Thursday, August 8, 2013

No starting point to resolution

APPAST, PRESENT, FUTURE: India’s breathing down Colombo’s neck is allowing for a more strident expression of Sinhala Buddhist nationalism to take hold, with the Tamil people as mere spectators.

PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE: India’s breathing down Colombo’s neck is allowing for a more strident expression of Sinhala Buddhist
nationalism to take hold, with the Tamil people as mere spectators.

KUMARAVADIVEL GURUPARAN-August 3, 2013

Sinhala nationalists and Tamil political parties are engaged in a wholly nonsensical and misleading debate over the 13th Amendment

The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) election in Sri Lanka is expected to take place later this year. Colombo is entertaining hopes that holding the elections will help win India’s support in multilateral venues. New Delhi has made the 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution — a by-product of the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord — the centrepiece of a political solution. The Indo-Lanka Accord purportedly addresses the Tamil issue but most importantly for India, also contains important provisions on security-related matters between the two states. Safeguarding the 13th amendment in some form is important to keep the Indo-Lanka Accord alive. The Sri Lankan government has been playing the “China card” to lessen pressure from India. New Delhi returned the favour by its qualified support to the two U.S.-sponsored resolutions on Sri Lanka at the U.N. Human Rights Council in March 2012 and March 2013.

No Starting Point to Resolution by nelvely

Colombo schemes new ways to appropriate more lands for Sinhalicisation in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 August 2013, 22:50 GMT]
Thousands of acres of land in the Batticaloa district in the Eastern Province are likely to be appropriated under the Land Reform Laws of the occupying Sri Lankan State, according to informed civil sources in Batticaloa. The Colombo government is to appropriate lands that have been legally possessed by Tamils for the last fifty years under the one-acre permit scheme. Colombo and its Eastern Provincial Council are to formulate necessary legislation to appropriate lands above one-acre in 14 DS divisions in the Batticaloa district. More than one hundred acres of lands are to be appropriated under the Land Reform Laws of the Sinhala government.

Majority of residents possess one-acre permit only.

Apart from that, permits for lands had not been issued to majority of residents during the times of war in Poara-theevup-pattu, Paddip-pazhai, Vavu’natheevu, Koa’ra’laip-pattu South (Kiraan), Ea’raavoorpattu (Chengkaladi), Koa’ra’laip-pattu North (Vaakarai) divisions.

These lands are going to be appropriated for Sinhalicisation, civil sources said.

There was no evidence to show Sinhalese were living in Paduvaankarai area. But after the end of war in the eastern province in 2007, nearly thousand acres of lands belonging to Tamils in the area had been appropriated by the Sinhalese encroachers with the backing of the occupying Sri Lanka Army.

Those affected by the Land Reform Laws had placed their grievances before a workshop held in July in Batticaloa under the aegis of the National Peace Council.

The ‘objective’ of the workshop was to brief the ‘recommendations’ by the so-called Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

Prominent persons from all three communities, representatives of resettled persons and university lecturers had been invited to the NPC workshop.

When the affected people placed their grievances at the workshop, Batticaloa Mangalarama Viharathipathi Ambitiya Sumana Ratna Thera, who was present there, intervened. The organizers allowed him to speak and the Buddhist monk started shouting that lands were being given to Tamils and Muslims and not to Sinhalese.

The Buddhist monk also said that the workshop was being held with ‘wrong agenda’. Tension prevailed in the workshop following Thera’s speech. He later complained that he had been attacked when the organizers of workshop had asked him to stop his speech.

SriLanka: Appeal for safeguarding and strengthening independent dissenting journalism

Thursday, August 8, 2013

As you know by now, we as a group have been for the past two months campaigning to raise 20 million SL rupees (US $ 154,000 apprx.) to keep the “Ravaya” weekend Sinhala newspaper independent, the way it stayed over 25 years and, still better.

As most of you know, over the past 25 years, there were many efforts by numerous persons and organisations to serve the Sinhala readership with different and dissenting views through many newspapers, mostly tabloid, but none could survive for different reasons, other than State interventions and restrictions. Ravaya remained the only newspaper that grew into a broadsheet, starting as a tabloid and still maintains its independent identity, despite shortcomings and criticism. This gave Ravaya a large loyal readership among
opinion making social activists, academics, artistes and even among politicians.

