Politics of Human Rights in the United Nations

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 December 2008, 12:11 GMT]
Tracing the historical contributions of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), including the publishing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), in the United Nations, Kirubaharan, general secretary of the France-based NGO, Tamil Centre for Human Rights, in a feature appearing in this week’s edition of Colombo weekly, the Morning Leader, says, “… the powerful states use their political influence and support to avoid the examination of human rights violations in their countries, and also to protect the countries which have bilateral links with them. Some states even insist that they are exempt from UN scrutiny because what takes place in their countries is an "internal affair."
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Heavy shelling blocks return of WFP convoy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 December 2008, 09:59 GMT]
The convoy of World Food Programme (WFP) that delivered humanitarian supplies to Vanni this week has been unable to return to Vavuniyaa due to heavy artillery shelling in Nedungkea'ni area by the Sri Lanka Army, reports from Vanni said Wednesday.
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State of Human Rights in Sri Lanka on 60th anniversary of UDHR

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 December 2008, 08:04 GMT]
Although it is sixty years since 'Ceylon' as the Island was then known gained independence from Britain, and sixty years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations, Tamils of Sri Lanka are yet to enjoy the benefits of UDHR. According to the Annual Report for 2007 of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), more than 5000 cases of disappearances are pending without clarification from the Sri Lankan Government. Data shows that there are more extra-judicial killings in the East now after the Government’s celebrated 'liberation of the East'.
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SLA imposes rigid pass system on civilian access to Jaffna hospital

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 December 2008, 20:16 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) directed the Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH) administration Monday to introduce a 'pass' system under which even patients in need of treatment will have to prove their ailment to the police and army personnel manning the check post in front of the hospital. This system is being imposed to to ensure the safety of the Sinhalese medical officers of JTH by restricting the number of patients and visitors seeking entry to the hospital, hospital authorities said.
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Sri Lanka in "Genocide Red Alert" watch list

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 December 2008, 12:41 GMT]
New York-based Genocide Prevention Project in a report to be published Tuesday includes Sri Lanka as one of the eight "red alert" countries where genocide and other mass atrocities are underway or risk breaking out. A comprehensive list of 33 countries is also contained in the report. Tuesday marks the 60th anniversary of the United Nation's convention on the prevention of genocide, and 20th anniversary of U.S's ratification of the treaty.
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3 civilians killed in DPU Claymore attack in Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 December 2008, 16:25 GMT]
Three civilians, including a child, were killed in a Claymore attack by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) on Monday, Tamileelam Police officials said. The attack has taken place in Mu'l'liyava'lai, south of Mullaiththeevu.
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Obama receives guidepost on Genocide

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 December 2008, 13:08 GMT]
A task force led by Madeleine K Albright, former Secretary of State, and an advisor to Obama and Clinton, is releasing today a report on world genocide threats which will likely be used by the Obama administration as a guide post to prevent developing genocides, Washington Post reported. President elect Obama, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton come into the office with an unusual track record of statements in tackling mass violence, and the recommendations contained in the report are timely and relevant to the new administration, Washington Post said.
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Eezham Tamils' development: myths and realities

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 December 2008, 23:03 GMT]
A development-oriented analysis originated from the West and often exploited by the Sri Lankan state to justify its ethnic chauvinism is that the Tamils were far advanced in ‘development’ under the British and the crisis was a result of independent Sri Lanka equalizing development to all people. One can understand Sri Lankan state and its intellectuals harping on the theme. But it is utter ignorance of history, lack of serious research and wrong application of analytical tools in judging development on the part of the intelligentsia outside, in creating a misleading picture of the crisis in Sri Lanka through their 'model-based' approaches, writes Opinion Columnist Chivanadi in the second part of the article, 'Development, Multiculturalism and Ethnonationalism in Sri Lanka.'
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'They went, saw and returned'

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 December 2008, 07:58 GMT]
The meeting of the representation from Tamil Nadu led by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi with the Prime Minister of India on Thursday failed to achieve its basic objective of convincing the Indian government to take a stand against Colombo’s war on Tamils, revealed journalistic circles in Chennai. The silent listening of the Indian Establishment may have several meanings. Perhaps Dr. Manmohan Singh is not the authority to respond on this particular matter. But the message to Eezham Tamils is clear: either they ought to fight back the war thrust upon them, or face genocide, and probably they knew it long back, commented the circles.
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Ethnic filtering, registration at SLA checkpost in Mannampiddi

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 December 2008, 05:44 GMT]
Sri Lankan soldiers manning the checkpost at Mannampiddi in Batticaloa have introduced a new scheme to register all Tamil and Muslim passengers who travel from eastern province into other provinces. Only Tamil and Muslim passengers are ordered to get down at Mannampiddi from buses and private vehicles for checking and registration, but not the Sinhalese, civil sources said.
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Colombo’s 'gala war' countered in Germany

