Wednesday, August 8, 2012

More Thuggery In The Name Of Buddhism

By Indi Samarajiva -August 8, 2012

Indi Samarajiva

I’m a Buddhist and have the utmost respect for the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, that being the community of practice. There are, however, claimed and robed Buddhists who are a shame to us all, to all Sri Lankans. For example, in Panamai, a mob led by a Buddhist monk has stolen a statue from a Hindu Kovil, a place where it was safe for Buddhists or Hindus to worship. This violent thuggery is an affront to all people of faith, and everyone really.

In a flagrant violation of law and order and the freedom of worship, an ancient statue of God Pillaiyar also known as Vinayagar and Ganesh was seized by a mob and taken away from the Sithi Vinayagar Hindu temple in Panamai /Panama in broad daylight on Monday August 6th.

The “captured” Pillaiyar statue has been taken to the Buddhist Vihare in Panamai by the mob comprising thugs, homeguards and members of the armed forces in civil attire. The entire operation was masterminded and commanded by a Buddhist Priest.

The Pillaiyar statue is now being kept in the premises of the Panama Buddhist Vihare. (DBS Jeyaraj)

Despite the ethnic conflict, there hasn’t traditionally been religious beef. I have worshiped at and slept in Hindu Kovils and temple premises alike. Most temples have a Hindu shrine built-in. Trishaw and bus iconography usually has the Buddha plus a range of other gods, often Vishnu. Lakshmi pours coins from her palm at the front of many buses. Also, in practice, many Buddhists worship at Hindu kovils or shrines, especially if they need a particular result, exam score or something, which the Buddha is not especially attached to.

Also, at the Sri Maha Bodhi shrine in Anuradhapura, services at that holy Buddhist place are done by Hindus, the descendants of a caste that came down generations ago, with the sapling I think.

This long history of community and shared practice makes sacrilegious events like this all the more sad. This and acts like ‘Buddhists’ threatening and evicting a mosque in Dambulla are a shame to both religion and nation. Sri Lanka is an ostensibly Buddhist state, but an open one, not a Taliban. Buddhism itself is incredibly open. On retreats I have always seen people of other faiths, and the libraries have a range of materials. The Buddha himself would never be so unwelcoming or rude.

The very idea of stealing a statue is so anti-Buddhist it boggles the mind. You’re stealing a Hindu statue? Why? There is some twisted permutation of Buddhism that makes this possible, but the fact remains that theft is pretty clearly wrong in our nation of laws, so these errant monks need to be hauled up for doing wrong.

This is against the law of the land, against local custom, and is a great shame to both the Sri Lankan faith and nation. This, what Jeyaraj calls Saffron Terrorism, needs to stop.

Courtesy http://indi.ca/

No right to information in Sri Lanka

CPJ Blog

Press Freedom News and Views

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in white, inspects a parade May 19 marking the third anniversary of the defeat of Tamil Tiger separatists. (Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte)

Bob Dietz
You would think that with fighting between government forces and secessionist Tamils finished in May 2009, the Sri Lankan government might ease its grip on public information--information which is really the property of the country's citizens, not whichever administration happens to be holding political power. In 2004, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike's cabinet did approve a Freedom of Information Bill, but parliament was dissolved and the bill never went further.

The issue has been coming and going over the years. The last attempt at legislative change came in 2011, when it was defeated by the government in parliament. One Sri Lankan editor recalls President Mahinda Rajapaksa as telling a group of editors around that time that the country doesn't need what has been relabelled as a Right to Information Act because he would answer whatever questions they might have.

And it doesn't look like that attitude is going to change. On July 27, Secretary to the Ministry of Media and Information Charitha Herath told a meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC ) in Colombo that the Act will not be coming before parliament any time soon. The reason: national security would be threatened if the general population knew what the government has done, is doing, or might be considering doing. "It's none of your business" is the official attitude, even though the United Nations declared access to information a fundamental right in 1946. Under U.N. Resolution 59(I): "Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and ... the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated." Adding insult to injury, Herath's statement was in answer to a question from an internship program for journalists and media officials.

