Friday, February 17, 2012

Guantánamo Bay Camp – Is a parallel existing in Sri Lanka

Tamil Prisoners

( February 16, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is an extrajudicial detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, where suspected Islamic terrorists are held in detention indefinitely.

Guantanamo Bay detention

Guantanamo Bay Camp earned the international condemnation and very serious charges of human rights violations in the camp are still debated lively.

Beyond the judicial implications of holding the detainees far away from the territorial borders of the United States, the implication of extra-judicial process that was followed were confirmed evidentially on many instances. For the Obama administration, Guantanamo Bay Camp was a thorn in the flesh. Since his election as President, efforts are being made to mitigate the adverse conduct in the operation of the camp.

A parallel situation is existing within the territorial limits of Sri Lanka. The name for the torture camp is a top secret in the tiny island Sri Lanka. Almost about fifty important men of the LTTE, whom were taken in bus loads following their surrender in Vanni in May 2009 are said to be kept in a secret location somewhere in Sri Lanka. Authentic eye witness accounts that these men are still living has not been confirmed officially, though news from clandestine sources confirm many are living in a secret detention camp.

by Pearl Thevanayagam

(February 17, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is the June 2012 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the UN which would determine whether Sri Lanka could be hauled up for war crimes. This month's session at the UNHRC (Unitend Nations Human Rights Council) could be easily thwarted with Russia, China and possibly India supporting Sri Lanka in its latest proclamation that it is subjecting its defence forces to scrutiny way ahead of UNHRC special sessions beginning February 22, 2012.

This sudden announcement that Sri Lanka would investigate its own defence forces well past two and a half years after unleashing them on innocent civilians in the name of wiping out the LTTE should not ameliorate the hard facts.

If the investigation into possible atrocities by the defence forces began in January why was it kept under wraps until Wednesday.? All politicians lie; but seasoned politicians know how to lie without being detected and with panache. Heaping on lies, retracting statements made and ministers and public officials contradicting each others' statements to the media has become a habit with the government.

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NGOs Call on U.S. to Establish International Accountability Mechanism on Sri Lanka at UN Human Rights Council

AmnestyInternational

February 17, 2012

We are pleased to hear that the United States has decided to press for action at the March session of the Human Rights Council on accountability for wartime abuses in Sri Lanka. This issue has long been a high priority for us due to the massive scale of abuses committed in the final months of the war and the Sri Lankan government’s resistance to any serious domestic inquiry.
In September, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon referred to the President of the HRC and the High Commissioner the report of his Panel of Experts, which finds considerable evidence of war crimes and other abuses committed by both sides during the Sri Lankan civil war. According to the report, up to 40,000 civilians were killed in the final five months of the war, mainly due to indiscriminate shelling of civilian-populated areas, including hospitals and food distribution centers. The rebel group LTTE used civilians as human shields. A documentary by UK's Channel 4, Sri Lanka's Killing Fields, released in June 2011, records some of the abuses through graphic video of executions allegedly by the Sri Lankan security forces.
The UN Panel and international organizations have rejected a domestic mechanism, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), as inadequate and lacking the independence necessary to conduct an impartial and effective investigation of these abuses. The LLRC report issued in December made some helpful recommendations, but was dismissive of serious abuses by government forces and the need for accountability. Now is the time for the HRC to demonstrate its commitment to justice for victims and their families by taking effective action toward establishing an independent international accountability mechanism.
This statement is endorsed by the following:
Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA
Karin D. Ryan, Director, Human Rights Program, The Carter Center
Don Kraus, Chief Executive Officer, Citizens for Global Solutions
Allison Garland, Project Coordinator, Democracy Coalition Project
John C. Bradshaw, Executive Director, Enough Project
Norma R. Gattsek, Government Relations Director, Feminist Majority Foundation
Paula Schriefer, Vice President for Global Programs, Freedom House
Tom Malinowski, Washington Director, Human Rights Watch
E. Robert Goodkind, Chair, Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights
Kathryn Cameron Porter, Founder and President, Leadership Council for Human Rights
Jerry Fowler, Senior Policy Analyst, Open Society Foundations
Hans Hogrefe, Washington Director, Physicians for Human Rights
Bama Athreya, Executive Director, United to End Genocide
Aung Din, Executive Director, U.S. Campaign for Burma

EU refrains from welcoming LLRC, calls for UN Commission

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 February 2012, 03:04 GMT]
The European Parliament on Thursday, among its resolution specifying its position on UN Human Rights Council's 19th session to be convened in Geneva this month, resolved on Sri Lanka that it “[s]tresses the need to further support efforts to strengthen the accountability process in Sri Lanka and continue to call for the establishment of a UN commission of inquiry into all crimes committed, as recommended by the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka; invites the Sri Lankan Government to send an invitation to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.” The maneuverings of Sri Lanka supporters to replace the call for UN commission with a note welcoming LLRC were defeated by the members of Labour and Left parties (GUE and S&D).

The Sri Lanka-backers, who were mainly from the right wing and right center parties, which included the major group in the parliment, European People's Party (EPP) and European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) have pressed for an amendment to do away with the call for international investigation and to welcome Sri Lanka's LLRC.

The following is the amendment texts presented by EPP and ECR:

“Calls for support efforts to strengthen the accountability process in Sri Lanka to be furthered, as recommended by the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka, and welcomes the Sri Lankan Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Committee’s recent report; calls on the Sri Lankan Government rapidly to implement the report’s recommendations, and in particular to address concerns regarding human rights violations;”

It was however defeated.

Richard Howitt of the S&D Group and Paul Murphy of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE-NGL) Group played significant role in defeating the amendment, informed sources said.

The EU position significantly differs from the stand of the USA that has dropped the call for international investigation and instead welcomes the LLRC.

