“We respectfully urge you and your colleagues to purposefully and dynamically engage with the government of Sri Lanka in advancing reconciliation and accountability and a return to peaceful stability.”
Posts Categorized: International
The New World
Now, though, we appear on the brink of yet another nation-state baby boom… If anything, they are linked by a single, undeniable fact: history chews up borders with the same purposeless determination that geology does…
Burma’s Suu Kyi Urges Minority Rights
“To become a truly democratic union with a spirit of the union, equal rights and mutual respect, I urge all members of parliament to discuss the enactment of the laws needed to protect equal rights of ethnicities,” she said, in support of a motion by a ruling party MP…
“The high poverty rates in ethnic states clearly indicate that development in ethnic regions is not satisfactory and ethnic conflicts in these regions have not ceased,” she said during her brief speech.
Rising Challenge
by Tamil Guardian editorial, September 21 2005 The major international players in Sri Lanka – the United States, European Union, Japan and Norway – this week issued a stark assessment of prospects for peace in the island. Describing the Norwegian peace process as facing its “most serious challenge” since the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) came into force in… Read more »
2005 World Summit Outcome
A large meeting of world leaders at the UN summit September 14-16 agreed on the following points, many of which are of interest to Sri Lankan Tamils, especially those on development, terrorism, peacebuilding, human rights and the responsiblity to protect populations from genocide and war crimes: 2005 World Summit Outcome fact sheet
U.S. on Front Lines and in Backwaters
by Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times, September 23, 2005 Rather, he writes, “these men saw their charge in terms of developing a cadre of Westernized officers and useful contacts in both the Christian and Muslim communities who could be influential even in the event that the state broke up…Colonel Wilhelm does everything from overseeing new… Read more »
TamilNation’s Commentary on Dhanapala’s Speech to SL Caucus
Briefing by Jayantha Dhanapala, Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating Peace Process & Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka, to the US Congressional Sri Lanka Caucus, 8 September 2005 “A Sri Lanka caucus was formed in the House of Representatives in 1998. The caucus seems to be a cheerleader for the Sri Lankan government,… Read more »
Dhanapala: Defending the Indefensible
by Ana Pararajasingham, September 20, 2005 Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala is no novice when it comes to diplomacy. But even he cannot defend the indefensible. Sent to Washington to defend the Sinhala regime’s appalling failure to implement the Cease-Fire, its abject indifference to the survivors of the tsunami in the Tamil Homeland and its blatant use… Read more »
Role of Tamil Diaspora Vital for Peace Process Says Dhanapala
by Ananther Boopathy, September 16, 2005 Ladies and Gentlemen, From being a Ceylon Tamil, I became a Sri Lankan Tamil, then a Tamil Paraiya for most Sinhalese, then a Tamil refugee inside the country, then a Tamil terrorist, then a Tamil refugee in at least three different countries from India to Europe to North America. All this… Read more »
Recognizing the Sri Lankan Peace Process?
The Role of the International Community The LTTE Peace Secretariat released the attached statement today concerning the state of the peace process: Recognizing the Sri Lankan Peace Process Note: The statement is in PDF format, and, therefore, requires Adobe Acrobat to be read. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, click on the following image to… Read more »
Speech by Australian MP After Visit to NE
MP for Strathfield (Sydney) Hon. Virginia Judge, who recently returned from a visit to NorthEastern Sri Lanka, gave a speech today about her visit in the New South Wales State Parliament: Speech by Australian MP Virginia Judge after visit to Sri Lanka Sept. 15 2005.. The Hon. Judge calls for “a genuine federal structure that… Read more »
Security Imbalance, Not Violence, Threatens Truce
by Jana Nayagam, Tamil Guardian, September 14, 2005 The actual risk to the ceasefire is not violence per se, but the continuing non-implementation of crucial aspects of the CeaseFire Agreement, resulting in declining benefits from it. Observers of Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict have watched the ongoing shadow war in the island’s east between the Liberation Tigers… Read more »
An Open Letter to Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala
Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala, Secretary General Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) Level 10, West Tower World Trade Centre Bank of Ceylon Mawatha Colombo 01, Sri Lanka Dear Dr. Dhanapala, Re: Your briefing on the Sri Lankan Peace process: the Role of the International Community I am writing this open letter in order to bring… Read more »
Violations of International Covenants by the Sri Lankan Government
by M. Nadarajan, September 13, 2005 Successive Sinhalese majority Sri Lankan Governments have ruled the country under Emergency Regulations for 39 of the over 57 years since independence. Of these, 29 years under Emergency have related to the ethnic problems with Tamils, according to the Tamil Center for Human Rights based in France with branches… Read more »
Forum on Upcoming New Zealand Elections
The Consortium of Tamil Associations in New Zealand (COTANZ) organised a political forum for the forthcoming New Zealand 2005 Election, which is going to be held on 17 September 2005. The name of the forum is: Election – 2005: Which Policy is for You ???. The main parties’ representatives were invited to present their party… Read more »
Terrorists and the National Guard
by Kopi Annan, September 6, 2005 In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, the world witnessed a complete breakdown of law and order in Louisiana that required the presence of the National Guard to safeguard property. The chaos is best described by Rossie Diamnno of The Toronto Star (September 2, 2005) as follows: “It is disgraceful that countless… Read more »
India May Pull Troops From Kashmir
After New Talks by Somini Sengupta, The New York Times, September 6, 2005 NEW DELHI, Sept. 5 – India will pull back troops from the disputed territory of Kashmir if militant infiltration and violence ends, the prime minister’s office announced Monday evening after a rare meeting with Kashmiri separatists. The meeting, between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh… Read more »
Is It Crisis Management or Conflict Resolution?
by Chandi Sinnathurai THE FIVE-DAY visit to Sri Lanka by the UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has caused many speculations. Is the intent of the UN to study the progress of the peace process genuine enough to win peace while bringing justice to the marginalised Tamils? Such fear is always palpable in the Sinhala mind-set…. Read more »
Sangam: US Must Stand by the Peace Process in Sri Lanka
Sangam Press Release The US must stand by the peace process in Sri Lanka On August 31, 2005 the Ilankai Tamil Sangam sent out a press release concerning the peace process in Sri Lanka and responding to a recent press release from the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington, DC. The press release can be read… Read more »
NESOHR: Sethusamedram Project
NESOHR on the Sethusamedram Project The University of Jaffna, the Green Movement Sri Lanka, the Tamil Economic Consulting House (TECH) and the Environment Foundation together organized a public discussion at the Library Auditorium in University of Jaffna on August 30th 2005 on the “Socio-economical and environmental impacts of the Sethu Samudhram Canal Project (SSCP).” NESOHR… Read more »