சனி, 28 டிசம்பர், 2013

Colombo’s wildlife department appropriates lands in Paddippazhai for Sinhalicisation

Colombo’s wildlife department appropriates lands in Paddippazhai for Sinhalicisation

[TamilNet, Saturday, 28 December 2013, 12:40 GMT]
Colombo government’s Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), deploying Sinhala settlers from Ampaa’rai district and paramilitary known as Home Guards, has put up a fence covering 800 acres of Tamil villages of Batticaloa district. The land appropriation is taking place under the guise of constructing a fence to prevent wild elephants from entering Batticaloa district from the jungles of Ampaa’rai district, according to Tamil National Alliance (TNA) councillor of the Eastern Provincial Council.

The occupying Sri Lanka Army also backs the fencing project.

On receipt of information Mr. Thurairatnam went to the site where Sinhalese from Ampaa’rai district are engaged in constructing fence to ‘prevent’ wild elephants from entering Batticaloa district.

Mr.Thurairatnam said about eight hundred acres of lands owned by Tamil people have been annexed with the Ampaa’rai district by the Colombo government under the pretext that the fence construction takes place at Kachchatkodi Suvaami Malai in Paddip-pazhai Divisional Secretariat division.

The matter was immediately brought to the notice of the Batticaloa District Government Agent and Paddipazhai Divisional Secretary.

They were unaware of the construction of elephant fence appropriating the lands belong to Tamil villagers in the Batticaloa district, Mr Thurairatnam said.

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CPJ calls for immediate release of Indian journalist

CPJ calls for immediate release of Indian journalist

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 December 2013, 20:18 GMT]
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York based media rights group, on Friday called for the immediate release of an Indian journalist and film-maker, Maga Thamizh Prabhagaran who was arrested by the occupying Sri Lankan military and Police in Vanni on Wednesday.

"Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa continually insists that his administration has nothing to hide, yet time and time again, we see authorities harass and intimidate journalists in an effort to prevent them from doing their work," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.

"Sri Lanka should release Tamil Prabhakaran immediately," Joel Simon said.

In the meantime, news sources in Colombo said that the journalist was being subjected to interrogation by the so-called Terrorist Investigation Department of SL Police.

The TID is manned by SL military intelligence operatives who receive direct instructions from the SL Defence Ministry in Colombo.

Chronology:

Sri Lanka’s TID interrogates Indian journalist in Colombo

Sri Lanka’s TID interrogates Indian journalist in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 December 2013, 13:19 GMT]
The journalist from Tamil Nadu, Maga Thamizh Prabhagaran, who was arrested by the occupying SL military and police in Vanni, while he was visiting Ki’linochchi was still under the custody of the ‘Terrorist Investigation Department’ as late as Thursday night, informed sources in Colombo said. Earlier, the SL police spokesman in Colombo had stated that the Mr Thamizh Prabhagaran was being handed over to the immigration authorities for deportation. But, Colombo's TID officers were interrogating the Indian journalist on his contact network in the island by going through his article series that has appeared in Junior Vikatan, the sources further said.

In the meantime, journalist community and the political parties in Tamil Nadu have demanded New Delhi to intervene and secure the safe return of Indian journalist.

MDMK leader Vaiko in an urgent letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged immediate and appropriate measures to be taken through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to release the Indian citizen from Colombo’s custody and to make sure his safe return to Tamil Nadu.

Journalist associations in Chennai were preparing for the next action after sending urgent appeals to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New Delhi.

The occupying SL military interfering in the civil affairs arrested the journalist Maga Thamizh Prabahagaran on Wednesday in Ki’linochchi district while the journalist was talking to the parish priest of St. Antony’s Church at the presence of Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian S. Sritharan and fellow TNA politicians who were on a tour visiting Ponnaave’li and meeting the people there.

The TID department is manned by military intelligence officers, who receive direct instructions from SL presidential sibling and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Chronology:

வெள்ளி, 27 டிசம்பர், 2013

Vadamaraadchi East remembers Tamil tsunami victims

Vadamaraadchi East remembers Tamil tsunami victims

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 December 2013, 16:06 GMT]
Families, relatives and friends of victims who perished in the 2004 tsunami gathered at Uduththu’rai burial grounds on Thursday remembering their loved ones on the 9th anniversary of the devastating catastrophe. The gigantic waves of tsunami claimed the lives of 41,000 people in the island on 26 December 2004 and most of the victims were from eastern and northern coasts of the Tamil homeland. Around 1.5 million people lost their homes in the tsunami. The International Community of Establishments, who failed the victims of tsunami, were not only complicit in Sri Lanka's genocidal onslaught on them in 2009, but they continue to fail the victims of the tsunami and the genocide by allowing the Sri Lankan State to continue the structural genocide on the nation of Eezham Tamils.

On Thursday, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian S. Sritharan, former TNA parliamentarian and Northern Provincial Council member M.K. Sivajilingam and Ananthi Sasitharan of the NPC joined the kith and kin of the victims at the remembrance event in Vadamaraadchi East.
Remembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe


The remembrance of the victims of 26 December tsunami would not be a complete one without remembering the victims of the genocide, reminding the ICE on the injustice it has committed on the nation of Eezham Tamils.

The unitary Sri Lankan State system nullified a crucial Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (PTOMS) agreement mediated by Norway between the parties to the conflict in 2005.

The agreement was nullified as the West, represented in a defined entity known as the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference, failed to take constructive steps in enforcing Colombo to desist from taking the destructive path in nullifying the PTOMS.

Eezham Tamils will never forget how the USA was culpable by encouraging the extremist elements in Sri Lanka to nullify the PTOMS deal.

Eventually, the failure of Post Tsunami conflict management became the failure of the Norway-mediated peace process.

The Sri Lankan Unitary State went the path of de-merging the North and East as it did away with the PTOMS agreement.

A genocidal onslaught was carried out on Eezham Tamils with the complicity of India and the Co-Chair countries.

Today, the International Community of Establishments, absconding from their accountability, continue to talk about ‘war crimes of both sides’ and ‘accountability’ of the parties to the conflict and continue to talk about ‘united Sri Lanka’, while the nation of Eezham Tamils is subjected to an ongoing structural genocide.

Although the UN has admitted its own failure, it continues to escape from its accountability by excusing itself with its own reports stating that it has learned lessons but continues to commit injustice to the victims.
Remembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe


Most of the victims along the coastal belts of Ampaa’rai, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Mullaiththeevu and Vadamaraadchi East in Jaffna peninsula have been denied of proper resettlement as Colombo waged a genocidal onslaught on them, killing and maiming thousands of the tsunami victims.

The families who survived the tsunami catastrophe and the genocidal onslaught are still denied assistance despite the propaganda by the Sri Lankan State that it has ‘developed’ Northern Province with ‘Vadakkin Vasantham’ and the Eastern Province with ‘Kizhakkin vidiyal’ programmes of the so-called Mahinda Chintana.
Remembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe


On top of all these crimes, the nation of Eezham Tamils is being robbed of its territories along the coast in Jaffna, Mullaiththeevu and Trincomalee by the Sri Lankan State as the International Community of Establishments continue to fail the victims by refusing to talk about the territorial integrity of Tamil homeland.

