Monday, March 28, 2016

Burundi accuses Rwanda of trying to export genocide

Ruling party president says neighbouring regime is training Burundian rebels in refugee camps

By AFP-27 Mar 2016

A Burundian expatriate attends a candlelight vigil held for Burundi in Nairobi, Kenya Photo: EPA

Burundi's ruling party has accused Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, of seeking to export genocide, as relations between the two neighbours deteriorate further.

In a statement releaed on Sunday, the head of the CNDD-FDD party said Mr Kagame had previously "experimented" with genocide, referring to the 1994 Rwandan genocide in which about 800,000 people were killed, mostly ethnic Tutsis.

"The genocide laboratory is in Rwanda because President Kagame, having experimented there, (wants) to export it to Burundi (to) play a minor imperialist," wrote Pascal Nyabenda, party president.

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza posing at the Westin hotel in Paris last year

Ties between the Great Lakes region nations are already at a low ebb, withBurundi and the United Nations both accusing Rwanda of supporting Burundian rebels.

Mr Nyabenda also claimed that some European governments supply arms and funds to the Rwandan leader, who he said was responsible for "recruiting and training young Burundians in refugee camps in Rwanda, so that they can return home to commit acts of genocide".

The ruling party chief went on to criticise the Catholic Church which recently called for a dialogue between Kigali and Bujumbura to help de-escalate the growing crisis.

Mr Nyabenda also condemned foreign journalists for taking up the cause of "terrorists", the term used by the ruling party to refer to opponents of the government, both armed and peaceful.

Burundi has been in political crisis since April last year when President Pierre Nkurunziza controversially decided to run for a third term, which he then won in a July election.
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, who has been criticised repeatedly for stifling opposition and interfering in neighbouring countries affairs Photo: Rex

The subsequent unrest has left 400 people dead, while some 250,000 have left the country and violent attacks have become a daily routine, raising fears of a return to the civil war fought between 1993-2006.

Concerns have been raised that more radical elements in Burundi's ruling party are gaining influence.

"The Hutu extremist faction of the CNDD-FDD was marginalised until the start of this crisis ... it is clear that they are now in control of the country," a concerned diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The diplomat noted that Mr Nyabenda, as well as being ruling party head, is also president of the national assembly and the number two figure in the Burundian state.

"It is feared that there would be dire consequences if the crisis worsened or if there was a serious incident like the death of a senior party official," he said.

The CNDD-FDD party was formed from the main Hutu rebel group that fought against the formerly Tutsi minority-dominated army during the Burundian civil war.

The movement initially had close ties to President Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front party but relations have soured in recent years.

What is truth – in life and war? From the trial of Jesus to trying war crimes

Obama and Raul meeting in Havana

by Rajan Philips-March 26, 2016, 5:48 pm

This is not a spiritual reflection on Easter, but a secular reflection on politics in the spirit of Easter. The reflective question was asked on Good Friday two thousand years ago, during the trial of Jesus according to John, when Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, said to Jesus, "What is truth?" The question was asked after Jesus spoke of his kingdom not belonging to this world and of his coming into this world to testify to the truth. Pilate did not wait for an answer, but turned to the crowd and pleaded with them to let him release Jesus because, he said, "I find no guilt in him." But the crowd, egged on by their high priests, would have none of it and wanted Jesus crucified according to ‘their law’. So the trial of the most divine of all historical figures ended in the worst miscarriage of justice in history. There was neither search nor respect for truth in spite of the insistence about relying on the law. But the story of crucifixion and resurrection became the central tenet of the Christian faith and has informed all of the world’s most influential laws and customs in relation to life and war, including the notions of unjust laws and just wars.

The question, what is truth? - has preoccupied faiths and philosophers long before Christ and long after. It became the focus of Hinduism and Buddhism in the east and of the Greek philosophers in the west, before Christ, and it has continued to preoccupy later religions like Islam as well as both religious and secular philosophers in every century from the time of Christ to our present day. There are theories of truth in philosophy and applications of the notions of truth in our personal, social and institutional lives. Finding facts and establishing the truth are the purpose of all legal processes, however imperfect they might be in their functioning and their outcomes. And it is a modern day truism that "truth is the first casualty of war", as a pacifist US Republican Senator from California, Warren Johnson, first said in 1918.

