Eighteenth time unlucky

from THE ECONOMIST

NATIONAL constitutions come in two main types. Some are prescriptive, enshrining freedoms, curtailing the powers of the state and generally hampering would-be dictators. Others, however, tend to the descriptive, and are often revised to catch up with changes that have already happened. Into this class can be put Sri Lanka’s 1978 constitution, this week amended for the 18th time, with unseemly haste.

Continue reading "Mahinda Rajapaksa’s new powers are unnecessary and dangerous" »

Posted by transCurrents at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by IRIN News

JAFFNA, 9 September 2010 (IRIN) - Fifteen months after the end of fighting between Sri Lankan government forces and the Tamil Tigers, women in the north are taking up a new and challenging role as breadwinners - with more and more becoming day labourers to support their families.

Kaliamagal is the owner of a small shop at an IDP camp in northern Sri Lanka ~ Photo: Dilrukshi Handunnetti/IRIN

Continue reading "Women take over as breadwinners in north" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

by M.A. Sumanthiran

(This is the text of an objection raised by Tamil National Alliance Par;iamentarian M. A.Sumanthiran when the 18th constitutional Amendment was placed on the order paper of Parliament)

Continue reading "18th Constitutional Amendment must obtain assent from Provincial Councils to be law" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By M.A.Sumanthiran

(This is the text of address by Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran on September 8th 2010 during Parliamentary debate on the 18th amendment to the Constitution)

Continue reading "18th CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT:"How Can This Bill be Urgent in the National Interest?" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By Lydia Polgreen

NEW DELHI — Sri Lanka’s Parliament on Wednesday passed a proposal to remove presidential term limits from the Constitution, paving the way for the popular president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, to run for a third term and cement his grip on power.

Continue reading ""Constitutionalization of the wartime presidency": Sri Lanka Ends Presidential Term Limits" »

Posted by transCurrents at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

The ongoing visit by the much-decorated chief of the Indian army provides an occasion for an objective perspective on Sri Lanka’s military achievement as well as the reactions to it. The Lankan military victory and our military have earned the respect of military professionals the world over.

Continue reading "Sri Lankan military victory was commendable but not unique" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

We have witnessed thirty years of armed conflict and the erosion of democratic values entrenched in the first post-independence Constitution. The end of the armed conflict brought with it high expectations of a just peace, strengthened democracy and development. The proposed changes to the Constitution do not merely disappoint these expectations, but in themselves give rise to grave apprehensions.

Continue reading "Civil Rights Movement appeals to fellow citizens" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by Anusha Ondaatjie

Remittances sent home by Sri Lankan nationals overseas may rise to a record $3.8 billion in 2010, a central bank official said, adding that policy makers will ensure stability of the currency as the flows increase.

Continue reading "Sri Lanka Remittances May Rise to Record $3.8 Billion After Civil War Ends" »

Posted by transCurrents at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Dr. S. Narapalasingam

Not surprisingly, many confusing and contradictory comments have been made on the ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) set up by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 15 this year; 12 months after the prolonged self-destructive war ended with enormous losses to the country and the citizens of all ethnicities.

Continue reading "Confusion over national reconciliation, unity and lasting peace in post-war Sri Lanka" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We, the undersigned academics attached to different universities in Sri Lanka, call upon the government to re-consider the proposed 18th Amendment to the Constitution for the reasons set out below.

Continue reading "Statement by University academics on Proposed 18th Constitutional Amendment" »

Posted by transCurrents at 04:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Colombo

03 September, 2010

To All Hon. Members of Parliament,
Parliamentary Complex,
Sri Jayawardnepura,
Kotte.

Dear Member of Parliament,

The 18 th Amendment to the Constitution to be debated in parliament

The urgency of this very important issue at hand, compels us to address you through this letter, though briefly.

Continue reading "Public appeal to all parliamentarians to vote against 18th Constitutional Amendment" »

Posted by transCurrents at 04:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

by Ashis Ray

The spot-fixing scandal could engulf cricketers outside Pakistan. There were reports on Sunday that a leading Sri Lankan player was under suspicion for links with a bookie. And this has led to fears that IPL was also not immune to investigation by the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.

Continue reading "Thilanga Sumathipala and Sanath Jayasuriya implicated in cricket match fixing" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

By M.S.Shah Jahan

On Friday August 27th, the day the “Athi Uyar Peedam” or High Command of the SLMC met at the party headquarters “Darussalam” in Colombo, in a “Ifthar” [breaking fast] function –not breakfast, I happened to meet a sitting Muslim Congress Member of Parliament who is well known to me for the last two decades and presently defined as one of the “trios”, and said “it looks you all are going to go”. He smiled and replied “what to do, he will be in power for the next 12 years”. This MP skipped the High Command meeting.

Continue reading "My acquaintance with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress" »

Posted by transCurrents at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

by National Christian Council

The National Christian Council views the proposed 18th Amendment to the Constitution as a grave threat to democracy and good governance in our country.

Continue reading "Proposed 18th Amendment is grave threat to democracy and good governance-National Christian Council" »

Posted by transCurrents at 02:35 PM | Permalink

Full Text of Statement by Tamil National Alliance

'T.N.A cannot support the Eighteenth Amendment as presently constituted'

The proposed eighteenth amendment to the constitution contemplates two basic changes in regard to:

1) The incumbent President’s right to be elected to a further term beyond the presently stipulated two terms in office.

Continue reading "Position of the Tamil National Alliance on the proposed 18th Amendment to the constitution" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

“Noothana Prathishda Maha Kumbabishekam” at Naattukkottai Nagaraththaar Srikathirvelaayuthaswamy temple

by Dushiyanthini Kanagasbapathipillai

Three new deities namely Lord Murugan, Goddess Valliyammai and Goddess Theivayaanai have been installed at Naattukkottai Nagaraththaar Srikathirvelaayuthaswamy temple recently.

