Non-Aligned Movement Should Sanction War Criminals like Sri Lankan President

"We are urging NAM leaders not to protect him but to support UN Human Rights Council action on Sri Lankan President." Mr.Thanikasalam Thayaparan. 

August 30, 2012: London ---- 

/EINPresswire.com/ As the Non-Aligned Movement's (NAM) leaders gather in Iran for their 16th Summit, Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) urged the NAM leaders not to protect perpetrators of genocide and war criminals like Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. 

Sri Lanka is in violation of Bandung Principles: namely, respect for the fundamental rights and for the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations; respect for justice and international obligations; and recognition of the equality of all races and of the equality of all nations, among others. 

"NAM leaders should know that among them is a war criminal posing as a Statesman" said Mr. Thanikasalam Thayaparan, TGTE's Minister for Political Affairs. 

It is important for NAM leaders to realize the gravity of the crimes the Sri Lankan President committed against the Tamil Nation in that island. 

According to a UN Panel over 40,000 Tamils were killed in five months due to deliberate and intense carpet bombing of areas designated by the government as "no-fire zones", where Tamils assembled for safety. After the Sri Lankan Government's military offensive, Bishop Rayappu noted that 146,679 people were still not accounted for in the region. The Sri Lankan Government also restricted food and medicine for Tamils, resulting in large numbers of people dying from starvation and many of the injured bleeding to death. 

In addition to the killings, thousands of Tamils have disappeared, Tamil women were sexually assaulted and raped, large numbers of Tamils are imprisoned without trial and abductions are continuing to this day. Tamils are singled out to face these abuses simply and solely on account of their Tamil nationality. Members of the Sri Lankan Security forces are almost exclusively from the Sinhalese Nation and the victims are all from the Tamil Nation. 

Due to the shear number of civilian killings by the Sri Lankan Security forces, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution on accountability for these crimes and is about to review it in March 2013. The Sri Lankan President is desperately trying to stall the UN Human Rights Council actions and is using international meetings like this NAM conference to solicit support to protect him from the War Crimes Investigation. 

"We are urging NAM leaders not to protect him but to support UN Human Rights Council action on Sri Lankan President." continued Thayaparan. 

TGTE also urged NAM leaders to ask Sri Lankan President about the UN Panel report that documented mass killings by his troops and the two documentaries in the "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields" series produced by Channel 4 TV. Please remind him that mass killing of civilians is a war crime and a crime against humanity and refuse to protect him. If he claims innocence, then urge him to face international investigation to prove just that. 

Advocacy of Moral Politik in an amoral world has been the guiding light of the NAM. We call upon the NAM to contribute to an international investigation. 

"We also salute the NAM for championing the realization of the right to self-determination of Western Sahara. In the same vein we urge the NAM to support the Tamils struggle for the realization to that same right" continued Mr. Thayaparan. 

Given the ongoing structural genocide we are urging the International Community to establish an International Protection Mechanism. As part of that we urge the NAM to send a fact finding mission to the North Eastern part of the island of Sri Lanka. We urge the NAM to seize the Tamil National Question. 

"We urge the NAM not to allow the Sri Lankan President to use his appearance at the NAM to sanitize his barbaric international crimes. His is not just a war criminal, but a perpetrator of genocide" said Mr. Thayaparan. 

About TGTE: 

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) was created in the aftermath of the bloody end of Sri Lanka's war; resulting tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed and sexually assaulted by the Sri Lankan security forces. UN documented war crimes and recommended an International Commission of Inquiry. 

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a democratically elected government of the Tamil Diaspora of Sri Lanka. Its actions are non-violent, democratic and diplomatic. It held internationally supervised elections in twelve countries to elect Members of Parliament (MPs). These MPs drafted and ratified a Constitution and elected a Prime Minister, a 10 member Cabinet and a Speaker. 