All religions are against killing and war, Buddhism more unequivocally than others. It was the revulsion and rejection of war that was at the root of Asoka’s imperial conversion to Buddhism in the east that predated the more globally consequential conversion in the west – that of Constantine to Christianity, but in different circumstances. Even where wars are permissible, they have to be not only just but also lawful, and even those wars have to follow the laws of war – a human tradition as old as the Old Testament and the Bhagavad Gita. War crimes are committed when the laws of war are broken. But the enforcement of the laws of war, either during or after a war, is not as well established and as routine as the laws governing non-war situations.

In Japan and South Korea, bewilderment at Trump’s suggestion they build nukes

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said Monday that Japan will stand by its no-nuclear-weapons stance. (Shizuo Kambayashi/AP)

By Anna Fifield-March 28

Donald Trump’s suggestion that South Korea and Japan should have their own nuclear arsenals so they can protect themselves — and so the United States doesn’t have to — has been met with bewilderment in the region.

Government officials on all three sides stressed that there would be no change in the alliance, while newspapers shook their editorial heads.

“We are dumbfounded at such myopic views of a leading candidate in the U.S. presidential race, who tries to approach such critical issues only from the perspective of expenses,” the JoongAng Ilbo, one of South Korea’s biggest newspapers, said in a punchy editorial. “Trump must refrain from his penny-wise and pound-foolish approach.”

The left-leaning Hankyoreh urged President Park Geun-hye’s administration to protest. “The South Korean government needs to express its firm opposition to Trump’s foreign policy plan, which constitutes a threat to security on the Korean Peninsula,” the paper said, warning that Trump’s comments could complicate efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

[A transcript of Trump’s meeting with The Washington Post editorial board]

The Republican presidential front-runner argues that the United States’ defense alliances with Japan and South Korea cost too much money.

The U.S. military has about 54,000 troops stationed in Japan and 28,500 in South Korea, and the alliances form the cornerstones of its military presence in Asia. The presence is meant to keep North Korea, as well as China, in check.

But Trump has been complaining that these two rich countries should be paying for their own defense.

“Now, does that mean nuclear? It could mean nuclear. It’s a very scary nuclear world,” Trump told the New York Times.

With the irascible North Korean regime threatening more nuclear and missile tests, some politicians and opinion leaders in Seoul have been talking about the need for South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons, but this idea does not have mainstream support.

[As North Korea flexes its muscles, some in South want nukes, too]

The spokesman for South Korea’s defense ministry, Moon Sang-gyun, said Monday that he had no comment on Trump’s remarks on nuclear weapons. He did, however, tell reporters that the alliance with the United States remains strong.

In Tokyo, Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, said there would be no change in Japan’s policy of not having nuclear weapons.

“Whoever becomes president of the United States, the Japan-U.S. alliance, based on a bilateral security agreement, will remain the core of Japan’s diplomacy,” Suga told reporters. “We will adhere to our three principles that prohibit Japan from owning, developing and transporting a nuclear arsenal.”

Mexicans celebrate holiday by burning Trump in effigy

Anna Fifield is The Post’s bureau chief in Tokyo, focusing on Japan and the Koreas. She previously reported for the Financial Times from Washington DC, Seoul, Sydney, London and from across the Middle East.

CIA photographed detainees naked before sending them to be tortured

Classified pictures showing CIA captives bruised, blindfolded and bound raise new questions about US’s willingness to use ‘sexual humiliation’ on suspects

Some human rights campaigners described the act of naked photography on unwilling detainees as a potential war crime by the CIA. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Spencer Ackerman-Monday 28 March 2016

The CIA took naked photographs of people it sent to its foreign partners for torture, the Guardian can reveal.

A former US official who had seen some of the photographs described them as “very gruesome”.

The naked imagery of CIA captives raises new questions about the seeming willingness of the US to use what one medical and human rights expert called “sexual humiliation” in its post-9/11 captivity of terrorism suspects. Some human rights campaigners described the act of naked photography on unwilling detainees as a potential war crime.

