Iran’s 28th fleet docks at Sri Lankan Colombo port

Iran's Younes super-heavy submarine

Saturday Dec 21, 2013
The Iranian Navy’s 28th fleet of war vessels, which includes the nation's first super-heavy submarine, has docked at Sri Lanka’s port of Colombo, says a top commander.

“The Navy’s 28th flotilla comprising Alborz destroyer, Bandar Abbas auxiliary ship, Younes submarine and a Bell 212 Twin Huey helicopter docked at Sri Lanka’s port of Colombo this morning after [calling at India’s] port city of Mumbai as part of its mission in the Far East,” said the Iranian Navy’s Deputy Commander for Operations Rear Admiral Siavash Jareh on Friday.

He added that eastern parts of the Indian Ocean are important for Iran’s Navy.

“The port of Colombo is among the important ports along the sea transit route to the Far East and East Asian countries and Sri Lanka is one of the countries in the Indian Ocean,” the commander said.

Iran-SL relations:Two warships, submarine visit Colombo port

By Shamindra Ferdinando-December 20, 2013

An Iranian naval flotilla, including a submarine, entered the port of Colombo yesterday signifying growing relations between the two countries.

Iran’s 28th fleet docks at Sri Lankan Colombo port by nelvely

Bangladesh: On The Verge Of 1971 Closure – Analysis

By SAAG-December 20, 2013

By Bhaskar Roy-1971 Closure 

The execution of Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) Assistant General Secretary Abdul Quader Molla on December 12, may be a watershed in the political life of Bangladesh. This comes just before the celebration of victory day “December 16” when the occupying Pakistani army surrendered to the Indian army in Dhaka in 1971.

On December 13 that year, the Pakistani army and their Bangladeshi collaborators (JEI) known as Razakars, decided to execute top Bengalee intellectuals who they believed instigated the “independence from Pakistan” movement.

Bangladesh On The Verge Of 1971 Closure – Analysis by nelvely

Muslim MPs demand urgent action

December 20, 2013

Muslim Members of Parliament (MP) met Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne, who is also the Minister of Buddhasasana and Religious Affairs, this afternoon and raised concerns over attempts to close three Mosques in the Dehiwala area.

Ministers A.H.M. Fowzie, Rauff Hakeem, Rishad Bathiudeen and Deputy Minister Faizer Mustapha as well as MPs Hassan Ali were among those present at today’s meeting at the Parliamentary complex, sources told the Colombo Gazette.

The police had initially ordered that the three Mosques be closed down and the issue was then taken up with President Mahinda Rajapaksa this week.

The President had said that he was not aware of three Mosques being ordered to be shut but yet he had been briefed over an issue concerning one Mosque.

The Muslim MPs alleged that there were extremist groups behind the attempt to have the three Mosques shut down.

It was later decided that the Muslim MPs meet the Prime Minister to further discuss the issue and the meeting was set for this afternoon.

At that meeting the Prime Minister had said that his secretary will meet the Muslim MPs on Monday for which the MPs objected saying they did not want the secretary involved.

The Prime Minister then cancelled that meeting and assured the MPs he will look into the issue directly. (Colombo Gazette)

Report by Easwaran Rutnam

Sri Lankan government to make on an independent investigation into war crimes and human rights abuses before the UK decides not to pursue a resolution on an international inquiry at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014

Sri Lanka

House of Commons – Questions on Sri Lanka-Parliment.uk

17 Dec 2013

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he expects the Sri Lankan government to make on an independent investigation into war crimes and human rights abuses before the UK decides not to pursue a resolution on an international inquiry at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014. [180494]

Mr Swire: During his meeting with President Rajapaksa, the Prime Minister called for the Sri Lankan Government to make real progress on a credible and transparent, independent investigation into allegations of violations of humanitarian and human rights law during the military conflict. The Prime Minister has said that the UK would use its place on the UN Human Rights Council to call for an international investigation if there has been no progress. An assessment will be made at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on (a) the text of a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka for the session in March 2014 calling for an international inquiry, (b) the terms of reference for such an inquiry and (c) the membership of such an inquiry. [180495]

