US, India Face Sri Lanka Challenge

By Anuradha Sharma and Vishal Arora -August 9, 2012

Vishal Arora

Sri Lanka is not only refusing to bring about reconciliation in the north of the island, where tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the last phase of the war against ethnic Tamil rebels in 2009, it is also fast descending towards dictatorship.
A key question surrounding the country’s future is whether its two main trading partners, the United States and India, have the leverage to deter Colombo, or can it resist international pressure with China’s help?

Three years after the war ended, the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has deployed military personnel in large numbers in Sri Lanka’s north and east, formerly under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

“The construction of large and permanent military cantonments, the seizure of private and state land, and the military-led cultural and demographic changes – all threaten Sri Lanka’s fragile peace,” Alan Keenan, International Crisis Group’s senior analyst, said in a recent report. “Instead of giving way to a process of inclusive, accountable development, the military is increasing its economic role, controlling land and seemingly establishing itself as a permanent presence.”

The overall atmosphere of the country is also gloomy, affecting all, including the Sinhalese people in the south. The media, the civil society, the judiciary and the opposition have all been rendered powerless.

” … Human rights groups and opposition leaders warn that the country is descending toward dictatorship, with dissent brutally crushed, the media cowed and the minority Tamils, whose insurrection caused the war in the first place, still treated like second-class citizens,” writer Simon Denyer noted in an article in The Washington Post on July 13.Read More

WHERE IS THAT RAISE...

August 9, 2012  

Professors who were unhappy that their salary issue was not settled took to the streets today (09) at 12.00 noon. They staged their protest at the parliament road and also paid attention to the Z score issue of the students looking forward to go to universities.

A protest was held previously by Professors as well. However the minister for further education S.B. Dissanayaka mentioned that an increase in salaries was not possible.(Pic by Sanjeewa Lasantha)

Sri Lanka’s Rising Public Debt: Have We Committed The Original Sin?

By W.A. Wijewardena -August 9, 2012

Dr. W.A. Wijewardena

An Original Sin of a different type

In Biblical terms, man is condemned as a sinner forever because his first prototype, Adam, committed the Original Sin against the caution of his creator.

In economic terms, as presented first by economists Barry Eichengreen and Ricardo Hausmann in 1999 and later refined with Ugo Panizza in 2002, the Original Sin refers to a situation where a country which is unable to borrow abroad in its own currency since foreigners do not hold that currency to lend the country concerned gets into long term economic troubles by borrowing in foreign currencies from the international markets and in their own currency from domestic markets, in the second case, if it is practised over a long period of time.

Eichengreen and Hausmann came up with the concept of the Original Sin relating to a country’s increasing public debt, both locally and abroad, in a paper presented at a symposium on New Challenges for Monetary Policy sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in 1999 under the title “Exchange Rate and Financial Fragility” (available at: here).

Only a few countries can borrow their own currencies abroad

Read More

Fishing in neighbour's waters remains a knotty problem for India, Lanka

THE TIMES OF INDIA

Indrani Bagchi,-Aug 9, 2012

NEW DELHI: On Wednesday, 11 Sri Lankan fishermen returned home after being detained for over three months in India. They had been picked up from near Andhra Pradesh by the Indian Coast Guard in May. Last week, Sri Lanka released 23 Indian fishermen after detaining them for fishing in Lankan waters. In both cases, passions run high, the two foreign ministries get involved and it's becoming a messy affair between the two neighbours.

In recent months, Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen have protested in front of the Indian consulate in Jaffna, complaining that Indian fishermen are stealing their livelihoods. In Tamil Nadu, fishermen complain that Sri Lankan navy, in its aggressive patrolling of the waters, has taken to shooting at them. For the first time, Indian Tamils are up against people they considered their own across the Palk Straits.