The reason for our quick intervention was to stall the proposed 40 percent buy over by Milinda Moragoda for 20 million rupees allowing him to have 02 out of the 05 members in the Ravaya Governing Board. In consequence, we have agreed, that we would initially raise 10 mn rupees (US $ 77,000 apprx.) within 03 months and thereafter raise the balance 10 mn rupees for development of Ravaya as a very modern, sustainable professional media voice and improve its capacities and facilities.

In raising the monies necessary, we have decided to make every effort to have a very broad based ownership that allows the Ravaya readership and all others who value an independent media, to be contributors in raising the 10 mn rupees. They can credit their contribution(s) as individuals or as legally organised entities. An individual can make a maximum contribution of 500,000 (five hundred thousand) rupees, starting with just one thousand rupees even, while an organisation can go up to one million rupees.

These contributions would be the capital for the new company, we, here in Sri Lanka are in the process of legally constituting as “Ravaya Solidarity Pvt. Ltd.” that would thereafter buy the 40 per cent of shares from Ravaya. This would also give Ravaya Solidarity Pvt. Ltd. to nominate 02 members to the 05 member Ravaya Governing Board.

We believe this to be a path breaking initiative in print media ownership in Sri Lanka and we wish you would join us in this effort.

We already have very committed, strong pledges that give us much encouragement. We also wish you as persons who are making your concerned voices heard loud and strong on democracy, plurality and issues of much concern, would join us in completing this fund raising campaign fast and soon.

You could at your earliest convenience, credit the account number 8180047738 in Maharagama branch of the Commercial Bank.

Sri Lanka steps up fight against scourge of child abuse

By Saroj Pathirana-
7 August 2013

Nimal Samantha at the grave of his mother

Nimal Samantha's mother was the victim of sexual abuse as a teenager, resulting in him being given up for adoption

The NSPA has held workshops on protecting children from abuse

Colombo workshop on protecting children from being abused

One of Sri Lanka's top legal officials is calling for moves to strengthen the country's judicial system to deal with an increasing number of child abuse cases.

Statistics revealed by the attorney general's office last year showed that in 2007, there were 3,548 serious offences against children.

In 2011, there were 4,480 such offences.

Sri Lanka Steps Up Fight Against Scourge of Child Abuse by nelvely

Thirukkoayil land Sinhalicised through diaspora transaction

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 August 2013, 23:52 GMT]

35 acres of land, known as Muththiah land, is being taken away from the Tamil owners living at the coastal land, news sources in Ampaa'rai said. Around 150 fishermen living in huts are being forced to vacate their lands after Muththiah land is projected as being ‘sold’ to a Sinhalese residing in London. The Sinhalese who purchased the land is engaged in fencing and asking the Tamil fisher families to get out of that land.

The original land owners had gone abroad and settled down in Australia in 1978.

Later, the land was legally distributed to landless Tamil people by the initiative of former parliamentarian and human rights activist, the late Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru.

Some of the inhabitants of the land were killed in the Tsunami disaster in 2004. Their legal documents were also destroyed in the destruction.

The former TNA parliamentarian was assassinated by the SL military in 2005.

Thereafter, the power of attorney was given to a person, who was working in the State Cadju Corporation. He was supposed to give employment to the Tamil settlers who were encouraged to do cadju cultivation.

But, now the lands have been sold to a Sinhalese living in London, news sources in Ampaa'rai said.

Torture And Trauma In Sri Lanka

By Rajat Mitra -August 8, 2013

Dr. Rajat Mitra

Review of Narrative of Justice: told through stories of torture victims, 400 cases of torture from Sri Lanka, By Basil Fernando, published in 2013 by the Asian Human Rights Commission.

My first impression was that I was overwhelmed because of the sheer number of cases and the diversity of the ways in which people were tortured. What started sinking into me was the question, “What has happened as a result of all this? Has society taken notice of it?” How can people possibly stay indifferent after reading this?

Let this book sink into the consciousness of the people. Let people start talking about it. And as they start talking about it, they will find difficulty accepting that this happened in their midst. This is not something they can erase by saying it happened in the past. It is something which is very much there and will continue as a transgenerational trauma for the people.

These narratives of trauma will seriously affect the fabric of society even 50 years from now and affect how people become immune to happenings around them; until and unless there is accountability and people decide to act.

