srilanka1998
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- 26. Juli 2005
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Canadian Tamil Congress condemns the abduction of humanitarian workers in Sri Lanka
[ CTC ] [ 07:30 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
Canadian Tamil Congress reminds that the responsibility for the protection of aid workers solely lies on the Sri Lankan government. However, response from Sri Lankan authorities has been disappointing. Therefore, we now call upon the Canadian government and all those who have influence in promoting peace in Sri Lanka to condemn this act and to exert maximum pressure on the Sri Lankan government and its paramilitaries to ensure the immediate and safe release of the abducted relief workers. We urge Sri Lanka to put a stop to the reprehensible practice of hostage taking which is posing a serious threat to aid delivery and to the peace process. As per Canadian government's earlier requests, we urge Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to take concrete steps to disarm the paramilitaries. Canadian Tamil Congress is very concerned regarding the safety of Canadian aid workers in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka shows military might as Tigers protest anniversary
[ AFP ] [ 13:04 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka has put on a bristling display of its military might to mark freedom day as Tamil rebels forced a work stoppage ahead of key talks to save a tenuous truce in the strife-torn island. Shops were closed and public transport was off the streets in the restive northeastern port district of Trincomalee after the one-day strike called by a Tamil Tiger front organisation, police said. President Mahinda Rajapakse called for peace and unity as he took the independence day salute from a dias at Colombo's seafront Galle Face promenade where troops displayed tanks, ground attack aircraft and gunboats. He urged all parties to shed their differences and work for peace in a country where more than 60,000 people have died in ethnic violence since 1972.
Sri Lanka President talks unity ahead of key talks
[ Reuters ] [ 13:06 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda made a firm stand against rebel demands for a Tamil homeland on Saturday as tanks and rocket launchers rolled along the capital's seafront in an Independence Day show of force. Attacks by suspected rebels on the military in December and January nearly destroyed a 2002 truce, but tensions have eased since the two sides overcame disagreements over the venue for talks and agreed to meet in Switzerland. But no date has been agreed for the talks, and diplomats now worry that the reported abduction of 10 Tamil aid workers could scupper the fragile peace process, returning the island to a two-decade-old war that has already killed some 64,000.
Abductions, threat to peace, say US Congressmen
[ TamilNet ] [ 14:42 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
United States Congressmen Sherrod Brown and Patrick Tiberi, in a letter to the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, Ms Christina Rocca said that the "situation surrounding the remaining abductees [seven TRO staffers] greatly threatens any peace negotiations that are in process unless the matter can be resolved quickly." It is our understanding that ten tsunami relief workers were recently abducted in the island nation of Sri Lanka. In the past few days, two of those workers have been released. We feel that the situation surrounding the rmaining abductees greatly threatens any peace negotiations that are in process unless the matter can be resolved quickly. Given the consequences for the people of Sri Lanka, it would be tragic if the efforts for peace were needlessly compromised. Thanks you for your quick and urgent response. We hope that you will give the situation your full consideration and take whatever steps may be appropriate.
The land that has so much -- but could lose it all
[ Asia Media ] [ 15:05 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
Right now, in the former Ceylon, things are getting worse. Its new, recently elected President, Mahinda Rajapakse, is demonstrating astonishing ineptitude. Paramilitary forces allegedly -- repeat, allegedly -- linked to the Sri Lankan government have just abducted a handful of non-violent humanitarian aid workers and have stored them who knows where (assuming they are still alive). And the various warring parties practically had to be begged by the international community to send representatives to Geneva where the next multi-party peace chat has been scheduled.The U.S. embassy in Colombo, the capital, should be congratulated for playing a steady mediator's hand. When the ten aid workers of the nonprofit, Tamil Rehabilitation Organization were abducted last week, the embassy, issued a forthright statement expressing Washington's alarm and urging all the parties to show up in Geneva later this month to attend to the business of making peace.
