Accountability

Sri Lanka maintains that no civilians were killed by troops during the war Continue reading the main story Sri Lanka After WarSri Lanka report: Main allegations The British TV station Channel 4 has strongly rejected claims by Sri Lanka’s government that footage broadcast in a recent documentary is false.The film in question appears to show […]

A group of exiled journalists from Sri Lanka have dismissed the “new executions video clip” with Tamil speech aired in a pro government television channel as “fake” and one that emerged two years ago.Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) say that the “newly emerged” video was first published in a pro government website on […]

If the videos in Killing Fields have indeed been doctored, the truth must come out. However, the government of Sri Lanka’s previous behaviour in keeping stories of the war quiet affects its credibility in relation to these allegations. Sri Lankan situation: the truth must come outby Sunili GovinnageTonight, ABC’s Four Corners will show Killing Fields, […]

Jayalalithaa, who had a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, last month handed over to the latter a 24-page memorandum. It begins with references to Sri Lanka. She is seeking the return of Kachchativu, an island in the Palk Straits, the seas that divide India and Sri Lanka. Here are the relevant highlights: Memorandum […]

01 July 2011 “The Darusman Report though intended only to be an advisory report to the Secretary General of the UN, is improper,” said Senior Adviser on Foreign Policy in Japan Yasushi Akashi when he addressed the 16th Joint Committee of the Sri Lanka Business Co-operation Meeting held in Tokyo last week.Akashi was speaking on […]

UN rights chief warns of action in absence of Sri Lanka Lanka probe 30 June 2011, Amsterdam based news portal expatica.com has reported the following remarks by Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, quoting AFP on Jun 29.The UN’s human rights chief Thursday warned Sri Lanka not to take too long in probing […]

“The comments of soldiers as they piled bodies of naked LTTE cadres onto trucks is yet another indication of disregard for the laws of war which clearly stipulates the treatment of both civilians and combatants. Speaking in Sinhala, the language of the Sinhalese, soldiers make lurid comments about the shape of the female bodies and […]

The United States on Tuesday hardened its stand against Sri Lanka government cautioning it to take necessary steps to book the perpetrators of alleged war-crimes in the country and to bring together the war-torn north and east with the rest of the country after 26 years of war.The United States on Tuesday hardened its stand […]

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute says it is disappointed by the recent resolution of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka condemning both the appointment of the UN expert panel and its subsequent report. IBA-HRI says in a statement the panel was appointed to advise the UN secretary-general on issues of accountability with regard […]

28 June 2011/by Preeta SamarasanAmong some of my oldest relatives, there’s a custom of recording weddings gifts given and received in order to ensure that no family is left feeling cheated.So, for example, if Jupiter Uncle gave Volkswagen Uncle’s daughter one thousand and one ringgit* on the occasion of her marriage, then when Jupiter Uncle’s […]

A center-right bloc of Conservative parliamentarians in the European Parliament Tuesday expressed support for “a just and peaceful solution for the Tamil community of Sri Lanka” and for “a negotiated political solution which can achieve maximum autonomy and regional devolution to Tamil majority areas within a single Sri Lankan state”, as well as “justice for […]

WASHINGTON – THE United States on Tuesday urged Sri Lanka to move quickly to address allegations of war crimes, warning of rising pressure for international action if it does not. The State Department stopped short of endorsing calls for an international investigation into the bloody finale of the island’s civil war in 2009, saying that […]

witness our suffering 27 Jun, 2011 by Anamika Channel 4’s Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields is anything but understated. It is designed to shock, even if you are the most hardened of viewers. Images of blood-soaked bodies assail you from every angle. As a cellphone camera jerks around, you see the bulging eyes of a man-turned-killing […]

by Irfan Husain ONE of the most disturbing TV documentaries I have seen recently was Channel 4’s Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields when it was aired in the UK a fortnight ago. Chronicling the last few days of the murderous civil war against the Tamil Tigers that ended in triumph for government forces two years ago, […]

The Commonwealth has long supported the peaceful resolution of the civil war in Sri Lanka, and recognises that genuine and sustainable reconciliation must include investigation of alleged war crimes and accountability of those responsible, and the promotion of justice. 26 June 2011, The Commonwealth has called on Sri lanka to conduct “a full, credible, and […]

