We do not have the details of those need resettlement, state Government Agent

Wednesday , 20 February 2013

We do not have any details concerning those required for resettlement in the Jaffna district. 28 thousand persons needed resettled are not the accurate figure was said by Jaffna district Government Agent Suntharam Arumainayagam.

Journalist queried from Government Agent, how many are to be resettled still in Jaffna district. In reply Government Agent said, he does not have the details of those need resettlement.

If it so, 28 thousand persons have registered for resettlement at the Tellipalai divisional secretariat division was a question raised from Government Agent.

Those who have registered are not here. When we release some areas, all those who have registered do not come for resettlement. Hence the 28 thousand person’s figure is erroneous. It is the proposed re-settlement was replied by Government Agent.

Those who have registered have not reported for resettlement, and how it can be said that there is none for resettlement. Did anyone who got registered for resettlement, inform you by letter that they will not get resettled in that area was a question raised to the Government Agent and in reply he said, none has given me any letters.

Meanwhile he raised a question how could you say that all those who have registered for resettlement will report.

How would you remove those registered for resettlement was queried, but Government Agent did not respond?

Government Agent said, 28 thousand persons have registered for resettlement but the proposed estimate of exactly how many are to be resettled, the exact figures is not available with us.

Displaced people from Waligamam north are sheltered in the Uduwil and Chunnakam locality welfare centers, are now forced by the government officials to obtain permanent residence card from the area divisional secretariat unit where they are now living was a question raised by a Journalist from the Government Agent.

In reply he said, such complaints we did not receive. I did not give any such instruction. If we receive a complaint we can explore. 

US remains “deeply concerned” about Sri Lanka

[ Wednesday, 20 February 2013, 11:58.59 AM GMT +05:30 ] Warning – Disturbing Images:

The spokesperson of the US State Department Victoria Nuland has said the US continues to be “deeply concerned” about allegations of human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

Nuland said during the State Department's Daily Press Briefing, we continue to be deeply concerned by allegations of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Sri Lanka. At the end of this conflict, we support a full accounting for all who are engaged in acts of violated international humanitarian law. We also welcome the report by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, noting the strong concern about the Government of Sri Lanka’s lack of action to address these longstanding issues of reconciliation and accountability. And as you know, we plan to introduce our own resolution on this into the Human Rights Council.

Sri Lanka: UN Rights Council Should Launch Inquiry

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Independent, International Investigation Needed for Justice and Accountability

(Geneva) – At its March 2013 session, the United Nations Human Rights Council should authorize an independent, international investigation into war crimes committed during the final months of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to council members today.

Since the council adopted a resolution on Sri Lanka at its March 2012 session calling for action, the Sri Lankan government has taken no significant steps to provide justice for victims of abuse and accountability for those responsible.

“Over the past year the Sri Lankan government has alternated between threatening activists who seek justice and making small, cynical gestures to keep the international community at bay,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The Human Rights Council should dismiss these tactics, end the delays and authorize an independent, international investigation into the estimated 40,000 civilian deaths at the conflict’s end.”

On February 11, 2013, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a highly criticalreporton the Sri Lankan government’s failure to provide justice and accountability and urged “an independent and credible international investigation into alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.”

Human Rights Watch called on Human Rights Council members to support a resolution that would establish an international investigation under the high commissioner’s office.

Several independent institutions, including the United Nations Panel of Experts in its April 2011 report,Human Rights Watch, the International Crisis Group, and others have reported numerous credible allegations of war crimes and other serious human rights abuses committed by government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the armed conflict that ended in 2009. However, the government has taken no significant steps to undertake impartial and credible investigations of these alleged violations. The authorities have not reported any criminal prosecutions for serious rights abuses committed during the final years of the conflict. Indeed, thus far impunity for these abuses has been total. Most disturbingly, an army court of inquiry set up by the government to look into these allegations issued a report on February 15, fully exonerating the army from any liability for civilian casualties.

On top of the government’s failings on justice and accountability, the human rights situation in Sri Lanka has deteriorated since the March 2012 Human Rights Council session, Human Rights Watch said. The administration of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has increased its control over the legislative and judicial branches of government and decreased democratic space. In late 2012, the government effectively eliminated the independence of the Supreme Court by orchestrating the impeachment of the chief justice after she ruled a government-sponsored bill to be unconstitutional. Rajapaksa quickly installed a political ally with a long record of rejecting accountability for conflict abuses as the new chief justice. 

