Dozens feared dead after Donetsk mine explosion

About 50 workers believed to be trapped underground at Zasyadko mine as relatives clamour for news about survivors

 Emergency vehicles exit the Zasyadko coal mine in Donetsk. Photograph: Baz Ratner/Reuters

Reuters in Donetsk-Wednesday 4 March 2015

Dozens of miners are trapped underground and feared dead after a blast at a coal mine in the eastern Ukrainian rebel stronghold of Donetsk, with rescuers saying the chance of finding many survivors was slim.

Mine officials said the explosion on Wednesday was not linked to fighting at the nearby frontline in the war between Moscow-backed rebels and Ukrainian government forces. Kiev accused the separatists of holding up the rescue effort by restricting access.

Outside the gates of the Zasyadko mine, about 30 relatives clamoured for information about survivors. A miner injured in the blast mingled with the crowd, his face covered in scratches and one arm hanging motionless by his side, the result of a broken collarbone.

The miner, Sergei Baldayev, said five bodies had been retrieved so far after the blast in a shaft deep underground.

The sister of one miner who was in the pit at the time of the explosion, Alexei Novoselsky, was in tears. “Tell me, are there survivors? Why are you concealing the truth,” she said as a local rescuer tried to calm her.

Donetsk has been the scene of heavy fighting between pro-Russia separatists, who control the region, and forces loyal to the government in Kiev. A ceasefire has sharply reduced the violence in the past week.

The neighbourhood around the mine has come under artillery fire, with fragments from Grad rockets visible on surrounding roads, but mine officials said the explosion was most likely caused by gas.

In Kiev, the Ukrainian prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said rescuers had been dispatched, “but the Russian terrorists did not let them reach the scene of the accident”.

Family members wait outside the Zasyadko coal mine. Photograph: Baz Ratner/Reuters

About 50 miners are still thought to be underground, according to medical workers at the scene, miners and a mine official speaking on condition of anonymity.

Earlier, some officials had said more than 30 people were killed in the blast, although officials later refused to confirm that figure. Rescuers were working to reach the centre of the blast, they said.

Asked what were the chances of trapped miners surviving, a medical worker said: “It’s getting smaller and smaller all the time, because of the methane, the hot air, burns to the airways.”

She said two buses had been brought to the mine to carry away the bodies of the dead.

The mine, in operation for 57 years, has a history of fatal accidents. An explosion in 2007 killed 106 people. A cemetery next to the pit holds the graves of many miners.

“When there’s an accident, we bury them all here,” said the head of security at the shaft. “Coal is a costly business.”

A welder, who gave his name as Oleg, said: “I’ve been down the pit for 23 years, and this is the fourth explosion that I can recall. If they didn’t get them out straight away, then later they will only retrieve bodies. An explosion is a terrible thing.”

The Zasyadko coal mine produced 1.4m tonnes of coal in 2013. The mine is in the centre of the Donbass region, which is Ukraine’s industrial and coal-producing heartland.

Ukrainian coal production fell 22% in 2014 to 65m tonnes as the conflict disrupted mining operations, leading to shortages of coal at power plants.

• The original headline on this article, which referred to an official saying 30 miners had been killed, was changed on 4 March 2015 to reflect updated copy.

In India, CCTV cameras touted as quick fix for women’s safety

Indian youth hold candles during a protest against sexual violence in New Delhi. New Delhi’s newly elected government wants to install about 1 million surveillance cameras, hoping that doing so would deter such crimes. (Tsering Topgyal/AP)

By Rama Lakshmi-March 4 at 3:30 AM
NEW DELHI — Last month, a Nigerian woman in New Delhi accepted a ride home from an upscale shopping mall with four men who then raped her in a moving car before pushing her out onto the road. Although her assailants fled the scene, a surveillance camera captured the grainy image of the car as it sped away, and within hours the police arrested the alleged attackers.
In India, CCTV Cameras Touted as Quick Fix for Women’s Safety by Thavam Ratna

How To Remove Plaque Without Going To The Dentist

When it comes to removing plaque, the dentist will always do the job perfectly. We know that. However, there are many natural recipes through which you can get rid of plaque at home.

