Sanctuary or ceremony for Sri Lanka's elephants?

13 June 2012   By Charlie Haviland
Elephants play a critical role in Sri Lanka's annual Kandy Perahara parade

In a river near the town of Kegalle, Raja the elephant takes his bath. The huge 50-year-old beast lies languidly in the coolness while two keepers scrub him hard.

His tail twitches as his trunk explores the riverbed and sprays jets of water on his body.

Most impressive are his long tusks.

Many Asian elephants do not grow tusks at all: those that do are prized and much used in religious ceremonies.

Raja and his three companion elephants - one other is also tusked - play an exalted part in the spectacular annual Essala Perahera parade in the Sri Lankan hill town of Kandy, home of what is said to be the Lord Buddha's tooth housed in Kandy's Temple of the Tooth.

Raja's role is a source of pride for owner, Appuhami Millangoda, 89, whose family have kept captive elephants for three generations. In the 1940s he used to ensnare them from the wild.

Some Sri Lankans are calling for the capture of wild elephants to be made legal again

'Short of sleep'    Full Story>>>

On Sri Lanka Threats, UN Tells Press "Call NYPD," But SLC Sees Silva

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 12 -- Amid the UN's ambiguous relationship with the Sri Lankan government accused of killing 40,000 civilians in 2009, with the involvement of both its UN Permanent Representative Palitha Kohona and his Deputy, general Shavendra Silva, Inner City Press on June 11 asked the UN about

a threat that I’ve received from it seems to be a Sinhalese or Sri Lankan extremist, saying I should "swim like a brick," and the reason I am asking you about it is because it was cc'd to Marie Okabe and two other UN personnel. And I am wondering, what is the UN’s response when you receive this type of a threat? What do they do with it, what happens, and I want to know what they are actually going to do in this case?

Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: Well, I am not aware of that last one, Matthew. I don’t think I was copied on that one.

  He wasn't, at least on the face of it. But on June 12 Nesirky returned to the noon briefing with an answer: Inner City Press should "call the New York Police Department" and, if it chooses to, share threats with the UN's Department of Safety & Security.

  Well, as Inner City Press immediately responded to Nesirky whether it makes it into the UN transcript or not, one of the threats was copied not only for former Kofi Annan Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe, but also to "inquiries2 [at] un.org" and "nguyenK" at UN.org, described as "UN Ethics." This then is a test.

  Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, whose work has included official Edward Mortimer, Kofi Annan's former communications director and senior adviser, grilling the International Monetary Fund on its downplaying of Sri Lanka's continuing militarization, has chimed in on the matter, here:

This story starts in September of last year with a screening of “Lies Agreed Upon” – a government of Sri Lanka propaganda film which was expertly deconstructed by the International Crisis Group. Matthew Lee wrote a piece about how the screening, in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium of the UN, was organised by the President of the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA), Giampaolo Pioli, without going through the normal process of consultation for such screenings. He then further revealed (although he acknowledged it was “possibly unconnected”) that Pioli rents a flat to the Sri Lankan Permanent representative to the UN (and suspected war criminal) Palitha Kohona.

Then in May, five journalists wrote a letter asking Pioli to expel Lee from the UNCA. Pioli set up a Board of Examination (you can read Lee’s thoughts on the reasons for this and the make-up of the board here, with more detail here, here, and here). Meanwhile the UN itself muddied the waters by deciding “in this context” not to renew Lee’s accreditation to cover the UN.

Lee then offered to print a two sided clarification in which he and UNCA would both set the record straight. However this was rejected out of hand and, under Pioli’s direction, Lee was suspended from the UNCA. Although the grounds for expulsion have never been made public, it appeared to centre around various complaints that had been made by the Sri Lankan Government and by Pioli himself in respect to the showing of Lies Agreed Upon. To quote Lee: 

"The Sri Lankan Mission to the UN, run by Pioli's former tenant Kohona and his deputy Shavendra Silva, continues to act as though it has a special relationship with Pioli, sending complaint letters about Inner City Press to Pioli's UNCA unlike any other member state at the UN."

The next stage is a ten-day investigation by the UNCA, while the UN still refused to provide any clarity on if or when Lee’s accreditation will be renewed. Meanwhile Lee has been harassed from Sri Lanka using tactics which will be familiar to many Sri Lankan human rights defenders: anonymous threatening phonecalls, vicious personal emails, and several hyperbolic attacks in the media. The latter included the suggestion that Lee could be jailed for harassment for up to seven years. Since there is no evidence to suggest that there is any police investigation (or indeed any suggestion of harassment in a legal sense) this is pure yellow journalism.

