India keen on direct involvement in the North

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 March 2010, 13:36 GMT]
Economic and Commercial Counselor of Indian High Commission (IHC) in Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, accompanied by his assistant Dinesh Kumar, met Jaffna Government Agent (GA), K. Ganesh, Friday at Jaffna Secretariat to discuss matters related to finding a suitable location in Jaffna to open a branch of Colombo IHC, sources in Jaffna said. Though it is said that the aim of opening a branch in Jaffna is to expedite issuing visa, the real motive is to extend India’s activities directly in the North in the context of Chinese presence and involvement in Jaffna peninsula, civil society circles in Jaffna said.
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Coup in The Hindu means more than a family feud

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 March 2010, 19:35 GMT]
Battle for control breaks out in The Hindu, very divided family, reported Indian Express Thursday. At the heart of this battle is the proposed retirement of publisher and the group Editor-in-Chief N Ram and his decision to dig his heels in. According to people close to the developments, the board is split, one group supporting Ram and the other seeking his retirement, Indian Express reported further. In the corporate dictated scenario of polity in India, the coup means more than a family feud – a panic in the Indian corporate world over a failed course and scurried attempts to revise it, political observers said. Similar tensions are noticed in recent times in India’s External Affairs and Home establishments too, the observers further said.
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Nambiar, Kohona assembling Ban's expert panel on war-crimes

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 March 2010, 04:19 GMT]
United Nations expert panel to advise Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on the accountability process required to address the alleged war crimes committed by Colombo and the LTTE, is being assembled by Moon's chief of staff Vijay Nambiar and Sri Lanka's UN representative Palitha Kohona, two officials widely believed to be complicit in the extra-judicial killing by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers' of civil and political officials of the Liberation Tigers who surrendered to the SLA during the final days of the war in May 2009, Inner City Press (ICP) reported.
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District Election Commissioner, deputies to be monitored

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 March 2010, 10:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Commissioner of Elections Dayananda Dissanayake has given consent to deploy two observers at the Elections Secretariat in Rajagiriya in Colombo and two each at the all District Secretaries where District Returning Officers are located to monitor their movement and activities on the polling day on the forthcoming general election. Accordingly, two monitors, one from PAFFREL and the other from CMEV will be allowed to stay at the Elections Secretariat in Colombo and at all the District Secretariats, election department sources said.
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Confederation of nations, manifesto option of TNPF

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 March 2010, 02:03 GMT]
The election manifesto of the Tamil National Peoples' Front (TNPF) comes out with an option for confederation of Tamil and Sinhala nations in the island, said former MP Selvarajah Kajendren to Tamil media on Wednesday. While stressing on Tamil homeland, nationalism, self-determination and nation of identifiable sovereignty as political aspirations, the other distinguishing features of the election manifesto of the TNPF were demand to repeal the 6th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, inclusion of the diaspora in the political processes of Eezham Tamils and an outlook to involve the international community in providing security and support to the political struggle of Tamils. The All Ceylon Tamil Congress led by Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, which came out of the TNA alliance recently is the major constituent of TNPF.
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45,969 IDPs eligible to vote

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2010, 09:50 GMT]
About forty five thousand nine hundred and sixty seven internally displaced voters are eligible to cast their votes in the forthcoming general elections that is set to be held on April. Of them fifteen thousand eight hundred and eighty seven IDP voters are from Vanni electoral district, according to a communiqué issued by the Elections Secretariat.
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India’s genocide of its own tribal nations

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2010, 02:21 GMT]
India had larger plans when it backed genocidal Colombo in the UN Human Rights Council. India is now embarked upon a greater genocidal war against its own tribal nations, picking up the footsteps of Colombo, making use of its partnership experience in crushing Eezham Tamils, exploiting the impotency of international community and encouraged by the electoral endorsement from Tamil Nadu. The precarious dimensions of the ongoing war in Central India, vividly brought out by Arundhati Roy in Outlook India this week, need careful study by all Eezham Tamils to device apt political moves for them and for the benefit of entire humanity. The IC, Tamils in India and progressive Sinhalese have to realise that acknowledging Eezham Tamil independence is a test case in reconstructing State outlook that is messing up life in entire South Asia and in achieving wider solidarity of peoples in the region.
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Sri Lanka denies Akon visa for ‘defaming Buddhism’

