Indian police remedy against rape is ‘reconciliation’

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 December 2012, 08:12 GMT]
A 17-year-old Indian girl, gang-raped in November, committed suicide on Wednesday, after the Indian police pressured her to drop the case and accept a cash settlement or ‘marry’ one of her attackers, AFP reported on Thursday citing the victim’s sister, a senior police official and the Indian media NDTV. The girl had been “running from pillar to post to get her case registered,” but officers failed to open a formal inquiry and tried to convince her to withdraw the case, the Inspector General of Punjab Police, P.S. Gill, conceded. What the Indian police had applied in the individual case of the hapless girl is just analogous to the larger political policy of ‘reconciliation’ imposed by the Establishments in New Delhi and Washington on the genocide-affected nation of Eezham Tamils, said an activist in Jaffna standing for the human rights of nations. 

The girl coming from Patiala region of Punjab took poison on Wednesday. Her suicide comes amidst public fury over another gruesome gang rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi earlier this month.

Out of 256,329 violent crimes recorded in India last year, 228,650 were against women. The real figure is thought to be much higher as so many women are reluctant to report attacks to the police, AFP said.

Meanwhile, rape and sexual exploitation committed and being committed with a genocidal intent by the Sinhala military occupying the country of Eezham Tamils are allowed to go as ‘accepted’ by the powers that see the Sinhala militarisation as solution to their interests in the island, Tamil social workers in the island said. 

Victims among the ex-LTTE cadres and among the public are unable to come out with cases, as not only the victims but also their family members are intimidated and gagged. The occupying SL military is confident of the international impunity bestowed on it by the Establishments that groom it, the social workers said.

Besides New Delhi that never said anything against the SL military or against the multi-faceted genocide, some European Establishments having significant Tamil diaspora are also keen in seeing that such victims should not come out in making their cases public to get justice from the world, informed sources said.

Kiriella, Herath give the lie to Yapa

FRIDAY, 28 DECEMBER 2012

The Opposition members of the Parliamentary Select Committee that probed the charges against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake yesterday charged that the Chairman of the PSC Anura Priyadarshana Yapa had deliberately misled the public by making ‘”completely false statements” and “laughable” ones in defence of a flawed select committee process for the impeachment of the Chief Justice.

Speaking to Daily Mirror, UNP MP Lakshman Kiriella said that the reason the Opposition members walked out was that the entire process was flawed due to bias from its inception. He said Yapa’s assertion that the process was impartial and transparent was laughable.

“From the very start it was clear that the government wanted to crucify the Chief Justice. They completely overruled all suggestions made in writing and orally to the committee using their majority power” Kiriella said.

PSC member Vijitha Herath also claimed that they had, from the inception of the process, insisted on a procedure being set out -- but that it was overruled by the committee headed by Yapa.

“This was an entirely one-sided process with no regard for impartiality or credibility. All they wanted to do from the start was to remove the Chief Justice come what may” Herath said.

Responding to Yapa’s assertion that the Chief Justice had not been given more than 1000 pages of documents and that the documents she had were her own, Kiriella said that the statement was completely false.

“Each and every document was given to her by the PSC. The CJ did not produce a single document. This statement that the minister made to the media is completely false. If this was such a transparent process why did they not give the Chief Justice the requested five weeks time to respond instead of insisting that she respond by the very next day?” he said.

Kiriella also said that the Opposition members of the PSC did not know about the documents that were to be given to the Chief Justice until they were actually handed over to her.

“We met for five days before that and there was never any mention of documents or witnesses until this sudden fast forwarding came about” he said.

Herath also said that the process suddenly took a different turn on December 6, when the government members decided to completely fast track a process which needed more time.

“She was told to give her defence the next day. None of us, though we were PSC members, saw any of those documents until that very day they were handed over. There was a sudden rush though they had earlier agreed to ask the Speaker to grant the PSC an extension. What was the reason for this urgency?” Herath asked.

