Sinhala armed gangs rob Tamil passengers from North, East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 August 2010, 08:52 GMT]
Armed gangs comprising solely Sinhala men posing as personnel of the Criminal Investigations Depart (CID) of the Sri Lanka Police are on the prowl in the South robbing Tamil passengers travelling from North and East to Colombo, according to complaints made by the victims to the police.
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Sri Lanka’s Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission begins sitting

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 15:16 GMT]
The Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), consisting of eight members, chaired by the former Attorney General C. R. de Silva, commenced its sittings Wednesday morning at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute in Colombo 7, according to Commission’s Secretary S. M. Samarakoon. Bernard Goonatillake, former head of Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat that was operational during the period of the conflict,is scheduled to give evidence on the opening day. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is to give evidence before the Commission 17 August. The Commission is to meet from August 11 till the 25th. Sessions on August 14th and 15th are to be held in Vavuniyaa.
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Sri Lanka's Commission convenes as US calls for independent investigations

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 01:52 GMT]
As the Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation appointed by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa commenced its inaugural sittings on Wednesday morning at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies, No 24, Horton place, Colombo, 58 law makers of United States Congress urged the Obama administration to push for an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes that occurred during Sri Lanka's civil war. "The letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the members of Congress called for such a probe saying panels set up by the Sri Lankan government to probe the allegations "lacked the needed credibility,"" AFP reported.
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Extremism of defeatism

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 August 2010, 02:31 GMT]
Promoting extremism of defeatism is the latest ‘counterinsurgency’ weapon Colombo and those who abetted it in the war are trying on Eezham Tamils and especially on their diaspora in recent times. They do it for different purposes but none of them are prepared to come out with solutions other than subservience. Individual extremists of defeatism, who seek political space by upholding united Sri Lanka with wrong elements, are making the same mistake of their forefathers that haunt Eezham Tamils to this day and will continue to haunt their posterity. Eezham is the only rightful living space in the world for Eezham Tamils. Whatever geopolitical contests take place in the island the world will care only when Eezham Tamils have an independent polity for them.
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2 Indian High Commission officials on sudden visit to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 August 2010, 19:05 GMT]
Two key officials of the Indian High Commission to Sri Lanka in Colombo visited Jaffna Monday and held talks with high officers of Sri Lanka Amy (SLA) and police in Jaffna Secretariat. Northern Province Governor Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri and Jaffna Government Agent, Ms. Imelda Sukumar participated in this meeting, sources in Jaffna said. The visit of the Indian officials had not been announced and local media was not allowed to cover the meeting.
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SL External Affairs minister leaves for China

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 August 2010, 07:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris left Sunday on a three day official visit to China. He is scheduled to meet his counterpart in Peking and hold talks to strengthen ties between the two countries. He is also tipped to meet several top Chinese government officials in Peking, according to Colombo external affairs ministry.
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3 more UNP parliamentarians likely to join UPFA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 August 2010, 15:33 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) issued an ultimatum Sunday to Sri Lanka government to release the proposals on constitutional reforms and the 17th amendment and to reconsider its decision to abandon further talks with Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse, amid Colombo media reports that three more UNP parliamentarians are likely to join the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) soon. They are discussing with ruling party hierarchy to join the government, media reports added.
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US demining aid to alleviate Jaffna mine woes, says Jaffna SLA commander

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 August 2010, 04:16 GMT]
With the United States announcing a fresh aid amounting to US$ 5.4 million to assist the demining activities in the northern province, steps have been taken to expedite demining and make the Jaffna peninsula an area free of demining by September this year, Jaffna Commanding Officer Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe is reported to have said. Nearly one-third of the aid will bolster equipment capability of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA's) "Humanitarian Mining Unit," according to figures released by the US embassy in Colombo.
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Dengue deaths increase as BTI bacteria from Cuba is delayed

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 August 2010, 14:05 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s health department is in a fix over the delay in the import of the first consignment of BTI bacteria from Cuba as the number of deaths due to dengue has risen to 149 Friday. Meanwhile, the health ministry has failed to get a positive response from Cuban Embassy in Colombo. The Daily Mirror of August 8 said in its report that controversy surrounds the closure of the Cuban embassy in Colombo while the health ministry was desperately attempting to get a positive response on the import of the first consignment of BTI bacteria from Cuba though three weeks had passed since opening the Letter of Credit.
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2 Sri Lanka policemen arrested on bribery charge in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 August 2010, 04:09 GMT]
Two Criminal Investigation Department (CID) policemen, a Sinhala and a Muslim, based in Jaffna were arrested by their superior officer from Colombo for demanding bribe to help escape a person issued with arrest warrant by Jaffna magistrate court. Jaffna magistrate ordered the arrestees to be placed in Jaffna prison when they were produced in court Friday, sources in Jaffna said. There had been several complaints of bribery against the two arrested policemen and the CID key official from Colombo arrested them Friday after a sudden investigation.
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Rail-track improvement to force 671 families go homeless

