2011 to 2013. But two years on the disquiet about the problematic nature of the regime and its human rights record – past and present – persist. Another not inconsiderable concern is that with the next CHOGM 2013 rotating to Sri Lanka, its President – widely alleged as having presided over war crimes – will automatically hold the pre-eminent position of the Commonwealth’s chairperson as well. Can this indulgence be taken lightly?                        Full Story>>>>
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Chief incumbent of Thames Buddhist Vihara charged with raping underage girl

(Lanka-e-News -19.Sep.2011, 11.55P.M.)
A Buddhist monk has been charged with raping an underage girl in the 1970s, the London Metropolitan police has said.

Pahalagama Somaratana Thera, chief incumbent of Thames Buddhist Vihara, Croydon, has been charged with four counts of sexual abuse, police said.

The alleged rape and three counts of indecent assault occurred in Chiswick, west London, in 1977 and 1978.
The 65-year-old from Dulverton Rd, Croydon, will appear on bail at Feltham Magistrates' Court on 23 September.
There was no immediate response from Thames Buddhist Vihara, which is one of the major Sri Lankan Buddhist temples in London.

Greens call for suspension of Sri Lanka from Commonwealth

MONDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2011

Australia's Greens will launch the first major challenge to Sri Lanka's Commonwealth membership today, 'theAustralian' website reported.

The website said the party would call for Sri Lanka's suspension pending a full investigation into allegations of war crimes. The campaign to suspend Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth kicks off tomorrow with a roundtable meeting of human rights activists and jurists involved in collecting evidence for an international war crimes probe to discuss ways of building popular support for the move, the website reported.

Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he would lobby for a boycott of the proposed Sri Lanka-hosted Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2013 unless it could prove significant progress on human rights. Australia hosts the next CHOGM in Perth late next month.

Greens senator Lee Rhiannon said given the international momentum behind the push for a war crimes probe, she was hopeful of building bipartisan political support for Sri Lanka's suspension from the councils of the Commonwealth.

Pakistan was suspended from the Commonwealth in 1999 following the military overthrow of the civilian government and again in 2007. Fiji was suspended in 2000 and again in 2006 after coups
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Tamil protesters ask for probe into war crimes allegations

Mon, 19 September 2011

Tamils from across Europe demonstrated at the UN's European headquarters on Monday, calling for a probe into alleged war crimes committed by Sri Lanka at the end of the country's 2009 civil war. According to local police, around 1,000 protesters gathered in Geneva's iconic Place des Nations, to urge the Human Rights Council to investigate the killing of tens of thousands of civilians by Sri Lankan forces in the final push of the country's brutal war against separatist Tamils.

"We want an international independent investigation" into the war crimes allegations, Kandiah Rajamanoharan, who had travelled from London to Geneva for the day, told AFP.

He added that the organisers were expecting between 5,000 to 10,000 demonstrators.

"And we are all for the independence of our Tamil homeland," he added.

Last week, UN leader Ban Ki-moon sent a report detailing similar allegations against Sri Lankan troops to the Human Rights Council, saying that he alone cannot order an inquiry into the killings but that a forum such as the UN's rights body could do so.

"We expect the United Nations to take up this issue," Rajamanoharan said.

Another demonstrator, Nivethan Nanthakumar who is still in high school and travelled from northern Switzerland, added that "two years after (the end of the conflict) the international community is doing nothing."

"We Tamils will not give up. We will fight for self determination, for freedom," he said.

India’s indirect campaign backs Sri Lanka’s military and genocide

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 September 2011, 09:36 GMT]
Choosing a time when Geneva is supposed to decide on investigating Sri Lanka’s war crimes, New Delhi has scheduled a large-scale joint military exercise with Sri Lanka in Trincomalee in the country of Eezham Tamils. Meanwhile, a senior leader of India’s major opposition party, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi of BJP, chose to deliver a lecture in Colombo on Saturday commemorating a Sinhala-Buddhist revivalist, and according to The Hindu, Dr. Joshi “was left with the impression that everyone wanted an early solution leading to a united Sri Lanka under one constitution.” Both the Administration and Opposition of New Delhi indirectly signal against investigating genocidal Sri Lanka’s war crimes and the ‘impression’ Joshi conveyed to The Hindu has no moral validity as Tamils are constitutionally prevented from telling their opinion on the national question, commented a Tamil politician in the island. Full story >>
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‘India won’t push for federalism in Lanka’

  Last Updated : 19 Sep 2011 10:11:13 AM IST     
P K Balachandran

COLOMBO: BJP MP and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, Murli Manohar Joshi, has indicated that India will not push Sri Lanka to adopt a federal constitution to solve the long-festering Tamil question in the island nation.  Joshi told Indian correspondents here on Sunday, that India had no intention of pressing Sri Lanka to adopt any particular type of constitution to solve the ethnic question. Whether the constitution should be federal or unitary was a matter to be decided through discussions between the various stakeholders in Lanka itself, he said.

more>>

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Razed Sri Lankan Muslim shrine to be rebuilt

  By Charles Haviland
BBC News, Colombo
19 September 2011

Sri Lanka's defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has ordered the reconstruction of a Muslim shrine recently destroyed by Buddhist monks.

