Publish positive news urges President

30 March, 2012

'Whenever we talk about this with foreign dignitaries they keep saying that they did not know about those intiatives'

The President of Sri Lanka has urged journalists in the island to focus on what he called as positive news rather than only focusing on negative aspects.

The duty of the “responsible journalist” is not only to report “rapes, murders and that one can survive a month with Rs 2500,” said President Mahinda Rajapaksa, but also to inform the public of the development initiatives launched by the government.

The president Mahinda Rajapaksa made the appeal as he declared open a new Media Development Centre at the Information Department in Colombo.

“It is not an exaggeration if I say that a rapid development is taking place in this country in a speed than we speak and write,” he said.

“And it is not limited only to Colombo or Hambantota.”

'Provoking racism'

President Rajapaksa questioned why the media do not focus on such developments.

It is not an exaggeration if I say that a rapid development is taking place in this country in a speed than we speak and write   President Mahinda Rajapaksa

“We have released nearly 14,000 LTTE suspects after rehabilitation. Whenever we talk about this with foreign dignitaries and foreign embassy officials they keep saying that they did not know about those intiatives,” he added.

Speaking in Tamil, Mr Rajapaksa appealed to country’s Tamil media outlets to inform people on development projects while pointing out wrongdoings and mistakes.

He also urged Tamil journalists not to carry out propaganda that provokes racism in the island that suffered for decades due to armed conflicts.

The Acting Media Minister, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene said everybody, including politicians and journalists “need to have a self-censorship.”

Geneva debacle: The realities behind the diplomatic rhetoric

Shocking statements by ministers make matters worse for President

By Our Political Editor

If the debacle at Geneva last week was bad enough for President Mahinda Rajapaksa, some of the things some of his Ministers are saying in public are making matters worse for him. Public Relations Minister Mervyn Silva had already dropped a bombshell by making a public confession that he was responsible for breaking the legs of a media activist who had to leave the country thereafter. The Police said they would inquire. The problem being that these inquiries never end. President Rajapaksa was fuming at the Minister's utterance. What he told some friends this week that he would do to Mervyn Silva is unprintable. Then, Education Minister Bandula Gunawardene had his own version of new maths calculating how a family of three could easily live on Rs. 7,500 a month. He was basing his arithmetic on a hostel where students spent only Rs. 2,500 a month on their food. The political cartoonists had a field day lampooning the minister, one of them even indicating from where he was talking. President Rajapaksa had asked him how he came to these figures. The Minister had said this was what he found out from those students, and that he was only referring to their food bill for the month; to which the President asked the most obvious questions; "who paid for the upkeep of the hostel?" and "who pays for the "gas", to which the Minister had said "the government". His Livestock Development Minister Arumugam Thondaman had sent President's Secretary Lalith Weeratunga a text message saying that he "wants to resign" because the government had reinstated the MILCO Marketing Manager who was facing charges of corruption. The Marketing Manager is reported to have approached MP Sajin Vaas Gunawardene among others to get reinstated. The President had not wanted Weeratunga or anyone in government to react to Thondaman's latest threat to quit. The only comment came from the President's Press Secretary Bandula Jayasekera who said sarcastically "this is not the first time he has resigned". In fact, officials at the President's office recalled how on a previous occasion Thondaman had arrived none the worse for liquor at the Bandaranaike International Airport and threatened to quit the government because officials at the airport had ignored him. As expected Thondaman met President Rajapaksa, remains well entrenched in the cabinet and flew to his home away from home, India the next day. President Mahinda Rajapaksa feeling the heat at Expo 2012 held at the BMICH. Pic by Susantha Liyanawatte Full Story>>>

Sri Lanka on notice: Where do we go from here?

Published On Sat Mar 31 2012  Vani Selvarajah

About 1,000 people protest outside the UN's European headquarters in Geneva to demand an international investigation of alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. (Feb. 27, 2012)

State sovereignty continues to be a shield throughout much of the world where there is a need to circumvent international law and human rights obligations. Sri Lanka is one such state and is a well-known violator of human rights. As a historic first, the United Nations Human Rights Council has taken a strong stance against the Sri Lankan state’s human rights record through a U.S.-initiated, Canada-sponsored resolution that questions the actions of the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the last phases of the civil war.

The resolution specifically calls for investigations into violations of international law, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. While it does not go as far as a much needed independent international investigation, it is definitely a step in the right direction. 

Full Story>>

The Life Of A Sri Lankan Tamil Bishop In Danger

March 30, 2012
By Brian Senewiratne -

Dr. Brian Senewiratne

This is an urgent appeal to prevent the possible assassination/ ‘disappearance’ of the outspoken Roman Catholic Bishop of Mannar, his fellow Catholic priests in the North and East, and others, who call themselves ‘Civil Society’, who are the only voices of the Tamil people in this part ofSri Lanka.

I write, not as a concerned Christian, but as a concerned human being, to apprise the international community, including the Pope, of what might happen in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, as it likes to call itself.

Anyone who is even minimally aware of what is going on behind the closed and censored door of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Totalitarian State, will know, that murder is rampant, and accountability non-existent. Murder or ‘disappearance’ is the Government’s answer to anyproblem, and the only method of silencing the dissenting voice.

Bump them off                               Read More

Already more than a dozen Christian priests, mainly Roman Catholics, have been murdered, abducted or have simply gone missing – “disappeared”. In the Sinhalese South, it is the dreaded ‘white van’ with no number plates that arrives. The victim is bundled in and that is that.

The bombing of the Madhu Church in Mannar.
Other human rights activists threatened
The opposition to Bishop Joseph
The political party of the Buddhist monks (JHU)
Sinhalese clergy and civilians 

Sri Lanka: Stop threats and incitement of violence against human rights defenders who engaged at the UN Human Rights Council

Wednesday, 28 March 2012

Thematics: Human Rights Defenders,Protection of HRDs

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) received information regarding threats, harassment, intimidation, vilification and incitement to violence against Sri Lankan human rights defenders in connection with their views on accountability issues in Sri Lanka. These threats are part of a hate campaign directed against human rights defenders who have engaged with the 19^th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (Council) and supported the recent adoption of the Council resolution on “promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka” (A/HRC/19/L.2). The resolution urges the Sri Lankan government to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and probe alleged abuses of international humanitarian law at the end of the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE).
Human rights defenders present at the Council in Geneva and repeatedly identified, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Dr. Nimalka Fernando, Ms. Sunila Abeysekera and Mr. Sunanda Deshapriya, are particularly targeted for their support of the resolution. They have been depicted as traitors and accused of supporting the LTTE as well as spreading lies about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, with the view to undermine the legitimacy of their work.[1] Furthermore, Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella insinuated that the defenders present at the Council “betrayed the motherland for dollars after enjoying free education and health services,” and that “they are worse than the foreign elements”.[2]
The present series of accusations started in January 2012 and have been spread through State-controlled TV and radio stations and appear in pro-government print and online news in Sri Lanka. The continuous daily coverage, which provides names and photographs of the defenders, contains thinly-veiled threats of retaliation which has only compounded the climate of fear under which defenders work in the country and has had a chilling effect as comments to online news items by the general public have clearly incited violence. One comment to an article questioned whether there was anyone willing to set fire to Ms. Sunila Abeysekera’s home.[3] Another article suggests that in a country like Iran these “kinds of bastards would be stoned in public”.[4]
The adoption of the Council’s resolution on 22 March 2012 has further intensified the hate campaign against supporters of the resolution. On 23 March 2012, speaking at a protest against the UN resolution on Sri Lanka, Minister of Public Relations Mervyn Silva named Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Dr. Nimalka Fernando and Mr. Sunanda Deshapriya as traitors. He threatened to “break their limbs” in public if they dare to set foot in the country.[5] The Minister also claimed responsibility for the eventual exile of journalist and free press activist Mr. Poddala Jayantha, who left Sri Lanka in 2009 after being abducted and severely beaten up. He stated that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would not take any action against him as “even if a tsunami flowed from Sigiriya, no tsunami would flow against him from Rajapaksa”.[6]
On 23 March 2012, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay warned that there must be no reprisals against Sri Lankan human rights defenders.[7] She noted with concern the unacceptable level of threats, harassment and intimidation directed at Sri Lankan activists who had travelled to Geneva to engage in the debate, including by members of the Sri Lankan government delegation. During the plenary sessions of Council as well as in parallel events, members of Sri Lanka’s delegation carrying diplomatic UN identity cards were seen photographing at close range Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Ms. Nimalka Fernando, Ms. Sunila Abeysekera and Mr. Sunanda Deshapriya and harassing them verbally.
In a statement released by Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Ms. Nimalka Fernando and Ms. Sunila Abeysekera on 21 March 2012, they expressed that as human rights defenders they will remain committed to their ideals and goals to defeat impunity in Sri Lanka and to build strong system of justice and accountability for human rights violations. Thus, it is the government of Sri Lanka’s duty to ensure protection of these human rights defenders including those engaging with inter-governmental processes, instead of putting their lives in danger.

Suggested action:
Please send letters to the government of Sri Lanka to raise your deep concern regarding the intimidation of Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Dr. Nimalka Fernando, Ms. Sunila Abeysekera,Mr. Sunanda Deshapriya and other Sri Lankan human rights defenders who supported the Council’s resolution on reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, urge the Sri Lankan government and State-controlled media to immediately end their hate campaign and incitement of violence against human rights defenders in accordance with Article 12(2) of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders that the State has to take necessary measures to ensure protection as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred in the Declaration. Remind them that Article 11 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders states that “everyone has the right […] to the lawful exercise of his or her occupation or profession and that everyone who, as a result of his profession, can affect the human dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of others should respect those rights and freedoms and comply with relevant national and international standards of occupational and professional conduct or ethics.”
FORUM-ASIA is closely monitoring the situation of human rights defenders who have engaged with the UNHRC, particularly those who supported the UN resolution on Sri Lanka. We encourage fellow human rights defenders to express their concern by sending a copy of your letters to the officials below, to the Sri Lankan Embassy in your country and to FORUM-ASIA.[ Read more ]

Headlines Today reporter gets award

March 29, 2012

Headlines Today correspondent Priyamvatha won the best Investigative report award for capturing the fear and insecurity of Sri Lankan Tamils during the civil war.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

William Hague faces legal action over Sri Lankan diplomat war crimes claim

Sam Jones  guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 March 2012

Foreign secretary William Hague has warned of the facing the world if Iran acquires nuclear weapons. Photograph: Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images

Tamil group to bring judicial review against foreign secretary over refusal to declare military attache persona non grata

An organisation representing the international Tamil diaspora is taking legal action against William Hague over the Foreign Office's failure to confront a senior Sri Lankan diplomat accused of complicity in crimes against humanity during the final stages of the island's civil war.

The Global Tamil Forum has instructed the law firm Birnberg, Peirce and Partners to bring a judicial review against the foreign secretary for his refusal to declare Major General Prasanna Silva – now the military attache to the Sri Lankan High Commission in London – persona non grata.

The forum alleges that Silva, who has lived in the UK since 2010, was involved in systematic attacks on Tamil civilians between January and May 2009 when he was a senior commander in the Sri Lankan army.

In a letter confirming instruction, the law firm writes: "You have informed us that the Global Tamil Forum and other organisations have made representations to the FCO with credible evidence of the offences allegedly committed by Major General Prasanna Silva during the war inSri Lanka. However, hitherto, the FCO has failed to declare Maj Gen Silva and his family personae non grata."

The letter notes that the FCO has it in its power to ask a foreign government to waive an individual's diplomatic immunity so that they can be arrested and questioned by police.

It adds that if there is "sufficient evidence to justify court proceedings" – and if the foreign government still refuses to lift immunity – the Foreign Office can ask for the withdrawal of the individual and their family or declare them "personae non grata". The letter also points out that theMetropolitan police arrests 20-30 diplomats a year.

The Foreign Office said it had not yet received any correspondence relating to legal action by the GTF, but added: "We have been approached by several NGOs regarding allegations that war crimes were committed by Major-General Silva. We take such allegations very seriously and advised the NGOs that if there was credible evidence, they should pass it to the Metropolitan police."

A Scotland Yard spokesman would not comment on suggestions that the force was investigating allegations that Maj Gen Silva had been involved in war crimes, saying only: "We can confirm that we have received information and we are unable to discuss [it] further."

The Sri Lanka High Commission said she was unaware of the GTF's legal action and declined to comment on allegations that Maj Gen Silva was involved in crimes against humanity.

The commission has previously described such allegations as "highly spurious and uncorroborated" and accused British media of seeking "entirely falsely, to implicate members of the Sri Lankan government and senior military figures" in such acts.

The Global Tamil Forum told the Guardian that the diaspora would take legal action against anyone suspected of involvement in war crimes.

"Every alleged war criminal of Sri Lanka must know that the Tamils will not rest until justice is served for the terrible crimes they are alleged to have committed," he said.

"This along with other legal proceedings must send a message to the regime that they are not welcome on the international scene. There remain other alleged war criminals in Australia and in New York where we will start proceedings soon."

Foreign Minister cannot have a personal stance of his own: MaRa Govt. in deep turmoil - Foreign Lawyers say

-at this rate appointment of a war Tribunal is inevitable

(Lanka-e-News-30.March.2012, 11.50PM) A group of Lawyers in Washington stated that the Govt. by vacillating and failing to arrive at a definite stance pertaining to the Geneva resolutions, and making blind and contradictory announcements is creating a serious dent in the image of SL while they are also militating against the country . • Dr. G L Peiris officially announced earlier that no matter the consequence, the Govt. will not act based on the Geneva resolutions . Subsequently the Cabinet spokesman , another Minister of this same moribund Govt. contradicted Dr. Peiris’ stance and declared that it was not the official stance of the Govt. However when Dr. Peiris reiterated his earlier announcement in Parliament today , it created a big confusion , and according to the Washington Lawyers speaking to Lanka e news , this is detrimental to SL. They point out that internationally a personal stance of the foreign Minister is not acceptable , for on some day , the President too can make an announcement and say it is his personal stance which the world will not accept. Now , not only Geneva but even Washington is focused on the happenings in SL . The same lawyers asserted ,Washington is rudely shocked and disillusioned over the following recent incidents in SL: • When Robert O Blake was in Colombo , a suspect brought to court with security was abducted by the white Van criminals while the suspect was still within the court precincts. • The release of the white Van criminals scot free by the Govt. after they were captured in Kolonnawa and handed over to the police . • When the Western province member was abducted and was being transported in the white van, after phone calls were made to the President and defense Secretary , the victim was released by the white van criminals following instructions from the top. The Washington Lawyers asked , why the SL legal sphere does not give advice to the Govt. on this issue ? They stated that earlier they proffered advice to this stupidly arrogant Govt. but , since they did not pay heed at all , they are requesting Lanka e news to reveal this information. Though it is Mahinda Rajapakse who has been the President for the longest period only second to the former President J R Jayawardena , the former had not been adept in his approach to diplomatic dealings. The Washington Lawyers regretted that they have never witnessed this amount of monumental diplomatic bungling in SL before. They added that the bird brained attitude of Rajapakse towards foreign relations is fast plunging the country into total chaos .If the International human rights Council resolutions are unheeded and discarded , the UN security Council can bring a proposal against the Govt. ,and based on that , a War tribunal with judicial powers could be appointed to investigate the war crimes, the Washington Lawyers warned. Such a tribunal is not an international war court, but vested with sweeping powers more than an international court, they noted. Although Ranil Wickremesinghe says, as we have not signed the Rome treaty , a SL citizen cannot be hauled up before the International court, that rule does not apply to a war tribunal appointed by the International Security Council , the Washington lawyers pinpointed . Besides Ranil’s view is untenable because if justice is to be meted out according to what Ranil says, any murderous regime , (MaRa’s not excluded ) in this world can disclaim criminal liability by not signing these treaties and claim’ we are free. You can’t touch us’. The lawyers emphasized that the laws have been enacted and promulgated in this world from a different standpoint.