The saga rumbles on (see also Lee’s articles here, here, here and here) and it may never be clear how deep the Government of Sri Lanka’s involvement in the intimidation was. What is clear is that they certainly gave the bandwagon a push and were very quick to jump on when it started rolling.

The UN should not be taking the side of the bullies, nor should they be adding to the confusion and speculation by failing to renew Lee’s accreditation. As for the UNCA; their role is to stand up for its members, not to expel them and we can see no justification for the continuation of this “Board of Examination”. Both the UNCA and the UN have played straight into the hands of the Government of Sri Lanka’s attempts to silence its critics.

Rajiva Wijesinghe to be removed from parliament

Wednesday, 13 June 2012

The President has decided to remove UPFA National List MP Prof. Rajiva Wijesinghe from parliament in order to assign him a special task, a senior official from the Presidential Secretariat said.

He has been accused of criticizing the President and senior government officials in front of senior foreign diplomats. The President has learnt that Prof. Wijesinghe had asked these officials to put pressure on the government to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

The official from the Presidential Secretariat said the President has therefore decided to assign him the task of studying the LLRC recommendations and monitoring its implementation.

Wijesinghe was once the leader of the Sri Lanka Liberal Party. He is the son of a former Secretary General of Parliament, Sam Wijesinghe. He is also closely related to the President.

Gota’s War And The Quest For Peace

June 13, 2012

By Rajiva Wijesinha, MP -

Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, MP

C A Chandraprema’s book on the war against the LTTE is an immensely interesting read. I had wondered how effective he would be as a writer of a sustained narrative, for his columns, though informative, can sometimes be turgid and repetitive. But his book combines a racy narrative with convincing detail, and I think makes clear the immense achievement of the government in dealing with the LTTE.

He also makes clear the reason for his title, and the importance of Gota, as he calls him, being in the right place at the right time. There were several innovations Gota introduced, which proved crucial, such as;

a) Ensuring the forces were well manned and well equipped
b) Providing leadership that developed and maintained confidence
c) Introducing innovative strategies and encouraging flexible tactics in the field
d) Establishing mechanisms for cooperation and the sharing of information
e) Streamlining procurement and preventing wastage and corruption

The last of these was particularly important, because the forces had been demoralized previously by the corruption that had become endemic, with officials responsible for procurement using companies run by their families. Unfortunately Chandraprema does not always name names, but I believe a schedule of arms dealers with relationships to government officials, should be made public. The way in which Gota changed the system was impressive, and I recall the tremendous surge of confidence which officers at Diyatalawa, generally amongst the brightest in the Army, evinced when it became clear that arms were being bought for the soldiery, not the dealers and their chums in the forces.

Military strategy       Full Story>>>

Armed group behind Udayakanthan’s murder

Wednesday, 13 June 2012 

It has been revealed that the murder of Kanapathipillai Udayakanthan has been committed by an armed group although the authorities have tried to imply that the murder was due to a private issue.

A former member of the LTTE, Udayakanthan’s body was found with stab wounds near the Hindu College in Bambalapitiya.

His helmet and keys to his motorbike were found near his body. The SIM card in his mobile phone had been de-activated at the time.

The Bambalapitiya Police found his motorbike in Wellawatte a few days later. Udayakanthan had left the LTTE in 2002 and traveled overseas and had returned to the country only two years ago.

Sri Lankan women honour price at Rs. 100,000

A Statement from the Asian Human Rights Commission

( June 13, 2012, Colombo- Hong Kong, Sri Lanka Guardian) As the criticism both from within the country as well as internationally mounts against what is happening in the name of law and order in Sri Lanka, new types of distortions and aberrations are taking place in the country's courts.

There has been quite a lot of criticism about the delays of adjudication in courts and in recent times this has been highlighted regarding cases of rape. Just last week one report stated that a rape takes place in Sri Lanka every ninety minutes. Other reports on sexual abuse of children also reveal facts which are quite shocking.

This led many local and international organisations to highlight this scandalous situation. Among others some of the international organisations to highlight the issue of delays relating to rape cases were UN agencies.

What is the result?

There has now emerged a practice in several courts to deal with this issue by way of offering to end the cases by way of paying compensation by the offender without imposing any prison sentences or even fining the offenders if such fines would affect their future employment. The going rate of compensation is around Rs. 100,000/=. Thus, an accused in a rape case could escape liability if they are willing and able to pay this amount.

Sometimes this can lead to very pathetic results. There was a case of the rape of a disabled woman and the police tried to settle the matter by the payment of Rs. 10,000/= to the victim's family. The family refused and made complaints which also received quite a lot of publicity. As a result the police had to bring the rapist to the court.

