MP Parm Gill Calls Upon The Sri Lankan Government To Uphold Key Commonwealth Principles

December 9, 2013

BRAMPTON, ON: Tamil community representatives met with Brampton-Springdale MP Parm Gill and Calgary East MP Deepak Obhrai, and to discuss the Government’s principled stand on human rights, rule of law, freedom of religion, and the Prime Minister’s decision to not attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan government has failed to uphold the Commonwealth’s core values, which are cherished by Canadians. As such, Prime Minister Harper did not attend the 2013 CHOGM in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Canada is deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka. The absence of accountability for the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian standards during and after the civil war is unacceptable.

When Sri Lanka was selected to host the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Canada was hopeful that the Sri Lankan government would seize the opportunity to improve human rights conditions and take steps towards reconciliation and accountability. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Mr. Obrhai, who attended the CHOGM, shared some troubling stories of what he saw during his visit to Sri Lanka.

“Canada will continue to monitor events in Sri Lanka and urge the government to fully implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, promote respect for human rights and the rule of law, and undertake an independent investigation into alleged violations of the human rights of thousands of civilians at the end of the conflict.” said Mr. Gill.

Mr.Gill thanked all participants for their insight into the situation. “Our Government will always stand up for human rights, rule of law, and freedom of religion. Justice will be served in Sri Lanka. We continue to work with the Tamil community through meetings like this to get answers and hold those responsible for the atrocities in Sri Lanka accountable.”

CMC to tax dogs to cover CHOGM expenses

 Tuesday, 10 December 2013

The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) after spending millions of rupees to prepare the city according to the whims of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) last month is now trying to recover the monies by taxing dogs.

The CMC it is learnt is now trying to introduce laws to get dog owners within the Colombo city limits to register their dogs.
CMC sources have been quoted in the media as saying that there are about 15,000 dogs in the city and 10,000 of them have not been registered.

It is also learnt that under the new laws, Rs.50 will be charged to register a male dog while the registration fee for a female dog would be Rs.7.50.

The CMC is now trying to in Colombo since it is facing a financial crisis due to the cost incurred for CHOGM.

Families Of Disappeared Attack In Eastern Sri Lanka On Human Rights Day

December 10, 2013 

Families of the disappeared protesting at the Trincomalee Bus Station have been attacked by masked men onInternational Human Rights Day, even as President Mahinda Rajapaksa jetted off for South Africa on Monday night to attend the funeral of former South African President and anti-racism icon, Nelson Mandela.

Secretary MOD

The demonstrators at the bus station were set upon by a group of masked men and attacked with several sustaining injuries.

Convenor of the demonstration Sundaram Mahendran was injured in the attacks and hospitalised, according to Tamil media reports.

“Go and hold your protests in Jaffna. The east is ours,” the attackers told demonstrators according to a Tamil newspaper.

Sri Lanka has the most number of enforced disappearances in the world, next only to Iraq.

TENSE SITUATION IN TRINCOMALEE AFTER GROUP ATTEMPTS TO DISRUPT PROTEST

December 10, 2013

A tense situation has been reported in Trincomalee after a group of 30 individuals attempted to obstruct a protest conducted by relatives of missing persons within the District.

The clash occurred near the Trincomalee bus depot while one person was injured and taken to the Trincomalee hospital following a clash between the protesters and the other group.

The protest was held in line with the UN Human Rights Day.

Protesters attacked in Trincomalee

[ Tuesday, 10 December 2013, 09:46.12 AM GMT +05:30 ]

Tense situation reported in the Trincomalee bus stop.

Civilians and the members of movement of disappeared personals stage protest at the Trincomalee stop this morning. Tens situation erupted when a group of unidentified personals carried out attack against these protesters. Organiser of the movement of disappeared personals, Sundharam Mahendran was injured and rushed to the hospital, Eastern Provincial Council member Jagadesan Janarthanan said. Member also blamed police officials present at the site fail to provide security towards protesters. Tamil National Alliance representatives were also took part in this protest. 30-40 people present at this protest. More than 30 individuals covering faces with masks carried out attack against protesters, he said.