Unlike video evidence of CIA torture at its undocumented “black site” prisons that were destroyed in 2005 by a senior official, the CIA is said to retain the photographs.

In some of the photos, which remain classified, CIA captives are blindfolded, bound and show visible bruises. Some photographs also show people believed to be CIA officials or contractors alongside the naked detainees.

It is not publicly known how many people, overwhelmingly but not exclusively men, were caught in the CIA’s web of so-called “extraordinary renditions”, extra-judicial transfers of detainees to foreign countries, many of which practised even more brutal forms of torture than the US came to adopt. Human rights groups over the years have identified at least 50 people the CIA rendered, going back to Bill Clinton’s presidency.

It is also unclear how many of those rendition targets the CIA photographed naked.

The rationale for the naked photography, described by knowledgeable sources, was to insulate the CIA from legal or political ramifications stemming from their brutal treatment in the hands of its partner intelligence agencies.

Stripping the victims of clothing was considered necessary to document their physical condition while in CIA custody, distinguishing them at that point from what they would subsequently experience in foreign custody – despite the public diplomatic assurances against torture that the US demonstrably collected from countries with a record of torturing detainees.

The Guardian is aware of the identities of some of the detainees photographed naked and is choosing not to disclose them out of concern for their safety and dignity.

Nearly 1,500 people rescued off Libya's coast in 48 hours

European leaders fear a recent deal with Ankara to stem flow of migrants arriving from Turkey could increase attempts to cross from Libya

A navy sailor throws a life vest to people on a stricken dinghy off the Libyan coast (AFP)

Monday 28 March 2016

European leaders fear that a recent deal with Ankara to stem the flow of migrants arriving from Turkey could increase attempts to cross from Libya

The Italian coastguard has rescued nearly 1,500 people, including many women and children, off the coast of Libya over the past two days, officials said on Monday.

A total of 1,482 people were picked up in about a dozen rescue operations at sea over the course of Sunday and Monday, according to the Italian coastguard that coordinated the search and rescue efforts.

They did not release the nationalities of the people who were picked up, or specify what happened to them after they were rescued.

They said 730 people were rescued on Sunday and 752 on Monday. They did not provide a breakdown of the number of children and women on board.

The UN refugee agency said last week that nearly 14,500 migrants had arrived in Italy via Libya since the start of the year, up 42.5 percent on the same period a year earlier.

Libya has long been a stepping stone for people seeking safety and a better life in Europe, with the western end of the Libyan coast just 500 kilometres from the Italian island of Lampedusa.

European leaders fear that a recent deal with Ankara to stem the flow of migrants arriving in Greece via Turkey could increase attempts to cross from Libya, which remains riven by chaos after years of political disputes and growing militancy.

Last October the UN approved a plan put forward by the EU that would see a military operation mounted to seize and destroy the rickety boats used by smugglers to ferry people across from Libya into Europe.

The UK-led military operation - known as Operation Sophia - is only authorised to operate in international waters after politicians in Libya rejected the plan.

Earlier this month a UK source said that people picked up on the high seas as part of the operation are taken to Italy, but that the EU is keen to see a deal with the Libyan government to return them to the North African hub.

- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/nearly-1500-people-picked-seas-libya-48-hours-1509438902#sthash.Td2l128X.dpuf

Myanmar Should Learn & Unlearn From Democracies in Asia

by N.S.Venkataraman

( March 27, 2016, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Myanmar gained independence from British rule in 1948 and adopted the democratic form of government. However, due to inept leadership and poor governance , It became possible for the army to take over the government and assume power in 1962 following a military coup.

After around 50 years of what is widely perceived as oppressive rule by military government, a semi civilian government took over in 2011 after a general election , which took a few positive steps towards economic reforms and provided some measure of political freedom to the people. With the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, the human rights record improved to some extent. With the recent elections and government formation by the Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), the people of Myanmar are now brimming with hopes and aspirations.

Challenges ahead :

While it is gratifying to see Myanmar having a democratically elected government, one has to keep the fingers crossed as to how Myanmar will shape in the coming years. There are many challenges facing Myanmar that have to be overcome, if the country and it’s socio economic conditions were to gain by utilizing the opportunities and forging ahead.