1st Recipe

Ingredients:

• 30 grams of walnut husks;
• Water.

Preparation:

Put the walnut husks in a bowl. Then, add the water and place the mixture on fire. Cook for 15 minutes, and then soak your toothbrush in the resulting mixture and wash your teeth for 5 minutes.

Repeat this procedure in the morning, afternoon and evening.

2nd Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoon of sunflower seeds;
• 4 tablespoon of linden flower;
• 1 liter of water.

Preparation:

Put the ingredients in a bowl and cover them with water. Place the bowl on low heat. Cook for half an hour.

Wash your teeth with the resulting mixture after every meal.

3rd Recipe

Apple cider vinegar can be used for removing plaque. But, beware, you can use it only once a week. Soak your toothbrush in apple cider vinegar and wash your teeth. Rinse thoroughly your oral cavity with water in order not to damage teeth’s enamel.

Sri Lanka Needs a Series of Critical Reform Measures for Media Freedom -

[Mission Members met with Media Minister]-03/03/2015

PRESS RELEASE: INTERNATIONAL MEDIA MISSION TO SRI LANKA / 3 March 2015

A clear perception of increased media freedom in Sri Lanka since the Jan. 8 presidential election must be made permanent through a series of critical reform measures, an international media mission said today.

The mission observed a sense of optimism among Sri Lankan journalists about the future of their profession, which the government should build on in the second half of its 100 day platform as well as following upcoming parliamentary elections.

The measures are:
• The passage of a freedom of information act
• Providing structural independence of state owned media
• Ending the culture of impunity through the prosecution of those responsible for past killings and abductions of journalists
• Reinforcing journalist organisations and strengthening the professional capacities of journalists

The mission, which was invited and facilitated by the Free Media Movement, met with journalists in both Jaffna and Colombo, as well as journalists from various Sri Lankan provinces, in addition to key government officials and ministers and representatives of the opposition, civil society members and heads of both state and independent media. The mission consisted of Chris Warren of the International Federation of Journalists, Scott Griffen of the International Press Institute and Siddarth Vardharajan, former editor of The Hindu.

Mission participants welcomed assurances from government ministers that the freedom of information bill would be tabled this month and would be passed before upcoming parliamentary elections.

Officials also stressed that they had already requested the police inspector general to carry out thorough investigations into all killings of journalists as well as attacks on media houses, with particular priority being given to the 2009 murder of Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickramatunge and the 2010 disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda.

“We welcome the government’s stated commitment to ending the cycle of impunity and violence that has plagued the Sri Lanka media over the past 25 years. We encourage that the investigations into all of the attacks on journalists and media houses be carried out as swiftly and transparency as possible so as to send a clear signal to Sri Lankan journalists that the government takes their safety seriously.

We also welcome assurances from the government that the editorial independence of both print and broadcast state media will be respected. However, we reiterate our view that the only way to guarantee the independence of the state media in the future is through structural change that transforms state outlets into public service media dedicated to providing fair and balanced information to the Sri Lankan people.

In our view, journalists need to be engaged in the reform process and the entire media community needs to work together to strengthen existing self-regulatory bodies as well as commit to upholding high standards of journalism, including through the development of capacity-building programmes.

We believe that this is a critical moment for journalism in Sri Lanka, and the government has a tremendous opportunity to strengthen press freedom in Sri Lanka for the future and independent of political changes. We call upon the government to deliver on the promises it has made to the Sri Lankan media community as well as to the Sri Lankan public, who have the right to receive quality information in the public interest.”

Maithri visits Jaffna; says either north or south no difference when redressing grievances of people

March 4, 2015 

• Chairs Northern Province Coordinating meeting in Jaffna District Secretariat
• President says resolving Northern Province land issues top priority
• Pleased with appointment of civil servant as Northern Province Governor

President Maithripala Sirisena mingles with Northern Provincial Councillors yesterday in Jaffna – Pic by Sudath Silva

President Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday that the Government was fully committed to resolving issues without differentiating between people from the South and the North.
During remarks when he chaired the Northern Province Coordinating meeting in Jaffna District Secretariat, Sirisena said: “Everyone should work in a spirit of brotherhood irrespective of differences. The task of bringing together the minds of the people cannot be achieved only through physical development. It is this Government’s hope to bridge the North and South through friendship and understanding.”
Attention was also drawn to issues relating to health, agriculture, land, fishing and education in the Northern Province during the discussion.
“Resolving land issues in the area is one of the priorities of the Government. Handing over lands utilised for security purposes to their original owners is an initial step taken in this direction. I discussed the fishing issue with the Indian Prime Minister during my visit to India and it is expected to be resolved through negotiations. I will pay more attention to the problems faced by farmers in the Northern Province who contribute greatly to the Gross Domestic Product.
The Government is expected to formulate special clean drinking water supply projects in the future as a solution to the drinking water issue. The Government has also given distinct attention to providing job opportunities to unemployed graduates in the country,” President Sirisena said.
During the visit the Governor of the Northern Province, H. M. G. S. Palihakkara, informed the President of the difficulties faced by hospitals in the Northern Province. The President said, as a former Health Minister, he had wide knowledge about the difficulties faced by hospitals and would take prompt action to solve the issue.
“I am very glad that our Government was able to appoint a civil servant as the Governor of the Northern Province, which was a long-term request by the people in the North,” the President said. All the required facilities would be provided to the administration in the North, he added.
President Sirisena, who was making his maiden visit to Jaffna after assuming office, was warmly received by the Chief Minister of the Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran.

U.N. calls for accountability in Sri Lanka rights investigation

Sri Lankan Tamils hold pictures of family members who disappeared during the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during a protest in Jaffna, about 400 km (250 miles) north of Colombo November 15, 2013.

BY SHIHAR ANEEZ-March 3, 2015 

(Reuters) - The United Nations urged Sri Lanka on Tuesday to make sure it had strong systems for holding people accountable, as the island nation carried out its own investigations in abuses during a 26-year civil war.

The U.N. Human Rights Council has separately investigated atrocities in the war against Tamil separatists, but last month deferred its report, saying Colombo had shown a new willingness to open up to scrutiny.

Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N. Under-Secretary for Political Affairs, said he had urged the government "to take steps in the short term to address issues regarding land, detentions, disappearances, and the military posture in civilian areas".

The United Nations and world powers expected Colombo to develop a "strong framework for accountability that meets international standards and norms," he added at the end of a four-day visit.

The United Nations has estimated that about 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the final weeks of the war that ended in 2009, mostly by the army. The government of the majority Sinhalese country rejected that assertion.

Ethnic minority Tamils and their political leaders have demanded the government hand over land is occupied in the northern battle zone and free prisoners.

The U.N. Human Rights Council voted last March to investigate war crimes in Sri Lanka, saying then President Mahinda Rajapaksa had failed to do so properly.

But the government of new President Maithripala Sirisena, who took power in January, has promised to hold a fresh investigation under an independent judiciary and abide by U.N. conventions.

(Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Mr. Feltman leaves Sri Lanka today.

 Tuesday, 03 March 2015

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffery Feltman, concluding his four day visit to Sri Lanka, addressed the media at a press conference held at the UN Compound in Colombo this afternoon.

The full text of his speech at the conference as follows

Over the past four days, I have had a series of positive, constructive discussions here in Sri Lanka. The Secretary-General of the United Nations asked me to visit at what he sees as a moment of historic opportunity for the people of this beautiful country: your democratic elections and peaceful transition have not only inspired the citizens of Sri Lanka but also captured the attention of Sri Lanka’s many friends in the international community. I want to
thank the Government of Sri Lanka for its generous hospitality in helping to arrange my visit on relatively short notice.

