Monthly Archives: February 2014

HRW: UN Rights Chief Backs International Inquiry

by Human Rights Watch, February 26, 2014 (New York) – The United Nations Human Rights Council should adopt the recommendation of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to create an independent international inquiry into war crimes and other serious abuses committed during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. The Human Rights Council will discuss the report during… Read more »

MGR Remembered – Part 15

by Sachi Sri Kantha, February 24, 2014 Part 14 Then, as of now, carping cinema critics have had a couple of serious problems. Their tone of criticism was nothing but crass elitism, and on top of that they were also ignorant about the logistics and economics of movie making. To counter such criticism, I offer… Read more »

TNA Welcomes Pillay’s report

TNA welcomes Pillay’s report The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has welcomed the Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka to the 25th session of the Human Rights Council. The High Commissioner’s report contains a comprehensive and accurate depiction of the serious human rights issues… Read more »

Amnesty: Suppressing Calls for Justice

Amnesty Suppressing Calls for Justice Feb 2014 asa370032014en Index Number: ASA 37/003/2014 Date Published: 26 February Sri Lanka’s armed conflict has been over for nearly five years and yet healing and justice are still remote goals. To break the cycle of impunity Amnesty International is calling as a priority for an independent international investigation into crimes under… Read more »

Sri Lanka Denounces Push to Open War Inquiry

NEW DELHI — Sri Lanka’s government on Tuesday forcefully rejected a call for an international war crimes investigation into the country’s bloody civil war, adding to tensions with the United Nations’ human rights body. In its official response to a highly critical report released on Monday by the United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, the government… Read more »

Thamils Should Not Lose Heart, But Fight Back Peacefully

Independence for the Thamils have meant slow liquidation of their identity as a Nation that lived in well defined territory with their own language, arts, culture, customs and heritage. They have been living in the Northeast historically for several centuries…

In 1946 the Thamils (both Ceylon and Thamils of Indian origin) constituted 22.75 (1,514,300) and Sinhalese 69.41 (4,620,500), but in 2011 the Thamil population declined to 15.37 (3,113,247) while the Sinhalese population rose to 74.88 (15,173,820). This decline is reflected in the dilution of their parliamentary representation

Legend of Ponnivala

PRESS RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE “Legend of Ponnivala” airing in India on Thanthi TV – Animated epic series premiered February 15 – GORE’S LANDING, ON (February, 2014) – India’s Thanthi TV has released the launch dates for the long-awaited animated series “The Legend of Ponnivala.” The original 26-episode series premiered in Tamil on Thanthi at 5:30 p.m…. Read more »

Land and Development in the North-East

This week, Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister Wigneswaranlamented the lack of economic development in the North, berating the Sri Lankan state for its “conqueror” mindset and festering militarisation that has come to engulf the Tamil North-East. In particular Wigneswaran highlighted the forcible acquisition of land by the government, a pertinent issue that has gained international attention,… Read more »

Tamil Nadu Government Decides to Release 7 in Rajiv Assassination Case

The Tamil Nadu Government, in a suo motu statement to the State Assembly on Wednesday said it has decided to release the 7 prisoners, now imprisoned to lifetime in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The decision comes as the Indian Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to commute the death sentence on Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan to… Read more »

CTC in Successful Defamation Lawsuit Against Rohan Gunaratna

Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) Awarded $53,000 in Successful Defamation Lawsuit Against Rohan Gunaratna Prior to the final military onslaught of May 2009 in Northern Sri Lanka which resulted, according to UN estimates, in the massacre of 40,000 to 70,000 Tamils, the Government of Sri Lanka set out to brand all Tamils and Tamil diaspora groups,… Read more »

TAG: Sri Lanka’s ‘Rehabilitation’ of LTTE

TAG Rehabilitation Report January 2014 Figures’ vary,’ but’ approximately’ 12,000′ former’ Liberation’ Tigers’ of’ Tamil’ Eelam’ (LTTE)’ members’have’been’‘rehabilitated’’since’the’end’of’the’war’and’‘reintegrated’’back’into’society.1… Having’ focussed’on’ the’details’of’ the’programme,’on’what’ the’GoSL’claims’it’ to’be,’and’what’ TAG’s’sources’report’of’it,’we’look’beyond’the’programme’itself,’to’wider’government’policies,’ to’historical’events’including’the’conduct’of’the’war’and’to’consideration’of’the’nature’of’the’Sri’ Lankan’state.’In’light’of’this’we’contend’that’rehabilitation’is’one’aspect’of’a’coordinated’plan’of’ different’actions’aimed’at’the’destruction’of’essential’foundations’of’the’life’of’the’Tamil’people’ of’Sri’Lanka. 2” also at

Tamil Lawyers Forum Statement

Yet another Presidential Commission was appointed in August 2013 to look into the allegations of disappearances in Sri Lanka due to the incessant demands of the families of the disappeared and the international community.  The Commission began its sittings in January this year starting with public sittings in Killinochchi. The Commission is mandated to look into… Read more »

Amnesty: UNHRC Must Help Victims

The Human Rights Council must help Sri Lankan victims of human rights violations; the Government is protecting the perpetrators: Amnesty International’s written statement to the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council (3 – 28 March 2014) Amnesty UNHRC asa370022014en …The Government of Sri Lanka has not initiated a credible investigative process and has not made demonstrable… Read more »

Mannar Mass Grave Number Rises to 61

The number of skeletons found in a mass grave in Mannar has risen to 61, with two more found on Wednesday. More excavations are due to be held on Thursday, reported the Uthayan. The mass grave was first discovered when construction workers found two human skeletons on December 20thwhen digging in Thirukketheeswaram.  The following week, a further four skulls… Read more »

USTPAC – International Probe a Must in Sri Lanka

by US Tamil Political Action Council, PR Newswire, February 11, 2014 WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2014 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) welcomes recent high level visits to Sri Lanka by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Biswal and Ambassador-At-Large for Global Criminal Justice, Stephen Rapp, and their steadfast… Read more »

Briefing by UNSG Spokesman

Noon Briefing Acting Deputy Spokesperson:  We’ve made it clear that there needs to be more done to get at the heart of what happened in Sri Lanka.  You’ve seen what the Secretary-General’s reports on the situation have said and it’s clear that there continues to be a need for all the facts to be learned… Read more »

Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah (1929 – 2014)

“In 1958, while I was leading a research team composed of university undergraduates, all of whom were Sinhalese, that were engaged in a sociological study of peasant colonization in Gal Oya, ethnic riots unexpectedly broke out in our midst, and at Amparai, Sinhalese public workers went on the rampage in hijacked trucks, attacking Tamil shopkeepers and Tamil peasant colonists. My students, very solicitous for my safety, insisted that I stay behind closed doors while they stood guard. And I was later hidden in a truck, and spirited out of the valley to Batticaloa, a safe Tamil area. That experience was traumatic: it was the first time the ethnic divide was so forcibly thrust into my existence. And intuitively reading the signs, I wished to get away from the island, for I experienced a mounting alienation and a sense of being homeless in one’s own home.”