[ click here to see & read in full [HA]]

Posted by transCurrents at 09:42 AM | Permalink

Massive Pollution in Yala

by Dushy Ranetunge at Yala Village

It was the long weekend at Yala Park and the word got out about the sighting of a leopard. The drivers scrambled and raced to the spot only to be confronted with a massive traffic jam, with about 30 Jeeps blocking the little dusty track in all directions. There was no movement, the leopard had long gone and as we sat and waited in the dusty jungle jam, we wondered if the leopard was watching the traffic jam from the jungle and giggling.

[click on pic for larger image]

Continue reading "The Visitors in Yala and Jaffna: "Culture of polluting"" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Sri Lanka is still denying civilian deaths

by Peter Bouckaert
Director of Emergencies Division, Human Rights Watch

During the Vietnam conflict, the US military developed some creative ways to increase the numbers of Viet Cong insurgents it claimed to have killed. "If they're dead, they're Viet Cong," meant that any Vietnamese killed by American soldiers would automatically count as enemy fighters.

Continue reading "All attempts to investigate atrocities in the Tamil Tiger conflict have been stifled, despite promises made to Ban Ki-moon" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The ugly urgency tells all says Mano Ganesan

18th amendment aims at reversing all what this country gained during the last decades against the politicization of the state services. It tends to handover total power to the proposed ‘term limit-less’ executive presidency by removing all the hard-earned constitutional checks and balances.

Continue reading "18th amendment is submission to autocracy - Mano Ganesan" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

BY Suriya Wickremasinghe

A President’s immunity is not for life. It is only for the period that he or she is President. Once a President steps down from office he or she may be sued like any other citizen for any wrongful act committed while in office. A powerful deterrent on a President committing an offence while in power is the knowledge that, once his or her terms ends, which end will be at a time in the foreseeable future, liability under the normal law of the land will resume. Justice is not denied to an injured party, it is only postponed.

Continue reading "Civil Rights Movement Statement on 18th Amendment to the Constitution" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

by Rauff Hakeem

The year was 1977. I was an impressionable youngster of seventeen, studying at Royal College. I was in the running for the Best Speaker's contest where the coveted Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan Prize was on offer. The topic I picked was 'Introduction of the Presidential system to Sri Lanka'. After robustly arguing in favour of J.R. Jayewardene's concept, I won the prize.

Continue reading "Rauff Hakeem: Why we are Supporting the 18th Constitutional Amendment" »

Posted by transCurrents at 06:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

By Tisaranee Gunasekara

Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.” — William Pitt the Younger (Speech in the House of Commons – 18.11.1783)

So the Emperor is finally divested of his dazzling patriotic mantle, his vulturous greed for power and grandiose dynastic ambitions bared.

Continue reading "Power greed and dictatorial ambitions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa exposed" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga condemned the 18th Amendment proposed by the government saying it is a “horrendous move” and that she could not agree with it in any way.

Continue reading "Chandrika Kumaratunga Condemns The 18th Amendment" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

If the Southern Opposition is dwindling or dying, the Northern Opposition is deluded and in deep denial. These wings or streams of the opposition seem to be marginalising themselves to the point of irrelevance.

Continue reading "Federalist Fantasy of TNA" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)

Government upbeat on support from leftist parties

By Rasika Jayakody

Economic Development Minister and Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa says that Government is confident of passing the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, providing for the controversial constitutional reforms, with 156 MPs voting in favour.

Continue reading "'156 MPs will vote for 18th amendment’ – Basil Rajapaksa" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A Statement by the Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera, Bishop of Colombo

Many sections of the population are deeply alarmed at the possible repercussions the proposed 18th Amendment to the Constitution will have on our system of democratic governance

Continue reading "A plea to withdraw the Eighteenth Amendment - Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:15 PM | Permalink

The eighteenth amendment to the constitution would pave the way for a dictatorship in this country and enable some to ‘secure full power for generations’, UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya said.

Continue reading "18th amendment will lead to a dictatorship – Karu Jayasuriya" »

Posted by transCurrents at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

by Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka

Sri Lanka’s experience with Constitutions is not a happy tale. The first and best, or at least the one that was preceded by the most extensive consultations, the Soulbury Constitution, proved ineffective in the face of Sinhala Only.

Continue reading "18th Amendment stable door: Parliamentary arithmetic horse has bolted" »

Posted by transCurrents at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

By Prof G. L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs

After two decades, we have a durable peace and an unprecedented degree of political stability. The challenge is to use these opportunities to move the economy of the country forward. There are changes that have to be made with regard to the constitutional framework, the legal system and the regulatory mechanisms now in operation, and that is the basic initiative of the government at this time.

Continue reading "Why the 18th constitutional amendment is necessary" »

Posted by transCurrents at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

by Dr.Rajan Hoole

With the LTTE gone, our common objective should be creatively to use the potential the people of this country have to live and prosper together. We see instead fears of an LTTE resurgence being drummed up artificially to justify policies that foster division and discord.

Continue reading "Sampoor, Supremacist Ideology and abuse of International Law" »

Posted by transCurrents at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

by Eran Wickramaratne

President Jayawardene introduced the 2nd Republican Constitution in 1978, and one of its underlying beliefs was that power centralized in the office of the President will lead to rapid economic development.

Continue reading "The 18th amendment is undemocratic: The myth of centralization of power economic development" »

Posted by transCurrents at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by National Peace Council

The government has decided to amend the constitution in a manner that concentrates more power in the already over-powerful institution of the Executive Presidency and to obtain parliamentary ratification by September 8, 2010.

Continue reading "Inadvisable to race through with one sided constitutional changes" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

by Prof. Rohan Samarajiva

The Opposition has failed to give a simple answer to the above question, seeking instead to play word games (Executive Prime Minister versus Executive President). Government spokespersons have given a simple enough, though false, answer term limits constrain the power of the people to elect whoever they want. Given the dominance of feudal mindsets this seems to have decided the matter.

