Hundreds die in India, Pakistan after heaviest rain in 50 years

1 OF 2. An aerial view taken from an Air Force's helicopter shows the remains of a bridge after it was swept away by floodwaters from the river Tawi on the outskirts of Jammu September 9, 2014. 

2 OF 2. Army soldiers unload relief materials from an Indian Air Force's helicopter before distributing them to flood victims, at an army camp near Reasi, northwest of Jammu September 9, 2014. 

BY ABU ARQAM NAQASH AND ADNAN ABIDI-MUZAFFARABAD/SRINAGAR Tue Sep 9, 2014

(Reuters) - The death toll from the heaviest rain to fall on Kashmir in 50 years rose to more than 400 on Tuesday, with thousands still trapped on rooftops and residents criticising Indian and Pakistani authorities for not doing enough to help them.

On the Indian side of the heavily militarised Line of Control that divides the Himalayan region, the city of Srinagar lay submerged along with more than 2,000 villages.

"The damage is shocking," a senior official from India's National Disaster Response Force said in New Delhi. "People have been stranded on the rooftops of their homes for the last three days in some parts of Kashmir."

The official, who requested anonymity, said he would have deployed disaster-response teams earlier, but "we were all caught off guard because there was not a single warning issued by the weather office. The flash floods took us by surprise".

India's meteorological department had forecast heavy rain in Kashmir last week, but the Central Water Commission, which issues flood advisories, has been criticised by Indian media for not warning the state.

Some 47,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in India, where 217 were reported dead by Tuesday. The Indian Air Force has air-dropped more than 550 tonnes of relief material, and 80 medical teams have established emergency health services in government schools and state-run health care centres.

The flooding is the first major humanitarian emergency under India's new prime minister, Narendra Modi, but also comes at a difficult time for Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has faced weeks of street protests aimed at forcing him out.

In Pakistan, the death toll was comparable, with at least 231 people reported dead across the country, including Pakistan's side of Kashmir.

"With the memory of the catastrophic floods of recent years still fresh, many are wondering why the present calamity was not better predicted, flood warnings were not issued with more urgency, and mitigation measures not undertaken speedily," Pakistan's Dawn newspaper said in an editorial.

In Pakistan, people still remember 2010, when the worst floods in generations affected some 20 million people and damage to infrastructure ran into billions of dollars.

LARGE GARRISON

India has hundreds of thousands of soldiers stationed in Kashmir, manning the border and conducting counter-insurgency operations against separatist militants in a decades-old conflict that claimed thousands of lives at its peak but has cooled in recent years.

Soldiers rescued families using boats or airlifted them from rooftops by helicopter after the river Jhelum burst its banks in Srinagar, but many more remained stranded.

"Fortunately, it is not raining in Kashmir today and we are now getting a chance to send our teams across the region to help tens of thousands of people who have been displaced," Indian Defence Ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said.

In Pakistan, at least nine people died and six were injured when the roof of a mosque collapsed after days of heavy rain in the city of Lahore, said a spokesman for the rescue operation there. Sixteen people were still trapped under the debris, he said.

"Rescue workers are trying to recover them," he said.

Saeed Qureshi, an official at Pakistan's State Disaster Management Authority, said the volume of rainfall had rendered contingency plans useless.

"Nobody can fight with nature," Qureshi said. "We had made a contingency plan, identifying vulnerable populations along the banks of rivers and torrents, but rains with unexpected density wreaked havoc on the hilly areas beyond our imagination."

He said the district of Haveli, which straddles the de facto border between Indian- and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, had got 400 millimetres (15.75 inches) of rain in a day, which had "no parallel in the past 50 years".

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said this year's monsoon rains had killed more than 1,000 people in India alone.

When flash floods killed 5,000 people two years ago in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, including many Hindu pilgrims, relief authorities were also criticised for their slow response.

