Flight MH17 probe: Buk missile brought down plane; passengers ‘felt nothing’

A man walks amongst the debris at the crash site of a passenger plane near the village of Hrabove, Ukraine, last year. Pic: AP.

By Asian Correspondent Staff Oct 13, 2015 

The father of a young man killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by a missile over eastern Ukraine last year said Tuesday he was relieved to hear that those on board the stricken plane likely died almost instantly.

Rob Fredriksz was speaking after a presentation of the key findings of the 15-month investigation into the downing of MH17 that broke up in midair and plunged to the ground, killing all 298 passengers and crew.

Fredriksz’s son Bryce was among those killed in the July 17, 2014 disaster. Flight MH17 was traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam when it was brought down.

Fredriksz said the key findings presented to families were: “That it was a Buk missile, made in Russia. That was clearly indicated. That Ukraine should have closed the air space and that the passengers absolutely felt and knew nothing.”

He said some family members became emotional when they were shown an animation portraying the downing of the plane.

The Dutch Safety Board said in its report released later Tuesday that Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was downed by a Buk surface-to-air missile as it flew over eastern Ukraine.

It added that the plane should never have been flying there as Ukraine should have closed its airspace to civil aviation. It says “nobody gave any thought” to the risk.

Dutch investigators unveiled a ghostly reconstruction of the forward section of MH17, the Malaysian airliner shot down over Ukraine last year.

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This was rebuilt by crash investigators from wreckage recovered from Ukraine.

6:59 AM - 13 Oct 2015

 

Some of the nose, cockpit and business class of the Boeing 777 were rebuilt from fragments of the aircraft recovered from the crash scene and flown to Gilze-Rijen air base in southern Netherlands.

A group of journalists fell silent as the reassembled wreckage, much of it twisted and riddled with holes, was presented.

The cousin of a woman killed on Flight MH17 also said that the official investigation into the cause of the disaster last year has concluded that a Buk missile downed the plane.

Projectiles with thecharacteristic “double tee” formation of components of the warhead of a Buk missile are displayed during a news conference, Tuesday. Pic: AP.

Robby Oehlers, whose cousin Daisy was among the 298 people killed when the Boeing 777 was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, says the conclusion was shared with family members at a meeting Tuesday,

Oehlers said it was “as quiet as a mouse” as Dutch Safety Board chairman Tjibbe Joustra explained the conclusions of the 15-month investigation to family.

The meeting with families of victims came ahead of the official presentation later Tuesday of the investigation’s final report.

The full video report can be viewed below, or on PDF here:

 

Rushdie warns of new dangers to free speech in West

Author Salman Rushdie (C) signs autographs following the opening news conference of the Frankfurt book fair, Germany October 13, 2015.

FRANKFURT | BY KIRSTI KNOLLE AND HARRO TEN WOLDE-Tue Oct 13, 2015

Violence against writers and a misplaced sense of political correctness pose new dangers to freedom of speech in the West, writer Salman Rushdie said on Tuesday.

Rushdie, the subject of an Iranian death threat in 1989 for his book "The Satanic Verses", which was deemed blasphemous by many Muslims, said he had not expected freedom of expression to come under attack again to this extent in the western world.

"It seems to me the battle for free expression was won 100 years ago," the 68-year-old told an audience at the opening of the Frankfurt Book Fair, under heavy security.

"The fact that we have to go on fighting this battle is the result of a number of regrettable, more recent phenomena."

After Islamist gunmen killed 12 people in January in an attack at the office of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, which had mocked religions including Islam, Rushdie defended the murdered cartoonists.

He still faces criticism from his religious opponents: the Iranian Ministry of Culture cancelled its national stand at this year's book fair because of Rushdie's appearance, and Saudi Arabia protested against a new Czech translation of "The Satanic Verses" only last week.

Rushdie criticised restraints on freedom of expression at universities, referring to recent examples in Britain and the United States. "The idea that students should not be intellectually challenged at universities is exactly what we should fight," he said.

The British Indian novelist, who went into hiding for years after the 1989 edict by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ordering Muslims to kill him, has resumed public appearances in recent years and was in Frankfurt promoting his new book.

"Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights", a reference to the 1,001 nights of the famous Arabic tales, is described as a novel exploring the complexity of the world by weaving together history, mythology and love.

Rushdie told his audience that all people around the world could relate to stories, so limiting freedom of expression was not just censorship but an assault on human nature.