Statue of Sinhala soldier appears in Elephant Pass

Tamil Guardian 09 December 2013

A statue of a Sinhala soldier, Corporal Gamini Kularatna, appeared recently as a new addition to Sri Lanka's war victory monument in Elephant Pass, situated within the Tamil region of the North-East, reported the Jaffna based newspaper, Uthayan. Corporal Gamini Kularatna was revered by the Sinhala people for his actions in a battle over Elephant Pass against the LTTE in 1991. For what was deemed his heroic efforts to keep Sri Lanka together as one country, he was award the highest military honour for gallantry. See here for a tribute page dedicated to him.

JSC secretary to be sacked for opposing Namal!

 Tuesday, 10 December 2013 

Secretary of the Judicial Services Commission Sisira Ratnayake is to be replaced by Khema Swarnadhipathi, a very close supporter of MP Namal Rajapaksa, after the former rejected a transfer list of magistrates and district court judges sent by the young parliamentarian.

According to reports reaching us, the then additional secretary to the president Sepala Ratnayake, who is now positioned at the Sri Lankan high commission in London, had summoned Colombo Fort magistrate Thilina Gamage to Temple Trees for a special discussion on transfers of judicial service officers.

A list of very close associates of the president has been prepared for their transfer as a decision has been taken to hold a nationally significant election next year.

MP Namal Rajapaksa had sent that list to JSC secretary Sisira Ratnayake through the then additional secretary to the president.

Strongly rejecting the list, the JSC secretary has said that he could not take a decision on his own and asked that the list be approved by the chief justice, who is the head of the JSC.

When the list was given to the CJ, he had reprimanded and expelled Sepala Ratnayake, also a lawyer. In a rage over the incident, MP Namal Rajapkasa has ordered that the JSC secretary be immediately replaced by Khema Swarnadhipathi, and Thilina Gamage appointed the deputy.

He has also ordered that the deputy and additional secretaries and the entire staff of the JSC be transferred.

PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT GOVT’S PLAN WITH EPF - UNP

December 10, 2013 
The public has a right to know how the government is investing EPF funds, UNP MP Harsha de Silva said today (December 10).

Currently there is around Rs.1.25 trillion in the EPF, he claimed while adding that these funds should not be used to invest in bankrupt institutions.

He said that Sri Lankan Airlines spent Rs.173 billion on purchasing new airplanes while the government spent only Rs.17.3 billion on bonuses for government workers which is about the cost of one plane.

If the government does not have money how does it purchase airplanes, he questioned.

The UNP MP pointed out that the Sri Lanka imports more than it exports and that the government is focussed more on exporting labour than exporting goods and services.

He added that the government’s income comes from imposing taxes on retail goods and food items.

Felix attacks Rajitha on president’s order!

 Tuesday, 10 December 2013 

It is on the instructions of the president that social services minister Felix Perera had given a special interview to last Sunday’s issue of ‘Lankadeepa’ alleging interference of the family members of fisheries minister Rajitha Senaratne in the affairs of the ministry.

Minister Senaratne is not in the good books of the president as state intelligence has reported to him that the minister was having close connections with former president Chandrika Kumaratunga. Both Rajitha and Felix had been very close friends of the late Vijaya Kumaratunga.

Minister Felix Perera was absent at the commemorative programmes to mark the 25th death anniversary of Vijaya Kumaratunga organized by the ex-president, but minister Senaratne had been a very enthusiastic participant.

The president has been further displeased with minister Senaratne’s inclination towards Mrs. Kumaratunga and also for having challenged his stance with regard to the 13th amendment to the constitution. In light of these enmities, the president had provoked minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena alias ‘Rattaran’ in the past few months against minister Senaratne, and has now chosen Felix Perera, incidentally the political ally of minister Senaratne, to be used as his cat’s paw.

It was also the president who has named journalist Prasanna Sanjeewa Tennakoon to do the interview, through Tennakoon’s political boss, minister Wimal Weerawansa. However, editor Ariyananda Dombagahawatte had strongly advised his editorial members not to carry anything against minister Senaratne.

