Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jayaram today (Feb. 29) demanded that the Indian government should support the US-backed resolution on human rights violations by Sri Lanka, which comes up for voting at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva next month.In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she referred to the memorandum submitted to […]

The medical humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has expressed concern over an interview suggesting that it was present in 2009 in Sri Lanka’s war zone and received surrendering militants to be treated.  The interview published earlier this month in India and reproduced in the Sri Lanka media, the Secretary of Defence of Sri Lanka […]

elle gunawansa and mr By Lakshman Indranath Keerthisinghe Politics are now nothing more than a means of rising in the world – Samuel Johnson Boswells Life of Johnson.The National Police Commission, was inaugurated in November 2002 on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. under the 17th Amendment to the Constitution. It became defunct due to the […]

By Lakshman Indranath Keerthisinghe  elle gunawansa and mr Elle Gunawansa Thero with President Rajapakse Politics are now nothing more than a means of rising in the world – Samuel Johnson Boswells Life of Johnson. The National Police Commission, was inaugurated in November 2002 on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. under the 17th Amendment to the […]

CHENNAI: DMK, a key constituent of the ruling UPA at the Centre, on Wednesday said India should not support Sri Lanka, which is facing war crime charges, in the hearings being conducted by the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.“India should not back Sri Lanka at any cost when the UNHRC resolution comes up […]

It wants those behind civilian deaths declared as “war criminals”The Assembly on Wednesday passed a special resolution demanding that the Centre take action to get all those responsible for large-scale civilian deaths, during the Sri Lankan civil war, declared as ‘war criminals’ by the United Nations.The resolution, passed unanimously, also demanded economic sanctions against the […]

Chennai: MDMK chief Vaiko on Tuesday termed as shocking a Sri Lankan official’s claim about New Delhi’s backing of Colombo in the ongoing UNHRC session and urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to support it.“It is shocking that Mahinda Samarasinghe, the chief Lankan negotiator, has stated that India will support Sri Lanka in the crucial […]

Reporters Without Borders calls on all members of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council, which began its 19th session yesterday, to pass a resolution condemning the Sri Lankan government’s violations of freedom of information and to demand an end to threats and violence against news media and human rights defenders in Sri Lanka.“For more […]

General Secretary of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana yesterday called upon the people to unite to defeat the American conspiracy against Sri Lanka.“As regime changes through elections is not an immediate prospect in Sri Lanka, these capitalist countries have ganged up like in 1971 and in 1988/89 and the JVP is […]

Election monitors yesterday said that more than 3,000 eligible voters in IDP camps may not have the chance to vote at the upcoming local government elections in Mulaitivu and Puthukudiyiruppu next month since they do not have a proper identification card. People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) said that they had written to Elections […]

While Sri Lanka faces heat at the Geneva sessions the Former Sri Lankan Permanent Representative there Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka has stated that national mechanisms of human rights are necessary to finally put to rest the calls for an international mechanism of accountability. When asked whether Sri Lanka could put to rest the call for an […]

UNHRC chief pushes for new mechanism to tackle uncooperative GovernmentsThe UK fired the first salvo at Sri Lanka at the 19th sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) yesterday.UK’s Foreign Office Minister responsible for the human rights portfolio Jeremy Browne, MP, emphasized the responsibility on the part of the global community to intervene […]

Tamil National Alliance leader R. Sampanthan’s decision to keep away from Geneva has come under severe criticism from several senior members of the party.  TNA spokesman and the Jaffna District parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran and Parliamentarian P. Ariyanenthiran have opposed Sampanthan’s decision saying it was a unilateral stance and that the party had not been properly […]

Distributed Denial-of-Service Attack (DDoS), identified by the service provider of TamilNet as originating in an orchestrated way from certain affluent parts of the world, has been disrupting web traffic of TamilNet.com since Saturday. The attack on the independent media reporting to the world on Tamil affairs coincides with the opening of the 19th sessions of […]

SLA operated paramilitary operatives, dispatched by the occupying Sri Lanka Army in Batticaloa, visited the Village Development Council (VDC) leaders in various villages in the district on Monday instructing the heads of the VDCs to have at least 150 people to get on board the buses they would be bringing to transport civilians against their […]