While here, I had the opportunity to meet President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Acting Foreign Minister Ajith Perera, the leadership of the JHU, SLMC, TNA, and the diplomatic community. Yesterday in Jaffna, I met with the Governor and the Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council. In addition, I was able to listen to, and compare notes with, a divergent group of civil society representatives both here in
Colombo and in Jaffna. Those I met over the past four days inspired me with their visions for a prosperous, democratic country, at peace internally and with positive, close, mutually beneficial relations regionally and internationally.

Ladies and gentlemen,
2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. We are also approaching the 60th anniversary of when Sri Lanka’s first Permanent Representative to the UN, Sir Senerat Gunawardene, presented his credentials. In the years since then, Sri Lanka has made many important contributions to the Organization. I am thinking of the leadership roles that prominent personalities from Sri Lanka have played in the UN – people such as
Justice Christopher Weeramantry, Jayantha Dhanapala, Radhika Coomaraswamy, Andrew Joseph, and Shirely Amarasinghe. The current Governor of the Northern Provincial Council represented your country with distinction in New York during a particularly challenging time.

Thousands of Sri Lankan citizens over the decades have contributed to UN peacekeeping efforts, including those currently deployed to important missions in Haiti, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic. The Secretary-General believes strongly that we now have the opportunity to build on this existing foundation to renew and strengthen the partnership between Sri Lanka and the United Nations and between Sri Lanka and the international
community.

We in the United Nations recognize that Sri Lankans from across the country suffered during a long conflict. No community was immune, and, despite the work of many commissions, the list of grievances and unresolved issues remains long. As demonstrated by the speech of The Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs before the Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday, we are encouraged by this government’s commitment to promote reconciliation,
accountability and human rights. This is very much in line with the 2009 joint communiqué issued on the occasion of the UN Secretary-General’s visit to Sri Lanka soon after the end of the conflict. In our view, credible, tangible progress in these areas is a prerequisite to the achievement of sustainable peace and prosperity in Sri Lanka.

In that spirit, I have urged government leaders to take steps in the short term to address issues regarding land, detentions, disappearances, and the military posture in civilian areas. Over the longer term, I have underscored in my meetings the expectation by the United Nations and by the international community that the government will – as it has promised -- develop in the coming months a strong framework for accountability that meets international
standards and norms and that is seen as credible across Sri Lanka. These are not easy tasks, but we believe that they are essential tasks, expected by the international community and also – more importantly – by the citizens of this country themselves.

Without question, there is still a wide trust deficit between communities in Sri Lanka, especially between the Tamil and the Sinhalese. We have thus encouraged the national leaders and political stakeholders to work on all of these issues in the spirit of inclusion and consultation. Inclusion requires that all communities be willing to participate in these processes. As requested by Sri Lanka, the United Nations is committed to assisting in the process of accountability and reconciliation, through the Peacebuilding Fund and other facilities, as appropriate. But it is first and foremost for Sri Lankans themselves to shape how to address issues of the past in order to find a common future.

With regional allies and the world focused in a positive way on Sri Lanka, and with the citizens of Sri Lanka having drawn from Sri Lanka’s strong democratic history and traditions to promote a peaceful transition, this is a historic moment to seize. I know that the Secretary- General himself and the United Nations system more broadly will stand with the people and leaders of Sri Lanka, as they address credibly and thoroughly the accountability and
reconciliation issues that, once resolved, will contribute to Sri Lanka’s long-term peace and prosperity. In this 70th anniversary of the UN’s founding and the 60th year of Sri Lanka’s membership in the UN, we welcome the promise of renewed partnership.
Thank you.

Secret Navy Death Squad Comes to Light

[Sri Lanka Navy]-03/03/2015

Hinting at the ‘white van’ abductions several years ago, the Police yesterday revealed an ongoing CID investigation into the disappearance of 11 youths, who were allegedly abducted by a special unit functioning under the Sri Lanka Navy.

