Congress and Colombo busy in shielding each other

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 August 2011, 11:26 GMT]
A Congress parliamentarian from Tamil Nadu in Rajya Sabha, Dr. E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan has convened a meeting of ruling and opposition party parliamentarians of India in New Delhi on Thursday with the help of Colombo-based Indian writer N Sathiyamoorthy, aiming to diffuse the growing political momentum that challenges the crimes committed, and being committed, by New Delhi and Colombo on Eezham Tamils. Meanwhile, genocidal Colombo’s High Commissioner in New Delhi, Prasad Kariyawasam is engaged in preaching ‘ethics’ to journalists and in canvassing to get their support by sending propaganda material prepared by the SL ministry of defence. The Indo-Lanka public relations machinery is in over drive to limit damages caused by media exposing the crimes of the two establishments in partnership.
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Hambantota port commercially not viable: Sarath N Silva

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 August 2011, 06:38 GMT]
"We have built a mega port in Hambantota, but it is not commercially viable yet," the Reuters reported Wednesday quoting former SL Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva at a JVP organised meeting in Colombo on Tuesday. “From the top to bottom, corruption has become a systemic issue... Foreign investors will be discouraged from investing here if this goes on,” Mr. Silva has said. "The anti-corruption law is ineffective. The anti-graft commission can investigate only if they receive a compliant and if the complaint is wrong, the complainant will be given an up to 10 year jail term," the former SL chief justice has said.
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Protest on Kuganathan assault escalates amid eyewash arrest

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 August 2011, 08:56 GMT]
More than 200 media workers, politicians and activists from North and South joined hands at Jaffna Bus Station staging a protest Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. till noon against the brutal assault last month on Gnanasundaram Kuganathan, the chief news editor of Uthayan daily in Jaffna and against the prevailing suppression of freedom of expression in Jaffna. Five Colombo-based media organisations arranged the protest together with the journalists in Jaffna. On Monday, the Sri Lankan Police had claimed that they have arrested the suspect at Kalubowila Hospital in Colombo. However, the media sources in Jaffna told TamilNet Tuesday that the said person was not the real culprit.
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Belated realisation finds fault with ‘brother’

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 August 2011, 06:11 GMT]
President Rajapaksa would be well advised to distance himself swiftly from his brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, said The Hindu in its editorial on Tuesday. The problem is not the brother but the confidence the Colombo regime gets from the stand of the big brother in New Delhi, is the opinion of political observers and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalitha. The Hindu now scapegoats ‘Gotabhaya brother’ as a last resort to bail out Rajapaksa, New Delhi establishment and all those who contributed to genocide in the island, political observers in Chennai said. The Hindu could have contributed to pre-empt genocide had its journalism confuted the big brothers in New Delhi and Washington and appealed to the masses in India and outside by telling the truth about the intentions of state in the island, the political observers further said.
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Colombo camouflages confiscation of Tamil lands

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 August 2011, 03:29 GMT]
All people of the north and east who cannot confirm ownership of their land through supporting documents are to be given a two-month period to furnish details of such land through a special application to the respective Divisional Secretaries, reports SL state-owned Daily News and SL ‘Defence’ website. “A special procedure is to be followed in cases where state land has been claimed by the people,” the report says, meaning that ‘state’ lands distributed to Tamils during British rule and after independence will be now ‘reconsidered’ if documents or parties are not available. All land issues in the country of Eezham Tamils have to be dealt with only by Tamil sovereignty and by no body else, commented Tamil political circles, adding that the former colonial power Britain and India that backs genocidal Colombo are answerable for not upholding the sovereignty of Eezham Tamils over their land.
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Occupying Navy brings in Sinhala fishermen to Pungkudutheevu

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2011, 12:24 GMT]
In a daring attempt of colonisation, genocidal Sri Lanka’s Navy occupying the islands off Jaffna brought in hundreds of Sinhala fishermen Sunday to settle in Pugkudutheevu island and to engage in fishing. Leaders of the protesting local Tamil fishermen association were taken to the SL Navy camp in the island and were served with death threats. The Sinhala fishermen came with all preparations to make settlements in the island and to engage in the lucrative business of catching sea cucumbers that are of export value. Their activities are now stalled following protests. Punkudutheevu, an island off Jaffna close to the Tamil Nadu coast has a recently built extensive base of the Sri Lanka Navy. Sinhala militarisation and colonisation of the land of Eezham Tamils enjoy blessings of the New Delhi government.
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Residents protest against abusive SLA at Thikiliveddai, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2011, 11:17 GMT]
Occupying Sri Lanka Army soldiers have assaulted protesting residents of Thikiliveddai village situated in Ea'raavoor division of Batticaloa district, on Saturday night. The assault followed the villagers protesting SLA attack on a resident, 35-year-old Ilayathamby Pulendran, a father of two. Thikiliveddai villagers are long oppressed and abused by the occupying SLA. Last year, when three SLA soldiers sexually abused a 9-year-old girl of the village, deputy minister in Rajapaksa regime and paramilitary leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan suppressed protests. The villagers now demand removal of the abusive SLA camp from their village. Meanwhile, public protests after SLA atrocities are reported widely from the Eastern Province in the recent days.
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Ki'n'niyaa Muslims attack SLN camp over “grease devil” scare