When the case was taken up at a Magistrate's Court the judge asked the victim's mother what compensation she wanted and added that he was not in a position to offer anything more than Rs. 100,000/=. The mother of the victim, who is thoroughly ignorant of the law and what can be done in courts, muttered Rs. 80,000/=. The judge ordered that amount to be paid in compensation and that was the end of that case.

In some instances when the accused is a government servant and might lose his job if he was to pay a fine as a result of a conviction there are instances where a compromise is reached not to impost the fine but to make a payment for what is called, state costs.

The whole process of adjudication even on very serious matters like rape and torture, the habits of the market place are now being practiced in the courts and the matters are dealt with by way of such kind of negotiations and compromise.

There is also the news of a pilot project for speeding up child sex abuse cases in three courts with the view to conclude a case within a period of three months. Such arrangements are unlikely to lead to an actual trial and are more likely to end in a similar kind of compromise.

Sri Lanka has moved far, far away from the rule of law. Any and every possible pragmatic arrangement is possible irrespective of the principles enshrined in the laws in the statute books.

SRI LANKA: Victims of rape continuously denied justice now live in fear

June 13, 2012

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION-URGENT APPEAL PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-100-2012



13 June 2012
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SRI LANKA: Victims of rape continuously denied justice now live in fear

ISSUES: Rape; violence against women; fair trail; witness protection; impunity; rule of law
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Ms. Sumanthika (31) and Prasanthi (19) of Ukuwela, Matale are sisters and lived with their parents at Matale (their names have been changed for security reasons). The two girls studied at a prestigious national school in Matale. Sumanthika was kidnapped and raped by her employer, the owner of Nataya Travel Air and Nataya Manpower company, Mangala Atampola. Sumanthika subsequently found that he had also raped her sister Prasanthi and forced her to have an abortion. The two victims have filed cases against Atampola and they are currently ongoing. However, their lives are at risk as he has considerable influence over the local law enforcement agencies.

CASE NARRATIVE:

Ms. Sumanthika (31) and Prasanthi (19) of Ukuwela, Matale are sisters and live with their parents at Matale (their names have been changed for security reasons). Their father was employed at the Lanka Porcelain as the supply manager at Matale. The two girls studied at a prestigious national school in Matale.

After her university entrance exam, Sumanthika, the eldest of the two sisters, followed a ticketing course in Kandy and then worked at Ceylinco travels in Colombo and Kurunegala for three years from 2000-2004.In 2005 January she joined the Nataya Travel Air and Nataya Manpower company belonging to Mangala Atampola. Sumanthika worked as a ticketing officer and then as the manager of the Nataya Travel air company. During the time of her service Sumanthika noticed that several people came to the office and complained against Mr Atampola for fraudulent transactions and she was further made to understand that there were court cases against him. For these reasons Sumanthika decided to leave the company given him notice in writing. However Mr Atampoa wanted her to continue until he recruited someone else. He withheld her identification documents in the attempt to keep her.

Full Story>>>

Mr President we are hungry

we do not want more but we want essential food to live

| by Pearl Thevanaygam

(June 13, 2012, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lanka's population is but 20+ million strong and its natural resources can very comfortably feed it. It has no large stretches of drought-hit terrain as in India or Africa. It is abound with fruits, vegetables and pulses. All in all the island should be the epitome of self-sufficiency.

Yet a woman attempted suicide recently by jumping into the river with her two children all because she could not afford to feed them according to a news item on The Island newspaper. This is the second such incident reported in the media within a span of a few weeks. Contrast this with another piece of news that Sri Lankan Airlines suffered a staggering Rs 24 billion loss largely due to VIP politicians' charter flights. The earlier story is about a negligible component in the society's fabric and the latter is about sustaining the country's economy.

Economy as I understood is all about how country provides for its populace and economic indicators are all about per capita income, consumption such as, food, fuel and shelter.. Nowhere did I read that there is a downturn in economy because of luxuries enjoyed by a privileged few. Tell a lie Banana Republics excluded and we are living a democracy and we are nowhere near as corrupt as Africa.

Cleisthenes in ancient Greece established what is generally held as the first democracy in 507 BCE. However Athenian citizens were all-male, born from parents who were born in Athens, and excluded women, slaves and males under 20 years of age. And we in this Serendib isle still have not deviated from this ancient rule of governance.

Even in the US, UK and Europe where there is a hue and cry that failing banks are sustained by the state there are welfare measures in place for the poor. Nobody goes hungry in the UK and begging is forbidden by law because the State looks after its people. The rising cost of living has spurned food banks run by charities which provide emergency food supplies for those in need.

I remember some years ago during a bleak winter's day while working for a firm of immigration solicitors I telephoned the department which looks after failed asylum seekers to provide emergency funds for food for such family and it despatched an official immediately to the house to deliver cash. The clock is ticking fast for the masses to revolt aka the fruit vendor who set himself ablaze in Tunisia thus sparking last year's Middle-East people's uprising.