However, the stand that would be taken by the UK may go contrary to the EU resolution, as different signals come from the British Foreign Office, the informed sources further said.

While thanking the progressive shade of members in the EU Parliament for the resolution, the Eezham Tamils are concerned that their core issues as a nation facing structural genocide are yet to find reference in the supranational body of EU parliament or in other international forums.

Self-denial of heritage in Maldives sends message to Establishments

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 February 2012, 23:49 GMT]
A group of Maldivians who stormed into the National Museum at Male on the day Mr. Mohamed Nasheed resigned from the office of president, destroyed artefacts of pre-Islamic heritage on display. The whole pre-Islamic history is gone and the loss to the nation’s archaeological legacy can never be recouped, The Economic Times said Tuesday, citing Maldivian officials. Most of the artefacts, including statues smashed, belong to Maldivian Buddhism dating between c. 6 – 12 century CE. The vandals destroyed not only the religious heritage but also the literacy heritage as well, because many of the 30 odd coral-stone artefacts destroyed were inscribed with the earliest written records of the country. While media is busy on comparison with Afghanistan, the question arises why the situation deteriorated in Nasheed’s time, when the heritage had found no qualms during Gayoom’s long rule.

Pre-Islamic heritage on display before the destruction [Courtesy: National Museum, Maldives]

One of the artefacts had the earliest written record of Maldives in Pallava-Grantha script of c. 6th Century CE [Image Courtesy - National Museum, Maldives]

The destroyed images had inscriptions in the old Maldivian script called Eveylaa Akuru. Most of these inscriptions were neither deciphered nor published. [Courtesy: National Museum, Maldives]

A head of Buddha in display at the national museum of Maldives

The head of Buddha that was on the display. The sculpture which was originally found with its torso in the excavations of Thoddoo in the 1960s was already destroyed and only the salvaged head was brought to the National Museum for display. [Courtesy: National Museum, Maldives]

A relic-casket of Vajrayana Buddhism that was in the display of the National Musem bearing an inscription in Nagari script of c. 10th Century CE [Courtesy: National Museum, Maldives]

The Rajapaksa-installed lion statue (Sri Lanka's emblem) was partly destroyed at Addu atoll in southern Maldives, within a week of its installation in November 2011 [Photo courtesy - haveeru.com]

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Human rights advocates blast appointment of Sri Lankan commander to peacekeeping panel

By Colum Lynch Thursday, February 16, 2012

The U.N.'s chief human rights official, Navi Pillay, advised U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moonearlier this month to seek the removal of a former Sri Lankan officer from a top peacekeeping advisory committee because soldiers under his command may have committed abuses during the bloody, final months of the country's 28-year-long civil war, according to a confidential account obtained by Turtle Bay.

Major Gen. Shavendra Silva, who currently serves as Sri Lanka's deputy U.N. envoy, was selected last month by the U.N.'s Asia Group, which consists of all the U.N.'s Asian member states, to serve on the U.N. secretary general's senior advisory panel. The 20-member panel was established to examine the prospect of awarding pay increases to U.N. peacekeepers. Full Story>>>

Refugee system faces 'unprecedented dismantling'

CTVNews.ca StaffPhotos

jason kenney, canada immigration, canada refugees

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney introduces a new bill during a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Date: Fri. Feb. 17 2012 8:22 AM ET

The Conservative government's new plan to reform the refugee system will prevent legitimate claimants from telling their stories and will damage the Immigration and Refugee Board's ability to review those claims, says one immigration expert.

The reforms were announced Thursday by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, who said Canada is being preyed upon by "bogus" refugees from democratic countries with strong human rights records.

Under the proposed changes, refugees from so-called "safe" countries will have to file a claim within 15 days of arriving, and will not have the option of appealing the Immigration and Refugee Board's decision or accessing social services such as welfare.

Attempt to bait the dead fisherman’s family fails

Thursday, 16 February 2012

The attempt by the government to silence the relatives of Anthony Fernando who died after the military had shot at him during a protest against the fuel price hike has failed.

Although SSP Pujith Wijesundera had arrived at Fernando’s residence with a politician from the area and handed a cheque for Rs. 500,000 to the family members, they had refused to accept it. The politician had said that the funeral would be carried out at state expense and that the government would take responsibility for the futures of Fernando’s two children and wife. He had asked the family members to remain silent until the funeral is concluded.

Angered by the incident, Fernando’s brother in-law, Stanley Kumara and the relatives have chased away the politician and his supporters from the house.

Security has now been tightened in the Chilaw and Negombo areas.

Protest in Chilaw

SRI LANKAN POLICE FIRE ON FISHERMEN PROTESTING FUEL PRICE INCREASE; 1 DEAD, 3 WOUNDED

US keeps sharp focus on Tiger killings

smh.com.au February 18, 2012

In May 2009, hell was a strip of sand on the north-east coast of Sri Lanka where a surrounding government army was raining shells, bullets and bombs on a cut-off rebel army, the Tamil Tigers, and thousands of trapped civilians.

As the end came near, three Tiger leaders tried to save themselves and their families, arranging a surrender in mobile phone calls and text messages involving the government's foreign secretary in the capital Colombo, Norwegian diplomats, a British journalist and others.

They were told to advance across to government lines in a non-threatening manner, raising their hands, and bearing a white cloth.

Later the next day, government troops found the bodies of Balasingham Nadesan, Seevaratnam Pulidevan and Ramesh, along with those of several family members, lying in the former no-man's land, riddled with bullets. An unfortunate accident, understandable in the chaos of battle, the government said.

Coming up to three years later, as tourists flock back to Sri Lanka's beaches, temples and tea country and his government still basks in the glow of ending a 25-year separatist insurgency, the incident is returning to haunt the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa.