Friday, March 28, 2008
Stop the War Against Journalists in Sri Lanka
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
இந்தியாவுக்குப் புத்தி வருமா?
சீனாவை வைத்து சிறீலங்கா விளையாடுவதைக் கண்டும் இராணுவ உதவி செய்யும் இந்தியாவுக்குப் புத்தி வருமா? நியூ யோர்க் டைம்சின் இந்த செய்தியை வாசித்து பாருங்கள்
Take Aid From China and Take a Pass on Human Rights
By SOMINI SENGUPTA
Published: March 9, 2008
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka
FOR 25 years, the dirty little war on this island in the Indian Ocean has stretched its octopus arms across the world. The ethnic Tamil diaspora has provided vital funding for separatist rebels; remittances from Sri Lankan workers abroad have propped up the economy; the government has relied on foreign assistance to battle the insurgency.
Today, a shifting world order is bearing new fruits for Sri Lanka. Most notably, China’s quiet assertion in India’s backyard has put Sri Lanka’s government in a position not only to play China off against India, but also to ignore complaints from outside Asia about human rights violations in the war.
The timing is propitious. The government jettisoned a five-year cease-fire this year, and is now banking on a military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. In so doing, it has faced a barrage of criticism over human rights abuses and has lost defense aid from the United States and some other sources. And, in recent months, government officials have increasingly cozied up to countries that tend to say little to nothing on things like abductions and assaults on press freedom.
இங்கே போனால் முழுக்க வாசிக்கலாம்
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/weekinreview/09sengupta.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Take Aid From China and Take a Pass on Human Rights
By SOMINI SENGUPTA
Published: March 9, 2008
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka
FOR 25 years, the dirty little war on this island in the Indian Ocean has stretched its octopus arms across the world. The ethnic Tamil diaspora has provided vital funding for separatist rebels; remittances from Sri Lankan workers abroad have propped up the economy; the government has relied on foreign assistance to battle the insurgency.
Today, a shifting world order is bearing new fruits for Sri Lanka. Most notably, China’s quiet assertion in India’s backyard has put Sri Lanka’s government in a position not only to play China off against India, but also to ignore complaints from outside Asia about human rights violations in the war.
The timing is propitious. The government jettisoned a five-year cease-fire this year, and is now banking on a military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. In so doing, it has faced a barrage of criticism over human rights abuses and has lost defense aid from the United States and some other sources. And, in recent months, government officials have increasingly cozied up to countries that tend to say little to nothing on things like abductions and assaults on press freedom.
இங்கே போனால் முழுக்க வாசிக்கலாம்
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/weekinreview/09sengupta.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Labels: china, human rights, india, sri lanka
Thursday, March 06, 2008
BBC: S Lanka rapped over 'disappeared'
S Lanka rapped over 'disappeared'
Thursday, 6 March 2008, 10:13 GMT
The security forces are accused of abducting hundreds of people
Sri Lanka's government is one of the world's worst perpetrators of enforced disappearances, US-based pressure group Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.
An HRW report accuses security forces and pro-government militias of abducting and "disappearing" hundreds of people - mostly Tamils - since 2006.
Sri Lanka's government says HRW has exaggerated the scale of the problem.
In a separate development, a team of foreign judicial experts has announced its withdrawal from the country.
'Unfair'
HRW says many of the missing are young Tamil men targeted on suspicion of links to Tamil Tiger rebels.
But their conclusions have been flatly rejected by the Sri Lankan government.
Concern has been expressed over the disappearance of aid workers
Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona says there has been a "steady decline in disappearances over the last 12 months" because of new measures taken by the government.
"Unfortunately Human Rights Watch has tended to exaggerate the real situation," Mr Kohona said.
He said the group's "unfair" report was based on unsubstantiated claims and "anecdotal evidence", while the government's own investigations into disappearances were proceeding quickly.
Tens of thousands have died since separatist Tamil Tiger rebels began fighting the Sri Lankan government more than three decades ago.
HRW said several hundred cases of disappearances had been reported since 2006, when fighting between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the government intensified.
The rights group said the majority of cases "indicate the involvement of government security forces - army, navy or police".
The government insists that it does respect human rights முழு விபரம் இங்கே காணலாம்
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7280050.stm
Thursday, 6 March 2008, 10:13 GMT
The security forces are accused of abducting hundreds of people
Sri Lanka's government is one of the world's worst perpetrators of enforced disappearances, US-based pressure group Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.
An HRW report accuses security forces and pro-government militias of abducting and "disappearing" hundreds of people - mostly Tamils - since 2006.
Sri Lanka's government says HRW has exaggerated the scale of the problem.
In a separate development, a team of foreign judicial experts has announced its withdrawal from the country.
'Unfair'
HRW says many of the missing are young Tamil men targeted on suspicion of links to Tamil Tiger rebels.
But their conclusions have been flatly rejected by the Sri Lankan government.