Why has not any politician come out with a definite and guaranteed policy of welfare benefits for the country's unemployed, single mothers, aged and the infirm? We are talking about 13th amendment and its pluses; over-hauling of the judiciary and police force. Give us our daily bread and rice we will let Buddhists and Muslims build their temples and mosques anywhere they want. We will not ask for secession or a Tamil Eelam.

But is it too much to ask for three square meals a day for every citizen in this country? Could not the politicians sacrifice their sojourns abroad to speak on poverty, economy and its abysmal human rights record with the donor agencies to give the country's poor and the needy some welfare measures so that mothers do not jump in the rivers all because they cannot feed their offspring.

I'll vote for any politician who will promise and keep up that promise so that no Sri Lankan goes to bed on an empty stomach.

The writer is Asia Pacific Journalism Fellow at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, California and a print journalist for 22 years. She can be reached at pearltheva@hotmail.com)

Sri Lanka To Ban Sportsmen Refusing To 

Represent Country

A decision to appoint Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as captain of the national rugby team resulted Sri Lanka to ban sportsmen refusing to represent country
June 13, 2012

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is considering imposing a temporary ban on national athletes who refuse to represent the country at any given time.

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told Xinhua on Monday that amendments will be introduced to the local sports law to give room for sporting bodies to implement the ban.

“We are having issues mostly in cricket and rugby where national team players often refuse to represent the country when the national team has a scheduled tour and at times opt to play for some other event. So we are now looking at bringing in amendments to the sports law to allow sporting bodies to temporarily ban such players,” he said.

Recently some members of the national rugby team refused to take part in a tournament involving the national side after the team captain was replaced.

Some of the senior players were agitated over a decision to appoint Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as captain for the team at the Asian Five Nations Division tournament in the Philippines last April.

Speaking to the media at the time, new captain Yoshitha Rajapaksa said it was unacceptable that the national team players refused to represent the country.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga had refused to sign a contract with the Sri Lankan cricket board citing low payments.

The Sri Lankan cricket board named Malinga among the top players who will be offered contracts to represent the national team.

Malinga played at the recent Indian Premier League tournament following a lucrative deal but in future if selected to play for the national team he will be forced to forgo such a deal or be temporarily banned.

Cricket is the most popular sport in Sri Lanka and the cricket board was once the highest money making sporting body till it ran into financial difficulties recently resulting in even the players not receiving their payments on time.

THE TIMES OF INDIA

Tamil Heritage Month Act Within Reach

For Immediate Release

June 12th, 2012

TORONTO — Today, in the Ontario Legislature, the Tamil Heritage Month Act 2012, passed First Reading. In a parliamentary process that involves three readings of a bill and the formal Royal Assent from the Lieutenant Governor, this is a critical first step that brings hope to enacting in law, January, as Tamil Heritage Month in Ontario.

MPP Michael Coteau, Don Valley East, introduced the bill and has called on Members of Provincial Parliament from across the province to take part and support the bill through the various stages in parliament.

This bill stems from a formal announcement that was made by Premier Dalton McGuinty at the Canadian Tamil Congress' Thai Pongal Dinner. During the announcement, the Premier declared that a Liberal Member of Parliament will be bringing forward the initiative to recognize the contributions made and the obstacles overcome by the Tamil community in Ontario.

The Canadian Tamil Congress along with many community associations and partners have been and continue to be engaged in bringing to light the importance of such an initiative and we applaud the Premier and MPP Coteau for hearing our calls and taking leadership on this front.

MPP Coteau stated, “I encourage the community to call their local MPP's to ensure that all parties support this important bill. January is an important month for the Tamil Canadian community as the Tamil Harvest Festival (Thai Pongal) occurs in this month. By proclaiming the month of January as Tamil Heritage Month, the Province of Ontario recognizes the valuable contributions that Tamil Canadians have made to Ontario’s social, economic, political and cultural fabric".

The Canadian Tamil Congress joins MPP Coteau today in his call for community advocacy in the form of calls to local MPP's to support the passage of a bill that will continue to reside in the hearts and mind of Tamil Canadians today, tomorrow, and well into the future.

For more information, please contact Canadian Tamil Congress (416) 240-0078 

Sri Lanka reconciliation task force at work

June 13, 2012

Sri Lanka today said a task force overlooking the implementation of the reconciliation commission is making progress and has shorlisted 33 of its recommendations to be implemented at national level.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's secretary Lalith Weeratunga, who heads the task force said out of the 135 main recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), there are 33 that need to be implemented at national level.

