Only invited Indian PM to visit the North, not CHOGM - Wigneswaran

 Saturday, 02 November 2013 

Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran, who has come under fire for inviting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit the North, has denied that he had written to Singh urging him to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo in a few weeks.

Issuing a statement, the Chief Minister’s private secretary A. Suntharalingam has said: “I write on the direction of Justice C V Wigneswaran, Chief Minister, Northern Provincial Council. He wants me to inform you that the personal letter of thanks sent by him to the Prime Minister of India had nothing to do with CHOGM. He had no doubt invited the Honourable Prime Minister whenever he visits Sri Lanka, to visit Jaffna. Nowhere has the CHOGM been mentioned in the letter.”

“It (the letter) was sent soon after the first sitting of the Members of the Provincial Council took place. It was common courtesy to thank those who helped you and to invite them to your area of influence. It was unfortunate that reference was made with statements made by Hon Kurshid in this regard.”

The TNA has said it would boycott the CHOGM, but Wigneswaran has opposed the party’s decision.

Five elections due in 15 months

By Ranil Dharmasena-November 1, 2013, 9:19 pm 

The government has decided to hold five elections within 15 months, beginning January next year, Election Secretariat sources said yesterday.

There would be two national elections, two provincial council elections and a local government election, they said.

The Western and Southern Provincial Councils would be dissolved in the first week of January 2014 and elections held in mid March, sources said, adding that Uva Provincial Council would be dissolved in the first week of July and elections held in the first week of October.

There were plans to hold a presidential election in January 2015, while Parliament would be dissolved in the same month and a general election held at the end of March, sources said.

In addition, elections would be held to the Jaffna Municipal Council and Vavuniya Urban Council under the new electoral system next year. The tenure of 234 other local government bodies comes to end in March 2015 and elections to them would be held three months after the next general election, sources said.

A minister had held discussions with the Elections Secretariat on the feasibility of holding those elections in 15 months, starting from January next year, and the Secretariat had responded that it was prepared, sources added.

SL military, Buddhist monks demolish Saiva temple in Dambulla

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 November 2013, 23:16 GMT]
Buddhist monks assisted by SL military in civil, claiming that a Saiva temple in Dambulla is situated on the ‘sacred grounds’ of Buddha Boomi (Buddhist soil) demolished the Paththirakaa’li Amman Koayil Tuesday night, without allowing the temple management to even conduct the rituals for the closure of the temple and relocate the idols of deities inside the temple. The controversial demolition has taken place at the place where Buddhist extremists targeted a 50-year-old mosque for destruction last year, provoking the Muslims in the entire island. Dambulla, situated in the Matale District of Central Province, is a junction of major highways that link Jaffna, Trincomalee, Colombo and Kandy. Colombo – Trincomalee and Jaffna – Kandy highways cut at Dumbulla. 

On behalf of the Ka’li temple management, one of its trustees K. Luxmy had requested a few days of extended time to conclude the rituals and relocate the temple deities. But, the demolition was timed one day before the rituals were to commence, the management further said. 

A so-called Urban ‘Development’ scheme of the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry, which is led by SL presidential sibling and Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has been introduced in the area together with the Buddha Boomi project of the extremist Buddhist monks. 

Sometime back, ‘unidentified persons’ had destroyed the idol of the main deity, Kaa’li Amman, and the temple management placed a new idol.

Even though the Tamil residents were relocated from the area a few months ago, the temple was functioning with regular poojas.

The Hindu Maha Sabha, which condemned the demolition, in a statement issued on Wednesday questioned the credibility of the talk of ‘reconciliation’. The destruction of the temple reminded the brutal attacks against temples during the times of the Portuguese who were the first European colonialists to occupy the Jaffna and Kotte kingdoms in the island 400 years ago. 

Last year, the Colombo government had instructed the Muslims to relocate their mosque from the area after the controversial protest by Buddhist monks against the mosque and the Saiva temple.

