UNHCR marks World Refugee Day 2014

 

Friday, 20 June 2014 

The Global Trends report 2014 shows that the number of refugees and IDPs under UNHCR care has more than doubled in a decade – from 15 million in 2004 to 35.6 million today. For the first time in the post-World War II era, forced displacement has exceeded 50 million people worldwide. UNHCR has given much needed hope by protecting tens of millions of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons by providing them with the support needed to rebuild their lives. In Asia, millions of forcibly displaced wait for durable solutions, long-running and new conflicts continue to force more people to search for safe havens. At present, Asia remains one of the largest refugee producing regions in the world.

In this global and regional context, Sri Lanka has made progress in reintegrating the returning Sri Lankan refugees and by being a host country to many of those that flee violence in the region. Since the conflict in Sri Lanka ended in May 2009, UNHCR has helped over 11,400 Sri Lankan refugees who have returned voluntarily to restart their lives. Similarly, though numbers remain low in comparison to other host countries in the region, Sri Lanka currently hosts 291 refugees and 1547 asylum seekers, all of whom are registered with UNHCR.

Sri Lankan government has made great strides in reintegrating 573,651 returning internally displaced persons since the end of civil conflict in 2009. UNHCR continues to assist the government in finding durable solutions for the remaining IDPs. Likewise, Sri Lanka has very effectively dealt with the issue of  statelessness on its territory by passing legislation enabling Tamils of Indian Origin, who had been previously disenfranchised, and a population of ethnic Chinese, who had been in the country since the 1940s, to access citizenship. Sri Lanka is often cited as the best practice in the region in resolving issues of statelessness.

This year, in commemorating the World Refugee Day, UNHCR globally focuses on the devastating impact of war on families. “World Refugee Day is a time for us to reflect on the lives of the refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people worldwide who go through immense suffering due to violence and persecution”: says UNHCR’s Representative, M. Golam Abbas. UNHCR appreciates the generosity of the Sri Lankan government in accommodating asylum seekers and refugees until durable solutions are found for them. Thus the World Refugee Day, 2014 also presents an opportunity for the government to reiterate its greater effort to protect refugees and asylum seekers.

U.S denies any agreement allowing Sri Lanka to import Iran crude via third parties

BY RANGA SIRILAL AND SHIHAR ANEEZ- Fri Jun 20, 2014

(Reuters) - The United States denied on Friday that it had any agreement with Sri Lanka to allow Colombo to import Iranian crude oil through third parties, avoiding Western sanctions aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program.

"We categorically deny there was any agreement," a spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo told Reuters.

Sri Lanka's Media Minister and government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters late on Thursday that the island nation has been buying Iranian crude from various countries via third parties, and avoiding sanctions - with the understanding of the United States.

"For instance, Malaysia supplied what happened to be Iranian oil. It's a very closed secret," Rambukwella said during a briefing on the expansion of Sri Lanka's shipping fleet. "But we have had some understanding with the U.S. as well."

"I know the gravity of it. I know it's a serious statement," he said when asked if he was aware of the possible implications of what he was saying. He did not elaborate on the nature of the understanding between Sri Lanka and the U.S. government.

"Iran was supplying to 'X' place under a different name and from there to other places. Wherever there are sanctions, third parties are involved," Rambukwella added.

Asked how many cargoes of Iranian crude Sri Lanka had obtained through third parties, Rambukwella said, "I have no idea, but it was time to time. At the end of the day, you get the oil, and our refinery is meant for Iranian crude. They have a sulfur problem and other issues."

In a statement, Sri Lanka's External Affairs Ministry "categorically" rejected the contents of a Reuters article reporting Rambukwella's comments on Sri Lanka evading U.S. sanctions against Iran, saying it was "wholly incorrect and devoid of any truth."

A spokesman for Malaysian state oil firm Petronas [PETR.UL] declined to comment. A Petronas source, who didn't want to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the company had been told by the Prime Minister's office not to deal in any business related to Iran. Malaysia stopped buying Iranian oil when Western sanctions were put in place in early 2012.

SOLE REFINERY

Sri Lanka's only oil refinery - a decades-old, 50,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) plant run by Ceylon Petroleum Corp (Ceypetco) - is configured to run on Iranian crude. The Sapugaskanda refinery, near Colombo, has faced closure at times as it scrambled to fill shortfalls due to sanctions on Iranian oil.