Almost always, when a government has something to hide, it says access to information will threaten national security-- even though national security issues are exempt from disclosure in all nations' right to information laws.

If you have been following Sri Lankan media you are aware that there has been considerable infighting in the past few weeks. But Herath's weak excuse for not enacting a freedom of information law was enough to get four of the country's media groups-- the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Working Journalists' Association, the Editors' Guild of Sri Lanka, and the Free Media Movement -- to issue a joint lettercastigating him.

The groups point out, rightly, that "Over 100 democratic countries around the world, including most of South Asia, have empowered their citizens with such legislation, and we see no reason for this government not to do likewise." That is pretty much the same point I made in a video presentation during a panel with Sri Lanka journalists on May 30, marking World press Freedom Day.

Mob Led By Buddhist Priest Forcefully Takes Away Pillaiyar Statue From Hindu Temple
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj -August 8, 2012

D.B.S.Jeyaraj

In a peculiarly aggressive display of “Saffron Terrorism” a mob led by a Buddhist Priest has deployed force and taken away a statue of the Elephant faced deity known as Pillaiyar in Tamil and Gana Deiyo in Sinhala from a Hindu temple in Panamai on the Eastern coastal district of Amparai.

In a flagrant violation of law and order and the freedom of worship, an ancient statue of God Pillaiyar also known as Vinayagar and Ganesh was seized by a mob and taken away from the Sithi Vinayagar Hindu temple in Panamai /Panama in broad daylight on Monday August 6th.

The “captured” Pillaiyar statue has been taken to the Buddhist Vihare in Panamai by the mob comprising thugs, homeguards and members of the armed forces in civil attire. The entire operation was masterminded and commanded by a Buddhist Priest.

The Pillaiyar statue is now being kept in the premises of the Panama Buddhist Vihare

At a time when Muslim Congress leader and Justice minister Rauf Hakeem has publicly requested President Rajapaksa to eradicate “saffron Terrorism” in the same way he eradicated “tiger terrorism” the conduct of the Panamai Buddhist priest suggests that Saffron Terrorism continues to manifest itself in different forms in the country. Read More

NO SL AIR FORCE PERSONNEL TNDERGOING TRAINING IN TN - INDIA

The Indian Government had allowed Sri Lankan Air Force personnel to undergo training in Tamil Nadu, but at present none of them are being trained in the state, the Indian Central government told the Rajya Sabha today.

In a written reply to a question, Indian Defence Minister A K Antony said, “At present no personnel of the Sri Lankan Air Force is undergoing training in Tamil Nadu.”

The Minister replied in the affirmative on whether government had allowed Sri Lankan Air Force personnel to undergo training in Tamil Nadu.

The training of the Lankan personnel by India came in the line of fire from political parties in Tamil Nadu over the issues of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The Defence Minister further informed the House that, “The views expressed by various (political) parties have been considered by the government keeping in view all aspects of national interest.”

Following the protest from various political parties, the under-training Lankan personnel were shifted to Bangalore.

Around 15 Sri Lankan trainees were undergoing various courses at the two airmen training institutions in Tambaram in Tamil Nadu when the controversy broke off.

One of the two training centres there imparts training to airmen for carrying out repair and maintenance of military vehicles, PTI reports.

AG finds evidence to file action against minister

WEDNESDAY, 08 AUGUST 2012

The Attorney General’s Department has found sufficient evidence in the police report to file charges against Minister Rishard Bathiudeen over allegations that he had threatened the Mannar Magistrate on July 18, the Daily Mirror learns.

An AG’s Department source said yesterday a preliminary study of the the CID report had indicated there was a prima-facie case against Minister Bathiudeen over his alleged involvement in organising the Mannar protests and threatening Mannar Magistrate and District Judge Anthonypillai Judeson.

The police report is being studied by senior state counsel and a final decision is expected in the next few days.

The source said the AG department is expected to instruct the Police to file charges against the Minister and several others after the CID report was studied in full.

Minister Bathiudeen is alleged to have instigated a group of Muslim fishermen in Mannar to protest the order given by Magistrate Judeson on the removal of a group of Tamil IDPs from Veduithalithivu.