"It prevents us from being the kind of creatures that we are. It is not something which is specific to one culture. It is something universal to human beings," he said.

(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle and Harro ten Wolde; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Half of world's wealth now in hands of 1% of population – report

Inequality growing globally and in the UK, which has third most ‘ultra-high net worth individuals’, household wealth study finds

 A worker rides a scooter past a painted wall in central Beijing. The report found China has the largest number of middle-class adults, surpassing the US. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Jill Treanor-Tuesday 13 October 2015

Global inequality is growing, with half the world’s wealth now in the hands of just 1% of the population, according to a new report.

The middle classes have been squeezed at the expense of the very rich, according to research by Credit Suisse, which also finds for the first time that there are more individuals in the middle classes in China – 109m – than the 92m in the US.

Half of World's Wealth Now in Hands of 1% of Population – Report by Thavam Ratna

Wi-Fi: A Silent Killer That Kills Us Slowly

October 13, 2015
In this modern world of technology the Wi-Fi network is everywhere around us. It is really a revolutionary way of connecting many devices without using any cables.

The biggest benefit from this kind of connecting have the mobiles phones, but the companies that produce them have specific instructions for the services on how to make them not harmful to our health.

WI-FI: A SILENT KILLER THAT KILLS US SLOWLY

In order to connect online, our wireless devices like tablets, laptops and phones use routers. The router emits electromagnetic waves or better known as WLAN signals, that can be very harmful. The truth is that we ignore this fact because we have very little or no knowledge about its side effects. But it is a fact – these signals harm the body.

The British Health Agency has conducted a study in which they have proven that routers have a bad effect on the growth of plants and people.

CONSEQUENCES OF WI-FI EXPOSURE:

• frequent strong headaches
• chronic fatigue
• sleep issues
• pain in the ears
• lack of concentration

We must admit that the technology is just a segment of our life that we cannot live without. Knowing that fact, the only thing we can do is learn a way to protect ourselves from its harmful effects. Here we have few useful advices that will help you use the router safely and at least lower the potential damage from it. How to protect children from electromagnetic waves Turn off Wi-Fi when not using it Before bedtime make sure to disconnect all Wi-Fi programs Avoid placing a router in the kitchen and bedroom Replace your home wireless phones with cable ones 

STRENGTHEN CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT BY FASTER CHANGES ON THE GROUND--JEHAN PERERA

Created on 12 October 2015

The co-sponsoring of the Geneva resolution by the government and the support given to it by the TNA is a positive indication of the evolution of a spirit of partnership and joint problem-solving at the highest levels of national and international decision making that is necessary for promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka. However, this goodwill needs to be seen in practical terms at the ground level too in which people become the direct and immediate beneficiaries. Most people appear prepared to give the new government a chance at this time. It is important that the people’s confidence in the process of transition is sustained. However, observations from the ground are that the majority of people are not aware of the significance of the resolution or the content of its recommendations. In the North there is frustration at the slow pace of change.

There are groups both in the North and South of the country that are trying to generate opposition to the UN resolution. A group of 71 Sinhalese university academics have issued a public statement expressing their opposition to the involvement of foreigners in the accountability process. In the North, on the other hand, there are Tamil groups that are angry that the resolution does not provide for the setting up of a fully international judicial mechanism. In Paris, Tamil Diaspora activists even went to the extent of violently attacking a meeting at which parliamentarians from the TNA were speaking. They accused the parliamentarians of betraying the Tamil people by agreeing to less than an international accountability mechanism. The TNA which won the overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats at the general elections has been taking a moderate approach in its relationship with the government.

The appointment of TNA leader R Sampanthan as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament is one positive outcome of this process of constructive engagement with the government. The TNA has also shown seriousness in acknowledging the negative role they and others in the Tamil polity have played in the past in aggravating the conflict. it has said “We also accept and undertake to carry out our responsibility to lead the Tamil people in reflecting on the past, and use this moment as a moment of introspection into our own community’s failures and the unspeakable crimes committed in our name, so as to create an enabling culture and atmosphere in which we could live with dignity and self-respect, as equal citizens of Sri Lanka.” It has also called on the government to cooperate fully with the TNA and the international community in dealing with the past in a manner that will assuage the feelings of the victims of all communities.