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2010, 01:39 GMT]
Sri Lanka has refused US rap star Akon a visa for a planned concert next month, following Sinhala protests that a music video of his was offensive to Buddhists. Stone throwing extremists on Monday protested outside a media network sponsoring the concert. Sri Lanka’s decision comes after the powerful Buddhist clergy expressed its displeasure. In the music video, shot around a pool party with a number of swimsuit wearing women, the statue of Buddha is occasionally seen on the pool house’s roof. Akon has denied intent to cause offense and protested the violence against the TV station.
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BBC: Fox and Love lobbied for Sri Lanka after junkets

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 March 2010, 04:00 GMT]
Two British MPs, Mr. Andy Love of the ruling Labour party, and Dr. Liam Fox of the main opposition Conservative party, made visits to Sri Lanka paid for by the government there, and while not declaring their trips, spoke in support of Sri Lanka in parliament, a BBC investigation has revealed. Both MPs were hosted by Mahinda Rajapakse regime in the past three years amid Sri Lanka’s onslaught in which tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed. Mr. Fox, some of whose trips coincided with international outrage over the ongoing slaughter, told the BBC his visits were to “promote peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.” Following his second visit in 2008, Mr. Love urged British ministers to send more aid to Sri Lanka.
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‘Sinhala Only’ in a government office opening event in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2010, 17:15 GMT]
Local media reporters in Jaffna peninsula staged a walkout Monday from the official opening of Sri Lanka Foreign Employment (SLFE) branch in Nalloor in Jaffna Monday when it was conducted in Sinhalese language only. Tamil Minister Douglas Devananda was also present at the event along with Northern Province Governor, G. A. Chandrasiri. Meanwhile, the Governor and the Minister later participated in the foundation stone laying ceremony for the new building of Jaffna Municipal Council in its original premises. The government is fervent in opening various offices and laying foundation stones for new buildings in an attempt to entice the voters of Jaffna peninsula, civil society circles in Jaffna observed.
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TID interrogates 700 civilians under ER

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 March 2010, 11:51 GMT]
About seven hundred civilians are being detained by the Terrorism Investigations Division (TID) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sri Lanka Police under the Emergency Regulations, Colombo media reported quoting TID sources. Most of the detainees were arrested during the last months of the war. The State of Emergency was extended by the dissolved parliament during the first week of this month.
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Sri lanka boycott draws Congressman's attention

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 March 2010, 04:26 GMT]
Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) from 12th Congressional district in New Jersey stopped at the Tamil protesters' "Boycott Sri Lanka" campaign rally in Princeton New Jersey Saturday, and inquired about the current situation of Tamil refugees in Sri Lanka, organizers of the protest campaign said. The Congressman also showed interest in educating himself on the details on Sri Lanka's garment industry and the extent of the presence of the big U.S. apparel manufacturers in Sri Lanka. Organizers of the Saturday's campaign, the US-based activist group, USTPAC, said the campaign-day was successful with protesters holding rallies in Boston (MA), Raleigh (NC), Baltimore (MD), New York, Atlanta and San Francisco (CA)..
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Prof. Boyle: PCIJ precedent brings GoSL's war-crimes within UN jurisdiction

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 March 2010, 20:58 GMT]
Quoting a landmark 1923 decision on rules governing international agreements by the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ), Professor Boyle, an expert in international law, referred to Colombo's claim that UN is infringing on the sovereignty of a member state, and said, "I am not going to spend a lot of time here refuting this erroneous and disingenuous interpretation of international law and the requirements of the United Nations Charter by the GoSL (Government of Sri Lanka) and its Foreign Minister. There is one definitive answer to their objection. Namely, the GoSL Army undoubtedly inflicted numerous violations of the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949 upon the Tamils in Vanni a year ago, and in particular but not limited to gross violations of Common Article 3 thereof, which constituted war crimes. Sri Lanka is a contracting party to the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949."
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Dengue deaths toll increases to 63