Krirella went on to state that the Chief Justice was given only one day to prepare her defence for the documents comprising more than 1000 pages and that no rational person would have asked her  to provide her defence within 24 hours.

“We were there when all this took place. We were disgusted by the workings of this committee and how it was handled. Even the documents that were given had been illegally obtained, making the entire process illegal. How did they obtain details of her bank accounts without a court order?” he asked.

Responding to the claim by Yapa that there were no insults hurled at the CJ, Kiriella said that no insults were recorded -- as was the normal practice with regard to the Hansard as well.

“Remarks that are made off hand and those that are insulting are expunged from the Hansard and in some events not recorded. We were at these sittings and we heard every word that was said. The Chief Justice and her lawyers also heard every insulting remark,” he said.

Herath went on to ask  why the minutes showed that PSC Chairman Yapa had requested the lawyers representing the Chief Justice to ignore the comments if there had been no such comments.

“The Chairman told the lawyers-‘don’t look at them look at me, talk to me, ignore them’ etc. all these are on record. If it was such a decent process why would he have had to say that? The government members acted in a very unbecoming manner and we were witnesses to this shameful process” he said.(Hafeel Farisz)

Related linK
Video: Yapa defends PSC; refuses request for ind. Comm. 

Baseless Accusations Against Our Sister Shirani, We Wanted To Invest In Our Motherland – CJ’s Sister And BIL

By Renuka Bandaranayake and Kapila Karunaratna -

                 December 28, 2012 

We have been made aware that certain individuals and factions have been perpetrating malicious and false rumours about us in Sri Lanka. The implication of these false accusations and insinuations, especially in the light of the impeachment motion brought unto Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, is that, the apartment at Trillium Residencies was not bought by two of us and later that the funds used to purchase our apartment in Sri Lanka was ill-gotten.

Kapila Karunaratna

We have been working professionals in Australia/Canada for over 22 years and in that time; we have worked in varying capacities but predominantly in senior managerial positions. We are hard pressedand perplexed at the inference that we, being employed by respectable and international organizations would be unable to afford an apartment in Sri Lanka. For over two decades, we have functioned as qualified senior engineers/ Managers in Australia and Canada.

Considering the unfounded and blatantly inaccurate rumours being spread, we believe it is the opportune time to set the record straight.

In relation to Kapila; he is a qualified charted professional mining engineer, with an MSc in Mining Engineering from Russia and an MBA from Australia. He is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Institution of Engineers Australia and the Australian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy. He is a respected professional in the Australian mining community (the only Sri Lankanmigrant and non-westerner to manage “Superpit”, Australia’s largest open pit goldmine, itsoperation far outweighs any other mining centre in Australia.); He also worked as the Senior Technical Manager at Barrick Corporation Canada, the world largest gold producer.

He is currently a Board Director at Crosslands Resources Ltd (Western Australia) and Okajee Port and Rail Pty Ltd. (Western Australia) respectively. He is also the General Manager Technical at Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd. He has previously held numerous senior mining positions in both Australia andCanada.

In relation to Renuka, a mechanical engineer and a graduate of the Moratuwa University, Sri Lanka.

She is the incumbent Regional Capital Manager of Newmont Mining Corporation, Asia Pacific.Moreover, she is one of the few Sri Lankan female migrants in the mining industry to have reachedsuch a position.

She has previously held positions in the capacity of a Senior Advisor – Project Management and Project Controls Manager – Newmont Mining Corporation and as a Project Superintendent – Managing Project group in Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines respectively.

We migrated to Australia in 1990 leaving all our assets behind in Sri Lanka and throughout the past 22 years have worked hard to garner our reputations and wealth. What is saddening and bitter at this unfortunate time is the fact that, individuals with malicious motives are instilling lies and propagating hate and doubt in relation to our hard earned living.