Sri Lanka’s Authoritarian Turn: The Need for International Action

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Asia Report N°24320 Feb 2013

Government attacks on the judiciary and political dissent have accelerated Sri Lanka’s authoritarian turn and threaten long-term stability and peace. The government’s politically motivated impeachment of the chief justice reveals both its intolerance of dissent and the weakness of the political opposition. By incapacitating the last institutional check on the executive, the government has crossed a threshold into new and dangerous terrain, threatening prospects for the eventual peaceful transfer of power through free and fair elections. Strong international action should begin with Sri Lanka’s immediate referral to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) and a new resolution from the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) calling for concrete, time-bound actions to restore the rule of law, investigate rights abuses and alleged war crimes by government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and devolve power to Tamil and Muslim areas of the north and east.

Sri Lanka is faced with two worsening and inter-connected governance crises. The dismantling of the independent judiciary and other democratic checks on the executive and military will inevitably feed the growing ethnic tension resulting from the absence of power sharing and the denial of minority rights. Both crises have deepened with the Rajapaksa government’s refusal to comply with the HRC’s March 2012 resolution on reconciliation and accountability. While the government claims to have implemented many of the recommendations of its Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) – a key demand of the HRC’s resolution – there has in fact been no meaningful progress on the most critical issues:

• the government has conducted no credible investigations into allegations of war crimes, disappearances or other serious human rights violations;
• rather than establish independent institutions for oversight and investigation, the government has in effect removed the last remnants of judicial independence through the impeachment of the chief justice;
• there has been no progress toward a lasting and fair constitutional settlement of the ethnic conflict through devolution of power;
• the military still controls virtually all aspects of life in the north, intimidating and sidelining the civilian administration;
• more than 90,000 people remain displaced in the north and east, amid continued land seizures by the military, with no effective right of appeal and no fair process for handling land disputes;
• government security forces have broken up peaceful Tamil protests in the north, detained students on questionable charges of working with the LTTE and actively harassed Tamil politicians;
• the government has responded with force to protest and dissent in the south, too, deploying troops to prevent the newly impeached chief justice and supporters from visiting the Supreme Court while pro-government groups attacked lawyers protesting the impeachment.

Analysts and government critics have warned of Sri Lanka’s growing authoritarianism since the final years of the civil war, but developments over the last year have worsened the situation. The president’s willingness and ability to push through the impeachment – in the face of contrary court rulings, unprecedented opposition from civil society and serious international concern – confirms his commanding political position. The move completes the “constitutional coup” initiated in September 2010 by the eighteenth amendment, which removed presidential term limits and the independence of government oversight bodies. It has sent a clear message to domestic critics that their dissent is unwelcome.

The consolidation of power paves the way for moves that could further set back chances of sustainable peace. The president and his two most powerful brothers – Defence Secretary Gotabaya and Economic Development Minister Basil – have signalled their intention to weaken or repeal the provinces’ already minimal powers. As the government makes explicit its hostility to meaningful power sharing between the centre and the Tamil-speaking north and east, Tamil identity and political power are being systematically undermined by the military-led political and economic transformation of the northern province.

Recent months have also seen an upsurge in attacks by militant Buddhists on Muslim religious sites and businesses. The government has done little to discourage these. Should such provocations continue, the remarkable moderation of Sri Lanka’s Muslims could face serious tests. Given the country’s history of violent resistance to state power perceived as unjust, the authoritarian drift can only increase the risk of an eventual outbreak of political violence.

Sri Lankans of all ethnicities who have struggled to preserve their democracy deserve stronger international support. The HRC’s 2012 resolution was an important first step, but more is needed. This should begin with a stronger HRC resolution in March 2013, which must demand concrete reforms to end impunity and restore the rule of law; mandate the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to monitor violations and investigate the many credible allegations of war crimes committed in the final months of the war by both sides; and, where possible, identify individuals most responsible.