However, the interview against minister Senaratne was published last Sunday, and early in the morning on that day, the president had telephoned Ariyananda Dombagahawatte and told him to obtain an interview from Rajitha Senaratne against Felix Perera. Accordingly, the editor has got an interview, through an editorial member, from minister Senaratne yesterday.

World's leading authors: state surveillance of personal data is theft

• 500 signatories include five Nobel prize winners 
• Writers demand 'digital bill of rights' to curb abuses

Clockwise from top left, eight of the people who have signed the petition: Hanif Kureishi, Björk, Arundhati Roy, Don DeLillo, Ian McEwan, Tom Stoppard, Margaret Atwood and Martin Amis

Matthew Taylor and Nick Hopkins-Tuesday 10 December 2013

More than 500 of the world's leading authors, including five Nobel prize winners, have condemned the scale of state surveillance revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden and warned that spy agencies are undermining democracy and must be curbed by a new international charter.

World's Leading Authors State Surveillance of Personal Data is Theft by nelvely

Obscenity, Profanity, Epithets, And Great Novels

‘By Jagath Asoka -December 10, 2013 |

Dr. Jagath Asoka

Our diction—the words that we choose to communicate with others—say a lot about our attitude towards others, our state of mind, and our depth of spirituality.

When I was a student in Ukraine, I realized that every male in the former USSR used the Russian word “blayath” (whore) so often; they are still using the word “blayath” as if it were a punctuation mark—comma or period—in every phrase or sentence that they utter. We all know that the racial slur “nigger” is the nuclear bomb of racial epithets, and the expressions, such as “I will F*** your mother,” or “Mother F*****,” are the nuclear options of insults. Sri Lankans have their own version or a modification of “blayath.” Most Sri Lankans use the word “Hu**hi,” one of the worst insults that I have heard used by Sri Lankan men against their wives, girl friends, or other females. These words denigrate and lacerate the souls of the recipients. Obscenity, profanity, and racial epithets are ubiquitous; is it necessary, effective, and useful to use obscenity, profanity, and racial epithets? Do you think we must use obscenity, profanity, and epithets as often as we feel, or is it an indication of our level of erudition, education, spirituality, and compassion?

I know a plethora of Buddhist monks who use obscenity, profanity, and epithets as if they were some Buddhist sutras. I bet there are Hindu and Christian priests, rabbis, and imams who use obscenity, profanity, and epithets just like the Buddhist monks that I know of. Our politicians, even our current president, use obscenity, profanity, and epithets in certain occasions as if they were some Buddhist sutras; sometimes even on TV, Radio, or over the phone. Why do these people use vulgar language? Did they inherit this behavior from their parents?

Read More

Increasing Malnutrition; Need To Combat Immediately

By Rajiva Wijesinha - December 10, 2013

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha MP

I am honoured to speak on the votes of the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs, which deals with perhaps the most important subject we need to consider. I say this because, while the development programme government has put in place with regard to infrastructure is vital, it will serve no purpose unless we also concentrate on human development. In this regard we need to ensure that our children are in full enjoyment of all their rights, and that we also empower them so that any violations are minimized.

It is equally important, Mr Speaker, to ensure that women are not only protected, but also empowered. For this purpose we must put in place coherent mechanisms that can identify shortcomings and address them promptly and systematically. Above all we must move from simply reacting to problems, but rather anticipate potential problems and avoid them – a strategy, I should add, that would hold us in good stead with regard also to international relations as well as domestic politics.

With regard to Women and Children, I am happy to say that we have an active Ministry that is able to conceptualize and initiate new measures. Chief amongst these is the establishment of Women and Children’s Units in every Divisional Secretariat. If I might say so, this Ministry has been the first to recognize the importance of the Division, which is the first active interface between government and people. Indeed this Ministry has also recognized the importance of the Grama Niladhari Division, which is the first actual interface, though it is for the raising of issues rather than solving them. I should add that it would make sense to set in place, even in GN Divisions, consultative mechanisms to resolve simple problems. However it the Division that is the first level at which more important decisions can be taken, and where the front line officers of various government institutions can meet to discuss problems and plan responses – and where they can discuss trends that will help them to anticipate problems and avoid them.                         Read More

Rough justice

By Lakshmi Subramanian- Friday, November 29, 2013 

Her wrinkled face and grey hair speak volumes about Arputhammal's long battle to save her son from the gallows. A frail woman in her sixties, she is the mother of A.G. Perarivalan, one of the three convicts facing capital punishment in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. “My son will return home soon,” she said. “He is innocent. I have hopes.”

