Posts Categorized: Diaspora

OMP – Upholding or Denying Justice?

by Thambu Kanagasabai, LLM [Lond.], FCII, September 25, 2016 Sri Lanka ranks second in the list of countries after Iraq to record the largest number of disappearances with unofficial estimated numbers of about 90,000 since the 1980s. Out of these disappearances, enforced or involuntary disappearances are reported to be around 65,000. Enforced Disappearances always involve state… Read more »

USTPAC Deeply Disturbed by Sri Lankan Justice Minister’s Statement

USTPAC Press Statement_Justice Minister War Crimes_160923 WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In an interview with BBC Sandeshaya, Sri Lankan Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe categorically rejected all allegations of war crimes committed by Sri Lanka’s armed forces and stated the government would take legal action against anyone who alleges the armed forces committed war crimes.  Furthermore, he said that anyone who… Read more »

Impunity Reigns In Sri Lanka’s August 14, 2006 Bombing Of Schoolgirls

by Anjali Manivannan, ‘Forbes,’ New York,  August 14, 2016 Anjali Manivannan is Legal Researcher and Advocacy Coordinator for People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL). On August 14, 2006, the Sri Lanka Air Force bombed the Senchcholai Girls Orphanage, killing 61 Tamil children and three instructors and injuring more than 60–150 others. Ten years after… Read more »

The Never-Dying Political Ills of Sri Lanka

By: Thambu Kanagasabai, LLM [London], Former Lecturer in Law, August 8, 2016 [ 1 ] COMMUNALISM AND MAJORITY HEGEMONY One can hardly deny the fact of various political ills plaguing and denting Sri Lanka’s image since 1956. A nation labelled as peaceful and prosperous until 1956 shed this image from then on to become as a… Read more »

GTF Welcomes the Passing of the Office of Missing Persons Bill

by Global Tamil Forum, August 13, 2016 The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) welcomes the passing of the Office of the Missing Persons Bill (OMP) in the Parliament on August 11 as this is an important first step towards achieving accountability, justice and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. We commend the leadership shown by the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government… Read more »

Sri Lankan Court Fails to Deliver Justice to the Tamils

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Six former Sri Lankan army corporals accused of murder and rape in the massacre of 24 Tamils including 13 children in 1996 in the town of Kumarapuram near Trincomalee were all acquitted on every charge on July 27 at a court in Anuradhapura.  The ethnic Tamils were targeted for murder and mayhem by the all… Read more »

Ample Space for Sri Lanka Testing its Commitments & Credibilities

By  Thambu Kanagasabai  LLM [Lond.], FCII, July 13, 2016 In the much expected 32nd session of Human Rights Council, the UN Human Rights High Commissioner delivered his oral statement evaluating the progress made by Sri Lanka regarding the implementation of various matters outlined in the Sri Lanka-US sponsored resolution passed on October 01, 2015. Nine… Read more »

USTPAC Welcomes High Commissioner Zeid’s Call for Sustained International Engagement on Sri Lanka

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) member states responded yesterday in Geneva to High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein’s midterm report on the government of Sri Lanka’s implementation of Resolution 30/1. USTPAC welcomes High Commissioner Zeid’s report and statements from member states and other countries for more… Read more »

Oral Statements at UNHRC

Monday, June 13, 2016 – Oral Statement by Pasumai Thaayagam UN Web TV link: http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/human-rights-council/watch/item2-general-debate-contd-4th-meeting-32nd-regular-session-of-human-rights-council/4940474281001 No. 58, Time: 2:06:00 ———– —————– ————– Tuesday, June 21, 2016 – Oral statement by Pasumai Thayagam UN Web TV link: http://webtv.un.org/watch/item3-general-debate-cont-20th-meeting-32nd-regular-session-of-human-rights-council/4962898189001 No. 48, Time: 06:30 ———– —————– ————– Thursday, June 23, 2016 – Oral statement by Pasumai Thayagam UN Web TV link: http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/watch/item4-general-debate-contd-27th-meeting-32nd-regular-session-of-human-rights-council/4973022505001… Read more »

GTF: International Community Must Continue to Exert Pressure on Sri Lanka

International Community must continue to exert pressure on Sri Lanka to facilitate faithful implementation of all aspects of the UNHRC resolution – Global Tamil Forum Wednesday, June 22, 2016 As the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meets in Geneva this month and the High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein prepares his… Read more »

Studying Sinhala by Tamils

by Eelaventhan Manickavasakar, June 12, 2016 Northern Provincial Chief Minister Justice C. V. Wigneswaran in a recent speech has exhorted the Tamil students to study Sinhalese.  The reasons he mentioned were Lack of knowledge in Sinhalese is the root cause of misunderstanding, suspicion, mistrust and lack of confidence. If you know Sinhalese, you can effectively reply… Read more »

Sangam Kalai Vila

  Ilankai Tamil Sangam (ITS), USA successfully hosted its bi-annual cultural show “Kalai Vila” on Sunday June 5th in West Windsor New Jersey.  This year the Kalai Vila 2016 was combined with a super singer show.   Over 100 students from different parts of New Jersey show cased their talent in Tamil language, music and arts… Read more »

ITJP-SL: Forgotten

by International Truth & Justice Project: Sri Lanka, South Africa, June 10, 2016 Exiled Tamil victims of war crimes and torture say they would testify by video to a special court in Sri Lanka only if international judges were involved and their identities protected, says a new study. ITJP Forgotten press release ITJP Forgotten report… Read more »

Diaspora Participation in the Transitional Justice Process

by Public Interest Advocacy Centre, ‘Groundviews.org,’ Colombo, May 17, 2016 ‘I gave my statement not only for what I hoped to achieve, but on behalf of the hundreds of people at home who could not raise these issues … I wanted the truth to be known to the UN and the powerful international community so… Read more »

2nd Tamil Studies Symposium May 6-7

Full program http://ycar.apps01.yorku.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Tamil-Studies-Symposium-Program.pdf The 2nd Tamil Studies Symposium Bearing Witness: Unspeakable Crimes, Invisible Atrocities 6-7 May 2016 at York University The most challenging paradox of the 21st Century may well be the saturation of our media with news of atrocities, even as many conflicts around the world are described as ‘wars without witnesses’. While news reports… Read more »

Conference: The Politics of Life & Death

at Columbia University, New York, Center for Palestine Studies, April 21, 2016 ABSTRACT by Rudhramoorthy Cheran, University of Windsor; Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology Title: No Closure for Tamils: Bearing Witness and Writing Apocalypse Abstract: In his work, “I was not there”, Raul Hilberg (1988), writes about the dilemma facing… Read more »

New Report Raises Concern Sri Lanka’s Window for Reconciliation is Closing

(Washington, DC; April 20, 2016) A new report by People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) provides details of ongoing militarization and harassment amongst the Tamil population of the North-East of Sri Lanka, over one year after the change in presidency and seven months after the election of the United National Party-led national government…. Read more »