Rivira Editor On Casino Mogul James Packer Tour To Perth

November 2, 2013 |

The Editor of the Rivira newspaper, owned and operated by members of the Rajapaksa family and a group of directors including Lankan casino king Ravi Wijeratne is on a special tour of Perth, Western Australia on a package organised by controversial Australian Casino mogul James Packer, Colombo Telegraph learns.

Rivira Editor Sisira Paranathanthri receives an awards from Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa

Sisira Paranathanthri is on a special tour organised by Packer to his Crown resorts while several other Sri Lankan editors have also been offered the special tour, it is learnt.

The aim of inviting editors to Australia on the tour is to familiarise them with Crown’s activities in order to step the negative publicity for Packer’s Crown Sri Lanka project back home.

The stay will be organised at Crown Perth located on the Swan River near the city of Perth, Western Australia, owned by Packer’s Crown Ltd. The complex includes a 24-hour casino, a wide range of restaurants and bars, two hotels (the luxury 5-star Crown Metropol and 4-star Crown Promenade), a Convention Centre, nightclub, 2,300-seat theatre and 20,000-seat indoor arena.

Gota goes to Town wasting CMC funds : Rs. 260 million over plus Rs. 78.4 million overdraft taken

(Lanka-e-News-02.Nov.2013, 3.30PM) The Medamulana backwoods land crocodiles by trying to make Colombo another super city like Paris in view of the forthcoming CHOGM alias ‘chewing gum summit’ in Colombo, had completely swindled the fixed deposit of Rs. 260 million belonging to the Colombo Municipal council (CMC) and taken a further loan of Rs. 78.4 million from the bank on an overdraft , according to reports reaching Lanka e news. The most noteworthy feature of this obnoxious profligacy is : these monies have all been drawn out and wasted illegally without following due procedures further underlining the MaRa regime’s lawlessness of arrogantly riding roughshod on rules and regulations .

It is the poor tax payer’ monies that constitute the CMC funds. These funds under the law can only be disbursed after the approval of the Financial select committee of the CMC which comprises members of both the ruling and opposition members. Yet, ignoring all these regulations the monumental waste of funds had been done on the orders of Badrani , an officer who is Gota’s ‘Bad Rani’ . The latter also became notorious recently for making a bonfire of important files and documents of the CMC without due approval. The CMC members are crippled and unable to take any action against her because she is Gota’s quean.

A CMC member is officially entitled to Rs. 3 million annually to carry out his work in his divisions , but now because of this diddling by this yankee doodle do , they are unable to get this allocation. Most of these funds had been wasted by criminal defense secretary and the Municipal council authority who abides by the orders of the former who the latter worships as his ‘Lokka’. Mind you Rs. 35 million had been spent to erect 47 bus halts again in the lines of Europe. 

Already Rs. 20 million had been paid towards it. This money had been released to Gota’s army engaged in the bus halt construction. The worst part ? all these have been done high handedly and illegally without following tender procedures or obtaining the permission of the CMC select committee . 

Gota who is unlawfully and brazenly plundering the public finds that are in the Municipal council , is also not paying the monies legitimately due to the CMC after acquiring the roads and lands of the CMC at D R Wijewardena mawatha ,for constructing the Casino empire.

The land acquired is about 70 acres in extent and most of it belongs to the CMC . One example is : the road, Felix avenue belonging to the CMC had been acquired by force , closed and named Casino palace without paying a cent to the CMC.

On top of this, in order to frighten the CMC employees the security division of the CMC had been indirectly brought under the control of Gota. Though the CMC has a security division of its own , Gota by appointing an army officer to administer them had indirectly brought them under his control.

Working Journos Contradict Exercises ‘Right Of Reply’

November 1, 2013 

Ranga Jayasuriya, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) has responded to the story published by Colombo Telegraph titled ‘Sunil Jayasekera’s Lie Exposed, Park Arrest Tipped Off By Working Journos”.