(Additonal reporting by Rupam Jain Nair in NEW DELHI and Mubasher Bukhari in LAHORE; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Maria Golovnina, Larry King)

Mental health costs 'astounding' - and on rise

TUESDAY 09 SEPTEMBER 2014

Around 70m working days were lost last year because of mental health and England's chief medical officer says the NHS and employers need to do more to help support sufferers at work.

Stress and depression should be treated in the same way as physical health, said Professor Dame Sally Davies, who is calling for a radical rethink in the way it is treated. She has called for funding for these services to be protected, amid warnings that they are being cut, and suggested implementing waiting time targets for treatment.

Dame Sally said the number of working days lost due to stress, depression and anxiety has increased by 24 per cent since 2009, costing an estimated £100bn and that the number lost due to serious mental illness has doubled.

It is crucial that we take action to help those people stay in employment to benefit their own health as well as the economyDame Sally

Providing a supportive working environment for people with mental health illnesses - for example, allowing more flexible working hours, or part-time working post-illness - could be a key way to prevent sufferers from having to take time off work, she added. An estimated 60 to 70 per cent of people with common mental health disorders were in full time work.

In her annual report on the mental health of people in England, Dame Sally also said it was striking that three quarters of people with diagnosable mental illness have no treatment at all.

'Treatment gap'

"The costs of mental illness to the economy are astounding," she said. "Through this report, I urge commissioners and decision-makers to treat mental health more like physical health.

"The World Health Organisation model of mental health promotion, mental illness prevention and treatment and rehabilitation should be adopted in public mental health in England.

"Anyone with mental illness deserves good quality support at the right time. One of the stark issues highlighted in this report is that 60 to 70 per cent of people with common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety are in work, so it is crucial that we take action to help those people stay in employment to benefit their own health as well as the economy."

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "The treatment gap for people with mental health problems can no longer be ignored. Not only are people with mental health problems in need of better support for their mental health conditions, but there is an unacceptable and preventable level of correlation with physical ill health."

DIALOGUE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT, UN AND TNA NECESSARY TO BREAK DEADLOCK--JEHAN PERERA

08 September 2014

The appointment of a new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Husseinn, presents the Sri Lankan government with an opportunity to engage with the Office of the UN Human Rights Commissioner and to shed some of the negative baggage of the past. The government’s relationship with the former UN Human Rights High Commissioner, Navanethem Pillay, was acrimonious and mistrustful. It was bereft of the dialogue that could have helped to reconcile the differences that existed between the two sides. The main area of dispute has been the question of an international investigation into whether war crimes took place in Sri Lanka. The government would be hoping that the change at the top of the UN Human Rights Commission would mean that the UN investigation that has commenced might be stalled.

The appointment of an UN investigation team was not the former UN Human Rights Commissioner’s arbitrary decision. It followed a vote by the 47 countries represented on the UN Human Rights Council. In March 2014, the majority of countries in that body approved a resolution that called for the establishment of a UN investigation into the last phase of Sri Lanka’s war to ascertain whether war crimes and other serious human rights violations took place and to recommend a course of follow up action. This being the situation, it is unlikely that the new Human Rights High Commissioner will be able to stop the investigation. The decision of a collective body will not be overridden by the personal preferences of those appointed to head that body. It is unlikely that the new UN Human Rights High Commissioner would reverse the course taken by his predecessor.

In his opening remarks, the new UN Human Rights High Commissioner, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, has said that ‘Moreover, I attach great importance to the investigation on Sri Lanka mandated by this Council, on which OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) will report later in the session. I encourage the Sri Lankan authorities to cooperate with this process in the interests of justice and reconciliation. I am alarmed at threats currently being levelled against the human rights community in Sri Lanka, as well as prospective victims and witnesses. I also deplore recent incitement and violence against the country's Muslim and Christian minorities.” These words do not suggest any significant departure from the approach of the previous Human Rights High Commissioner, Navanethem Pillay.