They had then damaged the Mannar Magistrate’s court building by stoning it. Minister Bathiudeen is also alleged to have threatened the Magistrate asking him to change his ruling or face the consequences.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa angered by the negative developments had instructed the Police Chief to conduct a thorough investigation into the incidents and file charges against anyone involved in the incident.

The incident had a snow-balling effect with all Bar Associations passing resolutions condemning the protests and alleged threats on the Magistrate. The refusal by lawyers to attend court proceedings crippled the Judiciary for a couple of days.

In the North, all Magistrate Courts were dysfunctional as lawyers refused to attend court proceedings till last week. The Mannar Magistrate’s Court is still not back to normal.

Meanwhile a group of lawyers filed a case against Minister Bathiudeen for Contempt of Court and Minister has been ordered to appear in the Court of Appeal on September 5th. (SAJ)

Sri Lanka: The politics Of The Frontline Socialist Party – Interview With Premakumar Gunaratnam

August 8, 2012

Premakumar Gunaratnam, an ethnic Tamil from Sri Lanka, who now has Australian citizenship, returned to his home country in September 2011 to help organise the launch of a new left party, the Frontline Socialist Party (FLSP), a major breakaway from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP, People’s Liberation Front). He had been a JVP activist for three decades and a member of its underground political bureau since 1994. In an extensive interview with Peter Boyle for Links International Journal of Socialist Renewaland Green Left Weekly, Gunaratnam reported how he was abducted by a group of armed men between 4 am and 5 am on April 7, just two days before the scheduled launch of the new party.

Premakumar Gunaratnam. Photo by Peter Boyle.

He spotted 15-20 armed men in civilian clothes from a window on the first floor of the building he was staying in and he tried to escape, unsuccessfully. “They kept me in my room for between 15 to 20 minutes and tortured me, including sexual torture. Then they blindfolded me, took me downstairs and forced me into a van.”

Gunaratnam was driven for 30-45 minutes to another place, where the torture continued in what seemed to be a small office. He remained blindfolded for the next 72 hours, except for a few minutes while his photograph was taken by a man wearing a balaclava.

“I saw then, in those few minutes, that it was an office with desks and computers. They were abusing and humiliating me and asking about my political work, the new party, where I had been in the previous seven months and who I was working with. They asked me about the accusations that I had LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] connections – a story that had been spread by the government and the media it controlled – but it seemed to me that they did not believe this themselves.

“From the way they treated me in the first eight hours I had the feeling that they were going to kill me. I was handcuffed and my feet were tied together. I was on the floors and they kept kicking me. They didn’t give me any food or water in that time. It was not a real interrogation, which I had previously experienced in 1989-1990 when I was in military custody. This time they were just torturing me.”

Gunaratnam recognised the behaviour of his abductors, particularly in relation to each other, as that of members of the armed forces or the police. Occasionally he overheard phone calls they made to their superiors about what to do with him.

Another leading FLSP activist, Ms Dimuthu Attygalle, had also been abducted just the night before Gunaratnam was picked up. However, he was not aware of this at the time of his abduction. During the first few hours of his detention, Gunaratnam heard the voice of a woman who was being interrogated in the same place, a voice he later recognised as that of Attygalle. Later that night, Gunaratnam was moved to a different location.

There was such a big public outcry over these abductions in Sri Lanka and in other countries, including in Australia, that the Sri Lankan government came under a lot of pressure. After three days both FLSP leaders were released by their abductors. Two other leading FLSP activists, who were abducted in Jaffna on December 9, 2011, Lalith Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan, remain “disappeared”.

Gunaratnam was taken to the police by his abductors to the police, who seemed to be expecting him, and later he was deported to Australia.

The 19th conference of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) to be held here from August 8 to 11 will have an exclusive session on Sri Lankan Tamil women, who bore the brunt of the civil war that ravaged the country.

Talking to reporters, Anne Raja, NFIW general secretary, said that the session would be on August 9.

There would be an exhibition of photographs, explaining the plight of the women.

“We will also adopt a resolution seeking to address the problems faced by the Sri Lankan Tamil women.”

The conference will be presided over by NFIW president and Magsaysay award winner Aruna Roy.