Sri Lanka has previously said that Western sanctions against Iran punish countries that depend on Iranian oil, but Colombo has sharply reduced its imports of Iranian crude to be eligible for waivers - concessions offered by Washington to avoid an energy crunch as a result of the sanctions.

Sri Lanka was twice granted waivers after the U.S. sanctions came into effect. It received a first waiver in June 2012 after cutting imports of Iranian crude by 23 percent.

But Sri Lanka was unable to buy any Iranian crude in the second half of 2012, largely because sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union made it difficult to secure ships or insurance. With imports from Iran falling to zero in that period, government officials said they had been told by Washington that Sri Lanka would no longer be eligible to import from Iran. In June of last year, Sri Lanka's oil minister said it was unlikely the country would be granted another waiver.

Last November, the Sri Lankan government canceled a shipment of crude after it was suspected of containing banned Iranian oil.

Sri Lanka has been importing Oman light and Murban crude from Abu Dhabi, but Ceypetco officials have said the yield at the refinery from processing these alternative crudes has been 15-20 percent lower than that from Iran light.

In exchange for a limited easing of sanctions, Iran agreed last November to take action to eliminate its most proliferation-prone enriched uranium gas stockpile and stop producing the material.

(Additional reporting by Florence Tan in SINGAPORE; Editing by Jane Baird and Ian Geoghegan)

Scores killed and wounded in Syria car bomb blast

A car bomb in Syria's western Hama province kills 34 and wounds more than 50, Syria's state news agency SANA reports.

FRIDAY 20 JUNE 2014

The state agency said the attack was a "terrorist" bombing, referring to anti-government rebels fighting forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an anti-Assad monitoring group, reported that 37 people had been killed in the blast, and more than 40 were wounded in the blast which took place in the village of Hurra.

Situated in the province of Hama, in the east of the country, the village of Hurra is controlled by the Syrian government.

It was not immediately clear if the attack was in any way related to the militant group Isis, which is active in Syria and has seized vast tracts of territory across the border in Iraq in recent weeks.

Syria's three-year-old conflict began as peaceful protests against the government but has turned into civil war, killing at least 100,000 people according to United Nations estimates.

Rebels have been joined by hardline Islamists, some of them linked to al-Qaeda, who have become increasingly powerful among opposition forces.

Video: Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Miller answers the key questions on Isis, the extremist Sunni militant group which is leading insurgents in Iraq - but which has also been fighting in Syria.

Iraqi forces ready push after Obama offers advisers

1 OF 2. A vehicle burnt during clashes between Iraqi security forces and al Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is seen in the city of Baquba June 16, 2014. EUTERS/Stringer

BY ISRA' AL-RUBEI'I-Fri Jun 20, 2014 

(Reuters) - Iraqi forces were massing north of Baghdad on Friday, aiming to strike back at Sunni Islamists whose drive toward the capital prompted the United States to send military advisers to stiffen government resistance.

Iraqi Forces Ready Push After Obama Offers Advisers by nelvely

Ukraine peace plan includes buffer zone on Russian border

Pro-russian troops ride on a tank on a road in the direction of Donetsk not far from Debaltseve, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Friday, June 20, 2014. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

BY CAROL MORELLO June 20 at 9:59 AM  

DNIPROPETROVSK, Ukraine — A plan by Ukraine’s new president to end a two-month-old conflict with separatists in the eastern part of the country includes a proposal to create a six-mile buffer zone on Ukraine’s border with Russia, according to details that started to emerge Friday.
Ukraine Peace Plan Includes Buffer Zone on Russian Border by nelvely

The Venezuelan Economy's Rising Czar

• BY JUAN NAGEL-JUNE 20, 2014 

Rafael Ramírez, Venezuela's oil minister, is a bookish-looking engineer. A tall, impeccably dressed, light-skinned man who speaks almost in a hush, he stands in contrast to the rest of Venezuela's boisterous political leadership. But one should not be fooled by appearances: Ramírez may seem like the odd man out, but he is now arguably the most important person in the government. A few months ago, President Nicolás Maduro promoted Ramírez to vice president of economic affairs -- essentially putting the mild-mannered man in charge of the country's economy. And he's determined to make some big changes.

The Venezuelan Economy's Rising Czar by nelvely

55 colleges under investigation over handling of sexual violence complaints

By Jason Hanna, Emanuella Grinberg and Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN- Fri May 2, 2014

(CNN) — Federal investigators are checking whether 55 colleges and universities illegally handled sexual violence and harassment complaints, the U.S. Department of Education said Thursday.