Mr Rajapaksa told a delegation of prominent Muslims the shrine will be rebuilt after Buddhist monks led a crowd in tearing it down nine days ago.

The demolition was denounced by both Muslims and Sinhalese (Photo courtesy: Sri Lanka Mirror)  Full Story>>>

Disappearance Of Ekneligoda And The Chemical Weapons Saga

Sunday, September 18, 2011

By Uvindu 
Kurukulasuriya

A leaked US diplomatic cable says both the ICRC and the Indian High Commissioner had reported that their medical teams treating wounded have come across no evidence of chemical weapons or phosphorous use in Sri Lanka. The cable had originated from the US Ambassador Robert O. Blake on April 10, 2011. This is a serious challenge to the theory that Ekneligoda was abducted because of his investigation regarding the use of chemical weapons by the government in the last stages of the war.            
Full Story>>>
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Civilian deaths increased monthly says US

 18 September, 2011

UN did not wish to publish the estimated figures gathered through reliable sources, according to US embassy cables released by Wikileaks The US embassy in Colombo reported to the State Department that the average civilian death toll in the battle zone in Sri Lanka increased every month as fighting intensified. Full Story>>>

President at Cabinet meeting makes insinuations against Major General Shavendra Silva

Sunday 18 of September 2011
(Lanka-e-News -17.Sep.2011, 11.55P.M.) The President at the last Cabinet meeting had blamed that that those who are in the Sri Lanka Foreign missions are pursuing their personal agendas without the knowledge of the Foreign Ministry .

He had added that these individuals are acting according to their own views and to achieve their personal goals.

What discussions each of them has is not known to the SL foreign Minister or his Secretary , which is an absolute violation of the rules and regulations of the foreign diplomatic service.   Full story >>

Sri Lankans To Be Used As Guinea Pigs To Test Cancer Drug

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Lanka to import uncertified drugs from Japan

By Indika Sri Aravinda

The Sunday Leader learnt that a major scam has come to light where the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine is attempting to import and distribute drugs manufactured in Japan which claim  to cure cancer, despite them not being certified by the Japanese government.

Read More »
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President at Cabinet meeting makes insinuations against Major General Shavendra Silva

Sunday 18 of September 2011
(Lanka-e-News -17.Sep.2011, 11.55P.M.) The President at the last Cabinet meeting had blamed that that those who are in the Sri Lanka Foreign missions are pursuing their personal agendas without the knowledge of the Foreign Ministry .

He had added that these individuals are acting according to their own views and to achieve their personal goals.

What discussions each of them has is not known to the SL foreign Minister or his Secretary , which is an absolute violation of the rules and regulations of the foreign diplomatic service.

On the 10th , Lanka e news published an article of ‘Soldadu unnehe’ where we revealed that Major General Shavendra Silva the SL's deputy UN permanent representative in America has had discussions with Rudrakumaran , who is considered the leader of the present Eelam transnational Govt. ; and as Shavendra is in possession of a plethora of evidence and information against the Rajapakse regime , the latter has got cold feet and panic stricken.
Meanwhile , Shavendra has contacted the media Institutions in SL which are his friends and requested their columnists on defense news to write supportive of him against the Lanka e news report and protect him. When these columnists have asked from Gotabaya whether to comply with Shavendra’s request , he has advised them not to. These columnists have then conveyed to Shavendra , ‘ Aney Sir, Defense Secretary told us not to safeguard you’

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UK Sets Deadline For Sri Lanka

Sunday, September 18, 2011

By Easwaran Rutnam

The British government has set a deadline for Sri Lanka to show progress in addressing  concerns of human rights violations committed during the war. British Foreign Secretary William Hague has told the British Foreign Affairs Committee that Sri Lanka has been told it needs to show progress by the end of this year or Britain  will support the international community in revisiting all options available to press the Sri Lankan government to fulfill its obligations.
The Foreign Affairs Committee had criticized the British Foreign office over its failure to press for the setting up of an international war crimes inquiry to investigate allegations of atrocities carried out by both sides in the Sri Lankan civil war. William Hague had late last week handed over a response to the concerns raised by the Committee.