Obviously, the main requirements to boost the economy and implement development projects that are urgently needed to give relief to the people, most of whom are living in stressful economic and social conditions, is enlightened leadership for the government , stable administration and peaceful conditions. Creation of appropriate climate for growth is the primary and vital need.

The ground reality is that for most of it’s independent years after 1948, Myanmar has been engrossed in widespread ethnic strife , leading to sort of civil war in some areas. .Sadly, thousands of people have died in violence amongst ethnic groups , after the Britishers left in 1948

The continued presence of a number of outfits such as pro Christian Kachin Independence Army, Rohingya Muslims, Shan, Lahu and Karen minority groups, ethnic Chinese rebels that have all been involved in several conflicts and violence in the past, should be a matter of high concern to a government that would be keen to promote economic and industrial growth in progressive climate.

The anxiety is that Myanmar, which has gained political freedom after making huge sacrifice and struggle by hundreds of freedom fighters during the last 70 years, should not lose it’s way in a situation where the violent outfits, which have been active in the past , would assert their presence and conduct themselves with narrow chauvinistic outlook and extreme postures under the leadership of self centred persons and groups.

It is also a matter of concern that terrorists including ISI should not find Myanmar , which remains a poor country , to be a fertile ground to recruit the poor innocent youth to their fold and carry out their terrorist activities.

The leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi and the governing capability of her party are still untested and it may be an inexperienced team, particularly considering the challenges ahead of Myanmar. The new elected government is bound to face tremendous pressure from the vested interests, arm merchants , business houses and even religious bodies, not only within the country but also from outside.

Need to learn and unlearn :

In this scenario, the Myanmar government should have a close look at the democracies in the neighbouring countries namely India, Bangladesh, Thailand, China, Laos and nearby countries such as Pakistan and Nepal.

While all these countries except China have democratic governments elected by the people in general elections, the fact is that happiness index of the people in these countries are not high. Atleast , some section of the people in these countries think that they are paying too big a price for democratic form of governance , where unrestricted freedom often have lead to conflicts and violence and counter productive political developments.

Most of the neighbouring and nearby countries which boast of democratic governance , suffer from unacceptably high level of corruption in the government machinery , amongst the politicians and those elected by the people . In view of such prevalence of widespread corruption, the development programmes are not being implemented efficiently and the benefits intended for the deprived section of the society do not reach them fully. Substantial share of government expenditure are siphoned away by corrupt elements inside and outside the government.

Further, attracted by the power of governance and in the name of freedom, all sorts of people have entered politics in these countries without any check and control and it is not uncommon to see even criminals and those accused for smuggling and corrupt practices get themselves elected by dubious means and by bribing voters and become ministers to rule the country.

Singapore model of governance may be appropriate :

Singapore is a case study , where the Singapore government claims that it is democratically elected , though Singapore is generally perceived ,by people living in Singapore and outside, to be having a limited or controlled democracy, where the government does not allow the type of freedom that people in countries like India get.

In the Singapore form of governance, the city state of Singapore has made enormous progress in economic, technology and financial front . Peace prevails in the country. At the same time, Singapore government has not stopped it’s obnoxious practice of whipping the wrong doers mercilessly, which many think could be gross violation of human rights.

In such circumstances, Aung San Suu Kyi who has become sort of mother figure now in Myanmar and who enjoys enormous confidence of the people, should carefully examine whether it would be appropriate for Myanmar to copy the pattern of democracy that is practiced in countries like India or should it opt for sort of controlled democracy as prevalent in Singapore so that the forces of disruption will not have a free run.

Aung San Suu Kyi and her party which is now governing Myanmar has to do some hard thinking about the ways and means of ensuring steady growth of Myanmar and at the same time keeping the disruptive elements under check, which may call for limiting the freedom of people to the extent necessary.

The new government in Myanmar has not only to learn but also unlearn from the practice of democracy in the neighbouring and nearby countries.

Nizar Rohana’s fresh new flow

Furat by Nizar Rohana Trio

Sarah Irving-28 March 2016

Palestinian oud artist Nizar Rohana’s second album Furat (Euphrates) offers both a fresh, engaging take on his well-known instrument and a wide-open view of the Middle East which challenges the dark-days realpolitiks of the region.