Mr Swire: We continue to press the Sri Lankan Government for credible, transparent and independent investigations into alleged war crimes and have made clear that these investigations need to have begun properly by March or we will use our seat on the UN Human Rights Council to call for an international investigation. We regularly discuss Sri Lanka, including accountability, with a range of other EU, Commonwealth and international partners. In those discussions we are exploring options, including the content of a UNHRC Resolution, ahead of the March session. It is too soon to define what any international investigation might consist of.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which members of the UN Human Rights Council he has discussed the case for an independent, international inquiry into the Sri Lankan civil war; and what recent assessment he has made of the strength of international support for such an inquiry. [180496]

17 Dec 2013 : Column 566W

Mr Swire: We regularly discuss Sri Lanka, including accountability and the need for progress on a credible transparent and independent investigation into alleged war crimes ahead of the March UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session in March 2014, with a range of other EU, Commonwealth and international partners. The UK has been voted back on to the UNHRC and will play an active role in building international support ahead of the March UNHRC session, where an assessment will be made of Sri Lankan progress to date. The UK previously co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka in March 2013 which urged Sri Lanka to conduct an independent investigation into allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. We will coordinate closely with the members of the UNHRC to build support for an appropriate resolution on Sri Lanka.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the ability and willingness of the Sri Lankan Government to conclude an independent investigation into alleged war crimes before March 2014; and what criteria he has set for such an inquiry to be considered credible. [180497]

Mr Swire: We have urged the Sri Lankan Government to ensure that a credible, transparent and independent investigation into alleged war crimes has begun properly by March 2014. We have made clear that any investigation must be internationally accepted to be considered credible.

We share the concerns of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, that there have been no credible efforts to independently investigate the allegations to date. Progress will be assessed at the March 2014 UN Human Rights Council.

Resolve Amicably The Dispute Between The Chief Minister And The Governor

By R.M.B Senanayake - December 20, 2013 

R.M.B. Senanayake

The current state of disagreement or dispute between the Governor and theChief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council seems to throw open the whole issue of devolution under the 13th Amendment as a solution to the ethnic problem. The resolution of the ethnic problem will receive a serious setback if the dispute is not resolved amicably. It would lead to the unraveling of the 13th Amendment as a solution to the ethnic problem and open the whole issue once again and this time we may well see the intervention of the International Community through the UN. Statistically it has been found that a civil conflict between two communities that ended would erupt again in a few years.  All reasonable men would not want a resumption of conflict although extremists and nationalists may welcome it as a way of enforcing supremacy over the north since the Army is still in control there. A country cannot be held together by force but only with the consent of the people. But little do they know that the only way to keep a nation together is not to force it to be together. It is the Freedom and Respect that breeds the feeling of community and a sense of belonging.

As Parents, we keep our families together by encouraging discussion and dialogue and discouraging dispute and disdain. So are communities and so are nations. It is the freedom and the responsibility that are the essence and the essentials of any communion.

Let us not forget how the LTTE began its struggle. Small isolated strikes at the Army patrols began by the youth which escalated as time went on. It is also difficult to expect the International Community to remain silent when it is already probing allegations of war crimes and genocide. The doctrine of responsibility to act has been invoked in Kosovo and in Iraq with the establishment of Kurdistan. Haven’t we lost a large number of Sinhalese troops in the war?

But it must be said that the Chief Minister although he has been a judge has no experience in administration. His strong point is that he is not a politician. But he needs to know how district administration works.  Why in the world does anyone suppose that people who specialize in and excel at winning political elections are also uniquely skilled to excel at running other people’s lives? As for the Governor he is undoubtedly a strong administrator given his Army background. All this time he would have acted as the unchallenged head of the Province. But he needs to change. I remember after 1956 several Government Agents found it intolerable to see local MPs interfering in the district administration. Several of the old school of District administrators as Government Agents were transferred and replaced with younger members of the Civil Service who were more amenable to working with local politicians. In this case too the situation is the same although the overtones of ethnicity may color or discolor the issue. It is difficult for an administrator used to exercise power to change his ways of working and listen to the politicians although they are the representatives of the people. It is a question of accommodating to the peoples will and not necessarily a matter of inter-ethnic relations. So the prudent thing is for the Government to allow for changes in the holders of the posts of Governor and use the administrative capacity of the Governor in the South and send a more pliable officer to the North as Governor.