Furthermore, it was our goal to one day enjoy our retirement in Sri Lanka with our family and thus the reason for the purchase of an apartment. As Sri Lankan’s, we feel a calling towards our motherland and we believe that no matter how distant Sri Lankan’s will be from their motherland that one day they find their way back home. We wanted to invest in the country that we both belong to and live peacefully during our twilight years.

Whilst we are appalled at the baseless accusations levelled against Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake and us, it is imperative that justice prevails and thus our intention with this statement to portray the truth.

Hillary Clinton & John Kerry--- Style & Substance

Hillary Clinton & John Kerry--- Style & Substance

by B.Raman

( December 28, 2012, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Both Mrs.Hillary Clinton, the outgoing US Secretary of State, and Mr.John Kerry, her successor-designate already officially nominated by President Barack Obama, are public servants of style and substance who had distinguished themselves as Senators for their knowledge of the world and expertise.

Mr.Obama continues to attach importance to pursuing a tough counter-terrorism policy in the Af-Pak region partly to prevent any more threats to the US homeland from terrorists based in this region and partly to maintain stability in Afghanistan despite the thinning out of the US presence in Afghanistan.

Ms.Condoleezza Rice, who was Secretary of State  during the second term of Mr.George Bush, and Mrs. Clinton were different from the traditional cold war style of Secretaries of State that one had seen before them. They realized that they had to operate in a world that had changed and that continued to change after the end of the Cold War and that the old style of policy-making, execution and projection that served the US well during the days of the Cold War, would no longer serve it well.

They diluted the elitist tradition that dominated the functioning  and thinking of the US State Department before them. Public diplomacy and greater policy maker-people interaction became their defining characteristics. They discarded the traditional aloofness of US foreign policy makers and encouraged their staff in the State Department to do so too.

Mrs.Clinton was the most out-going and transparent Secretary of State that the US has had who never hesitated to speak her mind out whether to China or Pakistan or other countries. She could be blunt without being unpleasant in her interactions with her counterparts from other countries. One had a glimpse of her quintessential style of public diplomacy during her town hall interactions with selected members of the civil society in  Kolkata earlier this year moderated by Barkha Dutt of NDTV.

Mr.Kerry is as knowledgeable as Ms. Rice and Mrs. Clinton and his expertise in moulding policies is considerable. But in a commentary on Mr.Kerry after he was nominated by Mr.Obama, the BBC described  him as “deliberate and strategic” in thinking, but secretive in style. A commentary by the ”Christian Science Monitor” drew attention to Mr.Kerry’s past reputation of elitist aloofness.

Many commentators feel that public or people-to-people diplomacy of the kind in which Mrs.Clinton excelled as we saw in Kolkatta does not come naturally to Mr.Kerry. It is said that Mrs.Clinton was an excellent team manager in running the State Department. One has misgivings whether Mr.Kerry would be an equally good and warm team manager.

In fact, Mr.Kerry was not Mr.Obama’s first choice as Secretary of State to succeed Mrs.Clinton. His first choice reportedly was Ms.Susan Rice, the US Ambassador to the UN, who would have  been in the mould of Mrs.Clinton, but Ms.Rice’s controversial statements regarding the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi in September, which came in for criticism from some Republican Senators, made it doubtful whether she would be confirmed by the Senate. Mr.Kerry should have a smooth sailing in the Senate because of his experience as a Senator and as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign relations Committee.

While the style of Mr.Kerry  could be different from that of Mrs.Clinton, in substance one is unlikely to see any changes in  foreign policy except in nuances in relation to China and Pakistan. The broad features of foreign policy are largely decided  by the President  on the basis of inputs and advice from the Secretary of State, the Defence Secretary, the National Security Adviser and the Director of the CIA.