Continue reading "Power of incumbency will make it impossible to unseat a sitting President" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

BBC World Service

In 1989 Appapillai Amirthalingam was assassinated at his home in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.

He was a politician - the most prominent democratically-elected leader of the Tamil community.

Continue reading "A Widow's Journey" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Full Text draft - 18th Amendment to constitution

President Mahinda Rajapakse

Continue reading "Full Text draft - 18th Amendment to constitution" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu

Politics is about power and the constitution is about protection of the people against the excessive concentration and exercise of that power. Politicians need power to govern and people need government to establish the framework, which facilitates the exercise and enjoyment of their fundamental rights and freedoms.

Continue reading "Standing up against the 18th Constitutional Amendment is our democratic duty" »

Posted by transCurrents at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is once again in the eye of a minor political storm after the decision reached by its Apex body to vote with the Government headed by President Mahinda Rajapakse in supporting the forthcoming 18th Amendment to the Constitution while remaining with the opposition led by Ranil Wickremasinghe. [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com]

Posted by transCurrents at 01:12 PM | Permalink

by Amnesty International

Amnesty International has called on the Sri Lankan government to ensure the safety of three men who have been tortured and jailed following their forced return from Australia in 2009.

Two of the men, Sumith Mendis and Lasantha Wijeratne, were transferred to a hospital to be examined by a judicial medical officer on 1 September amid claims that they were beaten and tortured following an alleged new attempt to migrate to Australia. It is not clear if they are still in hospital or have returned to prison.

Continue reading "Sri Lanka urged to ensure safety of detained former asylum-seekers" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

by M.S.Shah Jahan

“The Saudi sponsor, who is over 60, suffers from heart conditions. The sponsor’s doctors have advised him to do only 25 percent of his normal work because of his weak heart.

Continue reading "Saudi Arabia and Aariyawathi: Where is Justice?" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

JAYANTHA DHANAPALA
25/6 Pepiliyana Road,
Nugegoda.

1st September 2010.

Dear Sir/Madam,

As promised in my letter dated 30 August 2010 I attach the authentic transcript of my oral presentation to the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission which was received from the Commission.

Yours sincerely,

Jayantha Dhanapala

Continue reading "Jayanatha Dhanapala submissions before LLR Commission - Full transcript" »

Posted by transCurrents at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Full Text of Press Release

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010
NDP MP VISITS TAMIL ASYLUM-SEEKERS IN B.C.

Peter Julian concerned over human rights, access to services, support and translators

BURNABY – New Democrat MP Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster) is concerned about the human rights situation of the recent 492 Tamil asylum-seekers currently detained in British Columbia.

Continue reading "Canadian parliamentarian expresses concern over human rights of 492 Tamil asylum-seekers" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

RIYADH — Saudi government and private sector officials have questioned the account of a Sri Lankan maid who said her Saudi employers forced 24 nails and needles into her body.

Continue reading "Saudis query Sri Lankan maid's torture claim" »

Posted by transCurrents at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By: Dr.Rajasingham Narendran

"The least government is the best government. We should have just as little as we can get along with"–President Harry Truman

We have glimpses of the unimportant among the constitutional changes contemplated. However, what has been revealed is not what we need.

Continue reading " Constitutional changes in Sri Lanka: Cabaret Dance by Burqua-Clad!" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)

by Kalana Senaratne

"Thanks Transcurrents, for publishing Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala’s letter (dated 30 August, 2010). As I pointed out in my article (see final paragraph), I hoped he was misquoted and ‘misquoted badly’.

Continue reading "I hope Dr. Dhanapala would accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

by Dayan Jayatilleka

Testimony by former senior officials at the Lessons Learnt panel has provided useful insights into what went wrong with policy perceptions, process and prescriptions during the CFA

Continue reading "Is anyone listening to what I've been saying since the war was won?" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

MULLAITIVU, 31 August 2010 (IRIN) - Few studies of children in Sri Lanka have examined the daily stress they continue to face since the tsunami and civil war, focusing instead on the direct impact of both, according to two studies in the latest Child Development journal.

In the spring of 2009, a young boy sits in a makeshift bunker where tens of thousands of Sri Lankan civilians squeezed into the last small strip of land controlled by Tamil Tiger. Thousands were trapped in the so called 'no-fire zone' in the final days of the confict © Contributor/IRIN

Continue reading "Addressing needs of stressed children" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

by Apsara Fonseka

Almost two weeks ago, after six whole months of illegal detention and many court cases, my father’s first court martial case convicted him of doing politics while in uniform.

Continue reading "We knew my father would be found guilty until proven innocent" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)

Jayantha Dhanapala
25/6 Pepiliyana Road,
Nugegoda.
30th August 2010.

Dear Sir/ Madam,

In response to an invitation from the Chairman of the Presidential Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC), I appeared before the Commission at 2 p.m. on Wednesday the 25th of August in Colombo having sent a written submission ahead. I considered this a performance of a civic duty on my part.

Continue reading "Outline of submission made to commission on lessons learnt and reconciliation-by Jayantha Dhanapala" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)

By a special correspondent
Exclusive to BBC Sinhala service

The alert and watchful eyes of weary soldiers scanned every vehicle passing through the checkpoints.

Broken, torn buildings tower over the tiny UNHCR tents on the gardens and court yards. Hanging clothes, pots and pans and carry bags scattered around the land show signs of civilian life.

The alert and watchful eyes of weary soldiers scanned every vehicle passing through the checkpoints

Continue reading "Mannar - Tamil misery continues" »

Posted by transCurrents at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

By Chris Kamalendran

A garment sector trade union leader charged yesterday that some garment manufacturers were seeking cheap female labour from the one time battle areas of the north.“Factory workers were leaving due to poor wages, work and living conditions.