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 2010, 23:26 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Transport Minister, Kumar Welgama, has revealed in the parliament that the Sri Lanka Government has decided to demolish some 671 unauthorized constructions located on either side of the railway tracks in Colombo and in other parts of Sri Lanka, Colombo-based Sinhala daily, Lankadeepa, said Saturday. Welgama had also said court approval has been obtained to demolish the unauthorized constructions.
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SL Prime Minister admitted to hospital

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 2010, 16:50 GMT]
Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne (79) has been admitted to a private hospital in Colombo Friday afternoon suffering from high blood pressure and sugar, the relatives of the Prime Minister told media.
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Sri Lanka's "Lessons Learnt" Commission to start sittings

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 2010, 12:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka's 8-member Commission, with a mandate drafted to carefully avoid inquiry into alleged war-crimes committed by protagonists or to investigate into rights violations, is to start sittings from next Wednesday, Sri Lanka Government's news portal announced. For Sri Lanka, the sittings assumes importance after Sri Lanka's failed attempt to prevent functioning of the United Nations advisory committee, and the refusal by Non-Aligned Member (NAM) nations to endorse Sri Lanka's letter to UN objecting to the UN panel.
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2 Tamil opposition MPs join SL government

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 2010, 20:29 GMT]
Praba Ganeshan, Colombo district parliamentarian of the Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) and P.Digambaram, parliamentarian of Workers National Congress representing Nuwareliya district Thursday joined the ruling United Peoples Front Alliance (UPFA) after meeting Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse at Temple Trees, according to President’s media unit. Praba Ganesan and P. Digambaram later crossed over to the government side in Parliament Thursday afternoon.
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Armed men posing as police abduct Muslim trader in Colombo

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 August 2010, 07:51 GMT]
A Muslim trader was abducted on Sunday afternoon at Ginthupity area in Colombo by a group of armed persons who arrived in a Defender vehicle. The abductrs told the trader that they were from Sri Lanka Police and took the trader by force in their vehicle, according to a complaint by the trader's relatives to Wolfendhal Police Station Wednesday.
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British PR firm whitewashing Sri Lanka’s reputation - report

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 August 2010, 22:35 GMT]
British public relations firm Bell Pottinger Sans Frontiers is working for the Sri Lankan government to improve Colombo’s international image, in the wake of its mass killings of Tamil civilians last year and ongoing rights abuses, The Guardian newspaper said this week in an investigative report into UK firms’ role in ‘reputation laundering’ for unsavoury regimes and leaders. "An investigation by the Guardian has revealed that [London’s] public relations firms are earning millions of pounds a year promoting foreign regimes with some of the world's worst human rights records, including Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka," the paper said.
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2 persons abducted in white van in Borella

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 August 2010, 10:43 GMT]
Two persons including a woman were abducted in Colombo Tuesday night around 10.30 p.m. by unidentified persons arrived in white van. The couple were walking along the road between Borella and Fort when the van stopped and forcibly took them and fled, according to complaints lodged with the Borella Police.
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Tutu: Persecution, disappearances in Sri Lanka, truely terrifying

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 August 2010, 01:09 GMT]
Cautioning that "the international response to Sri Lanka’s worrying approach to human rights, good governance and accountability as a ‘deafening global silence’ that may encourage other states to act in a similar way," Elders, an independent group of eminent global leaders, said Tuesday that "Sri Lankan government’s domestic conduct, as well as its recent unacceptable treatment of the United Nations in Sri Lanka warrants a firm, public response from its most influential friends – particularly China, India, Japan and the United States as well as the non-aligned group of countries."
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SLA claims Kurunakar HSZ removed

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 August 2010, 23:46 GMT]
Acting Military spokesman, Colonel Duminda Gamage, talking to the Colombo media Tuesday, claimed that the High Security Zone (HSZ) in the Kurunakar area in Jaffna has been removed. He further said that this step has been taken to facilitate the resettlement of civilian, and added HSZ is gradually being dismantled since Monday and civilians are being allowed to reoccupy their former dwellings.
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New Delhi academic comments in Colombo on diaspora transnationalism

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 August 2010, 06:31 GMT]
“Nationals settled in distant lands often nurture identities that may well be historically untenable and outdated in the culture of the home country. But they are a source of solace to the migrant in an alien culture and underline a claim to connectedness. Such identities frequently deny the plurality of South Asian civilisation and the intersections within it. The replacement of these becomes a problem of transnationalism,” said Romila Thapar, emeritus professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, delivering on Sunday Neelan Thiruchelvam Memorial Lecture of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo. Responding, an academic in Jaffna said, the Eezham Tamil diaspora is not settled but forced, carrying contemporary historical memories to which India was a party.
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