It will discuss, among other things, the neo-liberal economic policies of the government and their impact on education and employment of women and social oppression of women.

“Ninety per cent of the women workers are in the unorganised sector and global economic scenario has created a tough situation for them,” she said.

Unless the root causes such as dowry and domestic violence were addressed it would be very difficult to liberate Indian women from oppression.

She said 800 delegates from 26 States would participate in the conference.

Sri Lanka says it is facing economic war

YAHOO! NEWS- By ANI

Colombo, Aug. 8 (Xinhua-ANI): Sri Lanka said Wednesday that it was facing an economic war three years after the military defeated theTamil Tiger rebels.

External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris said that the economic war has been launched by some groups overseas, mostly made up of theTamil diaspora.

Addressing the opening of a defence seminar in Sri Lanka, Peiris said that these diaspora groups are attempting to persuade tourists to boycott Sri Lanka and in turn target the root of Sri Lanka's economy.

Representatives from the military and other armed forces overseas are taking part in the seminar while Indian opposition politicianSubramaniam Swamy is also a guest at the event.

In his speech Peiris expressed regret at attempts to internationalize the Sri Lankan situation and push for a foreign solution on the country.

Peiris said that the Sri Lankan government will pursue a domestic solution to the national issue with the participation of the Sri Lankan parliament.

He also stressed that the government had no intention of fully withdrawing the military from the Tamil-dominated north of the country.

Some foreign governments as well as Tamil political parties have been calling for the troop withdrawal in order to ensure normalcy returns to the area which bore the brunt of the 30-year war.

However Peiris said that it would be unwise to fully withdraw the army and instead they will only be reduced in numbers.

He also said that the remaining war displaced people in the north will be resettled by the middle of this month as demining comes to an end.

Over 350,000 people were displaced during the final stage of the war in the north and most of them have now been resettled. (Xinhua-ANI)

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

At the threshold: Monks and novices

"...Child abuse in religious establishments by both Buddhist and Christian clergy in Sri Lanka is rampant...According to figures from Sri Lanka's National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), only three Buddhist monks have been convicted of child abuse in Sri Lanka in recent history. Research carried out by the BBC Sinhala service has revealed that over the last decade, nearly 110 Buddhist monks have been charged for sexual and physical assaults on minors in Sri Lanka." - 'Sri Lanka's hidden scourge of religious child abuse'|

1 June 2012, BBC News
Somarathana Thera runs children's' homes in the UK and Sri Lanka
Pahalagama Somaratana Thera is one of the few Sri Lankan Buddhist monks to have been found guilty of child abuse inside or outside the country.

At the threshold: Monks and novice s A Death in Summer: Farewell, Nimalaruban

Bill Clinton Turns To The Art Of Buddhist Meditation

August 7, 2012

Former American president Bill Clinton has taken his exercise regime to spiritual heights – by learning the art of Buddhist meditation to help him relax.

The politician, 65, has recently taken up a healthier life-style including becoming vegan after a string of heart problems over the years.

And in his latest bid to improve his well-being, the Democrat has hired his own personal Buddhist monk to help him learn how to meditate properly.

Radaronline quoted a source as saying: ‘Ever since his heart scare, Bill has looked for ways to help him relax.

‘He has a hectic life, he travels a lot on business as an ambassador for the U.S. and needs something to keep him sane.

‘Meditation offers him that, he has a mantra that he likes to chant and after every session he feels transformed and full of positive energy.

‘It’s definitely doing him the world of good – he feels fitter and stronger than ever.’

In February 2004, Clinton was rushed to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City after complaining of chest pains.

He needed to have two coronary stents implanted in his heart and a few months later in September underwent quadruple bypass surgery.

In 2010 he then had a clogged artery reopened – his second hert op in just five years – and announced he was giving up his diet of American fast food such as burgers, fries and deep-fried chicken to go vegan.

His strict diet consists of lots of fresh vegetables and fruit but he admits he still occasionally eats fish.