TRUST DEFICIT
On the issue of the UN Human Rights Council resolution also the TNA has been playing a constructive role. The ideal position of the Tamil polity is an international accountability mechanism on account of the failure of previous domestic attempts to address human rights violations and bring the perpetrators to justice. On the opposite side is the view expressed by the 71 Sinhalese academics who oppose the international involvement. However the TNA has also said that it will support the outcome of the UN resolution which recommends a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism that has an international component in it. The TNA statement on the Geneva resolution said, "Nevertheless, the Resolution - if implemented - provides a genuine opportunity for real progress on accountability and reconciliation. We are grateful to the co-sponsors of the Resolution for engaging with the TNA throughout the process, and accommodating our concerns and views.”

The main concern of the Tamil polity with regard to the proposed Sri Lankan judicial mechanism is that it will end up without delivering anything tangible either in terms of truth, justice, reparations or institutional reforms. There is a deep mistrust of Sinhalese-led governments due to past failures that needs to be bridged. Therefore it is important that the present government shows the Tamil people, in deeds and not only in words, that it is different from the past governments. The government has announced that it will set up the basic elements of the mechanism by January next year. But from a realistic perspective, the government cannot show its goodwill and trustworthiness by focusing only on the setting up the accountability mechanism as this is likely to take more time than anticipated.

The government’s intention to setup the accountability mechanism soon may not materialize for a number of reasons. One is the need to obtain consensus within the government itself. There needs to be coordination between the various institutions and power centres involved in its materialization, including the President's office, the Prime Minister’s office, the Foreign Ministry, the office of National Unity and Reconciliation headed by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Ministry of National Dialogue, in addition to all the other government institutions that need to cooperate in implementation. It may be several more months before the mechanism becomes functional and begins to deliver results. In this interim period it is possible that opposition forces will gather in strength and discredit the process.

RECTIFY INJUSTICES
The setting up and implementation of the accountability mechanism is of primary importance to international human rights organizations and also local activists and civil society groups. Although the TNA seeks to work in partnership with the government, it has said it will “urge the government to implement the Resolution in a spirit of honesty and cooperation, in particular, the Council's affirmation of the need for the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, prosecutors, investigators and lawyers in a court enabled to try international crimes, through a Special Counsel for prosecutions.” But it is also important to bear in mind that the Tamil people on the ground have a wider interest. They want justice for past wrongs and non-recurrence of human rights violations through institutional reforms. They also want immediate changes in the ground situation that impact upon their lives.

A priority concern in the North, especially in Jaffna its capital, is the return of land taken over by the security forces for the purpose of establishing high security zones. These were established to prevent the LTTE from infiltrating and firing their long range artillery into military bases. But today the elimination of the LTTE and total destruction of their long range artillery means that there is no need for the high security zones. This land is now either growing wild or is being utilized for commercial purposes by the security forces, while the people who own the land are in camps for the displaced. The conditions in these camps are poor in general and become atrocious in times of rain and in some cases the people do not have access to basic amenities such as their own wells. There are about 30,000 internally displaced persons still living in Jaffna.

Another issue is the continued imprisonment of persons accused of being members or supporters of the LTTE. Recently one of them, a woman, was released by the High Court without charge after having been held in prison custody for 15 years. In court she complained she had been tortured and had marks to show it. The government did not have any evidence other than her confession taken by torturing her. These are the sores that rankle in the Tamil polity, and which were told to me when I visited Jaffna last week. Those who spoke to me said that the people had voted for the government in the expectation that it would take immediate steps to release their land and those kept in government custody. They had expected these changes to take place immediately after President Maithripala Sirisena was elected in January and the new government was formed. There is a sense of being let down by the slow pace of change that can become metamorphosed into a sense of betrayal by those who are in opposition to the TNA and do not believe in its constructive engagement with the government. The government needs support and understanding from the North when it deals with the pressures from the South.

UN endorses Sri Lanka 'investigating' its own crimes

Monday, October 12, 2015

By Chris Slee

Tamils have long campaigned for an investigation into crimes against humanity committed by the Sri Lankan government.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has unanimously adopted a resolution called “Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka”.

This resolution, of which the United States was the main sponsor, welcomed a proposal by the Sri Lankan government to establish a “judicial mechanism” to investigate “abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law”.

Tamils have long campaigned for an investigation of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Sri Lankan government against the Tamil people. They have advocated that such an investigation be conducted by the International Criminal Court or a special tribunal established by the United Nations.

The resolution adopted by the UNHRC refers instead to a “Sri Lankan judicial mechanism”. This means effectively allowing the Sri Lankan government to investigate itself.