It's becoming a tough nut to crack for both governments. "It's a humane and livelihood issue for both countries," said Prasad Kariyawasam, Sri Lanka's high commissioner to India. At its simplest, the conflict is about Indian fishermen looking for prawns on the Lankan side and crossing over the maritime boundary where they are caught. Lankan fishermen too stray into Indian waters in search of tuna, and in the current case, were caught off the Andhra coast.

Government sources said they had tried to bring together fishermen's associations from both countries at Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu. But there is still no meeting ground between the two sides. Every time Indian fishermen get caught, the central government is put on the mat by the Tamil Nadu government, which ends up in the MEA demarching the Sri Lankan authorities. One of the ways out could be to train Indian fishermen to take up deep sea fishing, rather than stay in the shallow waters of Palk Straits. But this is still just an idea.

In Tamil Nadu, the fishermen issue is seen as part of the larger Tamil-Sinhala antipathy. But government officials acknowledge privately that India needs to be more respecting of international boundaries. On the other side, Lankan forces allegedly regularly harass Indian fishermen who cross over, which adds to the discontent in Tamil Nadu.

At the heart of the trouble is a tiny island called Katchaitivu, which was ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974 when India and Sri Lanka demarcated their international maritime boundary line (IMBL). Sri Lankans say they gave an island called Wedgebank to India in exchange. However, Indian fishermen continue to be caught fishing off Kachaitivu on the explanation that it's a "traditional" fishing ground. But this is running afoul of not only Sri Lankan fishermen but its navy. "Crossing the IMBL cannot be condoned on the basis of any other consideration," Lankan officials said.

The Indian fishing industry is increasingly mechanized but Indian fishermen use bottom trawlers as well as nylon nets, which are frowned upon everywhere in the world, because these fishing practices are ruinous for the ecosystems and the sea bed. The Lankans are protesting against these practices and the difficulties are compounded by the fact that in northern Sri Lanka, it is the Tamils who have gone back to fishing after over a quarter century. They are at the forefront of the protests against India.

“TESO meet not against Sri Lanka”

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT-August 9, 2012

DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Wednesday asked Tamils across the world not to fall a prey to the campaign of the Sri Lankan government that the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) conference was against that country and that the participation of the Sri Lankans in the conference would be monitored.

Recalling Sri Lankan Minister Keheliya Rambukwella’s remarks that his government would watch the Sri Lankans who were going to take part in the conference, Mr. Karunanidhi said there was no basis for the allegation that the conference was against Sri Lanka.

“The conference is organised only to ameliorate the living conditions of the Tamils. It is a matter of regret that Sri Lanka has failed to understand it. I request Tamils not to get carried away by the propaganda of the Sri Lankan government,” he added.

ColomboTelegraph Password Cracking Attempt Blocked

By Colombo Telegraph -August 9, 2012 

Yesterday morning Colombo Telegraph monitored attacks against the website. Hackers are attempting to unlawfully gain access to or take down the Colombo Telegraph website by trying to crack the password of the site.

Attempts of password cracking have been logged from the Internet Protocol (IP) address 146.0.79.23, which originates from the Netherlands.

Colombo Telegraph logged more than 100 attempts before blocking the IP.

For those of Colombo Telegraphs more technically interested readers, please find below information on the hacking attempts.

146.0.79.23 – - [08/Aug/2012:02:52:31 +0200] “GET /wp-login.php

HTTP/1.1″ 200 3950 “-” “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1;
en-US; rv:1.9.1.3) Gecko/20090824 Firefox/3.5.3 GTB5″

“Tamils living in peace and breathing the air of freedom is important than all these small development projects.” - Seenithamby Yoheswaran, M.P

Mr. Seeniththamby Yoheswaran is the Member of Parliament representing the Batticaloa District in the Eastern Province. Charles Devasagayam interviewed him in Toronto for the Tamil Mirror readers. In this Exclusive interview he describes about the Land Grab in the Tamil areas, reasons for the early election in the Eastern Province and the India’s stance on the Tamil issue. The full interview is given below:

Charles Devasagayam: What is the purpose of your visit to Canada?