One has to wait to see whom Mr.Obama nominates to the posts of Defence Secretary and Director, CIA, before assessing  what could be the totality of the impact of the team as a whole on the foreign policy during the second term of Mr.Obama. Three constants in respect of China have to be kept in view: Firstly, during 2012, the US replaced the European Union as the largest buyer of Chinese goods. The economic dependence between the two countries would rule out any adversarial relationship of a permanent nature. Secondly, the strong support in the Congress for Japan’s sovereignty claims in the East China Sea and for continued supply of military equipment to Taiwan would keep alive the trust deficit between the two countries despite the flourishing bilateral trade. Thirdly, the US could press ahead with its policy of strengthening its Asian presence through continued support to some ASEAN countries on the question of their rights in the South China Sea and further diversify its growing ties with Myanmar, which would be, in long term, to the detriment of China.

Mrs.Clinton vigorously pursued and projected the policy of enhanced presence in the Asia-Pacific region to counter Chinese activism and to reassure the ASEAN countries and Japan. The projection and execution of this policy by Mr.Kerry to protect the interests of the US and its allies would avoid the rough edges of Mrs.Clinton without changing the overall US objectives in the region.

The continued importance of India during Mr.Obama’s first term was partly the result of Mr.Obama’s own conviction on the role that India could and should play as an emerging Asian power on par with China and partly the outcome of the energy and enthusiasm imparted by her to the growing strategic multi-dimensional relationship between the US and India. This is a policy constant that will continue under Mr.Kerry.

Mr.Obama continues to attach importance to pursuing a tough counter-terrorism policy in the Af-Pak region partly to prevent any more threats to the US homeland from terrorists based in this region and partly to maintain stability in Afghanistan despite the thinning out of the US presence in Afghanistan.

While vis-à-vis China, Mr.Kerry will enjoy some latitude in the way the policy as laid down by Mr.Obama is projected and executed , Mr.Obama is expected to continue in the driving seat in respect of the Af_Pak region. At the same time, one has to remember that Mr.Kerry has greater sensitivity to the strategic interests and concerns of Pakistan in the Afghanistan region than Mrs.Clinton and pays heed to the perceptions of the Pakistan Army. He might try to moderate  the consequences of Mr.Obama’s present tough policy towards Pakistan in order to soften Pakistani perceptions towards the US.

It remains to be seen  whether Mr.Kerry would play a more active role in identifying and executing policy options in respect of Syria and Iran. There was an impression that Mrs.Clinton, who has future political ambitions of her own, avoided  too activist a role in West Asia and the Gulf lest any policy mishap come in the way of her future political interests.

 Many believe that Mr.Obama would want Mr.Kerry to show greater activism in West Asia and the Gulf than Mrs. Clinton did---particularly in Syria. Those who had seen Mr.Kerry’s policy flip-flops in relation to the regime change policy of Mr.Bush in Iraq----he first supported it in the Senate, and then marked his distance from the policy of Mr.Bush--- wonder whether Mr.Kerry would have the stomach for a vigorous regime change policy in Syria.

( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of the Chennai Centre for China Studies. E-Mail  seventyone2@gmail.com  .Twitter: @SORBONNE75)

‘Transfer prisoners with British citizenship to British jails’

FRIDAY, 28 DECEMBER 2012

TNA Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran has requested Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem to transfer the Tamils in Sri Lankan prisons with British citizenship to British prisons.

He was referring to the Tamil prisoners who had been arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the emergency regulations sometimes ago. According to him, some of them have been convicted by various courts in Sri Lanka over their alleged connections with the LTTE.

Mr.Premachandran at a discussion with the Justice Minister held at the Justice Ministry on Wednesday had informed the Minister that the parents of these British citizens were willing to get their sons transferred to British jails under an agreement signed between Sri Lanka and Britain-in 1995.

In response to that Minister Hakeem had told TNA MP that Sri Lanka would consider it if the British Foreign Ministry approached the Sri Lankan government in this regard.