Death by a thousand cuts

August 8, 2013

In a shell shocked village in Gampaha, a once loved military is in disgrace. For a newly installed army commander, an officer of repute and courage, the horror of the Weliweriya tragedy happened on his first day on the job. Stony silence from the upper echelons of the Rajapaksa Administration for an entire week following the chaos, is ample proof that the country’s ruling elite knows just how damaging the violence has been on the national psyche, particularly in the UPFA stronghold of Gampaha. To date, nobody knows who deployed troops to crush a public demonstration against contaminated ground-water, or why.

“…A soldier when answering to his conscience not only has the right, but also the duty, to disobey an unlawful order. It is one of his privileges of serving a democracy, as it is one of his burdens, that he must answer for his own actions” – Assassinated Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, at the convocation of the Kotelawala Defence Academy, 3 October 2000

Death by a Thousand Cuts by nelvely

Govt. defending the indefensible

August 7, 2013, 12:00 pm

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has reportedly made an attempt to justify last Thursday’s brutal military crackdown on a villagers’ protest at Weliweriya. The army and the police, he has claimed, acted in self defence. The government seems to have taken the public for suckers.

While the government is doing its damnedest to mislead the public, the UNP wants an international probe into the Weliweriya killings. Yes, there has to be a thorough investigation, but why on earth should it be international? There is no dearth of responsible Sri Lankans capable of conducting an impartial probe. What is needed is to bring adequate pressure to bear on the government to order a special probe and to ensure that the judicial process isn’t interfered with. The JVP, too, has condemned the crackdown, and rightly so.

However, the UNP and the JVP seem to think the discerning masses have imbibed great quantities of water of Lethe, the river of forgetfulness in Hades. Memories of a brutal crackdown on thousands of hapless civilians the JVP forced to take part in a procession at gunpoint in Tissamaharama in 1989 against the then UNP government are still fresh in the minds of the people. The police and the army unleashed hell on the protest march while helicopter gunships strafed the fleeing men, women and children. The savage attack left the area including the sacred precincts of Tissamaharama temple strewn with corpses.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, an Opposition MP championing human rights at that time condemned the attack. He went so far as to move the UNHRC against the Premadasa government over extrajudicial killings obviously in a bid to seek an international intervention, albeit in vain. Today, the military is carrying out similar attacks, mutatis mutandis, on unarmed protesters on his watch! Those who massacred civilians in the late 1980s are today shedding crocodile tears and calling for international probes! That’s why we argued in these columns the other day that regime changes facilitated the circulation of hypocrites as well.

However, by no stretch of the imagination could last Thursday’s protest be described as part of a subversive campaign by the JVP. Protesters, when driven up the wall, fight back like badgers surrounded by heavy mastiffs. The Weliweriya Parish priest has revealed, in a brief interview with this newspaper, what really happened on that day.

The government cannot be unaware that the Weliweriya protest spun out of control as resentful villagers at their tether’s end gave vent to their pent up anger for want of a better alternative. All 52 elected UPFA representatives, in the Gampaha District, including three Cabinet ministers, five deputy ministers, Western Province Chief Minister and one provincial council minister had let them down badly and they were desperate for potable water.

Mao Zedong has famously said politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed. But, the incumbent pro-Chinese UPFA government seems to think politics is war with bloodshed if one is to go by its brutal crackdowns on civilian protests. Mao also said the party must command the gun and the gun must not be allowed to command the party. But, sadly, the ruling dispensation here does not seem to follow his advice. We find ourselves in a situation where swordsmen are elbowing out gownsmen. Unless this dangerous trend is reversed urgently the greatest threat to this country will emerge not from without but from within. No country could do without a strong army, but the military had better be kept in barracks in peacetime without being tasked with constabulary duties which are best left to the police.

The government has offered compensation to the families of the Weliweriya victims. Those poor people, no doubt, need money, but the sooner it abandons its kill-and-pay policy the better. It ought to eliminate causes of protests and not protesters. The people of Weliweriya, whose wells are contaminated, must be provided with pipe-borne water urgently while an impartial investigation is conducted into the savage military crackdown and the culprits are brought to book. That is the least the government could do by way of atonement for its undemocratic actions.