The Commonwealth secretary general should formally refer Sri Lanka to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which should insist that the government take substantial steps to restore the independence of the judiciary. Were it to refuse, the Commonwealth should relocate its November 2013 heads of government meeting, currently scheduled to take place in Colombo, or at the very least participants should downgrade their representation.

All governments and multilateral institutions with active ties to Sri Lanka must rethink their approach and review their programs in light of Colombo’s deepening and dangerous authoritarian drift. This includes military-to-military relations and bilateral and multilateral development assistance, including from the UN, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and International Monetary Fund.

RECOMMENDATIONS

To the government of Sri Lanka:

1. Comply with current and future HRC resolutions, including by implementing the core recommendations of the LLRC on governance, the rule of law, accountability, devolution of power and reconciliation, through a process that includes opposition political parties and independent civil society representatives of all ethnic communities.

2. Support meaningful reconciliation by publishing the full LLRC report in Sinhala and Tamil, allowing the national anthem to be sung in Tamil at official events and holding public ceremonies to honour the death and suffering of civilians from all communities.

To the UN Human Rights Council (HRC):

3. Adopt a new, stronger resolution on Sri Lanka at its 22nd session, which:

a) notes clearly the government’s refusal to respect the previous resolution by failing to implement the most important LLRC recommendations and refusing to investigate credibly allegations of grave violations of international humanitarian law;

b) details specific measures the government must take within the coming year;

c) requests the government to investigate independently the credible allegations of international humanitarian law violations;

d) tasks OHCHR with monitoring and reporting to the council on progress in implementing the resolution and on any violations, and with undertaking investigations and making appropriate recommendations with respect to violations allegedly committed in the final months of the war, including by compiling a list of individuals about whom there is credible evidence.

e) encourages the government to invite those special rapporteurs with outstanding requests to visit Sri Lanka, and requests them to compile a joint report on the country’s compliance with its international obligations.

To the Commonwealth Secretariat and member states:

4. Refer Sri Lanka to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which should insist that the government take substantial steps to restore the independence of the judiciary, including, at a minimum, by:

a) reestablishing earlier constitutional provisions – abolished by the eighteenth amendment – to ensure a less politicised selection of judges;

b) changing current parliamentary provisions for removing senior judges to bring them in line with international standards; and

c) abandoning government plans to limit a chief justice’s term to three years.

5. Relocate, should the government fail to make these changes, the November 2013 heads of government meeting away from Colombo, or downgrade representation to ministerial level.

To the UN Secretary-General:

6. Use his powers under section 99 of the UN Charter to establish a commission of inquiry into alleged violations of international law, should the HRC decline to do so or to task OHCHR to undertake investigations.

7. Establish a mechanism to “monitor and assess the extent to which the Government of Sri Lanka is carrying out an effective domestic accountability process”.

To the UN Secretariat, country team and agencies in Sri Lanka:

8. Undertake a “human rights audit”, led by the country team, of all programming to examine where and how these can better integrate human rights protection, including a survey of the protection needs of past and present humanitarian workers, both in and out of Sri Lanka.

9. Review Sri Lanka’s contributions to peacekeeping operations and reject its participation until credible investigations of war crimes allegations and prosecutions are carried out.

To the governments of India, the U.S., EU, UK, Cana

Rising cost of living makes Government unpopular, BT-RCB poll reveals

Sunday, February 17, 2013

The cost of living in Sri Lanka is going one way: UP, and that impact is reflecting on the popularity of the Mahinda Rajapaksa-led Government, an islandwide poll conducted by the Business Times (BT) and the Research Consultancy Bureau (RCB) has revealed.

Asked whether the cost of living (COL) would rise this year, 100 per cent of the 450 respondents in the email poll said YES while 59 per cent in the islandwide poll conducted by the RCB said it would go up.

Then, asked whether rising COL would affect the popularity of the Government, 58.69 per cent in the email poll said YES while 64 per cent of respondents in the RCB poll said the popularity would ‘go down.’

The polls were conducted over a two week period. The RCB poll which involved interviews with 2400 respondents in the North Central, Northern, Western, Southern, North Western, Central, Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces, was conducted over 2-3 weeks while the BT email poll was conducted over a week.