Hailing from the village of Isfiya, near the historic Palestinian city of Haifa in present-day Israel, Rohana’s parents played oud and percussion at community events. The young

Rohana began playing the oud at age 13 and went on to study in Jerusalem and, more recently, in Leiden, the Netherlands.

Alongside composing, performing and musicological research (focusing on the Egyptian composer Mohammed al-Qasabji), Rohana also taught the oud at the Edward Said National Conservatory in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem for seven years.

Amongst his creative influences and inspirations, Rohana names Bach, Chopin and Brahms alongside famous Ottoman-era Turkish musicians Tanburi Cemil Bey and Kemani Tatyos Efendi, and Arab stars al-Qasabji and Mohammad Abdel Wahab.

This diversity shows in the trio assembled by Rohana — comprising also Lebanese percussionist Wassim Halal and Hungarian double-bassist Mátyás Szandai.

Halal’s other work includes experimental ambient drone performances, while Szandai is influenced by the jazz sounds which his instrument often underpins.

The result is a spare, deceptively simple-sounding album which eschews the more stereotypically “oriental,” world music feel of Rohana’s first CD, Sard (Narration) and the lush, sweeping style of works by fellow Palestinian oud virtuosos The Trio Joubran or Simon Shaheen.

Mighty rivers

The album’s mix focuses the listener’s attention primarily on Rohana’s oud; Szandai’s bass provides texture and dialogue with the oud as well as a deep, subtle underpinning to the whole, while Halal’s percussion brings in flashes and sharp points which highlight the oud’s twists and turns.

Despite the historical role and image of the oud, this is not traditional Palestinian music. Like Samir Joubran, Rohana is very clear that he composes music influenced by his Palestinian heritage but also drawing from a wide range of other sources to create something emphatically individual.

In the case of Furat, Rohana also makes a statement about the histories and landscapes of his native Middle East, particularly its mighty rivers. Most of the song titles refer to sites along the Euphrates but, Rohana insists, this was a response to the sense of flow and drive he felt in the album, not an inspiration for writing the tracks to fit a riverine aesthetic.

The opening track, “Madar Hijaz” (An Orbit in Hijaz), uses the classical maqam modes and positions the listener in the Arabian peninsula, while the second track, “Furat” (Euphrates), moves on to Iraq and Syria, the cradles of civilization.

“Mayadin” then pays tribute to the Syrian city of the same name, while the closing piece of the album, “Jurjina Bayati,” is centered on the jurjina rhythm which originates in Iraqi popular and folk music.

“Safsaf Abyad” (White Willow), meanwhile, is evocative of the trees growing along the quieter stretches of the mighty Euphrates, while the title to “Dalya” harks back to the 6,000-year-old Syrian city, now known at al-Quriyah, whose ruins lie beside the river.

The choice of names emphasizes the essential coherence of the album, in which the seven tracks progress naturally, working very much as a whole.

Breadth and diversity

Alongside these diverse but quintessentially Arab references, Rohana also extends into the Ottoman Turkish repertoire, with the track “Sama‘i Muhayyar,” composed by Rohana’s hero Tanburi Cemil Bey.

The inclusion of this piece, dating back to a time when the political contours of the Middle East were very different, emphasizes the breadth and inclusivity of Rohana’s artistic vision.

As such, the wider cultural vision Rohana highlights is one of openness and diversity. This builds on the perspectives of much of his earlier work. These range from recordings with Duo Esperanto, which brought together Palestinian and Lebanese music with Sephardic Jewish traditions to underscore a common Mediterranean sensibility, to his participation in the soundtrack to Around the Old World Sea, a Dutch TV series following the 1905 journey of politician Abraham Kuyper from the Balkans to Palestine, Egypt, North Africa and Southern Europe.

Overall, Furat is not, perhaps, as immediately accessible an album as some of the better-known names of Palestinian oud music. But, like the fruitful collaboration between oud player Ahmad al-Khatib and percussionist Youssef Hbeisch, the Nizar Rohana Trio and Furat are a reminder Palestinian artists are recording beautiful, innovative, contemporary oud compositions too.