Ranga Jayasuriya (left) Army Commander Daya Ratnayake ( right)

Considering the letter emailed to us by Jayasuriya, Colombo Telegraph put to him a set of questions relevant to the claims and counter-claims.  CT assured Jayasuriya that his letter would be published in full along with the questions and his responses to the same.  He has refused to respond, insisting that we honour his right of reply.

CT has decided to carry both letter and the questions.  It is now up to Jayasuriya to respond in the public domain.

The following is the statement submitted by Jayasuriya.

Reference to your story, titled “Sunil Jayasekera’s Lie Exposed, Park Arrest Tipped Off By Working Journos,” I wish to respond on behalf of the  Sri Lanka Working Journalist Association (SLWJA).

Your reference that “Immigration authorities had been tipped off about Park’s visa issue by elements in organisations that are full members of the IFJ, disgruntled over continued preference of the IFJ for an affiliate (FMM) over member organizations,” is wholly inaccurate and false.  SLWJA is one of the full members of the IFJ.

SLWJA has been maintaining an extremely cordial and productive working relationship with fellow  Sri Lankan media organizations, including the FMM.

We have  been in touch with Jacqui during her stay in Sri Lanka and In fact, I as the general secretary of the SLWJA met Jacqui on Monday, a day before the said seminar  organized by the FMM got underway.

The representatives from FMM, FMETU, SAFMA, SAWM and SLWJA were present at the GalleFace Hotel throughout Wednesday night,  until the end of questioning of Jacqui, Jane and Sunil by   immigration authorities and CID.  SLWJA  along with other media associations in Sri Lanka which comes under banner of the Alliance of Media Associations are planning on the future course of action over the excessive measures deployed by the government apparatus against our colleagues. Therefore any effort to suggest that local media activists have tipped off Jacqui’s visit is patently inaccurate.

Also let me add that your reportage on this whole episode – the interrogation of Jacqueline Park, her colleague and the Convener of Free Media Movement, Sunil Jayasekara- is, disturbing, venomous and, I am afraid, is   driven by vested interest.  The tread of emails you have reproduced is putting the security of media activists at risk.  That is unbecoming of a journalist who has claimed asylum abroad over the precarious security situation back home.

Last but not least, we believe that personal vendetta should not blind the writer or Colombo Telegraph as a whole in their coverage of this incident.  We expect Colombo Telegraph would play by the basic rules  of journalism of balanced and accurate coverage, while not compromising the security of local journalists and media activists.  Thank you

Ranga Jayasuriya, General Secretary/ Sri Lanka Working Journalist Association

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Australians detained in Sri Lanka arrive home protesting at 'harassment'

International Federation of Journalists says detention of its representatives was an attempt to intimidate the media

Australian Associated Press-Saturday 2 November 2013

Jacqui Park and Jane Worthington arrive back in Sydney on Saturday. Photograph: Ava Benny-Morrison/AAP

Two Australians detained in Sri Lanka since Wednesday have arrived back in Sydney

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said its Asia-Pacific director Jacqui Park and her deputy Jane Worthington had been "extensively" interrogated since they were taken into custody.

They were taking part in a press freedom meeting in Colombo, the IFJ said.

Park said after arriving at Sydney airport she felt the questioning was never about them but about the Sri Lankan media, and who they had met.

"From the kinds of questions that we had over the two days it was clear it was kind of a witch hunt against the local media, local journalists and media freedom activists who are really trying to create some free space for freedom of expression in Sri Lanka," she told reporters.

"We know from our work this is not an isolated incident but really a pattern of behaviour of intimidation and threats against journalists in Sri Lanka."

Park confirmed that Sri Lankan authorities had a dossier documenting about 15 trips she had made to the country over 15 years.

"I was surprised but clearly they had been working to prepare that I think," she said.

Park and Worthington believe the interrogation was linked to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka later this month.