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 August 2011, 10:32 GMT]
The Sri Army and the Police at last yielded to the demand of the protesting residents of Ki'n'niyaa and released all twenty four Muslim civilians including three students who are sitting for the G.C.E. advanced level examination. They were arrested following a group of Muslim civilians attacked a camp of the Sri Lanka Navy Sunday night suspecting that an alleged ‘grease devil” roaming in the area had entered the navy camp located in Ki'n'niyaa. Residents said they had witnessed a ‘grease devil” that had entered the navy camp located at Faisal Nagar in Ki'n'niyaa town in a car. ‘Grease devil’ is kind of attack on women reported in the island in which the culprit comes after applying grease on his body so that he could not be caught.
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India answerable for both genocide and structural genocide of Eezham Tamils

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 August 2011, 09:05 GMT]
The Speaker of the Indian Parliament, Meira Kumar, conceding to an objection from a Congress member, altered the topic of discussion in the parliament from “Alleged killing of Sri Lankan Tamils by the island nation’s Lankan army in 2009 as recently revealed in a United Nations report” to “On the steps taken by Government of India for relief and resettlement of Tamils in Sri Lanka and other measures to promote their welfare.” The deviated discussion scheduled for last Thursday has also been postponed to coming Tuesday. But whether in war or in post-war, New Delhi cannot escape answering for its partnership in committing genocide and structural genocide of Eezham Tamils, commented Tamil political circles in the island, citing the activities of India-partnered SL Army in the war and its aftermath.
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Those who committed Genocide on Tamils should be brought to Justice: BJP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 August 2011, 04:18 GMT]
“We are not going to give up till all those people involved in genocide are brought to justice,” said India's former Foreign Minister and a top leader of the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) Yashwant Sinha Friday, questioning the motives behind New Delhi’s silence on the UN Chief’s expert panel report that found credible evidences for the wide-spread allegations of war-crime committed by the Sri Lankan troops. According to media reports from India, leaders of various mainstream political parties, including the BJP, on Friday have expressed solidarity with Eezham Tamils, saying that they would continue to raise their voice until everyone responsible for the “genocide” there were brought to justice.
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India boosts Sri Lanka: Jaya; India answerable for genocide: Vaiko

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2011, 07:48 GMT]
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s remarks aired by Headlines Today rocked the Tamil Nadu State Assembly on Thursday as political parties moved for special call attention motion to discuss Gotabhaya’s remarks on Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution on Sri Lanka. “Indian government being mute spectator has boosted the morale of Srilanka,” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalitha accused in the Assembly. Meanwhile, speaking to Priyamvatha of Headlines Today on Thursday, hours before a discussion on Sri Lanka in the Indian parliament, Vaiko said the government of India is answerable to Headlines Today report on the genocide of Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka. However, on Thursday afternoon, the Indian parliament postponed the discussion on Sri Lanka to coming Tuesday.
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Ratnajeevan Hoole ‘flees’ Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2011, 05:53 GMT]
Professor Ratnajeevan Hoole, the unsuccessful candidate for the post of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jaffna supported by a section of pro-Rajapaksa elements, had to flee Jaffna as well as the island in the wake of a criminal case filed by SL minister Douglas Devananda in the Kayts court, news sources in Jaffna said adding that Prof Hoole is on his way back to the USA via UK. Even though Hoole accuses Devananda for his miseries, informed circles are of the opinion that the issue is much deeper, associated to international power polity. Hoole, known for re-invoking the colonial idiom of confrontation between Protestant Churches and native revival movements as his ‘sociological’ approach, gets the rare distinction of not getting the trust of both Pirapaharan and Rajapaksa, despite his opportunistic approaches or denunciations, the news sources said.
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Sequel to Headline Today documentary to air tonight

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2011, 16:09 GMT]
A sequel to the "I witnessed Genocide" Headline Today documentary broadcast Tuesday, labelled "Who killed 40,000 Tamils" is to be broadcast at 7:30 p.m and 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, the Indian TV channel Headline Today announced. As a multi-piece documentary being released under the title "Inside Sri Lanka's Killing Fields," contain eyewitness accounts of mass slaughter, rape, and torture, classified as universal crimes, taken by the news channel's reporter who travelled undercover to Vanni.
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US warns Sri Lanka to investigate atrocities ‘quickly’ to avoid international action