To make this less obvious, the resolution includes a reference to the desirability of participation in such a judicial mechanism of “foreign judges, defence lawyers, and authorised prosecutors and investigators”.

However, a group of 44 Tamil organisations, including political parties, civil society organisations and trade unions, issued a statement saying that: “The Sri Lankan government appointing foreign judges to its own judicial mechanism will not address the structural factors that inhibit the domestic structures in Sri Lanka…

“A mechanism, which is by and large managed and controlled by the Sri Lankan state, will not in our opinion be deemed credible by the victims in Sri Lanka.”

Other governments supporting the resolution included Britain, Australia, China, Russia and India, all of which helped the Sri Lankan government in its war against the Tamil people. A genuine and thorough investigation would be likely to find them complicit in the Sri Lankan government's atrocities.

Govt’s constructive approach towards accountability process

Happily, a new government in Colombo has now taken an altogether more constructive approach to this process. When I went back to Geneva last month, to start to put together a new resolution setting out what should now happen to address the crimes laid out in the report, I was working with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, rather than against him.

by Hugo Swire

( October 12, 2015, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) For those of you who don’t know Sri Lanka, it’s a beautiful country – with world-class national parks, world heritage sites and pristine tropical beaches. But it is also haunted by a traumatic past, a devastating twenty-six year civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the government that ended in 2009.

Some of the stories from this war – many documented in painstaking detail by the media – are horrifying: rape, disappearances, torture, executions.

To be clear, there were atrocities on both sides. And they cast a long shadow in communities right across Sri Lanka today.

Until very recently, Sri Lanka has been unwilling to address the legacy of this war. We know from our own experience that opening up old wounds can be painful; but experience also shows that allowing them to fester is even worse. And it is my firm belief – from the many discussions I’ve had with Sri Lankans since becoming a Minister in 2012 – that for the country to fulfil its enormous potential, it needs the catharsis that can only come from a proper process of accountability and reconciliation.

That is why, back in 2013, our Prime Minister was so determined that the United Nations should take action to kick-start this work, when it was clear that the Sri Lankan government of the day was unwilling to do so.

Human Rights Council

I remember travelling to Geneva to lobby for the resolution at the Human Rights Council: it was hard work, with a good degree of opposition from countries close to President Rajapaksa and his administration. But we got there in the end. This mandated the UN to produce a report on the conflict, which they have now done. It makes for sobering reading.

Happily, a new government in Colombo has now taken an altogether more constructive approach to this process. When I went back to Geneva last month, to start to put together a new resolution setting out what should now happen to address the crimes laid out in the report, I was working with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, rather than against him. Sri Lanka ended up co-sponsoring the resolution, and firmly committed to implementing its recommendations. This is good for those who seek truth and justice, good for the rule of law, and good for the future of the people of Sri Lanka.

There will of course be those on the extremes of both sides who will be concerned either that this is not enough, or that it goes too far. It is only right that they are able to express their opinions and it is important that the government listens to all points of view as part of the wider consultations to which it has agreed. But now, as the country is beginning to take brave and important steps forward, it is above all vital that progress is not derailed.

Release of political prisoners

I’m hopeful that the next stage of this process will be accompanied by further progress on some of the other commitments President Sirisena has made – from demilitarisation, to anti-corruption work, to the release of political prisoners, to reducing tensions between communities and disengaging the military from commercial activities. There is much to be done, and we in the UK are keen to offer support wherever we can. We’ll be discussing this with the Sri Lankan government in the coming weeks.

I remember one particular moment from my first trip to Sri Lanka, back in 2013. I met a number of families who had not seen relatives, in some cases, for years, and who had no idea whether they were dead or alive. The impact on their lives was of course tremendous. In some cases they wanted justice, but above all they wanted answers.

A two thousand word document negotiated five thousand miles away in Geneva can seem a long way from people’s lives on the ground. But every practical step the Sri Lankan government takes to implement the recommendations in this document will help to answer questions that have been left unanswered for too long.

A letter from the Rt Hon Hugo Swire MP, Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is follows;

Letter to James Berry MP and Ranil Jayawardena MP About the Resolution o... by Thavam Ratna

Download (PDF, Unknown)

( Hugo, UK Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office)

Army chief intervening to rescue army suspects in Ekneliyagoda murder infuriates Maithri: proves he is commander in chief

(Lanka-e-News -12.Oct.2015, 4.45PM) Following the news report posted yesterday by Lanka e news under the Heading ‘ Expose`-Gota and army maneuver to save Prageeth’s murderers wasting army funds : Maithri or Gota the commander in chief ?’ president’s immediate attention has been drawn to this news report, it is learnt.