Falling Out Of Love With The Army

By Kumar David -August 8, 2013

Prof Kumar David

How quickly a besotted Sinhala public turned from adoration to angst of the country’s military and police has taken me by surprise. Perhaps this is but a passing lover’s quarrel which will blow over and adulation of the “brave heroes who vanquished the most ferocious terrorists on the globe” will soon return. Or perhaps a paradigm has shifted. I am referring to the change in public mood evident after the shooting of civilian protesters at Weliweriya village on 1 August 2013. The ingredients for a wakeup call have been long present; but an introductory paragraph is necessary to put things in perspective.

In all cultures, and Lanka is no exception, the heroes of a tribe, race or nation are the conquerors of a historical enemy. The first great hero of the Sinhalese race is Dutugemunu who vanquished the Tamil king Ellalan in 160 BC; the Sinhalese mass sees the victors of May 2009 in a similar light. One might add, en passant, that another lesson of these two events is that the 15% cannot militarily defeat the 75% without substantial overseas aid. Conversely, the occasions on which catastrophic defeats were inflicted on the Sinhalese were when powerful South Indian kingdoms undertook invasions, or when colonial powers brought to bear their superior technology. The two best known examples of the former are the sack of Anuradhapura by Raja Raja Chola in 993 AD, and the seizure of Polonnoruwa by Kalinga Magha in 1215 AD using Chola and Pandyan mercenaries. (Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are the oldest seats of Sinhalese civilisation though two thousand years more recent than counterparts in China and India).

Waliveriya

It started as a localised problem; drinking water was being poisoned by the discharge from a factory owned by a subsidiary of one of Lanka’s largest companies, Hayleys. It could have been settled at the local level but government party cronies in the local administrations were on the take. A not very large demonstration led by youth was organised, and it still remained a minor local affair. Then came the fireworks, first the police and then the army rolled in, assaulted the villagers mercilessly, made the youth kneel down and continued to beat them with blunt weapons, and finally for reasons that absolutely no one can understand, opened fire. It is beyond comprehension why firearms were used against a small protest rally by unarmed villagers – civilians. Three of the injured have died so far. The anger that has poured out all over the country, not just in that locality, but nationally in the electronic and print media, in statements and petitions, and in Lanka oriented international websites, has been prolific. As a fried of mine said: It’s stunning, it’s as if a dam has burst and all the pent up anger is pouring out. Read More

Weliweriya priest says army went on rampage

By Madura Ranwala-August 7, 2013

Parish priest of Weliweriya, Rev. Fr. Lakpriya Nonis yesterday told The Island that there were gunshots embedded in a concrete post and a wall of his church.

Fr. Lakpriya said: "MP Sudarshani Fernandopulle visited the church yesterday (6) and inquired what had actually happened last Thursday. So, we told her how people had been attacked even after they had run into the church and the adjacent convent premises to seek refuge."

Condemning the army’s conduct and the way people had been targeted with live bullets and assaulted with poles, the priest added that the assistant parish priest and five other priests who were there at the time had been shocked as soldiers scolded them in raw filth. About 15 soldiers armed with assault rifles and poles had stormed the church and convent premises and attacked the people hiding there, Fr. Nonis said.

A sister had also been held at gunpoint when she tried to save the people, he said.

The Parish priest said that the government should be held responsible for the conduct of the army, attacking civilians and insulting the clergy with obscene words. Therefore, an impartial investigation should be held and the wrongdoers brought to book, he said.

James Ross-AUGUST 7, 2013

In July, the Sri Lankan government unexpectedly announced that it had rearrested 12 police officers for the infamous 'Trinco 5' killings.

On January 2, 2006, five ethnic Tamil students were shot execution-style at the beachfront in the eastern town of Trincomalee.

On the Long Road to Justice by nelvely

Minister of Justice please quit..!

(Lanka-e-News-07.Aug.2013,6.30PM) From the recent conduct and behavior of SL Muslim Congress, its leader and its members it is proven that SLMC has failed to protect the rights and dignity of the Muslims living in Sri Lanka. SLMC and its team have failed to combat the recent attacks created by the Bodubala Sena targeting the Muslim Community. More than Rauff Hakeem making spurious and defending statements against Bodubala Sena, his actions has done nothing to stop the continuous attacks targeting the Muslims.