A 55-minute documentary, called Uyirvali—Sakkiyadikkum Satham, on Perarivalan's life from his childhood to the assassination case, has boosted her hopes. In the documentary, released by People's Movement Against Death Penalty (PMADP), former CBI officer V. Thiagarajan says “there were lapses in recording the statement under Section 15(1) TADA [Terrorism and Disruptive Practices (Prevention) Act]”.

Thiagarajan reveals that he failed to record Perarivalan's confession verbatim. According to him, Perarivalan told him that he had purchased a battery without knowing that it would be used to make the bomb that killed Rajiv. Thiagarajan, by his own admission, later altered the statement. “It wouldn't have qualified as a confession statement without his admission of being part of the conspiracy. I omitted a part of his statement and added my interpretation. I regret it,” said Thiagarajan. He told THE WEEK that he had made the revelation because, “if not now, everything would go irretrievable as ever”.

He said his revelation gave Perarivalan the right to plead for acquittal. “His is no longer a mercy petition, but a petition claiming his right to be reheard,” said Thiagarajan.

However, D.R. Kaarthikeyan, former CBI director and chief of the special investigation team that probed the case, said there was nothing that warranted a retrial at this juncture. “This is absurd. If that's the case, people will ask for retrial in the Indira Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi assassination cases, too. Thiagarajan was given a job to do. They were all given tasks to do. The statements have gone through legal scrutiny. Three eminent judges gave a well-reasoned judgment. Nothing new has come out. Nobody was convicted on the [basis of] the confession statement,” he told THE WEEK.

But Arputhammal sees hope. “We will move the designate trial court to examine the SIT officials. Had the confession of Perarivalan been recorded in full, he would not have been convicted,” said S. Prabu Ramasubramanian, Perarivalan's counsel.

PMADP members said Perarivalan now had the option of moving the Supreme Court seeking acquittal. “Who made the bomb, from where the RDX was procured, where and how the bomb was assembled and how the pilot trial happened, still remain unanswered,” said a legal expert. According to retired Supreme Court judge K.T. Thomas, death penalty at this juncture will be double jeopardy, as the accused has served more than a life term in jail.

Thiagarajan's revelation has come in handy to pro-Tamil groups who have been demanding clemency for the all three death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. “They are all waiting to get to that day when they could claim how much they fought for the acquittal,” said a political analyst.

Reopening the case would pose trouble for the Congress as crucial elements of the assassination have not been revealed. “Any revelation at this juncture will haunt the Congress, which is already facing backlash in the Sri Lankan Tamils issue,” said an observer.

Shrinking the financial fallout of natural disasters

TOKYO, 9 December 2013 (IRIN) - Relief will be more easily and quickly available, and the economic fallout much more manageable, if governments project and plan fiscally for potential natural disasters and their human and economic toll well in advance, experts say.

Shrinking the Financial Fallout of Natural Disasters by nelvely

Bangladesh Must Halt Execution of War Crimes Suspect Abdul Qader Mollah

William Gomes, Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com-Dec-09-2013

Human Rights Ambassador William Nicholas Gomes asked president of Bangladesh stop the hanging of the leader of the country's largest Islamic party.

Abdul Qader Mollah

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Following the international standard of Justice, Abdul Qader Mollah, accused of war crimes, should be granted a right to appeal against the conviction and death sentence.

According to Human Rights Watch, Mr. Mollah's death sentence was handed down based on retroactively amended legislation. This is a violation of international fair trial standards.

On February 5, 2013, Mollah was sentenced to life in prison by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), a domestic court holding trials for the atrocities in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of liberation from West Pakistan.

His conviction on five of six counts, including murder and rape as crimes against humanity and war crimes. He was acquitted on one count of murder.

Mr. Md. Abdul Hamid
President of Bangladesh
President Office
Bangabhaban,
Dhaka
Bangladesh
Fax: +8802 9566593

Re: Bangladesh must halt execution of war crimes accused Abdul Qader Mollah

Dear Mr. President,

I am William Nicholas Gomes, Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com.