It was reported by Lanka e news that army funds (public funds) are being wasted by the army commander unashamedly and unlawfully to rescue the army officers who were responsible for the abduction and brutal murder of journalist Ekneliyagoda, and Lieutenant Colonel Mahathanthila , a  broker of Gotabaya has enlisted the services of Indratissa Kalinga , an unscrupulous lawyer who has no respect for professional ethics. Lanka e news also revealed  that this lawyer who would stoop to any lowliest level has been paid too out of army funds.

The president has immediately instructed his defense secretary to probe into this and take appropriate action against this illegal action.

After this information came to light , the army commander who wasted public funds,  Indratissa who collected public funds unlawfully ,and Mahathanthila  the ‘broker’ of Gotabaya are in  a state of acute panic, reports say.

A group of lawyers are also to lodge a complaint with the Bar Association against Kalinga Indratissa for acting in breach of professional ethics by appearing for the witness and an accused of the same case.

Read connected news report:  ‘ Expose`-Gota and army maneuver to save Prageeth’s murderers wasting army funds : Maithri or Gota the commander in chief ?’

---------------------------
by     (2015-10-12 11:38:45)

NPC opposes Govt. move to appoint District Coordinator to North DCCs

Sunday, October 11, 2015

The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) decided to oppose a move by the central Government to appoint a “District Coordinator” for the District Coordinating Committee (DCC) to carry out development activities in the north.

NPC Chairman, C.V.K. Sivagnanam, told the Sunday Times that the latest move by the Government would weaken the Provincial administration structure. “Bypassing us is an anti-devolution process.

A conflict situation could arise between the centre and the provincial body,” he added.

The central Government’s appointment replaces the current structure of the DCC, where the Province’s Chief Minister and a Cabinet-ranked minister representing the Province are sitting as the co-Chairmen.

The alarm comes days after a recent workshop organised by the newly set up Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) to formulate comprehensive five-year District Development Plans (DDP) for each of the Districts of the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

An ONUR statement said this is the first time that extensive consultations with stakeholders have taken place in the planning of Government Development Programmes.

“Tentative Plans drawn up by the Dept of National Planning and the ONUR were discussed with stakeholders in every District of the North.”“In the past, we had some bitter experiences with such appointments made by successive governments. We don’t want to see that happen again,” he said.

Mr Sivagnanam said he will write to the President and the Prime minister next week, explaining the Council’s position on the Government’s recent move.

The meetings were Chaired by ONUR Director General (DG) Chandrasena Maliyadde, and the DG of National Planning with the participation of the Governor’s office, Chief Secretary and other officials of the NPC, District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries, and other relevant Districts officials, but none of the MPs or local representatives were invited.

Meetings were held in September in Vavuniya, Mullativu, Mannar, Kilinochchi and Jaffna. Ideas and proposals from the stakeholders in the District will also be included in the final DDP.

The ONUR headed by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, said the DDPs will be presented to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Policy Planning for approval, and these will be accepted as the final DDPs for the North and East, with the same model being replicated countrywide.

A member of the ONUR Board of Governors, Kandiah Neelakandan, told the Sunday Times that, “appointing a District Coordinator is still in the proposal stage and being considered by the institution, while nothing has been finalised so far.”

Grant Amnesty To All Tamil Political Prisoners: Wiggie And The NPC

October 12, 2015

Both the Northern Provincial Council and Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran today called on the President to grant an amnesty to Tamil political prisoners who are languishing in prisons all over the country, even after the war coming to end 5 years ago.

Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran

Chief Minister Wigneswaran in a letter addressed to the President said that authorities should file indictments without delay if there are any credible charges against those detained or should take immediate steps to release them.

A media statement signed by the NPC Chairman C.V.K. Sivagnam said that many hundreds of Tamils arrested on suspicion during the war were still detained in prisons without any court action.

“Therefore this council requests the President, Minister of Justice and Attorney General to grant amnesty at least on humanitarian grounds and release all political prisoners who are detained in prisons”.

Tamil political prisoners detained at the Magazine Prison in Colombo today launched a hunger strike urging the authorities to release them. The detainees were refusing to take their food and were staying in their cells, according to a prison officer.