For information contact: 
T. Thayaparan at (UK): + (44)771-155-8123. Email: t.thayaparan@tgte.org 

Web: www.tgte-us.org , www.en.naathamnews.com

Editor Harassed by Political Party

“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”-- Mahatma Gandhi

Virakesari Newspaper in Sri Lanka

 (MANCHESTER ) - In Sri Lanka there are few Tamil newspapers that have both local and international reputations. “Virakesari” is one of these and also one of the oldest newspapers in Sri Lanka. The news, articles and analyses it publishes, are taken seriously by diplomatic circles in Colombo and abroad.

This newspaper carries verified news items, balanced/neutral articles and analysis irrespective of race, language, religion, individuals, political parties and leaders.

Virakesari’s Sunday publication includes coverage on culture, religion and the political situation with analysis of factual realities. There are well reputed journalists with good qualifications and much experience. Some have received awards for their courageous journalism.

At least three reporters and contributors to this esteemed newspaper have been assassinated for writing facts and realities. The Editor of the Sunday edition Mr Vadivelu Thevaraj was followed by gunmen in the capital Colombo for publishing information on casualties of the war. International Media watch dogs published urgent appeals on the impending danger faced by Mr Thevaraj who has worked unstintingly in this field for nearly three decades.

Mr Thevaraj narrowly escaped those dangers and continued his ardent and honest task with respect and dignity.

Unfortunately he earned the jealousy of another journalist whose family publishes a Tamil regional newspaper in Jaffna. Three years ago this journalist (V) resigned from his job and became a grassroots politician overnight - joining the Tamil National Alliance – TNA.

In February 2009 this gentleman was abducted by unknown gunmen in Colombo. He was released in April 2009. It is worth noting that journalists abducted are never returned alive - other than this journalist-cum-grassroots politician!

To everyone’s surprise this gentleman even withdrew the fundamental rights case filed by his lawyers and he very often travels to Europe. This led to the diaspora Tamils being very suspicious of him. Some electronic media and newspapers alleged that he sides with Rajapaksa’s regime.

Due to the ambitions of this gentleman who seems to want to be the Chief Minister of North or East, the Federal party, (one of the original coalition parties of the TULF, and the TNA), started to function again. The Federal party took new shape, creating a separate identity. A few TNA MPs told us that since this gentleman joined the TNA, many new factions and divisions have cropped up within it, and Rajapaksa’s agenda has begun to become apparent.

During the impending Eastern Provincial Council elections, this gentleman was not given a chance to stand for election. But the Leaders of the Federal Party have agreed to help him become the Chief Editor of a well-reputed newspaper in Colombo.

Recently we learned from some media that this gentleman and some of his colleagues in the Federal party started to work hard against Mr Vadivelu Thevaraj, the editor of Virakesari’s Sunday edition. They even went to the extent of seeking the help of a diplomat to back their fabricated complaint.

When one analyses the ways and means they use to work tirelessly against Mr Thevaraj, it is obvious that the reason for this underhand action is to fulfil the ambition of the journalist-cum-grassroots politician.

For a long time, many local and foreign Tamil and Singhalese media have published harsh, insulting and rude news items about the Federal party and this grassroots politician. But neither he nor his colleagues took any action in response to those media and those editors.

The way these people are harassing Mr Thevaraj shows their obvious determination to remove him from the editor’s post. Is this an indirect method of recruiting people to Rajapaksa’s side? Some observers have said that there is no mystery. The agenda is obvious. One stone to achieve many targets.

If the Federal party, its members and the TNA do not understand the hidden task of this journalist-cum-grassroots politician, in due course Rajapaksa’s agenda will be implemented without any obstacles.

Working against an Editor is not the task and path of politicians. There is enough political work for any Tamil politician, without the underhand task of ‘hitting someone below the belt’ with selfish motives.

Be aware, the international media watch dogs and others are observing these developments.