Read More

UN deputy chief reports ‘solidly positive’ response to new rights protection plan

Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson. UN Photo/Amanda Voisard

19 December 2013 – Two days after presenting a new United Nations strategy to prevent genocide and human rights abuses to Member States, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said the response has been ‘solidly positive.’

“I am encouraged by this work,” Mr. Eliasson said briefing journalists in New York about the new “Rights up Front” initiative. “I am encouraged by the sense of unity in the UN team on these issues, the seriousness and purpose when I brief not only Member States but also the different parts of the UN family.”

“I’ve received a very solidly positive response… [this] is an attempt for us to take seriously the need for prevention,” he added.

The six-point plan, initiated by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is an attempt by the Organization to fulfill its responsibilities to respond early to human rights violations, as set out by the UN Charter and Member States.

It includes training UN staff so they understand the UN’s mandates and commitments to human rights; providing Member States with candid information about people at risk of or subject to violations; and achieving more coherence by strengthening engagement with the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council and providing earlier and more coherent support to teams on the ground before a crisis emerges.

The initiative also calls for better organization of human rights staff so that they can identify risks of serious violations of human rights that could lead to atrocities.

Mr. Eliasson summarized these points into three main elements, adding that it is an attempt “to take prevention as seriously as we can.”

Integrating human rights “into the lifeblood of our UN staff” through training and mentoring, Mr. Eliasson highlighted the importance of making human rights awareness and knowledge permeate the UN system.

“If human rights violations is the beginning of something that can turn into mass atrocities and lead up to major operations on our side – political or peacekeeping – then you ask yourself, why shouldn’t we then be more firm and react at that stage when the human rights violations risk becoming atrocities,” he asked.

The second element focuses on protection of civilians, which Mr. Eliasson said becomes as issue when “we fail to take the early warning signals on human rights as seriously as we should.”

That means that the UN will be working closely the human rights and humanitarian communities, he added noting that “we see no contradiction between human rights prevention work and the protection of civilians.”

The third element is an internal topic related to how the UN is organized and how it is prepared to deal with situations that risk turning mass atrocities.

“You may recall in the IRP [Internal Review Panel] Report on Sri Lanka, that we had a systemic failure of the UN system as a whole and that we need to show greater flexibilities and come up with speedier action,” Mr. Eliasson stressed, echoing his remarks to an informal meeting of the General Assembly earlier this week.

There, he told delegations that the Panel’s report, issued last year, also concluded that the UN Secretariat, its funds and programmes, were not given the support they needed to carry out the responsibilities which the Member States had set out for the Organization.

The goal of the new initiative, he said, is to ensure that past UN failures are not repeated, such as its inability to have prevented genocide in Rwanda, where at least 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus were killed during a span of three months in 1994, and in Srebrenica, where at least 6,000 Muslim men and boys in a UN protection zone were massacred in 1995 during the wars in former Yugoslavia.

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News Tracker: past stories on this issue

New UN ‘Rights up Front’ strategy seeks to prevent genocide, human rights abuses

The Brutalisation Of The Tamil Polity

By Rajan Hoole -December 20, 2013 

Rajan Hoole

The Indo-Lanka Accord and Sri Lanka’s Fault Lines: July 1987 – Part – 7

With the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord, Citizens’ Committees in the North-East were quick to seek the assistance of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) regarding the resettlement of Tamils in areas from which they were displaced by the combined action of the Sri Lankan Forces and politically supported mobs. Trincomalee District was one area where this problem was extremely grave as testified by numerous ruined dwellings. The IPKF delegated senior officers to study this problem and suggest remedial measures. Being new to this situation, it was bound to take them time.

In the meantime, the situation in Trincomalee was explosive. The extent to which a combination of external aggression and internal degeneration had brutalised the Tamils is revealed in an incident taken from our Special Report No.8, Trincomalee: State Ideology and the Politics of Fear, which recalled in its quality the atrocities suffered by the Tamils in July 1983:

“A combination of events led to the first attack by Tamil hoodlum elements against Sinhalese civilians in early October 1987. The Indian Peace Keeping Force had arrived in early August. Tamil militant groups opposed to the LTTE had returned to town and there was a new assertiveness on the part of the Tamils. There was also growing friction between the Indian Army and the Sri Lankan Army which took being confined to barracks very badly. On one occasion a Sri Lankan Army vehicle speeding past the Town Hall opened fire at a group of Indian Army men and local civilians which included Brigadier Joshi. About this time around 2000 Tamil youths who had been confined at Boosa without charges were shipped to Trincomalee and released under terms of the Indo-Lanka Accord.                                                                          Read More

