Peace for the World
First democratic leader of Justice the Godfather of the Sri Lankan Tamil Struggle: Honourable Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Vote over, now get on with reforms: SL activists
Speaking to Firstpost shortly after the vote was adopted in Geneva, Dr Saravanamuttu said that hopefully now that the vote was over, the country could “get on with the job” of implementing the recommendations of the LLRC. “I hope the government will now waste time looking for scapegoats, as we have more important things to do”, he said.
Saravanamuttu says the govt should just get on with the job: Reuters
The Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission of Sri Lanka is a government mechanism that was appointed to look at the grievances of Tamil civilians in the immediate aftermath of the war. According to the commission civilians were killed by the Sri Lankan military, albeit accidentally, which contradicting the government’s line that there were zero civilian casualties. Its recommendations included calling for investigations to be carried out into specific allegations of disappearances after surrender/arrest, adding that where such investigations produce evidence of any unlawful act on the part of individual members of the Army, the wrongdoers should be prosecuted and punished.
Other recommendations included the appointment of an independent panel to look into the Channel four documentary which was one of the factors that finally pushed India to vote in favor of the resolution. (Read more here)
Dr. Saravanamuttu said that the resolution was in fact, extremely favorable for Sri Lanka and he did not buy the Sri Lankan governments argument that the UN resolution was a divisive piece of legislation that would impede reconciliation.
The Sri Lankan government went all out against the resolution, going so far as to send a monster 52-member delegation to Geneva to lobby against its passage.
The final tally of the vote saw 24 countries vote in favor of the resolution, 15 vote against and 18 abstain.
UN adopts resolution on Sri Lanka war crimes probe
Several marches have been held in Sri Lanka to protest against the resolution
The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution urging Sri Lanka to investigate alleged abuses during the final phase of war with Tamil rebels.
The US-backed motion called on Colombo to address alleged abuses of international humanitarian law.
It passed with 24 votes in favour, 15 against, eight abstentions. Sri Lanka denounced the process as "arbitrary".
Clinton welcomes UN resolution on Sri Lanka
Mar 22, 2012WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday welcomed a UN resolution urging Sri Lanka to "credibly investigate" allegations of war crimes during its battle against Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009.
Thursday's Human Rights Council resolution in Geneva "encourages the government of Sri Lanka to continue on the path toward reconciliation following 27 years of civil war," the chief US diplomat said in a statement.
"The United States, together with the international community, sent a strong signal that Sri Lanka will only achieve lasting peace through real reconciliation and accountability," Clinton said.
"And the international community stands ready to help," she said.
Washington looks to the Sri Lankan government to "implement the constructive recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and take the necessary measures to address accountability," she said.
"We are committed to working with the Sri Lankan government to help realize this goal, and I look forward to discussing future actions with Foreign Minister (Gamini Lakshman) Peiris soon," Clinton said.
In tabling the resolution in Geneva, Washington said Colombo had been given three years to hold its own investigations into allegations of serious violations, but "given the lack of action... it is appropriate" that the 47-member state council pushed it to do so.
"An enduring peace will be unsustainable without meaningful steps to foster national reconciliation and accountability," said US envoy Eileen Donahoe.
"It is a resolution that encourages Sri Lanka to ... make concerted efforts at achieving the kind of meaningful accountability upon which lasting reconciliation efforts can be built."
Rights groups say up to 40,000 civilians died in the final months of Colombo's military campaign to crush the Tamil Tigers, who waged a bloody decades-long campaign for a separate homeland for minority Tamils.
The UN estimates some 100,000 people died during Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict between 1972 and 2009.
Sri Lankan authorities have rejected Thursday's resolution, saying the country must be given time to complete its own domestic investigations without interference from foreign powers.
Sri Lanka Not to Change Policies Despite Outcome in Geneva
2012-03-22Whatever the outcome in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in Geneva is, Sri Lanka will not change its policies and ongoing projects, a government spokesman said on Thursday.
Acting Cabinet spokesman Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena on Thursday said that the conduct of the government would not be changed depending on Thursday's decision in Geneva.
"Even before the U.S. backed resolution was introduced Sri Lanka had acted on various decisions to bring about reconciliation at the end of three decades civil war," he said.
Abeywardena explained that the government started resettlement of internally displaced persons, rehabilitated former rebels, recruited Tamil speaking policemen and developed former war-torn areas without any external influence after war.
