The silent horror of the war in Sri Lanka
[Mar 30, 2009, 10:17], [Arundhati Roy - TOI]
From the little information that is filtering through it looks as though the Sri Lankan government is using the propaganda of the ‘war on terror’ as a fig leaf to dismantle any semblance of democracy in the country, and commit unspeakable crimes against the Tamil people. Working on the principle that every Tamil is a terrorist unless he or she can prove otherwise, civilian areas, hospitals and shelters are being bombed and turned into a war zone. Reliable estimates put the number of civilians trapped at over 200,000. The Sri Lankan Army is advancing, armed with tanks and aircraft.
So while the killing continues, while tens of thousands of people are being barricaded into concentration camps, while more than 200,000 face starvation, and a genocide waits to happen, there is dead silence from this great country.
It’s a colossal humanitarian tragedy. The world must step in. Now. Before it’s too late.
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Sri Lanka Set for Security Council Dialogue in UN Basement
[Mar 27, 2009, 00:02], [Inner City Press - UN]
The UN Security Council will meet about plight of civilians in Sri Lanka this afternoon. After weeks of negotiating about whether and how to hold the meeting, it will take place in the UN's basement, not the Council chamber. The Sri Lankan Mission to the UN will be present; sources tell Inner City Press they will show photographs. Top UN humanitarian John Holmes will also brief.
A senior diplomat of one of the countries most vehemently opposed to holding the meeting in the Council repeated to Inner City Press the Sri Lankan government's arguments, that the previous Council briefing was "misused by the Tamil Tigers to convince civilians not to leave" the conflict zone. He analogized the situation to what Russia faced in Beslan, where school children were killed during a government attempt to re-take a terrorist-held school. In that case, Russia acted in the heat of the moment. The assault in northern Sri Lanka has gone on for more than two months.
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On Sri Lanka, UN Official Describes "Nightmare Scenario," Treaty Official "Knows Better"
[Mar 26, 2009, 07:24], [Inner City Press]
Inner City Press ran into former UN Peacekeeping chief Jean-Marie Guehenno on March 25 in front of the UN and asked him about Sri Lanka and Brahimi's proposal, would Guehenno consider the post. Guehenno called the situation in Sri Lanka serious, and with a serious face said he would consider such an assignment, UN envoy to Sri Lanka. He said he has not been assigned any cases since taking up his post as Under Secretary General for Regional Cooperation. (Inner City Press joked that USG for Lost Causes might be a good title; Guehenno jokingly gave himself a promotion to Deputy SG for Lost Causes.) Many hope that northern Sri Lanka and the civilians trapped are not a lost cause.
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Sri Lankan army ranks media freedom low priority
[Mar 24, 2009, 21:01], [The Australian]
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara had pinned his statement of faith to a map used to brief journalists visiting Sri Lanka: "It's the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press," it began. It went on to say the soldier, not politicians, "ensures our right to Life, Freedom and the Pursuit of Happiness".
For the foreign correspondent, everything in Sri Lanka begins and ends with the armed forces: where one can travel; what one can film; even to whom one can speak. And dealing with the military is like travelling through the looking glass, although a blunter analogy would be with George Orwell's 1984.
They lie brazenly and the lies aren't even credible.
The UN may tell you that at least 2000 civilians have been killed in fighting since January, but Sri Lanka's Secretary of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, says there are none.
Absolutely none. "If you want to believe me, believe me, no civilian casualties. But if it's difficult to report in Sri Lanka as a foreigner, it can be deadly for the locals -- especially if you're brave enough to criticise, or even question the armed forces.
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Thousands of Tamils decry Sri Lankan 'genocide'
[Mar 17, 2009, 00:34], [AFP]
(BRUSSELS) - Thousands of supporters of a Tamil state protested in Brussels Monday against "genocide" by the Sri Lankan government, urging the European Union to send observers to see the situation on the ground.
"The Sri Lankan soldiers are killing 50 Tamil every day, and that is just in the so-called 'protected areas'," said Siva Ram, a Tamil protester from Paris. Organisers put the turnout at around 30,000 although police put the figure at 5,000. "We want to tell the world and Europe to stop the genocide in Sri Lanka," said Suveetsan Sivapula, from Germany.
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ICRC warns of S Lanka 'disaster'
[Mar 4, 2009, 06:17], [BBC]
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned of an impending humanitarian catastrophe in north-eastern Sri Lanka. Up to 150,000 people may be trapped in the area by fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels. The ICRC has reiterated calls for a mass evacuation of civilians and for far more aid to be allowed in.
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Pakistan minister blames India for Sri Lanka team attack
[Mar 3, 2009, 22:59], [Reuters]
A Pakistani minister accused India of being behind the attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team in the city of Lahore on Tuesday, saying the attackers had crossed into Pakistan from India.
"The evidence which we have got shows that these terrorists entered from across the border from India," Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gabol, minister of state for shipping, told private Geo television. "This was a conspiracy to defame Pakistan internationally."
"This incident took place in reaction to 26/11," he said referring to the Mumbai attacks in November in which at least 170 people were killed. "It is a declaration of open war on Pakistan by India," said the minister.
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US troops planning evacuation in Sri Lanka
[Mar 3, 2009, 13:01], [PTI]
A Washington-based Sri Lankan non-governmental organisation on Monday claimed the US Pacific Command (PACOM) is planning to lead an evacuation of nearly 200,000 Tamil civilians trapped in the war-torn northern region of the country.
"Reports reveal that PACOM is planning to evacuate these civilians and deliver them to the Sri Lankan government – who would then imprison them in concentration-style internment camps," the People for Equality and Relief in Sri Lanka (PEARL), alleged in a statement.
"PACOM evacuating these Tamil civilians is equivalent to signing their death warrants. These people have been bombed for months by this genocidal government; evacuating them from Vanni and delivering them to the Sri Lankan government is equivalent to being an accomplice to genocide," PEARL representative Rosha Hebsur charged.
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City Tamilians bat for Lankans
[Mar 2, 2009, 21:30], [TOI - India]
"We are protesting the atrocities being inflicted on Sri Lankan Tamils. We want the Indian government to take a firm stand on this issue and take appropriate action for their welfare,'' said M Kathiravan, a member of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) party. Kathiravan, a Chembur resident, was amongst the multitude of the city's Tamilians who gathered at Chembur's Amar Mahal area to participate in the peaceful protest.
Many participants were in favour of the LTTE. "It is their way of protecting the interests of the Sri Lankan Tamils. There seems to be no other way out. Besides, the fact that the LTTE has never harmed civilians proves that their tirade is only against the government,'' said one of the participants.
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Congress may be hit by southern troubles
[Feb 28, 2009, 22:17], [Reuters]
One of the government's key southern allies is struggling, only weeks before a general election, posing a potential problem for the Congress party as it seeks to retain power and build a stable post-poll coalition.
With 39 parliamentary seats, Tamil Nadu is a big prize in the general election, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party swept the state in 2004, becoming a key partner in the national coalition government led by Congress.
This time around, things are unlikely to go so well for the DMK as the party is hit by Tamil protests over the war in Sri Lanka and an economic slowdown hitting the state's export sector.
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A Genocide Sri Lanka is Proud to Talk About on Camera
[Feb 28, 2009, 21:12], [Desi Critics]
This is a Shocking Video. The Sri Lankan defence minister who in the past has attacked media personal for writing against the government human rights violations, threatened to throw out diplomats, BBC, CNN for reporting the facts about the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka has now gone on camera to say that " attacking hospitals that are in rebel area are fine and they are legitimate targets even if they full of civilians"
Now how do you expect the Tamil civilians to cross over to the Government side when the racist Sinhalese openly vow to annihilate the Tamil race on camera. How do you expect the LTTE to lay down their arms and sit down for talks with the SriLankan government, when they say it is OK to target hospitals full of injured civilians from the government shelling.
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UK police investigate report of man in flames
[Feb 28, 2009, 00:54], [AP]
British police say they are investigating a report that a man was engulfed in flames outside Parliament.
Police say London's ambulance service was attending to a man "who was apparently on fire for a short time" in Parliament Square in the heart of London.
London's ambulance service reported an "incident" and said a man had been taken to the hospital.
Earlier this month, a man was arrested outside Downing Street, home of the British prime minister, before he could set himself ablaze. The arrest on Feb. 14 came days after a 26-year-old Sri Lankan protester poured gasoline over himself and burned to death outside the U.N. complex in Geneva.
Tamils have been holding steady protests over the Sri Lanka's military action against ethnic Tamils.
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S Lanka editor arrest criticised
[Feb 27, 2009, 21:44], [BBC]
A journalist watchdog has criticised Sri Lanka's government over the arrest of a Tamil-language newspaper editor.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said the detention of Nadesapillai Vidyatharan was repression of media outlets critical of the government.
Officials said he was arrested in connection with an air raid by Tamil Tiger rebels on the capital, Colombo.
Campaigners say Sri Lanka is fast becoming one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists.
The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists called for Mr Vidyatharan's immediate release.
There have been a number of unsolved attacks on the media in recent weeks.
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Tamil Nadu gears to give grand reception to A.R. Rahman
[Feb 27, 2009, 01:02], [TNS]
Meanwhile, over 1,500 members of the Cine Musicians' Union (CMU) that represents the entire South Indian cinema (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada), is all set to felicitate A.R. Rahman on March 1 in Chennai.
A three kg silver memento in the shape of a globe with the etched logo of the body will presented to Rahman by legendary Carnatic musician M. Balamuralikrishna in the presence of music directors M.S. Vishwanathan, Ilayaraja and singer S.P. Balasubramanian. The memento is being made at a cost Rs. 300,000.
Answering a question on the Tamil Issue in Sri Lanka, “I may be personally against any harm to any human being, I also feel that Tamils should get protection in a peaceful atmosphere in Sri Lanka," Rahman said.
Meanwhile the Tamil version of multiple Oscar award-winner Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, Naanum Kodeeshwaran, will hit the screens on Friday with 100 prints across Tamil Nadu, its distributors Falcon Films said in a press statement on Thursday.
Actors Silambarasan - Simpu, Radha Ravi and ace singer-actor S.P. Balasubramanian have lent their voices to the characters played by Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan and Anil Kapoor respectively.
Delhi High Court lawyers to abstain from court work Friday
[Feb 27, 2009, 00:29], [PTI]
To express their solidarity with their protesting colleagues in Chennai High Court against police"atrocity", lawyers of Delhi High Court Bar have decided to abstain from attending the court tomorrow.
The Delhi High Court Bar Association said following a call given by the Bar Council of India(BCI) to observe February 27 as the protest day, the DHCBA, in order to mark its protest"against police atrocities on innocent lawyers"has decided the abstain from attending the courts tomorrow".
"The unfortunate action of police entering into the court premises and indulging in wanton attack on the judges and lawyers of Madras High Court is unprecedented in judicial history,"said K C Mittal, President, DHBA.
"The Bar has resolved to support the agitating lawyers in their pursuit of legal justice against the lawlessness of the state machinery," Mittal said and accused Tamil Nadu government of not taking any action against the police officers responsible for the incident.
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