News release from Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH

Lies, Lies And More Lies As President Triumphs Over Lies

By Barbara Seneviratne -

Barbara Seneviratne

Being suspicious of the outcome of the Provincial council elections the President insisted to appear in a live program “Janapathi   Janahamuwa” which was broadcasted by the national and private television stations for three long hours. He gave a very convincing speech as well as hopes to the people who are facing the upcoming election. He called upon all government officials to execute all projects and attend to repairs immediately while blaming them for corruption, rape and crimes. And all of a sudden he announces in an election rally in the Tamil and Muslim dominated eastern province that he is the President for all races saying “I am not the President for Sinhalese, not the President for Muslims, not the President for Tamils but the President for all Sri Lankans,”. Well if that is the case why is he so reluctant to implement the LLRC recommendations?  Why was he silent when mosques are being destroyed? Well he and his political goons must be thinking people of Sri Lanka are fools because any donkey can realize that these as usual are election gundoos (tricks) to swindle unsuspecting voters.

What puzzles the voters is why had the left leaders become a party to dupe the voters. These leftists of the communist party who are contesting this election separately claim they are doing so for several reasons.  Those they say are to educate the voters to avoid electing thugs and corrupt individuals and to enlighten the voters about socio economic crisis in the country and as well as collapse of the law and order.  But unfortunately whatever their intentions may be they too are partners of this corrupt government.

As another election gundoo (trick) the President requested the Indian government to expose the sacred Kapilawastu relics in Sri Lanka at this crucial stage.  Of course, this too is once again a very thoughtful cunning way to rob the voters so that the attention of the voter is drawn from the burning issues they are faced with. He thinks that by marketing Buddhism to the Sinhalese Buddhist people he can get the votes he is so desperately seeking.  All these years he was actually doing exactly this – marketing Buddhism to the gullible Sinhalese who think they have the sole right to dominate the minorities.

Well, this is not the first time or the first executive president who was a diabolic liar who duped the public with false promises. The first is J.R who they believed would give them 8 pounds of grain. Instead he changed the existing constitution expecting to carry on forever and created this mess. J.R introduced the Executive Presidency and also changed the UNP constitution likewise. But unfortunately with all his shrewdness he did not realize that Ranil unlike the late Lalith Atulathmudali or Gamini Dissanayake is not capable nor has he the credibility to manage both the country and the party.

Second is Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga who made an attempt to change the constitution acceptable by all, but failed due to the greed or shortsightedness of the UNP as well as her own party people. However, she stepped down to give way to the demands of the SLFP seniors to nominate Mahinda Rajapaksa. Pity she could have done a good job, if honesty prevailed with better advisers to guide her.

Thirdly is the current President who thanks to Srimavo Bandaranaike and of course to his late mother who taught him to be honest, decent and truthful and who requested Ms Bandaranaike to make him a member of the parliament.  But never in their wildest dreams had they expected him to swindle the people of the nation.

The general public had great hopes since he was coming from a respected family being a cousin of great politician George Rajapaksa. George Rajapaksa was an honest man with integrity.  He was never a greedy man but spent his own money to serve the people.

Besides, the President did do a good job during his tenure as the labour and fisheries minister. As the opposition leader he stood up for the workers demanding their rights and voiced his opinion over injustices. Hence, his nomination to be the candidate to the executive Presidency was hailed by majority.

After the victory over terrorists with the support of the Indian Government and the Sri Lankan armed forces the public expected not only peace and harmony but improved economic wellbeing as well. But within six years the people realized that they are being taken for a ride. It was not because of the war that the cost of living had gone up but due to the poor administration and corruption. That nepotism and impunity is the norm and that crimes against women, children and the ordinary people had increased alarmingly.  People are aware that these are perpetrated by the very politicians they elected.

The very man who said that he will not allow family dynasty created the biggest Dynasty. The country is aware but since a fear psychosis has being introduced by the State with help of thugs, like Mervyn Silva,Julampitiye Amare, Duminda etc. People are forced to grin like in the bill boards that carry the President’s picture.  He little realizes that people are fed up viewing his picture and mega cut outs. In fact Premadasa too did this same mistake during his regime by promoting a personality cult.