When Non-Solidarity Means Doom

March 30th, 2012
by Kim Petersen 

The twenty-first century calamity that happened in Sri Lanka augurs unpropitiously for the Palestinians in Palestine. In 2009, the Sinhalese majority — backed indirectly by many nations of the world including Canada, the United States, China, India, Iran, Arab states,¹ Israel, and (what author Ron Ridenour and other solidarity activists find most surprising) Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua — militarily defeated the Tamils.

The plight of the Tamils is chronicled in Ron Ridenour’s book, Tamil Nation in Sri Lanka (Chennai: New Century Bookhouse, 2011). The oppression and genocide experienced by the Tamils is not as well-known as the occupation, oppression, and genocide experienced by the Palestinians even though it is of much longer duration.

I had known that many Tamils lived in Canada having escaped persecution back home. However, in 1997, I became more intimately familiar with the civil war in Sri Lanka while working in Maldives. Many of the workers — and some of my colleagues — were from Sri Lanka. I heard complaints that Tamils were discriminated against because of their language and religion. Worse were the tales of bloodthirsty pogroms of Sinhalese against the Tamils, including torture, murder, rapes — all this committed by Buddhists, people supposedly seeking enlightenment.

(Full article …)

Peninsula’s misreading of an island’s crimes

The Pionee

Author:  BR Haran

India should not have bowed to the United States’ hectoring at UNHRC and seen through the West’s agenda. Instead of backing empty resolutions New Delhi should address the real concerns of the hapless Tamil minority in Sri Lanka

While delivering his Victory speech in Parliament on May 19, 2009, President Rajapaksa said in Tamil, “The war against the LTTE is not a war against the Tamil people. Our aim was to liberate our Tamil people from the clutches of the LTTE. Protecting the Tamil speaking people of this country is my responsibility. That is my duty. All the people of this country should live in safety without fear and suspicion. All should live with equal rights. That is my aim. Let us all get together and build up this nation.”

In the course of his speech, in the pretext of looking back at 2,500 years of history,  he specifically addressed the Tamil Kings (Datiya, Pitiya, Palayamara, Siva and Elara) as “invaders” and said that the Buddhist kings (Dutugemunu, Valagamba, Dhatusena and Vijayabahu) defeated them and brought freedom to the Sinhalese.

Full Story>>>

MaRa regime abysmal bungling unstoppable: Foreign Minister again says Geneva resolutions will not be followed

(Lanka-e-News-30.March.2012, 11.50PM) The foreign Minister Dr. G L Peiris reiterated in Parliament that the Govt. will not under any circumstance concur in the resolutions adopted at the Geneva human rights sessions. He added that the Govt. has decided to have a debate in Parliament on this matter on the 3rd and 4th April. The Minister G L Peiris speaking further said, at that stage the Govt. will reveal its official stand. The Govt.’s own Cabinet spokesman yesterday however rejected the statement made by Dr. Pieris earlier as not the official stance of the Govt. But today Dr. Peiris reiterated that his previous announcement is the Govt.’s official stand. 6 motions were tabled today regarding the financial allocations to be passed on the 1st of next month in Parliament. In addition the Parliament authorized three months leave to Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe from 21st January.

Clouds on the Sri Lankan horizon for China

Mar 31, 2012
By Peter Lee 
China's relationship with the regime of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is rock solid. Chinese arms were instrumental in the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in 2009 that brought their insurgency to an end after 27 bloody years. China is the largest provider of foreign aid and investment to the island. 