The remembrance of those who perished will also not be complete without remembering the Tamil heroes who were there to rescue a lot of people from the tragedy within minutes.

Targeting the coastal Tamil folk, both in Tamil Eelam and in Tamil Nadu, by creating rift among them, by sealing off the coasts and by bringing in colonisation cum demographic changes are long term strategies of both New Delhi and Colombo engaged in the genocide of Tamils.
Remembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe
TsunaRemembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe
Remembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe
Remembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe
Remembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe
Remembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe
Remembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe
Remembering the victims of 2004 tsunami catastrophe
The Island: No US funds for P-TOMS

Armed men abduct son of leading civil activist in Jaffna

Armed men abduct son of leading civil activist in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 December 2013, 11:49 GMT]
Four masked men carrying handguns have abducted 22-year-old son of the leading fisheries society activist Kanthavanam Sooriyakumaran in the early hours of Thursday at Inparuddi, Point-Pedro, in Jaffna district, according to the relatives of the victim, Thamilamuthan Sooriyakumaran. The abduction took place while Mr Thamilamuthan was alone at his sister’s home, as the family had gone to Vadamaraadchi East to take part in the memorial event held for their children and others who had perished in 2004 tsunami tragedy. Mr Thamilamuthan has already complained to his family and friends that Sri Lankan military intelligence operatives were closely following him during the past few days. His father, Mr Kanthavanam, is the president of the Federation of fisheries societies in the Northern Province.

In an SOS message to his family through SMS, Mr Thamilamuthan wanted immediate help to save him from four masked men, who were carrying handguns. He was reported missing thereafter.

The abduction has taken place between 4:30 a.m. and 6:00 am.

The incident is reported while there were widespread complaints that the SL military intelligence operatives at Point Pedro camp were monitoring the family members of the civil activists in Vadamaraadchi North.

The abductions have started to surface again in different forms in Jaffna. Most of the abductions are taking place silently, as anonymous callers claiming themselves as TID officers warn the families against any complaint or media reports on the incidents.

Only a few of such harassments get reported in media. In some of the cases that get reported publicly, the TID has claimed the persons reported missing as being under arrest. But, many cases go unreported, rights activists in North say.

Even the civil activists, who receive funds from temple societies in the Diaspora to channel funds to the affected victims, get harassed and monitored by the occupying SL military.

While those sitting in the Embassies in Colombo, conveniently manage their geopolitical game through their ‘soft’ interventions, the occupying Sri Lanka keeps inventing new and creative ways to exercise its unchecked hard power on the gagged nation of Eezham Tamils, civil activists in Jaffna complain.

இலங்கையில் இதழாளர் தமிழ்ப்பிரபாகரன் தளையிடப்பட்டார்

கொழும்பில் இருந்து வந்த செய்தியாக உள்ளது.ஆனால், மகா.தமிழ்ப்பிரபாகரன் என இதழாளர் பெயர் குறிப்பிடப்படவில்லையே! இங்குள்ளவர்களே அறியும் பொழுது அவர் அறியாமல் இருப்பாரா? இளையவிகடன் (சூனியர் விகடன்) என்னும் மற்றோர் இதழைச் சேர்ந்தவர்  என்பதால் குறிப்பிடவில்லையா? கடந்த முறை அஞ்சாமல் சென்று காவலர்கள் ஒடுக்க நினைத்த பொழுது படைத்துறையினர் சுற்றுலாப்பயணிதான் என விட்டு விட்டனர். பின்னர் இங்கு வந்து  புலித்தடம் தேடி என அருமையான தொடரை  வெளியிட்டு நூலாகவும் வெளியிட்டுள்ளார். இப்பொழுது அவர் சென்றிருக்கக்கூடாது. எனினும் துணிவுடன் இதழாளர் பணியை ஆற்றும் நோக்கில் சென்றுள்ளார். தேவயானிக்காகக் கூக்குரலிடும் மத்திய அரசு இவரின் உடனடி விடுதலைக்கு ஆவன செய்ய வேண்டும். வழக்கம்போல் அங்குள்ள இந்தியத் தூதரகம் தூங்கிக் கொண்டுள்ளதால் இங்குள்ளோர் மத்திய அரசிற்கு நெருக்குதலைத் தரவேண்டும். தினமணியும் ஆசிரிய உரை எழுத வேண்டும். அன்புடன் இலக்குவனார் திருவள்ளுவன் /தமிழே விழி! தமிழா விழி!எழுத்தைக்காப்போம்! மொழியைக் காப்போம்! இனத்தைக் காப்போம்!/

இலங்கையில் தமிழகப் பத்திரிகையாளர் கைது

இலங்கையின் கிளிநொச்சி பகுதியில் ராணுவ நடவடிக்கைகளை படம் பிடித்ததாகக் கூறி அந்நாட்டு போலீஸாரால் தமிழ்நாட்டைச் சேர்ந்த பத்திரிகையாளர் ஒருவர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார்.
இதுகுறித்து இலங்கை காவல்துறை செய்தித் தொடர்பாளர் அஜித் ரோஹானா கூறியதாவது:
தமிழ்நாட்டைச் சேர்ந்த அந்த நபர் ராணுவ முகாம்கள், சாலைகள், போரினால் பாதிப்புக்குள்ளான கட்டடங்கள் ஆகியவற்றை படம் பிடித்ததற்காக கைது செய்யப்பட்டார். சுற்றுலாவுக்கான விசாவில் அவர் இலங்கை வந்துள்ளார். விசா விதிமுறைகளை மீறியதன் காரணமாக கைது செய்யப்பட்ட அவர், குடியேற்ற அதிகாரிகளிடம் ஒப்படைக்கப்பட்டார் என்று ரோஹானா கூறினார்.
கிளிநொச்சி, 2009ஆம் ஆண்டு வரையில் விடுதலைப் புலிகளின் அதிகார மையமாக விளங்கி வந்தது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது

Colombo arrests Indian journalist touring Vanni

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 December 2013, 01:48 GMT]
A young journalist from Tamil Nadu, Thamizh Mahaapirapaaharan, who was touring in the North was arrested by the occupying Sri Lankan military and the SL police Wednesday noon, while he was talking to the parish priest of St. Antony’s Church in Ponnaavea’li, news sources in Vanni said. The Indian journalist visiting the island on tourist visa was together with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian S. Sritharan, Northern Provincial Council (NPC) member S. Pasupathipillai and Karaichchi Piratheasa Chapai (PS) member S. Thayaparan during the detention, interrogation and arrest, the news sources further said.
Colombo arrests Indian journalist touring Vanni

Colombo arrests Indian journalist touring Vanni
The journalist, who had earlier visited the island and authored an article in Anantha Vikatan, was this time visiting the island on tourist visa to make a round trip as a visitor to North and East.