The Police said they have found evidence of 11 missing youths including two Sinhalese, two Muslims and seven Tamils in the areas of Kotahena, Mutwal, Dehiwela and Wellawatta, Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said.

Former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda had informed the IGP in 2010 that there was a suspicious unit functioning in the Navy that could be responsible for various abductions for ransom.

Based on his complaint the Criminal Investigation Department initiated an inquiry and found that the said Navy Unit was responsible for a series of ransom cases based on abduction of numerous youths in Colombo and suburbs during the period of 2008 to 2009, SSP Rohana said.

The unit operating from Colombo Fort and Trincomalee Naval bases had reportedly used white colour vans to carry out abductions and demand ransom up to millions of rupees in many cases, the CID learned.

Mostly young men of wealthy families had been abducted But the SSP refused to publicise the details of the missing list yet saying it could be a hindrance to the ongoing inquiry.

The CID learnt that Former Navy Media Spokesman Captain D. K. P. Dassanayake had acted as the Monitoring Officer of this special unit named as Special Operations Unit. A statement was recorded from one Captain Dassanayake who was grilled by the CID on Saturday in this regard.

Seven sailors attached to the special unit had also been grilled by the CID so far and statements had been recorded, the SSP said.

Based on Commander Karannagoda’s complaint, the CID found National Identity Cards belonging to five of the missing youth sometime ago.

Statements are being recorded from the respective family members at present.

Saying that a comprehensive investigation was being conducted into the case, SSP Rohana however refused to reveal the purpose of the special unit established under the Navy, saying it could damage the probe.

[Original Caption: Secret Navy unit probed]

How can we return without a permanent political Solution?

Eelam Tamil refugees in Tamilnadu – the dilemma continues

( March 3, 2015, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) On the 24^th of February, the Loyola Institute of Social Science Training and Research (LISSTAR) Loyola College, Chennai had organized a one day seminar on ‘United Convention on Refugees and Statelessness’. I was invited to moderate a session on Life in Exile – Experience sharing by a panel of Refugees; it included two Eelam Tamil refugees, a Tibetan, a Bhutanese and a couple of African refugees.

One of the panelists, a young student in his mid 20s, works for OfERR (Organization for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation), an organization of the Tamil refugees working in the camps. They have vigorously advocated the cause of the return of the Eelam Tamil refugees to their homeland from the days of Mahinda Rajapakse.

This young man too toed the same line of his organization and felt the conditions were conducive for return without making a ground level assessment of the present living conditions of the Tamils in the North and East.

Mr.S.C. Chandrahasan, the treasurer of OfERR had earlier recalled that President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a public speech two years ago, had called on all Sri Lankans who fled the war to return to the country.“This was a very encouraging statement, and it was on this basis that we have been following up by trying to facilitate the return of the refugees back to Sri Lanka,”[1].

Earlier on the 17^th of February, the Governor of Tamilnadu in his opening address in the Tamilnadu assembly made it amply clear that the government of Tamilnadu is completely opposed to the return of the Eelam Tamils as there are many unresolved issues in Sri Lanka.

“The government is of the view that voluntary repatriation can be countenanced only after proper rehabilitation of internally displaced Sri Lankan Tamils,” Governor K Rosiah said delivering his customary address to the state assembly session that began its sitting in Chennai. “This government is committed to the peaceful, just and honourable resettlement of Sri Lankan Tamils Refugees and is of the view that the voluntary repatriation be taken up only after the autonomy and democratic rights of minority tamils are fully restored and sufficient economic and political measures taken to create a congenial atmoshphere for the return of refugees”, he said while endorsing the state government’s stand on the issue[2].

