militarisation

”Today’s Lanka is characterised by public cynicism, fear and institutional decay: fear among journalists of crossing invisible lines; cynicism about the country’s rulers and general disbelief in what they say; and the progressive decay of institutions that should protect human rights.”Rajan Hoole and Kopalasingham Sritharan, UTHR (Jaffna)“What is truth?” said jesting Pilate, and would not […]

4th August 2011/This is the text of a press release issued by the Tamil National Alliance The TNA has received information that at a meeting held yesterday at Mullaitivu, attended by senior civilian and military officials, the following decisions have been arrived at:That the Internally Displaced Persons from the villages of Puthumathalan, Mullivaikkal West, Mullivaikkal East, […]

Lumbini KarandanaThe Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) alleged yesterday that a student who was selected for the university had died soon after undergoing the government leadership programme as a catarrhal problem of hers had worsened during the programme.ISUF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara told a media briefing that this student who was from Thennakongama, Welimada (in Badulla […]

By Manjula FERNANDOA fearless critic of LTTE atrocities, the leader of Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Veerasingham Anandasangaree has spent most of his days, during the LTTE’s bloody years, behind closed doors of his tightly secured house in Colombo.A veteran Tamil politician who took to politics in 1950s and entered Parliament contesting Kilinochchi district in […]

The latest attack on the news editor of the Jaffna-based Uthayan newspaper, Gnanasundaram Kuhanathan should not be understood merely as an isolated attack on media freedom and freedom of speech in Sri Lanka. It undoubtedly bears far reaching implications and reveals the vicious nature of the renewed and accelerated violent attacks on democratic rights of […]

Orders have been issued by Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa and by his sibling Basil Rajapaksa to colonial governor Maj. Gen. Chandrasri for immediate and full-swing replacement of Tamil civil service in the north. The act may superficially look as a revenge for the defeat in the civic elections, but it is actually aimed to […]

By Shihar AneezJAFFNA: Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils say President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s post-war development and infrastructure projects in the former war zone in the island’s north have yet to address their real concerns and have not excluded their participation.Sri Lanka’s northern cities held local polls for the first time in many years on Saturday amid opposition […]

by Professor S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole,  UGC Coordinator for Engineering, University of Jaffna The EPDP, supposedly a former armed group which continues to be represented by gun-toting cadres led by Minister Douglas Devananda, is the main Tamil ally of President Rajapakse. The violent EPDP seemed the only way in which the President can show Tamil support […]

At the second phase of the local government election that was concluded yesterday the government, as in all other elections held so far, obtained its results not by allowing masses to express their  wish independently within a democratic or fair and free election process states the JVP.Issuing a communiqué regarding the concluded local government elections […]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has reiterated his long-held view that police powers and land “were not subjects for the Provincial Council.He has told ‘The Hindu’ in an interview that he had seen “what has happened in India, in the recent Mumbai bomb attacks.“How slow it [the police and security response] was, you know, with all the […]

By Saman Indrajith The highest number of complaints of human rights violations had been received against the Police Department for violating human rights in 2009, Parliament was told yesterday. Chief Government Whip Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gnawardena said that of the 5,454 complaints received that year, 2691 were against the police. He was […]

By Lal Gunasekera A senior cadre of Eastern Province Chief Minister S. Chandrakanthan’s party TMVP was arrested yesterday by the CID at Wennappuwa for masterminding the robbery of Rs. 160 million cash and Rs 15 million in jewellery from the People’s Bank branch at Puttur two weeks ago. The police said a person who resembled […]

”Entering on tourist visas to a former Tamil Tiger administered region RNW spoke to locals, on subjects as diverse as business, sport and the UN’s development role. During one such conversation in a restaurant they were spied on and reported to the police, who later that night arrived at the hotel for a midnight interrogation. […]

Asia Report N°209 18 Jul 2011 Two years since the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Sri Lanka is further from reconciliation than ever. Triumphalist in its successful “war on terror”, the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has refused to acknowledge, let alone address, the Tamil minority’s legitimate grievances against the state. […]

Colombo/Brussels, 18 July 2011: President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s authoritarian and Sinhalese nationalist post-war policies are undermining prospects for reconciling Sri Lanka’s ethnic communities, weakening democracy for all Sri Lankans and increasing the risk of a return to violent conflict. Reconciliation in Sri Lanka: Harder than Ever, the latest report from the International Crisis Group, analyses how […]