Seeniththamby Yoheswaran: The World Tamil Cultural Movement invited Mr. Sritharan, Member of Parliament (M.P) for Kilinochchi and my self for the ‘Tamil Conference’ that was held on July 1, 2012 in Toronto.

C.D: ‘Land Grab’ in the traditional Tamil areas are the pressing issue for the Tamils, according to many sources. As a M.P from the Batticaloa District, can you explain to the Tamil Mirror readers, briefly, about the ‘Land Grab’ in the Eastern Province?

S.Y: After independence from the British in 1948, the ‘Land Grab’ accelerated extensively in the Eastern Province. I am saying this because, earlier there weren’t any Sinhala Member of Parliament from the Eastern Province. But today, there are five Sinhalese M.P’s from this province. This clearly shows that how the Tamil Lands were grabbed and how the Sinhala population was settled in that Province.

Eastern Province includes three districts, namely Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa. In Thiriyai from Trincomalee district, 3000 acre land adjacent to the Pansala has been expropriated by the government for their colonisation purpose.

Same way in the Batticaloa Distrct’s Vavunatheevu Pradeshaya Sectretary’s Division, 25,000 acre land has been taken by the ‘Village Vigilante Force,’(Oor Kaval Padai). Eastern Provincial Council is also providing assistance in this regard.

In addition, Naval Forces have appropriated lands in the Vaakarai area. 1200 acre land has been taken out by these forces in ‘Kirimichchai’ area. They have camped there to build big houses to the Sinhala Navy Forces. This is also a form of Sinhala colonisation.

In the Batticaloa District, government planned to take 10,500 acre land in the ‘ Vada Munai and Oothu Chenai’ area. As a first step they wanted to allocate 5000 acre land to 100 wealthy Sinhalese people on the basis of 50 acre per person. We protested on this development and stalled the process so far.

A lots of land in the coastal Tamil areas are being used for the Sinhala colonisation. They are clearing these areas for this purpose.

Also, in the Trincomalee District, near the 3 rd mile post hill area of the Mutur Pradeshiya Secretary’s Division, lands are being cleared and a small Budhist Shrine is being built as a prelude to a Sinhala Budhist colonisation.

Same way in the Amparai District, most of the areas where Tamils have been living have been changed to Sinhala settlements.

The government also did not resettle the displaced Tamils in this area. For an example, Tamils from ‘Thangavelautha Puram and Kanchi Kudichcha Aru and Sagamam were uprooted and been living in the Thirukkovil area. The government did not make any effort to resettle them in their own land. Since this land is fertile the government wanted it to be given to the Sinhalese. Now, these uprooted Tamils have moved back to their areas by themselves, although the basic amenities are not provided to them.

Therefore, the Sinhala government has been colonising our area in a planned way. So far Sinhalese Members of Parliament have been elected from the Trincomalee and Amparai Districts only. Now, they are determined to elect a Sinhala M.P or a Member from the Provincial council or a member from the Pradeshiya Council from the Batticaloa District as well. In this respect they are working on a strong land grab and or a colonisation scheme.

Full Story>>>

The Indian government rejects Bahu’s visa

Wednesday, 08 August 2012 

The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka has rejected the visa application presented by the Leader of the New Sama Samaja Party, Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne to visit India to attend the TESO summit scheduled to be held in Chennai on the 12th.

The Indian High Commission has not given any reason for rejecting the visa application. The High Commission officials have verbally informed Karunaratne that a visa could not be issued to him without making any comments in the passport.

Karunaratne has informed about the incident to the organizer of the TESO summit, Karunanidhi.

Karunanidhi’s secretary had informed Karunaratne that the matter would be taken up with the Central government of India and steps would be taken to rectify the situation.

Karunaratne is scheduled to be the only Sinhalese speaker at the event.

However, the other Tamil politicians who are to attend the summit have so far not had to face such a situation.