While some it will be implemented within this year the others may take as long as next year, he said.

The reason was that 2012 budget allocations for ministries had been done prior to the release of the LLRC report.

The LLRC appointed by the Sri Lankan president to look back at the armed conflict with the LTTE covering the period of February 2002 and May 2009 was the main focal point in the US backed resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN human rights council (UNHRC) sessions in March.
The resolution asks the government to implement the LLRC recommendations as a key step towards reconciliation with the Tamil minority.
Weeratunga said the task force had met as many as five times and its progress would be made public by the end of the month.
Sri Lanka's external affairs minister GL Peiris mid last month met the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on US's call for follow up action on the UNHRC resolution.
Weeratunga denied opposition accusations that a secret plan on the LLRC implementation had been presented to Clinton by Peiris.
He said the government had apprised the US government on some of the practical difficulties in implementing the recommendations.
Sri Lanka cited the LLRC as its answer to international criticism of alleged human rights abuses at the last phase of the military offensive against the LTTE.
This was after a special UN panel report called by the secretary general Ban Ki-moon in 2011 called for an accountability mechanism over alleged rights abuses.

London fiasco a humiliation for Lanka: UNP

WEDNESDAY, 13 JUNE 2012 
The embarrassment caused to President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Britain when attending Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee celebrations had humiliated not only the President but also Sri Lanka, United National Party (UNP) MP Karu Jayasuriya said today.

Mr. Jayasuriya told a news conference that the President had attended this event as a head of a sovereign nation and not as the leader of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

“Therefore, if the President is subjected to humiliation, we consider it as a humiliation to the country as a whole. Although we belong to another political party and hold different views, we must state this fact without any political bias,” he said.

He said he had no intention of expressing his views about Sri Lanka’s participation at this event because it was the sole responsibility of the Government to decide who should attend and at what level.  

“According to reports many countries did not send their heads of states. Some countries were represented by ministerial level delegates. Whenever foreign visits of this nature are planned, it is the External Affairs Ministry which must provide necessary advice and guidance,” Mr. Jayasuriya said. (Kelum Bandara)

Video Evidence: Violent Buddhist Monks Are Using ‘Sudda Sinhala filth’

June 13, 2012

Video evidence: Buddhist monk who thretened police officers and used ‘Sudda Sinhala filth’. In this video the monk was also making racist remarks against Muslims and Tamils. The monk is identified as Kirulapona Nanda.

Editorial: Why flay the messenger? - The Island

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

''Gotabhaya addressing a gathering at the Weherahena Temple in Matara the other day, flayed the media for what he called helping hostile, external forces throw Sri Lanka in a bad light, by overplaying crime and violence. But, is self-censorship or the suppression of information the way to prevent a black picture being painted of this country? The answer is an emphatic 'NO' ''

We have a government of morons. A cantankerous minister notorious for putting both his feet in his extra-large orifice has audaciously claimed that a family of three could survive on a meagre income of Rs. 7,500 a month. Another ministerial nitwit wants a licenced liquor bar opened in every village to send shebeens in the rural sector out of business. Yet another minister with bats in his belfry, instead of calling for the rehabilitation of tanks or wewas whose capacity has been greatly reduced by silt, encroachment and years of disrepair, to irrigate fertile paddy land, is urging rice growers who ask for water to switch over to cash crops like maize!

Read more...

My Neighbour is a TAMIL: their stories of ETHNIC CLEANSING

Jun-11-2012 20:07

(LONDON) - A new YouTube video program tells the story of the Sri Lankan Tamil Genocide for English speaking audiences. It is a significant program that compliments the Channel 4 documentaries, 'Sri Lanka's Killing Fields', which changed the world's perception of this epic period of ethnic cleansing.

It isn't every day that we see such a well thought and highly produced program telling the story of the Tamil tragedy on the island nation of Sri Lanka. They say 20,000 people died in just one area in the country's north as the army moved on civilian targets.

The documentary according to it introduction, is dedicated to those who were killed during the wars all over the world.

Third Eye Creations produced the program and it is presented by Robert Reind.

I had no idea we would see the late Marie Colvin, absolutely one of the world's best and most fair reporters, talking about her time in Sri Lanka, she was killed several months ago covering the conflict in Libya. Her last years were spent wearing an eye patch; she had been attacked as a reporter working in Sri Lanka, by government forces.

Special thanks to Rajanayagam of Germany and others who were involved in helping get this incredible program out to the world.

In Which I Respond to My Own Sri Lanka Program

 by Daniel Kitts Monday June 11, 2012

As you may have noticed, there's been a fair amount of feedback and commentary on our blog following the May 18 program I produced on how to move Sri Lanka forward after decades of civil war.