There are a total of 1,02,055 refugees belonging to 34,524 families in Tamil Nadu. 64,924 of them, belonging to 19,625 families, were living in 107 refugee camps.Between 1987 and 1989, some 25,600 refugees went back to Sri Lanka. Between 1992 and 1995 an estimated 54,000 refugees were repatriated to Sri Lanka.[3]

On the other hand the other panelist, a senior person in his 50s working for another NGO, has lived in Tamilnadu as a refugee from 1996, echoed the fears of a majority of the refugees. Many of them including him had sought refuge in Tamilnadu after the black July in 1983. They had returned in 1987, only to start seeking refuge again from 1990. He did not want a repeat of the same scenario.

He raised another important question, that of the Tamils of Indian origin or the Estate Tamils, who were rendered stateless in 1948. They constituted 45% of the Eelam refugee population living in the camps. He echoed the feeling that one election cannot change the situation as those running the government were the same people who had worked at different points of time as part of successive genocidal regimes. There were still IDP camps in the North.

The last organized repatriation of the Tamil refugees from Tamil Nadu was from 1992 to 1995 when 54,000 refugees were sent back. These people had to settle down in Sithamparapuram camp in Vavuniya for years and many returned to India. Such a situation must not be repeated again where it is a shifting of refugees from the camps in Tamilnadu to more dreaded camps in Sri Lanka.

A survey by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, conducted among the one lakh odd Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India in November, found that 67 per cent of those interviewed wanted to remain in India.

Only 23 per cent of the 520 families surveyed wanted to return to the island nation, while four per cent wanted to migrate to a third country where they have relations, according to the survey.[4]

Though these refugees live in Tamilnadu as people without an identity, living in cramped camp conditions with a restriction of movement imposed on them. This model refugee community has produced more than 3,500 graduates and post graduates.

Their fears loom large as the High Security Zones persist in the north and east, what further supports their claim not to return is the large scale presence of the armed forces equipped with civil duty powers. The land confiscated from the Tamils is yet to be returned. The newly appointed civilian Governors are Sinhalese who on many occasions had been part of Sinhala regimes which had made them refugees. The Draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) is still intact. There have been no fresh livelihood initiatives undertaken.

Though these people have been rendered voiceless, they are thankful to India for their lives have been protected and the rule of law guaranteed. Though they know there is a very bleak future as refugees, they have an intense fear for life which prevents them from taking the bold decision to return.

There is also a feeling among the refugees that by initiating the return of refugees the present regime might tell the UNHRC that things were returning to normal and there is no real need for the OISL report to be presented in September. A domestic inquiry would suffice.

At the end the senior refugee summed up well when he acknowledged that he loves his motherland but loves his mother tongue more than anything else. “How can we return without a permanent political Solution?” He asked the audience. Representatives from the UNHCR, many academics, students and policy makers were part of the audience. There was no answer to this question from any quarter. The only answer was an uneasy tearful silence.

[1] http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2014/11/09/sri-lankan-refugees-in-india-hope-for-repatriation/

[2] http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tamil-nadu-says-refugees-return-only-after-sri-lankan-tamils-rehabilitation/529003-37-64.html

3 Arun Janardhanan Explained : The Sri Lankan Refugee Questionhttp://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/explained-the-sri-lankan-refugee-question/ January 31, 2015

[4] Pheroze L. Vincent Two-thirds of Lankan refugees want to remain in India

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/twothirds-of-lankan-refugees-want-to-remain-in-india/article6538582.eceOctober 27, 2014

Refer Sri Lanka To International Criminal Court: TGTE Tells UNHRC

March 3, 2015

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) has urged the United Nations to refer Sri Lanka to International Criminal Court (ICC) or to establish a similar international judicial mechanism for investigation and prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed against the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan State.

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran – PM – TGTE

“We firmly believe that neither a domestic mechanism nor a hybrid mechanism will meet out justice to the Tamil people” said the Prime Minister of Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran.

“The call by the new Sri Lankan government for a domestic or hybrid mechanism to replace any international judicial process is an attempt to deflect the call for the referral to ICC and to delay any meaningful actions on accountability. Efforts to establish a domestic Truth and Reconciliation Commission is another diversionary tactic to protect those committed international crimes against Tamils.” he said.