Most in the north are ignorant of the labour laws and are falling prey,” Anton Marcus, President of the Progressive Free Trade Zone and Apparel Union told the Sunday Times.

Continue reading "Garment factories exploiting Northern girls, union charges" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

By Chris Kamalendran

A 20,000-strong Indian workforce will arrive in Sri Lanka to carry out mega housing projects in northern districts.

The first phase of the scheme, the construction of a pilot project to build 1,000 houses in Jaffna, will get underway in October this year. Similar pilot projects will be launched thereafter in the districts of Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya.

Continue reading "20,000 Workers from India will Arrive Soon to build houses in northern Province" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)

By Ranil Wickremesinghe

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantees to every citizen the right and the opportunity to be elected at periodic elections to ensure the free expression of the will of the electors (Article 25). Sri Lanka, as a party to this Convention has an obligation under Article 2 of the ICCPR to ensure that all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction are granted the rights recognized in the Convention

Continue reading " So called court martial of Sarath Fonseka is contrary to natural justice principles and Article 25 of ICCPR" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

By Arthur Wamanan

Q. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has not been vocal in recent times. Has the party changed its stance on the solution for the ethnic issue after the end of the war?

Well, the TNA has a manifesto on which we contested the election. In that, we have specifically stated that we are looking for meaningful devolution of powers in terms of constitutional reforms. There must be sharing of power. And as far as the TNA is concerned, that sharing of power must be meaningfully implemented in the North and East. We have very specifically said that these reforms must be within a united country and must take the form of a federal structure.

Continue reading "TNA willing to work with government on resolving key issues: An Interview with TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

By Col R Hariharan

For General Sarath Fonseka who revamped a demoralised Sri Lanka army and led it to final victory in the nearly three-decade long campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009, its aftermath had not been peaceful. His woes appear to be mounting after an army court martial found him guilty of dabbling in politics while in uniform and recommended his cashiering.

Continue reading "Fonseka's Perils of Playing Politics and its Implications" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

By Col R Hariharan

The recent India-China stand-off over the issue of a Chinese visa for Lt General BS Jaswal, a serving commander of Northern Command, has highlighted the tenuous nature of existing ties between the two countries.

Continue reading "Can India build a meaningful military relationship with China?" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

“In peace prepare for war, in war prepare for peace. The art of war is of vital importance to state. It is matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected”~ Sun Tzu , Chinese Military commander, (722–481 BC or 476–221 BC)

Visual Responses During the War:

Selected Works of Artists Painting,Drawing,Sculpture,Installation and Photography is currently being held at Lionel Wendt Gallery&Harold Pieris Gallery in Colombo. The exhibition will remain open from 28th of August 2010 till 31st of August 2010.The gallery hours are from 10am to 7pm. [click here to see & read in full]

Posted by transCurrents at 11:18 PM | Permalink

by Tisaranee Gunasekara

“Tomorrow, perhaps the future” - WH Auden (Spain 1937)

The charade is finally over. President Rajapakse has informed Sri Lanka’s Micawberian Opposition that he intends to remove presidential term-limits and run for a third (and, the Grim Reaper permitting, a fourth and a fifth…) term. Clearly Rajapakse père means to be President for life, and be succeeded by Rajapakse fils. The UNP has been deluded, yet again, and (wittingly or unwittingly) made to serve the dynastic ambitions of the Ruling Family.

Continue reading "Mahinda Rajapakse means to be President for life" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

by Dayan Jayatilleka

The Lessons Learnt process is turning into quite an exercise in public pedagogy and performance, though it could be better. I rather liked Prof Rajiva Wijesinha’s ‘all round the wicket’ batting -- interspersed with episodes of whistle blowing (if one may mix one’s sporting metaphors) -- but then again I would, wouldn’t I? The mini-debate between LLRC chairman and former Attorney General CR de Silva and Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala was rather a superfluity

Continue reading " Sri Lankans must thank for JVP and ex-Chief Jutice for saving us from PTOMS" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

by Dayan Jayatilleka

Was Opposition firebrand, lawyer, karateka and pop vocalist Dayasiri Jayasekara right when he warned several weeks back that the UNP stood in danger of electoral extinction, like the Old Left in general and the LSSP in particular? The answer probably resides in yet another question: what would be the Wickremesinghe led UNP’s strength in parliament today, if Sri Lanka had the first-past-the-post system?

Continue reading "If the UNP is to preserve itself and survive it has to change" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

by Gladys Terichow

WINNIPEG, Man. – It is extremely regrettable that the Tamil refugee claimants who arrived in Canada in early August by boat arrived under such a cloud of suspicion, says a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) spokesperson.

Continue reading "Not a crime to seek asylum - Mennonite Central Committee, Canada" »

Posted by transCurrents at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By Kalana Senaratne

Numerous reports suggest that Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala had some interesting things to say when he appeared before the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recently; about aspects relating to the interference of certain States in the internal affairs of other States; about the R2P concept; about the Sri Lankan Armed Forces carrying out a daunting humanitarian operation, saving 300,000 innocent civilians kept as a human shield by the LTTE and thereby preventing a certain ‘holocaust’ (The Daily News, 26 August 2010; The Ministry of Defence (defence.lk), 25 August 2010)

Jayantha Dhanapala and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ~ pic: http://www.pugwash.org

Continue reading "Internal armed conflicts, humanitarian laws and the curious transformation of a former diplomat" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Tamils of a different stripe

by Gordon Weiss

The Tigers are history and Sri Lanka’s ethnic minority remains under the government’s thumb. Think about it – who wants to portray the boat people as a security threat?

Continue reading "Gordon Weiss: "Who wants to portray the boat people as a security threat?"" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

by Swati Parashar

Counter terror experts and security analysts are back in action and what do they fear this time? Not bombs, IEDs, nor suicide bombers but the ‘boatpeople’! I have gained sufficient insight into the issue, having camped in Australia for the last two months, to comment on what I call a new form of racism called ‘boatophobia’.