VALUING DIALOGUE
However, an improved relationship with the new Human Rights Commissioner is possible if there is genuine dialogue. Dialogue does not simply mean talking to the other with whom there is a problem to be resolved. It also does not mean simply explaining one’s point of view to the other. Dialogue also means listening to the other and seeking to understand the other’s point of view. It also means looking beyond one’s own preferred solution without debunking the other’s preferred solution. Dialogue means finding a third way that is mutually acceptable to both sides. This is unfortunately not how the Sri Lankan government has been thinking up to now. The government’s belief seems to be that the political mandate it gets by winning elections overrides all other considerations. The government’s approach to problem solving has been to present its own version of the problem and expect others to go along with it.

The government’s position with regard to the UN investigation into war crimes is to denounce it as an unjustified intrusion into the country’s sovereignty and to refuse to cooperate with it. However, as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is part of the UN system, it is going to be harmful to Sri Lanka’s interests if its government is to go on a collision course with the UN system. By its refusal to cooperate with the UN investigation, and denying entry visas to the investigation team, Sri Lanka is also undermining the UN system which was set up to preserve world order and peace. This will not be an internationally acceptable course of action for Sri Lanka to follow. The government can seek to negotiate the terms on which the UN investigation is undertaken, but not by flatly rejecting and refusing to cooperate with it. The government needs to take the opportunity presented by the appointment of a new High Commissioner for Human Rights who comes in with a fresh outlook and seek to dialogue with him on finding a third way.

It is not only with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that the Sri Lankan government has a new opportunity to engage in dialogue. Another opportunity has also opened up with regard to resolving the vexed ethnic conflict within the country. This is on account of the changes that have taken within India with the election of a new government. The Indian government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a constructive position on the way forward for Sri Lanka to which it is prepared to give its support. While it has not shifted from the long term Indian government position with regards to the devolution of power and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, India has also urged the TNA to engage in dialogue with the Sri Lankan government and not to look for solutions from the international community.


POLITICAL SOLUTION
The Indian government’s invitation to the TNA to meet with its top leaders and the visit of the TNA parliamentarians to India has highlighted India’s continuing interest in ensuring that a political solution to the ethnic conflict is found in Sri Lanka. This turn of events was not anticipated by the government, which was lulled into believing that the nationalism of the new Indian Prime Minister and ruling party would resonate well with the nationalism of the Sri Lankan leadership. There was a misplaced hope within the Sri Lankan government that a nationalist India would side with a nationalist Sri Lanka and give a subordinate position to minority rights. This view was given credence by visiting Indian intellectuals who were deemed to be close advisors to the Indian government.

The encouragement that the TNA received from the Indian government to pursue a political solution based on the principle of devolution of power as found in the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, has pointed to the parameters of the possible solution. This is in conformity with the policy of earlier Indian governments. The Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987, the lives of Indian soldiers lost in the vain effort to disarm the LTTE and the implementation of the devolution of power to the provinces continue to be the drivers of Indian policy towards Sri Lanka. On the other hand, India has also made it clear to the TNA that the responsibility for arriving at a settlement with the Sri Lankan government cannot be shifted to either India or the international community. The message to the TNA has been that it will have to find a solution by engaging with the Sri Lankan government, and not be disengaging with it.

The many failures of Tamil parties over the past six decades since Independence to obtain a political solution in negotiations with the Sri Lankan government have induced them to place their reliance on external powers. Even today the hope of the Tamil political leadership appears to be to find the solution to their problems through international pressure. They have even gone to the extent of openly supporting the UN investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka. But it is evident that such external pressures will be resisted by the Sri Lankan government which has long demonstrated its skill at mobilising the fears, indignation and anger of the Sinhalese majority on the harm to the national interest. Ironically, it seems that the greater the international pressure, the greater is the resistance to it from within Sri Lanka. Therefore if a solution that is mutually acceptable is to be achieved it will require dialogue between the government and TNA. The need for dialogue between the government and TNA on finding a third way corresponds to the need for such a dialogue between the government and the UN.

New UNHRC chief asks Sri Lanka to cooperate with international probe

Newly appointed U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jordan's Prince Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein is pictured at the Human Rights Council at the United Nations Europeans headquarters in Geneva on Monday.