Courtesy dailymail.co.uk

Related posts; Hillary Clinton Placing Lotus Flowers On A Buddha Statue

Sinhala farmers in Sri Lanka's east oppose militarisation

07 AUGUST 2012

Farmers from Kantale in the eastern district of Trincomalee are condemning moves by the Sri Lankan armed forces to take over civilian administration.

On 5th of July, Sinhala farmers staged a public protest in Kantale against military commanders interfering on civilian matters. The Gangathalawa farmers association leading the protest were shocked when the military approached farmers with offers on water management. Farmers were critical of the military intervening to silence opposition to the government’s controversial tourism plans around a major irrigation tank. Opposing the allocation of Kantale tank as a sea plane landing site, farmers were resisting the military ruling on civilian issues.

“Farmers have nothing to do with the military. Why should the military give us solutions instead of the irrigation department or the agricultural ministry,” said Indika Paranavithana of the Gangathalawa farmers association. He added that the military taking a upper hand clearly signals the path to militarisation in civilian matters.

The Kantale tank provides water to more than 18,000 acres of paddy land cultivated mainly by Sinhala farmers. The tank is also the primary source of drinking water for residents of Trincomalee town. While maintaining that retaining sufficient water levels to enable smooth sea plane landing will restrict essential irrigation to paddy cultivation, farmers fear that construction of large scale tourist resorts around the Kantale tank will deprive them of their land. Environmentalists have also expressed concern that pollution due to sea plane landing will make the water unsuitable for human consumption.

Military on alert

Military commanders of the east who tried to explain government proposals met stiff resistance by farming leaders on the 31st of July. Eastern Army Commander Brigadier Mahinda Weerasuriya accompanied by regional naval and air force chiefs told farmers representatives in Kantale that the tank and its environments shall not come to harm due to government plans. At a meeting in the Kantale local authority (Pradeshiya Sabha) headquarters he condemned a leaflet issued by farmers calling to unite to fight for the Kantale Tank.

“I stood on alert when I saw the word 'fight,” Brigadier Weerasuriya warned farmers that the leaflet was a ‘threat to national security’. A farmer confronted the military commander saying that it is a democratic right to fight moves against people.

“We don’t want our identity taken over by tourism,” he added. Secretary of the Kantale project farmers association told the assembly that he feared militarisation as no ministry has given an assurance to farmers while the security forces were readily available with ‘solutions’.

Indigenous people unseated by the First Lady

Monday, 06 August 2012

The indigenous people who had arrived to views the Kandy Dalada Perahera have been treated unfairly due to the arrival of First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa to witness the perahera on July 28th. Leader of the indigenous people and the rest of his clan have had to leave without watching the perahera as a result.

Head of the indigenous people, Wannielaeththo says that the Dalada Maligawa officials have unseated their group amounting to about 40 persons when the First Lady had arrived. The indigenous people have been sitting on the sits that had been allocated to them for decades.

The indigenous people say that it has been a tradition for them to offer bee’s honey to the Dalada Maligawa during the perahera. Wannielaeththo has said that the tradition was re-commenced by his father Uruvariuge Tissa Hami and that he too has been continuing with the tradition for the past 15 years.

The indigenous people have noted that they have been treated unfairly by the Dalada Maligawa officials when they had arrived in Kadny to offer the honey on the 28th. After offering the honey at 10.30 a.m. they have met with the Diyawadana Nilame and other officials. Wannielaeththo had then asked the Dalada Maligawa Secretary to arrange seats for members of their clan to view the perahera. The secretary had then assigned the task to one Jayampathi.

The indigenous people have then traveled around Kandy to visit the religious places of religious worship.

When they had arrived to witness the perahera, they had inquired about their seats since there had not been any reserved for them. Wannielaeththo has said that members of their clan have not been assigned seats since the First Lady was view the perahera that day.

A Statement: Eluded Peace

The incidents of ordinary people being attacked by the army for no rhyme or reason are not rare occurrences in the North.

Life in Jaffna under military occupation.
Courtesy: uktamilnews.com

(JAFFNA, Sri Lanka) - This is a situational report by the Catholic Diocese of Jaffna, that portrays the ground realities and happenings in the Tamil Homeland of Northern Sri Lanka. Though the write-up is long, it is not exhaustive of all the atrocities committed there.