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 December 2008, 04:03 GMT]
"A huge amount of Colombo’s war money is lavishly spent in foreign countries in fixing collaborators, capturing or coercing diaspora Tamils and in organizing gala programmes to shield its sins of inhuman war at home," said an activist of a vigilant group of German Tamils called 'Committee for People’s Uprising (CPU),' Friday. "The latest is a festive season’s grand dinner inviting German dignitaries and an exhibition of its 'contemporary civilization' to hoodwink the German public. The Eezham Tamils in Germany effectively neutralized Colombo’s devises on Friday through creative undertakings, right in front of Sri Lanka’s propaganda stall," the activist told TamilNet.
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SLAF, SLA bombardment targets Ki'linochchi suburbs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 December 2008, 01:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Friday launched artillery fire towards Ki'linochchi town, its suburbs, Paranthan and Vaddakkachchi as Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers targeted Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) defence lines along the suburbs of Ki'linochchi, according to the sources in Vanni.
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'Thanks for food, but help to win our rights,' Vanni IDPs urge Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 December 2008, 02:12 GMT]
Internally Displaced persons in Vanni who were receiving the humanitarian supplies sent by the people of Tamil Nadu, while expressing their gratitude for the timely help, urged the leaders of Tamil Nadu to help them to win their freedom by voicing for the political aspirations of Eezham Tamils. TamilNet correspondent recorded expressions from the IDPs who were gathered at Karaichchi Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, one of 23 supply centres in Vanni, on Thursday.
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TRO issues details of cluster-bombed IDP camp

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 December 2008, 09:15 GMT]
The Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), in a press release disseminated on Wednesday said the IDP camp subjected to cluster bombardment by the Sri Lanka Air Force at Uzhavanoor in Vanni was located within the area declared by the Government of Sri Lanka as "safe zone" and that the IDP camp was constructed and maintained by the TRO and local NGO REERDO for families that had been displaced due to the Government of Sri Lanka's ongoing military offensive into Vanni.
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International treaty bans cluster munitions

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 December 2008, 01:42 GMT]
Diaspora Tamils in Norway demonstrated in Oslo on Wednesday against the use of cluster bombs by the Sri Lankan government as 120 countries gathered in Oslo to sign a landmark treaty banning the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions internationally. Signatory states are required to promote universalisation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), to notify non-signatory parties of their treaty obligations, and to discourage non-signatory state parties from using cluster munitions.
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SLA, LTTE clash in Kumizhamunai, Tigers recover SLA body

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 December 2008, 16:04 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) fighters on Tuesday recovered a dead body of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and seized a AK-LMG in the clearing mission after repulsing the SLA that attempted to advance from Kumizhamunai towards A'lampil in Mullaiththeevu, Tiger officials told media in Vanni.
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US government donates USD 100,000 for flood relief in North-East

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 December 2008, 11:35 GMT]
The United States Government will provide $100,000 for emergency relief to assist people affected by the flooding in the North and the East, said a press release issued by the Embassy of he United States of America. The US donation will be used for non-food relief items and targeted to victims in Jaffna and in the Vanni, where particularly serious flooding has occurred in recent days. Ambassador Blake requested funds from the US government after Major General Hettiarachchi of the Disaster Management Centre asked for American assistance, the press release said hinting that the aid would be channeled
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TNA MP urges global community's awareness on Sri Lanka's use of cluster munitions

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 December 2008, 11:24 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian S. Gajendran, who represents Ki'linochchi district (Jaffna electorate), Wednesday urged the global community to "unreservedly condemn" the Sri Lankan government for deploying cluster munitions against civilians in Vanni in its air strikes and artillery attacks. Appreciating the Norwegian initiative which has led to the landmark treaty on baning the cluster munitions, the TNA parliamentarian said the Sri Lankan forces were deploying cluster munitions against civilians after expelling the international witnesses and blocking foreign journalists from entering Vanni.
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NESoHR: 16 cluster bombs dropped on refugee camp

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 December 2008, 16:44 GMT]
North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR), in its monthly report for November said there were five major air strikes and shelling attacks on civilians in Vanni in November. On Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) indiscriminate bombardment on IDP camp in Uzhavanoor in the early hours of Saturday, the NESoHR said the SLAF had dropped 16 cluster bombs on the settlement.
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'Knowing friends and enemies'

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 December 2008, 15:14 GMT]
“Exploiting the Mumbai carnage and the mood of indignation in India, the Colombo government is calling for the collaboration of India in labeling and isolating all Tamils as terrorists, just because they demand for their rights. Mr. P. Chidambaram, the new Home Minister of India, carrying Indian as well as Tamil identities needs to be additionally alert in what has to be done”, read Tuesday’s editorial of Janasakti, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of India. Meanwhile, an Eezham Tamil foreign national and a political analyst, now living with the IDPs in Vanni, responded to TamilNet with his remarks on current development, especially after 26 November, 2008.
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