 September 8, 2014 

The new chief of United Nation’s human rights body on Monday asked Sri Lanka to cooperate with the international probe into alleged human rights abuses during final stages of armed conflict against LTTE and hailed his predecessor Navi Pillay, with whom Colombo had an uneasy relationship.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, in his first speech to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, said, that he attaches great importance to the investigation on Sri Lanka mandated by the Council.

“I encourage the Sri Lankan authorities to cooperate with this process in the interests of justice and reconciliation. I am alarmed at threats currently being levelled against the human rights community in Sri Lanka, as well as prospective victims and witnesses. I also deplore recent incitement and violence against the country’s Muslim and Christian minorities,” the Jordanian prince said.

Mr. Zeid’s statement came as Sri Lanka last week expressed hope that he would pursue a different approach to Ms. Pillay who they alleged was biased against the country by favouring the Tamil minority.

Mr. Zeid, who is the first U.N. human rights chief from the Muslim and Arab worlds, began his four-year post on September 1, succeeding Ms. Pillai, a Tamil of South African origin, who was often viewed as hostile to the island nation by the authorities in Colombo.

Praising his predecessor, the new chief of U.N.’s human rights body, said, “Navi Pillay was one of the greatest senior officials the U.N. has ever had, and one of the most able, formidable High Commissioners for Human Rights.

“That she could annoy many Governments — and she did — was clear; but she believed deeply and movingly in the centrality of victims, and of those who are discriminated against....I pledge to continue along the same path: to be as firm, yet always fair; critical of states when necessary, and full of praise when they deserve it,” he said.

Sri Lanka faces an international probe over allegations that government forces killed about 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of fighting, a charge refuted by Colombo.

Sinhala Colonization In The North Sped Up

September 8, 2014 

Sri Lanka Army has sped up the Sinhala colonization process that is being carried out pervasively in the Northern province, resulting in major changes to the social landscape and the culture in the areas.

One Sri Lankan Defense Ministry website Army.lk has updated a new report on a visit made by the Army Commander Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake to several areas in the Wanni last Thursday to oversee the operations carried out by Army personnel where vast acres of land that were owned by Tamil families for generations have now been handed over to Sinhala families, forming ‘new’ villages.

The housing and other infrastructure facilities in these villages are being provided to the resettled Sinhalese families by the Sri Lanka army.

One such area that was formerly a Tamil village known as Kokachankulam located in Vavunia North has been renamed as Nandimitragama – named after one of the ten giants, who according to legends helped King Dutugemunu fight King Elaraand emerge victorious. The news report on the Army website states that a massive statute of the Nandimitra giant is also being erected in the village as part of the constructions that is carried out in the area.

Similar projects are being carried out in several areas in the Northern province including Vadithalathiu and Padaviya.

Report: Repression of Dissent in Sri Lanka, July 2014

July is known as “Black July” in Sri Lanka, due to the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983, where thousands of Tamils were killed and their properties destroyed. It was a turning point in the ethnic conflict, which saw support for Tamil militancy increase and the birth of Tamil Diaspora. This year’s July, saw a commemoration of “Black July” being interrupted by Police. An event to commemorate the worst riots since then, in June 2014 against Muslims in Aluthgama, was also obstructed by the Police.

Repression of Dissent in Sri Lanka July 2014 English 07Sep2014 by Thavam

தமிழரசுக் கட்சியின் மாநாட்டில் 

வெளியிடப்பட்ட 15 தீர்மானங்கள்

[ திங்கட்கிழமை, 08 செப்ரெம்பர் 2014, 08:02.00 AM GMT ]

வவுனியாவில் நடைபெற்ற இலங்கைத் தமிழரசுக் கட்சியின் 15வது தேசிய மாநாடு நேற்றிரவு நிறைவு பெற்றது.