TNA parliamentarian Sritharan had a meeting with the people of Ponnaave’li around 11:00 a.m. and was visiting Vearavil, Ponnaave’li and Valaippaadu villages in Muzhangkaavil area. The accompanying visitor from Tamil Nadu had also taken some photographs of the living condition of the people in these villages.

More than 50 Sri Lanka Army soldiers surrounded the church around 1:30 p.m. and detained the journalist together with the TNA politicians. The SL military seized the cameras from the politicians and the visitor while the SL police took them to Jeyapuram Police station. After more than 4 hours of the interrogation at the police station, the TNA parliamentarian and the councillors were released after their cameras were inspected. The TNA politicians were later released, but Thamizh Mahaapirapaaharan was detained.

He has been subjected to lengthy interrogations by the SL military intelligence operatives, informed sources said. His communication with outside world has been cut off.

In recent times, the SL military intelligence operatives, deployed in the name of ‘Terrorist Investigation Department’ of the SL police, have been harassing, detaining and deporting journalists and other activists who visit the island in tourist visa and interact with local journalists or politicians in the North and the East.

Questioning the motive of Colombo’s interrogators, the NPC councilor Mr Pasupathipillai blamed the SL military and police for banning the interaction between the tourists and the people in the North. He also questioned why those on tourist visa cannot be present with the democratically elected representatives of the people while they were touring the North.

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வியாழன், 26 டிசம்பர், 2013

Genocide has to be compensated by separation: Sikh politician

Genocide has to be compensated by separation: Sikh politician

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 December 2013, 22:30 GMT]
“Tamils can’t live [in a united Sri Lanka] after the perpetration of the crime of genocide. I think the wounds are too deep historically there to be reconciliation. After a State has committed genocide, there can’t be any reconciliation,” says Simranjit Singh Mann, the president of Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar party, who advocates the formation of Khalistan as an independent and sovereign State for Sikhs, in an exchange of views with May 17 Movement in Tamil Nadu. “Pirapaharan and his movement was too powerful for the Sri Lankan government,” he said, adding that “it was under the collaboration of UPA-led Congress government that the Sri Lanka government was able to achieve and crush the movement for freedom by committing a genocide on the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.”
Simranjit Singh Mann
Simranjit Singh Mann
A major tactic deployed by the Indian State was to make sure that Tamil Nadu didn’t rise up to exert pressure on the Indian Government. This was achieved through wooing collaborators from Tamil Nadu with positions and money, he said.

“The Tamil people would have listened in revolt and in favour of what was happening to the Tamils in Sri Lanka [in 2009]. But, for the fact that these Tamil leaders had been ‘bought over’, this didn’t happen,” the Sikh leader told Tamil activists from Tamil Nadu.

“Government of India rules Tamils of Tamil Nadu and the Sikhs of Punjab through collaborators, in keeping the Tamils and the Sikhs subdued and not letting in the nationalist feelings be turned into votes,” Mr Simranjit Singh said drawing parallels between the genocide against Sikh people and the genocide against Eezham Tamils.

“I came across Mr Vaiko while I was in parliament from 1999 to 2004. But, other than that, the Tamils have not taken up the cause of the Tamil people in [Indian] parliament,” Mr Simrajit Singh said.

“My experience of the Tamil people is that when the Central Government of Mr Sastri [in 1964-66] wanted to impose Hindi all over India and abolish English [as lingua franca], it was the Tamil people who rose up against it. They committed mass suicides. The pressure went up that the Hindi-speaking Northern Indian people had to give up their designs to poise Hindi on all of India,” he said.

The Sikh politician was advocating for the use of electoral politics as a means to demonstrate the democratic will of the people [of Tamil Nadu].

“The Tamil Nadu State and the Tamil people in India will have to help Tamils in Sri Lanka to achieve their independence,” he said.

“Democracy gives legitimacy. If we had elected representatives from Punjab and the other territories, we can pass a resolution and that would be accepted by the world,” he said.

“But, if you try any other methods of gaining independence, the world opinion will go against you. You would be crushed not only by the State from which you want to separate, but the forces, which are operated in the world,” he said.

“Once, the American foreign policy was so great and Woodrow Wilson wanted the right of self-determination and he created Nations after First World War on the principle of nationalities. But today, America doesn’t believe in human rights, it doesn’t believe in the right of self-determination, in the right of people being the masters of their own destiny as sovereign states.

“At the moment, or even during the British period, the Hindus got their independence through Congress and the Muslims got Pakistan through the Muslim League. They did fight the elections and that was the only determining factor on expressing what you want. If the history of our sub-continent to be followed, it was the determination of the people through the elections that made their voice legitimate and acceptable to the rest of the world,” he said.

On a question on whether a policy change was possible in the Indian establishment on the question of Tamil Eelam, he said: “The theocratic State of India is very scared of helping independence movements, because it is so fragile with the Nagas, with the Kashmiris, with the Mizos, with the Tamils and with the Sikhs. If you see the periphery of India, the theocratic State over here rules all these states with the help of the Army and draconian laws, which give impunity to the Army and the police forces to commit crimes on the people. So, I don’t think that the Indian ruling class, the theocrats, they will ever help the Eezham people to separate.”

“I don’t think the attitude of the UN is helpful to freedom movements though on its charter it allows for right to self-determination and the obliteration of the death penalty and things like that. But in practice, it is going along with the rulers who commit these crimes, whether they be anywhere. The UN at this moment of time is going along with the repressive governments.

“Since the elections are near, your organizations should put up candidates who are Tamil nationalists, who want separation, sovereignty and independence. Then only can the crime of genocide perpetrated in Sri Lanka would be recognized. Like the Armenian people and the Armenian genocide, it took years and years for it to be registered in the American Congress and the Senate etc.

“So, if we want Sikh genocide to be registered in international forums, we need to have independent people in parliaments and in the legislatures to speak on this.

“Tamil and Sikh people who are represented at these so-called democratic bodies [in India] do not take up these issues.

“We want Khalistan to be an independent and sovereign Sikh State, which would be a buffer between Islamic Pakistan, Communist China and theocratic Hindu Indian State. Khalistan would ensure peace internally in South Asia, because the theocratic Hindu India, communist China and Islamic Pakistan, are deadly enemies [against each other] and a nuclear war can break out.

“What would be the battlefield for the nuclear war? It is the Sikh territories of Rajastan, Punjab, Hariyana, Chandigarh, Jammu Kashmir and Himachal.

“If a buffer State is created, the Sikhs would also be safe and the Hindus and Muslims who live here would be safe. Apart from that it would create peace in South Asia. For a plebiscite for the right of self-determination, we are in favour of an independent and sovereign state.

Further excerpts from the exchange of views follow:

“The brutality and the perpetration of genocide of the Tamil people has been so severe by the Sri Lankan government that there cannot be any reconciliation after this crime has been committed – just like it was impossible for the Jews to live inside Germany after what they went through in the era of the holocaust during the second world war and Armenia which couldn’t stay with Turkey or any other country – they have to be separated after this. The Sri Lankans have committed enormous crimes on Tamil people living there. The Tamil Nadu State and the Tamil people in India will have to help them to achieve this.

