Court injunctions leave UK deportation flights half empty - paper

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 October 2012, 23:15 GMT]
British High Court is regularly issuing injunctions banning the removal of Tamils because they are at risk of being tortured in Sri Lanka, and these court interventions are resulting in chartered deportation flights commissioned by the UK Border Agency leaving UK half-empty, the Independent reported in the Monday edition of the paper. "Despite the regular setbacks in the High Court, which can cost tax payers tens of thousands of pounds each day in legal fees and court costs, the UK Border Agency shows no sign of rethinking its deportation strategy for Sri Lanka, a country where the torture of returned asylum seekers has been empirically documented," the paper said.
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Sinhalicised division formalised in Mullaiththeevu district

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 October 2012, 22:41 GMT]
A newly created division, Sinhalicised in demograhpy and acquired a name ‘Weli Oya’ changed from the Tamil name Ma'nal-aa'ru, has been formalised with a divisional secretariat of the civil administrative structure of occupying Sri Lanka in the Mullaith-theevu district of the country of Eezham Tamils. This is an explicit move of colonisation and structural genocide aiming for the annihilation of the territoriality of the nation of Eezham Tamils in the island for the edification of those who ask for evidence, commented civil society activists in Vanni. Why should the Tamils have territoriality in the island is a question raised by the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime that opts genocide as means and argues that anyone could settle anywhere in the island, under the blessings of the powers that insist on treating the island as one unit whether there is genocide or not, said civil society activists.
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Colombo’s claims of diaspora dialogue challenged in the diaspora

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 October 2012, 13:45 GMT]
None of the Tamil diaspora bodies that have democratic or institutional mandate of Eezham Tamils have opted to engage in talks with the Sri Lankan government, which continues to negate the nationhood and right to self-determination of Eezham Tamils, said Dr Panchakulasingam Kandiah, the president of the democratically elected Norwegian Council of Eezham Tamils and a director in the board of the Global Tamil Forum. He was responding to a question by TamilNet on Saturday, on the statement of Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesperson and minister Keheliya Rambukwela telling that Colombo was “making headway in its dialogue with the Tamil Diaspora”. The ‘dialogue’ will be held in Colombo shortly under the direct patronage of SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa, media reports from Colombo said.
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Muslim trader shot dead by Sinhala rivals in Puththa'lam

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 October 2012, 20:15 GMT]
A dealer of gemstones and sea cucumbers was shot and killed Friday noon on Colombo - Puththa'lam Road, 5 km south of Puththa'lam town, while he was on his way to Jummah prayer to the mosque at Naakavil. The victim was identified as Puhari Nafar, a father of three, who had displaced from Mannaar to Puththa'lam in 1990. Sinhala dealers in dispute with Mr Nafar have allegedly hired an armed squad to kill him, the relatives of the victim blamed while the SL police maintained that they had no clue of who the killers could be.
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Colombo opts for anti-Tamil campaign to handle constitutional case

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 October 2012, 12:31 GMT]
The petitioners of a constitutional case against the ‘Divineguma’ Bill that will snatch away even grassroot development and social welfare powers of the provinces in genocidal Sri Lanka are currently targeted through a Sinhala poster campaign of ‘counterinsurgency’ style that collectively names the petitioners as ‘Paikiasothy Gang’ aiming ‘separation of the country’. The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), headed by Colombo-based Tamil, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, in a statement on Tuesday hinted at the connection between the posters and Sri Lanka Army coming for ‘investigations’ of the Centre on Monday. The SL Supreme Court on Monday decided for a separate hearing of the case filed by the TNA and has fixed it to next Monday, while four more writ petitions challenging the bill will be taken up for hearing by the court on Thursday.
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Uprooted Champoor villagers file FR application in SL Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 October 2012, 15:03 GMT]
A Fundamental Rights Violation petition filed by uprooted villagers of Champoor in Trincomalee is to be taken up for further hearing on November 15, according to legal sources in Colombo. The petitioners have been challenging the Gazette Extraordinary issued on May 12 this year that a “Special Zone for Heavy Industries” had been demarcated in the areas formerly inhabited by them. Seven villagers in their petition filed on Friday before the Sri Lankan Supreme Court complained that the Gazette purportedly attempts to demarcate a “Special Zone for Heavy Industries” within the provision of the Section A of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka Law No:4 of 1978.
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TNA, New Delhi, harp on LLRC implementation

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 October 2012, 11:23 GMT]
The TNA parliamentary delegation that visited New Delhi last week thanked the Government of India for its consistent interaction with the SL President in bringing about reconciliation and political solution through implementation of LLRC recommendations. The complaints of the TNA were confined to the lack of progress in the implementation of ‘constructive’ recommendations of the LLRC and lack of commitment on the part of Colombo in evolving an acceptable political solution. The TNA earlier rejected the LLRC recommendations but was later made to harp on them for non-descript solutions. The TNA has also refused attending Rajapaksa’s all party process for solution, without guarantees. But last month, the genocide-accused President on a Buddhist visit to India told TNA that the matter would be pursued after his return from India.
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UK Tamil tortured in Colombo, returned after payment of ransom to CID