However, it is evident by the current state of affairs the country is moving towards a fascist regime. It is all so clear by his attitude of not taking seriously or merely turning a deaf ear to demands of the civil society. Some of the blatant examples are as follows.

The tax report which was handed over to the President in 2009 was completely ignored.

No action was taken on the findings of the COPE report.

Business mafia is supported to thrive fraudulently and the share market has been messed up.

He encourages the Health Minister to continue his corrupt deals knowing very well that the health sector is in a chaotic situation. This, alarming situation was created despite Sri Lanka one time being a role model to other Asian countries with regard to health indicators.

He and his political goons have messed up the education system completely depriving children and youth of their right to education.  Theses very politicians who received free education from grade one to university are now against it.

Demands of the farmers of the country are completely ignored. Farmers are deprived of basic facilities such as water and fertilizer and are unable to engage in farming and the country’s food security is at stake.

Racial and religious intolerance is created. When mosques and churches are attacked he turns a blind eye.

Workers EPF monies are busted and he being the Finance Minister pretends that he is unaware of these corrupt deals.

Judiciary is attacked and manipulated. Law and order is a dream in this country now.

My dear voters this is what we have reaped during these last six years.  Will there be a Sri Lanka for the future generation?

Hummingbird Stories

Daughter of Eelam

August 28, 2012

10 years on: because you died, we continue to live.

The war in Sri Lanka and the suffering of the Tamils is a sadness that no longer defines me, but one deeply rooted in my identity.

I live a privileged life in Australia. My family care about social justice and believe in living with integrity and compassion. My friends are interesting, intelligent and know how to have fun. My colleagues are brave and inspiring and want to make this world a better place. My puppy gives me endless joy.

I have nothing to complain about. And I am not complaining.

So when I say the past years have been the hardest, I say this with complete awareness that the challenges I have faced are nothing compared to the cruel, unforgiving and brutal injustices that rip apart countless communities, families and individuals all over the world. But our perception of experience is a by-product of our surroundings and so feelings of sadness, anxiety and confusion exist even in relative privilege.

My story starts in August 2002 when I went with my father back to the land in which I was born – Sri Lanka.

The Government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers, also known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE, had signed a ceasefire agreement a few months earlier. My father and many others were hopeful that this time there would be no return to war.

At the time my understanding of the Tamil struggle for freedom, dignity and a homeland was limited and clouded in ignorance. I had found growing up in the West with very traditional Tamil parents difficult and confusing. I wanted to be just like my ‘white’ friends who I felt had endless freedom, while my parents did everything they could to ensure their daughter learnt and practiced the conservative culture and traditions of their community in Northern Sri Lanka. I reacted by rejecting anything related to the identity enforced upon me.

My decision to accompany my father on that trip was my peace offering to him.

The three weeks I spent in the Vanni region, the area administered by the LTTE prior to their defeat in 2009, completely changed my life.

The human suffering that I saw in the community devastated by 19 years of war was heartbreaking. I met children who were blind, deaf and dumb because their mothers had been malnourished. I carried babies that had been abandoned under trees. I cried with parents who shared stories of how their sons and daughters had died fighting.  I heard of the rapes, torture and cold blooded executions committed by the Sri Lankan armed forces. I still remember everything as if it was yesterday.

In the years that followed, I went back to the Vanni four times. I asked endless questions of everyone I met, young and old, about the Tamil struggle and survival. My understanding of the sacrifices my people have had to make and the horrors they have had to endure continued to grow. I developed a very strong attachment to the land in which I was born and a deep respect for the courage of the people fighting for their dignity.

One thought that kept haunting me was that if I had not been fortunate enough to grow up in the West, the horror stories I was hearing would have been my own.  This created a sense of guilt that externalized through my actions.

How was I to reconcile my two worlds? One a world of endless opportunities and freedom in a country which is now my home, and the other of tremendous suffering and violence inflicted upon the community into which I was born and had to flee.