May 18, 2012: "Moving Sri Lanka Forward"

I've gotten a lot of comments from viewers close to the issue, ranging in tone from quite positive to quite negative.

In the course of getting feedback, some have asked me: "Well, what did you think of the program?"

So, given how many people have taken the time to share their thoughts both publicly and privately about my work, I figured it was only fair I would share mine.

I think in certain ways the program worked extremely well. For me, the primary goal of the discussion was to explore what I see as a key debate taking place within and between the various communities affected by the Sri Lankan conflict: After 30 years of war, do people on both sides of the divide slowly rebuild trust through a series of small, modest steps and dialogue? Or, before there can be any kind of moving forward, do you need to start big and address head-on the core issues at the heart of the ethnic conflict between the Tamils and Sinhalese? On that point, I thought our guests did an excellent job of speaking to both sides of the debate, and Piya Chattopadhyay, the host that evening, did very well in her exploration of the issue.

May 24, 2011: "Sri Lanka: Finding a Middle Ground"

Some have criticized the program for not presenting enough nuances of the debate within the Tamil and Sinhalese communities here in Canada. In other words, certain voices were left out, leaving an incomplete picture of the actual debate taking place – too black and white, not enough grey. On this point, I completely see where my critics are coming from. When dealing with as complex an issue as the Sri Lanka conflict, it is going to be impossible for a program like ours to include all of the possible voices in one broadcast. And by focusing on certain issues/voices related to the conflict, you're going to inevitably leave others out. I still think the program was valuable in many ways. But was some nuance left out? Absolutely. And I have thought seriously about how I can do a better job of capturing more of the nuance in the Sri Lanka debate in the future.

November 24, 2009: Interview with Bandula Jayasekara (Excerpt)

I don’t ever think any single program I’ll produce will perfectly capture an issue in all its detail. I see the discussions I put together for The Agenda as (I hope) useful snapshots: you won’t get the whole picture, but you will hopefully better understand some of the key details. Since the civil war in Sri Lanka ended, I have produced three programs on the topic, and a colleague of mine produced an interview with the then-Sri Lankan Consul General to Toronto. These programs don’t come close to exploring everything there is to know about the Sri Lanka conflict. But I hope, taken together, these discussions and interviews give viewers a variety of voices and perspectives.  And as I wrote earlier, I hope I’ll find opportunities in the future to present through The Agenda an even deeper understanding of this topic.

May 27, 2009: "Sri Lanka: Peace Possible?" (Excerpt)

One programming note: Our exploration of various voices and perspectives in the Sri Lanka debate continues this Wednesday. My colleague Colin Ellis is producing an interview featuring one person's perspective on Sri Lanka's "Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission" report.

UN Targets Reporter Who Criticized Sri Lanka War Crime Suspect

Jun-10-2012

Tim King Salem-News.com

Corporate media, UN and France conspire to silence reporter.

Courtesy: Cristina Sampaio, flckr.com

(SALEM) - A reality check on media freedom at this point is grueling; it leaves us uncertain. The United Nations is going after a human rights reporter from a small media group covering the UN and mainstream media is pouring gas on the flames.

Matthew Russel Lee - Sri Lanka Guardian

Matthew Russel Lee from Inner City Pressis a reporter we admire greatly for his position toward the absurdity of the UN alternately citing, and then ignoring Sri Lanka's war crimes. It is a travesty that the UN Secretary General would unite and conspire with media to eliminate the journalist asking the hard questions. We will not let Mr. Lee go down without a strong fight.

Sri Lanka is well established as one of the most dangerous places a reporter can work. Most of us bearing the statements of witnesses and the hard facts are nowhere near Sri Lanka or we would be buried in the ground with so many reporters who earned a prime spot on Lanka's hit list.

We have written about this in great detail and the numbers of media employees 'taken out' by Sri Lanka and its thugs is truly shocking.

The whole affair centers around the recent Genocide of Tamil people in Sri Lanka's north. Up to 160,000 human beings vanished from the records after this event that culminated in May 2009- right under the world's nose. The thing is, Sri Lanka could not get all of the journos; they tried hard but too many photos and video clips were recorded and released by everyone from the dying Tamils, to UN crews and the Sri Lanka Army. This imagery made sure the government was not allowed to escape the evidence of these crimes.

Major General Shavendra Silva

At the head of Sri Lanka's 58th Division during the attacks on Tamils, was Major General Shavendra Silva. He led the forces that exterminated tens of thousands of mostly civilians, and he continues to be a prime suspect in war crime investigations. Surely Matthew Russel Lee and Inner City Press have every legitimate right to question Silva's role as a UN 'humanitarian'.