He said whatever the outcome in Geneva, the country would continue with its policies that have already started.
Abeywardena added the U.S. sponsored resolution would not be able to be passed unless there is undue influence by the Western nations.
The vote on the U.S.-backed resolution on Sri Lanka is scheduled to be held on Thursday at the UNHRC in Geneva.
Over the last two weeks, supporters of the government and religious leaders conducted protest marches and demonstrations in capital Colombo, urging the United States and other Western countries not to exert pressure on Sri Lanka which is rising from the ashes of prolonged civil war.
The United States had moved for the resolution on Sri Lanka in order to push the government to address accountability issues during the final stages of the war against Tamil Tiger rebels and to also implement recommendations of a war commission.
Sri Lanka urged to probe alleged war crimes
Updated 
Human rights campaigners say conditions for minorities and dissenting voices have not improved in Sri Lanka since the end of the civil war.
They say many activists have been kidnapped or murdered in recent months.
The international community is debating a UN resolution calling on Sri Lanka to investigate alleged war crimes in the final months of the civil war.
The government's own inquiry made similar recommendations, but president Mahinda Rajapaksa continues to staunchly defend the military's conduct in those final battles.
He opposes international monitoring in his country and says the UN is risking the process of reconciliation he says is already underway.
In the northern city of Jaffna, the government is investing heavily in post-war reconstruction. New roads, schools and hospitals are being built, while the private sector is developing shopping centres and hotels.
But these surface improvements cannot paper over the evidence of three decades of civil war, nor ease the tension of the three years since. Full Story>>>
Sri Lanka must address war crimes charges and show respect for Tamil rights
Published On Wed Mar 21 2012
Three years after bringing Sri Lanka’s bitter 25-year civil war to an end, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his triumphalist government risk becoming pariahs. At the United Nations they are under fire for not fully probing what the UN calls “credible allegations” of war crimes, and for not healing the broken nation.
Three years after bringing Sri Lanka’s bitter 25-year civil war to an end, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his triumphalist government risk becoming pariahs. At the United Nations they are under fire for not fully probing what the UN calls “credible allegations” of war crimes, and for not healing the broken nation.In Geneva this week Canada is co-sponsoring an American push at the UN Human Rights Council to demand that Rajapaksa’s Sinhala-dominated government set up a “credible and independent” probe of alleged war crimes, and seek genuine reconciliation with the Tamil minority. It’s a scandal it has taken this long.
Given that UN push, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has picked the right time to send a trio of Canadian lawmakers to Sri Lanka to gauge opinion there. They are parliamentary secretaries Chris Alexander (defence) and Rick Dykstra (immigration), and Sen. Vern White, a member of the Senate human rights committee.
While in Colombo they should deliver a blunt message that Canadians want to see the veil lifted on the ugly closing days of the war, and also more action on Tamil rights. Given that Canada is home to the largest Tamil diaspora, and that Harper declared the Tamil Tigers to be terrorists back in 2006, they have the credibility to speak out.
According to the UN, “tens of thousands” perished in 2008-2009 as Rajapaksa’s forces crushed a Tiger-led secessionist rebellion. The military shelled areas where 300,000 civilians were huddled. The Tigers used people as shields. There were grisly reports of point-blank executions, rape, torture and other crimes by both sides. None of this has been thoroughly investigated.
Now the respected International Crisis Group warns that the Rajapaksa government risks undermining long-term peace prospects. “The Tamil-majority north remains under de facto military occupation,” and efforts are underway to “Sinhalise” the region, the ICG reports. That’s a dangerously provocative policy. Going forward, Tamil regions need a degree of autonomy, not a jackboot.
Harper’s envoys should let Rajapaksa and his officials know that Canadians haven’t forgotten that Tamils were promised “substantive” regional autonomy, plus stronger minority rights and a fair share of positions in the civilian administration and military. The guns have long since fallen silent, but Tamils are still waiting.
India votes against Sri Lanka, UN war crimes resolution adopted
Mar 22, 2012
Geneva: The 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva adopted the resolution against Sri Lanka on alleged war crimes on Thursday with 24 countries voting in favour, 15 against and eight abstaining. India also voted in favour of the US-backed resolution.The resolution urged Colombo to investigate alleged war crimes during the last stage of its military action against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The United States, the European Union and India said that an impartial investigation into alleged crimes committed by both the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE would make it clear that Colombo stood for justice and equality.