[…]

“The 13th Amendment doesn’t go as far as total independence and sovereignty. It talks about internal settlement […] I don’t agree with that. The Tamil people of Sri Lanka have to be independent. They must be the masters of their destiny after what they have gone through.”

[…]

If there are elections [under 13 Amendment], the people who are elected and who would be put as administrators or chief ministers or whatever you call that, they would become the collaborators of Sri Lanka.

[…]

“We have always been keen about the struggle of Tamil people under Pirapharan and the mobilization for freedom and separation. Our party has followed these events very closely. If you see our website, we have tabulated each and everything from time to time what has been happening in Sri Lanka and to the Tamils.

“It was under the collaboration of India under UPA-led Congress government that the Sri Lanka government was able to achieve and crush the movement for freedom by committing a genocide on the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.

“And the reason was that the Congress Party believed, rightly or wrongly, it was the Tamil people, who had assassinated their leader Rajiv Gandhi. And, they had been working in many ways to have Pirapaharan and some other people extradited from Sri Lanka. Those in the Sri Lankan government wanted to ‘help’ India. But, the fact was that Pirapaharan and his movement was too powerful for the Sri Lankan government and its Army to capture him alive and hand him over to the Indians.

“So, in a plot and conspiracy with the Sri Lankan government, they first bought over the Tamil [Nadu] political leaders like Mr Karunanithy and Mr Chidamparam. Then, by bribing these Tamil leaders, they kept the people of Tamil Nadu from not helping the State movement for the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.

“For instance, Mr Karunanidhi and the Central Government had his daughter in an important post. Mr Raja was given a ministerial post in which they made a lot of money. Mr Chidambaram had also made a lot of money. That is how they suppressed [Tamil Nadu].

“My position is that the Tamil people would have listened in revolt in favour of what was happening to the Tamils in Sri Lanka. But, for the fact that these Tamil leaders had been ‘bought over’, this didn’t happen.”

“The Tamils constitute a separate Nation. They are a separate race. They have their separate Hindu religion. But, they are oppressed by the Brahmins, who have been priests for generations – by the Brahmanical system in India. Tamils have a separate language, separate history, they have a separate school of drama, music, art, and in the history, they have ruled their land and they have been great colonizers in South East Asia.

“And I do believe that the Tamil people should, like the Sikhs, be separated and should have their own sovereign State, like what we Sikhs are fighting for.

“So, we studied the Tamil movement very closely and have been to Tamil Nadu and have given speeches. We have spoken very freely that the Government of India rules Tamil Nadu and the Punjab and the Sikhs through collaborators, who collaborate with the Government of India in keeping the Tamils and the Sikhs subdued and not letting the nationalist feelings be turned into votes.

“Since the elections are near, your organizations, should put up candidates who are Tamil nationalists, who want separation, sovereignty and independence. Then only can the crime of genocide perpetrated in Sri Lanka would be recognized. Like the Armenian people and the Armenian genocide, it took years and years for it to be registered in the American Congress and the Senate etc.,

“So, if we want Sikh genocide to be registered in international forums, we need to have independent people in parliaments and in the legislatures to speak on this.

“Tamil and Sikh people who are represented at these so-called democratic bodies do not take up these issues.

UN offers immunity to Indian diplomat accused of visa fraud

UN offers immunity to Indian diplomat accused of visa fraud

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 December 2013, 21:12 GMT]
In a blatant exhibition of skullduggery and political nepotism, Secretary General of the United Nations (UNSG), Ban Ki Moon, Monday, has approved the appointment to a diplomatic position, a New York-based Indian diplomat, accused of visa fraud, thereby affording her diplomatic immunity from alleged criminal conduct. Earlier, U.N. raised no opposition to UN appointments of Sri Lanka's alleged war criminals, ex-military General Shavendra Silva, under whose command Tamil civilians were massacred, and Palitha Kohona, who has a complaint pending in the International Criminal Court over his complicity the killing of surrendees in the Sri Lanka war. Political observers say U.N. has become a safe haven for friendly states to provide diplomatic protection from past crimes and to whitewash alleged criminal conduct.

However, US remains reluctant to drop visa fraud charges against the diplomat, Devyani Kohobragade, and while she got accreditation from the UN in her current posting at India's permanent mission paving the way for full immunity, observers say, absent a positive acknowledgement from the U.S. State Department, full diplomatic immunity may not be forthcoming.

Observers said that even at high levels of Indian Government, the propensity for doubletalk and misleading the public (and the U.S.) is visible in the Kohobragade case. India's stand was that the remaining dollars not paid to the "servant" was sent to India in Rupees, $350 was deducted for the maid's personal use of the facilities such as telephone, and a whopping 50% of the contractually agree salary was paid in "cash" with signed receipts.

Moon's political closeness to India cannot be not influenced by the fact that Mr. Ki-moon’s daughter is married to a retired Indian army general Siddarth Chatterjee, who also served in the IPKF and who had consistently been writing political opinion pieces in the Indian media against the struggle of the Eezham Tamils, India observers said.

"India, while conspicuosly silent and avoid comment on-going atrocities in the neighboring Sri Lanka, where rape, torture and other crimes against humanity were and are being perpetrated on women by the Sri Lanka state, appears to be flexing its diplomatic muscle to force U.S. to provide exception to India's woman diplomat who is accused of lying and committing visa fraud," Sri Lanka observers say.

Meanwhile, Tamil Naadu former Chief Minister and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi said that he was saddened by the fact that the Indian government was least bothered about the brutal killing of Isaipriya, a Sri Lankan Tamil broadcaster, but showed a lot of interest in the case of Devyani Khobragade, the Indian diplomat in New York, Times of India reported.

Chronology:
ToI: India-US diplomatic row

புதன், 25 டிசம்பர், 2013

More skeletons to be exhumed from mass grave

More skeletons to be exhumed from mass grave in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 December 2013, 20:23 GMT]
Medical experts from Colombo must be present in order to further excavate the recently located mass grave in Mannaar, Sri Lankan police officials said as the work was suddenly stopped on Monday after 11 full human skeletons were recovered from the site at Thirukkeatheesvaram. Northern Provincial Council minister of fisheries Mr Deinswaran, who witnessed the excavation, said the bones bore marks of torture. Local residents said that there were signs that more skeletons were buried under the road, running parallel to the excavated pit. The second largest camp of the occupying Sri Lanka Army in Mannaar was located at the locality from 1993.
Mass graves found in Mannaar
Mass grave site found near Maanthai Junction in Mannaar


In the meantime, residents of Veaddaiyaa-mu'rippu village, feared that some of the Tamil youth reported abducted from their village by the SL military, were the victims dumped in the mass grave.

The excavation of mass grave was carried out with Mannaar Justice Ananthy Kanagaratnam present at the site on Saturday and Sunday. The work was expected to continue on Monday.

A Judicial Medical Officer from Anuradhapura inspected the skeletons on Sunday.