The questions posed to respondents were: (1) Will the cost of living (COL) rise in Sri Lanka this year? (2) If so, in what areas would costs go up? Name 5 most critical areas, (3) 3) If the COL rises, would it be a marginal rise or sharp increases? (4) 4) If the COL rises, would it affect the popularity of the government?

Comprehensive details and charts of the RCB poll are published on Page 8. This poll drew some caustic comments from respondents which will published next week, due to lack of space this week.

Respondents in the RCB islandwide poll listed fuel, electricity bills, indispensable items, bus-train fares and gas as the five main items that affect an individual’s cost of living.

In the case of the email poll, food, fuel, electricity, medicine and water were the main items. Other items listed by email respondents were taxes on food items, garbage tax, milk powder, shelter, clothing, and entertainment.
Here are excerpts of comments from the email poll:

-Buying power of the rupee is fast eroding. Money is worthless. Earning power is dwindling. My weekly shopping at the supermarket which was between Rs 4-5,000 is close to Rs 10,000 within a space of less than a year. What is this per capita income that we are boasting about? Who is earning this? What percentage of the population?

-Price hikes are cunningly done so much so that it gives the impression that the increases are necessary to provide us a comfortable lifestyle.

-COL won’t impact on a group of people who run along on BMWs, Rolls Royces, Hummers, Jaguars … and then there are the rest of us who rely on public transport or ‘old bangers’. By the way how does the ‘affluent’ group afford those vehicles? What salaries do they get or do they pay themselves? How many of them have tax files? Is this dichotomy not vulgar?

On Sri Lanka. Have you seen the news reports of indication of killing of 12-year-old son of LTTE leader by the Sri Lankan army?

Victoria Nuland

Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing

Washington, DC

February 19, 2013

QUESTION: On Sri Lanka. Have you seen the news reports of indication of killing of 12-year-old son of LTTE leader by the Sri Lankan army?

MS. NULAND: We continue to be deeply concerned by allegations of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Sri Lanka. At the end of this conflict, we support a full accounting for all who are engaged in acts of violated international humanitarian law. We also welcome the report by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, noting the strong concern about the Government of Sri Lanka’s lack of action to address these longstanding issues of reconciliation and accountability. And as you know, we plan to introduce our own resolution on this into the Human Rights Council.

Thank you all very much.

SRI LANKA

• Concern about Allegations of Violations of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights / UNHCR Report

DEATH OF PRABHAKARAN’S YOUNGEST SON WAS NOT REPORTED DURING MY TIME

February 20, 2013 

The alleged killing of LTTE Leader Velupillai 

Prabhakaran’s son Balachandran was not reported during my time as the Army Commander, Sarath Fonseka stated.

Fonseka made these comments to the BBC while discussing recent pictures that have surfaced in the media depicting the allegedly executed son of the LTTE leader.

Channel 4 will display another video on the Sri Lankan war to the UNHRC in the coming sessions while it is said to include this issue.

Fonseka went on to say that while the death of Prabhakaran’s eldest son was reported on the battlefield, nothing was reported on his youngest son Balachandran.

The Geneva Stakes And The Path Forwards

By Surendra Ajit Rupasinghe -February 20, 2013 

Ajit Rupasinghe

The 2^nd  US Resolution on Sri Lanka is to be presented to the UNHRC to be submitted to a vote. Whether ‘procedural or ‘substantial’, it is meant to further tighten the screws on the Mahinda Rajapakse Regime (MRR). But not to decapitate or even suffocate it. Just enough to discipline and bend it. This is  while attracting it with even more shares of profit and plunder. More lucrative oxygen to keep its blood vessels open,  flowing and alive. Enough support and aid to keep it in line. This move is part of the emerging geo-political strategic agenda of the US directed at maintaining overall military-strategic superiority  in the Asian Pacific Region and the Indian Ocean. More fundamentally, this US agenda is  driven by the need to secure, consolidate and expand its global empire and its undisputed position as the world’s sole super-power.