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 March 2010, 16:48 GMT]
The highest number of fourteen deaths due to dengue has been reported from Jaffna district, eleven from Colombo district and seven from Gampaha. The death toll has risen to sixty three in the island. There were twelve deaths in February and the rest in January but no death has been reported in the month of March till Friday, according to Epidemiology Unit sources of the Health Ministry
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Real war is just beginning, get involved: Brian Senewiratne

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 March 2010, 18:47 GMT]
“Despite my involvement over many years, I was taken aback by the result,” writes Brian Senewiratne on the overwhelming mandate for Tamil Eelam in the referenda of the diaspora in several countries. The time for federation has long since gone. Until the Tamil areas are separated from the control in Colombo there will be neither peace nor prosperity in the island. If there is a genuine referendum in the Tamil areas of the island the ‘yes’ vote might be 100 percent and Delhi will have to duck for cover if such a ballot is taken among the 70 million Tamils of Tamil Nadu, he writes. According to him this major crisis of global dimensions, the genesis of which lies in British colonialism, and the global fall-out in resolving it, demands global response. The real war, not in a military sense, is just beginning. Loss of hope has achieved nothing and the ray of hope is the Tamil youth, he says.
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9 injured in head-on collision on A9 road in Chaavakachcheari

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 March 2010, 18:22 GMT]
A vehicle from Colombo carrying passengers to Jaffna along A9 road and another vehicle on its way to Colombo from Jaffna met in a head-on collision, injuring nine persons in Chaavakachcheari , sources in Jaffna said. The injured persons are Tamils who were travelling to Jaffna to attend a funeral. They were first admitted to Chaavakachcheari government hospital and later transferred to Jaffna Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
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Sri Lanka’s partnership with UN liable to go sour – SL Foreign Minister

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 March 2010, 08:59 GMT]
Unless Sri Lanka’s unique context and rising public anger against the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s proposed move to appoint a Panel of Experts to advise him on accountability issues relating to Sri Lanka are taken into consideration, the move has the potential to dent or sour the excellent partnership Sri Lanka has been enjoying with the UN since Independence, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said, according to Foreign Ministry sources in Colombo.
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Cutting UN ties will earn Sri Lanka rogue status, says Prof. Boyle

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 March 2010, 00:28 GMT]
"If the Government of Sri Lanka ruptures relations with the United Nations, then it will turn itself into a pariah state along the lines of apartheid South Africa or the genocidal rump Yugoslavia, both of which the United Nations General Assembly suspended from participation in the activities of the United Nations for their criminal behavior. In fact and in law, the same principles should apply here.," said Professor Boyle, commenting on Colombo's recent warning that "ties with the United Nations (UN) is in danger of going sour if the present conflict with UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon over his move to appoint a panel on Sri Lanka is not resolved."
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“1978 Constitution places me above the Law” - Sri Lanka's President

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 March 2010, 11:15 GMT]
“Republic Constitution of 1978 brought by the then J. R. Jayawardene government places me above the Law. Accordingly judiciary cannot take action against me. The consititution empowers me to punish any soldier of the Sri Lanka Army who works against the country,” Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse said Tuesday while addressing an election rally in support of Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollogama held at Kotte, according media reports from Colombo.
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SL government begins to wipe out traces of Tigers in the North

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 March 2010, 10:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka government has begun clearing all Liberation Tigers landmarks in the North in an attempt to wipe out any trace of the Tigers, government sources told media in Colombo Thursday. Tourism Ministry Secretary George Michael confirmed that the government had begun clearing some LTTE landmarks in the north in line with the government’s policy to not highlight former LTTE landmarks for local or foreign tourists.
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