*From Rajan Hoole‘s “Sri Lanka: Arrogance of Power  - Myth, Decadence and Murder”. Thanks to Rajan for giving us permission to republish. To read earlier parts click here

TNA meets to decide future course of action

December 19, 2013, 10:14 pm 

TNA members of parliament and provincial councils, in the North and East, would be meeting next Tuesday (24) at the Town Hall in Vavuniya, to decide their future course of political action, party sources said yesterday (19).

The decision to hold this meeting was taken at the TNA parliamentary group meeting held at the Parliamentary complex last afternoon.

Accordingly, 13 TNA MPs, 30 councillors, including the Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council C. V. Vigneswaran and 11 councillors, in the opposition of the Eastern Provincial Council, would participate in the December 24 meeting, party sources said.

The TNA parliamentary group also decided to vote against the budget 2014 scheduled to be taken up at 6.00 p.m. today (20). (SI)

Bishops won’t indulge in politics - Cardinal

December 19, 2013, 10:14 pm 

Pic by Nishan S. Priyantha

By Norman Palihawadena

Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith yesterday said that neither he nor any bishop would indulge in politics or seek affiliation in any political party or group. 

Speaking at a media briefing, held at Archbishop’s House, Borella, he said although some businessmen had converted Christmas into a commercial event to exploit the people, it was in fact a feast dedicated to the poor.

“As we share this Christmas with the poor and speak out about their burning problems, some people are under the wrong impression that we are indulging in politics, which is not so.

“The Blessed Virgin Mary is a noble lady whose exemplary life should be emulated by the present day women.

“But it is disheartening to see that women have become commercial items today”, the Caedinal added.

First UN Resolution on the Protection of Women Human Rights Defenders

First UN Resolution on the Protection of Women Human Rights Defenders

A Pakistan HRD 

We are pleased to inform you that the first UN resolution on the protection of women human rights defenders was adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly's Third Committee on 27 November 2013. More than fifty States co-sponsored this important resolution.

The resolution, inter alia:

-      expresses concern about systemic and structural discrimination and violence faced by women human rights defenders of all ages, and calls upon States to take all measures necessary to ensure their protection and to integrate a gender perspective into their efforts to create a safe and enabling environment for the defence of human rights;

-        calls upon States to exercise due diligence in preventing violations and abuses against human rights defenders and in combating impunity by ensuring that those responsible for violations and abuses, including gender-based violence and threats against women human rights defenders, committed by State and non-State actors, including online, are promptly brought to justice through impartial investigations;

-          strongly calls upon States to refrain from, and ensure adequate protection from, any act of intimidation or reprisal against women human rights defenders who cooperate, have cooperated or seek to cooperate with international institutions, including their family members and associates, and reaffirms the right of everyone, individually and in association with others, to unhindered access to and communication with subregional, regional and international bodies, in particular the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms;

We take this opportunity to recall other resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council in 2013 on human rights defenders and civil society space:

-      Protecting human rights defenders (A/HRC/RES/22/6)

-     Civil society space: creating and maintaining, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment (A/HRC/RES/24/21).

Civil society actors have been active in putting these issues on the agenda, advocating for the necessity of these resolutions and proposing drafting suggestions.

We encourage you to share these resolutions with your partners and use it in your advocacy efforts to promote a safe and enabling environment for civil society everywhere.

Sunila Abeysekara -  Pioneering women HRD 

UK working with UNHRC members for the next resolution on Sri Lanka

 Friday, 20 December 2013 

The British government has 

commenced working with member states on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to present a resolution on Sri Lanka due to the government’s failures in addressing issues of concern.

The British government has reportedly said it is looking at co-sponsoring a resolution on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC in March next year.

The UK Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire has said that Britain regularly discuss Sri Lanka including accountability, with a range of other EU, Commonwealth and international partners.