Neither the US, EU, India or China, nor any other imperialist- capitalist State has any fundamental problem with the MRR. The MRR has danced  to the tune of open-market policies of neo-liberal Capitalism. It has magnified and multiplied vulnerability and dependence on International Finance Capital and Imperialism. It has  taken us into a perilous debt-trap, while selling out the country for fat bribes and commissions. The entire economy is driven by and tied to the needs of Capital accumulation and the geo-strategic interests of the various imperialist and regional powers. The very foundations of an internally driven national economy based on strategic self-reliance and self-sufficiency  have been demolished. The imperialist and regional powers exploit this strategic vulnerability to further sink their fangs into the life-lines of the State, Economy and Society. This is while they contend for strategic advantage and superiority over the region. This agenda underlies the politics of the US resolutions, and the role of all other states, and of the UN agencies that have a stake in the process and outcome of Geneva.

This dependency and vulnerability drives the Lankan economy towards ever more crises, dislocation and  anarchy. Here networks of drug cartels, financial manipulators, crooked speculators, war lords, thugs, murderers and rapists thrive. This is alongside skyscrapers, seven star hotels and hospitals, casinos, spas, brothels and bars that dot the glimmering skyline, while the majority of the toiling masses and lower and middle income strata are thrown into desperate crises of survival.

The fate of the Tamil nation will be negotiated and bargained and ultimately corralled into the system of imperialism and neo-colonial subjugation. The issue of war crimes and accountability will either recede or advance, depending on how the game is to be played. Most likely, if the MRR capitulates, as it already has, then the whole issue will be conveniently shelved, or comfortably watered down. The release of the Jaffna university students upon a Presidential decree, is part of the sop to please the Masters. It has nothing to do with restoring constitutional governance and the Rule of Law, and still less with providing a democratic political solution to the Tamil National Question. Selective assassination, mob rule, abductions, disappearances, terror and torture shall continue unabated, since this is the general system of domination and control exercised by imperialism and its neo-colonial states. Imperialism and neo-colonial subjugation breeds and feeds on chauvinism, violence and terror. Sri Lanka  provides a model of this path of  imperialist-driven, neo-liberal Capitalist development.

India will play second fiddle to the US and support the resolution. It will appease its Tamil Nadu constituency, while gaining even more power over the politics of the Island. China and Russia will not provide any serious opposition, since there are bigger stakes involved. The imperialist/ neo-colonial status quo in the South Asian Region will be maintained and stabilized. Mahinda Rajapakse will fit in to the agenda. The MRR will show that it is a victory over imperialism won by the people of Lanka. Ranil Wickremasinghe, will twiddle his thumbs and play along, and the entire Opposition shall submit. The future of the Tamil Nation, and its right of self-determination will be sold down the tube. The gates of imperialist plunder will be opened even wider and crony-mafia Capitalism shall prosper, while the masses of toiling people will be crushed as never before.

What is the way out of this never-ending madness, horror and degradation? All advanced revolutionary forces of Lanka – North-South-East-Hill Country- should unite to raise the level of conscious, mass revolutionary class struggle aimed at overthrowing and uprooting the foundations of imperialist domination and neo-colonial subjugation.  Only such a path of uncompromising proletarian revolutionary struggle can lead to a new and higher form of State: a People’s Democratic State. The PDS shall  represent the political will  of all exploited  and oppressed classes,  nations and nationalities, united as the People of Lanka, in the common struggle to liberate their Land from the shackles of imperialism, neo-colonialism, and feudal oppression. The future of the Tamil nation is locked in to the future of the People of Lanka, inasmuch as the future of the People of Lanka is organically interconnected with the future of the Tamil nation.  The liberation of the Tamil nation is integrally bound up with the liberation of the People of Lanka. There is a profound lesson to be learnt and applied. Lessons Paid in BLOOD. Either we shall all be free OR none of us shall ever be free! Either we unite to overthrow the Master’s table, or remain enslaved, each and all! But, if we fight side by side to WIN, then the People of Lanka shall gain VICTORY and FREEDOM!  IT IS TIME TO UNITE!

UN Looks, Sri Lanka Ducks

By Amantha Perera-Wednesday, February 20, 2013

International pressure has not dented support for Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Credit: Amantha Perera/IPS.

COLOMBO, Feb 20 2013 (IPS) - It has now become an annual affair. When the Geneva based UN Human Rights Council readies itself for the first of its annual regular sessions in February, the government in Sri Lanka gets ready to ward off yet another attempt to scrutinise its rights record.