As a civilized person I oppose the death penalty in all circumstances. The death sentence against Abdul Qader Mollah, a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party convicted of war crimes during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence, should immediately be stayed due to fair trial concerns.

Following the international standard of Justice Mollah should be granted a right to appeal against the conviction and death sentence.

According to Human Rights Watch, the death sentence was handed down based on retroactively amended legislation, a move which violates international fair trial standards. On February 5, 2013, Mollah was sentenced to life in prison by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), a domestic court holding trials for the atrocities in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of liberation from West Pakistan. He was convicted on five of six counts, including murder and rape as crimes against humanity and war crimes. He was acquitted on one count of murder.

According to Human Rights Watch, in response to large public protests demanding the death sentence for Mollah, the government passed amendments to the ICT law on February 17, allowing the prosecution to appeal the sentence. Until the Mollah case, the prosecution was only allowed to appeal if the accused was acquitted. On September 17, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court reversed the life sentence on Mollah and imposed the death penalty for murder and rape as crimes against humanity. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Bangladesh is a state party, prohibits the retroactive application of criminal law that has a negative effect on the defense.

Although people sentenced to death in Bangladesh in regular courts are allowed the right to appeal, government authorities, including the Attorney General, stated that Mollah has no such right and have insisted that Mollah exhausted all legal options. The only recourse left open to Mollah, according to government authorities, is to appeal to the President of Bangladesh for clemency. The ICCPR states that everyone convicted of a crime has the right to have their conviction and sentence reviewed by a higher tribunal according to law.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee, which interprets the ICCPR, has said that “in cases of trials leading to the imposition of the death penalty, scrupulous respect of the guarantees of fair trial is particularly important” and that any death penalty imposed after an unfair trial would be a violation of the right to a fair trial.

Although the Bangladeshi constitution contains a safeguard against retroactive application of laws, a subsequent amendment removes these protections from those accused of war crimes. Human Rights Watch has long called for the repeal of this amendment as it violates international law.

“The denial of the right to appeal against the death penalty, in a case so fraught with problems, highlights the need for the government to revoke this retrograde amendment to the Constitution,” Adams said. “Justice is needed – and especially for the sake of the victims, these trials must not be tainted.”

Of particular concern in the Mollah case is the fact that the count on which the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court sentenced Mollah to death rests on accusations of which he was acquitted during the trial phase.

I therefore request you to immediately halt the execution of Abdul Qader Mollah who is accused of war crimes.

Yours Sincerely,
William Nicholas Gomes
Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com
Twitter @wnicholasgomes
www.williamnicholasgomes.com

Sri Lanka guilty of genocide: PPT verdict

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 December 2013, 11:08 GMT]
After an assessment of evidences presented by eyewitnesses and experts, judges of the Permanent People’s Tribunal reached unanimous consensus that the Sri Lankan state was guilty of crimes of genocide against the Eezham Tamils and that the genocide is continuing even after the end of the military operations against the LTTE. Concluding the four day session with a press conference at Bremen on Tuesday, the judges also noted that the Sri Lankan military did not have capacity to commit genocide on its own and that it was supported by the UK-USA-India axis. While the judges held the USA and the UK to be complicit in the genocidal process, they were of the opinion that more evidence was needed as regards India’s role. 

The Eezham Tamils were killed not as individuals but as a group and the target of the Sri Lankan state was the destruction of the identity of this group, the findings noted. 

The judges took care to highlight the significance of the usage of the term ‘Eelam Tamil’ to refer to the genocide-affected Tamils from the North-East of the island of Sri Lanka. 

Noting that the protracted history of genocide extended much before the beginning of the armed conflict, the Tribunal asserted that the Sri Lankan state continued to commit acts of genocide after the end of the “genocidal onslaught” against the de-facto state of the LTTE. 

This, however, was not possible without the assistance of world powers.

The UK’s historical role in assisting Sri Lanka, its complicity in procuring arms in aiding and shielding the perpetrator of genocide was discussed.