Simultaneously Tamil political prisoners detained in all other prisons across the country too launched a hunger strike today.

Meanwhile Chief Minister Wigneswaran in his letter addressed to the President said that Tamil Prisoners were staging a fast today to register their protest at their prolonged imprisonment.

“There is concem that the fast may be violently dealt with by prison officers, as has happened in the past. The problem is a human issue that should be dealt with passion and empathy, given the number of years that these unfortunate human beings have been kept incarcerated without trial” he added.

Wigneswaran went on to say “if steps could be taken to give those unfortunate persons the assurance that measures will be taken in respect of their cases within a specified period of time they would be satisfied”.

Wigneswaran in his letter to the President suggested several measures to address the issue.

These included the preperation of a list of the prisoners, categorizing them according to the offences in respect which they have been taken into custody. Secondly grant an amnesty or at least release on bail those who are suspected of committing minor offences.

Next the chief minister suggested that all detainees suspected to come under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, but against whom no cases have so far been filed, could be released on adequate bail.

He also called on the President to give urgent directions to the Attomey General’s Department and the Police to file indictments within a specified period of time.Read More

1,318 Families or 4,737 People Still Live in IDP Camps in the Jaffna District Alone, says Minister

(File photo of a IDP camp in Jaffna)

12/10/2015 

The Government has allocated Rs 165 million to resettle people still housed in camps for Internally Displaced People (IDP), in the Jaffna district, with the recent Cabinet approval to build 65,000 houses in the district, Minister of Resettlement and Rehabilitation D.M. Swaminathan informed Parliament on Thursday.

Responding to a question posed by Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) leader Douglas Devananda in Parliament, Minister Swaminathan said that 1,318 families consisting of 4,737 people, are living in 32 IDP camps in Jaffna district alone.Minister Swaminathan said his ministry, along with the Women’s Affairs Ministry, has taken steps to set up nursery schools and livelihood programmes for women-headed families, to support them in the resettlement process.

Soon after the new government took office in January, 1,033 acres in the Jaffna district were handed over to their rightful owners who had been living in IDP camps and rented houses for nearly two decades. According to the District Planning office at the Jaffna District Secretariat, 1,098 persons have registered to resettle in lands which comprises the Valalai Grama Niladhari Division of the Valikamam East Divisional Secretariat Division. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) came forward to build 370 semi permanent houses for families willing to resettle in the released lands.

The second phase of land-returns in the Jaffna district took place when President Maithripala Sirisena symbolically distributed title deeds of 613 acres of land in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts used by the military, to their original owners and to the relevant institutions.

Director- Planning, Kilinochchi District Secretariat, S. Mohanabavan told the Sunday Times that 39 rightful owners have been identified to date, with the symbolical hand over by the President this week, of the title deeds for their respective plots.
“Around 400 acres of land were released in the Kilinochchi district alone, but still we are in the process of identifying private lands to their rightful owners and State lands,” he said.

According to the military, 11,639 acres were under the control of the security forces during the war, of which 6,152 acres in the Palaly area is currently maintained by the Sri Lanka Army and the Sri Lanka Air Force, as a High Security Zone.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/151011/news/1318-families-or-4737-people-still-live-in-idp-camps-in-the-jaffna-district-alone-says-minister-167591.html

All I want is my tractor, says displaced farmer from the north

By S. Rubatheesan-Sunday, October 11, 2015

Writes to President to get his vehicle back from the Army

Since the end of the war in 2009, many people from the former war-torn areas of the north have been searching for their loved ones whose whereabouts are not known.

The farmer holds up the letter addressed to the President and (right);treasured memories: A photograph of his daughter seated on the tractor. Pix by N. Logathayalan

But 62 year-old Kanthan Thadchanasingham isn’t looking for someone but something – a treasured farm tractor which he had with him for almost 30 years.

In 1983, Mr. Thadchanasingham, a farmer in Rathnapuram, Kilinochchi bought a Massey Ferguson tractor for Rs. 700,000. He used it to plough his own field as well as others for a payment.

However, as the war heightened he was forced to leave his village with his family driving the tractor all the way to Mullivaikkal in Mullaitivu.

On the way his 12 year- old daughter fell victim to shelling.

“Since then everything changed,” Mr. Thadchanasingham told the Sunday Times.

“I just want my tractor back, as it reminds me of my daughter,” he lamented.He started moving out of his village in 2008 when the Army reached the area. He was able to take some of the family’s belongings as he had a tractor.