இதன்போது நிறைவேற்றப்பட்ட முக்கிய 15 தீர்மானங்கள் வருமாறு,

01. 2014 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஆவணி மாதம் 5,6,7 ஆம் திகதிகளில் வவுனியாவில் கூடிய இலங்கைத் தமிழரசுக் கட்சியின் 15 ஆவது தேசிய மாநாடு ஏறத்தாழ அறுபது வருடங்களாக இக்கட்சியின் கொள்கைகளுக்காக அயராது உழைத்தவர்களுக்கும் இதன் அடிப்படைக் கொள்கைகளை ஏற்று, ஆதரித்து, தொடர்ச்சியாக வாக்களித்து, இதுவே தமிழ் மக்களுடைய நிலைப்பாடு என்பதை ஜனநாயக முறைப்படி உறுதி செய்த எமது மக்களுக்கும், எம்முடைய மனமார்ந்த நன்றிகளைத் தெரிவிக்கும் அதேவேளையிலே,

தமிழரசுக் கட்சியின் மாநாட்டில் by Thavam

Govt To Assess Situation

By Waruni Karunarathne-Monday, September 08, 2014

The government says it will assess the situation in relation to anyone giving evidence before the UN led investigation on Sri Lanka and will decide on the next step accordingly.

Government Media Spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told The Sunday Leader that the government will assess the situation before deciding on any course of action.

“We cannot work on speculations. We will decide then and there what procedures need to be followed against those who are found giving evidence,” the Minister added.

When asked if the government is considering a process to block people from giving evidence, Minister Rambukwella said that it depends on the situation and they would establish a process if required.

Some Tamil political parties have begun gathering testimonials to be submitted to the investigations on Sri Lanka by the UN human rights office.Former Army Commander and leader of the Democratic Party, Sarath Fonseka, had said last week that he is not scared to testify before the UN led war crimes investigation.Speaking to the BBC Sinhala service outside court, Fonseka had said that when he led the war, he followed the law and so there was nothing to be afraid of.

Sri Lanka reiterates rejection of UN inquiry at opening day of Human Rights Council

08 September 2014

Sri Lanka reiterated its rejection of the UN Human Rights Council's inquiry to mass atrocities on the island at the opening day of the Council's 27th session.

"Sri Lanka reiterates our objection to the resolution HRC/25/L.1/Rev.1 and its call for a comprehensive investigation by the OHCHR," Sri Lanka's permanent representative in Geneva, Ravinath Ariyasinghe told member states.

Arguing that the country had made its own domestic moves towards accountability and reconciliation, Ariyasinghe slammed "some" states that he said "refused to acknowledge these [developments] and persist in heaping negative attention [on Sri Lanka]".

"Sri Lanka rejects assertions of threats leveled against the human rights community, and regrets attempts being made to portray the country as intolerant of religious minorities," he added.

Follow us on Twitter - @TamilGuardian - for live coverage of events at the Council. 
See related article: UN Rights Council mandates 'comprehensive investigation' by OHCHR into Sri Lanka (27 Mar 2014)

Photograph Tamil Guardian

  Zeid alarmed at intimidation of rights activists

Opening the session earlier in the day, the newly appointed High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, urged the Sri Lankan government to cooperate with the OHCHR Investigation into Sri Lanka (OISL), expressing concern at the intimidation of human rights activists. 

"I attach great importance to the investigation on Sri Lanka mandated by this Council, on which OHCHR will report later in the session. I encourage the Sri Lankan authorities to cooperate with this process in the interests of justice and reconciliation," 

“I am alarmed at threats currently being levelled against the human rights community in Sri Lanka, as well as prospective victims and witnesses. I also deplore recent incitement and violence against the country’s Muslim and Christian minorities.”  

US, UK urges Sri Lanka to cooperate with inquiry 

Reiterating the call for meaningful accountability for mass atrocities in Sri Lanka, US and UK representatives echoes Zeid's call on the Sri Lankan government to cooperate with the UN inquiry.

"We support your call for the government of Sri Lanka to cooperate with the international investigation and we urge the Sri Lankan government to facilitate access and ensure those cooperating with the investigation can do so without fear of intimidation or reprisals," said the UK.