Such investigations have long been known, but this is the first time that the department has released a list of all probes currently under way.

The list includes colleges and universities in 27 states and in the District of Columbia.

U.S. Department of Education Releases List of Higher Education Institutions with Open Title IX Sexual Violence Investigations

U.S. Department of Education

MAY 1, 2014

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released today a list of the higher education institutions under investigation for possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment complaints.

55 Colleges Under Investigation Over Handling of Sexual Violence Complaints by nelvely

Sri Lanka army 'blocks' return of Tamils

Army control of homes and farms prevents return to Jaffna of thousands of civil war refugees, locals and activists say.

18 Jun 2014 

The Sri Lankan army's control of property left vacant by fleeing civil war refugees has stopped thousands of Tamils returning home, according to activists.

After Sri Lanka declared victory over the Tamil Tigers in 2009, the army took control of farms and houses left empty by Tamils who had fled the violence.

The military says its mission in northern Jaffna is to prevent "hardline rebel sympathisers" from returning from abroad.

But rights groups say the "militarisation" of Tamil areas means thousands of people who fled the war still cannot return.

Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports from Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Amendment moved by Mangala Samaraaweera in Parliament

Thursday, 19 June 2014 

Rejecting an international investigation can only be done acceptably if there is a credible domestic mechanism : credible and independent democratic

Institutions must be restored to address the issues of accountability as a matter of national urgency.

It is in this context the UNP is moving the following amendment to resolution No.P.212/14 of 13th June 2014.

" The house regrets that the government failed to consult Parliament prior to

a.Issuing a joint communique with the Secretary General of the United Nations on 23rd May 2009.
b.Jointly sponsoring a reseloution at the UNHRC bearing No.S 11/1 in May 2009 and the matters agreed upon and
c.Making written submissions to the Darusman panel.

And the Parliament calls upon the government to:

1.Bring the relevant bills to before the house within two months;
2.Fully implement the totality of the LLRC recommendations.
3.Revive the provisions of the 17th amendment to the constitution.
4.Incorporate Latimer House Principles as an integral part of the constitution and
5.Make provisions for the freedom of information.

Resolutions and conspiracies

Editorial-June 18, 2014

The much-publicised government resolution against a UNHRC war crimes probe has been adopted by Parliament. Its passage was never in doubt. Interesting views and counterviews were expressed amidst slanging matches during the two-day debate. All speakers fared reasonably well either defending the government or tearing into it. Minister Wimal Weerawansa was at his oratorical best.

Weerawansa demanded that the allegations of human rights violations against the government in peacetime be separated from the issue at hand—UNHRC war crimes probe. He viewed it as the first step towards penalising the political and military leaders responsible for defeating the LTTE. He sounded just like George W Bush when he told the Opposition that there was only one question to be answered: "Are you for the UNHRC probe or are you against it?" Bush, it may be recalled, thundered amidst a rapturous applause, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 disaster, "Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists."

Tainted as some of his arguments with Bushism were, Minister Weerawansa succeeded in defending the government position better than all other UPFA speakers put together. His speech was so impressive that the state media which had stopped giving him exposure in view of his differences with the government were compelled to cancel their prime time programmes and telecast it. He is sure to be one of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s main speakers at the next presidential election as well. (The President must have given him a bear hug immediately after returning from Bolivia!)

It is only wishful thinking that the UNHRC will conduct an impartial investigation. Nor will it refrain from going ahead with its probe under any circumstances. The Opposition has argued that the parliamentary resolution against the UNHRC probe has, therefore, been an exercise in futility. The government, however, is not unaware of this simple fact. The objective it has sought to achieve through a parliamentary debate on the UNHRC move is political rather than diplomatic. It will milk the current situation of its news value to gain enough political mileage with an eye to the next presidential and parliamentary elections.

In the course of his parliamentary speech, Minister Weerawansa spoke of an unseen hand behind the Aluthgama violence against Muslims. He claimed there was a conspiracy to deprive the government of minority votes at the next presidential election through attacks on Muslims. The ruling party propagandists also peddle this argument, claiming that the troublemakers are funded by some foreign powers. If so, the question is why the government does not have those who incite racial hatred and violence arrested forthwith.