They said they were told they were making more trouble for authorities in the lead-up to CHOGM.

Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance federal secretary Christopher Warren, who is Park's husband, said it was a great relief to see her.

"Even though I kind of knew it would all be all right ... you just never know what is going to happen," he said. "Things can always go wrong at the last minute."

Sri Lankan information minister Keheliya Rambukwella told local journalists on Thursday the two Australians had arrived in the country as tourists, but were instead engaging in "anti-government activism".

"We have no personal interest in the two individuals but they have broken the visa conditions," the minister said.

"We are treating them according to the law. That means they will be sent back."

The IFJ said in a statement the women's passports were confiscated on Wednesday and although they agreed to leave Sri Lanka the following day, before their scheduled departure on Friday, they were later told they could not leave.

The IFJ has denied the women were involved in any anti-government activities or breached their visa conditions.

Abbott should protest journalists' expulsion from Colombo

Details

 

Created On Saturday, 02 November 2013 13:15

Category: General

The Australian Government should protest loudly and clearly to its Sri Lankan counterpart over the expulsion of two Australian journalists who were attending a press freedom conference in Colombo this week, the Tamil Refugee Council says.

“If Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his government believes in press freedom, and the basic rights of its’ own journalists, it needs to show it by demanding a full explanation from Sri Lanka about the deportation of Australians Jacqui Park and Jane Worthington, who were doing nothing more sinister than attending a conference held by the Free Media Movement,” said Tamil Refugee Council spokesman, Aran Mylvaganam.

“Recently, the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, said during a visit there that it was a country where the rule of law had been eroded and was becoming increasingly authoritarian. Here is more evidence of this.

“It further highlights the disgraceful decision by the Commonwealth, with Australia’s full support and active assistance, to hold next month’s CHOGM conference in Colombo.

“The Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has refused to attend because of Sri Lanka’s horrific human rights record. His Foreign Minister, John Baird, described the decision to take CHOGM to Colombo as ‘accommodating evil.’ Australia, along with the UK, is happy to accommodate evil.

“We have seen an example of how this evil regime conducts its business with the deportation of these Australian journalists.

“It is a sham to use the excuse, as the government did, that they did not have a media visa, which is required by journalists to go to report in Sri Lanka. They were not reporting or doing interviews. They were attending a conference.

“It emphasizes the level of suppression that exists in Sri Lanka. This is a country that is ranked 162nd of 178 countries in the Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders. It is a country that has seen the murders of at least 39 media workers and journalists in the nine years president Mahinda Rajapaksa has been in power. There have been no proper investigations, let alone convictions.

“It is a country where a senior minister, Mervyn Silva, threatened to ‘break the legs’ of journalists who criticized the regime, where the defence minister and brother of the president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, made an open death threat to an editor, who was forced to flee the country. It is a country where two Australian journalists attending a conference to discuss media freedom were tailed, spied upon, detained and questioned for 15 hours before being deported.

“This is the sort of behaviour Australia has endorsed by attending CHOGM, along with murder, rape, torture, disappearances and intimidation of mostly Tamil people in Sri Lanka.The governments of Australia and the other countries going to CHOGM should hang their heads in shame.”

If you live in Melbourne and want to let the government know this is not on, please join a “No to CHOGM in Colombo” rally at the State Library, corner Swanston ad Latrobe Streets, on Monday, November 11 at 5pm.

For further details contact the Tamil Refugee Council Press Office, 0400 597 351.

Ranil -Karu -Sajith discussion cordial :Bullock Sajith pulls in cart load of Maharaja advice

(Lanka-e-News-02.Nov.2013, 3.30PM) The Sajith –Karu discussion with Ranil held yesterday evening with the aim of uniting and launching the UNP on a victorious journey which was foolishly overturned by Sajith nevertheless ended cordially , according to reports reaching Lanka e news.