India had earlier indicated that it would vote in favour of the resolution as the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government was under immense pressure from Tamil Nadu parties on the Sri Lankan war crimes issue.
However, Sri Lanka got the support of 15 countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Russia and China, all of whom voted against the resolution.
Sri Lanka had strongly lobbied against the resolution moved by the US, France and Norway, calling it 'ill-timed, ill-conceived and borne out of ignorance'. Sri Lankan representative at UNHRC session Bandula Jayasekara appealed to the members not to adopt the resolution as it would help the LTTE undermine democracy.
"We have said that this is very intrusive. We have explained that we are working on this. But this sort of intrusive force would derail the process," said Bandula Jayasekara.
Suren Surendiran, spokesperson for the London-based Global Tamil Forum, demanded an independent investigation into alleged cases of war crimes by Sri Lanka.
"The resolution should be redrafted. We need an independent investigation... that will be the first time that Sri Lanka's crimes against humanity will be recognised," said
Indonesia can help bring truth to Sri Lanka
Salil Shetty, London | Thu, 03/22/2012 Kasippillai Manoharan listened to the frantic voice on the other end of the phone. His 20-year-old son, Ragihar, said he was surrounded by troops. Then the phone went dead.
Desperately, the Sri Lankan doctor tried to return the call but there was no answer.
Minutes earlier, Ragihar and his friends were sitting on the seafront in the port town of Trincomalee in north eastern Sri Lanka when an auto-rickshaw drove by. A grenade was tossed from the vehicle. It exploded, injuring several of them.
Violence was common in Trincomalee in 2006. The town had a substantial Sri Lankan military presence and was a target for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a brutal armed group that then controlled much of the country’s northern areas.
Navy guards quickly placed a security cordon around the area. Witnesses say that Special Task Force (STF) troops arrived, and initially threw the wounded students in the back of a jeep. Full Story>>>
Cancel all India-Lanka cricket ties, says PIL
THE TIMES OF INDIA Mar 22, 2012,
MADURAI: A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Madurai bench of the Madras high court seeking a direction to the Union government to cancel all international cricket matches slated to be played between India and Sri Lanka in future, until all disputes are settled in the ethnic crisis between Tamils and Sinhalese, and until total peace prevails in the Bay of Bengal.
S Calvin Christopher, an advocate, filed the PIL seeking a direction to the Bnot to sign any contract for international matches where the Indian team is pitted to play against Sri Lanka.
According to the petitioner, it is a well-known fact that Indian fishermen are continuously attacked and killed by the Lankan navy in the Bay of Bengal due to the ethnic crisis. After thecricket world cup final in April 2011, the Sri Lankan navy personnel attacked the Indian fishermen with cricket bats as a retaliatory measure. Due to this, four Tamil-speaking men were killed.
The petitioner also claimed, "In the recently-concluded triangular series in Australia, the Sri Lankan team was defeated by the Indians. As a result of the victory, Indian fishing boats were destroyed and fishermen were attacked. The killing of Tamil fishermen has gone unabated."
The petitioner also alleged that the state government granted Rs 3 crore to the victorious Indian team for winning the world cup. Further, an amount of Rs 1 crore was given to Tamil Nadu cricketer R Ashwin, who did not even play the finals, whereas, the families of Tamil fishermen have received approximately Rs 3 lakh or below for each death, which is deplorable.
The life of a Tamil fishermen seems to be cheap, compared to the gallantries of a non-playing cricketer in the eyes of the Tamil Nadu government, he contended.
The petitioner further submitted that all future cricket matches in which India and Sri Lanka are slated to play must be put on hold until an amicable settlement is arrived between both Tamils and Sinhalese.
When the matter came up for hearing before the bench comprising Justice Chitra Venkatarman and Justice R Karuppiah, the petitioner's counsel, Peter Ramesh Kumar prayed the court to tag along with other PILs seeking various reliefs to prevent the attacks on fishermen. The matter was posted for further hearing on April 2.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
New Evidence:The Death Of Colonel Ramesh – Warning Disturbing Images
By Gordon Weiss -
There’s an intriguing video that’s been available online for a little less than a year. When properly considered, along with fresh pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, it might ensure the passage this week of a resolution being considered by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The resolution is being furiously opposed by the Sri Lankan government.New evidence of the murder of one man is key to revealing a conspiracy behind mass murder. This evidence, shown and told in The Global Mail’s story, is graphic and confronting. The issue is now being debated by the United Nations.