Continue reading "The ‘Boatophobia’ debate: Dehumanising asylum seekers and refugees" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Lincoln Tan

A Sri Lankan citizen who was a crewman on a gun-running boat for the Tamil Tigers has been given the right by the Supreme Court to apply for refugee status in New Zealand.

Continue reading "Sri Lankan who crewed Tamil Tiger boat free to seek refugee status" »

Posted by transCurrents at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

(CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK)

QUESTION: Thank you for relating these details about these important events of the recent past. Your input provides fresh insight into these matters. But now I want to ask you about the present.

Let me start with your relationship with this government particularly the Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse. You have already told me about your arrest and your first meeting with the defence secretary. It’s obvious that both of you have established good rapport. But there are lots of allegations about this. Several opposition leaders and sections of the media have alleged that there is some kind of shady deal in between . What do you have to say? [click to read in full ~ dbsjeyaraj.com]

Posted by transCurrents at 11:58 AM | Permalink

by UN News Centre

The top United Nations humanitarian official in Sri Lanka is appealing to the international community to “stay the course” in helping displaced persons return to their former communities in the wake of last year’s end to the country’s protracted civil war.

Continue reading "UN official calls on donors to ‘stay the course’ to help displaced" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver
Statement by Archbishop J. Michael Miller

The arrival of 492 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka has generated much discussion about Canada’s immigration policy and the appropriate means of dealing with the men, women and children who recently came by ship.

Continue reading "Keep dignity of Tamil refugees in mind during immigration debate - Archbishop J. Michael Miller, Vancouver" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Measures to address Tamil refugee issues recommended

Toronto – As public debate regarding the plight of the 492 Tamil refugee claimants intensifies, B’nai Brith Canada has warned against allowing racism to creep into public discourse on the issue and recommended three proactive solutions.

Continue reading "Allow Sri Lankans to seek the protection of Canada while overseas - B’nai Brith Canada" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The cost of war

by nkabom

Sri Lanka’s Andi Schubert finds hope amid ruins.

When I got the email telling me I had been selected for Nkabom, I had just left home on the first leg of my trip to the Jaffna peninsula in the North of the country. Driving through areas that had very literally been at the center of the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict was for me more than just a tourist tour to the north.

Continue reading "My trip to Jaffna: "That somewhere life was taking root again…"" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

by Dayan Jayatilleka

KP’s story continues to provide insights into the history of the LTTE, Tamil politics and the contemporary history of Sri Lanka. One disclosure stands out.

Continue reading "Tamil politics and Tiger strategy in perspective" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (44)

from The Toronto Star

After being trapped for years in third countries, many feel they have no other realistic option

by Amarnath Amarasingam

In 2007, the Tamil Tigers approached Sabalingam Kumarasamy and asked him to work for them.

Continue reading "Why refugees turn to smugglers: Story of Sabalingam Kumarasamy" »

Posted by transCurrents at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

By Seth Klein

If the 492 Tamil asylum-seekers who recently arrived by boat on B.C.'s shores are "queue-jumpers," then I guess my parents were too. See, they came as Vietnam War draft dodgers from the U.S. in 1967.

Continue reading "Video: Reaction to the Tamil boat: Curious comparisons" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

by No One Is Illegal.org

Myth 1: They are illegals who are jumping the queue.

There is no ‘queue’ for refugee claimants. Refugees are forced from their homes in emergency situations due to human rights abuses committed during wars, military occupations, or persecution against a minority group. We cannot expect refugees to wait for Canada to select them from overseas. We must understand that they undertake long and dangerous journeys to protect their lives and the lives of their families. According to the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, to which Canada is a party, there are no penalties on refugees who arrive without pre-authorization and irregularly.

Continue reading "Myths and Realities about 490 Tamil Refugees on MV Sun Sea" »

Posted by transCurrents at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

It is not that Sri Lanka’s foreign relations are not in need of repair, especially after five dismal years between Lakshman Kadirgamar and GL Pieris, but it is ironic in the extreme when the criticism comes from the UNP or its sympathisers.

Continue reading "Hambantota and the Delhi-Beijing-Colombo triangle" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)

by Steve A. Morrell

Country Director, The British Council, Gill Westaway is an unavoidable adjunct to the British Council. Alternatively The British Council and Gill Westaway seemingly are synonymous entities and its image was, since she assumed her functions, projected a strong profile that most young people have come to depend on its institutional character for self development. Self development in many fields of endeavour.

Gill Westaway ~ pic: Britishcouncil.org

Continue reading "'Sri Lanka has become my home' - Gill Westaway, Director, British Council" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

by Melani Manel Perera

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims together to remember Fr Nihal Jim Brown, an ethnic Tamil Catholic priest, who disappeared on Aug. 20, 2006. The group of people, and relatives of the priest, met yesterday at the Centre for Society and Religion in Colombo, "because the memory of Fr Jim Brown and his assistant can not be erased from our hearts".

Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslims together to remember his disappearance. Fr. Brown was last seen August 20, 2006.

Continue reading "Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslims remember Fr Jim Brown, who disappeared during the war" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

This article was first publihed on Aug 21, 2006, marking 20 years since the arrival of 155 Tamils on August 11, 1986 by boat to New Foundland

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, beaconed to Tamils in torment

by K.T. Kumaran

Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand - William Butler Yeats, Irish Poet (1865 – 1939)

Tamils fleeing their homeland amidst continuing ethnic pogroms of the Sinhala State remember with certainty, the gracious manner in which Canada’s 18th Prime Minister Hon. Martin Brian Mulroney touched their lives, twenty years ago in August, 1986.