It is regrettable to note that SLMC is trying to portray and claim a spurious opinion among the Muslims that it can abate the attacks of Bodu Bala Sena by being a coalition member with the UPFA. But the fact is that as a Justice Minister and as a representative of the Muslim Community his actions has done nothing to prevent or reduce the continuous repression of Bodu Bala against the Muslims living in Sri Lanka. The best what Rauff Hakeem can show his repugnance is to quit from UPFA alliance and show his deprecate to protect the dignity of the Muslim community living in Sri Lanka. No government in the history of Sri Lanka has attacked Muslims like the present government and no Muslim representative has ignored repression as Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem.

By claiming a partner of UPFA Minister Rauff Hakeem by his murmuring statements can only issue condemning statements as a Justice Minister. Minister Hakeem trying to substantiate that he can lessen the attacks of Bodu Bala by only being a coalition member, he has done nothing significant to protect the dignity, the rights of the Muslims, the attacks targeting the Muslims and the heaping hatred campaign conducted by the Bodu Bala Sena. It is regrettable to note that Minister Rauff Hakeem has failed to understand this basic fact. But it is clearly visible from all his previous murmuring and feeble statements that he has no capacity as a justice minister to stop these violations charging the Muslim community.

The best way to attack the actions of Bodu Bala Sena against Muslims is to remain as a coalition partner of UPFA is a deplorable and a silly concept of Rauff Hakeem as a minister of Justice.

Though Rauff Hakeem tries to cover up the issue by pretext and blandishing statements it is very clear and evident from his recent murmuring statements that he has got a great reluctance to show his repugnance to the Rajapaksa Regime fear of losing benefits and to break the obligation of his 800M hurdle. The way minister Hakeem speaking in meetings and media difficult to swallow or puke clearly indicates he has eaten and belched the forbidden fruit which is shame and disgraced to the Muslims living in Sri Lanka.

Recently a mosque in Mahiyangana came under a disgusting attack by mobsters throwing flesh raw pork inside the mosque premises while the devotees were in “Tharawih prayers” during the holy month of Ramalan. Following the attack Rauff Hakeem issued statements condemning the attack and reminded the government and the Police to take necessary actions but so far nobody has been apprehended.

It appears as a Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem can only issue statements to condemn the acts and remind the police of its duties and nothing more. There are series of condemning statements murmured by Rauff Hakeem for grave atrocious done by the Bodu Bala against the Muslims in the recent past. It is a disgraceful act of Rauff Hakeem as a Justice Minister of Sri Lanka to turn a blind eye and to be impotent for feelings over his coat over these dastardly acts targeting the Muslims.

Robinhood strongly advice the Justice Minister to resign from his justice ministry, quit from the UPFA alliance and show his protest against these disgraceful acts of the regime persecuting the Muslims. It is surprising why a powerful justice minister like Rauff Hakeem has no capacity to stop the acts of Bodubalasena or to find the culprits who attacked the mosque without issuing statements. Robinhood informs SLMC not to involve in dissemble and gallery politics assisting the regime humiliating the Muslim community. Further Robinhood advice the minister to show some suitability for his portfolio and try to follow statesmen’s like late Sir Razik Fareed and T.B Jayah.Robinhood

FUTA demands Army Chief, Defence Secy. resign over Weliweriya incident

By Dasun Edirisinghe-August 7, 2013, 10:29 pm

University teachers yesterday demanded that Army Commander Lt. Gen. Daya Rathnayake and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa resign from their posts over ordering the army to fire on innocent civilians who were protesting against the contamination of their well water allegedly by a factory.

Addressing the media at the Colombo University, President of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said that it was a joke for the Defence Ministry to attempt to resolve the Weliweriya issue, as there were two ministries – the Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage and the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resource Management – responsible for water issues, while several other high profile ministers represented the area.

The FUTA President asked why the army had been deployed in the first place to control a protest.

"This is another example of militarisation of the country’s civil institutions, including education, through such initiatives as the leadership programme for undergraduates and the conferring of military titles on school principals. This needs to be questioned and reassessed," Dr. Dewasiri said.

The senior academic said that the government’s response had been that the armed forces had acted in ‘self-defence’ and that a ‘third party’ provoked the attacks, but amateur photographs and videos of the incident showed the armed forces chasing and beating fleeing villagers.

Despite Sri Lanka having 15 national universities and many other research bodies, the government had not commissioned an independent and scientifically rigorous investigation into the alleged water contamination even after the villagers had raised the issue several months ago, Dr. Dewasiri said.