A temporary secretariat was to be established before further excavation, the JMO has requested the courts, the SL police said adding that a team of experts would have to be present to continue the exhumation.
Mass graves found in Mannaar
Mass graves found in Mannaar


Chronology:

Colombo accelerates Sinhalicisation of land link

Colombo accelerates Sinhalicisation of land link between Jaffna and Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 December 2013, 18:25 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lankan military has almost transformed the narrow strip of Chu’ndik-ku’lam sandbar, which links the Jaffna peninsula with Vanni mainland, into a Sinhala Military Zone (SMZ), denying the Tamil fishermen of Vadamaraadchi East and Vadmaraadchi, access to the coastal strip and the seas off Chu’ndikku’lam. While the occupying SL military is carrying out a new kind of Sinhalicisation with settlements for Sinhala fishermen, who endanger the fishing environment, the SL Ministry of Wildlife Resources Conservation has schemed occupation under the so-called extended development of the Chu’ndik-ku’lam Natural Park, bringing 11,149 hectares and a coastal strip of more than 50 square km into the exploitation of Colombo.
Colombo's blueprint for expansion of Chu'ndikku'lam Sanctuary
Colombo's blueprint for expansion of Chu'ndikku'lam Sanctuary into Natual Park [Map courtesy: Integrated Strategic Environmental Assessments (ISEA) - North]


The expansion scheme would also affect the bordering Kaa’ndaava’lai division of Ki’linohchi and Karai-thu’raip-pattu division of Mullaiththeevu district, Tamil civil sources say.
Another map by SL Department of Wildlife Conservation, revealing the extent of Sinhalicisation
Another map by SL Department of Wildlife Conservation, revealing the extent of Sinhalicisation


SL Minister of Wildlife Resources Conservation, Mr Gamini Vijith Vijayamuni Zoysa, last week declared open a modern tourist resort built in Chu’ndikku’lam using 22 million rupees.

EPDP's opposition member of Northern Provincial Council (NPC) and the district organizer of EPDP in Ki’linochchi, Mr Thavanathan, took part in the opening ceremony of the ‘Bear Garden’ resort together with the the SL Government Agent of Ki’linochchi district.

The Tamil families that were residing in Chu’ndikku’lam have been refused resettlement. The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has already seized the public buildings, including the post office building at Chu’ndik-ku’lam.

SL ministry of fisheries and resources development is targeting a corporate occupation from South as part of the Sinhalicisation scheme.

Having access to a major seabed along the narrow coast, Chu’ndikku’lam stood for the major portion of fish supply to Vanni and Jaffna, Tamil fishermen society representatives say.

Stealing the fishing industry from Tamils, Colombo would be exploiting an expected annual fish production from Chu’ndik-ku’lam lagoon alone amounting to 180 MT (Midterm Policy Framework 2013-2016 for Fisheries Sector Development by SL ministry of fisheries and resources development, 2012).

Before the occupation by the SL military, hundreds of Tamil fishermen from nearby villages, Uduth-thu’rai, Thaazhaiyadi and Maruthangkea’ni in Vadmaraadchi East and Vadamaraadchi, used to camp at Chun’dikku’lam on a permanent basis from March to October every year for seasonal fishing.

Between November and January, local and migrant birds frequent the lagoon.
Chundikkulam Nature Park [Photo Courtesy: Snappikz Media, Dehiwala]
Chundikkulam Nature Park [Photo Courtesy: Snappikz Media, Dehiwala]


The SL ministry for wildlife resources conservation has schemed the expansion of the area into a Natural Park, using the funding from UNDP and UNEP in the name of developing 11,149 hectares of the bird sanctuary.

In 2009, the SL military in Jaffna advanced into Chu’ndikku’lam during the last phase of the Vanni war.

Despite the end of war, the SL military has continued constructing military bases in the area.

After seizing the area, the occupying Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) imposed a complete ban on Tamil fishermen accessing their coastal strip for camping. Tamil fishermen are now not allowed to access the sea.

But, Sinhala fishermen were brought in with the backing of SL Navy to engage in fishing. The fishermen from the South were deploying illegal methods of fishing, causing an environmental disaster to the seabed, according to the representatives of fishermen societies in Jaffna.

The occupation and expansion of the occupied land, lagoon and sea is part of a calculated move by Colombo, political observers say.

The latest construction of the resort adding to already open facilities is compared with what has been taking place in Kaangkeasan-thu’rai (KKS) in Jaffna.

Colombo is engaged in strategic Sinhalicisation with an aim of permanently choking the Jaffna peninsula in all the three linking entries to Jaffna from Vanni mainland.

With an aim to convert Poonakari into a major hub of Sinhala militarization and colonization, more than 30,000 SL soldiers have been deployed there.
Sinhala colonisation in Jaffna
Similar to the Vanni war, genocidal Colombo is now hurriedly engaged in a colonisation war against the unarmed and demographically weakened nation of Eezham Tamils. India and USA, which labelled the former as war against terrorism now smokescreen the latter as ‘reconciliation’ and ‘post-war development’. Shown in pink is the targeted area for industrial and fisheries colonisation. The yellow circles are the major SL military colonies. [Map by TamilNet]


At Naavat-kuzhi, where the two highways A9 and A32, the only existing land arteries that lead into Jaffna from the south and the western coast, meet, a small Sinhala colony has been already established with SL military guarding the settlement.

Now, the strategic sandbar linking the mainland with Jaffna is being converted into a Sinhala zone under the so-called ‘Natural Park’ extension scheme.

A deputy director at the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Manjula Amarathna, has taken command of the expansion project, informed civil sources said. Another key area of his focus is Madu Road, a long time plan of Colombo for Sinhalicisation, the sources added.

A coordination project, linking the ministries and various stakeholders, was carried with international assistance, under the name of Integrated Strategic Environment Assessment (ISEA) - North.

The World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Global Environment Fund (GEF) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are providing support to the Sri Lankan ministry of fisheries and resource development as well as the wildlife conservation ministry of Colombo, Tamil civil sources in Jaffna said.

Chronology:

Tamils should guard against from being misled by IC, says Boyle

Tamils should guard against from being misled by IC, says Boyle

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2013, 19:45 GMT]
"Based upon my first-hand personal experiences working with the Palestinians at their peace negotiations and the Bosnians at their peace negotiations, the Tamils cannot trust the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, the European Union and its Member States to do the right thing for them. The Tamils can only trust in themselves,” responded Professor Francis Boyle on Monday, when TamilNet asked him what would be his advice to the Tamil diaspora in engaging with the ‘International Community’. TamilNet posed the question to Professor Boyle following his recent interview on Bosnian ‘peace’ negotiations to the Institute for Research of Genocide, Canada.

[Full text of Prof Boyle's interview to the Institute for Research of Genocide is here.]
Prof. Francis Boyle
Prof. Francis A. Boyle, University of Illinois College of Law
When asked whether ethnicity or nationalism, or socio-economic problems was the main issue of the conflict, Boyle said, "it was outright genocide by Yugoslavia and Milosevic against the Bosnians. They proclaimed independence as was requested by the European Union. The EU put out guidelines and said to Bosnia and Croatia that they needed to have elections. They had elections and they voted for independence and they were hit with genocide and aggression," Boyle told the Canadian organization on Genocide research.