U.S. scientists develop mouse model to test Zika vaccines, drugs

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, March 6, 2016. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

BY JULIE STEENHUYSEN

Tue Mar 29, 2016

U.S. scientists have identified a genetically modified strain of mice that develop Zika, an important tool needed for testing vaccines and medicines to treat the virus that is rapidly spreading across the Americas and the Caribbean.

Early tests on the mice show the virus growing in the testes, offering clues about how a virus typically spread by mosquito bites can be transmitted sexually.

"We are going to do experiments to see if we can produce sexual transmission" in these mice, said Scott Weaver, a virologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston who worked on the study published on Monday in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Weaver said the Zika mouse model will provide a critical tool to allow companies and scientists to test vaccines and antiviral drugs against Zika, which has been linked with thousands of cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect marked by unusually small head size and possible developmental problems.

Zika has not been proven to cause microcephaly, but strong evidence connecting Zika infections with microcephaly cases in Brazil prompted the World Health Organization to declare Zika a global health emergency on Feb. 1.

Normally, creating this kind of mouse model would take several months. But the urgency of the Zika outbreak called for rapid response, and the team put together the results in just three weeks, said Shannan Rossi, a UTMB virologist who led the study.

Normally, mice do not become sick from a Zika infection. The team tested the virus on several genetically altered mice that had weakened immune systems. The young mice quickly succumbed to the virus, becoming lethargic, losing weight and typically dying six days later.

Testing on the mice showed virus particles in many major organs, including high concentrations in the spleen, brain and testes.

While Weaver says there are limits to what mouse models can tell about human infections, they may at least provide some early clues that could be followed up in non-human primates, a more costly animal model that is a better predictor of human disease.

"The mouse will mainly be used to do the very earliest testing of vaccines or drugs where the mechanism of disease doesn't have to be a perfect model to what happens in humans," Weaver said.

Brazil has confirmed more than 900 microcephaly cases and considers most related to Zika infections in the mothers. It is investigating nearly 4,300 additional suspected cases of microcephaly.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Those who raped and executed those who surrendered must be held accountable - EU

27 March 2016

The European Union's Charge d'Affaires to Sri Lanka Paul Godfrey said in an interview that those who violated codes of good conduct must be held accountable.

Mr Godfrey, speaking to the Sunday Observer said Sri Lanka still had a long way to go on human rights and reconciliation, although excellent progress had been made.

He stressed that those who committed crimes must be held accountable.

Those Who Raped and Executed Those Who Surrendered Must Be Held Accountable - EU by Thavam Ratna

Outrage As President Insists No Foreign Judges

by Easwaran Rutnam-Sunday, March 27, 2016

UNHRC sessions in progress

A public statement made last weekend by President Maithripala Sirisena that he will not agree to inviting foreign judges to get involved in the accountability process related to the war, has drawn sharp criticism.

The criticism stems from the fact that the need to have foreign judges is part of the

Resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) last year, which was co-sponsored by Sri Lanka.

Speaking at the Law Conference in Wadduwa last weekend, the President said that he has faith in the local judiciary and he feels all that needs to be done is to strengthen the judiciary and ensure it is independent.

International human rights groups have been calling on Sri Lanka to invite foreign judges to ensure the domestic process to investigate human rights abuses related to the war are credible.

“If there is a need to conduct a judicial process after investigating human rights abuses, I will not agree to invite foreign judges to come to Sri Lanka and be involved in that process,” he said.

The President had made a similar comment a few weeks ago to the international media and that created a storm with human rights groups insisting that he reconsider his stand.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), which pushed for the Resolution on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC and backed international participation in the local judicial process, reiterated the need to have foreign judges.

HRC Resolution Read More »

Tamil journalists call for strengthening of media sector

28 March 2016
Tamil journalists wrote to Sri Lanka’s Minister of Parliamentary Reform and Mass Media calling for support in developing Tamil journalism, which has suffered from decades of conflict, in order to establish “reconciliation and good governance”.

The journalists and former students from the Media Resources and Training Centre of the University of Jaffna, wrote to Sri Lankan minister Kajantha Karunathileke, stating that media training was hindered “due to the oppressions unleashed on the media sector during the period of the former regime and the crisis situation that prevailed in the North”.