Opposition politicians, especially Democratic Party Leader Gen. Sarath Fonseka, are prevented from holding even election meetings in violation of their constitutionally guaranteed rights, but those notorious for ethno-religious extremism are free to hold protests with the police looking the other way. Will the government allow those ‘conspirators’ and their ‘hirelings’ to operate so freely to engineer its downfall?

The Opposition has called for stern action taken against the perpetrators of violence against Muslims. So do the world powers perceived to be hostile to this country, the UNHRC and international human rights groups. Here is a golden opportunity for the government to crack down on the extremist groups and defeat their ‘conspiracy to facilitate a regime change’. That is the best way it could silence its critics who claim it is supportive of those fanatics. What or who prevents it from doing so?

அல்ஜசீரா வாகனத்தையும் உடைத்த சிங்கள காடையர் வீடியோ இணைப்பு !

TAMILKINGDOM

தமிழால் இணைவோம்

சிறீலங்காவின் களுத்துறை அளுத்கம, மத்துகம, பேருவெல 
பகுதிகளில் சிங்கள பௌத்த குண்டர்களின் தாக்குதலினால் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட முஸ்லிம்களின் நிலை குறித்து தகவல் சேகரிக்கச் சென்ற அல்-ஜசீரா தொலைக்காட்சியின் ஊடகவியலாளர் குழுவின் மீது குண்டர்கள் குழுவொன்று தாக்குதல் நடத்தியுள்ளது. இவர்கள் சிங்கள காடையர்கள் என்பது அடையாளம் காணப்பட்டுள்ளது.

சிங்கள மொழியில் கத்திப் பேசியவாறே இவர்கள் அங்கே வந்து அல்ஜசீராவின் வாகனத்தை தாக்கியுள்ளார்கள். இருப்பினும் இதனை நேரடியாக தொலைக்காட்சியில் கூறமுடியாது என்ற காரணத்தால் அவர்கள் அதனை தவிர்த்துள்ளார்கள். அத்தோடு அல்ஜசீரா வாகனத்தை தாக்கியவர்களின் வீடியோக்களும் உள்ளதாகவும் அதனை பொலிசாரிடம் படப்பிடிப்பு குழுவினர் கொடுத்துள்ளதாகவும் தெரிகின்றது.

நேற்று இடம்பெற்ற இந்த தாக்குதலில், அல்-ஜசீரா தொலைக்காட்சி ஊடகவியலாளர்கள் சென்ற வாகனத்தின் கண்ணாடிகள் அடித்து நொருக்கப்பட்டன. எனினும், அதில் பயணம் செய்த ஊடகவியலாளர்கள் பாதுகாப்பாக, அங்கிருந்து தப்பிச் சென்றனர். அதேவேளை, பௌத்த அடிப்படைவாதக் குழுக்களின் தாக்குதலினால், பாதிக்கப்பட்ட மக்கள் தொடர்ந்தும் பாடசாலைகள், பள்ளிவாசல்களில் தங்கியுள்ளனர்.

இவர்களுக்கான உதவிப் பொருட்கள் கொழும்பில் இருந்து அனுப்பிவைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. அளுத்கம, பேருவெல பகுதிகளில், நேற்றுமாலை பதற்றமான சூழல் நிலவிய நிலையில், சிறிலங்கா படையினர் டாங்குகள், கவசவாகனங்களிலும் கால்நடையாகவும்ரோந்துப் பணிகளில் ஈடுபடுத்தப்பட்டிருந்தனர்.

Aluthgama Matter Cannot Rest There

By R. Sampanthan - June 19, 2014

R Sampanthan MP

Mr. Deputy Chairman of Committees, before I conclude, you will permit me, Sir – that is also a matter concerning human rights – to refer to the incidents that occurred in Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town recently.  Something happened on Thursday. The persons concerned were arrested and they were remanded. With that the matter ended. I have seen the video of a speech made by a Venerable Monk. It was a very vitriolic speech, a very violent speech; a speech urging the people to take to violence, insulting members of a particular community and saying that the police forces and the armed forces of this country are Sinhala. Consequent to that speech where the people were set up, there was a loud applause from the people. There was a procession and when the procession was taking place, shops were attacked, houses were attacked, mosques were attacked, people were attacked and a large number of people were injured; two people have died and immense damage has been caused to Muslim civilians.