Issuing a statement today the TGTE said; “The current situation in Sri Lanka constitutes an ongoing ‘threat to the peace’ under Chapter 7 Article 39 because there has been absolutely no accountability for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

1) The Sri Lankan State is not ethnically neutral: In fact, most of the serious crimes in question were perpetrated by the state apparatus. For example: ‘Between September 2008 and 19 May 2009, the Sri Lankan Army advanced its military campaign into the Vanni using large-scale and widespread shelling, causing large numbers of civilian deaths.’ Report of the UN Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka, 31 March 2011.

2) The Sri Lankan judiciary is not ethnically neutral: From the mass killings of Tamils starting in 1958 to date, justice has not been served. The courts have proved inadequate and successive governments have appointed ineffective inquiries under international pressure that have not once led to the punishment of perpetrators. (Amnesty International, ‘Twenty Years of Make Believe: Sri Lanka’s Commissions of Inquiry,’ 11 June 2009).

3) There is no political will in Sri Lanka to provide justice for the Tamils.

“The domestic 2010 Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has not delivered Justice to Tamils: ‘…the LLRC is deeply flawed, does not meet international standards for an effective accountability mechanism.’ UN Secretary General’s Panel of Expert’s Report on Accountability in Sri Lanka (March 31, 2011).

“The involvement of the international community in overseeing a domestic inquiry also ended up in failure, when the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) resigned in March 2008. (Human Rights Watch – Sri Lanka: Domestic Inquiry into Abuses a Smokescreen – October 27, 2009).

“‘International monitoring of an internal investigation is a waste of time’ noted a memorandum handed over to the UN last week by the Jaffna University Professors in Sri Lanka.

“It is important to note that, change of guard in Sri Lanka will not result in the change of institutionalized impunity. Even though the President has been changed, the political environment vis-à-vis Tamils, has not changed.

“Almost all the leaders of the current Government were leaders of previous governments when repeated killings of Tamils in large numbers took place and these leaders not only failed to protect the Tamils but blocked any attempts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“Importantly, the current President Mr. Sirisena is potentially culpable for crimes committed while he served as the acting Defense Minister during the period at the end of the war, when large number of Tamils were killed. According the Economist Magazine edition on January 3rd, 2015 ‘Sirisena is hardly a beacon of hope for the Tamils: he was acting as defense minister in the nightmarish final fortnight of the war.’

“Additionally, the presences of several former military personal, including the military commander at the end of the war General Fonseka, are in senior positions in the current government. This along with current president’s potential culpability will have serious effect on neutrality and effectiveness of any domestic or hybrid mechanisms.

“The fact is that the military apparatus from the war is still intact and the Tamil areas in the North-East are heavily militarized, creating deep fear among Tamils, so it is unlikely that victims / witnesses will come forward before a domestic or hybrid tribunal.

“To Highlight the Urgency of this referral TGTE have initiated a one Million Signature Campaign to get worldwide support from different nationalities. The appeal is to be translated in 15 languages.”

Details of Gotabaya’s murder squad leader out , who killed two Red Cross workers after abducting them at Fort

(Lanka-e-News -02.Feb.2015, 11.45) Two  individuals who were abducted at the Fort railway station on 3 rd June 2007 after attending a  workshop organized at Mt.Lavinia by the Sri Lanka Red Cross organization at its headquarters, and later killed , was done at the behest of Gotabaya Rajapakse by a leader of the murder squad operated by Gotabaya Rajapakse, based on evidence that have surfaced. These two victims  were with four others (their group) at the railway station after  attending  a workshop at Mt. Lavinia organized by the Sri Lanka Red Cross organization headquarters to board a train to Batticaloa to go back when this abduction took place . The bodies of the victims were later found at Ellagama , Ketipola , Kiriella. 

The deceased were 27 years old Karthigesu Chandramohan of Chenkaladi , Batticaloa, and 32 years old Sinnarasa Shanmugalingam, unmarried and were volunteers working for  the  Red Cross. They were abducted in a white Van No.  251 – 6437 belonging to a group of Karuna Amman. 