Parents of these prisoners said they wanted their sons to be transferred to British prisons as they were British citizens and also because of the fact that the condition of Sri Lankan prisons was not satisfactory.(N Parameswaran)

The 3 prisoners abducted by Rajapakse regime exposed.! Prison Commissioner General himself destroyed all the registers
By Special Correspondent

(Lanka-e-News -27.Dec.2012, 11.30PM) Lanka e news inside information service had been able to identify the three prisoners who were covered with cloths and taken out clandestinely from the Welikade prison and dispatched by the army ‘Buffel’ vehicle on the day of the prison clash . They are……

1. Ratnayake Siriyalage Thushara of 38, Madiwela , Kotte
2. Guruge Willuwage Kulathileke of 19, Nagoda, Getahettha
3. Vidanalage Karunaratne Kumara of Negombo Road, Bamunugala, Kurunegala. 

It has been confirmed by now that these are the three convicts who were covered in cloths from top to toe and abducted from the prison in the army ‘Buffel’ vehicles . These three convicts were serving death sentences on account of most heinous murder crimes committed by them. 

Now a grave mystery surrounds them : they are not in the prisons; they are not in their homes ; they are not among those who died or in the list of those who escaped during the clashes. Eye witnesses have however confirmed that Terrorist investigation division OIC , chief IP Prassanna De Alwis was among those officers who visited the prison to identify those who prisoners who were abducted and those killed after taking out .

The name registers of prisoners by which it could be confirmed who are the prisoners that were abducted including those three had been personally taken custody of by the prisons Commissioner P W Kodipilly , and had been destroyed by setting fire to them. There are persons who have seen clearly with their own eyes , this dastardly crooked Commissioner removing these name registers . This Prisons Commissioner who is a former Army officer is a lackey and henchman of defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse , who is a byword for lawlessness , murders and brutality in the country. The commissioner has destroyed these registers in order to wipe out any available evidence regarding the convicts who were abducted.

The following registers were destroyed by the Prisons Commissioner himself :
• Telephone register 
• Gate register 
• Out – In record book which records the prisoners taken out and brought in.
• The job or ‘party’ book ( the register which records the jobs assigned to the prisoners)
• Visit register which records those relatives who come to see the prisoners. 
• The register where records are made of the dates when the prisoners are taken out for their cases. 
Believe it or not , these registers had been destroyed by burning by the Prisons Commissioner General himself after removing them. Owing to this destruction , it is impossible to inspect or conclude who are the prisoners that are there and not there. In this connection there is much agitation and discussion within the Association of the prison officers . But those CID officers who arrived at the prison have issued a grave warning and threat separately to them that they will have to face dire consequences if they expose the factual situation. They have been told that they including their families will have to pay a huge price if they reveal the facts. 

From all these incidents and threats it is very evident that the murderous MaRa regime is plotting and planning after having abducted these prisoners to use them to commit murders on behalf of the regime. For further information in this regard , please read Lanka e news report captioned ‘Why were Welikade prisoners abducted during the clash ? 100 missing and Registers lost. …Vide photos herein’ posted on 22nd. December 2012. 

Takasu, Tamils' adversary in UN Security Council?

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 December 2012, 00:15 GMT]
Yukio Takasu, the 2009 President of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the critical month of February, was one of the key UN officials who allegedly prevented Sri Lanka from being dragged into the UNSC for the unfolding mass scale killings in Mu'l'livaaykkaal, public statements made by UN officials during media stakes reveal. While some UN Security Council (UNSC) permanent members may have agreed with Takasu'a views, in a media stake out, Takasu lays out his "own" critical view of the "terrorist LTTE," and the primacy of political and security need to "defeat" the Tigers over imminent large scale civilian casualties. Political observers believe that Japanese cultural views on refugees, asylum seekers may provide clues to Takasu's approach and conduct in the UNSC that led to the disastrous outcome for the Tamil refugees trapped in Sri Lanka's civil war. 

Yukio Takasu was the President of the UNSC during February 2009 and later in 2010. He was also Japan's Ambassador to the United Nations. 

