President blamed for assassinations by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 51 From June 11, 1990, when the second Eelam war flared up, Sri Lanka was turned into a killing field. Death and destruction became the order of the day. On the one side, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of… Read more »
Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 51
Commission fails to contact the LTTE by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 50 The question has been raised as to why the Presidential Commission charged with the inquiry into the assassination of Lieutenant-General Denzil Kobbekaduwa and nine others at Araly, Kayts, on August 8, 1992 failed to contact the Liberation… Read more »
Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 50
Death of a military hero by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 49 When President Ranatunge Premadasa formed his new government in September 1989, it was expected that either Lalith Athulathmudali or Gamini Dissanayake, one of the two United National Party (UNP) stalwarts, would be made the new Prime Minister. But,… Read more »
Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 49
No confidence in the president by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 48 The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), though they were isolated and hunted down in India, after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, they were the determining force of the political agenda in Sri Lanka. “As a consequence of… Read more »
Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 48
Gandhi’s murder: Widespread fallout by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 47 The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi reverberated beyond the national borders of India. Brutal deaths in the Nehru family were becoming all too regular. Sanjay Gandhi had died in a plane crash, Rajiv’s mother Indira Gandhi had been gunned down…. Read more »
Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 47
Questions over Gandhi’s killing by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 46 When Rajiv Gandhi was murdered on May 21, 1991, he was 46 years old. He was born on August 20, l944 and brought up in the Nehru Gandhi family of freedom fighters, great leaders and statesmen. Indira Gandhi, the… Read more »
ITJP: The Sri Lankan Navy
A Collective Blind Eye by International Truth and Justice Project, South Africa, October 20192019 http://www.itjpsl.com/reports/thenavy-a-collective-blind-eye ITJP_navy_reportfinal-2-SINGLES This report on the Sri Lankan Navy’s alleged involvement in torture and enforced disappearances compares documents from a decade-long police investigation inside Sri Lanka into the disappearance of 11 men in the Trincomalee naval base, with eyewitness testimony from survivors and… Read more »
ICG: After Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings
Reducing Risks of Future Violence The devastating ISIS-inspired attacks last Easter targeting Sri Lanka’s Christians have triggered a dangerous backlash against the country’s Muslims. Colombo urgently needs to correct the intelligence failures that led to the Easter attacks and curb discriminatory practices and policies that further harm innocent Muslim communities. What’s new? Easter Sunday’s bombings produced… Read more »
Presidential Election 2019
Its relevance and worthiness for Tamils By: Thambu Kanagasabai, LLM [Lond.] Former Lecturer in Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka The seventh Presidential election is due to be held on November 16, 2019. The presidential system was introduced by Late J. R. Jayawardena in 1978 with the passing of a new constitution. An executive style… Read more »
1983 Slaughter of Welikada Prisoners
Slaughter of Tamil Prisoners inside High Security Jail & Genocide of Tamils in July 1983 by Kumarathasan Rasingam – Secretary, Tamil Canadian Elders for Human Rights Org. Post independence Sri Lanka brought in several official dispositions that gave preference to the Sinhalese majority. The Sinhala Only Act introduced by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)… Read more »
Sri Lanka’s Implementation of UNHRC Res. 40/1
Sri Lanka’s Defiance & Delaying Tactics in Implementing UNHRC Resolution 40/1 by Kumarathasan Rasingam, Secretary, Tamil Canadian Elders for Human Rights Org. Tamils in Sri Lanka have undergone grave injustice: Pogroms, Torture, War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity, Forced Disappearances and Genocide. Tamil mothers in Sri Lanka fight daily to learn what happened to their missing… Read more »
ITJP: Terrorism Investigation Division – Sri Lankan Police
by International Truth & Justice Project, South Africa,September 18, 2019 ITJP_TID_report_final This is the first report to examine the extensive use of torture over the last decade by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) of the Sri Lankan police. It identifies 58 alleged torturers based on investigation and research, including those who bear command responsibility. The… Read more »
Follow-up on the visits of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
to Peru and Sri Lanka https://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/42/40/Add.1 Summary This document contains information supplied by Governments, authorities, civil society and other stakeholders, relating to the follow-up measures to the recommendations made by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, following its visits to Peru and Sri Lanka in 2015 (A/HRC/33/51/Add.3 and A/HRC/33/51/Add.2. II. Sri Lanka Follow-up… Read more »
UK Delivers Core Group Statement on Sri Lanka
UK’s International Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French outlined that the UK remains steadfast in its commitment to help Sri Lanka deliver peace, reconciliation and prosperity for all communities. Published 10 September 2019 From: UK Mission to the United Nations Geneva The Human Rights Council takes place in Geneva. This statement is on behalf of… Read more »
Sri Lankan Tamils are Disappointed
As the government gave hope and then failed to deliver: Jaffna MP Sumanthiran by Meera Srinivasan, ‘The Hindu,’ Chennai, September 4, 2019 In Sri Lanka’s presidential poll in 2015, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), representing Tamils of the north and east, led its constituency in a crucial protest vote against then President Mahinda Rajapaksa. As… Read more »
Sri Lanka’s Tamils Need Genocide Recognition
And Innovative Justice Mechanisms by Anji Manivannan, ‘Opinion Juris’ Emerging Voices, New York, August 15, 2019 [Anji Manivannan is the Legal Director at People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) and a Senior Programs Officer at the World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP).] Introduction May 18th marked the tenth anniversary of the end… Read more »
Identity Conflict in Sri Lanka
A Case of Tamil Tigers by Sehar Mushtaq, International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, August 2012 Abstract Identity has been basic source of resentment during various ethnic conflicts. Political and economic discrimination based on Identity is a key factor underlying these conflicts. Sri Lanka being religiously and ethnically heterogeneous country faced an identity conflict… Read more »
Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 46
Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 45 The political scene in India became murkier as the minority government of Prime Minister S Chandrasekhar developed serious misunderstandings with Rajiv Gandhi, the leader of the opposition, and the latter ultimately forced Chandrasekhar to announce the resignation of his four-month-old… Read more »
Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 45
War continues with brutality by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 44 On the one hand, an inhumane campaign of collective punishment on the Tamils was unleashed by the Government of President Ranasinghe Premadasa, while on the other hand a brutal and ruthless campaign was let loose by the Liberation Tigers… Read more »
Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 44
Eelam war – again by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 43 Subjected to continuous outbursts by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), such as, “This is the last chance we give you. If you fail, we are prepared to wage war”, Anton Balasingham warned the Sri Lankan Government of… Read more »