originally published December 10, 2003 IRC Brown Bag: How can we educate others about refugees? Tuesday, December 16th “A refugee? Someone who lives in a slum, maybe?” -Answer given by an American to the question “What is a refugee?” in Will They Ever Go Back?, an IRC-sponsored documentary How can we educate others about refugees?… Read more »
Posts Categorized: International
The Commonwealth Secretariat – On Thin Ice
by Neville Chinivasagam; published December 9, 2003 Today the Commonwealth Secretariat’s historic and glorious prestige has been put on thin ice by Sri Lanka. Hopefully it will quickly melt with British acumen and foresight. The embarrassment facing the people of the Commonwealth is Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar’s application, sponsored by Ms. Kumaratunge President of Sri Lanka, for… Read more »
Worldwide Comments on the ISGA
by M. Nadarajan; originally published December 8, 2003 Worldwide Comments on the ISGA of the LTTEComments have been made from around the world on the proposals for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) submitted by the LTTE. Only a few have been written dispassionately without taking sides. Most have been written either with pre-conceived ideas, or… Read more »
Reaction to Kataragama’s Commonwealth Bid
by Raveen Satkurunathan; published December 7, 2003 Reactions to Luxman Kataragama’s last minute nomination Regarding the last minute nomination of Luxman to the post of Commonwealth Secretary General (SG) has created different emotions amongst many. Primarily amongst the leaders of the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia it has created a sense of outrage that the… Read more »
Buddhism and Violence
by Bernard Faure, Professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University; An International Review of Culture & Society, Issue No. 9, Spring 2002 Is Buddhism pacifist? One would think so, to hear the Declarations of the Dalai Lama and those who claim there has never been “Buddhist war.” So has Zen Buddhism’s “drift” to militarism been only… Read more »
USIP Classroom Simulation re Sri Lanka
published December 6, 2003 Note especially the links at bottom of page! *********************************************************************** US Institute of Peace Sri Lanka: Setting the Agenda for Peace See these simple teacher tips on running a simulation in your classroom. Scenario The setting for this simulation is a September 2001 meeting in Geneva at which the Government of Sri… Read more »
Does the ISGA Violate the Oslo Agreement?
by Wakeley Paul, Esq.; published December 5, 2003 DO THE LTTE PROPOSALS VIOLATE THE OSLO ACCORDS?OR ARE THEY IN PERFECT CONFORMITY WITH ITS TERMS? According to Dayan Jayatilleka, “Richard Armitage and Chris Patten have both gone on record noting critically that the ISGA far exceeds the Oslo Accords and does not resemble any kind of Federalism”… Read more »
Center for Consititutional Rights Press Release
published December 4, 2003 . CONTACT: David Lerner, Riptide Communications at (212) 260-5000; David Cole 202-362-6473 or 202-365-6779; Nancy Chang (212) 614-6420 NINTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS HOLDS CENTRAL PROVISIONS OF ANTI-TERRORISM STATUTE UNCONSTITUTIONAL Wed, Dec. 3, 2003: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today declared unconstitutional significant parts of a criminal… Read more »
Part of 1996 Anti-Terror Law Overturned
By The Associated Press, December 4, 2003 Filed at 8:26 a.m. ET SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a potential blow to the Bush administration’s legal strategy in the war on terror, a federal appeals court overturned part of a sweeping law the government has increasingly used to arrest or prosecute suspected terrorists. The decision Wednesday… Read more »
To all Commonwealth Heads of State
by Suresh Rajasingham; published December 4, 2003 To all Commonwealth heads of state, There is lots of talk and news attention being paid to Mr. Kadirgamar’s challenge to Mr. Don McKinnon’s post of the Commonwealth secretary general. This is mostly due to Mr. McKinnon’s and the so-called white countries’ opposition to human rights abuses by… Read more »
Appeal to Commonwealth Governments
by Dr. Victor Rajakulendran; originally published December 1, 2003 An open appeal to the Heads of Governments of the Commonwealth member nations Honourable Presidents and Prime Ministers: Re: The candidacy of Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar of Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth top post I am writing this appeal when most of you are preparing to travel to… Read more »
Non-violent Peace Force in Sri Lanka
originally published November 29, 2003 http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/english/srilanka/slpoutcome.asp In December 2002, 130 delegates from 47 nations chose Sri Lanka as the site of the first Nonviolent Peaceforce pilot project. The Nonviolent Peaceforce is recruiting, training, and sending 50 international civilians to help establish a foundation for sustainable peace in Sri Lanka between 2003 and 2005 The first… Read more »
For Family That Fled War
by Kari Haskell, The New York Times, November 29, 2003 THE NEEDIEST CASES For Family That Fled War, Safety, and Some Help, Too Zeenathul and Mohamed Zawril, back row, with their son, Ifraz, and daughters, Sahla, left, front row, and Sara. Mr. Zawril feared for the safety of his family because of war in their… Read more »
The Three-State Solution
by Leslie H. Gelb, The New York Times, November 25, 2003 President Bush’s new strategy of transferring power quickly to Iraqis, and his critics’ alternatives, share a fundamental flaw: all commit the United States to a unified Iraq, artificially and fatefully made whole from three distinct ethnic and sectarian communities. That has been possible in the past only… Read more »
Observations of the UN HRC re Sri Lanka
originally published November 17, 2003 This report comes to us thanks to the Tamil Centre for Human Rights http://www.tchr.net. Note in particular reference to impunity, disappearances, torture, and the PTA. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE(CPR/CO/79/LKA/Future) 79th session CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT Concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee SRI… Read more »
A Nudge for Sri Lanka Peace
by Boston Globe editorial, November 6, 2003; originally published November 6, 2003 JUST WHEN it appeared there was a chance to resolve the conflict between minority Tamils and majority Sinhalese on the island nation of Sri Lanka, President Chandrika Kumaratunga seized the occasion of a visit to the White House this week by her political rival,… Read more »
Cracks in a Strategic Jewel
by Christian Science Monitor editorial, November 6, 2003 Some conflicts in far-off lands such as Sri Lanka can’t be ignored when the country contains a strategic jewel for nations like the United States with globe-girdling navies in search of safe ports of call. Sri Lanka’s prized jewels are, first, its location in the middle of the… Read more »
Lessons from the Sudanese Experience
by Victor Rajakulendran; originally published October 29, 2003 The Sudanese Experience: A Lesson for Sri Lankan Peacemakers “We hail the response of the people’s movement (SPLM) and its leader John Garang, who was responsible for the success of the last round of talks,” President of Sudan, Hon. Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir in parliament “We have come, as… Read more »
Sudan’s Peace Talks
by Editor; originally published October 22, 2003 Of primary interest to Tamils in the Sudanese peace talks are 1.) the agreement for an internationally supervised referendum in the rebellious southern areas on ‘unity or separation’ in 6 years and 2.) an agreement on security issues that calls for the withdrawal of the majority of government forces… Read more »
What Future the UN?
originally published October 15, 2003 Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, New Jersey November 14, 2003 Location: Seton Hall University School of Law, one block from Penn Station Newark at McCarter H’way and Raymond Blvd, 15 minute train from NYC Seating can be assured only to those who register in advance. Information: hotels, transportation,… Read more »