Till last year, for three years since the end of three decades of bloody conflict, the government was successful in its endeavours to keep international pressure at bay. In March last year that changed, when the council adopted a resolution introduced by the  U.S. called on the government to act on the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation  Commission (LLRC).  The commission was set up to investigate the conduct of the war and handed over its report to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in November 2011.

The U.S. has announced it will introduce another resolution at this year’s Council sessions beginning Feb. 25.

Sri Lanka has clearly not liked the signals coming out of Geneva and from other Western backers of the proposed resolution. Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights said in her report to the council Feb. 13 that the government had been selective in acting on LLRC recommendations.

“To date, the government has made commitments on only selected recommendations of the Commission, and has not adequately engaged civil society in support of a more consultative and inclusive reconciliation process,” she said.

Despite the resettlement of over 400,000 displaced by the war and large-scale road, water and power supply projects, the Pillay report said that there were still disturbing instances of abductions and other rights abuses. “Considerable work lies ahead in the areas of justice, reconciliation and resumption of livelihoods,” she said.

One of the underlying issues that caused concern in Sri Lanka last March was India’s support for the U.S. resolution. India had until then been supportive of the government’s effort to crush the separatist militancy spearheaded by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and was also instrumental in preventing Western and European nations from moving against Sri Lanka at the UN.

India’s backing of the resolution was believed to be due to the Rajapaksa government’s slowness in devolving power to the Tamil minority, and the considerable pressure New Delhi was facing from the southern state Tamil Nadu. Once again, with elections nearing, the hand of the Manmohan Singh government in India may have been forced already to vote in favour of a new U.S. resolution.

“As of now India is likely to support the U.S. resolution provided it conforms to the long-term interests of India,” R. Hariharan, a former Indian intelligence officer who served as the intelligence head of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in the early 1990s told IPS.

“The U.S. will probably sound India which may result in some dilution of the wording,” he added. After the 2012 resolution Singh wrote to Rajapaksa to say that India worked to introduce an element of balance to the wording.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is set to be held in Sri Lanka in November. Already there have been calls for a boycott, and what transpires at the Geneva sessions could set the tone for November.

However, a possible boycott would be largely symbolic. President Rajapaksa thrives on such international posturing, and projects himself as a strong-willed homegrown leader.

But rights activists and others told IPS that symbolic action, if sustained, could lead to long-term repercussions that may not be immediately recognisable.

Contending that a resolution and a boycott may not create any immediate changes on the ground, Ruki Fernando from Rights Now Collective said it nevertheless could “contribute towards longer term change.”

Commenting on a possible boycott, he said “such actions certainly send a stronger message than mere condemnatory statements.”

Lynn Yoshikawa, senior programme manager at the U.S.-based organisation Interaction, an alliance of U.S. aid agencies, said that major donors like the U.S. can set the trend for others.

“Major donors can also change the dynamics through sustained and joint diplomatic efforts, as well as through support to key civil society and aid actors who are working for change,” Yoshikawa said.

Interaction recently released the  report Sri Lanka: Transitioning From A Humanitarian Crisis To A Human Rights Crisis, that looks at the country’s recent rights and humanitarian assistance record.

Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, an economist who heads the Point Pedro Institute of Development based in northern Jaffna said that the U.S. and the UK were still Sri Lanka’s two most important trading and investment partners.

“The U.S. is the single largest source of portfolio investments in stocks and shares of  private companies in Sri Lanka and in government securities,” he said.

Despite China being the largest lender to the island, Sarvananthan said that the East Asian giant was neither a big investor nor a major export market. He also warned that Chinese loans came at high interest rates and insurance premiums.

“Foreign direct investments are largely from Asian countries, especially India and Malaysia. The flow of tourists to the country is dominated by Europeans particularly, British, French, and German. India is the single largest source.”

Sarvananthan dismissed claims that the island could weather a financial storm with Chinese support. “Sri Lanka’s foreign economic relationship is overwhelmingly dependent on the U.S., UK, other Western countries, and of course India.”

Clergy want int'l probe on Sri Lanka civil war

KRISHAN FRANCIS | February 19, 2013

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Christian clergy from Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil-majority north have asked the U.N. Human Rights Council to push for an independent international inquiry into alleged atrocities in Sri Lanka's civil war.