As the Army closed in gradually during the final stages of the battle Mr. Thadchanasingham and family were among the thousands who moved on until they reached safe ground in Mulliwaikkal.

However, on May 15, 2009 they responded to the Army’s call and started going back into areas secured by the military. Mr. Thadchanasingham had no alternative, but to leave behind his tractor, other possessions and documents.

His family was among the many refugees at Menik Farm in Vavuniya until they returned to their village in 2011.

Having discovered that his tractor was being used by the army, in the Iranamadu camp in Kilinochchi, the one desire of this farmer, now working as a labourer, to sustain his family of five, has been to get back his vehicle.

However, he says his appeals had gone unanswered and he took the opportunity this week to make a direct appeal to President Maithripala Sirisena who visited Iranamadu to inaugurate the National Programme for Local Food Production.

He tried to meet the President personally and hand over the appeal to him, but since he failed in his efforts he handed it over to Northern Chief Minister C. V. Vigneswaran who delivered it to the president.

He said, having searched for his tractor for several years he finally saw an Army personnel travelling in it in Kilinochchi.

“I asked the military to handover my vehicle explaining the hardship we are facing but they refused. I went to many senior officials but nothing worked,” he said.

“I even borrowed money from neighbours to get a Sinhala translator and to travel to the police station in Kilinochchi. I am now in debt,” he cried.

He still has a photograph of his beloved tractor.

“I have heard that the President is the son of farmer and I hope he will understand the difficulties of one. I heard he was visiting to support the agriculture sector. He is my last hope,” the farmer said.

Meanwhile Military spokesperson Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera told the Sunday Times that the military will look into Mr. Thadchanasingham’s appeal

Delhi joins Sri Lanka probe into ‘sexual favours’ for houses

The project is funded by India and implemented through a MoU with Sri Lanka.

 by Shubhajit Roy-October 12, 2015

The Indian High Commission in Colombo and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) have launched a joint investigation into a complaint by a war-displaced widow against a Red Cross official for “soliciting sexual favours” in return for houses in the Indian government-funded housing project in the country’s northern province.

As the news about the allegation reached New Delhi last week, an angry South Block took the matter “extremely seriously”, with Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar immediately asking the Indian High Commission for a joint probe with the SLRCS, top sources told The Indian Express.

According to sources, Indian High Commissioner Y K Sinha quickly approached the Sri Lankan foreign ministry to ensure that officials – who are being probed in Sri Lanka – do not leave the country till the probe is completed.

“We don’t want the accused officials to escape, so the Sri Lankan foreign ministry and their immigration authorities have been informed,” an Indian official said. Another Indian diplomat said that while there was “no time-frame”, the probe will be conducted “expeditiously and thoroughly”.

“India will not condone any such activity by any of the implementing partners of this project. The Government of India – through its High Commission in Colombo and the consulate in Jaffna – is conducting a joint probe along with the Sri Lankan Red Cross officials,” an Indian High Commission spokesperson told The Indian Express from Colombo.

Sources said  this is the first time that such a complaint had come to India’s notice, and  was taken seriously since PM  Modi had handed over houses to some of the war widows during his visit to Jaffna in March this year.

These women are called “war widows” as their husbands were either declared killed or went missing during Sri Lanka’s war with the LTTE, which ended in 2009.

According to a report in Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times, investigations were initiated after “a war-displaced widow from Mulankavil lodged a complaint against one of the officials at the Kilinochchi branch of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, saying he demanded sexual favours from her in order to approve funds for the construction of her house under the project”.

The report quoted a spokesperson for the SLRCS, Mahieash Johnney, as saying that the management had called for a probe following a written complaint lodged at the Kilinochchi branch last week.

While an Indian diplomat told The Indian Express that there was only one complaint so far,  SLRCS Kilinochchi branch secretary Thampu Sethupathy claimed in the Sunday Times report that he had received more than 30 written and verbal complaints regarding demands for sexual favours.

He added that, based on the sensitivity of the issue, he had forwarded 15 of these complaints to the head office in Colombo.

“For the last two months we have been getting this kind of complaint from the public, particularly women. Initially, we did not consider this as a serious issue until we received some of the complaints which were very sensitive, with a similar pattern. It was thereafter that we brought this to the attention of the head office,” he said.

The SLRCS, along with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is the implementing partner of  India for the project.

The project is funded by India and implemented through a MoU with Sri Lanka.