Monthly Archives: August 2013

‘Uncivil War’

Passionate, committed, and deeply humane, these poems bear witness with unflinching honesty to the horrific violence of the Sri Lankan civil war. “Indran Amirthanayagam is above all the poet of the bloody Sri Lankan conflict and division. His work honours the sufferings of the living and the injustices dealt the dead, and for any reader,… Read more »

Compilation of Material on IPKF

“The Satanic Force” http://ebook.yarl.com/ on the Indian Peace-Keeping Force in Sri Lanka 1987-1990 Vol. 1, Part 1 http://ebook.yarl.com/index1.html   Vol. 1, Part 2 http://ebook.yarl.com/index2.html Vol. 1, Part 3 http://ebook.yarl.com/index3.html

Amnesty Media Advisory on Disappearances

Amnesty disappearances Aug 27 2013 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ADVISORY AI index: ASA 37/020/2013 27 August 2013 Sri Lanka: Navi Pillay’s visit and Day of the Disappeared Spokespeople and new case studies available On 30 August 2013, the world will mark the International Day of the Disappeared. In Sri Lanka, some 12,000 complaints of enforced disappearances… Read more »

Some Notes On Moors Religious Exlusivism

Dr.Imtiyaz Razak I would like to sketch some points about Moors to help readers to understand the trend. Note that I am neither hired by external forces, as some alledged, to criticize Moors nor do I hate my own community so I criticize it. As I pointed on my facebook wall “We need to be critical of… Read more »

Land Issues in Northern and Eastern Provinces

Mr. Deputy Speaker, my Adjournment Motion that I have proposed to move today deals with nine situations pertaining to land both in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces. Land issues are a matter of grave concern to the Tamil-speaking people, both the Tamil people and the Muslim people in the North and the East. We… Read more »

Business of (Tamil) Politics

“I got arrested 40 times during the ’60s, beaten, bloodied and unconscious, I’m not tired, I’m not weary. I’m not prepared to sit down and give up. I am ready to fight and continue to fight, and you must fight.”

“You cannot stand by. You cannot sit down. You have to stand up, speak up, speak out and get in the way. Make some noise. The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It’s the most powerful non-violent tool…”

Bloody Footprints on Sri Lanka

The bloody episode is cited as the latest example of violent repression that threatens to overshadow the Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Colombo in November.

Today Navi Pillay, the United Nations human rights commissioner, arrives in Sri Lanka, amid hopes she will address allegations that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime has intimidated its opponents in the four years since the showdown with Tamil rebels that ended the civil war.

Mullaitivu Falls to the Tamil Forces 210 Years Ago Today

At least as far as the records and anecdotal history go, there was no war of independence following Kaadu Rajah Vinnasythamby’s 1878 defeat anywhere in Vanni. According to the known history, Pariyari Velar was never captured alive but his son Kaadu Rajah Vinnayar was pardoned by the British authorities and he remained in obscurity following his defeat until his death. A century later his great-great-grandson took up arms and joined a liberation organisation which defeated the enemy and once again took over Mullaitivu in July 1996. The great-great-grandson of Kaadu Rajah was known by the nom de guerre ‘Major Curdles’ and was affectionately known as Kerdy to his fellow freedom fighters. The great martyr (Maveeran in Tamil) Mahalingam Thileepan, otherwise known as Major Curdles, is a cousin of the most illustrious freedom fighter Brigadier Theepan.

When Public Relations Meets Militarisation

The recent events in Weliweriya and Grandpass reveal more clearly than ever that what Sri Lanka needs is not more commissions, or even arrests. The country needs legal and institutional changes to the system of policing and justice designed to reverse the militarisation and concentration of power that has deepened so dangerously under the Rajapaksas.

Engaging in Militarization

Recent weeks have once again seen the Sri Lankan military enjoying cordial ties with several members of the international community, including states that have led the call for accountability and justice, as well as been at the forefront of criticising the present militarisation that pervades the North-East and the island as a whole. The US… Read more »

Demographic Change in the Tamil Homeland

Sources for the situation, now and in the past — 1.) TamilNet Almost daily reports on enroachment, such as “Border Division of Mannar Sinhalicized” at http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=36552 and “Amparai GA, DS Officials Step Up Sinhalicization of Batticalow” at http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=36567 2.) International Crisis Group “Sri Lanka’ North II: Rebuilding Under the Military,” 16 March, 2012 at http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka/220-sri-lankas-north-ii-rebuilding-under-the-military.pdf 3.) TNA MP R…. Read more »

The True Face of Sri Lanka’s War

Tamil asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat are in many cases the lucky ones – many who suffer cannot leave, as these photographs from Shelley Morris show. Warning: graphic images Despite the armed conflict finishing in 2009, the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka remains grim, and human rights abuses continue. The government of… Read more »

No Starting Point to Resolution

It is a wholly nonsensical debate: those who want to repeal the 13th amendment argue, quite misleadingly, that it significantly devolves land and police powers to the provinces. They also call for Parliament to be stripped of its powers to enable a merger of the North and Eastern provinces — when even the main opposition party (the United National Party) is against such a move. Just as misleading are attempts by those campaigning for the 13th amendment, including India and the TNA, to convey to the Tamil people that it is a good starting point to a political solution.

Police Powers and Land Under 13 A

Executive power lies with the President and his servants – and to the extent that a Chief Minister is not a servant of the President, the Constitution does not, and indeed cannot, vest executive power in the Chief Minister.

“They Killed My Son”

[The question not asked or answered here is, “WHY did they kill Dr. Manoharan’s son?” and “WHY has the cover-up been so thorough?” — Ed/]

Locked Away: Sri Lanka’s Security Detainees

Amnesty – ‘Locked Away Sri Lanka’s Security Detainees’ 2012 [This report continues the practice of ignoring the ethnic aspects of the situation in Sri Lanka by NEVER mentioning the words ‘Tamil,’ ‘Sinhalese,’ or ‘Muslim.’  This practice seems to be weakening a bit with the attacks on Muslims. — Ed/] SUMMARY The Sri Lankan government won… Read more »

Sencholai Massacre – 7 Years On

by ‘Tamil Guardian,’ London, August 13, 2013 On 14th August 2006, four Sri Lankan Air Force jets flew over the Vanni, dropping sixteen bombs over the Sencholai children’s home in Vallipunam for orphaned girls. Fifty-three Tamil school girls and 3 staff members were killed, and over 150 injured. In a macabre warning of the attacks… Read more »

MGR Remembered – Part 10

by Sachi Sri Kantha, August 11, 2013 Part 9 Last few months had seen the deaths of quite a few Tamil movie personalities who were involved with MGR during his film career. The obituary list includes actoresses Rajasulochana and Manjula, playback singer T.M. Soundararajan, lyricist Vaali, and music director T.K. Ramamoorthy of the Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy duo…. Read more »