A letter dated Monday and signed by 133 Roman Catholic, Anglican and Methodist pastors and nuns said the government lacks the will to resolve causes of the conflict on its own.

Both the government and the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels have been accused of serious human rights violations during the quarter-century-long war, especially its final stages. According to a U.N. report, tens of thousands of civilians were killed in just the five months before fighting ended in 2009.

Last week, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Sri Lanka has failed to investigate reports of atrocities, and that opposition leaders are still being killed or abducted.

"We are convinced that the root cause of these problems is a lack of political will," the letter from the clergy said.

"Hence, it is our firm conviction that technical assistance from the U.N. in the form of training, advice, financial and material support will not suffice." They called for an international, independent commission of inquiry.

The U.N. rights council last year passed a resolution urging Sri Lanka to investigate human rights abuses, as the country's own war commission had recommended. The clergy asked the council to pass a new resolution noting a lack of progress by the government.

The clergy said that they have observed key recommendations from the war commission being flouted, including power sharing, release of political prisoners, dealing with disappearances, returning private land occupied by the military, lifting restrictions on the media and giving people the freedom to commemorate their dead.

The letter said the government is also engaged in systematically destroying the identity of the Tamil people by undermining their political, religious, cultural and land rights in areas where they live in majority.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa this month ruled out giving Tamils greater political autonomy. That goes against the war commission's recommendation and appears to back away from the president's own long-stalled promise to empower the ethnic minority as part of the country's reconciliation process.

The clergy also said they want U.N. officials alleged to have failed to protect civilians at the height of the war to be held accountable. The world body acknowledged last year that it took inadequate steps to save civilian lives, calling it a "grave failure" on its part.

The human rights council is to begin its sessions later this month, and Sri Lanka is likely to face questions on implementing the war commission report.

The United States reiterated Tuesday it will introduce a resolution on Sri Lanka at the council for a second straight year, and urged a full accounting for what happened at the end of the civil war.

"We continue to be deeply concerned by allegations of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Sri Lanka," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a Washington news briefing.

_____

Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

TGTE To Gather ‘Freedom Demands’ From Tamils All Over The Globe For The Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter

By Colombo Telegraph -February 20, 2013

Prime Minister of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam speaking to the Press last Sunday announced the promulgation of the Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter in May as a major undertaking of the TGTE: “As Tamils envision the future and look forward to the fruition of the dream of Tamil Eelam, the Freedom Charter containing the ‘Freedom Demands’ of Tamils across the globe would be a cornerstone of Tamil Freedom,” the Prime minister said.

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran - Prime Minister TGTE

Aspiring to take the Vaddukoddai Resolution forward as the TGTE moves towards realizing its goal, and taking inspiration from Britain’s Ma’gna Car’ta, the Freedom Charter of the African National Congress (ANC) as well as the Palestinian National Charter, the Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter the Prime Minister said, “will enshrine the ‘Freedom Demands’ of the people.”

The TGTE would be releasing a booklet explaining the Freedom Charter, its purpose and significance on February 24^th in Buffalo. Most importantly, the booklet would contain a questionnaire that seeks the people’s input with a view to determining the people’s ‘Freedom Demands’ that would ultimately form the basis for the Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter. ‘Town Hall’ style meetings and the electronic medium would be used to secure the people’s input.

The promulgation of the Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter would be made on 18^th May during the TGTE International Conference scheduled for the 15^th, 16^th, 17^th & 18^th (morning) of May 2013,” he further stated.

It was announced that the Prime Minister will be having an open discussion with the public on the Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter this Sunday 24^{th Feb} 2013 inBuffalo.

When asked about TGTE’s strategy for the March UNHRC session, the TGTE is focusing on two major issues, the Prime Minister said: “Firstly calling for an international independent investigation with a view to bringing justice for the victims of genocide; Secondly TGTE will focus on Tamil ethnocentric human rights violations rather than ethno neutral violations.”

In addition the TGTE will launch a signature campaign along with other entities demanding the “Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide make public the report on the plight of Tamils during the final stages of the armed conflict that his predecessor had initially prepared and not released which the ‘UN Internal Review Panel’ had made mention of in its report.”