Silva is Sri Lanka's Lt. William Calley and the north of Tamil Eelam is this nation's My Lai.

Last February, the UN's human rights chief, Navi Pillay, stated that Maj Gen Silva was suspected of committing human rights violations.

Those who celebrate the elimination of Tamil resistance fighters, the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) laud Silva's achievements, and he in fact considers himself a hero for the widespread deaths of Tamils. The problem for investigators is that Silva and those above him, are perfectly willing to lie about the final months of the three decade long civil war.

Professor Derrick Pounder, a forensic pathologist at Dundee University, points out one of the five bullet wounds in the body of 12-year-old Balakandran Prabakharan. Ch-4 / Daily Mail

They categorically deny the crimes they carried out against their own citizens, and few are more aware of this, or disturbed by it, as the UN reporter Matthew Russel Lee eith Inner City Press.

Not only were Tamil civilians forced into so-called 'free fire zones' and then bombed inside of these areas, but it is also highly documented that Sri Lanka's military forces murdered LTTE officials and even the young son of their leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was murdered after attempting to surrender, along with his bodyguards.

Sri Lanka's war on the Tamils according to the evidence, was nothing but a big slaughter fest and this is what the UN is representing in its battle against Matthew Russel Lee.

He is facing six years behind bars, according to Sri Lanka media, for asking the wrong questions about war criminals and their association in the UN. It goes far beyond that also; Lee has called out improprieties on the part of the UN and big corporate media groups- the same ones that are trying so hard to take him out.

David versus Goliath

The media groups targeting Lee, like Bloomberg, represent the corporate culture that actually feeds these war machine governments like Sri Lanka. Another terrible government when it comes to all of this, is Israel. The stories that examine Sri Lanka's war crimes with a serious approach are one thing, but groups like Bloomberg are not here to illustrate Israel's flaws.

Instead a lot of pretending takes place, and too often, forked tongues are used to wage arguments. Free speech is international law, the UN is supposed to represent this, now they are targeting it.

Groups like The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) are failing to return contact to Mr. Lee. I look at all of them in the same light as other non-profits; they have a very limited span of effectiveness and they pick and choose their battles under political guidelines. Reporters Without Borders (RFP) is another one, look at their reports and try to find real objectivity. It is time for a new group to represent media; one that fills its self-described role of advocacy without predetermined bias.

After the end of the war in Sri Lanka, war crime suspect Silva was appointed as Director of Operations of the Sri Lanka Army and promoted to the rank of Major General.

In 2010, Shavendra Silva became a Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations as the only serving army officer to hold such a post at the time of appointment.

That is a lot to appreciate; the first military officer used in this capacity is also a war crime suspect. It is all very consistent. Sri Lanka has taken Israel's example of alternately denying crimes of state terrorism, and relying on its unethical western trading partners for protection in the United Nations.

In a January 2012 article, The Economist wrote...

"Sri-Lanka has a long history of disappearances both during the civil war and the JVP insurrections.

The successive Sri Lankan governments’ handling of insurgent groups has involved acts of state terrorism. Such acts include massacres of civilians, the concealment of mass graves, the use of torture, rape, unlawful imprisonment and forced disappearances.

In an interview with the British television presenter David Frost, Chandrika Kumaratunga - who was the President of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2005 - stated that at the time that her husband Vijaya Kumaranatunga was assassinated, "Sri Lanka had killing fields; there was a lot of terror perpetrated by the government itself, state terrorism.”

A comment on that same article summarized the situation in Sri Lanka with journalists who were both murdered, and disappeared:

“

Abductions by paramilitaries assisted by military intelligence in white vans (without number plates) while heavy presence of mono-ethnic army is deployed and check points all over the north and east of the country has been going on since November 2005. Many abductees were tortured or extra-judicially executed without trace. Prevailing culture of impunity enables the abductors to commit the crimes without being apprehended by the police and army. The government has said many times that no action of any sort can be undertaken by the international community to investigate these excesses as China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, India and former leaders of Egypt and Libya would protect them in the UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Councils from passing resolutions to that effect. Anyone writes or speaks about the war crimes or violations of international laws committed by the government are accused of being in the payroll of defeated Tamil Tigers (LTTE).

”

Sri Lanka's game plan is old news. All of us who write about the events in 2009 are called LTTE supporters; we are all accused of being funded by the LTTE and it is ridiculous.

The fact that this group was designated as 'terrorists' takes all political bargaining power the LTTE once had and effective sets it on a high shelf out of sight.

