srilanka1998
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- 26. Juli 2005
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Nedumaran held
[ NewsToday ] [ 02:16 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
As many as 150 people including Tamil Nationalist Movement leader P Nedumaran were arrested here today when they tried to take out a procession from Valuvar Kottam condemning the attack on Tamils in Sri Lanka. Nedumaran told reporters that none of the political parties in Tamilnadu had raised their voice even several Tamils had been killed in the violence in the island nation. Nedumaran also said he had proposed to take out the rally from Valluvar Kottam to the Lankan High Commission here. Those arrested were lodged in a marriage hall at Nungambakkam.
Two more killed in Sri Lanka violence
[ AFP ] [ 11:40 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Two policemen were killed in a grenade attack in northern Sri Lanka where a Claymore fragmentation mine also exploded but caused no casualties, officials said. The attack added to the some 200 people killed in the bloodiest month since a 2002 truce took effect between Tamil Tiger rebels and the government. The policemen died in Vavuniya district where a mine blast was also reported, police officials in the region, 260 kilometres (160 miles) north of here, said by telephone. The latest violence came two days after gunmen stormed the offices of the Uthayan newspaper in Jaffna, further north of Vavuniya, and killed a manager and another employee.
Northern Sri Lankan town holds strike to protest killings in newspaper office
[ AP ] [ 11:43 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Shops, offices and banks were shut and transportation came to a standstill in a northern Sri Lankan town Thursday to protest an attack on a Tamil rebel-linked newspaper in which two employees were killed. Unknown gunmen stormed into the office of the Tamil-language newspaper Uthayan in the town of Jaffna on Tuesday and opened fire, killing a manager and another employee. Jaffna is 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of the capital, Colombo. The assailants were searching for three reporters, who managed to escape, editor N. Vithyatharan said.
Jaffna pays last respects to Uthayan victims
[TamilNet, May 04, 2006 10:52 GMT]
Normal activities in Jaffna peninsula came to a halt Thursday, as Jaffna residents participated in the protest hartal organised by the Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU), condemning Uthayan killings and the escalating killings of civilians by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and its paramilitaries in the Jaffna peninsula, said student organisers.
The remains of the two Uthayan staff were kept for paying last respects at the Uthayan office from 9.30 a.m to 11.30 a.m. Thursday, where people, members, representatives of various non-government organisations and other institutions paid their last respects to the deceased, said witnesses.
All government and private institutions including banks, schools and shops remained closed in the entire peninsula except a few pharmacies and food shops.
Large number of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers, riding motor bikes, patrolled the streets, residents said.
In Jaffna town, residents and shoppers kept off the streets in fear of the large number of armed forces present, and the hartal was a complete success, said spokesperson for the JUSU. “Jaffna residents are infuriated by the acts of violence unleashed in the peninsula by the GoSL and the paramilitary groups,” he added.
Tsunami aid money needs better accountability - envoy Reuters
[ Reuters ] [ 11:46 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
The Indian Ocean tsunami triggered the largest ever outpouring of aid for a disaster, but the challenge now is to ensure the $13 billion (7 billion pounds) is well spent, a top recovery official said on Wednesday. "Given the magnitude of the contributions, it is inevitable that some of the funds are not going to be spent as efficiently as possible," Eric Schwartz, the U.N. Deputy Tsunami Envoy, told Reuters in Bangkok, where he launched a new initiative to improve accountability for tsunami aid. Most of the money pledged by governments, multilateral institutions and millions of people world-wide after the disaster on December 26, 2004, which left more than 230,000 people dead or missing, has been allocated, he said.
Japan set for Sri Lanka dialogue
[ BBC ] [ 11:46 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Japan's peace envoy to Sri Lanka is due to arrive in the country on Saturday for talks with the president, senior officials and Tamil Tiger rebels. Yasushi Akashi's visit comes amid increased violence in Sri Lanka. In the latest incident, police say two government appointed neighbourhood guards were killed in a bomb explosion in the northern town of Vavuniya. Japan is Sri Lanka's biggest aid donor, and pledged $4.5bn in 2003 if progress was made in the peace talks. Mr Akashi's four day visit will be his 12th since he was appointed to the post in October 2003.