On the behavior of the British representative at the peace negotiations for Bosnia, Boyle said, "I dealt personally with David Owen. He is a typical British, imperialist, establishment, racist individual who believed Muslims were an inferior race of people. We were just supposed to do what he told us to do. I made it clear that that was not going to happen on my watch."

"Europe just did not want a Muslim state in Europe. It was that simple. It went back to the crusades.

[…]

This has to do with anti-Muslim prejudice in Europe going back to the crusades, at least. At that time, before 9/11 2001, we really didn’t have that in the United States. We didn’t have experience with the crusades and all the rest of that. But eventually, Clinton would go along with a carve-up too," Boyle said.

On the conduct of US representative in the talks, Boyle said, "Cyrus Vance was running the show. That was clear. He was the de facto representative of the US Government. Everyone knew that. Even though he technically represented the United Nations, everyone knew that Vance was there speaking pretty much on behalf of the US Government. He had been former Secretary of State. That’s the way people looked at Vance, that he had the backing of the US Government behind him. Of course Vance never said that, to the best of my knowledge, but that is the way people looked at Vance."

External Links:
IRG: Interview with Francis Boyle

SL Police officer threatens rights activist

SL Police officer threatens rights activist Sundaram in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 December 2013, 10:20 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Police Inspector, who is in charge of the Trincomalee Police Station had threatened the head of the committee of missing persons, Mr Sundaram Mahendran, when he went there to make a complaint on the attack on him and the protesters on the Human Rights Day. A squad of masked men, allegedly operated by the intelligence wing of the occupying SL military, attacked the peaceful protest organized on December 10 as the SL police was watching the Sinhala squad’s assault on the demonstrators. Mr Sundaram was wounded in the attack and admitted to the hospital.

In a complaint to the Sri Lankan Inspector General of Police, the rights activist said the police officer threatened to file a lawsuit in the Sri Lankan courts accusing Mr Sundaram of ‘inciting Tamil racism’ through staging the protest.

The Police officer had also threatened the activist blaming him for not having secured ‘necessary’ permission to conduct the demonstration, Mr Sundaram stated in his complaint to the SL IGP.

In the meantime, Tamil rights activists in Trincomalee told TamilNet that a detailed report on the assault will be submitted to the United Nations office in Colombo.

The document will also be sent to UN Secretary General and Human Rights High Commissioner.

Chronology:

DNA testing, a persistent threat to Colombo

DNA testing, a persistent threat to Colombo on genocide culpability

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 December 2013, 18:08 GMT]
While in the western liberal democracies advanced DNA-based evidence collection has been the staple of modern crime investigations since the advent of DNA testing in 1985, in Sri Lanka DNA testing on Tamil victims have been systematically blocked by Colombo likely as part of the politically sanctioned strategy and forced on the subservient judicial branch to suppress evidence of Sinhala military criminality. While the blocking of Maanthai skeletal findings is the latest in Colombo's involvement in suppressing possible military complicity, the results of the DNA testing of the body of the popular Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Jim Brown, whose mutilated torso was found at Pungkudutheevu sea on 14 March 2007, was also suppressed by Colombo. Colombo media, under direct and indirect threat from Rajapaksas, self-censored the coverage of the Brown story in 2007.
Fr. Jim Brown
Fr. Jim Brown
DNA testing completed at the Ragama General Hospital in Colombo on Fr. Brown's body confirmed that the mutilated body found at Pungkudutheevu sea packed in a military sand bag, belonged to the disappeared Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Jim Brown, independent, unofficial hospital sources told TamilNet soon after the testing was complete.

The Medical legal officer at the hospital confirmed that blood samples from Fr Brown's parents and remains of Fr Brown's body parts were received by the hospital and the hospital would soon be completing the DNA identification.

While the the Kayts Court Judge was waiting for the official confirmation on the findings to be released by the Ragama hospital, the Hospital failed to submit the DNA report to the Kayts court.

"DNA signature obtained from biological material (skin, hair, blood and other bodily fluids) has emerged as the most reliable physical evidence at a crime scene, in the last few decades. While genocide-related DNA details will likely involve unearthing what is possible from the remnants of mass graves from the deliberate military acts of concealing, and/or destroying the evidence, individual cases of intervening in DNA testing to avoid possible criminal culpability has been a distinct hallmark of the current Rajapakse regime. International community cannot be blind and immune to such blatant acts by Colombo, and have to intervene to fulfill the moral and legal obligations," a spokesperson for Tamils Against Genocde (TAG-US), an activist organization said.

"Similar to the legal and political lobbying action being taken on the ACF case where 17 Tamil aid workers were allegedly killed by the Sri Lanka military, and on the Trinco-5 case, where five innocent Tamil students, all under 20, were shot dead by Sri Lanka military, expatriate Tamils should raise the profile of the Fr. Jim Brown's case in the international arena," TAG said, adding, "the evidence of the DNA report will likely be still available in hospital records, or evidence can be detected on possible illegal spoliation, or a disgruntled/morally superior Ragama hospital employee might be willing to give verbal testimony."

Rev.Fr. Thiruchelvam Nihal Jim Brown, 34, Parish Priest of Allaippiddy and his aide Wenceslaus Vincent Vimalan, 38, disappeared on 20 August 2006 after being interrogated by the Sri Lanka Army at Ma'ndaitheevu checkpoint.

The Catholic clergy and Jaffna residents organized several protest actions urging the SLA to release information on the disappearance. The special envoy to the Pope too visited Jaffna in this regard.

Three US authors describe successful application of a DNA-led identification system for the victims of Srebrenica. To date, almost 4100 individuals related to the Fall of Srebrenica in July of 1995 have been identified, almost all of whom were Bosniaks. Without DNA testing, very few of these victims could have been identified.
Srebrenica massacre of 6 Bosnian Muslims
Srebrenica massacre of 6 Bosnian Muslims
Forensic DNA testing provided critical evidence that was used to hold individuals and nations accountable for crimes against humanity and genocide, the US authors write. The rapid advances in the understanding and application of not only the science of forensic DNA testing, but also its legal-judicial implications, permits such testing to be used in a new context – to help deter violence, systematic rape, and genocide, according to the paper.

Srebrenica became synonymous with genocide and also serves as the example of how large numbers of DNA-led identifications can bring accountability on both individual and national scales, authors of referenced report say. During one week an estimated 7000-8000 mostly Bosniak men went missing in the Srebrenica area and Units of the Army of Republika Srpska were accused of the massacre. While Srpska denied the killings, as mass graves began to be uncovered that contained hundreds of bodies and body parts, the once stead-fast denial of human right violations gave way to overwhelming evidence of large-scale killings of what appeared to be unarmed civilians, the report said.