The video shows a man in the custody of the Sri Lankan armed forces, excerpts from his interrogation and preparations to conceal his impending execution. It’s important because, together with a batch of newly discovered photographs, it is evidence of a chain of events that places this man consistently in the custody of authorities until his murder and the disposal of his body.
RAMESH INTERROGATED IN AN APC. T. Thurairajasingham, whose nom de guerre was Colonel Ramesh, being interrogated on 22 May 2009 by Sri Lankan army personnel in the back of an APC (possibly an armoured Humvee), an image that forms part of the chain of custody. Supplied photo
RAMESH ON FLOOR OF APC. T. Thurairajasingham, whose nom de guerre was Colonel Ramesh, being interrogated, and his old and new wounds being examined, on 22 May 2009 by Sri Lankan army personnel in the back of an APC (possibly an armoured Humvee), an image that forms part of the chain of custody. Supplied photo.
RAMESH CHANGES TO MILITARY FATIGUES. T. Thurairajasingham, whose nom de guerre was Colonel Ramesh, changing into Sri Lankan army fatigues on 22 May 2009, watched by Sri Lankan army personnel in the back of an APC (possibly an armoured Humvee), an image that forms part of the chain of custody. Supplied photo.
RAMESH INTERROGATED IN MUD HOUSE. T. Thurairajasingham, whose nom de guerre was Colonel Ramesh, being interrogated on 22 May 2009 by Sri Lankan army personnel in a mud wall house, an image that forms part of the chain of custody. Supplied photo
RAMESH MOMENTS AFTER EXECUTION. T. Thurairajasingham, whose nom de guerre was Colonel Ramesh, moments after being shot with a high calibre weapon on 22 May 2009 lies on the floor of a mud wall house, an image that forms part of the chain of custody. Supplied photo.
RAMESH MOMENTS AFTER EXECUTION. T. Thurairajasingham, whose nom de guerre was Colonel Ramesh, moments after being shot with a high calibre weapon on 22 May 2009 lies on the floor of a mud wall house, an image that forms part of the chain of custody. Supplied photo.
SOLDIER VIEWS RAMESH’S BODY. T. Thurairajasingham, whose nom de guerre was Colonel Ramesh, after being shot with a high calibre weapon on 22 May 2009 lies outside a mud wall house, viewed by a Sri Lankan army soldier, an image that forms part of the chain of custody. Supplied photo.
RAMESH ON CREMATION PYRE. T. Thurairajasingham, whose nom de guerre was Colonel Ramesh, after being shot with a high calibre weapon on 22 May 2009, now placed on a stack of wood for burning, an image that forms part of the chain of custody. Supplied photo.
SOLDIER WITH RAMESH’S CREMATION PYRE. T. Thurairajasingham, whose nom de guerre was Colonel Ramesh, after being shot with a high calibre weapon on 22 May 2009, is burned on a pyre. A Sri Lankan army soldier poses for a ‘trophy’ photo, an image that forms part of the chain of custody. Supplied photo
Baird Sends Delegation of Parliamentarians to Sri Lanka
March 21, 2012 - This week, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has sent a delegation of parliamentarians to Sri Lanka.
Parliamentary secretaries Chris Alexander and Rick Dykstra, along with Senator Vern White, will stop in various parts of the country to independently evaluate the situation on the ground.
The delegation will meet with a range of government officials and non-governmental organizations, as well as representatives of different communities throughout Sri Lanka. The delegates’ findings will help inform Canada’s next steps.
The Government of Canada has taken a firm stance following the conflict in Sri Lanka. Baird has strongly urged the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’s report, and develop a complementary road map to that end.
Canada has called for an independent investigation into the credible and serious allegations raised by the United Nations Secretary General’s panel that international humanitarian law and human rights were violated on both sides of the conflict.
Canada has also taken a lead in co-sponsoring a resolution to be presented at the 19th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Alexander, Dykstra and White will report back to Minister Baird in due course on the findings of their mission.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
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Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter: @DFAIT_MAECI
SRI LANKA: Extrajudicial Killings --- The miserable breakdown of the rule of law
March 21, 2012
By Nilantha Ilangamuwa
Our lives are spinning out
from world to world;
the shapes of things
are shifting in the wind.