And on March 22, when the United Nations' Human Rights Council (UNHRC) considered a resolution censuring Sri Lanka for shortcomings in its investigation of possible violations of international law during the war, and a deficit of credible post-conflict reconciliation initiatives, Beijing voted "no" - while India voted "yes". 

Thanks in significant part to India's vote and example, the resolution - which the Sri Lankan government was extremely
anxious to see fail, and had dispatched a 72-person team to Geneva to lobby against - passed. 

Sifting through the wreckage, Sri Lankan media noted that, if abstentions were counted with the "no" votes, the resolution had carried by only one vote - India's.    Full Story>>>

U.N. Sri Lanka Vote Redefines India’s Regional Role

By AMANTHA PERERA | March 30, 2012

In the early months of 2009 when Sri Lanka’s war was reaching its final crescendo, frantic calls were made to Colombo by Sri Lankan diplomats at the United Nations headquarters in New York. According to a top Sri Lankan diplomat, some calls were directly to Mahinda Rajapaksa himself, warning the Sri Lankan president that the U.S., Britain and France were contemplating unilateral action against the government for the conduct of its war against the Tamil Tigers.

The Rajapaksa government, poised to claim a decisive victory in the three-decades-old war, was in no mood for outside meddling – though it did accept a helping hand from an old trusted friend. Indian diplomats told supporters of action against Sri Lanka that New Delhi was against any kind of foreign intervention, a move that eased pressure on Colombo considerably. By mid May 2009, just a few months after those frantic calls, the war was over, and the Tigers vanquished.

Read more: http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2012/03/30/u-n-sri-lanka-vote-redefines-indias-regional-role/#ixzz1qh00vcF2

Sri Lanka: Targeting a daughter of a journalist in exile by the government backed media in Sri Lanka should be condemned

March 29th, 2012

NfR Sri Lanka, a network of Sri Lankan journalists and human rights defenders, vehemently condemns the virulent campaign launched by the Government backed media in Sri Lanka , against a daughter of a journalist in exile, in the wake of Human Rights Council’s resolution on accountability in Sri Lanka . This is a deliberate effort to suppress dissenting views being expressed in the country.

ITN the State controlled TV channel has shown visuals of the daughter of the exiled journalist Poddala Jayantha, 24 times over last few weeks.

Award winning journalist and defender of press freedom, Poddala Jayantha was abducted, tortured and left to die in June 2009, presumably by a state sponsored killer squad, after he returned to the Island from India after staying there temporarily for security reasons. He fled to the United States of America with his family in early 2010 as threats to his life didn’t cease and lives in New York .

Jayantha’s daughter, a 13 year old student was shown walking with her father as a back ground visuals on State controlled television while the journalist was blamed by the commentator for unfounded anti-government activities.

NfR considers the use of visuals of an innocent child as a back ground to dangerous attacks on her father, to be a crime that should be condemned in the strongest terms and its perpetrators should be brought to justice.

NfR condemned this unethical and totally unacceptable behaviour of the Sri Lankan state media and holds the GoSL responsible for this action. GoSL continues to keep a complete control over state media by appointing the members to its board of directors, editor s and even news casters. There is no truth in the statement that State media is free and GoSL is not responsible for these virulent attacks on journalists.

The NfR joins the growing local and international opposition to hostile rhetoric by GoSL against journalists, press freedom defenders and human rights defenders in the wake of the passing of a resolution at the UN HRC demanding the implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC.

NfR calls upon human rights organisations to voice their strong opposition to all these attacks and demands that GoSL should tender an open apology to the daughter of journalist Poddala Jayantha.

Steering Committee, NfR Sri Lanka

Steering committee : Kshama Ranawana ( Canada ) Lionel Bopage ( Australia ), Nadarasa Sarawanan ( Norway ), Nadarajah Kuruparan (UK) Padmi Liyanage ( Germany ), Raveendran Pradeepan ( France ), Rudhramoorthy Cheran ( Canada ), Saman Wagaarachchi ( USA ), Sunanda Deshapriya ( Switzerland )

Written by editor