Concern has been expressed over the disappearance of aid workers
Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona says there has been a "steady decline in disappearances over the last 12 months" because of new measures taken by the government.
"Unfortunately Human Rights Watch has tended to exaggerate the real situation," Mr Kohona said.
He said the group's "unfair" report was based on unsubstantiated claims and "anecdotal evidence", while the government's own investigations into disappearances were proceeding quickly.
Tens of thousands have died since separatist Tamil Tiger rebels began fighting the Sri Lankan government more than three decades ago.
HRW said several hundred cases of disappearances had been reported since 2006, when fighting between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the government intensified.
The rights group said the majority of cases "indicate the involvement of government security forces - army, navy or police".
The government insists that it does respect human rights முழு விபரம் இங்கே காணலாம்
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7280050.stm
Labels: human rights violation, sri lanka
Jaffna TNA MP Sivanesan killed in DPU Claymore attack
[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 March 2008, 09:59 GMT]
Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, K. Sivanesan, was killed in a Claymore attack carried out by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit inside Vanni Thursday around 2:00 p.m. at Kanakaraayan Ku'lam, initial reports said. The MP's vehicle was targeted when he was returning to his residence in Mallaavi, after attending the parliamentary sessions in Colombo. His driver, Periyannan Maheswararajah, 26, from Mallaavi, was also killed in the attack.
There were also reports about a cyclist on the road was also wounded in the attack. Exact details are yet to emerge.
Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, K. Sivanesan, was killed in a Claymore attack carried out by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit inside Vanni Thursday around 2:00 p.m. at Kanakaraayan Ku'lam, initial reports said. The MP's vehicle was targeted when he was returning to his residence in Mallaavi, after attending the parliamentary sessions in Colombo. His driver, Periyannan Maheswararajah, 26, from Mallaavi, was also killed in the attack.
There were also reports about a cyclist on the road was also wounded in the attack. Exact details are yet to emerge.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
ரைட்டர் ராசேச்வரி பாலசுப்பிரமணியத்தின் சூபி நடனம்
இங்கிலாந்து நாட்டிலே இருந்து மனித உரிமைப்போராளி என்ற பெயரிலே விடுதலைப்புலிகளைத் திட்டுவதே தொழிலாகக் கொண்டவர் தன்னை எழுத்தாளர் என்று சொல்லிக் கொள்ளும் ராசேச்வரி பாலசுப்பிரமணியம். பெண்கள் சந்திப்பின் பின்னால் தமிழச்சி என்ற பிரபலமான மூத்த பெண்பதிவரைப் பற்றி இவர் எழுதியது பொய் என்று தமிழச்சி புரூவ் பண்ணக் கேட்டார். ஆனால் ராசேச்வரி அம்மையாரால் முடியவில்லை. மட்டக்களப்பினைப் பிறப்பிடமாகக் கொண்டவரும் லண்டன் மாநகரை வசிப்பிடமாகக் கொண்டவருமான இவரின் மனித உரிமைப்போராட்டம், குழந்தைகளுக்கான போராட்டம், தலித் போராட்டம் செயற்பாடுகள் அவரின் பெயரைப் பிரபலப்படுத்தும் நோக்கம் மட்டுமோ என்று அவரை அறிந்த பல இலங்கைத்தமிழர்கள் சந்தேகம் கொண்டது உண்டு. ஆனால் அதற்கும் மேலே அவர் ஸ்ரீலங்கா அரசினாலே இயக்கப்படுகிறாரோ என்ற சந்தேகம் இப்போது ஈழத்தமிழர் நலன்நோக்கிகள் இடையே சண்டே லீடர் கட்டுரையாலே உருவாகி இருக்கிறது. கருணா - பிள்ளையான் பிளவிலே பெரிதும் பேசப்பட்ட, கிருஷ்ணன் சுப்பையா, கேடி ராஜசிங்கம், உண்டியல் ஜெயதேவன் போன்றவர்களோடு மகிந்த ராஜபக்ச அரசுக்குச் சார்பான மிக நெருக்கமான செயற்பாடுகளை இவர் செய்வதன் பின்னணியே இவரின் இலங்கைத்தமிழருக்கு எதிரான செயற்பாடுகளுக்கு முக்கிய காரணமோ?மூத்த பெண் பதிவர் தமிழச்சியின் பெயரைப் பயன்படுத்தி இவர் தனது புலி எதிர்ப்புக்கருத்துகளைச் சொல்லப் பயன்படுத்திக் கொண்டது வியப்பல்லவே. பெண்கள் மகாநாட்டிலே ஸ்டாலின் போன்ற கருணாவிற்கு பிரான்ஸிலே தங்கிப் போக உதவி செய்தவர்களாகச் சொல்லப்படுகின்றவர்களோடு சேர்ந்து மும்பாயிலிருந்து போன புதிய மாதவி சங்கரன் அய்யருக்கு ஈழத்தமிழ்ப்போராட்டம் தலித்துகளுக்கு எதிரானவர்கள் என்று கருத்து சொன்னதிலே இவரது பங்கு என்னவாக இருக்கலாம் என்பதும் இப்போது கேள்வி கேட்கப்படுகிறது. ஈழத்தமிழர்களுக்கு எதிரான இந்தியத்தமிழ்ப்பத்திரிகையாளர்களுடனும் இவர் மிகவும் கருத்து நெருக்கமாக இருப்பதற்கும் இவர்களுடைய ஸ்ரீலங்கா அரசின் வழிநடத்துகையா காரணம் என்பதும் இப்போது ஒரு நியாயமான கேள்வி ஆகி இருக்கிறது.