Trincomalee: Sri Lanka’s Jerusalem
[ TamilCanadian ] [ 11:58 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka’s peace process remains entangled in a seemingly incurable predicament. Thousands of innocent civilians, as usual, keep paying a heavy price for their leaders’ failure to break the vicious circle of conflict. Even the signals of an impending social catastrophe and the spectre of an economic nightmare have yet to produce the necessary wisdom to transcend existing prejudices. Important global players and political analysts rightly repeat the mantra that both sides should immediately return to the negotiating table. But any cosmetic return to Geneva talks 2, while necessary in a symbolic sense, will be useless unless a bold effort is made to diagnose and address the deeper causes of the underlying disease that keeps on derailing the peace process.
Tamil Media Forum Demands Immediate Action
[ CTFM ] [ 16:20 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
The Canadian Tamil Media Forum (CTFM) yesterday in a letter addressed to Canada’s Prime Minister, called for urgent action by the Canadian Government to ensure the safety and security of Tamil journalists working in Sri Lanka. Highlighting the Tuesday’s killing of two employees of the Uthayan Newspaper Publication, the forum said, “This latest attack on Tuesday vividly illustrates the grave consequences that Tamil journalists face in carrying out their duty.” “The Canadian Tamil Media Forum is shocked that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the Sri Lankan Government continues to brutally suppress of free expression by Tamil press,” the Forum said in its letter.
Fighting continues in Sri Lanka as Japan dispatches envoy to halt slide into civil war
[ AP ] [ 16:21 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Separatist fighting continued at levels not seen since the Sri Lankan government and rebels signed a truce four years ago, as the nation's top donor Japan said Thursday it was sending a peace envoy to halt a backslide toward civil war. Government troops killed five rebels riding motorized rickshaws who attacked a checkpoint in Nelliady in the Jaffna Peninsula, part of the region ethnic Tamil separatists consider their homeland, a local policeman said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Two explosions in Vavuniya, another disputed northern town, killed two government security guards and wounded 14, including 10 civilians, the area's senior police officer Jagath Abeysirigunawardena said.
Seven innocent youths killed in Vadamaradchi, Jaffna
[ TamilNet ] [ 16:22 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers opened fire and attacked with Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers two three-wheelers with 7 youths inside, killing all of them on the spot. The attack took place inside a lane near SLA Intelligence Camp in Navindil, 300 meters from Nelliyadi junction in Vadamaradchi, Jaffna, around 2:15 p.m. Thursday. The victims, who were on their way to attend a birthday party, were attacked by the SLA men in retaliation to a grenade attack that took place behind their Intelligence camp where 3 SLA personnel, including an officer, were wounded.
Sri Lanka: Fear for safety
[ Amnesty International ] [ 16:53 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Dr. Manoharan, whose son was killed in January, allegedly by the security forces, has received death threats, believed to be from the security forces. He and his family, who live in Trincomalee town in the east of the country, are now in fear for their lives. There are grave concerns for their safety. Dr. Manoharan's son, 20-year-old Ragihar Manoharan, was among five Tamil students killed by the Sri Lankan security forces in Trincomalee on 2 January. A group of students from Sri Koneswara Hindu College and St. Joseph's College in Trincomalee had gathered for a chat at about 7pm near the seafront, when a grenade was thrown at them from a passing auto rickshaw. The students ran, but at least three of them were injured in the explosion.
Female Journalist Arrested at UNESCO Word Press Freedom Day Conference in Sri Lanka
[ IFJ ] [ 18:32 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned over the decision by Sri Lankan authorities to arrest and remand a female journalist on suspicion of association with terrorist activities at a UNESCO conference on World Press Freedom Day, Colombo, Sri Lanka. “The arrest of a journalist at an event designed to celebrate and promote freedom of the press, raises serious concerns about the independence of the media and their ability to move freely and perform their duties of reporting,” said IFJ president Christopher Warren. Colombo Chief Magistrate, Kusala Weerawardana, remanded a female journalist who was arrested on suspicion at the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day conference in Colombo on May 1, 2006.
UN Watch rejects Sri Lanka’s candidacy
[ TCNR ] [ 18:47 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka’s application to UN human Rights Council for membership was not met. The reason was reported to be low-protection of human rights in Sri Lanka. UN Watch unreservedly endorsed 29 countries, conditionally endorsed 11, and rejected 28. The candidacies rejected by UN Watch are: Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, and Venezuela.Elections to the new 47-member council will be held on May 9. UN Watch today called on democratic states to block repressive regimes from winning control of the UN’s new Human Rights Council when its 47 country seats go up for grabs at the General Assembly next Tuesday.
Peace in Serendipity with a local flavour
[ Daily Mirror ] [ 19:33 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
In 1983, on July 23, at around 11a.m, the writer heard the sound of crackling glass, a van, with school children, had been set on fire in front of Sukhastan Gardens on Ward Place. The driver ran into the writer’s house, clambered over the short boundary wall and ran into a private hospital with a screaming mob chasing him in his wake, into the hospital, on the same aerial route of going over the wall! The children probably ran elsewhere. Sri Lanka has not looked back since.The country has seen internal displacement, refugees, assassinations, bomb blasts, massacres, lulls in fighting , provincial councils, military operations, security zones, a cease-fire, rounds of negotiations, and current anxieties. A child of 10 now, what country would he or she inherit if, the country was not at peace. The children who ran out of the van down Ward Place in 1983, would be in their twenties if not thirties and the country is still at war! Most may not even be in the country. What have we done, do we know or, are the horrors of recent history too much for us to honestly address?
[ NewsToday ] [ 02:16 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
As many as 150 people including Tamil Nationalist Movement leader P Nedumaran were arrested here today when they tried to take out a procession from Valuvar Kottam condemning the attack on Tamils in Sri Lanka. Nedumaran told reporters that none of the political parties in Tamilnadu had raised their voice even several Tamils had been killed in the violence in the island nation. Nedumaran also said he had proposed to take out the rally from Valluvar Kottam to the Lankan High Commission here. Those arrested were lodged in a marriage hall at Nungambakkam.
Two more killed in Sri Lanka violence
[ AFP ] [ 11:40 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Two policemen were killed in a grenade attack in northern Sri Lanka where a Claymore fragmentation mine also exploded but caused no casualties, officials said. The attack added to the some 200 people killed in the bloodiest month since a 2002 truce took effect between Tamil Tiger rebels and the government. The policemen died in Vavuniya district where a mine blast was also reported, police officials in the region, 260 kilometres (160 miles) north of here, said by telephone. The latest violence came two days after gunmen stormed the offices of the Uthayan newspaper in Jaffna, further north of Vavuniya, and killed a manager and another employee.
Northern Sri Lankan town holds strike to protest killings in newspaper office
[ AP ] [ 11:43 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Shops, offices and banks were shut and transportation came to a standstill in a northern Sri Lankan town Thursday to protest an attack on a Tamil rebel-linked newspaper in which two employees were killed. Unknown gunmen stormed into the office of the Tamil-language newspaper Uthayan in the town of Jaffna on Tuesday and opened fire, killing a manager and another employee. Jaffna is 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of the capital, Colombo. The assailants were searching for three reporters, who managed to escape, editor N. Vithyatharan said.
Jaffna pays last respects to Uthayan victims
[TamilNet, May 04, 2006 10:52 GMT]
Normal activities in Jaffna peninsula came to a halt Thursday, as Jaffna residents participated in the protest hartal organised by the Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU), condemning Uthayan killings and the escalating killings of civilians by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and its paramilitaries in the Jaffna peninsula, said student organisers.
The remains of the two Uthayan staff were kept for paying last respects at the Uthayan office from 9.30 a.m to 11.30 a.m. Thursday, where people, members, representatives of various non-government organisations and other institutions paid their last respects to the deceased, said witnesses.
All government and private institutions including banks, schools and shops remained closed in the entire peninsula except a few pharmacies and food shops.
Large number of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers, riding motor bikes, patrolled the streets, residents said.
In Jaffna town, residents and shoppers kept off the streets in fear of the large number of armed forces present, and the hartal was a complete success, said spokesperson for the JUSU. “Jaffna residents are infuriated by the acts of violence unleashed in the peninsula by the GoSL and the paramilitary groups,” he added.
Tsunami aid money needs better accountability - envoy Reuters
[ Reuters ] [ 11:46 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
The Indian Ocean tsunami triggered the largest ever outpouring of aid for a disaster, but the challenge now is to ensure the $13 billion (7 billion pounds) is well spent, a top recovery official said on Wednesday. "Given the magnitude of the contributions, it is inevitable that some of the funds are not going to be spent as efficiently as possible," Eric Schwartz, the U.N. Deputy Tsunami Envoy, told Reuters in Bangkok, where he launched a new initiative to improve accountability for tsunami aid. Most of the money pledged by governments, multilateral institutions and millions of people world-wide after the disaster on December 26, 2004, which left more than 230,000 people dead or missing, has been allocated, he said.
Japan set for Sri Lanka dialogue
[ BBC ] [ 11:46 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Japan's peace envoy to Sri Lanka is due to arrive in the country on Saturday for talks with the president, senior officials and Tamil Tiger rebels. Yasushi Akashi's visit comes amid increased violence in Sri Lanka. In the latest incident, police say two government appointed neighbourhood guards were killed in a bomb explosion in the northern town of Vavuniya. Japan is Sri Lanka's biggest aid donor, and pledged $4.5bn in 2003 if progress was made in the peace talks. Mr Akashi's four day visit will be his 12th since he was appointed to the post in October 2003.
Trincomalee: Sri Lanka’s Jerusalem
[ TamilCanadian ] [ 11:58 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka’s peace process remains entangled in a seemingly incurable predicament. Thousands of innocent civilians, as usual, keep paying a heavy price for their leaders’ failure to break the vicious circle of conflict. Even the signals of an impending social catastrophe and the spectre of an economic nightmare have yet to produce the necessary wisdom to transcend existing prejudices. Important global players and political analysts rightly repeat the mantra that both sides should immediately return to the negotiating table. But any cosmetic return to Geneva talks 2, while necessary in a symbolic sense, will be useless unless a bold effort is made to diagnose and address the deeper causes of the underlying disease that keeps on derailing the peace process.
Tamil Media Forum Demands Immediate Action
[ CTFM ] [ 16:20 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
The Canadian Tamil Media Forum (CTFM) yesterday in a letter addressed to Canada’s Prime Minister, called for urgent action by the Canadian Government to ensure the safety and security of Tamil journalists working in Sri Lanka. Highlighting the Tuesday’s killing of two employees of the Uthayan Newspaper Publication, the forum said, “This latest attack on Tuesday vividly illustrates the grave consequences that Tamil journalists face in carrying out their duty.” “The Canadian Tamil Media Forum is shocked that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the Sri Lankan Government continues to brutally suppress of free expression by Tamil press,” the Forum said in its letter.
Fighting continues in Sri Lanka as Japan dispatches envoy to halt slide into civil war
[ AP ] [ 16:21 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Separatist fighting continued at levels not seen since the Sri Lankan government and rebels signed a truce four years ago, as the nation's top donor Japan said Thursday it was sending a peace envoy to halt a backslide toward civil war. Government troops killed five rebels riding motorized rickshaws who attacked a checkpoint in Nelliady in the Jaffna Peninsula, part of the region ethnic Tamil separatists consider their homeland, a local policeman said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Two explosions in Vavuniya, another disputed northern town, killed two government security guards and wounded 14, including 10 civilians, the area's senior police officer Jagath Abeysirigunawardena said.