Chronology:


External Links:
NIH: Developing Role of Forensics in Deterring Violence and Genocide
Time: A Brief History of DNA Testing

Colombo sabotages DNA testing

Colombo sabotages DNA testing on skeletal remains from mass graves

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 December 2013, 17:29 GMT]
A new site of a mass grave was located this week in Mannaar, 75 meters from Maanthai junction towards Thirukkeatheesvaram, in an area that has been under the control of the occupying Sri Lanka Army since 1990 to the end of Vanni war. Such discoveries, which get highlighted as news stories, do not get proper investigative follow-up by the media, complain legal activists in Jaffna. Observing the pattern of systematic sabotage by the Colombo-centric Sri Lankan justice system on similar discoveries of mass graves in North in the past, Tamil lawyers say all requests for forensic examinations forwarded to Colombo by the SL courts in North and East get blocked in Colombo.

“Everything gets stopped in Colombo. There has been no single action on any request for DNA analysis on the recent discoveries of mass graves in Jaffna,” a lawyer who didn’t wish to be named told TamilNet.

There should be efforts by independent groups to send such skeletal remains outside the island for inspections in the future, the lawyers say.

A mechanism should be evolved to do this in a clandestine manner, as the Sri Lankan system would not allow it. However, the process should be credible enough to meet the standards of any future investigation on Sri Lanka at international level.

There is no use of demanding justice from a genocidal system to document the evidences, the lawyers say.

When the water supply workers were laying a pipeline along the roadside near Maanthai junction, they located two skeletal remains. Later, there were more than 10 skeletal remains found at the mass grave.

Similar graves were located in Jaffna inside the former ‘High Security Zone’ surrounding the military bases. Abducted Tamils were taken into cells operated by the SL military intelligence operatives. The victims were tortured and executed and dumped inside the abandoned wells, toilet pits or inside the bunkers dug for the purpose of doing away with the victims.

Chronology:

Jayalalithaa voices against Indian complicity

Jayalalithaa voices against Indian complicity, but considers Eezham Tamils as ‘minority’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 December 2013, 21:35 GMT]
India's “insensitive policy” and “overt act of defence cooperation with Sri Lanka”, which totally ignores the impact it may have upon not just the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, but the direct effect on the right to livelihood of the Tamil Nadu fishermen, said Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Ms J Jayalalithaa in a strongly worded letter to Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday. Indian Coast Guard is allowed to participate in a marine defence exercise and has deputed ships, officers and men to Trincomalee, to participate in an exercise, despite repeated calls from Tamil Nadu to issue a clear policy direction that the Ministry of Defence should not provide training, or engage in any form of co-operation with the Sri Lankan Armed Forces that were responsible for rights violations against “Tamil minority” in the island Ms Jayalalithaa said.
Ms. Jayalalithaa
Ms. Jayalalithaa
Eezham Tamils are a nation of own country in the island and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister referring to them as ‘minority’ is undermining the fundamentals of the struggle and is hurting, commented Tamils for alternative politics in the island, while welcoming her voice against the New Delhi Establishment on its military complicity with the genocidal state in Colombo.

The ‘minority’ perspective goes against the spirit of the resolutions passed by the Tamil Nadu State Assembly under the leadership of Ms. Jayalalithaa, the activists commented.

The structural genocidal situation in the island has now reached a point where the ‘minority’ perspective will have no effect at all. Every day allowed for the Colombo regime to rule over the Tamil territory is a step further in irrevocable genocide and this is engineered and carried out with full consciousness by the Establishments in New Delhi, Washington and London. Only a practical and drastic step taken up by Tamils all over the world, especially in Tamil Nadu, could save the situation, the activists further commented.

The activists also cited at the PPT not completing the investigation on the intent and involvement of New Delhi in the genocide of Eezham Tamils in the island and said that Tamil Nadu has a prime duty in bringing them to light.

* * *

Full text of the letter from Ms Jayalalithaa follows:

“Over the last two years, I have written to you a number of times bringing to your notice the deep, widespread and strong sentiments amongst all sections of Society and all shades of opinion in Tamil Nadu on the need to hold the present regime in Sri Lanka to account in the aftermath of the ethnic civil strife in Sri Lanka, which was marked by an ethnic pogrom and genocide against the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has already passed four Resolutions condemning the continuing discrimination against the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka and violation of their human rights and calling for strong response from the Government of India.

“The present Sri Lankan regime is also persisting with its harsh and unreasonable policy of launching punitive and totally unprovoked attacks upon innocent Tamil Nadu fishermen eking out their meagre livelihood by fishing in their traditional fishing waters. Such attacks and abductions are followed by extended periods of detention in Sri Lankan jails, confiscation of boats, fishing nets, and other fishing gear thereby causing extensive economic losses, reducing them to penury and condemning the fishermen and their families to considerable mental agony. The entire fishermen community in Tamil Nadu is agitated over the acts of indiscriminate abduction of our fishermen on the high seas and their prolonged incarceration in prison.

“Please refer to my letters dated 16.7.2012, 25.8.2012, 28.8.2012 and 8.6.2013, wherein I had unambiguously conveyed the deep sense of outrage of the people of Tamil Nadu regarding the imparting of training to Sri Lankan defence personnel at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, located in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. While communicating Tamil Nadu’s strong protest, I had urged that the Government of India should issue a clear policy direction that the Ministry of Defence should not hereafter provide training, or engage in any form of co-operation with the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, until satisfactory and credible action is taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to completely stop the human rights violations against the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka and end the unprovoked and marauding attacks on fishermen from Tamil Nadu. I had also written to you on 11.9.2013 that the Government of India should cancel the agreement to supply naval warships to Sri Lanka and ensure that no support of any kind is provided to the Sri Lankan military forces. Most recently on 30.11.2013, I had written to condemn the insensitive proposal made by the Indian Chief of Naval Staff to enroll Sri Lankan Navy personnel in the four year Bachelor of Technology course currently offered to Indian Naval officers.

“I am, therefore, totally dismayed to note from media reports that the Indian Coast Guard is participating in a marine defence exercise and has deputed ships, officers and men to Trincomalee, to participate in this exercise which is reported to be commencing there on 21st December, 2013. This is in complete and callous disregard of the strong views and emotions of the people of Tamil Nadu clearly and unambiguously conveyed to the Government of India, in my letters referred to above, through Assembly Resolutions and through protests, agitations and demonstrations by the people of Tamil Nadu.

“However, the Government of India has still chosen to ride rough shod over the groundswell of emotions in Tamil Nadu and has persisted with its policy stance towards Sri Lanka. In fact, the Government of India has extended on open hand of co-operation to the Sri Lankan Navy through the defence related exercise. This is the same Sri Lankan Navy which continues to prey upon innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu with impunity and subjects them to abduction, arrest, torture and long periods of detention. Such an overt act of defence co- operation with a nation that puts down its own hapless Tamil minority citizens and perpetrates serious human rights violations upon them, can only be termed as outrageous and condemnable.

“I wish to convey our strong protest against this insensitive policy of defence co-operation with Sri Lanka, which totally ignores the impact it may have upon not just the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, but the direct effect on the right to livelihood of the fishermen in the coastal districts of the State. I, therefore, request you to urgently review this policy and instruct the Ministry of Defence not to participate in the naval exercises in Sri Lanka and to immediately recall the two Indian Coast Guard ships and personnel.