Thanking the previous UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, "for the leadership she demonstrated in focusing the world's attention on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and encouraging meaningful accountability and respect for human rights in Sri Lanka," the US ambassador to Geneva also urged the Sri Lankan government to cooperate with the investigation.




Full statement by Sri Lanka at the Council's General Debate today: 

Sri Lanka reiterates our objection to the resolution HRC/25/L.1/Rev.1 and its call for a comprehensive investigation by the OHCHR.

We will be addressing this issue comprehensively during the High Commissioner's oral update. Not withstanding this rejection, as detailed in the statement to be circulated, Sri Lanka continues its own domestic process of reconciliation, using as a basis the LLRC action plan. 

Since then the HRC last met in June, a special bureau for reconciliation is being set up, the mandate on the COI for missing persons has been enhanced to inquire into additional matters, and the appointment of a five member advisory council which includes internationally recognised lawyers.

The bill on assistance to and protection of victims of crime and witnesses is due to be presented in Parliament tomorrow. And the joint needs assessment on resettled IDPs supported by OHR is nearing completion. The final report is expected by October 2014.

We are deeply appreciative of all our longstanding friends in this Council who have kept their faith in our ability to achieve national reconciliation on our own.
We are also currently engaged in high-level bilateral dialogue aimed at sharing experiences with several countries.

Despite these developments, some, refused to acknowledge these, and persist in heaping negative attention. Sri Lanka rejects assertions of threats leveled against the human rights community, and regrets attempts being made to portray the country as intolerant of religious minorities.

In conclusion I wish to reiterate Sri Lanka's full commitment to continue its domestic processes of accountability, justice, reconciliation and nation building, and will continue to work with our international partners.

Ambassador Keith Harper Press Statement: Opening Day of the 26th Human Rights Council

Good morning.  As you may know, I was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Human Rights Council only a few days ago, and arrived in Geneva over the weekend.

I am grateful to President Obama and Secretary Kerry for their confidence in nominating me to this important position, and to the United States Senate for confirming me.

Prior to this position, I was an attorney and represented American Indian Tribal Nations both in court and before domestic bodies and international organizations.  Much of that work was advocacy for the human rights and civil rights of members of tribal communities, safeguarding religious freedom, protecting land and natural resources and holding governments accountable.

Some of my most fulfilling work was right here in Geneva at the UN, representing Tribes in negotiations regarding the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  That experience gave me a deep appreciation of the work here and just how important it is.  So too, that work solidified my appreciation of the critical role NGOs and tribal governments play in promoting human rights.

Although I’ve just arrived, I thought that it was important to meet with you, the media, on my first day, because you also play an absolutely essential role in telling the story of human rights.

You and colleagues in the media work in an environment that is increasingly dangerous and hostile in many parts of the world.  NGOs report that more than 70 journalists and media workers were killed in connection with their work last year alone.  I know that many of you have personally suffered the loss of brave friends and colleagues.

In our work here, we must never forget our duty to champion the rights of the most vulnerable and to speak for those who have no voice.  Whether those champions are in the media or are those from civil society or human rights defenders, the United States will continue to stand with you.

The Human Rights Council is a critical venue for addressing some of the most persistent threats to human rights around the world.  The Obama Administration decided to seek membership because the United States believes the Council can make a difference.  With U.S. leadership, the Council has responded to urgent human rights situations in real time, shining a spotlight on situations such as Syria, North Korea, Iran and the Central African Republic.

We joined the Council in 2010 fully aware of the shortcomings, including its persistent, structural anti-Israel bias and the fact that some states with poor human rights records gain membership or seek to prevent action.  We are determined to work to address those shortcomings.

The agenda of the 26th HRC Session is an exceptionally full one.  Opening the Council this morning, High Commissioner Pillay described the plethora of injustice and individual human suffering that continues in far too many places around the globe.  I am very pleased to have arrived in Geneva in time to have the opportunity to work with High Commissioner Pillay, whom I look forward to calling on soon.  She has been a committed and courageous advocate for human rights, and a leader on many issues, including pressing for justice and accountability in Syria, Sri Lanka and North Korea, and in defending the human rights of LGBT persons.

