Yearly Archives: 2017

Adayaalam: Understanding ‘Dealing with the Past’ and ‘Transitional Justice’

by Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research, Jaffna, June 30, 2017 ACPR designed a short 10-page introductory booklet on ‘Dealing with the Past and Transitional Justice’ building off of ACPR’s previous ‘Introduction to Transitional Justice’ booklet. The booklet was commissioned by activists in the North-East working on running introduction to transitional justice workshops for grassroots communities…. Read more »

Sri Lanka’s Latest Counter-terrorism Proposals

Old wine in new bottles by Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace & Justice, London, Jul7 21, 2017 https://www.srilankacampaign.org/old-wine-new-bottles-sri-lankas-latest-counter-terrorism-proposals/ http://fhr.org.za/files/3914/9760/6825/FHR_ICLA_-_Review_of_the_PLFCTA_13_June_2017_FINAL.pdf Last Friday, the UN Special Rapporteur (SR) on Human Rights and Counter Terrorism, Ben Emmerson QC, issued a statement of findings upon the conclusion of his visit to Sri Lanka. You can read it in full here…. Read more »

One-eyed ex-Tiger Rebel Sees a Future through Social Work

  by ‘Daily Mirror,’ Colombo, August 9, 2017 Memories of the gruesome ethnic conflict would never fade away. While two ethnicities fought for their own freedom, there were those who viewed the conflict with much vengeance and some who supported it. But the stories of those who supported it are seldom heard of. This is… Read more »

Voluntary, Safe and Sustainable Return

Support Needed for Sri Lankan Refugees by Mayuran Jeevarathnina, ‘Groundviews,’ Colombo, August 9, 2017 Editor’s Note: A version of this speech was delivered by the author at the UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs, held from June 14-16 at the  International Conference Centre in Geneva  “O our motherland, bid us a farewell We buried our smiles in… Read more »

Sri Lanka’s War Widows Trafficked

as slaves to Gulf “People who have not gone through a conflict will not understand how difficult it is to take care of young children on your own. We suffered during the war and we are suffering now” – by Amantha Perera, Thomson Reuters Foundation, August 9, 2017 Tamil தமிழ்  JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, Aug 9 (Thomson… Read more »

Holding Sri Lanka to Account

A dream or a reality? By: Thambu Kanagasabai   LLM [Lond], Former Lecturer in Law University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s political and economic history from the day of independence in 1948 until 1956 was considered a role model for developing countries, even envied by the late Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kwan Yew.  Communal harmony… Read more »

TGTE: Remedial Justice for 1983 Massacre of Tamils

Would have averted 2009 Mullivaaikaal Genocide by Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, July 23, 2017 Today Tamils across the globe are remembering 34th anniversary of massacre of Tamils – Black July 83. COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, July 24, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ — During the final days of July 1983, Sinhala racism unleashed a pogrom towards the Tamils… Read more »

Rudrakumaran: Man with a Mission in Pursuit of Eelam

With Rudrakumaran at the helm there is hope and somehow there is no doubt he will do everything in his power to keep hope alive – and I know the Maveerar are smiling…because of him; they know the non-violent fight for Tamil Eelam is in good hands! by Usha Sriskandarajah, July 26, 2017 Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran’s… Read more »

Looking at Systemic Torture in Sri Lanka

by Taylor Dibbert, ‘The Diplomat,’ Tokyo, July 21, 2017 The Diplomat’s Taylor Dibbert speaks with Frances Harrison of the International Truth and Justice Project.   Frances Harrison is the program coordinator of the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) and author of a book on the final phase of the Sri Lankan civil war. She… Read more »

ITJP: Unstopped – 2016/17 Torture in Sri Lanka

by International Truth & Justice Project, South Africa, July 2017 Full report at http://www.itjpsl.com/assets/ITJP_unstopped_report_final.pdf or ITJP_unstopped_report_final The ITJP is administered by the Foundation for Human Rights in South Africa under the guidance of its director, transitional justice expert, Yasmin Sooka. The ITJP team includes former prosecutors and investigators from the Ad Hoc Tribunal for the… Read more »

US May Deny Resettlement of Hundreds of Tamils on Nauru

Manus amid anti-terror laws by James Bennett & Stephen Dziedzic, Australian Broadcasting Corp., July 19, 2017 Australia will need to find an alternative home for a large number of Tamil asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus expected to be denied entry to the United States under sweeping anti-terror laws. Key points: 9-11 anti-terror legislation, the… Read more »

Invoking Nuremberg in Colombo

The writer clearly has a distance to travel to understand what took place during & after the war in Sri Lanka.  Has she seen Channel 4’s ‘Killing Fields,’ read the OISL Report or the proceedings of the Peoples’ Tribunal on Sri Lanka, or talked to anyone who was in Mullavaikkal at the end of the… Read more »

SR Counter-Terrorism & Human Rights

Video of SR Emmerson’s media conference at end of his visit https://lk.one.un.org/news/full-statement-by-ben-emmerson-un-special-rapporteur-on-human-rights-and-counter-terrorism-at-the-conclusion-of-his-official-visit/ Human rights and counter-terrorism: UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism concludes visit to Sri Lanka Preliminary findings of the visit to Sri Lanka Colombo (14 July 2017) – The United Nations Special… Read more »

Sri Lanka’s Difficulty with Truth

Half a year later, the Sri Lankan Government has let this important initiative languish. Although officials travelling abroad boast about the consultation process and herald it as a signal of the Government’s determination to abide by the Human Rights Council resolution, it has completely ignored the report domestically. Foreign governments watching Sri Lanka’s progress on… Read more »

Navy Officer Arrested in Case of 11 Missing Youth

Note: The Government of Sri Lanka has acknowledged 65,000 missing.  See Reuters at https://www.yahoo.com/news/sri-lanka-admits-65-000-missing-war-insurrection-170723940.html and Hindustani Times at http://www.hindustantimes.com/world/sri-lanka-to-recognise-around-65-000-people-missing-since-civil-war-as-dead/story-z9fUgfnEEiT74RXUmisHwK.html.  Also see TCHR http://sangam.org/2007/11/Killed_1956_2007.php?uid=2619 — Editor by The Associated Press posted in ‘The New York Times’ Asia section July 12, 2017 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka police on Wednesday arrested a senior navy officer in connection with… Read more »

India, U.S. and Japan Begin War Games

and China Hears a Message By Hari Kumar & Ellen Barry, ‘The New York Times,’ July 10, 2017 NEW DELHI — The navies of India, Japan and the United States began a set of war games on Monday with a particular target: submarines capable of sliding unannounced into the deep waters of the Indian Ocean, silently taking positions… Read more »

Sri Lanka’s Current Political Impasse

Some additional thoughts by Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda, ‘Groundviews,’ Colombo, July 4, 2017 Editors note: Read in conjunction with Sri Lanka’s deepening political crisis: Not losing an opportunity to lose another opportunity by the same author. Sri Lanka has entered another phase of political crisis. It is a three-fold crisis. The first is at the level of the… Read more »

Ex-Diplomat Carne Ross: the Case for Anarchism

How a high-flying diplomat and Middle East adviser lost his faith in western democracy – but put his trust in people power by Andrew Anthony, ‘The Guardian,’ UK, July 9, 2017 If you were to play a game of word association with the term “anarchism” what would be the likely responses? Perhaps the anarchy sign,… Read more »