Continue reading "It is very hard to imagine a Tamil diaspora minus Toronto: "Thank you Canada, Thank you Brian Mulroney"" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

from the Opinion columns of The Ottawa Citizen

by Mohan Samarasinghe

A ship arrived in B.C. and tempers flared around dinner tables in suburban Ottawa.

Spurred by radio talk show hosts, many Canadians shed their benevolent skins and began bellowing that the 492 Tamil men, women and children who arrived on the smuggler-operated ship MV Sun Sea should be sent packing, back to sea.

Mohan Samarasinghe worries the Sri Lankan Canadian community is divided on status of refugees from the MV Sun Sea. Photograph by Pat McGrath, The Ottawa Citizen, courtesy of: The Ottawa Citizen

Continue reading "Two tales of Sri Lankans: 'Loss of humanitarian aspect and Canada's own historic benevolence towards the world's less-fortunate'" »

Posted by transCurrents at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

(CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK)

Question: What happened finally to your plan of rescuing Prabhakaran and his family by helicopter? Why did the plan not take off?

Answer:

It’s a very sad story………

After Prabhakaran’s son Charles Anthony asked me to rescue his family members by air I devised a plan and made preliminary arrangements. I arranged for a ship to be kept waiting at a far –off port beyond the reach of the Sri Lanka navy. I also made arrangements to buy a second-hand helicopter from an Ukrainian contact. [click here to read in full]

Posted by transCurrents at 12:15 PM | Permalink

by Clare Ogilvie

The first wave of Tamil refugees to have completed their first immigration hearings will remain in detention for now, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada ruled Tuesday.

Katpana Nagendra (right) talks to the media outside the refugee hearings in Vancouver on Tuesday. Darshika Selvasivan is on the left.
Photograph courtesy of: Wayne Leidenfrost, PNG

Continue reading "First wave of Tamil refugees ordered held in detention at hearings" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

by Amnesty International

AI Index: ASA 37/012/2010
19 August 2010

On World Humanitarian Day (19August) Amnesty International recalls the many humanitarian workers who have fallen victim to human rights violations in Sri Lanka and the families of victims who have been frustrated in their pursuit of justice.

Continue reading "Four years later, Sri Lankan families have still not received justice in the ACF case" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

By: Amarnath Amarasingam

Author Note: The research for this article was done in early 2008, and obviously does not include interview data collected from 2009-2010. It was submitted for publication in June 2008, and finally published it in August 2010.

Introduction

The Sri Lankan Tamil population in Canada has been increasing in size since the first refugees arrived in the early 1980s.

Continue reading "Religion and Ethnicity among Sri Lankan Tamil Youth in Ontario" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

from The Economist

Rebuilding, but at a cost

Aug 19th 2010 | Trincomalee

WEARING a crisp blue shirt, Kumaraswamy Nageswaran gestures dejectedly to a towering fence that keeps him from his village and his three acres of farmland on the Trincomalee coast.

Continue reading "Sri Lanka is developing again. But not all can celebrate" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Comments made by the Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty today, when asked by about Immigration in Toronto:

QUESTION: Premier, some comments have been made in the race for mayor that the City of Toronto should close its doors to immigrants because it has enough trouble taking care of the 2.5 million people who live here. Do you think that’s a very Canadian comment?

Continue reading "New comers to Toronto: 'I think what we owe those people is fairness' - Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

By John Moore, Special to the National Post

You're shivering in the sharp cold of a winter's night outside of the hottest club in town. You try your hardest to attract the attention of the doorman. You smile and say clever things to your friends in a raised voice to look more deserving than everyone else in line. Eventually -- if you're lucky -- he unclips the velvet rope, the door swings open and you're swept into the party. He refastens the rope. Now everyone behind you is a sucker.

Continue reading "Tamil Boat Refugees and Canada: How soon we forget" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

A qualitative inquiry into the mental health of the internally displaced due to the civil war in Sri Lanka

by Dr Daya Somasundaram
Department of Psychiatry, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Background

From January to May, 2009, a population of 300,000 in the Vanni, northern Sri Lanka underwent multiple displacements, deaths, injuries, deprivation of water, food, medical care and other basic needs caught between the shelling and bombings of the state forces and the LTTE which forcefully recruited men, women and children to fight on the frontlines and held the rest hostage. This study explores the long term psychosocial and mental health consequences of exposure to massive, existential trauma.

Continue reading "Collective trauma in the Vanni" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

by R.K. Radhakrishnan

A majority of the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, who have been in India for a decade or more, are reluctant to go back to their nation, according to M. Mutia Kalaivanan, Director of Rehabilitation.

Continue reading "Majority of Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in India reluctant to return home" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

By Vidya Abhayagunawardena

A Technical Working Group (TWG) on Mine Risk Education (MRE), Victim Assistance and Advocacy, was held on 10th and 11th of August in Ampara with the participation of the Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Services, Sri Lanka Army Humanitarian De-Mining Unit (HDU), Social Departments of North and East Provincial Councils, partner NGOs and with the facilitation from the UNICEF.

Continue reading "Sri Lanka working towards being free from threat of land mines" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By Amarnath Amarasingam

After the MV Sun Sea was boarded and escorted into Canadian waters two days ago, speculation has been rampant about whether there are members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers) on board, and whether this is an instance of human smuggling.

Continue reading "Human smuggling or Tamil Tigers - A Story from the 'Ocean Lady'" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

History tells us that ports are not only a driver of rapid development but a multiplier of modernization, and the Deep South, which after centuries of neglect has generated and benefited from a provincial power shift, will never be marginalised again.

Continue reading "Generosity on the part of Sinhalese and pragmatism on the part of Tamils is now required" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)

by Vasuhi (Balachandran) Collins

I was surprised to read that, according to the 2006 census, there are no Sri Lankan families living in the Victoria area and none who list Tamil as their mother tongue (Aug. 14).