Yukio Takasu, President UN Security Council Feb, 2009

In the three media briefings on 9th, 20th and 27th February at the UN, Takasu, lays out the strategy adopted at the UNSC. Political observers commenting on the video pointed to the unmistakable hand of Takasu in adopting the chillingly cruel UN strategy to allow, in the name of security and politics, Colombo a free hand in the impending brutal massacre of more than 40,000 civilians (from Petrie Report). 

In articulating first the UN's motivations, and then responding to probing questions from a few journalists, Takasu is seen drawing his decades of experience in being a UN bureaucrat, as he switches between his three roles, the President of the UNSC, the Ambassador and as a Japanese private citizen, to deliver his message: that LTTE is the problem, and needs to be taken out. As a private citizen he confesses that no one wants to see “damage” to civilian people, but it is unfortunate [that we should allow that to happen in this instance]."

The videos and the associated news coverage by Innercity Press's Matthew Lee during the civilian carnage at Mu'l'livaaykkaal, establishes, with reasonable certainty, Takasu's involvement in continuing to refuse to taking up the matter at the Security Council. 

Yasushi Akashi, Former Japanese Envoy to the Tokyo Co-Chairs

Tamil activists also accuse another Japanese, Yasushi Akashi, the former Special Envoy of the Tokyo Co-chair to the Peace Process, for allegedly supporting US South Asia's Secretary Blake, in architecting the defeat of Tigers. The co-chairs assembled a coalition of countries to first proscribe, then to arrest activists in the US, Australia, Canada, and in several European cities in a well-coordinated action to blunt the support from the Tamil diaspora by inculcating fear. Political observers say the Blake-led action, supported by co-chairs provided a internationally muted, clear political space for Colombo to carry out the massacre.

On Akashi's visit in August 2012, three years after the Mu'l'livaaykkaal massacre, a Jaffna social activist commented: “Architects of the genocidal war cannot be mere listeners. They are answerable to the affected people and to the world. There is no foreign establishment involved in the island that doesn't really know what is happening. Therefore, the boldness with which the grass-root aspirations of the nation of Eezham Tamils has to be politically translated in a befitting way should never be compromised in the island and in the diaspora."

Observers also point out that specific to Japan-Sri Lanka relationship, the role of common bond through religion [Buddhism] and sympathetic overtures offered by Sri Lanka towards Japan following the WWII defeat, reinforce the skewed position of Japan in speaking in favor of Sinhala-centric political goals in Sri Lanka.

Research indicates that the Japanese society abhors refugees and asylum seekers to maintain a homogeneous population, and activists argue that this cultural instinct may have played a role in the Japanese officials' mindset to allow humanitarian issues take a secondary role, and a factor behind the perceived insensitivity of the Japanese officials to the plight of Tamil civilians as hundreds of thousands were made refugees in their own homeland by deliberation action of the State. Takasu charaterizes the "impending crime-of-the-century" as "damage" to the "civilian people." 

Japan also remained the biggest donor nation to Sri Lanka for many decades as the state sponsored discrimination of Tamils and pogroms against Tamils plagued the Island- another Japanese, Colombo affiliation that may have likely played in the Takasu-Akashi involvement in the war which led to disastrous consequences to the Tamil civilians, political observes point out.