He has noted that in those discussions they are exploring options, including the contents of a UNHRC resolution, ahead of the March session.
Swire has recalled that the UK previously co-sponsored the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka in March 2013, which urged Sri Lanka to conduct an independent investigation into allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

“We will coordinate closely with the members of the UNHRC to build support for an appropriate resolution on Sri Lanka,” he has said.

He has also observed that Britain continues to press the Sri Lankan government for credible, transparent and independent investigations into alleged war crimes and the UK has made clear that these investigations need to have begun properly by March or Britain will use its seat on the UN Human Rights Council to call for an international investigation.

Forced Sterilization And Northern Tamils

By Yaathavan Nanthakumaaran -December 20, 2013 

After 2009 in Northern Province forced sterilization has implemented by the Ministry of Health Colombo. It is a part of continuous genocide. The facilities were obtained from WHO and UNICEF under the name of Family Planning.  But now there are evidence that they have put contraceptive method for widows and mothers with their husband abroad and even pregnant mothers. The fatal incidents have been highlighted by media, but Ministry of Health Northern Province made by invalid report.  If a contraceptive implant is inserted during pregnancy it can cause  thromboembolism and death. Due to the risk of thromboembolism associated with pregnancy and immediately following delivery, IMPLANON should not be used prior to 21 days postpartum.  Thromboembolism can cause pulmonary emboli (some fatal), deep vein  thrombosis, myocardial infarction, stroke and death.

Please see the warning here

Ministry of Health and National Family Planning Bureau (Family Health Bureau) are keen interested in reducing the Tamils growth rate. The local health authorities involve in this procedure are getting bribery by going abroad official tour including Thailand, Singapore Indonesia and Philippines for brothel as a reward. This is medically unethical.

The annual health bulletin 2012 Serial No.1.21 says in Mullaithivu district IUD users 11284 Implants 4694. Almost all the fertile mothers are made contraception. It is ethnically wrong.

In Killinochchi district 3921 mothers were done LRT. This was done by the military medical officers in the field. Even though VOG is appointed in the Kilinochchi Hospital with enough facilities. These massive procedures occurred under a hidden agenda by passing normal existing health system.

Further in Kilinochchi district among 19129 fertile mothers 3921 were forced to do permanent sterilization. It means 20.49% fertile mother was made sterilize in a war tone village and this is a statistically significant index of genocide, where only 4.3% were ask to use condom.

In Mullaithivu district among 14358 fertile mothers 11284 were put implant. It is 78.6% of fertile mother were made sterilize. It is also statistically significant index for genocide and obviously a marker for forced sterilisation.

                   Read More

Tamil Diaspora Fleecing Tamils

 by Pearl Thevanayagam

(December 20, 2013- London - Sri Lanka Guardian) Kindness comes in ways unexpected. During this season of peace and goodwill I wish to share my personal experience of associating with humble people. I apologise for deviating from the norm of journalistic ethics excluding myself in stories unless it is relevant but this is neither breaking news nor expose.

Five weeks ago I fell down on a slippery plank, sprained my ankle and broke by glasses. I have an aversion for doctors and this was my first visit to a GP (general practitioner) in the 12 ½ years that I have been in the UK this time around.

I have since been diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure which I have known all along through symptoms I have experienced and did not want to admit that I am susceptible to old age illnesses.

I have many friends both in high places and ordinary. While the professionals sympathised with my situation and said they would pray for me, it was Sumathy with two young kids under 10 years of age and whose husband ran off with a 20 year old who came daily to cook and do the washing.

Since she had not consummated her marriage she was not entitled to public funds although the kids had benefits. Sumathy, like many refugee Tamils, have no recourse to challenge their position since they cannot articulate in English.

While she paid a Tamil solicitor £600.00 to sort out her immigration status which she could ill-afford, he simply sent two letters in the intervening 12 months to Home Office (UK ministry dealing with asylum and immigration cases) and kept haranguing her with evidence from GP that she is indeed the mother of her kids and that she is a single mother.

Tamil solicitors have cheated so many of their clients demanding fees while Home Office paid Legal Aid in advance to the tune of several thousands of pounds in advance..

The poor clients who work 24/7 to meet legal bills in bakeries and factories have no other recourse and no advice as to whether they should pay these cunning solicitors or cough up their hard-earned money.