Development needs to be the development of righteousness

THURSDAY, 09 AUGUST 2012 
By Dianne silva




 
Q:There have been a number of reports of child abuse in recent months, do you think that the responsibility of curtailing these incidents lies in the hands of the police and that they are doing enough to control the situation?
Not at all— because I feel that if there is very strong law enforcement in this country, we would not face a situation like this. Day in day out the situation is worsening. In the first half of this year alone there have been over 700 cases of child rape, reported to the police. Our culture is such that there is a stigma attached to incidents of this nature and therefore victims don’t want to seek justice. The unreported cases, I believe, must be about ten fold.

I feel the law is not being enforced properly and therefore the perpetrators feel that they can get away scot-free. In the past we have seen situations like this where the cases went on for years and years. Therefore I think we need to have very strong law enforcement, when it comes to crimes against children and women.

I also feel there need to be separate institutions to execute law enforcement when it comes to cases of rape and child abuse. We need immunity and protection for children and women who face situations such as this. Therefore my suggestion to the authorities is to have a separate court system and a separate group of institutions to deal with issues of this nature and bring about justice.

If you look at the long term statistics it is also very disturbing; from 2007 to 2011 there have been 6643 cases of abuse against women and 15, 158  cases of child abuse and child rape have been reported within that period.

It is pretty obvious that the type of people who commit these types of crimes; people who have some type of standing in society—they are in politics, they are in power or they have links to higher authorities.

Further it is a reflection of the mental state of the people of this country, where a father and a son can rape a girl together and rapists can talk about it and take pride in it.




Q: When it comes to dealing with this issue on a policy level where do you think the responsibility stops, who is ultimately to blame for this oversight in dealing with this issue?
I believe it is the judiciary, I believe it is the highest authority. I think the executive and legislature have a role to play as well. For instance look at some of the perpetrators; they are mostly political goons and they have immunity—look at the way they take the authority to speak to the OIC or the head of a particular police station and say “you have no authority I do as I want”.

I am glad to see that the government took a firm stand by sacking some of them from their party membership but eventually you know at the next elections they will be in the nominations list.




Read more 

Rapist Chairman Sunil threatens to publish obscene photos : partners in crime of Dallas, Susil and MaRa turn bitter

(Lanka-e-News-08.Aug.2012, 11.30PM) Though the Ministers , Dallas, Maithri and Susil of the MaRa Govt. screamed at the top of their voices that all the positions of the underlings- members and Chairpersons of PCs, local bodies who were responsible for child rapes and crimes should be withdrawn , with the threats posed by Saruwa Sunil, all these chandiyas ( toughies ) : Dallas and others became ‘nondiyas’ ( cripples). They immediately thrust their heads between their legs as they had no other place to hide themselves. 

This clearly illustrated how the MaRa regime and its Ministers are administrating the country with criminals and rapists being allowed to rule the roost. Dallas and others who use not only their mouths but every stinking orifice in their bodies to utter lies and filth to intimidate and cheat innocent citizens were clueless against the criminal’s intimidation and threats.

Subsequent to their empty loquacity , the Alliance secretary Susil , the racketeer Minister who earned the wrath of the whole country for importing sub standard fuel , had written to the Elections commissioner that these party wrongdoers have been removed from the party membership and therefore to dismiss them from the official representative posts they are holding. Copies of this letter had also been sent to the provincial Councils and the electorate Organizers. Meanwhile Dallas the worst criminal himself had named two individuals to replace the Akuressa Chairman , Saruwa Sunil the most infamous rapist and criminal , and the Vice chairman., which was highlighted by the media. 

However Criminal Saruwa Sunil was equal to the occasion. This criminal had a splendid answer to match the threats of these crooked Ministers . Saruwa Sunil some months ago celebrated the occasion of the raping of his 200th victim . This obscene celebration held at the Carlsberg recreation Hall was attended by a number of Ministers , politicos and higher ups. 