March 2006 was my last trip to Sri Lanka. The rumblings of war had started by then. My friends in the Vanni said it would be the ‘final war’. Some joked that they would not be there when I returned. I didn’t believe them. I never said a proper goodbye. I never said a proper thank you for sharing their lives, their dreams, their homes, food and laughter with me. I never said a proper thank you for the sacrifices they made for my freedom.

In 2009, when the Sri Lankan Government unleashed a massacre on the Tamils in the Vanni, my father was one of the 400 000 or so people in the war zone. He miraculously survived.  More than 100 000 Tamils did not.

Three years on from the end of the war and ten years on from my trip back home, the shock, grief and guilt has subsided enough so that I am no longer overwhelmed by it. But the pain of the Tamils in Sri Lanka that I grew to love and admire, the murder of many loved ones, the near loss of my father and his continuing trauma has left very deep scars.

I am not an apologist for the felonies of the Tamil Tigers, however there is no ‘nice’ way to resist a government that indiscriminately shells hospitals, schools, churches and markets and that commits rape, torture and murder with the intention of genocide and support of the international community.

The resilience of the Tamils, their 28 year long resistance and the 64 years of ongoing ethnic persecution and brutality at the hands of the Government of Sri Lanka has become my inner core.

At a time when Tamils in Sri Lanka have been reduced to slavery and survival, and when geopolitics continues to take precedence over justice and freedom, the one thing that can’t be touched is my identity.

My name is that of an ancient Tamil script.  The Tamil language will never be forgotten.  The flag of Eelam (homeland) which I proudly stand under will always represent the sacrifices and courage of my people. My sadness will forever remind me of the responsibilities that I now carry in post war Sri Lanka to remember that there are people in this world that are oppressed, brutalised and forsaken. It is my privilege to be their voice.

And I will do this proudly as a daughter of Eelam and a sister to the Tamil resistance.

Commentary on the National Plan of Action to Implement the Recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission

22nd August 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has produced a commentary on the National Plan of Action to Implement the Recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) that welcomes the initiative by the Government to move forward on the LLRC, while pointing out gaps and problems which need to be rectified.

With the formulation of the National Plan of Action to Implement the Recommendations of the LLRC (Action Plan), the Government has set out its plans for implementing some of the findings of the LLRC. The commentary examines the issues covered and the activities and processes identified in the Action Plan, and raises questions and concerns that need to be addressed if there is to be meaningful implementation of the LLRC recommendations. The commentary is accompanied by a detailed table looking at each of the recommendations that are meant to be acted upon under the Action Plan.

CPA has followed the LLRC process, made statements on the process and the Final Report, and proposed ways forward for implementing key recommendations of the LLRC. CPA continues in its endeavour to increase public debate and understanding of the LLRC findings and implications and to provide constructive criticism and suggestions, while continuing to engage in research and advocacy on wider processes relevant to justice, accountability, peace and reconciliation in post-war Sri Lanka. 

Read and download the commentary from here.

CPA has also produced a detailed table that examines each of the issues covered in the National Plan of Action to Implement the Recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (Action Plan) providing a summary of the proposed actions, responsible agencies, indicators, timeframes as well as our own comments, concerns and questions.

Read and download the complete table from here. 

Short Story: Celluloid Visions

By Koom Kankesan -August 31, 2012

Koom Kankesan

Rajapaksa was mad and he wasn’t going to take it any more. He was sick of all the people, his people, who questioned his government’s decisions. He was sick of the journalists who wagged their censorious fingers at him. He was sick of his own family who embarrassed him. Didn’t they know what he was trying to do out here? You try to do something great and nobody appreciates it. He was staying near the port in Hambantota for the weekend. The traffic in the port functioned beautifully and on a clear day, you could almost see straight to Madagascar.