Why were the law enforcement authorities quiet? Why were they silent? Why did they not act? After all, you stop processions of workers demanding trade union rights or demanding wages or demanding salaries. You stop university students’ strikes when they protested with regard to their grievances in the universities. Then, why was this procession not stopped? Was it a Government decision that that procession should not be stopped? Was it that the law enforcement authorities slackened in the performance of their duty; did not perform their duty and permitted these people to go on this outrage? I think, Sir, we must have answers to these questions. The Hon. Leader of the Opposition made a statement this afternoon. But, I think this matter cannot rest there. We are very concerned because this surely should not happen to any citizen in this country, irrespective of whether he is a Sinhalese, a Muslim, a Tamil, a Burgher, a Malay or whatever.

Is it that as far as law enforcement is concerned, there is one method of enforcement of the law against certain people in this country and a different method of enforcement of the law against other citizens in this country; that certain people are above the law; that certain people do not have to obey the law; that certain people can disregard the law with impunity in the belief that this Government will protect them?  In my view, the law enforcement authorities would have acted if they had the confidence that this Government will be supportive of the action they take.  If the law enforcement authorities did not take action as required by them under the law, I think it was for the reason that they feared that they might become culpable in the assessment of this Government in regard to their taking such action.

Sir, we need a very clear and definite position from the Government in regard to where this country is going as far as law enforcement is concerned and as far as the protection of the citizens of this country is concerned, irrespective of which ethnicity they belong to.

I thank you.

*The Tamil National Alliance’s leader, R. Sampanthan MP, made the statement above in Parliament on 17th June 2014 concerning violence against Muslims in Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town.

“What was our crime?”

Thousands of displaced people in the riot-rocked towns of Beruwala and Aluthgama are too afraid to go home again – and many of them have no homes to return to

By Dharisha Bastians in Beruwala and Aluthgama

Thursday 19th June 2014

The watcher at the Al Humeisara Central College in China Fort is compulsive about keeping the tall gates padlocked at all times. He ushers authorised vehicles in and hurriedly shuts the gates behind them, casting furtive looks on the road outside.
Inside the closely-guarded gates, schoolroom desks and chairs are stacked in corners. All the signs of mass displacement abound – large water tanks, truckloads of relief items and make-shift first aid centres. Infants and toddlers snooze in the stifling noon day heat on the floors of fly-infested classrooms. Some of them are only a few weeks old.

“What Was Our Crime by nelvely

Aluthgama And The March Of Triumphalism

| by Tisaranee Gunasekara

“Lies are believed amongst every race; and was any race ever the sole possessor of Truth?”

Abdallah al-Ma’arri (Arab poet and sceptic 973-1057)

( June 19, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) In Aluthgama and Beruwala, violence has petered out and fires have died. But it will be a long while before normalcy returns to these afflicted localities, if at all. The memories and the fears will survive, and for the Muslim people of the area, life will have to be lived under an ominous cloud of dread and foreboding.

Aluthgama and the March of Triumphalism by nelvely

President Needs Evidence; Listen To This Barbaric, Uncultured So Called ‘Monk’

By Rifai Naleemi -June 19, 2014

Dr. Rifai Naleemi

Who Is Responsible For Racial Attacks on Innocent Muslims in Aluthgama?

Finally, after all these atrocities against innocent Muslims in Aluthgama, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has requested Muslim MPs to produce evidence for the racist attacks. This is a rather sarcastic, mocking request from our President. One wonders, where does our president live?  Does he live in Sri Lanka or on another planet? 

Gnanasara

It is self-evident that all these racist attacks are carried out by BBS cohorts following the inflammatory speech of its Secretary General.  Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero has been inciting Muslims for more than two years and he has been insulting Islam and Muslims without any reason or evidence with false accusations and fabrication.

If the President needs any evidence he should listen to some of speeches and talks given by this  barbaric, uncultured so called ‘monk’. He should watch some of video clips of racist attacks on Muslims in Aluthgama. What evidence does he need after more than 300 hundred racist incidents are recorded within last two years? All evidence has been produced to Human Rights commissions at the UN and in Europe. Let him read some of these reports to know what has happened to Muslims for the last two years. 

Who should be blamed for these racial attacks on innocent Muslims in recent times? Since 2011 Muslims have been a target of racial attacks from Buddhist extremists called Bodu Bala Sena. They have been provoking Muslim people with vulgar words and utterances. They have used filthy words to depict Islam and Muslims. They have fabricated many unfounded accusations against Muslims for no reasons. Yet, the President cannot see the culprit.                                                              Read More