Weliweriya Shooting, Family Bandyism and the Presidential System

by Laksiri Fernando-Sunday, August 4, 2013

( August 4, 2013, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) Presidency, of course is the problem! We are all concerned about the day to day happenings in the country, not so much of the Deraniyagala killing, but mostly of the Weliweriya shooting at present. The latter has overtaken by the former. But we should not lose sight of the larger picture and the key structural issues behind our predicament, if we need to genuinely seek solutions to our problems. Only passing comments on structural issues, either way, might not be sufficient. What we are facing is a systemic crisis without any exaggeration.

President Rajapaksa has gone beyond doing a de Galle or Jayewardene. In fact he has virtually ‘done a Mugabe’ with the 18th Amendment. With the massive military and the bureaucracy under his beck and call and the Chinese loans, he hopes to continue to be the ruler of this country like President Mugabe in Zimbabwe unless it is stopped through a broad and a strong opposition through democratic campaigning.

Weliweriya Shooting, Family Bandyism and the Presidential System by nelvely

Parliament sittings suspended

THURSDAY, 08 AUGUST 2013

Parliament sittings were suspended a short while ago after the government opposed the adjournment debate proposed by TNA leader R. Sampanthan regarding the land issue in the north.

The government said the issue could not be debated since there was a pending court case.

Deputy Speaker ChandimaWeerakkody suspended sittings and called for a party leaders meeting to discuss if the debate could proceed.

Video:Government selling land and sea to foreigners - Ravi K.

THURSDAY, 08 AUGUST 2013

UNP parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake charged today that the government was selling every inch of land to foreigners according to its whims and fancies and said even the sea was being sold to China.

“The government is going to sell a 568-acre sea area to China through the ports authority. It is expected to spend 182 billion to fill the sea bed to develop a city when there is enough land in Colombo. Who is doing this for what reason when the people in Weliweriya are fighting for drinking water? About 6.5 acres of land on D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha are also going to be sold to a Casino company. The Sathosa land in Rajagiriya which was closed down is also planned to be sold to foreigners”, he alleged.

Mr. Karunanayake said a huge fraud had come to light with regard to the Norochcholai power plant where the contract signed by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike for 268 million US dollars in 2005 was cancelled and signed again for 568 million US dollars during the same year.

“For whose benefit was this done when the people are struggling to survive? This is why the people have to pay such a big electricity bill. We raised this issue in Parliament but there was no answer as to why this was increased, he said.

Mr. Karunanayake said the UNP candidates who were contesting the Northern Provincial Council election had been interrogated by the intelligence division of the Defence Ministry as to why and for what reason they were contesting the election. “They have no right to do so”, he said.(Ajith Siriwardana)

When will govt act against SL Navy killing Tamil fishermen, asks DMK

M. Karunanidhi-Aug 8, 2013

Chennai: DMK president and the leader of Tamil Eelam Supporters’ Organisation (TESO) M. Karunanidhi on Thursday wondered how long the government would remain silent as Indian fishermen are being shot daily by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Addressing a TESO rally here, Karunanidhi said: “Everyday, the Indian fishermen are being shot at; abducted, their boats are damaged and their catch confiscated by the Sri Lankan Navy. How long can the fishermen and the people of Tamil Nadu tolerate this?”

He said the rulers should realise that there is a limit for patience.

Urging the central government not to remain deaf, Karunanidhi added it would be an insult to Tamils if India participates in the Nov 15-17, 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo.

Karunanidhi. AFP.

Referring to the resolutions passed at the July 2013 TESO meeting, Karunanidhi said Sri Lanka should implement the 13th amendment to its Constitution in full and not in parts.

The 13th amendment in the Sri Lankan constitution was carried out with Indian backing in 1987. It created Provincial Councils and made Tamil an official language and English a link language.

But the regime of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has threatened to dilute its provisions, causing dismay in India.

India issues démarche to Lanka on jailed fishermen

2013-08-08
India yesterday summoned the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in New Delhi and issued a démarche on the issue of 114 Indian fishermen lodged in Lankan jails.

for more details: http://ceylontoday.lk/51-39600-news-detail-india-issues-dmarche-to-lanka-on-jailed-fishermen.html