He sat up in bed now, late at night, with the brand new 10G laptop and mobile internet stick, a small gift from the powers that be in China. He waslooking for Youtube clips of the Sri Lankan team at the London Olympics. What he found was footage of British Tamils protesting, waving their cursed red flag with the stupid face of their tiger on it. What, are the doughnut shops closed? Don’t you have anywhere to go? Rajapaksa thought irritably to himself. ‘What do we want? Justice! What do we want? Justice!’ chanted the Tamils again and again, reminding Rajapaksa of his futile time at the hotel in London. “This isn’t a Sai Baba bajan, you fools!”he muttered aloud, “think of something original to say!”

The large frame of his wife turned slowly and spoke with a croaking voice, “Go to sleep Mahinda, it’s late… put that thing away.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Miss Lanka ’73” muttered Rajapaksa and shook off her cloying arm.

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The Disappeared in Sri Lanka

The Disappeared in Sri Lanka

Groundviews

Photo from HRW

A speech made today at a Vigil to Remember the Disappeared in Sri Lanka on The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, held from 5-6pm at the State Library of Victoria premises in Melbourne, Australia.

I am honoured to have been asked to speak at this Vigil, to Remember the Disappeared in Sri Lanka on this important occasion, of The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Sri Lanka is party to diverse declarations and conventions of the United Nations on human rights. Therefore, the main responsibility of protecting peoples’ rights lies with the government of the day.

Today’s vigil calls upon the government of Sri Lanka to release the names of those individuals, who surrendered to the government forces during the last phase of the armed conflict in 2009. This Vigil also demands the government of Sri Lanka to put an end to the practice of enforced disappearances.

These disappearances can be categorised into those enforced in the north east of the country, during the armed conflict between the LTTE and the government forces; and in the south in 1971, and again in the 1989-1990 period, during the insurrections between the Sinhala youth and the government forces.

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VIDEO: TO THE STREET, IN THE NAME OF EDUCATION...

University students took to the streets today (29) to protest against the situation of education in the country. Olcott Mawatha was closed opposite the Fort Railway station due to this protest march.

 The Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) convener Sanjeewa Bandara stated that the protest is against many destructive decisions taken by the government. (Pic by Manjula Charantha)

VIDEO: TO THE STREET, IN THE NAME OF EDUCATION...

A disappearance every five days in post-war Sri Lanka

A disappearance every five days in post-war Sri Lanka

Groundviews

Photo courtesy WSWS

On 21^st at 2.31pm, August 2012, 32 year old Vasanthamala sent a sms from her mobile to her relatives saying she had been taken by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Vavuniya. Around 8pm the same night, she made short phone calls to her mother and father, and said she was alright. When her parents had tried to find out where she was calling from, the call had been cut off and has been switched off thereafter, to date as her parents are still unable to get through to her.

When her father tried to complain to the Vavuniya Police, they had refused to accept the complaint stating that she must have eloped with a man. The complaint was only accepted once her father visited the Police station the following day along with his wife. Prior to the arrest, on the 19^th of August, some persons claiming to be from the CID, had called Vasanthamala’s mother and told her that her daughter would be arrested unless she  produced some documents to the Vavuniya Police. Even in July, 2012, the Police had made inquiries regarding Vasanthamala.

Vasanthamala’s parents were amongst the around 500 families of disappeared persons who gathered in Vavuniya today, 30^th August 2012, the International Day of the Disappeared, demanding for justice, accountability and  the whereabouts of their loved ones. . The families  staged a peaceful protest on the A9 road in front of the Vavuniya bus stand, and later held a public meeting at the Vavuniya Urban Council hall. Most of the families were Tamil and from the North and the East, with  many families of former LTTE leaders who have gone missing after surrendering, and also families of soldiers who are missing in action.