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2011, 07:41 GMT]
The United States said Tuesday that if Sri Lanka does not “quickly” investigate “in a way that meets international standards” allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the final months of the island’s war in 2009, “there’s going to be growing pressure from the international community for exactly the kind of international action that Sri Lankans say they don’t want.” The comments by State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland came in response to questions posed by Headlines Today television’s Washington correspondent Tejinder Singh, following up on answers to his queries on Monday.
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Vanni survivors recount mass killings, rape in Headlines Today documentary

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2011, 04:05 GMT]
In a world exclusive report aired Tuesday, India’s Headlines Today (HT) television broadcast eyewitness accounts of mass slaughter, the use of chemical weapons and cluster bombs, and torture, rape and sexual humiliation in internment camps by Sri Lanka’s military. The accounts were gathered inside Vanni from survivors of the catastrophic violence of 2009 by one of HT’s investigative reporters, P. Priyamvatha, who traveled undercover into the region – described by the channel as “the most densely militarized place in the world.” She conducted her interviews in Tamil. Responding to the documentary, titled ‘I witnessed genocide’, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India condemned it as “tendentious, unsubstantiated, inflammatory” and questioned Priyamvatha’s bona fides.
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Rajapaksa blackmails as guilt haunts India: CPI Secretary D. Raja

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2011, 05:51 GMT]
“They [Rajapaksa regime] think they are too intelligent to use the geopolitical equations in South Asia, they think they can manipulate to win the support of China, Pakistan or other countries including Russia, so that India can be pressurised. But India also feels down the line guilty, because India gave all the support for the war against Tamils to Rajapaksa govt. So, if you go by that, then India was also collaborative in the war. So that guiltiness haunts India. So India succumbs to a blackmail or pressure exerted by Rajapaksa govt. So this is what the international community should understand,” said D. Raja of the Communist Party of India, congratulating Headlines Today bringing out the truth about the war to the peoples of India. While the programme focussing on genocidal perspectives of the war is aired Tuesday, Rajapaksa is on his second visit to China within a year.
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US backs international mechanism to investigate Sri Lanka war crimes

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 August 2011, 02:26 GMT]
The United States on Monday called again for a “transparent accounting of Sri Lanka’s actions” during the final months of the island’s war. Addressing reporters State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the UN panel of experts is a mechanism “that should be taken advantage of” and that “an international mechanism to look at these is in everyone’s interest.” Mr. Toner made his comments in response to a question by Tejinder Singh, the Washington correspondent of Headlines Today television, part of the India Today group, which is to air on Tuesday a new documentary on Sri Lanka’s war crimes.
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Headlines Today to air new documentary: Inside Lanka's Killing Fields

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2011, 17:28 GMT]
New Delhi-based news channel, Headlines Today, which has brought wide media focus in India on Sri Lankan war crimes after broadcasting the Channel 4 documentary, Sri Lanka's Killing Fields, followed with a debate recently, on Monday said it was to broadcast an exclusive documentary of its own on Tuesday, titled "I witnessed Genocide: Inside Lanka's Killing Fields". The new documentary to be aired on Tuesday will feature eyewitness accounts of shelling and aerial bombardment of designated safe zones, hospitals and other civilian targets, rape, sexual harassment at IDP camps, use of chemical bombs, use of cluster munition, denial of food and medicines to civilians etc., media sources in New Delhi said.
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S.M. Krishna and his suo motu statement

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 August 2011, 01:09 GMT]
The Suo Motu statement of Indian foreign minister SM Krishna on Sri Lanka in the Indian parliament has led him into a controversy of filing a defamation case against the Press Trust of India (PTI), because the latter reported him reading the statement ‘absent minded’. The minister "appeared absent-minded and had to be prodded to make a statement," PTI reported. On Krishna’s response through a defamation case the PTI said on Friday: "This is perhaps the first time a minister has threatened a news organisation with... action for reporting [House] proceedings despite the Parliamentary Proceedings [Protection of Publication] Act." Meanwhile, Krishna’s statement was meant to mislead the parliament and to hoodwink Tamil Nadu, writes, a leading legal practitioner and human rights activist of Trincomalee.
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‘Political separation needed to stop genocide in Sri Lanka’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 August 2011, 16:25 GMT]
To his surprise, Graham Williamson of Act Now, UK, realised that Tamils and Sinhalese biologically stem from a common genetic process originating since prehistoric times, when he read the book Peopling of Sri Lanka by Subramaniyam Visahan. The study may help to overcome genocidal conflict. Yet the reality of genetic similarity between the two peoples does not suggest that the two should be treated as one as Sinhala nationalism seeks the extinction of Tamils as a cultural identity, if not a people. The many differences of language, religion and culture suggests a political separation in the same way that the peoples of Europe jealously guard their national identities yet manage, today at least, to cooperate in harmony, he reviewed. Meanwhile, Chennai-based website The Weekend Leader on Saturday documented the extent of cultural genocide committed in the land of Tamils in the island.
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