Posts Categorized: International

All Talk & No Action on Repealing the PTA

by Kumarathasan Rasingam, Secretary, Tamil Canadian Elders for Human Rights Org. June 23, 2022 [Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister GL Pieris told the UNHRC on June 13 that the PTA has been amended & there is a moratorium on arrests.1  There is no evidence of either action being taken. — Editor] The Prevention of Terrorism Act… Read more »

U.S. State Dept Letter Leaked by 2009 Hillary Clinton Emails re IMF

IMF Supported War Crimes and Genocide in Sri Lanka by Tamils for Biden, EINPresswire, June 9, 2022 The IMF and World Bank desired that the Tamils be “completely defeated,” regardless of “any collateral damage inflicted” by the Sri Lankan government. EINPresswire.com/ — The IMF and World Bank desired that the Tamils be “completely defeated,” regardless… Read more »

Sri Lanka is an Omen

To solve a global economic unwinding, the world must learn to focus on more than one crisis at a time. by Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Policy, Washington, DC,  May 25, 2022, 11:25 AM Many Western leaders are behaving as though there is one crisis in the world: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While some are waking up… Read more »

From ‘Donor Darling’ to Default

by Benjamin Parkin, Financial Times, London, May 26, 2022 The country has opened talks with the IMF over a $4bn bailout with observers waiting to see how China, one of the main creditors, will react It is 10am and the queue outside a petrol station in one suburb of Sri Lanka’s commercial capital Colombo is… Read more »

Peoples’ Tribunal on Sri Lanka – Session III

Berlin Session by Permanent People’s Tribunal, Berlin, May 20-22, 2022 Following the Sessions held in Dublin (14-16 January 2010) and Bremen (7-10 December 2013), the third Peoples’ Tribunal on Sri Lanka will take place under the aegis of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on 20-22 May 2022 in Berlin. As was the case with previous sessions, this third session was requested by… Read more »

13 Years Ago Today – A Massacre in Mullivaikkal

by Tamil Guardian, London, May 18, 2022 Photograph: A scene of devastation in Mullivaikkal pictured days after the Sri Lankan military had overrun the area. Marking 13 years since the Sri Lankan military onslaught that massacred tens of thousands of Tamils, we revisit the final days leading up to the 18th of May 2009 – a date remembered… Read more »

An Ignored Genocide

Of Tamils at Mullivaikkal in Sri Lanka by Thambu Kanagasabai  LLM London, Former Lecturer in Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 11, 2022 There cannot be any plausible reasons to deny the fact of a genocidal agenda initiated by the Sri Lankan Governments immediately after the independence in 1948 against the Tamils living in… Read more »

Tsunami Disaster in the Island of Sri Lanka

by Tamil Centre for Human Rights, Paris, date unknown, but probably 2005 (info in 2nd & 3rd tables are as of March 10, 2005) Tamil Centre for Human Rights – TCHR Centre Tamoul pour les Droits de l’Homme Email : tchrgs /A_T/ tchr /D_O_T/ net / tchrdip /A_T/ tchr /D_O_T/ net Website : www.tchr.net A… Read more »

TCHR: ‘Reaching Towards Justice: Reality Revealed’

by Tamil Centre for Human Rights, Paris, February 3, 2022 A book in English and in Tamil has been released by France-based human rights activist cum Freelance research analyst S. V. Kirupaharan – KIRUPA. The book’s title is Reaching towards justice: Reality revealed – a Socio-politico-historical perspective.   Due to the sudden rise of the Covid pandemic in Europe, the book launch supposed… Read more »

My Neighbor the Suspected War Criminal

by Reveal News podcast, California, April 23, 2022 This month, atrocities in Ukraine have triggered new allegations of war crimes. While people around the world call for accountability, we look into why those who are suspected of committing war crimes in the past often walk free. Reporter and host Ike Sriskandarajah spent the past six… Read more »

This is What Caused Sri Lanka’s Worst Economic Crisis

Madhura Rasaratnam writes: Policies driven by Sinhala Buddhist nationalism, which have been the bedrock of the Rajapaksas’ governance vision, are no longer financially or politically viable by Marisa Rasaratnam, Indian Express, April 17, 2022 Sri Lanka’s ruling Rajapaksa family is facing mounting public anger, calls for resignations and political defections amidst the island’s worst economic… Read more »

CSST: Interview with Dr. Nirmala Chandrahasan

We can only turn to India for help as it is the regional power by A. Jathindra, Centre for Strategic Studies, Trincomalee, March 5, 2022 Dr. Nirmala Chandrahasan is a distinguished academic and law professor, who has been involved in the constitutional process to resolve the national question for several years. She has specialised in… Read more »

Assoc. Thendral Written Statement re Genocidal Intent

by Association Thendral, France, February 7, 2022 Assoc Thendral written statement UNHRC Feb 2022 A/HRC/49/NGO/195 Genocidal Intent The intent of the Sri Lankan government to destroy, in whole or in part, the Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka, is clear from several categories of evidence: 1) Documentary evidence including court case documents; 2) Legal inference based… Read more »

Statement of India at UNHRC re Sri Lanka

by Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, March 4, 2022 Video Statement of India under Agenda Item 2: Interactive Dialogue on OHCHR’s written report on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka during the 49th Session of the Human Rights Council (28 February – 1 April 2022), delivered by Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, Permanent… Read more »

Statement by HCHR Michelle Bachelet

by Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, March 4, 2022 Video Update and Interactive dialogue on Sri Lanka  Statement by Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 49th session of the Human Rights Council 4 March 2022 Distinguished President, Excellencies, Council Members have received our written update on Sri Lanka (A/HRC/49/9). It… Read more »

UN Experts Call for Swift Suspension of Prevention of Terrorism Act

by Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, March 2, 2022 UN human rights experts* have called for an immediate moratorium on the use of Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and urged the Government to substantively review and revise the legislation to comply with international human rights law. “There is a… Read more »

Verité: Res. 30/1 Implementation Monitor

by Verité Research, Colombo, February 2021 Implementation Status UNHRC Res.30.1 Feb 2021 Verite This brief contains an updated analysis of progress since UNHRC’s Resolution 30/1 passed in September 2015.

UN High Commissioner for HR Report on Sri Lanka

by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, A/HRC/49/9, Geneva, February 25, 2022 20220225 UNHCHR Report on Sri Lanka Human Rights Council Forty-ninth session 28 February–1 April 2022 Agenda item 2 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Promoting reconciliation,… Read more »

What is India’s Response?

by Nillanthan Maha on his blog, Jaffna, February 19, 2022 [translated from the Tamil by Google Translate with some edits] Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly coming to Sri Lanka to attend the BIMSTEC conference** to be held in Colombo next month. To date, the Government of India has not officially confirmed. If Narendra… Read more »