These murders were suppressed by the Rajapakse regime . Consequently these murders and   their suppression led to create  a  huge dent in the international image of the country because the victims were members of the reputed international Red Cross organization.

Based on reports reaching Lanka e news now , the leader of the killer squad who murdered the Red cross workers was Fabian Roysten Kristofer Toussaint, a burgher national. The victims had been taken to a security residence at Kiriella and subjected to most brutal torture. Their eyes had been dislodged while they were alive. Later they were taken to Ellagama and shot down. However one of them had somehow crawled to the peak of  the hill before he died. This had later helped to detect the dead bodies, according to reports.

Toussaint while he was attached to Gotabaya’s murder squad had committed 16 gruesome murders. His identity card No. is 732881719. He was a constable of the state intelligence division. His place of birth is Attidiya bakery junction.

When there was an international  hue and cry raised by the Red Cross over these cold blooded murders , Fabian Toussaint was taken into custody by the CID , and after detaining him for  7 months until the heat of the protest died down , Toussaint was sent out  scot free. 

Subsequently , he was with the ministerial security division and finally became a member of the security contingent of Lakshman Hulugalla , media Director , national security. Fabian Toussaint had during this whole period engaged in a number of illegal transactions exploiting the diplomatic immunity attaching to the passport of Hulugalla, it is learnt. 

However , now he has done the vanishing trick and is missing . 

The evidence proving further that Toussaint is Gotabaya’s  hired murderer came  to light on 17 th February at the Mt. Lavinia court .That was on the day the maintenance case was heard against him filed by his wife on account of his desertion of his family with five children. 

Her name is A. H. Asoka , his wife. She told in open court that Fabian Roysten Kristofer Toussaint is her legal husband , and being attached to the murder squad of Gotabaya was involved in abducting innocent people and murdering them .

Based on this declaration , it is clear a chain of murders were committed  , but sinister  moves are ahead to suppress them .

Going by  this LeN  report exposing these cruelties and atrocities , Toussaint must compulsorily be taken into custody. If genuine  efforts are being made to trap him , Hulugalla should be taken into custody and interrogated where he is hiding , in which case Toussaint can be tracked down.  

What are the murders he committed? What are  the aiding and abetting Gotabaya Rajapakse was involved in, and what were his murder squad operations ? Considering the  seriousness and gravity of these crimes ,Gotabaya should thereafter be brought before courts and duly punished. At  the same time Asoka ,the legal wife of Toussaint  who exposed the crimes in court should also be given protection  .

In the photograph  herein is Fabian Royster Kristofer Toussaint , the criminal at large . If anybody has any information in this connection regarding him , please communicate to us   at our electronic mail  info@lankaenews.com OR contact us at 0044 7400 927 826  by phone or on skype - Sandaruwans  

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by     (2015-03-03 00:07:17)

Dr. Maheshi Wijerathna bypass the law by the help of Malik Samarawicrama

 

On Tuesday, 03 March 2015 

With great displeasure and disgust we report an impunity incident of Dr.Maheshi Wijerathna who escaped from law enforcement by the influence of the UNP chairman Malik Samarawicrama when she stabbed a woman named
Ronda Deli and caused severe injuries last Saturday at a function in Hotel Galadari.

The fort Police without producing Dr. Maheshi Wijerathna to the courts has recorded a statement and sent the accused home. Malik Samarawicrama has called the IGP and influenced the Fort HIQ to stop the investigation immediately.

The Fort HQI has switched off his mobile due to inquiries from media about the case and believed to be hiding. Under greatest difficulty when the media contacted the Fort police court sergeant he said the police submitted only a "B report" to the courts.

However the specialist neurosurgeon Dr. Maheshi Wijerathna who caused severe injuries with 20 stitches to the head and hands of a woman has able to bypass the law with the help of Malik Samarawicrama who is a strong member of the "Good Governance" and continue to work in her official post.