Takasu's UN briefings, news reports on Sri Lanka, IDPs and War Date of Briefings, News Reports Video, News Report Link [Start Time] Key Points made February-09-2009 1. UN-Takasu Feb 09 2009 Video 2. Innercity Press Report The 2009 President of the UN Security Council, and the Japanese Ambassador to the UN, Takasu, conducts the mediation to take up Sri Lanka for discussions in the UNSC: (First minute of the video only) - Mexico requested discussions. Takasu says he is engaged in consultations. - When pressed for details, says different members have different views of the conflict. Some concerned about the humanitarian aspect, some feel the war is an internal matter. Takasu says there is no UNSC agenda yet on the matter. - British Ambassador remarked, "[t]he Tamil Tigers are a proscribed organization and the government of Sri Lanka has long been blighted by the activities of the Tamil Tigers. We want these to be brought to an end." Feb-20-2009 UN-Takasu Feb- 20-2009 Video [12:20]Yukio Takasu, reveals behind-the scene thinking of member countries of UN Security Council on Sri Lanka. - Sri Lanka situation is not "just" a humanitarian issue, but involves politics and security - LTTE is a terrorist organization that has broken several CeaseFire agreements - LTTE is well organized, and uses CeaseFires to advance its military strategy - LTTE uses civilians as "human shields" Feb-27-2009 1. UN-Takasu Feb 27 2009 Video 2. Innercity Press Report Important video from Takasu (Starting @00:00:35), points out the "Convergence of Views" indicating that UN will not impede in GoSL's military action: - Takasu says the Sri Lanka conflict will not be a Council agenda item going forward. (Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, even before the meeting began, called the briefing by UN humanitarian chief John Holmes a "one-time" event.) - Takasu lays the blame for the catastrophe mainly on the LTTE and defends the Government while expressing serious concern on the humanitarian situation. - Brings up terrorist LTTE exploting the IDPs for military advantage. Members have pointed out the terrorist list from US, EU. Escaping IDPs being shot by the LTTE, recruitment of child soldiers. THis is an important message from the Security Council. - GoSL is taking precautions, and UN hopes GoSL exercises maximum restraint - Convergence of views expect LTTE to lay down arms and participate in discussions in a political process towards "devolution" or "self-rule"..."whatever you call it" - Says, action of the UNSC on Sudan is consistent with the UNSC refusing to take up Sri Lanka for discussions. April-22-2009 1. ICP: Sri lanka discussions in UN Basement 2. ICP: Takasu praises his meeting innovations - Security Council deliberation carried out off the record, came to be known as "basement briefings, as in the Innercity press report: "As the UN's envoy to Sri Lanka Vijay Nambiar gave a begrudging basement briefing to the UN Security Council, France flexed up its humanitarian muscles while China offered unequivocal support to the government's military crackdown in the north." - Takasu thinks this was an innovation: Reflecting on the changes Takasu architected to the procedures and "working methods" of the Security Council, Takasu says, "transparency to non Council members is the goal, and noted that the informal meetings on Sri Lanka, for example, were an innovation." Japan's history on hostility to asylum seekers/immigrants 1. UNHCR article on Japan's Immigration Policy 2. Japan's policy of exclusion I 3. Japan's policy of exclusion II 4. Waseda Research: Defying Convention 5. TamilNet: Akashi comes to ‘listen’ to people in Jaffna Yukio Takasu and Yasushi Akashi, both UN diplomats, horned their diplomatic skills growing up in an environment that was hostile to refugees and immigrants. Popular images of refugees in Japan are dominated by media portrayals of precarious refugee camps in Africa, leading to misplaced biases that a refugee is, “poor, dirty and having a weak existence without the right of protection under international laws”: - Japan joined the UN in 1956, it did not become party to the Refugee convention until 1981. - Japan did accept White Russian refugees after WWI and Jewish refugees during WWII. However, those accepted tended to be the wealthy or intellectual elite. - Japan’s restrictive immigration policy, reveals the cruel treatment Kurdish and Afghani asylum seekers received at the hands of the Ministry of Justice as they applied for refugee status. - Japan which saw itself as ethnically, culturally and linguistically homogeneous the prospect of a mass immigration of refugees was alarming to the populace and the negative reaction of the Japanese Government reflected that concern.

Source: UN video archives, Wikileaks, ICP Reports

Accused Tamil-Canadians deny terrorist ties in U.S. court

Dec. 27 2012

Two Tamil-Canadians pleaded not guilty to criminal charges before a Brooklyn judge on Thursday, years after U.S. prosecutors first accused them of ties to a terrorist organization.