Karu Jayasooriya who betrayed the UNP earlier by crossing over to the Rajapakse regime surreptitiously taking along with him 17 UNP ers, the detrimental fallout of which the UNP had been unable to still overcome , and later with supporters arranging for the attack to be launched on the UNP headquarters , has at last realized his deadly faults , and put his foot down to sincerely make moves to defeat the very Rajapakse regime he so strongly wished earlier to launch on a victory march.

Sajith who had always demonstrated that he cannot think sanely and intelligently, having secured a naught even for Sinhala language at school , now mollycoddled by Rajapakse-Maharaja -casino Ravi had , it is learnt, at yesterday’s discussion too conducted himself throughout like a bullock , even ignoring the proposals of the United Bhikkhu Peramuna and slipping away from them in order to serve the agendas of Rajapakse- Maharaja clandestinely.

In his characteristic moronic style had said , for the UNP , even a name ‘leader’ is unnecessary, adding that the party constitution should be amended to implement that proposal, and if that cannot be achieved , it is better to continue as it is now. 

However , the discussions had continued without permitting these stupid irresponsible utterances to militate against the serious responsible discussion aimed at truly uniting the party and forging ahead victoriously. Towards this the United Bhikkhu Peramuna had made an invaluable contribution. The Preramuna had made it clear that they will not interfere in the appointments to positions within the party, and have decided that they shall only proffer advice . Accordingly the proposals made are :

The proposed leadership Council shall be named as the United leadership council ,and 9 members shall be appointed to the Council.

UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe shall be appointed as the National Leader , and he shall not represent the proposed leadership council.

The chairman of the united leadership council shall be Karu Jayasooriya.

The decisions taken by the united leadership council shall be approved by the diverse Organizations made up of people and the present Executive Committee comprising the most number of members. This is analogous to the approval given by the Central select Committee of other political parties to the decisions taken by their political councils.

The 6 representatives of the proposed united leadership council now officially nominated out of the nine are as follows: 

Chairman Karu Jayasuriya

Tissa Attanayake by virtue of his official position as party secretary

Mangala Samaraweera

Ravi Karunanayake

Sajith Rajapakse 

Kabeer Hashim

Discussions are going on in regard to the remaining three representatives.

All these proposals shall be submitted at the next UNP Executive committee meeting on the 4 th , and approval obtained. Prior to the executive committee meeting , Ranil ,Karu and bullock Sajith are scheduled to meet in the morning .

Innovating Under Duress: Implications of the Global Innovation Index for Sri Lanka

• by Nalaka Gunawardene
• - on 11/01/2013 

• Science writer Nalaka Gunawardene in conversation with Dr Ajith de Alwis, engineer and public intellectual
  Sri Lanka was ranked at No 98 among 142 countries worldwide in the
  
  Global Innovation Index 2013 (GII 2013) released in July. The ranking in 2012 was 94.
  GII 2013 looks at 142 economies around the world, using 84 indicators including the quality of top universities, research spending, availability of microfinance and venture capital deals. It gauges both innovation capabilities and measurable results, and also places them in a broader socio-political context.

Innovating Under Duress Implications of the Global Innovation Index for Sri Lanka by nelvely

The Four Societal Shields

By Arjuna Seneviratne -November 2, 2013

Arjuna Seneviratne

The things that protect us and make us safe, we value over all else. The people that protect us and make us safe, we revere above all others.  There are four ways in which we are protected and there are four types of people who use them for our protection.

We are protected by knowledge, we are protected by the truth, we are protected by medicine and we are protected by the material requisites of food, clothing, shelter and security from physical attack. Not too long ago, these factors, also known as the four societal shields against disaster, were deemed so critical that they were provided to all for free. The first was provided by teachers, the second by the spiritualists, the third by healers and the fourth by the kings.