Occupying Sri Lanka’s colonial governor, Maj. Gen. G. A. Chandrasri was seen coordinating the two factions collaborating with the Rajapaksa regime, the Angkayan-led SLFP and Douglas Devananda-led EPDP, in staging a simulated demonstration in Jaffna and Vanni against UNHRC discussing Sri Lanka in Geneva on Monday. The simulation forced in sections and individuals waiting for […]

The 29-year-old son of the former UNP organizer for Mawathagama Kumari Ekanayake has been kidnapped.Around 3.00 am today (Feb. 27), several men had arrived at the home of Kosala Ekanayake in a black-coloured dolphin van and took him away, saying the police wanted to obtain a statement from him.A complaint has been lodged with Mawathagama […]

The Sri Lankan government held a series of protests on Monday against what it calls “international conspiracies against the government” even as it sent a monster 52-member delegation to Geneva for the 19th convention of the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC).  At the core of this angst is a US-sponsored resolution that seeks to […]

Nearly three years since the end of the war, there’s a growing need for an accounting of – and for – those killed and missing in the final months of fighting in northern Sri Lanka in 2009. Members of the UN Human Rights Council, opening its 19th session in Geneva today, should be ready to […]

”We as a Government, therefore, question the value addition of internationalizing through seeking to deliberate upon an effective ongoing domestic process in international fora. Such endeavours would only serve to detract from an expeditious resolution of the issues at hand. We also wish to emphasise that action initiated in the promotion and protection of human […]

WATCHDOGIn the past 5 months – October 2011 to February 2012 – there has been a disturbing rise in the number of abductions, especially in and around the capital, Colombo. Out of 29 abductions and 3 missing persons reported in media, most have not returned to their homes and families, rendering them ‘disappeared’ persons.The manner […]

Now the ball is in govt courts says Mano Ganesan   TNA leader Sampanthan has shown the political gesture towards the govt by deciding against the proposal of going to Geneva. Now, the Tamils and all peace loving people of this country look for government’s reciprocate action based on certain LLRC recommendations says DPF leader Mano […]

Member of the Tamil National Alliance Suresh Premachandran announced leader of the party Sambanthan and Sumandhiran personally decided not to representate directly at the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva and also went on to say this was not the stance of the entire party. Speaking to BBC Tamil Osai MP went on to […]

Security sections have been deployed to force masses in Jaffna into tractors to take them to participate in agitations carried out throughout the country to get support to the government say reports reaching ‘Lankatruth.’Yesterday EPDP organization of Minister Dougles Devananda and security sections informed people to participate in agitations held today to support the government. […]

All Sri Lankans irrespective of religious, political or racial differences should express their displeasure over the resolution to be moved tomorrow by the USA against Sri Lanka at the UNHCR sessions in Geneva, said the Most Ven. Niyangoda Sri Vijithasiri, Anunayaka Thera, Malwatta Chapter and the Most Ven. Galagama Atthadassi Anunayaka Thera, Asgiriya Chapter.The Anunayaka […]

The government is to hold massive islandwide protest campaigns today against the resolution which is to be presented against the Sri Lankan government at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva to be held from today to March 24.The protest campaigns will be held at regional level. They will take place in […]

The government yesterday claimed that the inaccuracy of the Darusman Report was proven by the census that was carried out by the Department of Census and Statistics.  Meanwhile the opposition claimed the report by the Census Department could not be taken as fact until there was proper verification of the methods used to collect the […]

The government is to hold massive islandwide protest campaigns today against the resolution which is to be presented against the Sri Lankan government at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva to be held from today to March 24.The protest campaigns will be held at regional level. They will take place in […]

Concerned at the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka following reports of alleged war crimes and violation of human rights during the war, the Communist Party of India asked India to raise the issue at the current United Nations Human Rights Commission meeting at Geneva.CPI Member of Parliament D. Raja said the party had consistently […]

Desmond Tutu and Mary RobinsonIt is not just Sri Lanka’s people that the UN Human Rights Council must serve this week, but the cause of international law; This week the UN Human Rights Council has an opportunity and a duty to help Sri Lanka advance its own efforts on accountability and reconciliation. Both are essential […]