The TGTE will also launch a signature campaign in connection with its call for an international protection mechanism in the NorthEast. The TGTE wants an UN Human Rights Field Presence in the NorthEast to monitor and protect the people as envisaged by the Secretary General himself in 2007 and is calling for more foreign embassies there.

The TGTE wants the investigation to centre on Genocide in addition to Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes. The TGTE Prime Minister urged the US to include in the resolution it would be introducing at this session, a provision for an international Independent investigation.

Weak UN resolution caused Colombo to sustain lack of political will: Christian clergy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 February 2013, 20:46 GMT]
“What we have seen since the rather weak resolution adopted at the 19th session of the Council is a total lack of political will on the part of the government to implement recommendations therein, such as the call for investigations into allegations of international law during the final stages of the conflict and cooperation with the UN Special Procedures,” said 133 priests of various Christian denominations in the North and East in an appeal to UN Human Rights Council on Monday. They urged the Council not to interpret the problem as ‘lack of capacity’ by the SL State. Despite the deviatory tone in using the terms such as ‘internal self-determination’ and the orchestrated deception of the so-called ‘stronger resolution’, the priests from the gagged country of Eezham Tamils didn't fail in establishing what was taking place on the ground as protracted genocide against the Tamil people. 

• Christian clergy call for a strong and action oriented resolution on Sri Lanka at 22nd session of th

“We feel that the killing and disappearance of tens of thousands of Tamil people and actions that are suppressing the Tamil people and community, our culture, religions, language, land in a systematic way before, during and after the war, appears to be done with an intent to destroy us in whole or part, and thus, it is imperative that the international community addresses this seriously even at this late stage,” said the statement signed by the Eezham Tamil Chirstian clergy, which has been addressed to the UNHRC. 

“We are convinced that the root cause of these problems is a lack of political will, than the capacity. Hence, it is our firm conviction that technical assistance from the UN in the form of training, advice, financial and material support will not suffice, and may even serve as red herring if not accompanied by more substantive investigative, monitoring and reporting role,” said the appeal addressed to the President and the members of the UN Human Rights Council. 

“As a group of concerned Christian clergy living and serving in North and East of Sri Lanka, we are writing to appeal for a strong and action oriented resolution in relation to accountability, reconciliation and human rights in Sri Lanka, which will go beyond the resolution adopted at the 19th session of the Council.”

Host CHOGM in New Zealand: Tamil Action Front

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 February 2013, 04:13 GMT]
The Tamil Action Front (TAF) of New Zealand in a letter addressed to New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Murray McCully on Friday urged his government to offer to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM) this year at New Zealand instead of in Sri Lanka, to save the dignity and decorum of the member states of the Commonwealth. The TAF also reminded the NZ government of its earlier request to explore the possibility of suspending Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth. 

• TAF letter to New Zealand FM

Situation in Sri Lanka is deteriorating day by day on all fronts with steps being expedited in quick succession on the structured and stratified genocide, the TAF letter said.

Her Majesty the Queen should not step into the sinful country and bring disgrace to the Throne, the TAF letter signed by its coordinator Mr. Theva Rajan who is a Queen’s Service Medallist (QSM) said.

Sri Lanka: EU to push for accountability; support US resolution

Sri Lanka: EU to push for accountability; support US resolution

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

The European Union (EU) will push for accountability from Sri Lanka during the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva next month.

A statement following the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels yesterday said that the EU will also support efforts aimed at keeping the issues of accountability and reconciliation as well as the current human rights situation in Sri Lanka on the agenda of  the Human Rights Council.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted the conclusions on the stand it will take over various issues at the 22nd UN Human Rights Council session which begins in Geneva next week.

Sri Lanka is scheduled to be discussed during the session early next month with the High Commission for Human 

Rights Navi Pillay already submitting a report on Sri Lanka.

In its conclusions the EU Foreign Affairs Council said that the  EU is committed to engage with countries from all regions on initiatives that genuinely contribute to the protection of human rights and strengthens their universal  application.

The Council stressed on the importance of addressing key human rights concerns  and discussing human priorities at the UN in contacts with third countries at all levels, with a view to mobilizing cross-regional cooperation for an effective UN human rights system. 

(Colombo Gazette)

Click here for EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions