Deadliest Earthquake in Central China may have Claimed 50,000 Lives
[May 15, 2008, 16:52], [TNS]
London - One of the deadliest earthquakes measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, which have struck central and half of all Chinese provinces on Monday may have claimed over 50,000 people as official count rose to 19,500 dead and still many thousands reported trapped under the collapsed buildings and rubbles.
Soldiers, paramilitary police and civilian rescue workers struggled against rainstorms and fog early Tuesday to reach thousands of people trapped under the rubble of schools, hospitals and homes collapsed by Monday's deadly earthquake in central China
China is mobilising 30,000 extra troops to Sichuan to help the 50,000 already involved in rescue efforts as 10 million people have been affected by the quake and casualties are expected to rise further. Many are in refugee camps, without proper shelter, food or clean water.
Sri Lanka has no Place in on the U.N. HR Body - Desmond Tutu
[May 15, 2008, 16:10], [TNS]
London - Desmond Mpilo Tutu, said It would seem self-evident that a country (Sri Lanka) which tortures and kidnaps its own people has no place on the world's leading human rights (HR) body. His statement appeared on the daily Guardian, U.K., May 15th edition. Governments owe it to Sri Lankan human rights victims - and to victims of human rights abuses around the world - to ensure that the Sri Lankan bid fails. This will be an important test of the 47-member council, to show that the UN's standards for it will be honoured.
A Farmer Seek Protection with JHRC in Sri Lanka
[May 14, 2008, 17:35], [TNS]
Jaffna - A farmer had surrendered to the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (JHRC) as they he continued to receive death threats from paramilitary armed men operating with Sri Lankan Security Forces (SF), according to the civilian sources in Jaffna.
Meanwhile, two Tamil workers from Murungkanpiddi in Murungkan, Mannaar, were reported missing since last Wednesday, according to a complaint lodged Tuesday with the Citizens Committee in Mannaar by the relatives of the missing.
The victims, 52-year-old M.A. Sirajdeen, and 44-year-old Sebastian Sowri, 44, did not return to their village since they left their residences on 07 May, 2008, their relatives said.
Mahinda defends SL rights in Geneva
[May 13, 2008, 21:52], [BBC]
The Sri Lankan government offered to discuss vital human rights issues relating to Sri Lanka. Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe on Tuesday was responding to questions raised by Denmark, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany in Geneva.
Sri Lanka has been accused by human rights groups of holding responsibility for number of human rights violations including disappearances and extra judicial executions and was widely discussed in local and international media.
Minister Samarasinghe told the Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council on Universal Periodic Review that Sri Lanka is committed to full cooperation with the Council.
"We view our voluntary participation in this process as a further indication of this commitment", he said.
Several countries reviewing the the record of Sri Lanka
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Widespread Frauds and Vote Rigging in Sri Lanka EP Election - Opposition Parties
[May 13, 2008, 17:03], [TNS]
Colombo - UNP, SLMC, JVP and many other election monitoring bodies in Sri Lanka called the tensed election conducted by the Rajapaksa’s government in the Eastern Province (EP) was marred with widespread vote rigging by the paramilitary Pillaiyan group working along with the ruling Rajapaksa’s party, were tainted by vote tampering and intimidation.
Archbishop Oswald Gomez from the Archdiocese of Colombo says that while the Government is claiming victory, it remains for the courts to decide whether the election was valid.
The United States is to raise concern the way in which the EP election conducted and US to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan government according to a Colombo media report.
Sri Lanka elections marred by irregularities
[May 12, 2008, 23:39], [Boston]
BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka—Allegations of fraud, voter intimidation and sporadic violence marred elections in Sri Lanka's east Saturday despite the government's claims they would be a celebration of democracy for the region recently liberated from the Tamil Tiger rebels.
more stories like thisThe vote was intended to show that a "new dawn" was coming to the impoverished area, to give minority communities a degree of self-rule and to counter rebel demands for an independent state.
Many voters said the new provincial government should focus on ending the chaos and violence in the east, which is divided among Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim communities.
"We hope things will be straightened out," said a doctor voting in the town of Batticaloa, who, like nearly every other voter interviewed, declined to give his name out of fear of reprisals.
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Sri Lanka's opposition says it will launch mass campaign against election violence
[May 12, 2008, 23:06], [AP]
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Sri Lanka's opposition said Monday it would launch a mass campaign calling on the government to restore democracy in the island nation after tense Eastern Province elections that it says were tainted by vote tampering and intimidation.
The government hailed Saturday's vote as a return to democracy in the country's east less than a year after it drove out the rebels who had controlled the region for 13 years.
But the opposition says the poll - in which the ruling party coalition took 20 out of 37 seats - was irreparably flawed.
"We will launch a mass campaign ... and will continue it until democracy is restored," said Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader and head of the United National Party.
Independent monitors reported dozens of incidents of vote tampering and said a faction of former rebels allied with the government were responsible for a wave of intimidation before the campaign that made it impossible to hold a fair vote.