What do we know
beyond the rapture and the dread?- Stanley Kunitz*
from world to world;
the shapes of things
are shifting in the wind.
What do we know
beyond the rapture and the dread?- Stanley Kunitz*
“They finished off my husband after two days of torture, and then took me to Hambantota where a number of women were held on suspicion. To my knowledge, most of them were innocent like me. There too they tortured me and urged me to reveal the names of the people who had connections with the JVP, but I did not know anyone who had JVP connections and I didn’t have any link with them either.” - Mrs. Premasili**
Every national and international observer agrees that Sri Lanka today is a state facing tremendous upheaval and chaotic social disorder, even after the elimination of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), on May 19, 2012 (when the Government of Sri Lanka officially declared the longest civil war in Asia over1). The national and international civil society organizations have documented that violations of fundamental human rights are occurring every day2. The tabling of the drafted resolution on human rights in Sri Lanka by the United State of America, to the 19th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, has questioned an old phenomenon in a new framework, though it continues, as previous resolutions have, to open widespread discussion on human rights violations by the Government of Sri Lanka, as well as by non-state actors in recent times in the island nation. There is no doubt that the Government of Sri Lanka needs tremendous pressure from the international community, not only to take responsibility for its conduct during the war, but also to address the many constitutional shortcomings that resulted from the introduction of the 1978 Constitution3 and most of its amendments, where the principles of common law were manipulated by the executive branch to place itself above the law.
Believe it or not ! Wellampitiya white Van murderers are from the PSD !! – two are related brothers
(Lanka-e-News-21.March.2012, 6.00PM) The four criminals (murderers) associated with the white Van who were captured at Wellampitiya recently , are those attached to a paramilitary force coming under the Presidential security division (PSD), and not directly responsible to the Army Commander, according to information reaching Lanka e news confirming this.
Before this Force was brought under the President security division , it was affiliated to the security unit under the IGP adhering to rules and regulations lawfully. This section was possessed of world recognized scientific techniques regarding security . Afterwards , the MaRa regime made it a separate Force giving it an army
character . Initially there were 400 members in that Force.
When recruiting them to this Force there were no fixed procedures followed. There were no fixed training procedures. Divested of the traditional procedures , any favorite could be recruited to it from any regiment of any of the three Forces . The fundamental requirement for recruitment to this group was : the recruit must be a MaRa loyalist and nothing else mattered . On this basis , the Medamulana criminals were brought within the naval force under a new Corp of the Forces.
When training commissioned Army Cadet officers who are recruited , these Medamulana murderers were entitled to ‘officer’ or a privileged position as a ‘Regime’s member’ who could earn ‘stars and medals’without the training.
Recently ,when these ruthless killers ( who could not be apprehended by the police for so long even after countless complaints against them of abductions, disappearances and murders ) were caught red handed by the public , disgraced and stigmatized at the Wellampitiya police station , and stood exposed as Govt. killers enjoying State patronage , the DIG Anura Senanayake or the DOG of the Rajapakses released from their ‘Kennel’ , arriving at the police station and freeing the four criminals without even as much as a police entry being recorded in the police registers further confirmed that these murderers are of the paramilitary force mentioned in the foregoing paragraphs.
Following our request to the public to provide us with information regarding these criminals who are enjoying Govt. patronage and are committing crimes with absolute impunity, we are deluged with copious information received in response to the request. We are herein publishing only some of it : In this group , there are two brothers , either they are own brothers or related .They are presently residing at Moratuwa. Recently they had shifted to another house down the same road. As stated earlier their native place is down South. One member of the group is from Kurunegala , and another was working as a ‘seizure’ .Only the Kurunegala member and another have undergone army training after registering with the army. The other two are cold blooded brutal murderers of Idi Mahin and Gota , his defense Secretary.
So, this brutal Idi Mahin regime has given official army ‘labels’ to this group of ruthless criminals . Originally these ‘labels’ were fastened on them by Major Gen. Jagath Alwis at the behest of the regime chief.
The Army intelligence unit and four divisions of the Army training divisions are under the purview of Jagath Alwis. By the way,the Police DIG (Colombo) or President’s DOG Anura Senanayake who got the four criminals released from Wellampitiya police custody and took them away with him, and Jagath Alwis are bosom pals.
In the circumstances , it is very obvious without any trace of doubt that these criminal white Van operations are being conducted under the control and directions of Murderous regime chief Idi Mahin and his defense Secretary.
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