The North-East has been highlighted as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists to work, with a long history of murders and censorship.

Though a new government has since come in to place, the UN Human Rights chief Zeid Al Hussein said on a visit last month that the North-East was yet to have full media freedom, noting that the fear of reprisals “has mutated but, sadly, still exists”.

The letter highlighted “political interference in the affairs of the University of Jaffna” as another obstacle which led to the degradation of the media in the North-East.

By supporting the media sector, it “could help in raising the Tamil Journalism sector to international standard level” and “pave the way for the Tamil Journalism sector to be nurtured to a healthy position aided by the interaction with the Sinhala and English Media,” continued the letter.

See the full text of the letter here.

Tamil Journo Letter to Minister Mar 2016 (3) by Thavam Ratna

Are Tamils Horrified By Or Tolerant Of Sexual Harassment?

By S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole –March 27, 2016

Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole

The Feminist VC?

Prof. Vasanthi Arasaratnam, Vice Chancellor of University of Jaffna, claimed in Uthayan Newspaper head-lines (23.03.2016) to have fired professors following sexual harassment accusations by students. “As a woman, I have done all I can,” she continued. Her remarks were made the previous day at a function by “The Voice of Women” to mark “International Women’s Day” which fell really on 8 March.

Speaking further, Arasaratnam said that women are to blame for the increase in sexual harassment and that these episodes could have been avoided had women complained in time. If they had complained at the beginning, she said, action could have been taken. She blamed the parents for not having brought up their daughters to complain publicly when they face harassment. Girls, she said, have to be brought up with self-confidence and courage in themselves.

These claims of hers reverberated through the Jaffna media – other newspapers, television, etc. The truth, however, is far from the VC’s claims on both counts – not a single predatory professor has been fired from the university and women have consistently complained of sexual harassment without action by her.

Sexual Harassment at the University

Sexual harassment claims are aplenty at the University of Jaffna and are rarely acted on. A Vice Chancellor was seen naked in his office with an equally naked student by a mason working high up on scaffoldings. A Council enquiry by a clergyman suppressed it saying the witness is not from the internal community.

Prof. Vasanthi Arasaratnam

A Lecturer in Political Science, according to news reports in 2005, had bail denied to him when he was accused of sexually abusing well over 40 times a thirteen-year girl who was employed as his domestic servant. Women’s groups protested and demonstrated. He was in jail pending trial. Then the LTTE intervened in his favor because he was the chief organizer for the Pongu Thamil festivities and his conviction would have reflected badly on the LTTE. Today he is a key person in the Chief Minister’s Thamil Makkal Peravai where he recently held forth on women’s rights as Chairman of a PAFFREL Seminar on electoral systems.

Many of these stories make for entertainment at the university rather than being matters of horror.

Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts (RAFA)

The recent case of Dr. S. Dharshanan shows how much Tamils care about protecting women. On Sunday, 18 Oct. 2015, as part of the Sarswati Poosai festivities, children at a famous dance school on Navalar Road, Nallur South showed off their talents. The Chief Guest that evening, like a cat among the young pigeons, was Dr. S. Darshanan, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Music at RAFA.

What was strange was that at a Special Meeting of the Council of the University of Jaffna, on Wednesday 14.10.2015, Darshanan had been interdicted after numerous complaints of sexual harassment by his students and colleagues Yet, it made no difference in Jaffna. He held a great job. He was therefore still fêted at the music school where he extolled religious values in his speech. Several men preying on women (and even boys) continue to be similarly honoured in Jaffna so long as they are educated and hold high positions.

Dr. S. Darshanan

Recently student complaints against Dr. Dharshanan forced matters to a head. Prof. Arasaratnam had suppressed these complaints since 2011. His mother-in-law is her beautician. Cornered, a Special Council Meeting was forced on Arasaratnam when a harassed student threatened suicide. Council Minutes confirm that the complaints date back to 2011 at the University’s RAFA and that they center around Dharshanan and one Mr. Robert Arudsegaram. Complainants included many female staff members of the Music Department besides students. (I have heard of students having to go to staff quarters to meet their teachers where they are met by a staff member wearing only a towel round his waist).