The event was held as disappearances (mostly in the form of abductions), continued to be reported at a rate of more than one every five days in post-war Sri Lanka. Twenty one disappearances (including attempted abductions) have been reported by Sri Lanka’s English media in the 100 days between April 1^st and July 9^th2012. This brings the total number of disappearances reported from 1^st January to 9^th July to 57. [1]

Continue reading »

Lecturers go on strike, and the government has a drastic response

Sri Lanka’s universities-

Shuttered

THE Buddhist monk, staring intently at the smoke rising from an incense stick, said the government was destroying state-provided education because it was “easier to control uneducated fools”. Maduluwawe Sobitha is an influential figure among Sri Lanka’s majority Sinhala population. He is also a loud critic of the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The monk’s new National Movement Against Social Injustice is, with other groups and unions, backing a university lecturers’ strike for more state spending on education. Almost 5,000 academics stopped work on July 4th. Like them, he is angry that the government spends a mere 1.9% of GDP on schools and universities.

On August 23rd the higher education minister, S.B. Dissanayake, responded by closing down indefinitely the country’s state universities and institutes. He accused lecturers of dragging students into their campaign. Yet students, among them young Buddhist monks, still protest, demanding that the universities be reopened. On August 29th police in Colombo fired water cannon and tear gas at hundreds of students marching in support of academics. Members of the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) retaliated by flinging whatever they could lay their hands on, including rocks and spent tear-gas canisters, at police.

This kind of volatility rattles Mr Rajapaksa’s regime. Universities are hotbeds of political activity, particularly by anti-government Marxist groups such as the People’s Liberation Front. The IUSF is affiliated with this party. That might be one reason why, in 2011, the higher education ministry ordered all universities to hire security from a firm run by the defence ministry, which happens to be headed by one of the president’s brothers. New university entrants also had to complete a course in “leadership training”—run by the army.

Arjuna Aluwihare, a former vice-chancellor and past chairman of the University Grants Commission, sees all this as a sign of the regime’s insecurity in the face of those who disagree with it. Some factions in the government think opponents are spoiling to instigate an Arab spring-style revolution. Mr Dissanayake openly accuses university lecturers of being part of a plot to bring about regime change.

That seems a far cry from the academics’ aims. They first asked for a 20% salary hike to stem a brain drain. But as talks between Mr Dissanayake and the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) crumbled, their wish list only grew. It now includes a demand for spending on education to be raised to 6% of GDP. They also want universities to be freed from government meddling. Schoolteachers are protesting, too, against a rapid decline in the quality of primary and secondary education. But toppling the government, Nirmal Ranjith, the FUTA president, laughs, “is not our business”.

Now Mr Rajapaksa has assigned another brother, Basil, to sort out the mess. He claims to be optimistic that the dispute can be resolved. But back at his temple, Maduluwawe Sobitha pledges support for the campaigners. It is in the country’s best interest, he insists while adjusting his robes, to have fewer fools around.

Scores Missing After Australia-Bound Refugee Boat Reports Distress

By MATT SIEGEL-August 30, 2012
SYDNEY, Australia — Ninety or more people remained missing Thursday after a boat carrying about 150 migrants sank off Indonesia, in another disaster this year for asylum seekers from the Middle East and Asia trying to reach Australia by sea.

The Australian home affairs minister, Jason Clare, expressed grave concern for the passengers and said that a “massive” search-and-rescue effort was under way to locate survivors. At least seven commercial ships and one military vessel were combing the waters around 40 nautical miles south of the Indonesian island of Java, he said, where the boat issued the first of two distress calls early on Wednesday morning.

Thousands of asylum seekers try to reach the remote Australian territory of Christmas Island each year on rickety, overcrowded vessels, leading to accidents at seathat have killed more than 600 people since late 2009. Australia’s Parliament passed legislation this month to allow boat refugees to be deported to offshore detention centers in an effort to stem the record number of arrivals, but the policy has not yet had any significant impact.

Six survivors were pulled from the wreckage of the ship early on Thursday, and 39 more were rescued later in the day by navy and merchant vessels, Mr. Clare said. He had warned earlier that rescuers had a shrinking window to locate any additional survivors.

“Potentially dozens and dozens haven’t survived,” Mr. Clare said in Sydney.

The Associated Press reported that a total of 55 people had been rescued, and that the captain of a rescue vessel said he saw bodies in the water.