Continue reading "An ex-Sri Lankan on migrants' flight" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

17 August 2010

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 17 August 2010, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

UNHCR continues to follow the developing situation of 490 Sri Lankan nationals of Tamil origin, former passengers of the cargo ship MV Sun Sea which docked at Vancouver Island in British Columbia last Friday. According to our staff in British Columbia, all 490 passengers have claimed asylum.

Continue reading "UNHCR encouraged by Canada's handling of Tamil boat people case" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

by enna da

I'm a stain, or so they claim
because they are so White clean- exceptionally supreme
And I'm not allowed here because I'm dirty

A Thai ship believed to carry 490 Sri Lankan Tamils arrived in Esquimalt Harbour in Victoria, B.C. August 13, 2010.
Photograph by: Darren Stone, Victoria Times Colonist

Continue reading "Poem: A Refugee At Mind" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Contrary to reports, none of the Sri Lankan Tamils who paid $ 40,000 to $ 50,000 each for passage to Canada are ex-LTTE combatants involved in Eelam war IV.

Authoritative military officials say the LTTEers had no way of escaping the advancing army on the Vanni (east) front early last year by taking a boat due to heavy naval presence backed by 24-hour monitoring by the SLAF and navy technical sources.

Continue reading "None of the Passengers on MV"Sun Sea" are ex-LTTE combatants" »

Posted by transCurrents at 06:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Send Them Back an Old, and Awful, Refrain

by Bob Rae

Canadians have been caught up in the drama of the arrival of a small boat with 500 people aboard. They have travelled for several months on the Pacific Ocean, turned away in Thailand, Australia, and given the cold shoulder everywhere else until they reached the western shore of Vancouver Island, escorted by the Canadian navy.

Bob Rae MP (Toronto Cenre)

Continue reading "'I’m less inclined to take Sri Lanka govt conclusions about who’s on the boat and why they’re there' - Bob Rae" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

By Shihar Aneez

HAMBANTOTA Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Sri Lanka flooded a new port on Sunday, built with Chinese assistance as part of a $6 billion drive to rebuild the island nation's infrastructure after a quarter century of war.

~ click on pic for larger image ~ Sri Lankan dancers perform at the site of A new port under construction at the southern town of Hambantota on August 15, 2010, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse presided over a ceremony marking the commencement of the building of sea walls of the 1.5 billion dollar Chinese-founded construction~pic:Getty images~Daylife

Continue reading "Sri Lanka launches new port built with Chinese loan" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

by C. L. Cook

The small boat, traveled from across the world recently, its passengers a desperate collection of men, women, and children fleeing brutal repression in the wake of a failed popular uprising, has provided Canada an opportunity to define for itself just of what it is constituted and for what it will stand.

Continue reading "The Battle to Define Again the Soul of Canada" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

by Harsha Walia

From the Komagata Maru carrying 376 Punjabi passengers and the SS St. Louis travelling with 900 Jewish asylum seekers, to the boats with 600 people from China's Fujian province and the Ocean Lady that docked in B.C. last year with Tamil refugees - there is something about boatloads of migrants that triggers a national hysteria. Perhaps it is the realization that the expanse of ocean is not enough to enforce the divide between the West and the so-called Third World.

Harsha Walia ~ Harsha Walia has a law degree and is a local activist with, among other social justice groups, No One Is Illegal.

Continue reading "Why we Canadians should welcome boatful of Tamil refugees" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

by Bob Russell

Working at my desk early yesterday I watched the arrival of the ship of Sri Lankan refugees just as dawn broke.

Passengers of MV Sun Sea crowd the deck after spotting HMCS Winnipeg in open seas. (Photograph altered at source.) MCpl Angela Abbey/DND-MDN Canada

Continue reading "As the ship arrived, feeling proud of Canada" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)

by Tisaranee Gunasekara

The tyrant desires that his subject shall be incapable of action, for no one attempts what is impossible, and they will not attempt to overthrow a tyranny, if they are powerless.” – Aristotle (Politics)

The Samurdhi officials have shown that there is still a way. By refusing to tolerate the barbaric injustice done to a colleague and by using their collective strength to resist the über-power of the power-wielders, they compelled the Rajapaksa regime to digress, however temporarily, from its habit of impunity.

Continue reading "Rajapaksa onslaught on basic rights is a common threat to all our citizens" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

by Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka

He who says A, must say B”. Those who, with good reason, lament the prospect of a new constitution reflective of the dominant ideology and power relations, must also admit and criticise the factor that makes this possible.

Continue reading "If leadership change remains deadlocked the UNP will decay at its centre and disintegrate at its base" »

Posted by transCurrents at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

CHENNAI: Sri Lankan Minister Anandan alias Douglas Devananda has moved the Madras High Court seeking to set aside an order of 1994 declaring him as a ‘proclaimed offender' in a Chennai murder case.

In his petition, Mr.Devananda (55) said the alleged offence took place on November 1, 1986 at Choolaimedu here.

Continue reading "Douglas Devananda wants Madras High Court to set aside "wanted" proclamation against him" »

Posted by transCurrents at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Revisiting Jaffna

BY Dushy Ranetunge

Jaffna remains one of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful cities with the lagoons, the long roads across the sea connecting its many islands, stunning beaches, the calm lagoon like sea, many beautiful Hindu temples, the many excellent centres of education, the Portuguese fort and its gentle peoples who are to a great extent bilingual and perhaps the most hardworking and productive in Sri Lanka.

Continue reading "Sinhala nationalist mind set seems incapable of comprehending what Tamils are articulating" »

Posted by transCurrents at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (42)

by Tisaranee Gunasekara

“A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill….” - George Orwell (Nineteen Eighty-four)

Some months ago, Defence Secretary and Presidential sibling Gotabhaya Rajapakse threatened to send the former Army Commander, Gen. Sarath Fonseka, to the gallows.