The United States has a number of priorities at this session.  Let me briefly mention a few of them.

We will continue to focus attention on violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law in Syria.  The Commission of Inquiry established by this Council will report to us about ongoing atrocities and evaluate the body of evidence it has collected on crimes committed against the Syrian people. At this session, we will be part of a core group working towards meaningful accountability and preventing impunity.

We will also reaffirm the importance of Internet Freedom, through a resolution that will highlight how human rights apply online just as they do off-line.   We are pleased to be working with excellent partners on this initiative, including core group members Brazil, Nigeria, Sweden, Tunisia and Turkey.

The human rights situation in Belarus remains dire. We strongly support the European Union’s resolution on the situation there.

The United States also supports action led by the Africa Group this session on Eritrea, one of the most authoritarian places on the planet.

The Human Rights Council cannot remain silent on South Sudan, where thousands have been killed in ethnic violence since December.  The U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) recently found that crimes against humanity are occurring, and it documented serious violations and abuses of human rights by all parties.  We applaud the UN for what it has done to shelter civilians on its compounds, and the Council must do more to support the African Union and IGAD in their response.

In Ukraine, we are deeply concerned by the human rights impact of destabilizing actions by external actors.  We support the continued work of the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission.  Its report released just a few weeks ago documented an “alarming deterioration” in the human rights situation in Eastern Ukraine, as well as serious problems in Crimea.

The United States remains committed to positive engagement at the UN Human Rights Council and to working with all our partners to make this body more effective in responding to serious human rights abuses wherever they may occur around the globe.

I look forward to working with all of you throughout this Session and in the years ahead.

சிவராசனின் இரட்டை வேடம்!

பத்திரிகையாளரின் பகீர் பேட்டி தொடர்கிறது

• ஜூனியர் விகடன்
• /
• 10 Sep, 2014

''ராஜீவ் காந்தி படுகொலை ஒரு உள்வேலையா?’ என்ற தலைப்பில் டெல்லி பத்திரிகையாளர் ஃபெரோஸ் அஹ்மத் எழுதியுள்ள புத்தகம் பல்வேறு தரப்பில் பலத்த சர்ச்சையைக் கிளப்பி உள்ளது. அவரது பேட்டி கடந்த இதழில் வெளியாகி இருந்தது. இந்த இதழிலும் தொடர்கிறது.

 இதோ ஃபெரோஸ் அஹ்மத் பேசுகிறார்...

சிவராசன் ஏன் டெல்லி போனார்?

சிவராசனின் இரட்டை வேடம்! by Thavam

Shotaro Noda’s Visit To Colombo From Japan In 1890

| by Laksiri Fernando 

( September 8, 2014, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) Japan undoubtedly is a country that Sri Lanka could always learn; learn critically and constructively. Japan has a special favour for Sri Lanka for several reasons and it is not clear whether Sri Lanka has always reciprocated this goodwill in equal measure in its diplomatic and international relations. A particular reason for this goodwill in political sphere is JR Jayewardene’s speech at the San Francisco Conference (1945) where he strongly urged that Japan should not be punished unreasonably. Both countries are predominantly Buddhist, and it is also believed that Hinduism also influenced Japan to an extent in its Shinto religion or at least there are parallel beliefs and rituals between the two. 

Shotaro Noda’s Visit to Colombo From Japan in 1890 by Thavam

Four university students supporting the JVP in Moneragala assaulted
September 8, 2014 
Four university students who were campaigning for the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) were assaulted at Maduruketiya, Moneragala today (September 8) around 6.30 am by a group travelling in a Defender Jeep without number plates. One of the students was abducted and was later left on the roadside after further assault, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) observers claim.
 