Saruwa Sunil taking advantage of this participation , had now threatened that he has all the pictures and videos taken by him of the Ministers and higher ups enjoying themselves with his so many rape victims , and he would publish them if the Ministers who are truly satans seek to pretend that they are saints and dismiss him from his post . He had also warned that he has photos and videos of Ministers who stripped themselves nude. It is learnt that in the photos and videos Saruwa Sunil is referring to are a brother of President MaRa’s brother ; Dallas and his Matara office Council member Justin Galapaththy; and President’s Parliamentary affairs Secretary Kumarasiri Hettige.
Chandiya Dallas made a nondiya by criminal Saruwa realizing odds are now turning against him , had advised Saruwa to hold the protests in support of Saruwa at Akuressa. Moreover , though the post may be withdrawn , Saruwa’s membership will not be cancelled, he had intimated . But Saruwa Sunil had not consented to this.

In any event the disciplinary inquiries against the MaRa regime child rapists and criminals have been suspended. Meanwhile , the letter sent to Sampath Pushpa Kumara , the Chairman of the Tangalla local body, who raped a foreign tourist after killing her fiancé , had been withdrawn by the other Chandiya Susil Premajayantha , the sub standard fuel racketeer who has been transformed into a nondiya by the rapists and criminals.

Sri Lanka: Land, Class And Ethnicity

By Sunil Bastian -August 8, 2012

Sunil Bastian

Land and land policy has received much attention in recent times. There are numerous discussions and activism around land policy. For example, theLLRC has recommendations about land disputes in the North; land disputes were mentioned in the resolution passed against Sri Lanka during the 18th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council; there are studies largely based on the notion of land rights; some civil society groups have organised themselves to work against on land grabbing, and environmental groups are concerned about the impact of land use on the environment.

On one hand, land is a physical resource that can be mapped, quantified and studied within various fields of knowledge collectively known as earth sciences. But this physical aspect gets a totally different meaning through political and economic processes. This happens over time, and what we face today is a result of politico-economic history.

Some of the key steps in this politico-economic history of land took place during the colonial period. The establishment of the institutional framework for the modern Sri Lankan state in the 1830s, and the passage of the Crown Land Encroachment Ordinance of 1840, changed the nature of property relations on state land. The most important shift was establishing the need for documentary proof of ownership of land. The land where this could not be established came under the state. Along with these developments, the idea of ‘encroachment on state land’ came into being. In feudal Sri Lanka this notion did not exist. As we shall see below, this notion of ‘encroachment on state land’, created during the colonial period, has become very useful for the ruling class in recent times.

The flip side of the enactment of the Crown Land Encroachment Ordinance was the sale of land to establish the plantation industry. This was the first major step undertaken to establish a capitalist mode of production in Sri Lanka. Capital came from Britain and labour from South India.

 Read More

Healing the wounds of war is not limited to reconstructing roads

WEDNESDAY, 08 AUGUST 2012

Christine Robichon, French Ambassador

By Ayesha Zuhair

Christine Robichon, Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, in an interview with the Daily Mirror, while commending the “huge progress” accomplished on the economic front, opines that economic development alone is not sufficient to achieve a just and lasting peace. Foreign friends, she further asserts, cannot help much in the political reconciliation process, which is the responsibility of the government, political parties, religious leaders, civil society and intellectuals of Sri Lanka.
Q: Is the recent Presidential change of guard in France likely to have any implications on your country’s bilateral relationship Sri Lanka? Do you think that with the election of a left-leaning President, with whom the current Sri Lankan administration can perhaps identify more easily with, presents an opportunity to build stronger ties?
  The elections campaign which led to the change in power in Paris has been focused mainly on domestic issues. On foreign policy matters, there is a broad consensus among the main political parties based on shared values. These values include solidarity towards less developed countries, support for democracy, human rights and justice all over the world. It is too early for me to assess the impact of this change on our bilateral relations with Sri Lanka but I can assure you that the new French Government is eager to reinforce these relations.  