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Deadliest Earthquake Affects half of all Chinese Provinces
[May 12, 2008, 23:03], [TNS]
London - One of the strongest earthquakes in decades struck central China on Monday, prompting the UN chief Ban Ki-moon to call for a global support to China to deal with the deadliest earthquake in recent decades. Measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, the quake devastated half of the provinces and municipalities in China killing over to 9,000 people and injuring over 10,000 people according to the initial report reaches TNS. Casualties are expected to rise further.
At least 900 students were trapped under the collapsed school building where toxic chemical leakage also reported, according to the state media report.
Fraud alleged in victory by Sri Lanka governing party
[May 11, 2008, 19:25], [IHT]
BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka: The governing party of Sri Lanka won control of the country's tense Eastern Province on Sunday after an election that monitors said was marred by voter intimidation and fraud.
The election commission said that the United People's Freedom Alliance coalition won 52 percent of the vote in the balloting Saturday, giving it 18 seats - plus two bonus seats given to the winner - on the province's 37-member council.
The opposition United National Party won 42 percent of the vote and captured 15 seats, while two smaller parties won one seat each, the commission said.
The opposition condemned the results of the election, saying they were the outcome of an irreparably flawed vote.
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Sri Lanka: Armed Resistance or Terrorism?
[May 10, 2008, 16:08], [Dissident Voice]
BATTICALOA — When the state is involved in demolishing peace in the country there then is a serious problem. Furthermore, when the state forces are caught planting bombs and claymore mines then it calls for serious action. Sadly, that is the state of affairs in Sri Lanka.
State terror is a reality. That is something that the international community has chosen to ignore. When a state is hell-bent on ‘secret’ ethnic cleansing, head-hunting human rights activists, journalists, intellectuals, parliamentarians, vocal clerics and witnesses of state crimes then what is the duty and responsibility of the citizens?
It is in this context one has to review the Tamil struggle in Sri Lanka. The struggle for liberation against the Sinhala hegemony is seen by the West-dominated international community as terrorism.
Rappers Little Empire raise awareness about turmoil in Sri Lanka
[May 10, 2008, 15:42], [Toronto Star]
Little Empire is more than just a music group. It's a movement spearheaded by five Canadians of Tamil descent committed to raising awareness about the oppression of Tamils in Sri Lanka, running a community basketball league and mixing hip hop, Tamil, rap and reggae.
Sanskrit, tha REAL, Milan, 6ix Facist and DNA Blitz, the group's five members who range in age from 22 to 32, sing about religious strife, the impact of the tsunami on Sri Lanka and Tamil identity in Canada.
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Sri Lanka: (Breaking News) Troops Carrier Ship sunk -- LTTE
[May 10, 2008, 01:42], [TNS]
Killinochchi - The Sri Lanka Navy supply ship and troops carrier was attacked and sunk on Saturday early morning 2:33 am by the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) .
The Ship Carrier named A-520 involved in naval service between KKS and Trincomalee by the Sri Lanka Navy.
Fighting has flared in recent months across the many front lines area in the north bordering the De Facto state of the LTTE. Sri Lankan government early this year unilaterally scrapped the truce pact which was signed between the LTTE and the GoSL in February 2002 under the Norway sponsor.
Stop blocking a UN human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka
[May 10, 2008, 00:29], [Reliefweb]
The Asian Human Rights Commission strongly supports the call for a human rights monitoring mission by the United Nations as a measure to resuscitate the severely damaged criminal investigation capacity of the Sri Lankan policing system.
The state, as the sovereign, owes an obligation to investigate into all crimes irrespective as to whether these are done by organised criminal gangs, terrorists or state agencies themselves. This obligation implies that there needs to be a competent and impartial criminal investigation branch within the policing system which has not been corrupted or impaired by political interference. There is consensus within Sri Lanka that the capacity of the police investigation system has been gravely diminished due to political interference over several years and that its internal capacity for investigations has become extremely limited. When it comes to organised crimes, acts of terrorists and also extrajudicial acts of the military and the police, the police investigation system has not demonstrated any capacity for effective investigations in recent years.
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Clashes Between Sri Lanka Military and Tamil Tigers Continue
[May 9, 2008, 17:03], [Enews20]
Sri Lanka’s Defense Ministry informed of the capture of Adampan town in northern Mannar district as a result of the two-hour fighting that took place Friday. There were seventeen casualties, among which fifteen Tamil Tigers rebels.
"They had built fortified connected bunkers in the area. The area had to be liberated for people to settle down there," said brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, as cited by BBC News.
Officials assert this is an outset in defeating and stopping guerilla actions in the area, because this capture will block guerilla movement and will harden their transportation of arms and supplies. They foreshadow to succeed annihilating rebels’ intentions and undertakings by the end of this year, as the International Herald Tribune informs.
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Sri Lanka: Bomb Blast in Ampaarai
[May 9, 2008, 16:34], [TNS]
Colombo - A powerful bomb exploded inside a restaurant in Ampaarai, in the eastern Sri Lanka just 12 hours ahead of the eastern Sri Lanka go for the provincial election killed 8 and over 30 were injured according to the report from Ampaarai.
The explosion has taken place on Friday evening 6:00 p.m. Bomb explosions are increasing in Sri Lanka as Sri Lanka stepped up military operations in the north.
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