Now it is only a handful of Sinhalese solicitors who are allowed Legal Aid and almost all of Tamil solicitors have been struck off.

From Gaithri Nathan to Raj Solicitors in Harrow and Wembley, the Law Society have struck them off and are investigating their dubious deals pertaining to asylum clients.

There is one solicitor who in Newham, Vasuki Shanmugarajah who inflicts cigarette burns on clients to claim torture.

As professionals they also act as trustees of Hindu Kovils such as Sri Kanaga Thurkka Amman Kovil in Ealing in Greater London. This temple provides daily lunch but those who patronise it are not the poor but those who arrive in their four wheel drive with children suffering form obesity who sit through the whole meal partaking in rice and curry and payasam and plantains; all supplied by devotees.

A poonool (holy thread) ceremony to the Hindu Brahmin would cost anything between £50.00 to £500.00 depending on the strength of their demands; be they marriage partner or child birth. They trust more on their poosaris than their gynaecologists.

When Raj Jayadevan pointed out in his article it is not the Sinhalese who dupe Tamils he is not lying. Tamils have a long history of fleecing fellow Tamils. From the defeat of LTTE to the current scenario of Tamils, they would have long ago got autonomy and parity were they not so self-centred.

Greed is an unfortunate malady entrenched in Tamil psyche. My disenchantment with Tamils began during Krishanthi Kumaraswamy’s murder in 1996. When the late Kumar Ponnambaam and myself met her uncle in Wellawatte, all he wanted was the jewellery buried in the family home. He showed no remorse for his sister, Krishanthy’s mother, or his nephew who were also murdered by government soldiers at the checkpoint in Jaffna.

Tamils have to shed their adherence to materialism and instead show they have Hinduistic values of their ancestors who abhorred ostentation and lived a holistic and holy life bereft of worldly possessions.

Are they up to it in the 21st century?

(T he writerhas been a journalist for 24 years and worked in national newspapers as sub-editor, news reporter and news editor. She was Colombo Correspondent for Times of India and has contributed to Wall Street Journal where she was on work experience from The Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley, California. Currently residing in UK she is also co-founder of EJN (Exiled Journalists Network) UK in 2005 the membership of which is 200 from 40 countries. She can be reached at pearltheva@hotmail.com)

An open letter to D.B.S. Jeyaraj

 Friday, 20 December 2013

I have not received any response to my earlier e mail re the subject Tussle in North between governor and Chief Minister. Hence I am sending this open letter to you. Please publish this e mail response to you and send me your response. 

Your 10 page essay is like that of a paid advocate defending murderers. In your wisdom, you have given copious criticisms of the elected Tamil Justice Wigneswaran, but none for the ex military Singhalese governor. Your integrity is questionable.. Don’t you think Chandrasri and Rajapakse also need your wisdom? You seem to presume that Chandrsri and Rajapakse are infallible and can do no wrong and only Justice Wigneswaea and TNA have to correct themselves.

The truth is that it is the story of the Singhalese wolf and Tamil lamb. What you are doing is trying to find justification for the wolf to devour the Tamil lamb. You have assumed the role of a sycophant. Pray tell me what do you gain by your type of journalism. Rajapakse tried to deny the people of the North , their rights to autonomy, but was forced by India to hold the elections. Having held the elections, he is now doing all in his powers to scuttle it, and people like you are giving him as smoke screen.

Below are reasons why Governor Chandrasri should have gone long ago and now should do so without further delay.:

On September 21, 2013 the Northern Tamils voted and said NO loud and clear, to the administration of Governor Chandrasri and Rajapakse government. They said enough is enough. Chandrsri had been the military commander of Jaffna and had been instrumental in many Tamil deaths. He was commandant of the concentration camps where 300,000 Tamil civilians who surrendered were incarcerated behind barbed wire and Singhalese armed guards in inhuman conditions without toilets and running water. After the LTTE surrendered on May 19, 2013, Chandrasri served as Governor of Northern Province, during which time many Tamils were abducted in white vans and killed mercilessly by army and paramilitary thugs. Chandasri is an accused war criminal against whom there is a prima facie case, which has to be investigated. You are pretending not to know these facts. Why should not TNA as the people’s representative ask for his removal.? You cannot deny that he is a military man

Chadrasri, as governor had openly supported government candidates, which is highly improper. Any respectable man would have resigned as soon as the election verdict was known, but this accused criminal clings on like a leech and makes mattes difficult for he Chief Minister. His departure is long overdue. You have an agenda in holding a brief for this criminal Chandrasri, and you should come clean. He has Tamil blood on his hands and should go.