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 October 2012, 07:46 GMT]
Sivasubramaniam Jeevan, an Eezham Tamil youth citizen of UK living in Scotland, who was on a visit to the island of Sri Lanka on 3 October, was detained by the notorious Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Colombo from the day he landed to 9 October, and was allegedly tortured under suspicion of “LTTE links”, after taking away his passport and other documents. He was released last Tuesday after managing a payment of a sum of 1.5 million rupees, plus 325 pounds, as ransom money to the CID. Speaking to TamilNet from his residence in Scotland, 33 year old Jeevan, who is now undergoing psychological treatment owing to the trauma of interrogation, said that the CID officers tortured him by beating him, verbally abusing him, and threatening to kill him. He was also interrogated on diaspora activities in the UK, he said.
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Colombo appropriates Trinco fish market from civic body

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 October 2012, 19:47 GMT]
Centuries old public fish market of the Trincomalee Urban Council, which was recently renovated with the consent of the Trincomalee Urban Council (UC), is to be appropriated by the Fisheries ministry of Colombo government. Susantha Punchinilame, the deputy minister of fisheries and a UPFA parliamentarian from Trincomalee district has made the announcement at the Trincomalee District Co-ordinating Committee (DCC) meeting held this week. Mr.K.Selvarajah, the chairman of the Trincomalee UC, who attended the DCC meeting vehemently protested against the appropriation and said the UC would not agree for the takeover of the fish market by the central government. The market belongs to the Trinco UC and it was renovated with the permission of the council, he added.
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SL Supreme Court to decide on governor’s approval to Divineguma bill

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 October 2012, 19:02 GMT]
The writ application filed by a Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian pertaining to the powers of the Northern Provincial Governor referred to the Sri Lankan Supreme Court for interpretation and determination by the Court of Appeal will be mentioned before the Supreme Court on Monday, legal sources in Colombo said. The draft bill has paved way for the establishment of a Department of Divineguma Development incorporating the existing Samurdhi Authority, Southern Development Authority and the Udarata Development Authority into a single unit under Colombo governments Development Ministry, which is headed by SL presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa.
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SL Police in Champoor appropriates public playground in Naavaladi

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 October 2012, 20:07 GMT]
Sri Lankan government officials in Colombo have instructed the divisional secretary of Moothoor to hand over a play ground, about four acres in extent, situated at the centre of several villages in Champoor area to the occupying SL police, civil officials told media. The Moothoor DS is the sole authority of the playground. The Divisional Secretary has handed over the playground for the use of the SL police camped at Champoor without seeking the consent of the people of the area and the school administration.
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‘Sri Lanka model of COIN sets a dangerous precedent for humanity’

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 October 2012, 18:26 GMT]
After the International Community of Establishments working in tandem with a genocide-intending Sri Lankan state oversaw a brutal military solution over the armed struggle of the Eezham Tamils in May 2009, the ‘Sri Lanka model’ of dealing with insurgencies is now being incorporated into the science of Counterinsurgency (COIN), opines RM Karthick, observing what dangerous ramifications this could have for struggling peoples worldwide in an article published on Sanhati, an Indian online journal, on Wednesday. Outlining internal and external factors in shaping the conflict, using the politico-military analysis of the late TamilNet senior editor ‘Taraki’ Sivaram, the author explains how internationally coordinated measures against the LTTE and the genocidal intent of Sinhala nationalists led to Mu’l’livaaykkaal and the systemic repression of the Eezham Tamils in their homeland that followed.
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JHU monks besiege historic Munneasvaram Siva temple in Chilaapam

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 October 2012, 17:16 GMT]
The Sinhala Buddhist extremist monks party, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), which is a constituent of the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), has been blocking the construction of ten-storied front tower (Rajakoapuram) of the several centuries old Munneasvaram Siva temple in Chilaapam (Chilaw) district in the North Western Province, according to the chief priest of the koayil, Mr Pathmanabakurukka'l.
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Canada’s will to intervene guided by geopolitics or humanity, ask Tamil activists