The widely advertised ‘war for peace’ came to an end more than three years ago. Yet the fruits of this peace are yet to be enjoyed by the people in the North, who were most affected mentally, physically and economically. This reality is verified by the day to day events which are taking place here. The hop for a real peace is declining day by day. The Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Diocese of Jaffna feels that it is its historic duty to point out this in order that a way may open to establish a just, democratic and peaceful community in Sri Lanka.

Widening of streets, laying carpet roads, construction of new bridges, initiating the railway-track works, starting new banks, shopping complexes, hotel facilities, renovation and modernization of parks, etc. give an appearance to a visitor or a foreign dignitary that the North is developing at a rapid speed after the prolonged ‘war’. But all these factors cannot substitute a fearless, free, just and free society here.

According to the reports given by the Sri Lankan Government to the outside world and the international leaders and their representatives only a few thousands of displaced persons who are still in the camps have yet to be resettled of the 300,000 people who were evacuated from the war-ravaged Wanni area and the resettled people have been given the facilities of decent housing and means to restart their lives. The balance three to five thousands of people still in the camps will be resettled in a matter of two to three months and will be provided with all the facilities according to the Government sources. The Government says that 95% of the displaced persons have been resettled already. But the UN reports say that in the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Mannar 117,888 persons are yet to be resettled permanently. Of these there are 18,589 persons are in Vavuniya, 4,928 are in Mannar and 94,371 are in Jaffna. A substantial number of these people are living with their friends and relatives. In short the real picture is substantially different what is reported officially by the Government. It is also reported that the people on the whole are living with full freedom and are able to do whatever work they had been doing before the war without any restriction. But the ground reality is far from it.

We would like to point out certain developments to show how the day to day free and fearless life of the ordinary people has been affected. We can cite certain concrete instances to give credibility to our observations. Though this is neither an exhaustive report nor the instances cited give full details, this is sufficient to indicate to reasonable level that the peace the people hoped for is a reality which is very far away.

The Plight of the Resettled People

Sri Lanka stocks fall on policy inaction

Published: Tuesday, 7 Aug 2012

COLOMBO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan stocks fell 0.6 percent on Tuesday in thin trade after authorities delayed promised policy measures aimed at boosting sentiment.

The Colombo Stock Exchange's main index lost 0.61 percent, or 30.28 points, to end at 4,898.22, its lowest since July 26.

"The market fell due to the lack of positive news after waiting almost a week for the promised measures, including more retail credit," a stockbroker said on condition of anonymity.

Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera made the promises last week in what was seen as an effort to revive the stock market which has fallen 19.4 percent since the start of the year.

The market shrugged off a central bank decision to hold key policy rates steady for a fourth straight month as expected.

Turnover was 319.9 million rupees, around a third of this year's daily average of 885.4 million rupees.

Foreign investors were net buyers for a 12th straight session, buying a net 107.8 million rupees worth of shares, extending the net foreign inflow this year to 26.01 billion rupees ($197.22 million).

The rupee closed steady at 131.95/132.00 for a third straight session as importer dollar demand was offset by greenback sales by banks, dealers said.

(Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Nick Macfie)

((shihar.aneez@thomsonreuters.com)(+94-11-232-5540)(Reuters Messaging: shihar.aneez.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: MARKETS SRILANKA/

(C) Reuters 2012. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

Tamil Voices Growing Louder Over Sri Lanka War Crimes and Nepotism

Sri Lanka's 'band of brothers' are a threat to the lives of honest reporters.

Jul-15-2012

Sri Lanka: A nightmare for Tamils

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

By Ash Pemberton

One of the camps used to hold Tamils after the end of the decades-long war in 2009.

When Tamil asylum seeker Dayan Anthony was deported back to Sri Lanka by the Australian government last month, his immediate arrest and interrogation did little to allay fears he would not face harassment from authorities.

His subsequent government-arranged press conference appeared to be staged for the benefit of the Sri Lankan and Australian governments.

After 14 hours in custody and flanked by government officials, Anthony said: “Sri Lanka has become the safest place on the Earth after the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] was wiped out from the country. I did not face any type of harassment at the hands of Sri Lankan authorities after I returned to the country.”