TRO hits back at Mangala
[ Daily Mirror ] [ 15:11 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) has denied government allegations that it had failed to lodge a police complaint soon after a group of its employees had been allegedly abducted. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, told a news conference on Thursday, the failure by TRO to inform the relevant authorities of the abductions on time had created a 'mystery' regarding the events which he said up to now had raised more questions than answers. 'TRO wishes to categorically state that it is, despite statements to the contrary in the media from government sources, cooperating fully with the investigations being mounted by law enforcement agencies. The TRO has been utilizing all of its resources to facilitate this investigation', TRO information officer Arjunan Ethirveerasingam said in a statement.
Few more snags on road to Geneva
[ The Sunday Times ] [ 19:46 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
"I can assure you, the President and his Government will not allow anyone to sabotage the talks which will resume after three years," he asserted. He announced that two DIGs, four Senior SPs and 20 investigators together with intelligence units were probing the abductions. But in the Tiger guerrilla stronghold of Wanni, their leaders were reading other messages. The hardliners who failed to pressure leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to resume hostilities were questioning the purpose of taking part in the Geneva talks. Their argument - how could we have trust in an administration that does not believe our word, our complaint of abductions? The Government wants to secure the help of an Indian journalist, M.R. Narayan Swamy, the author of the book Inside an Elusive Mind - Prabhakaran. This is said to be intended to give the members a brief on the psyche of the LTTE leader. Both the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Jathika Hela Urumaya have also been allotted time to make presentations to the delegation on their own perspectives vis a vis the upcoming talks.
Danish products removed from Toronto shops
[ CTV ] [ 20:17 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
Muslim-owned stores in Toronto are removing Danish products from shelves in response to outrage over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that appeared in the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten. Outrage erupted into protests in many Muslim countries over the cartoons which depict the prophet as a terrorist or another with him wearing a turban shaped as bomb. Signs have appeared in Toronto grocery store Iqbal's that say, "We don't carry products from Denmark" the Toronto Star reported. The store's manager told the Star removing Danish products is about showing solidarity with other Muslims, even if it hurts business.
[ CTC ] [ 07:30 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
Canadian Tamil Congress reminds that the responsibility for the protection of aid workers solely lies on the Sri Lankan government. However, response from Sri Lankan authorities has been disappointing. Therefore, we now call upon the Canadian government and all those who have influence in promoting peace in Sri Lanka to condemn this act and to exert maximum pressure on the Sri Lankan government and its paramilitaries to ensure the immediate and safe release of the abducted relief workers. We urge Sri Lanka to put a stop to the reprehensible practice of hostage taking which is posing a serious threat to aid delivery and to the peace process. As per Canadian government's earlier requests, we urge Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to take concrete steps to disarm the paramilitaries. Canadian Tamil Congress is very concerned regarding the safety of Canadian aid workers in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka shows military might as Tigers protest anniversary
[ AFP ] [ 13:04 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka has put on a bristling display of its military might to mark freedom day as Tamil rebels forced a work stoppage ahead of key talks to save a tenuous truce in the strife-torn island. Shops were closed and public transport was off the streets in the restive northeastern port district of Trincomalee after the one-day strike called by a Tamil Tiger front organisation, police said. President Mahinda Rajapakse called for peace and unity as he took the independence day salute from a dias at Colombo's seafront Galle Face promenade where troops displayed tanks, ground attack aircraft and gunboats. He urged all parties to shed their differences and work for peace in a country where more than 60,000 people have died in ethnic violence since 1972.
Sri Lanka President talks unity ahead of key talks
[ Reuters ] [ 13:06 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda made a firm stand against rebel demands for a Tamil homeland on Saturday as tanks and rocket launchers rolled along the capital's seafront in an Independence Day show of force. Attacks by suspected rebels on the military in December and January nearly destroyed a 2002 truce, but tensions have eased since the two sides overcame disagreements over the venue for talks and agreed to meet in Switzerland. But no date has been agreed for the talks, and diplomats now worry that the reported abduction of 10 Tamil aid workers could scupper the fragile peace process, returning the island to a two-decade-old war that has already killed some 64,000.
Abductions, threat to peace, say US Congressmen
[ TamilNet ] [ 14:42 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
United States Congressmen Sherrod Brown and Patrick Tiberi, in a letter to the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, Ms Christina Rocca said that the "situation surrounding the remaining abductees [seven TRO staffers] greatly threatens any peace negotiations that are in process unless the matter can be resolved quickly." It is our understanding that ten tsunami relief workers were recently abducted in the island nation of Sri Lanka. In the past few days, two of those workers have been released. We feel that the situation surrounding the rmaining abductees greatly threatens any peace negotiations that are in process unless the matter can be resolved quickly. Given the consequences for the people of Sri Lanka, it would be tragic if the efforts for peace were needlessly compromised. Thanks you for your quick and urgent response. We hope that you will give the situation your full consideration and take whatever steps may be appropriate.
The land that has so much -- but could lose it all
[ Asia Media ] [ 15:05 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
Right now, in the former Ceylon, things are getting worse. Its new, recently elected President, Mahinda Rajapakse, is demonstrating astonishing ineptitude. Paramilitary forces allegedly -- repeat, allegedly -- linked to the Sri Lankan government have just abducted a handful of non-violent humanitarian aid workers and have stored them who knows where (assuming they are still alive). And the various warring parties practically had to be begged by the international community to send representatives to Geneva where the next multi-party peace chat has been scheduled.The U.S. embassy in Colombo, the capital, should be congratulated for playing a steady mediator's hand. When the ten aid workers of the nonprofit, Tamil Rehabilitation Organization were abducted last week, the embassy, issued a forthright statement expressing Washington's alarm and urging all the parties to show up in Geneva later this month to attend to the business of making peace.
TRO hits back at Mangala
[ Daily Mirror ] [ 15:11 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
The Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) has denied government allegations that it had failed to lodge a police complaint soon after a group of its employees had been allegedly abducted. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, told a news conference on Thursday, the failure by TRO to inform the relevant authorities of the abductions on time had created a 'mystery' regarding the events which he said up to now had raised more questions than answers. 'TRO wishes to categorically state that it is, despite statements to the contrary in the media from government sources, cooperating fully with the investigations being mounted by law enforcement agencies. The TRO has been utilizing all of its resources to facilitate this investigation', TRO information officer Arjunan Ethirveerasingam said in a statement.
Few more snags on road to Geneva
[ The Sunday Times ] [ 19:46 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
"I can assure you, the President and his Government will not allow anyone to sabotage the talks which will resume after three years," he asserted. He announced that two DIGs, four Senior SPs and 20 investigators together with intelligence units were probing the abductions. But in the Tiger guerrilla stronghold of Wanni, their leaders were reading other messages. The hardliners who failed to pressure leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to resume hostilities were questioning the purpose of taking part in the Geneva talks. Their argument - how could we have trust in an administration that does not believe our word, our complaint of abductions? The Government wants to secure the help of an Indian journalist, M.R. Narayan Swamy, the author of the book Inside an Elusive Mind - Prabhakaran. This is said to be intended to give the members a brief on the psyche of the LTTE leader. Both the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Jathika Hela Urumaya have also been allotted time to make presentations to the delegation on their own perspectives vis a vis the upcoming talks.
Danish products removed from Toronto shops
[ CTV ] [ 20:17 GMT, Feb. 4, 2006 ]
Muslim-owned stores in Toronto are removing Danish products from shelves in response to outrage over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that appeared in the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten. Outrage erupted into protests in many Muslim countries over the cartoons which depict the prophet as a terrorist or another with him wearing a turban shaped as bomb. Signs have appeared in Toronto grocery store Iqbal's that say, "We don't carry products from Denmark" the Toronto Star reported. The store's manager told the Star removing Danish products is about showing solidarity with other Muslims, even if it hurts business.