 It is reported that former IGP Dr. Mahinda Balasooriya is visiting Jaffna to engage in government’s election campaign.According to our correspondent the former IGP is engaged in the election campaign using government vehicles to bring victory to the ruling party at the local government election to be held on the 23rd of this month.Despite being […]

 Major General Mahinda Haturusinghe the commanding chief of the north has given orders to the Jaffna Municipal Council Mayor Yogeshwary Pathgunam to remove the statue of the last King Sankili of Jaffna which has stood at the Muththirai junction for over hundred years. The Mayor in accordance with this order has taken measures to clear […]

 Police investigations have revealed that a group of members of Thamil Makkal Vidudal Puligal (TMVP) or TamilPeoples Liberation Tigers of the Chief Minister for the Eastern Provincial Council Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan aka Pilleyan is responsible for the heist at People’s Bank at Pudur.An armed group that broke into the People’s Bank branch at Puddur in Batticaloa […]

”In regard to matters of immediate concern for our people, high security zones,demilitarization, housing, livelihood, all that type of things ,and these deliberate, diabolical actions by some people with influence, they must be stopped. If they are not stopped, we will start civil disobedience campaigns in those areas. I will lead that campaign. I will […]

Thoroughly intimidated and prevented from making their campaign for the civic elections scheduled for next week, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leaders on Tuesday said that genuine elections are not possible under the current circumstances. Colombo is resolved to fake the elections by hook or by crook and ‘prove’ to the outside world that it […]

Occupying Sri Lanka Navy and the EPDP collaborating with Rajapaksa regime have sealed off the islands sector of the Jaffna Peninsula for the civic elections scheduled to 23rd of this month, by ordering the TNA candidates not to leave the islands and by preventing TNA campaigners coming into the islands sector from outside. In the […]

Sri Lanka police in Jaffna refuses permission to civic election candidates of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to conduct public meetings. Instead, the ‘advise’ the candidates to engage in door-to-door campaign. But in the meantime, presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa and a team of 13 SL ministers are camping in Jaffna to conduct Colombo’s campaign in […]

The General Secretary of the JVP Tilvin Silva has complained to the Commissioner of Elections again regarding the endless obstruction that are being carried out against political activities of the party in the North. The officers of the security services had pledged that they would take measures to stop all obstructions for political activities in […]

by D.B.S. JeyarajThe president will spend at least 3 days in Kilinochchi & Jaffna districts this week & invigorate the United Peoples Freedom Alliance campaignPresident wants to uplift “socially” underprivileged sections of Tamil society. They will be given priority in land,housing & job allocations Elections in the North will be held to 16 local authorities […]

According to Military Liaison Office, pre-travel approval for diplomats, INGOs/NGOs has been lifted from today (12th July), facilitating North bound travel without producing MOD travel approval document. Ministry of Defence lifted the imposed pre-travel approval exclusively for foreign passport holders last week. Further stressing on the provision, individuals and groups intending at visiting military installations […]

 12 July 2011   The JVP in a communiqué states it has lodged a complaint (No. EIB 18/17) at Killinochchi Police charging that the government, deploying a group of Army soldiers, obstructed its election campaign. The complaint has been lodged by the accredited representative of the JVP for Killinochchi District Lalith Kumar Weeraraju.The communiqué issued by […]

By Charles HavilandTNA says people connected with the ruling coalition are intimidating its candidates The largest Tamil party in Sri Lanka has called for foreign monitors to have a presence at local elections in northern Sri Lanka that are due to take place later this month. It says people connected with the governing coalition are […]

Guru Nadarajah for GTN  In the guise of solving the problems of the Tamil people, Rajapakse government is engaged in Sinhalizing the traditional Tamil villages in the North and East.165 Sinhalese families settled in Kokadivankulam in Themmamadu in the Vanni area and the name of the village has been changed to Kalabowawela. This is the […]

By M.A. Sumanthiran MPMilitarization· Every activity that takes place in the North and East first requires approval by the Presidential Task Force and the military.· Lists of beneficiaries for projects in the north now have to be sent to the military. Incidents have been reported of the military altering these to include as beneficiaries individuals […]

 R.SAMPANTHAN, 5TH July 2011, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, TRINCOMALEEParliamentary Group Leader – Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi-I.T.A.K, Tamil National Alliance-T.N.A Hon SpeakerAdjournment Motion, ParliamentI hereby give notice that I shall after question time on the adjournment of Parliament on Thursday the 7th July 2011 move the following motion as a matter of urgent public importance.Whereas Sri Lanka […]