Such a statement is incredible given the many reports of human rights abuses by the Sri Lankan government, especially after the its victory over the LTTE that ended the civil war in 2009.

The LTTE was the main armed group fighting for an independent state in the north and east of the island, known as Tamil Eelam, and had created infrastructure for government and services in the area. Despite the LTTE’s human rights abuses and use of terrorism, many Tamils saw it as the defender of their interests against the brutality of the Sri Lankan government.

Amnesty International’s submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review, released in April, detailed arbitrary detentions, torture, enforced disappearances of Tamils and government opponents. The report also showed the ongoing impunity of security forces in committing these crimes.

It detailed the widespread use of detention without trial against “suspected members of armed groups … against their family members and colleagues, outspoken critics and other perceived political opponents of the government, including journalists”.

This detention can last years and most are eventually released due to lack of evidence.

Torture of prisoners remains “common and widespread”, said Amnesty, and cases of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by security forces continue to be reported.

These abuses follow on from end of the decades-long armed conflict between Tamil independence forces -- of which the LTTE became the largest group -- and the Sri Lankan government. The government’s final onslaught in 2009 saw up to 50,000 Tamils killed as the Sri Lankan army bombed civilian areas.

Following the end of the war, government forces engaged in further collective punishment of Tamils by holding up to 300,000 in concentration camps. There were reports of widespread torture and rape, and mass executions of those suspected to be linked to the LTTE.

Those lucky enough to be released found many Tamil areas heavily occupied by the military. The government implemented a program of Sinhalese migration to break up Tamil communities, leaving many war victims displaced.

Day-to-day persecution of Tamils remains despite the government’s crushing of resistance. Tamilnet.com provided an example on July 30, saying former Tamil fighters released from prison faced harassment from the military in Vanni for their refusal to collaborate with the military.

Tamilnet.com also said on July 26 that paramilitary forces in Vaakarai aligned with the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) threatened Tamils would be driven out if they did not vote for the UPFA in provincial elections.

Tamil political prisoners also face harsher treatment, with the defence secretary ordering their transfer to the notorious Boosa prison in Galle, Tamilnet.com said on July 25. The government has reneged on its promise to release details of all Tamil prisoners, with claims of secret detention camps holding Tamil prisoners of war.

While there has been some international criticism of the Sri Lankan government, it has sought to deflect this through its “Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission” (LLRC), composed of government-appointed officials, ostensibly to investigate claims of human rights abuses during the war.

However, its report largely exonerated the government and talked up “reconciliation” between the two sides.

Academic RM Karthick said at jdslanka.org on June 18: “The real message of the devisors of the LLRC seems to be that Tamils have learnt a lesson and must reconcile to the fact that they are a minority at the tender mercies of the state, not a nationality, and that the there is no imagination beyond the unitary Sri Lanka.”

However, the underlying cause of the conflict -- ethic discrimination -- still remains.

The conflict stemmed from racism against Tamils by the Sinhalese majority that arose in the early 20th century when the ruling British colonists spread racist ideas as a way to divide the workers movement, Asia Left Observer said in June last year. This racism bloomed into institutionalised discrimination when Sinhalese chauvinists took control of the country after it gained independence in 1948.

Sinhalese was eventually declared the sole national language and Tamils were discriminated against in terms of access to resources, services and jobs.

After decades of peaceful campaigning against discrimination, the 1970s saw the emergence of armed Tamil groups. These were mainly led by frustrated youths who saw no other way to oppose growing repression.

The LTTE became the dominant group in the 1980s when it organised the killings of leaders of rival Tamil groups, especially targeting those with progressive politics. Asia Left Observer said: “Their objective of a separate Tamil state became the sole proclaimed objective, separating it from the question of the rights demanded by Tamils and mortgaging any democratic resolution of the civil war.”

With Tamil resistance now shattered, the Sri Lanka is pressing its advantage to crack down on any dissenters. Australia should be assisting those fleeing this situation as a basic act of human decency, not using them as political footballs to assist racist regimes at home and abroad.