A Liberian-flagged merchant vessel, the APL Bahrain, was reported by The Australian, a daily newspaper, to have rescued the first group of six survivors, all of them men. The survivors reportedly told the chief officer of the ship that women and children had been on the stricken vessel, which Mr. Clare said was believed to have been carrying up to 150 passengers. It was unclear whether women and children were among the survivors.

Australia had initially handed over responsibility for the search to the Indonesian search-and-rescue authority, Basarnas, which stopped looking for survivors Wednesday after failing to find any during its initial sweep. A spokesman for Basarnas told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that it regretted calling off the search, but Mr. Clare defended the Indonesian agency’s actions.

“Don’t underestimate how difficult this task is; don’t underestimate how big the sea that we’re searching is,” he said.

This has the potential to be the largest disaster of its kind in terms of loss of life since at least June, when around 90 asylum seekers are believed to have drowned when their boat capsized during a similar journey from Java.

Australia has tried for years to come up with a policy that would deter would-be immigrants from trying to reach Christmas Island, a territory in the Indian Ocean that is Australia’s closest point to Indonesia. Prime Minister Julia Gillard had proposed sending asylum seekers to Malaysia for processing, but the plan was rejected by Australia’s highest court, and negotiations over a replacement plan broke down.

Sri Lankan Govt Must Answer about Thousands of Disappeared Tamils. UN denied Entry.

Thursday, 30 August 2012  

“There are concerns that some of the disappeared girls are being used as sex slaves by the Sri Lankan security forces”

/EINPresswire.com/ August 29, 2012: London ——

On the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30, Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) called upon the Sri Lankan Government to tell the truth about the thousands of Tamils, including babies, who disappeared.

It is reported that UN Working Group on Involuntary or Enforced Disappearances repeated requests to visit Sri Lanka was denied by the Sri Lankan Government.

“If the Sri Lankan Government has nothing to hide why should they deny UN’s visit?” asked Mr. Deluxon Morris, TGTE’s Minister for investigation of Genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. “Thousands of families are desperately looking for their loved ones who were taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Government forces.”

“There are concerns that some of the young girls who have disappeared are being used as sex slaves by the Sri Lankan security forces” said Mr. Deluxon Morris.

“Sri Lankan Government has routinely used disappearance as a tactic to terrorize the Tamil population. Sri Lanka has the unique distinction of disappearing whole families. This includes babies, women and elderly. Several Catholic and Hindu Priests also disappeared without any trace.” said Deluxon Morris.

The disappearance list goes on to include journalists, human rights defenders and ordinary citizens. These people were taken from homes, Refugee (IDP) camps, hospitals, work places and from streets. Several witnessed these people being arrested by the Sri Lankan Security forces.

Several family members of the disappeared testified before the Sri Lankan Government’s own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). In its website this commission has published only testimonies of Government officials. But it has not published testimonies from the families whose loved ones have disappeared. “This calls into question of LLRC’s credibility and impartiality”, said Deluxon Morris.

TGTE also urged the UN Working Group on Involuntary or Enforced Disappearances to have special focus on Sri Lanka in the upcoming UN meetings. According to this working group, it has received information of about 12,460 cases of disapperances in Sri Lanka.

About TGTE:

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) was created in the aftermath of the bloody end of Sri Lanka’s war; resulting tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed and sexually assaulted by the Sri Lankan security forces. UN documented war crimes and recommended an International Commission of Inquiry.

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a democratically elected government of the Tamil Diaspora of Sri Lanka. Its actions are non-violent, democratic and diplomatic. It held internationally supervised elections in twelve countries to elect Members of Parliament (MPs). These MPs drafted and ratified a Constitution and elected a Prime Minister, a 10 member Cabinet and a Speaker.

For information contact:
Deluxon Morris (UK): Tel: +(44)794-002-0758 or Email: warcrime@tgte.org
Web: www.tgte-us.org , www.en.naathamnews.com