Suresh (Waterloo Suresh) Sriskandarajah, 32, and Piratheepan Nadarajah, 36, stand accused of taking part in distinct conspiracies to run weaponry to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam last decade.

Both men had been in Canada resisting extradition for years, before they lost last-ditch appeals at the Supreme Court of Canada two weeks ago.

“They apparently reached New York Friday evening,” said Sam Schmidt, a New York lawyer acting for Mr. Nadarajah.

Bail hearings for the two men are scheduled for Jan. 9.

A decade ago the Tamil Tigers were on their way to carving out a separate state within Sri Lanka. But the guerrillas’ continued use of suicide bombings, child soldiers and political assassinations led the Canadian, U.S. and European governments to blacklist the militants as terrorists – and take steps to cut them off from their supporters in the global Tamil refugee diaspora.

The 30-year-old civil war ended in 2009 when the Sri Lankan government army vanquished the Tigers.

In 2006, U.S. prosecutors first alleged that Mr. Sriskandarajah and Mr. Nadarajah were Canadian cogs in the Tigers’ global procurement machine.

Mr. Nadarajah remains accused of taking part in a conspiracy to acquire $1-million worth of anti-aircraft missiles, missile launchers and other military equipment for the Tigers.

Mr. Sriskandarajah stands accused of helping the Tamil Tigers acquire aviation equipment, submarine- and warship-design software, and communications equipment, and of having used university students as couriers to smuggle prohibited items into Sri Lanka.

Remarkably, while he was released on bail in Canada, Mr. Sriskandarajah earned an MBA degree and also the inaugural “CIBC leaders of entrepreneurship” award at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Student commits suicide the day before military training

FRIDAY, 28 DECEMBER 2012 

The military training given for students who are to be admitted to universities next year (2013) commenced yesterday (27th).

The training will be held in three stages and the training for the first batch commenced yesterday in 24 center.

Hewage Suneth (20) of Palukoratuwatta, Weligama in Matara who was to go to a center for the training committed suicide by hanging.

He had been prepared to go for the training but had hanged himself the previous day (26th) in his home.

Alliance appeal the Tamil youths, "refrain from getting entangle to government's conspiracy, provoking for violence"

Thursday , 27 December 2012

Government is attempting to shove the Tamil youths to violence in a systemized manner to establish they are terrorists.  

 

Therefore youths should not get entangle in this conspiracy and should refrain from violence.  They  should join with us, in the peaceful protests we are organizing. 

 

Such statements were made by Tamil National Alliance parliament member M.A.Sumenthiran yesterday in Colombo at the journalist briefing organized by the Muslim Tamil National Front.

 

He further said, we are not opposing Sinhalese people living in the north and east liberally but in view of fluctuating the Tamil people’s population expansion, government is executing illegal colonization in a systemized manner which we oppose.

 

The arrested Jaffna University students are detained under the terrorism detention law is according to government reports.

 

According to regulation, without producing them in courts, they could be detained for a period of 18 months, and by giving them penalty, makes them offenders.  

 

Government is stating that the arrested students had informed that they need rehabilitation. This is hilarious.

 

Government’s idea is that the Tamil youths should abstain from getting involved in violence and they should be established as terrorists for which government is opening a way.

 

By understanding this conspiracy Tamil youths should be very attentive. Should not get entangle in government's conspiracy. Refrain from getting involved in violence.

 

In view of Tamils rights non-violence struggles will be organized by the Tamil National Alliance, and the youths should join with us.

 

Government forcibly  recruited Tamil women to the military. Concerning them we are continuously raising questions, but government is maintaining silence.

 

Some of the women recruited to the military have escaped and some are mentally affected. All these activities are an act to suppress the Tamil people which we perceive.

 

Government should immediately cease such type of unscrupulous activities. Tamils should be allowed to live peacefully was mentioned by him.