Those who extended that helping hand through one of those four activities did so at great cost to themselves and their wellbeing. They walked, mostly, lonely paths and they did what few people could aspire to do or wanted to do. They did it for gratis and they put themselves on the line at ever y turn, twist and eventuality that could have the slightest bearing on the wellbeing of the people they watched over. They did it simply because they had unique talents and skills and the emotional strength and fortitude to use them for the good of others. They heeded the calls because they had the ability to respond to them. Granted, such as those were few but merely by dint of superior abilities and commitment to sacrificing themselves for others, those few were quite capable of seeing to the protection of at least very large multitudes if not entire nations.

They could, because of this ability to respond, be rightly called responsible human beings whose footprint reached into each substratum of society, succoring, regenerating, restoring, establishing, consolidating. They moved amongst the multitudes, strengthening the people, their lives, their livelihoods, their belongings, their health, their understanding. They were in turn, given optimal leverage to engage in those activities and they were revered and worshiped by the people for what they did for them. Never claiming their actions as a livelihood, they were simply the custodians of the four shields and were showered with an excess of physical, social, emotional and intellectual requisites as a humble act of recognition of their effort on behalf of the people and not as a reward for what they were doing.  For the people, the very presence of one of two such supremely enabled beings assured the peace of mind of people and was cause enough for joyful celebration.Read More

Irrationality and Neo-Fascist Racism 

Aung San Suu Kyi

By Izeth Hussain-November 1, 2013, 12:00 pm

Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly for most of us, we have the sensation of democratic vistas opening out, in exhilarating contrast to the neo-Fascist drive to which we have been habituated for some years. That drive was seen for instance in the infamously anti-democratic 18th Amendment, the undemocratic procedure used in impeaching the Chief Justice, and the protracted anti-Muslim campaign which can only be explained, or be most cogently explained, in terms of neo-Fascist racism.

Irrationality and Neo-Fascist Racism by nelvely

Not This Good Earth; Land Rights, Displaced Persons And The Law In Sri Lanka

‘By Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena, 

Jayantha de Almeida Guneratne & Radika Guneratne

Published September 30^th 2013, Law & Society Trust, Colombo

Excerpts from the Executive Summary and Introduction

An  extra – legal   parallel  regime  that  is  in  operation reveal the manner in which,  on  the presentation  of  bogus  deeds coupled with brute force,  owners  of  land  possessing  prima  facie  valid  deeds  are  being  told  to  vacate  on the  strength  of  such  bogus  deeds,  and  ad  nauseam.   This plight is being particularly faced by Tamil and Muslim citizens due to the militarization of the North and East in the post-war years. Those who  had  been  compelled  to  vacate  their  lands  during  the  war  are  now  faced  with  frauds  that are  perpetrated  on  them by persons possessing political influence and power. In the Southern regions meanwhile, the poor and marginalized Sinhalese citizenry is pitted against the might of a pronounced State policy centered on the acquiring of private properties citing an urgent public purpose and in many cases, selling them to private companies thereafter for hotel development.

Possessing rights to land is an indicator which demonstrates an individual’s socio-economic, political, cultural and ethnical identity, signifying an emotive and highly symbolic value in respect of the construction of that identity. Post-war Sri Lanka has seen major scale development with the influx of local and foreign capital, particularly in the former war affected areas. Yet political motivations compelling acquisitions/evictions have led to tensions within communities. A careful analysis of the Sri Lankan experience clearly demonstrates a pattern where regardless of the law, government power is increasingly being used in order to acquire land for development purposes or (as in the North and East) in the context of militarisation. High Security Zones and forced acquisition by the military continues to be a pertinent concern in the North and East, years after the ending of war. [1]

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Sri Lanka security forces 'raping and torturing' ahead of Commonwealth summit

Human rights group urges David Cameron to use summit to demand international inquiry into disappearances

A Sri Lankan activist participates in a candlelit vigil for the disappeared in August Photo: GETTY IMAGES

By Dean Nelson, New Delhi-31 Oct 2013

Sri Lanka’s security forces are still raping and torturing suspects despite the imminent arrival of David Cameron and 50 world leaders for a Commonwealth summit in the country, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.