Continue reading "Apart from punishing Sarath Fonseka, Rajapakses want to humilate him to the maximum" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

(continued from last week)

Question: So how did the return occur? How and why did you re-join the movement?What was your role during the last days of the war?

Answer: That’s another long story.

I was now out of the movement and leading a quiet life in Thailand with my family.I had no idea of returning to the movement though my wife felt that I would always go back if asked by Prabhakaran himself. [click here to read in full ~ dbsjeyaraj.com]

Posted by transCurrents at 12:10 PM | Permalink

by Anthony Reinhart

Almost as soon as the Sun Sea set sail, two Canadas scrambled to respond – and how they get along could decide the fate of hundreds of asylum seekers, present and future.

Continue reading "Fate of ship steered by two forces – Ottawa and Tamil diaspora" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)

Source: Ministry of External Affairs, Sri Lanka

China welcomes the current situation in Sri Lanka, characterized by durable peace and stability, and looks forward to intensifying its initiatives to offer Sri Lanka every assistance in developing its economy and strengthening its infrastructure, Mr. Li Keqiang, Vice-Premier of China, told Prof. G.L. Peiris, Sri Lanka’s Minister of External Affairs, in Beijing on Wednesday.

Continue reading "Peace and stability enable more vigorous contribution by China to Sri Lanka's economy - Vice-Premier of China" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

by IRIN News

For years, the Tamil Tigers restricted access to the northern areas of Sri Lanka under their control, but after the decades-long civil war ended a year ago, the government relaxed security checkpoints and most NGOs were given access to the war-affected population in the north.

NGOs can play a key role in recovery efforts in the north

Continue reading "NGOs question tighter access to Sri Lanka's north" »

Posted by transCurrents at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

58 US Legislators Call on Secretary Clinton to Support War Crimes Probe in Sri Lanka

Press Release by Tamil American Peace Initiative

Fifty-eight U.S. Members of Congress have signed a letter urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to call for international investigations into alleged war crimes committed during Sri Lanka’s civil war. The Tamil American Peace Initiative (TAPI) has long supported such a probe. TAPI commends the work of the letter’s co-sponsors, Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Jim McGovern (D-MA), and applauds all of the cosigners for supporting an international war crimes probe.

Continue reading "U.S. Members of Congress have made a valiant push towards reconciliation in Sri Lanka - Tamil spokesman" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

One Inquiry ‘Ineffective,’ a Second Raises Concerns

by HRW

(New York) - A US State Department report released on August 11, 2010, shows that Sri Lanka has not yet conducted an effective investigation into laws-of-war violations by government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the final months of the war that ended in May 2009, Human Rights Watch said today.

Continue reading "US Report Shows No Progress on Accountability in Sri Lanka - HRW" »

Posted by transCurrents at 07:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Report To Congress on Measures Taken by the Government of Sri Lanka and International Bodies To Investigate Incidents During the Recent Conflict in Sri Lanka, and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Such Efforts

Office of War Crimes Issues

Report
August 11, 2010

This report is submitted pursuant to the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-117), which directed “the Secretary of State to submit, not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, a report supplementing the Secretary’s October 21, 2009, report on crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka detailing what, if any, measures have been taken by the Government of Sri Lanka and international bodies to investigate such incidents, and evaluating the effectiveness of such efforts.”

Continue reading "Full Text: Evaluating the effectiveness of measures to investigate incidents during conflict in Sri Lanka - Office of War Crimes Issues, US State Dept" »

Posted by transCurrents at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

58 US lawmakers are urging the Obama administration to call for an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes that occurred during Sri Lanka's civil war.

In a letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the members of Congress called for such a probe saying panels set up by the Sri Lankan government to probe the allegations "lacked the needed credibility."

Continue reading "Full Text: Letter signed by 58 US lawmakers urging independent international investigation of Sri Lanka war" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

by Kusal Perera

Latest news on Mervyn caught every one off guard and in total surprise. There were frantic calls on Tuesday night by many who wanted to know, if the news was right. Some one left a comment for an online news on Mervyn’s removal that said, “Don’t do this. This would rob us, of our popular Sri Lankan identity.”

Continue reading "Mervyn Silva must be arrested and produced in courts" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

by Prof. Michael Roberts

The citizens of Thamileelam who struggled out of the inferno of war in the north-east corner of the northern Vanni during the months of January-May 2009 journeyed on foot or boat. During the first few months the escapee refugees got out mostly in dribs and drabs. But circa 20-23 April, and then again in mid-May during the last stages as the LTTE resistance was smashed, two hordes of "Thamileelam people" poured out of the confines of the LTTE corral.

Continue reading "Omanthai! Omanthai! Succour for the Tamil Thousands in Sri Lanka, May 2009" »

Posted by transCurrents at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Independence dawned for Sri Lanka then Ceylon on February 4th 1948. The union jack was lowered and the national flag raised at the stroke of midnight. Even as the flag fluttered proudly four young athletes carrying flaming torches entered the square and ran up the steps of Independence hall. Together they lit the lamp of freedom.

[click here to read in full ~ dbdjeyaraj.com]

Posted by transCurrents at 05:20 AM | Permalink

by Mirak Raheem

In June 2010 the Minister for Resettlement, Milroy Fernando stated that there were 60,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka and that the Government would resettle them by August 2010. With some 30,000 IDPs remaining in Menik Farm at the end of July it would not be impossible for the Government to close the camp down and meet this self-imposed deadline.

Continue reading "Govt focus on resettling "New" IDP's resulting in "Old" IDP"s being overlooked" »

Posted by transCurrents at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

by IRIN News

Parvathi Kumar has no idea whether her son is in detention, or worse. He was abducted by the Tamil Tigers in January 2009, and she has not heard from him in more than a year.

Allagamma Sivam is still waiting for her son to return - pic by: Udara Soysa

Continue reading "Forced into fighting and still missing" »

Posted by transCurrents at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)