Q: As a diplomat who has served in Sri Lanka for two-and-a-half years, and travelled fairly extensively to many parts of the island, do you think that Sri Lanka is on the right path to achieving a just and sustainable peace?
 Indeed I have travelled a lot throughout Sri Lanka, by car and by train. I have had many opportunities to meet people and to understand the realities of their lives. When I compare what I saw in the North and in the East during my first trip two years ago and what I could observe during my recent visits to  Vanni and  Trincomalee, I see huge progress. These progresses in de-mining, IDPs resettlement and reconstruction have to be recognised. They show that the country is clearly on the right path to promote economic development, even if there are still many people who are not yet feeling its benefits. Some IDPs are not back on their land yet. Many are not living in a proper house or even in a proper hut. Many are still facing great difficulties to sustain themselves, particularly women and disabled persons.
To achieve a just and lasting peace, development is indeed necessary, but is it sufficient? I don’t think so. Healing the wounds of the war is not limited to reconstructing roads and bridges. The social fabric has also been destroyed. It will take time to build a Sri Lankan nation governed by institutions which will make every person and every community feel safe and respected but I think,  more could be done to accelerate this aspect of the reconstruction, which is essential to achieve a sustainable peace. Foreign friends of Sri Lanka cannot help much in this field. Reconciliation is the responsibility of the government, the political parties - be they part of the ruling coalition or the opposition - the religious leaders, the civil society and the intellectuals of your country.  

Q: How do you view the National Action Plan to implement the LLRC proposals? Government officials have emphasised the need for the international community to recognise the quick pace at which Sri Lanka has achieved substantial results on the ground in comparison to post-war situations in other parts of the world. Would you concur?
  The LLRC report is a very constructive document, providing important recommendations to deal with the root causes of the war. I was happy to hear last week that its Sinhalese and Tamil translations will be circulated during the coming days. We are studying the recently released Action Plan and trying to get a better knowledge of the recommendations which have already been implemented. France considers that the concrete and swift implementation of the LLRC recommendations will play an essential role to guarantee lasting peace and security to all Sri Lankans. As the LLRC members themselves stated, the success of the LLRC will be measured by the degree of implementation of its recommendations.
Read more

The Domestic Violence Act: Seven Years On

The Domestic Violence Act: Seven Years On

Photo courtesy Beyond Borders blog-8 Aug, 2012
Groundviews

On 9th August in 2005, the Sri Lankan parliament unanimously passed the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (PDVA).

The Act does not create a new offence of ‘domestic violence’ but instead defines domestic violence, firstly, as acts of physical violence, which constitute only those offences already recognized under Chapter XVI of the Penal Code. Secondly it recognizes emotional abuse  - defined as a pattern of cruel, inhuman, degrading or humiliating conduct of a serious nature directed towards an aggrieved person. The PDVA allows ‘any person’ who suffers or is likely to suffer such violence to seek a protection from a Magistrate’s Court, which is empowered to summarily issue an Interim Protection Order valid for 14 days. A Protection Order, valid for 12 months, barring the aggressor from committing further acts of violence and entering the victim’s residence, among other things, can then be sought on the basis of evidence. In imposing such conditions, the court is required to balance the needs of the victim and children (including their accommodation needs) and any hardship that may be caused to the aggressor. The Act focuses on ensuring the safety of the victim by providing a civil remedy even while preserving her right to initiate separate civil or criminal action as permissible.

Continue reading »

MaRa regime’s magical feat: Confirmed Chinese thieves made benign in a day

(Lanka-e-News-08.Aug.2012, 11.30PM) The SL Govt. had released 37 Chinese fishermen who were poaching on our territorial waters off the coast of Batticaloa even without producing them before the courts. These fishermen were arrested by the SL Navy . The Govt. is now concocting stories in defense of its illegal action , it is learnt.

The Navy that arrested the poaching Chinese fishermen on the 6th had also arrested two local fishermen , which news was not revealed until later. . Subsequently however the police stated that two local fishermen too were arrested. The police on the 7th again informed that the Chinese nationals were employed in two trawlers of the SL shipping Co. and the two locals are representatives in charge of the two crafts.