You blame the diaspora as if TNA and Wigneswaran are not capable of making their own decision. This is a pet subject and litany of the Singhalese extremists, which you are parroting.. According to the constitution, a governor can be removed by the provincial council. The NPC has passed a resolution to that effect; so should you not advise Chandrsri to go ? Why not ? Does not the will of the people prevail ?

You know the standing of Justice Wigneswaran and Chandrsri. The former is a man of impeccable record. The latter is an accused war criminal given immunity my the corrupt Rajapakse government. Why do you expect Wigneswaran to keep going for dialogue with Chandrasri for everything.. Why don’t you ask Chandrsri to have dialogue with Justice Wigneswaran. Should the elected Chief Minister go to the governor every time a decision has to be made. Shouldn’t the governor let the Chief Minister run the province for the benefit of the people,

What is wrong with NPC establishing departments of housing and transport ? Why is Chandrsri up in arms against it. Is he correct in summoning NPC staff and warning them not to carry out orders of the Chief Minister. Chandrsri should have had a dialogue with Chief Minister if he had any doubts. Is it not wrong for the governor to give counter instructions and undermine the discipline of the staff. On the contrary, you have given an unsolicited clean character certificate to Chandrsri.

You mention that the NPC Chief Secretary R. Viyayalakshmi, who is only taking orders from Governor Chadrsri and refusing to co operate with the Chief Minister, is granddaughter of Vaithilingam Durasamy. Does that give her a halo of sanctity and infallibility. Is she not an opportunist pandering to Singhalese chauvinism. ?

You are saying because TNA decided to support Sarath Fonseka as President, which was because they had to chose the lesser evil, now TNA cannot ask for the removal of an accused war criminal. You are going out of the way to hold a brief for the accused criminal Chandrasri. What is your motive.?

As a fellow Tamil I am ashamed of your behavior. You say that President wanted to do this and that. The whole world knows what a dishonest man he is, changing his word and going back on his promises. You are painting the president as a nice well meaning man whereas he is cheating the Tamil people. Why cannot Rajapakse appoint a Tamil or a Singhalese civilian as a governor with the concurrence of the Chief Minister ? It is you who are engaged in cheap journalism.

You are saying that army and the ex military governor have to be eased out slowly. Did Rajapakse promise to do that ? He has publicly said that he will not remove the army from the north. So you are conveying wrong and misleading information to the reading public. You say that other provincial councils have averted friction. Are you so dumb as not to know that the whole problem is that Singhalese do not want to give powers to a Tamil province. In your wisdom don’t you realize that Chandrasri is a military man, and Rajapakse should never have appointed him as governor of Northern Province. At least after the election he should have been removed. You are giving lame excuses for sabotaging anti Tamil actions of Chandrasri and Rajapakse

Are you not aware that Rajapakse was trying to scrap provincial councils to prevent Tamils having a little autonomy and India had to force him to hold NPC elections. Don’t you know that Chandrsri is hell bent on preventing NPC from delivering their promises to the Tamil people. This is triumphalism. Acceeding to people’s request cannot be described as ‘caving in’. That is democracy. What is his problem in acting on the wishes of Tamil people in their own traditional home. Are the Singhalese justified in showing their arrogance to the Tamil minority and do you have to hold ‘pantham’.

If Chandrsri wants to show that he has the whip hand and he will run the show, then what is the use of having elections. Where is the devolution and where is the reconciliation.
What is your objective in asking the Chief Minister to go cringing after Chandrasri when he is causing so much problems. An elected Chief Minister deserves more respect. Don’t you think that Tamils need to be treated with some self respect. Justice Wigneswaran was justified in refusing to sit and co chair meetings with a man like Douglas Devananda, who has criminal records .Douglas Devanada wants to sanitise himself by sitting with Justice Wigneswaran.

I can only request you not to indulge in partisan and low level journalism to earn a living.. You should change the tone of your writings in future to avoid damaging the Tamil cause.

S. Makenthiran