The judges also noted that the USA’s military-to-military relationship with Sri Lanka enhanced the capacity of the latter to commit genocide. The Tribunal was of the opinion that US role in the peace process tilted balance in favour of the Sri Lankan state and led to the massacre of Tamils in 2009.

However, the Tribunal wished to postpone deliberations on India's role in the genocide pending submission of potential evidence.

Responding to a question from TamilNet on the failure of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in Sri Lanka, Dr. Denis Halliday, one of the judges, opined that the R2P doctrine introduced by Gareth Evans was a cover for intervention but not genuine humanitarian intervention, as evidenced in the case of genocide against Eezham Tamils in the island.

The UN has failed the Eezham Tamils and maybe even complicit in the genocide, he said, also noting the failure of the International Community to take appropriate steps.

Burmese democracy activist Maung Zarni, answering a question on the use of the label of ‘terrorism’ to the LTTE, said that terrorism was a "discursive, strategic and political term" cooked-up by world powers as regards to their geo-political interests. 

Comparing LTTE and Nelson Mandela’s ANC, he said that a whole movement cannot be labelled as terrorist on the basis of few acts.

Obama pays tribute to 'giant of a man' Mandela - live video

Here's *that* handshake between Obama & Castro

Channel 4 NewsVerified account‏@Channel4News

Here's *that* handshake between Obama & Castro - video here http://bitly.com/1d6clr3  #c4news #MandelaMemorial pic.twitter.com/KSP38iTVs0

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Barack Obama shakes the hand of Cuba's Raul Castro and South African President Jacob Zuma is booed as they join tens of thousands at Nelson Mandela's memorial service in Johannesburg.

- Barack Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Raul Castro
- President Jacob Zuma is booed by the crowd
- Mandela's grandchildren and world leaders give key speeches

Rain poured from dark skies in Johannesburg, but it did nothing to deter the tens of thousands who came out to say farewell to their former leader. The 95,000-seater stadium in Soweto was filled with people singing and dancing, as the memorial service got underway.

After a delayed start, the service started with a singing of the national anthem. ANC Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa then welcomed visitors, referring to Nelson Mandela as "our father".

He apologised for the rain and bed weather, but added that in the African tradition: "When it rains when you are buried, it means the gods are welcoming you to the gates of heaven".

Obama on Madiba

During the service, US President Barack Obama shook the hand of Cuba's Raul Castro (see video above): an unprecedented gesture between the leaders of two nations which have been at loggerheads for more than half a century.

Mr Castro smiled as Obama shook his hand on the way to the podium as he made his speech at the commemoration for former South African President Mandela.

President Obama was received warmly in the stadium, and his passionate and personal tribute to "Madiba" was greeted with a standing ovation. He described Mandela as a "giant of history" and said that learning about his fight for justice "woke me up to my responsibilities".

His speech was also a lecture to other world leaders, to learn from Mandela's example. "There are too many of us who happily embrace Madiba's legacy of racial reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality," he said. "There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people."

In his address, Mr Castro described Mandela as the "ultimate symbol of dignity and the revolutionary struggle".

Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe received wide applause from the raucous crowd when he arrived.

President Zuma booed

However there was a hostile reception for South Africa's current president, Jacob Zuma, when he arrived (see video above) and the stadium was again filled with "boos" when his picture appeared on a screen. Mr Ramaphosa asked the crowd to be respectful and the stadium emptied as he took to the stage to make his speech.

President Zuma called Mandela a "freedom fighter", and said that he never wanted to be considered a "saint". He said that South Africa's commitment to building a nation on human rights and democracy, would be his legacy.

Mandela's ex-wife, Winnie, and his widow, Graca Machel, were greeted with huge cheers in the Soccer City stadium - the same place where 23 years earlier, Mandela was hailed by supporters after being newly freed from apartheid jail.

Delegations from 91 countries also arrived in the South African capital to pay their respects to Nelson Mandela. US President Barack Obama, former president George W Bush, and their wives Michelle and Laura, arrived from Pretoria's Waterkloof air base.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he would not attend, due to travel and security costs.

Tuesday's memorial is the centrepiece of a national week of mourning for South Africa's revered statesman, who died on 5 December, aged 95.