Sri Lanka's Media Death Toll

This data includes both murdered and disappeared media workers in Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2010. The information draws from several sources, including the Executive Committee of Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, Committee to Protect Journalists, The Guardian and other sources:

Artwork by Carlos Latuff, friend of Salem-News.com located in Rio de Janeiro. To see more of his work, visit: Latuff Gallery

2004

Aiyathurai A. Nadesan – Journalist / 31 May
Kandaswamy Aiyer Balanadaraj – Writer / 16 August
Lanka Jayasundera – Photo journalist / 11 December

2005

Dharmaratnam Sivaram – Editor / 28 April
Kannamuttu Arsakumar – Media worker/ 29 June
Relangee Selvarajah – Journalist / 12 August
D. Selvaratnam – Media worker/ 29 August
Yogakumar Krishnapillai – Media Worker / 30 September
L. M. Faleel (Netpittimunai Faleel) – Writer / 02 December
K. Navaratnam – Media worker / 22 December

2006

Subramaniam Suhirtharajan – Journalist / 24 January
S. T. Gananathan – Patron, Tamil News and Information Centre / 01 February
Bastian George Sagayathas – Media worker / 03 May
Rajaratnam Ranjith Kumar – Media worker / 03 May
Sampath Lakmal de Silva – Journalist / 02 July
Mariadasan Manojanraj – Media worker / 01 August
Pathmanathan Vismananthan – Singer and musician / 02 August
Sathasivam Baskaran – Media worker / 15 August
Sinnathamby Sivamaharajah – Media owner / 20 August

2007

S. Raveendran – Media worker / 12 February
Subramaniam Ramachandran – Media personnel / 15 February
Chandrabose Suthakar – Journalist / 16 April
Selvarasah Rajeevarman – Journalist / 29 April
Sahadevan Neelakshan – Journalist / 01 August
Anthonypillai Sherin Siththiranjan – Media worker / 05 November
Vadivel Nimalarajah – Media worker / 17 November
Isaivizhi Chempian (Subhajini) - Media worker / 27 November
Suresh Limbiyo – Media Worker / 27 November
T.Tharmalingam – Media Worker / 27 November

2008

Paranirupesingham Devakumar – Journalist / 28 May
Rasmi Mohamad – Journalist / 06 October

2009

Lasantha Wickramatunga M - Sri Lanka Editor / 08 January The Sunday Leader
Puniyamoorthy Sathiyamoorthy M - Sri Lanka Journalist / 12 February freelance
Sasi Mathan – Media worker / 06 March
Shoba Isaippiriya - Reporter with TamilNet / 18 May
K.Suvendiran – Photojournalist- missing since 25 April 2009
T.Thavapaalan – News Editor – missing since 19 May 2009

2010

Prageeth Eknelygoda 24 January
Christhper Payas – Cartoonist (date of death or missing could not found)
H. Vijayakumar – Journalist (date of death or missing could not found)
B. Sivakumaran – Journalist (date of death or missing could not found)

This is not a complete list, there seems to be no definitive way of even locating the names of many of the missing, however we are interested in gaining the name of every media employee in Sri Lanka who disappeared or was killed. The agencies this information was compiled from, are somewhat limited in nature. The CPJ only names journalists whose stories are well known, little good that does for the missing.

While I find it necessary to concentrate on Sri Lanka's treatment of journalists in general, this story is about Matthew Russel Lee and the struggle to prevent the United Nations from tossing him behind bars for simply doing his job, which is an extremely important one.

The 'media' in general and the UN, are not showing any concern for press freedom, but with their own interests. If you add 'Matthew Russel Lee' to our search window, you will be rewarded with a long list of related stories by this determined reporter. He is right, they are wrong. Silva should be arrested and thrown in prison or executed for his crimes. Instead he is rewarded by a sick minded UN that is fearful of doing the right thing.

Sri Lanka's state-controlled media has described journalists as "traitors" following the UN human rights council's call for an investigation into the country's alleged abuses during its war against Tamil separatists.

In an attack on Sri Lankan journalists, both at home and in exile, state television accused them of "betraying the motherland."

It is shocking to read that state television, a government agency of Sri Lanka, would state, "betraying the motherland," when the entire government is guilty of mass murder against its own citizens. There is never a need to pretend or apologize, the Tamils only fought their government after 30 years of Gandhi-style non-violent resistance failed. For this quest for freedom and autonomy, and because the Tamils established the breakaway state of Tamil Eelam.

In March 2012, Guardian UK carried the article, 'Journalists are 'traitors', says Sri Lanka's state TV'. Again, the consistent anti-media position of this island nation is made perfectly clear:

At present. Silva holds the rank and title of Ambassador in addition to his post at the United Nations Headquarters. It is an abomination of justice in an unfair world filled with discrimination and cultural preferences. He obviously has been able to cow them the way he has led western media to paying little attention to his country's Genocide of Tamil people.