 Read More »

Govt. blasts UN chief

Sunday September 18, 2011

President goes to New York for diplomatic counter-offensive

By our Diplomatic Editor

The government has lashed out at UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for submitting, what it calls a deeply-flawed report of the UN panel on Sri Lanka, both to the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the President of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

read more..
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With JVP also in turmoil, Rajapaksa rides high

Sunday September 18, 2011

Veteran radical leads revolt by hardline faction; crisis deepens despite Somawansa's denial

By Our Political Editor

Internecine battles within the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), between the now liberal, metamorphosed moderate leadership and radical extremists have come into the open spilling in its wake many secrets hitherto unknown of the Marxist party.

read more..
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Admitted Sri Lankan insider handed 18-month prison term

Saturday , 17 September 2011
A Sri  Lankan has been handed an 18-month prison term by the US District Court for pleading guilty in the U.S. campaign against insider trading last Thursday.The person who has been convicted is a 37-year-old Sri Lankan-born U.S citizen by the name of Manosha Karunatillake.

He has previously pleaded guilty in a Federal Court at Manhattan for passing information about a Taiwan semi conductor manufacturing company where he served as the Account Manager, to primary global research, which is an expert network that provides information to investors and hedge funds.

The convict is the latest defendant to be sentenced as a result of a crackdown by Federal prosecutors on insider trading.

This incident was reported on the same day the Securities and Exchange commission of Sri Lanka found five investment advisers belonging to three stock broking firms and two  investors guilty of market manipulation.

The SEC  stated that legal action will be initiated against one manipulator, while letters of caution have been issued to the rest.

Newsfirst spoke to Economist Harsha de Silva on the contrasting punishments that have been meted.

Human rights in Indian subcontinent debate

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

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

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

Mr Binley, secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Sri Lanka, told MPs on 15 September 2011 that the country needed a chance to heal, warning that this would not happen in an "atmosphere of hiatus and emotive external interventions".

He said: "They are trying to address the alleged crimes and human rights abuses, they are trying to provide a credible process for overcoming the issues facing internally displaced people and they are trying to achieve a sustainable political settlement."

"I hope that succeeds as we must all do," he said. "But I equally hope the independent inquiry [into violation of human rights laws] will take place because it will put to rest some of the propaganda that is actually hindering progress in that nation."

Labour's Siobhain McDonagh said Britain "must take a brave and principled lead... and do all that it can to ensure that a full independent international investigation of war crimes takes place".

"Sri Lanka still wants to host the Commonwealth summit in 2013," she said. "We should be clearly saying 'No, not until there is a fully independent, UN-led international inquiry'."

Conservative MP for Ilford North, Lee Scott, said "there must be justice for all in Sri Lanka… but that must include justice for the Tamil people, who must receive answers to some important questions".

Winding up the debate, Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said allegations of war crimes and human rights violations committed by both sides in the conflict "are of great concern to us".

Sri Lanka had begun to address some of these issues but progress had not be completed everywhere, he said, adding that further action was needed to make peace sustainable.

The UN has released a report on the last months of Sri Lanka's decades-long war with Tamil Tiger rebels, accusing both sides of actions which it says led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians.

After a 10-month investigation, it concluded that "most civilian casualties in the final phases of the war were caused by government shelling".

Sri Lanka has rejected the report as biased and fraudulent, and is conducting its own inquiry.

Sri Lanka's dirty secret

National Post 

Reuters

A government soldier carries a young Tamil boy near burning vehicles in the area inside the war zone near the town of Mullaittivu in this photograph released by the Sri Lankan military, which claims no civilians were injured in that country's war.

Stewart Bell, National Post · Sept. 17, 2011 | Last Updated: Sept. 17, 2011 4:09 AM ET

During the last gasps of Sri Lanka's long civil war, Lieutenant-General Jagath Dais held a briefing for journalists at a compound in Kilinochchi, a Tamil Tiger rebel stronghold that had fallen to government forces.      Full Story>>>
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Paradise lost in a secret war

   Review By Antony Loewenstein  September 17, 2011

Brutal ... government troops approach a Tamil village during the civil war. Photo: AP

An insider reveals the tortuous history of Sri Lanka's conflict.

The United Nations recently released a report into war crimes committed in Sri Lanka in the final stages of that country's brutal civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the Colombo regime that ended in May 2009. The results were devastating and detailed tens of thousands of Tamil civilians targeted by a rampaging government army and human shields held by Tiger rebels.    Full story>>>
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“We deployed DPU teams inside safe zone”: Rajapaksa confided to US envoy in May 2009

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 September 2011, 21:43 GMT]
During the final days of the genocidal war in Vanni when the international community was repeatedly urging Colombo to cease attacks on the ‘safe zone’, the SL President and Commander-in-Chief of the SL armed forces Mahinda Rajapaksa admitted to a top US envoy that his military had deployed Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) missions, also known as Deep Penetration Units (DPU) inside the so-called safe-zone to “organize people to breach the LTTE earth bunds.” Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa has ‘confidentially’ shared this military secret to Charge d'Affaires of the US embassy James R. Moore, while holding a meeting with Co-Chair Ambassadors in Colombo, barely two week before Colombo massacred thousands of civilians and claimed military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. . Full story >>