Seven innocent youths killed in Vadamaradchi, Jaffna
[ TamilNet ] [ 16:22 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka Army soldiers opened fire and attacked with Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers two three-wheelers with 7 youths inside, killing all of them on the spot. The attack took place inside a lane near SLA Intelligence Camp in Navindil, 300 meters from Nelliyadi junction in Vadamaradchi, Jaffna, around 2:15 p.m. Thursday. The victims, who were on their way to attend a birthday party, were attacked by the SLA men in retaliation to a grenade attack that took place behind their Intelligence camp where 3 SLA personnel, including an officer, were wounded.
Sri Lanka: Fear for safety
[ Amnesty International ] [ 16:53 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Dr. Manoharan, whose son was killed in January, allegedly by the security forces, has received death threats, believed to be from the security forces. He and his family, who live in Trincomalee town in the east of the country, are now in fear for their lives. There are grave concerns for their safety. Dr. Manoharan's son, 20-year-old Ragihar Manoharan, was among five Tamil students killed by the Sri Lankan security forces in Trincomalee on 2 January. A group of students from Sri Koneswara Hindu College and St. Joseph's College in Trincomalee had gathered for a chat at about 7pm near the seafront, when a grenade was thrown at them from a passing auto rickshaw. The students ran, but at least three of them were injured in the explosion.
Female Journalist Arrested at UNESCO Word Press Freedom Day Conference in Sri Lanka
[ IFJ ] [ 18:32 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned over the decision by Sri Lankan authorities to arrest and remand a female journalist on suspicion of association with terrorist activities at a UNESCO conference on World Press Freedom Day, Colombo, Sri Lanka. “The arrest of a journalist at an event designed to celebrate and promote freedom of the press, raises serious concerns about the independence of the media and their ability to move freely and perform their duties of reporting,” said IFJ president Christopher Warren. Colombo Chief Magistrate, Kusala Weerawardana, remanded a female journalist who was arrested on suspicion at the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day conference in Colombo on May 1, 2006.
UN Watch rejects Sri Lanka’s candidacy
[ TCNR ] [ 18:47 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka’s application to UN human Rights Council for membership was not met. The reason was reported to be low-protection of human rights in Sri Lanka. UN Watch unreservedly endorsed 29 countries, conditionally endorsed 11, and rejected 28. The candidacies rejected by UN Watch are: Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, and Venezuela.Elections to the new 47-member council will be held on May 9. UN Watch today called on democratic states to block repressive regimes from winning control of the UN’s new Human Rights Council when its 47 country seats go up for grabs at the General Assembly next Tuesday.
Peace in Serendipity with a local flavour
[ Daily Mirror ] [ 19:33 GMT, May. 4, 2006 ]
In 1983, on July 23, at around 11a.m, the writer heard the sound of crackling glass, a van, with school children, had been set on fire in front of Sukhastan Gardens on Ward Place. The driver ran into the writer’s house, clambered over the short boundary wall and ran into a private hospital with a screaming mob chasing him in his wake, into the hospital, on the same aerial route of going over the wall! The children probably ran elsewhere. Sri Lanka has not looked back since.The country has seen internal displacement, refugees, assassinations, bomb blasts, massacres, lulls in fighting , provincial councils, military operations, security zones, a cease-fire, rounds of negotiations, and current anxieties. A child of 10 now, what country would he or she inherit if, the country was not at peace. The children who ran out of the van down Ward Place in 1983, would be in their twenties if not thirties and the country is still at war! Most may not even be in the country. What have we done, do we know or, are the horrors of recent history too much for us to honestly address?