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 October 2012, 20:17 GMT]
On September 24, the Canadian capital of Ottawa announced its endorsement of the “Will to Intervene” Project. It is the fourth Canadian city to endorse external military intervention on human rights grounds. Discussion at September 24th's event centred on the present civil conflict in Syria. Given Canada's recent rupture of diplomatic ties with Iran, the prospect of intervention in Syria holds clear geo-strategic implications. "Genocide" discourse, however, masks a selectively humanitarian foreign policy whose inconsistency demonstrates Canada's political interests in conflict situations. The divergence between Canada's approaches toward Syria and Sri Lanka is instructive and Tamil activists allege that Canada does not want the “Responsibility to Protect” Eezham Tamils, and harbours no moral “Will to Intervene” against Sri Lanka.
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Genocide needs investigation but separation contextually unwise: Alan Keenan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2012, 21:43 GMT]
Calls for investigation on what has happened and is happening now in Sri Lanka from genocide angle need to be looked into, said ICG’s Sri Lanka Project Director, Dr Alan Keenan, in an interview to TamilNet on Friday. “If you want to call it an investigation, it needs to be looked into. I am fully supportive of it being looked into,” he said 3 years after the war and the Dublin Tribunal calling for such an investigation in Jan 2010. The ICG had earlier targeted the diaspora for the genocide argument that it aims achieving Tamil Eelam. To questions on ICG negating independence to Tamils, while supporting it for others, he said that independence [even] as an ultimate goal is unwise to the current context of Tamils, while “balance of merits” favours it in other contexts. When pressed to explain the contextual difference, he hinted at the chance of further violence coming from the Sinhalese.
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Colombo's militarisation budget to increase by 26%

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 October 2012, 14:58 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Defence Ministry, headed by SL presidential sibling Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has sought a 26% increase in its military and ‘urban development’ expenditures for the year 2013, news sources in Colombo said. The military expenditure for the year 2012 was 230 billion rupees out of a total budget of 2,220 billion. For the year 2013, out of a total budget of 2,520 billion, the SL defence ministry seeks 290 billion rupees. While the budget increase is 13% the military seeks 26% increase, a double. Meanwhile, a group of international academics pointed out last week that Sri Lanka's expenditure on education is only 1.86% of the GDP, which is the lowest in South Asia and one of the lowest in the world.
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Jaffna civil society concerned about Sri Lanka using UN teams

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 October 2012, 23:29 GMT]
Many UN teams are visiting the island of Sri Lanka in connection with the reviews of UNHRC in November 2012 and March 2013. The civil society in Jaffna is concerned that the UN team visits are encouraged to serve the agenda of the Colombo government, said civil society activist and Jaffna University academic in law, Mr Guruparan Kumaravadivel to media in Jaffna on Monday. The visits are not transparent, as they have not revealed the Terms of Reference and restrictions to their visits, and most of the time, they end up visiting SL government officials and people who do not come up with independent views. The whole exercise raises questions on UN deliberations in the island and “the UN definitely has not learnt lessons,” Mr Guruparan further said.
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Southern workers sexually harass Tamil women in East

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 October 2012, 23:13 GMT]
Some of the workers from South who are brought down to Eastern province by the Colombo government, which employs them in road construction and electricity supply ‘development’ work in the Eastern province, engage in sexual abuse of Tamil women, civil sources in Batticaloa say citing two cases this week alone. At Vaazhaichcheanai, a 38-year-old mother of five, A Sinnappillai, was killed after sexual abuse by at least two Sinhala men and the body of the victim was found dumped in a pit upside down. At Vellaave'li, a man from Matara, caught by the villagers after he attempted to sexually harass a 17-year-old Tamil girl on Thursday, was allowed to go unpunished by the Sinhala policemen.
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TamilNet columnist in Asia Pacific passes away

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 October 2012, 10:48 GMT]
TamilNet columnist in the diaspora, writing as Economic and Political Analyst in the Asia Pacific, passed away this week at the age of 73. Retired from the service of an apex world infrastructure of the Establishments, including a tenure that brought him awards from Vietnam, he had first hand experience on the 1 per cent of the world oppressing the 99 per cent. Oppressed nations and peoples coming together to change the world order was the pivotal theme of his writings. His commitment to the Tamil Eelam cause was based on his ideology that completion of the national liberation or recognition of the Right of Self-determination of the 6000 odd nations without state is an indispensable preliminary for the Socialist World Order. TamilNet’s inability to reveal his identity even at his demise reflects the nature of oppression Eezham Tamils face today.
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Sri Lanka’s genocide model sets trend in the region

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 October 2012, 23:09 GMT]
The genocidal model of State, licensed to Sri Lanka by India and the International Community of Establishments, now inspires other peoples in the region to follow suit, as was seen in the recent attacks on Muslims in Myanmar and Buddhists in Bangladesh. The Sinhala-Buddhist clergy and mob in Colombo reverberated on Thursday by ransacking the Bangladesh High Commission and reiterating the ‘license to genocide’ privilege of the Sinhala Buddhists. “No matter which religion or race you may belong to, everyone has to understand that this is a country of the Sinhalese. If you accept this culture you can live here peacefully. Anyone who cannot, they should leave,” the Buddhist monk who led the march to the Bangladesh High Commission was cited saying, turning the demonstration into anti-Tamil and anti-Tamil-speaking Muslims in the island.
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