Although attacks by armed men travelling in unmarked Defender Jeeps have become common in Moneragala this is the first abduction and assault these men have made. This indicates that they are gradually increasing thier level of violence as the election draws near.
 
The students were staying at JVP Moneragala candidate Palliyaguruge Wijesiri and they were assaulted when they went for a wash at the tube well in front of Wijesiri's house. The students were beaten with clubs and the student who was abducted has wounds on his head, neck and arms.
 
Wijesiri's house was shot and attacked a few weeks ago. Armed men in unmarked vehicles had arrived and destroyed his election cutouts. After the continuous attacks on JVP supporters and offices in Moneragala a large number of youth from other area, including around 100 university students, have arrived to assist the JVPers in Moneragala. The students often address pocket meetings and conduct door to door canvassing, and CaFFE believes that the assailants were trying to intimidate students by this attack.
 
Wijesiri's house, at Moneragala - Wellawaya road, is less than 50 metres from a temporary police check point. However an unmarked Defender Jeep with armed men were allowed to pass the check point and it must be noted that security is beefed up in Moneragala due to an army event.
 
CaFFE believes that there is a systematic campaign to target opposition activists and the attack on houses of candidates and grassrooots activists shows that the assailants are intensifying their attacks and broadening their targets.(CaFFE)

Uva: President, IGP and Polls chief

Editorial-September 7, 2014

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is reported to have ordered IGP N. K. Illangakoon to take stern action against all those responsible for election violence in Uva. One is intrigued. Is it that the Police Chief had been waiting all these weeks for instructions from the Head of State to act against the perpetrators of violence? Will he now go at full tilt to nab the offenders without fear or favour? If violence persists won’t it be tantamount to the IGP’s failure to carry out the presidential order?

One may argue that the implicature of the presidential directive is that if the IGP had done his job properly election violence could have been prevented. The fact that the President himself has had to intervene to jolt the IGP into action bolsters the Opposition’s claim that the police baulk at taking action against the ruling party politicians responsible for election violence. If the Opposition activists had been the culprits there would have been no need for the President to order the IGP to act; the police would have taken swift action on their own to bring the offenders to justice in next to no time.

It would have been more appropriate if the UPFA politicians and their backers had been asked to refrain from resorting to violence and committing other forms of election law violations in Uva. Some of the Opposition candidates and their supporters are not without blemish though the UPFA politicians are the main culprits; they, too, should be urged to abide by the law.

The IGP, no doubt, has to ensure that the police carry out their duties and functions impartially and efficiently, but the political party leaders cannot absolve themselves of the responsibility for blatant polls law violations committed by their partymen.

The upcoming PC polls are as crucial as a presidential election for both the government and the Opposition because stakes are extremely high. The UPFA obtained 72.39% of the votes and 25 seats out of 34 at the last election to the Uva Provincial Council in August 2009—the UNP 22.32 percent with 7 seats, the JVP 2.53 percent and with one seat and the Up Country People’s Front 1.59 percent with one seat. The UPFA’s failure to maintain the same level of performance in its stronghold, the Southern Province about two month later gave the Opposition’s common candidate project a turbo boost. (At the Southern Provincial Council election in October 2009, the UPFA could secure only 67.88 percent of the total number of valid votes and 38 seats out of 55—the UNP 25.09 percent with 14 seats and the JVP 6.11 percent with 3 seats.)

Five years on, the UPFA has had to retain the same level of popular support in Uva vis-à-vis frantic efforts being made in some quarters to field a common candidate again at the next presidential election expected to be held early next year.

The government may argue that its stellar performance in Uva in 2009 was mainly due to the war victory and it is not fair to expect such a stunning win about five years later. But, the fact remains that in politics ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’ and the Uva PC election will inevitably be a popularity test for the Rajapaksas with one of them in the fray as the chief ministerial candidate. Hence, the UPFA’s desperation to bag the Uva PC with a huge majority!

Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya has warned that he will be compelled to postpone the upcoming polls in view of election violence. Mere warnings won’t do. He has to put his foot down.