 But, Rajapaksa can possibly breathe easy. With Jintao and Medvedev ready to bail out Sri Lanka against any resolution in the UN Security Council – and India ready with its silent support in international forum – it’s unlikely that the deaths of the unknown number of persons in the last months of the war will […]

However, I had some frank and I thought constructive meetings with government representatives in Geneva, including the attorney general, who briefed me on legal developments in Sri Lanka and explained to me the agony caused by the allegations that are being made. I told him that if we can be of any assistance with the […]

A documentary collates the horrors from the final war against the LTTEBY SATARUPA BHATTACHARJYA “Are you still afraid to kill a terrorist?” asks a man, most likely a soldier, in Sinhala to the one standing next to him, with his gun pointed at three blindfolded people, their hands bound, naked and kneeling on the ground. […]

Paul Murphy “Tamil diaspora activists are very capable and able to put pressure on governments around the world. But, alongside this work, I would really like to encourage the Tamil diaspora to focus on the ‘other’ international community – which isn’t represented by these governments or institutions,” said Socialist Party and United Left Alliance MEP […]

Nadira GUNATILLEKEThe fabricated Channel 4 video will harm the peace and unity of Sri Lanka and the region. This is a regional issue, said External Affairs Deputy Minister Neomal Perera during an interview with the Daily News.He pointed out that relations of Tamils who came from India to work in estates still live in India. […]

Tamil refugees Publish Post John ZubrzyckiALL insurgencies end in negotiations, argue those in favour of talking with the Taliban to end the conflict in Afghanistan. After a decade of war and no sign of a military solution, only a political settlement with moderate Taliban can achieve long-sought stability and pave the way for a withdrawal […]

“In conclusion, however, there’s one point worth mentioning. If even amidst constant reiteration politicians are unable to see the dangers which are staring at them, and if in the face of such danger their only response is absolute denial, it would be beneficial for some to be simply vigilant, ever mindful, and observe the madness […]

Asia Report N°206 23 Jun 2011/EXECUTIVE SUMMARY India has long been the country with the greatest influence over Sri Lanka but its policies to encourage the government there towards a sustainable peace are not working. Despite India’s active engagement and unprecedented financial assistance, the Sri Lankan government has failed to make progress on pressing post-war […]

If what Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields shows doesn’t constitute crimes against humanity, nothing doesHere, There, Everywhere  -THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Salil Tripathi In 2009, the Sri Lankan army decided to move forward relentlessly to annihilate the Tamil Tigers. The government had tacit Western support and access to weapons from China, and India was not about […]

The United Nations yesterday said that UN Chief Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Sri Lanka’s northern part during the last stage of the War was not correctly portrayed in the ‘Sri Lanka’s killing filed’ film, that was produced and aired by British Channel 4 news service.“…the Secretary-General did much more than a whistle-stop tour to one […]

Sri Lanka’s civil war killed up to 100,000 people and displaced thousands By José Luis Díaz, Head of Amnesty International’s United Nations OfficeAs we prepared for the screening today of the Channel 4 film, “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” at Amnesty International’s United Nations office in New York, our main worry was the size of the […]

UN leaves war z one Chamikara WeerasingheThe Sri Lanka Army yesterday said the video of alleged extra judicial killings telecast by Channel 4 on British television is doctored and that its footage may have been invented by some self-exiled Tamil citizens seeking asylum in the UK. Army spokesperson Major General Ubhaya Medawala yesterday said the […]

20 June 2011,The Communist Party of India (CPI) in its National Council Meeting at New Delhi on 18-19 June, passed a resolution, demanding the Indian government to take into account the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu State Assembly on war crimes investigation and economic sanctions against Sri Lanka. Accusing Sri Lanka Army for violation […]

will he act? By DAVID MILIBAND and BERNARD KOUCHNER  / Published: June 20, 2011In April 2009, we travelled together as foreign ministers to Sri Lanka, as 25 years of fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers neared its end. The remaining fighters were trapped in the northern most part of the country […]

A multiple choice question for Gotabaya: Why do you wear clothes ?  Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse referring to the channel 4 documentary which charges that an LTTE leader of the East Colonel Ramesh was killed after he was arrested by the Army , stated as follows at a Nugegoda meeting:‘In the channel 4 documentary it […]