சண்டே லீடர் கட்டுரையை வாசித்துப் பாருங்கள். வருங்காலத்திலே அவரின் கருத்துகளை இக்கண்ணோட்டத்தோடு பாருங்கள்.
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20080302/spotlight.htm
The President's dance with the Tamil diaspora
By Sonali Samarasinghe
Sunday March 2, 2008
Even as British Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Lord Malloch-Brown told one group of London Tamils last Monday he had conveyed to both President Mahinda Rajapakse and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama that Britain did not find the political process credible or serious, another group of London Tamils specifically brought down to Colombo by the government was to unwittingly find themselves part of the general tomfoolery.
Nine members of the Tamil diaspora in the UK were gifted an all expenses paid trip to Sri Lanka courtesy the Foreign Ministry to meet President Rajapakse, prominent ministers and opposition parliamentarians and to visit the north and east. They arrived in Sri Lanka in the afternoon of February 17 on SriLankan Airlines flight no. UL 502. The majority departed a week later on February 23. The group was led by R. Jayadevan.
........
PR exercise
Whatever the level of sincerity among the Tamil diaspora, to Rajapakse, this move, like everything else in his superficial leadership, was merely a PR building exercise. For him an anti LTTE lobby from among the Tamil diaspora was just the thing needed to stave off the flood of accusations regarding human rights and the renewed military offensives.
Rajapakse may tell the public of this country to tighten their belts, but when it comes to working his ill conceived and facile propaganda machine only the most extravagant will suffice.
Meanwhile back in London Jayadevan was to have extensive and profitable discussions with High Commissioner Kshenuka Seneviratne on two occasions and the Foreign Ministry accordingly took charge of the intended visit including air travel, airport transfers, accommodation and a comprehensive but tentative itinerary by the protocol division of the Foreign Ministry in the form of a stapled down booklet on three sheets of 60gsm A4 sheets horizontally folded.
The group of nine Tamil expatriates was headed by former Jaffna man R. Jayadevan, leader, Tamil Democratic Congress. A former supporter of the LTTE he had even helped Anton Balasingham enter the UK. Jayadevan however was later imprisoned and tortured by the LTTE and his family suffered extensively at the hands of the security forces as well. Having lived some 30 years in the UK, Jayadevan is said to be actively involved in lobbying against LTTE funding and shutting down the LTTE financial pipeline.
The group also included N. Satchithananthan, a former resident of Jaffna and a former EPRLF member and president, Federation of Saiva Hindu Temples in the UK, political activist, journalist and writer originally from Batticaloa - Mrs. R Balasubramaniam, and Krishnan Suppiah, leader of the TMVP UK branch, one of the original founders of the Tiger movement who shifted to PLOTE and then joined the TMVP on the invitation of Karuna Amman.
Krishan an active member of the TMVP and admittedly a close associate of both Pillayan and Karuna was incidentally the man whom K.T.Rajasingham, editor of the Asian Tribune in a taped conversation between himself and Pillayan once wanted disposed of or at least locked up. Pillayan refuses saying 'Paavam' - Sin I feel sorry.
A look at the other members of the group
K.Vivekanandan is a former Jaffna man and the trustee of the Eelapathiswara Hindu Temple in UK. A former ardent member of the LTTE he has even taken the 10 point oath of the organisation in Germany and has been later incarcerated by the LTTE over a dispute and power struggle regarding the temple.
Arunasalam Muthukumarapillai, brother of TULF MP Thangathurai, assassinated in a suicide attack by the LTTE. He is a member of the Tamil Community Association in Denmark.
S.M.M. Bazeer, head of the Sri Lanka Muslim Information Centre originally hailing from Batticaloa.
N.Mohamed, president, Sri Lanka Islamic Forum UK, a man from up country Sri Lanka and M.M. Cassim, a Muslim from Jaffna attached to the Association of Displaced Muslims of the Northern Province, Norway.
Dr. A. Nicholaspillai, president of the TULF UK Branch was in the original group to come but was later struck off the list.
......
முழுநீட்டுக்கட்டுரை இங்கே இருக்கிறது
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20080302/spotlight.htm
Labels: mahinda rajapakse, rajeswari balasubramaniam