The police thereafter said , , no Chinese national was produced before the court , and the wrongdoers are the two local representatives who had violated the conditions of the license , and hence they were produced before the Court and released on bail, the police added.

The SL Navy now says , the 37 Chinese nationals are to be entrusted to the custody of the Chinese Embassy office.

In the context of the MaRa regime enacting a drama and trying to paint a deplorable picture that Chinese who were thieves until yesterday are today benign Chinese , many serious questions have cropped up .

As there is a paucity of local fishermen , is the regime enrolling the Chinese fishermen ? What is the SL Co. referred to by the police that is so advanced to enroll Chinese and able to get work done from them? If there had been 37 Chinese employed in the fishing trawlers belonging to the local Co., they must be in possession of visa. Where are they ? 

If the Govt. is so diligent and dynamic as to conduct an illegal raid on a news website , and arrest the staff including a tea maker lady , and sue them with zeal and zest , how is that the 37 Chinese who were law transgressors working in SL trawlers without employment visas until the 6th , transformed into law abiding Chinese on the 7th ?

It is being widely questioned whether the MaRa regime is applying double standards: as regards Chinese national thieves one standard, and for Indian Nationals and other countries, another standard ?

Second political prisoner dies in Sri Lanka's prison attack 

‘‘ඉදි ආප්ප කවපු මේ අතින් මම අද උඹට ‘වායික්කරිසි’ දානවා’’ අවසානයේ ගනේෂන් නිමලරුබන් නික්ම ගියේ ය.

Buddhism in the West

         NO    1





Ganesan Nimalaruban: A damning murder, funeral and silence

 Second political prisoner dies in Sri Lanka's prison attack

                                                                                                 NO 2

Another Tamil political prisoner who was brutally assaulted by the security forces and prison guards during an attack on Vavunia prison inmates in late June succumbed to his injuries Tuesday in a hospital in Colombo.

Mariyadas Navis Dilrukshan was among thirty one Tamil political prisoners forcibly removed by state security forces from Vavunia to Anuradhapura and Mahara prisons in the Sinhala dominated south on 30th June. He was put on a life support machine as he lay in a coma since been admitted to the South Colombo hospital in Ragama on the third of July.

No visits allowed

Thirty six year old inmate, a native of Pasaiyoor in Jaffna was arrested by the military in October 2009 and held in custody without charges. The Catholic Bishop of Mannar Dr. Rayappu Joseph and other church officials were denied access to the prisoners in hospital. 

Tamil political prisoner Ganesharuban Nimalaruban who also recieved injuries in the Vavunia prison raid was pronounced dead on arrival when state forces handed over his body to hospital authorities on the third of July.

I’m struggling to win the attention of international community on problems face by the Lankan Tamils: Sivanthan

SJVC

SJV
C





I’m struggling to win the attention of international community on problems face by the Lankan Tamils: Sivanthan

[ Wednesday, 08 August 2012, 03:32.03 AM GMT +05:30 ]

“International community fails to pay their attention towards problems of Lankan Tamil people continuously face genocide attacks in the country. Only some of the media organizations interested on the better life of Tamil people. Due to this its unable to reach news among the people. Due to this I’m struggling to win the attention of international community” said the Sivanthan who is continuing his hunger strike for seventeenth day. Sivanthan made this reply towards question raised by the journalist from the Voice of America.

Journalist questioned about the importance of the hunger strike protest where the Olympic games were currently underway in the city. uring the time of interview Sivanthan explained about the independent investigations, land grabbing’s, release of war criminal and also stated Olympic committee should not grant permission for Lankan athletes to take part in the London Olympic games currently underway in the London city. Today Olympic games held at the central London. Due to this high traffic jam reported in the area. However many people gathered in front of the tent of Sivanthan at Stratford High Street DLR.