The Prime Minister and the Prince of Wales have confirmed they will both attend the gathering in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, from Nov 15.

But Sri Lanka has 5,676 “outstanding cases” of disappearances - more than anywhere else in the world apart from Iraq. Although the civil war ended in 2009, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government has kept the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which allows anyone to be jailed without charge or trial for up to 18 months.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented 10 cases of suspects being tortured or mistreated in detention since February. More disappearances have also taken place in recent months.

One 30-year-old woman told The Daily Telegraph that she was abducted by men driving an unmarked white van in the northern city of Jaffna on Aug 12. She was bundled in to the vehicle, blindfolded and driven about 90 miles to the town of Vavuniya.

There, she was interrogated, stripped and photographed naked by men she believed were police officers from the Criminal Investigation Department. Later that evening, several of the men beat her with rods. “I was raped by many men, not just one and it continued until I escaped,” she said. “They bit me on my backside and breasts.”

On Aug 31, she was blindfolded and placed in a vehicle again. The woman, a mother, feared that she was going to be murdered. Instead she was taken to meet her uncle, who had paid a large bribe to secure her release. She then fled to India and later to Britain, where she is now seeking asylum.

”I could not have taken any more. If I have to go back, I would not survive,” she said by telephone from London.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) waged a 26-year war for a separate homeland until they were crushed by the army in 2009.

The woman, a Tamil, acknowledged that she had previously helped the LTTE with information and by working as a courier - along with many thousands of others. She was not charged with any offence. Doctors who found marks and scars had verified her testimony, said HRW.

This new evidence of continuing torture showed the need for greater international pressure on Sri Lanka’s government, added the campaign group. Canada has already promised to boycott the Commonwealth summit in Colombo. Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, is under pressure from leaders of his country’s Tamil minority to follow suit.

Mr Cameron has confirmed that he will go to Sri Lanka, but promised to be “very clear about those aspects of the human rights record in Sri Lanka that we are not happy with”. In particular, the Prime Minister will be the first foreign leader to visit Northern Province, the region which suffered most from the civil war - and from the continuing abuses.

Mr Cameron should also use the summit to demand an independent international inquiry into outstanding cases of disappearances, HRW have urged. Some examples of people who are still missing were highlighted in an investigation by The Telegraph in October.

Meenakshi Ganguly, the South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said: “Abuses are continuing and people trying to speak. Victims and activists are facing a climate of intimidation. Commonwealth leaders need to remind the Sri Lankan government that the pressure is ongoing and everything will not be fine until justice is done.”

This Sunday 10:50pm: "No Fire Zone" the new documentary about Sri Lanka on Channel 4

Nov3Sun

"No Fire Zone" the new docu... When Sun Nov 3, 2013 2:50pm – 3:50pm (PST) Where On your television (UK only) Who srilankacampaign@lists.srilankacampaign.org, info@srilankacampaign.org*

Agenda Sun Nov 3, 2013 No earlier events 2:50pm "No Fire Zone" the new docu... No later events

Posted by Thavam

'No Fire Zone' screening again in Hammersmith

(Lanka-e-News-01.Nov.2013, 7.30PM) Next Tuesday, 5th November at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith as part of Between the Lines festival follow ups DocHouse will be showing NO FIRE ZONE: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka, followed by a Q&A with the film’s director, Callum Macrae. The feature-length film is a meticulous and chilling portrayal of the final devastating months of the 26 year long Sri Lankan civil war told by the people who lived through it.

More information on the film can be found below and tickets can be booked here: bit.ly/NFZdoc

No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka + Director Q&A

A Between the Lines Follow-up Event
Dir. Callum Macrae
Sri Lanka / UK - 2013 - 93 mins

Tuesday 5th November, 2013 at 8:00pm

Riverside Studios
Crisp Road, Hammersmith, W6 9RL

£7 (£5 concs.)