“May I request an urgent response on this sensitive issue?”

Colombo seeks genocidal subordination

Colombo seeks genocidal subordination through military indoctrination of students

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 December 2013, 12:21 GMT]
A Tamil student from Aaraip-pattai (Aaraiyampathi) in Ma’nmunaip-pattu division of Batticaloa district was rushed to the hospital in serious condition on Saturday, when he attempted to commit suicide by self-poisoning just a few hours before he was supposed to travel to the notorious Minneriya camp of the occupying SL military to attend an enforced indoctrination programme for all new students in order to become eligible for university entrance. The SL military is conducting a genocidal subordination in addition to the psychological pressure. There are students who lost their hard earned university admission as they were not able to secure the money needed to spend on meeting the demands of the military indoctrination programme, under the so-called ‘leadership’ indoctrination, the students from East say.
SL military training to University students
A section from the letter sent to Tamil students by Dr Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne, the Secretary of Ministry of Higher Education in Colombo


23,125 students eligible for university entrance under 86 various disciplines throughout the island are to undergo the SL military run indoctrination programme in 21 military camps in three different batches at each camp. The programme lasts for 3 weeks for each batch. Around 8,000 students were ‘trained’ at the military localities across the island in November - December 2013.


In the first batch, 600 Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim students were subjected to the indoctrination programme at the ‘Infantry Training Centre’ of the SL military at the notorious Minneriya camp, where those abducted by the SL military intelligence were earlier taken before they were either slain or subjected to indefinite detention. The SL military also runs so-called rehabilitation programme for former LTTE members at Minneriya.

The training programme for the first batch started on 25 November at Minneriya. On the very first day, the SL military instructors displayed certain photos from the final days of genocidal onslaught on Vanni targeting to inject feelings of inferiority among the Tamil students while making the Sinhala students celebrate a ‘military victory’ singing ‘victory songs’ in Sinhala in a follow-up ‘cultural’ programme a week later.

The SL military instructors verbally abused the Tamil students, who walked out from the show. They had also warned the students that they would ‘identify’ and ‘abduct’ the ‘unruly students’ outside and warned the students ‘not to spoil’ their future.

Following this, the SL military instructors gave a Tamil student from the Faculty of Engineering in Jaffna a harsh military punishment by instructing him to walk round the playground wearing only his underwear. The ‘punishment’ was meted out on the Tamil student stating that he had ignored the ‘procedure’ to cover himself with a towel when changed his underwear inside the male hostel.
SL military training to University students


While claiming that the military training was seeking a ‘positive thinking’ what takes place in reality was the indoctrination of ‘genocidal thinking’ on Sinhala students, Tamil students who have gone through the first batch have said.

The SL military carried out a genocidal onslaught on the nation of Eezham Tamils, and the so-called military victory was made possible by the powers and countries that abetted the Colombo regime, was the lesson they had learned by going through the SL military’s genocidal training programme, the Tamil students in Batticaloa said.

Every day, given to the Colombo government to rule over Tamils is another ‘milestone’ in the genocide. But, that is what the genocide partners cum engineers sitting in Washington, London and New Delhi want to happen, commented Tamil university student circles and those who watch the new Sinhala military capital taking shape in Valikaamam North of Jaffna.
SL military training to University students
All the instructors are Sinhala military inspectors and the training is conducted at 21 military facilities across the island

SL ‘military’ governor threatens protesting health volunteers in Jaffna

SL ‘military’ governor threatens protesting health volunteers in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 December 2013, 16:45 GMT]
234 health volunteers, who have been serving the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for more than 5 years, have been agitating for the past 8 days in front of the hospital demanding permanent employment as the occupying Colombo government has created a new ‘development’ outfit named ‘Jaffna Hospital Development Society’, which has been attempting to fill the vacancies of porters and other assisting employees with persons favoured by EPDP paramilitary. On Thursday, when the volunteers decided to step up their agitation into fast-unto-death campaign the SL ‘Military’ Governor in North, Maj Gen (retd) GA Chandrasiri has threatened the volunteers to give up their strike, medical sources in Jaffna said.

The health volunteers have been helping the hospital during the times of war and were only receiving around 134 rupees (1 USD) per day through first aid charities such as St Johns Ambulance.

Most of them are family members who are dependent on the income they get from the ‘volunteer’ work.

The administration of the Teaching Hospital of Jaffna falls under the ‘Central Government’ in Colombo.

In the meantime, the recently established ‘development’ outfit has favoured EPDP supporters to be employed for the announced vacancies.

The volunteers who have been serving the hospital from admitting patients to wards to taking care of transport and supply work as demanded by the medical wards launched a protest demanding that the health volunteers who have been serving the hospital should be given preference in the employment.

The EPDP-backed outfit in turn responded with demanding educational qualifications to side-line most of the volunteers from permanent employment.

However, due to the continued struggle, the health ministry officials offered to reserve 80 posts to the volunteers. However, the allocation only covered 20 of the 234, the volunteers said vowing to step up the protest until an acceptable number of posts were allocated to the volunteers.

Earlier this week, EPDP's Jaffna District Organiser K.V. Kuhendran alias Jehan, created controversy when he threatened the protesters telling them that SL military personnel would be used as volunteers if the volunteer workers didn't call off the protest.

On Thursday, Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran, who was seen at the hospital, disappointed the protesters as he failed to visit the scene of the protest.

However, Dr. P. Sathiyalingam,the NPC Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine, who met the protesters told them that NPC had no say in the matter as their employment issue comes under the Sri Lankan Health Ministry in Colombo.

Civil activists condemn Colombo for detaining Tamil youth under PTA

Civil activists condemn Colombo for detaining Tamil youth under PTA

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 December 2013, 16:12 GMT]
More than 100 civil activists from all walks of life, including religious dignitaries, human rights activists, journalists, writers and academics, both from within and outside the island, have strongly condemned the Government of Sri Lanka for the continuous detention of 7 Tamil youth under the so-called Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) since their arrest during the last week of November following the Tamil Heroes Day observations in Jaffna and Mannaar. The aactivists said that they were concerned as the arrests were unfounded and only served to perpetuate the climate of fear and insecurity of the people of the North.

Four rights groups, Human Rights Office, Mothers and Daughters of Lanka, Networking for Rights in Sri Lanka (NfR) and Women's Political Academy, have also signed the statement, which was issued on Thursday.

The activists have called on the Sri Lankan Government to:
  • Release with immediate effect all four youth arbitrarily arrested and detained from Jaffna
  • Investigate into the Jaffna incident and hold all the officers responsible for the brutal assault and arrest of the four youth
  • In the absence of clear evidence linking them to an alleged crime, release with immediate effect the remaining three detained youth from Mannar
  • Ensure their right to equality before the law, freedom from arbitrary arrest and right to due process, which includes the right to legal assistance and visits by their family members
  • Ensure the safety, and physical and mental welfare of the youth currently held in detention, including access to medical care
  • Put an immediate halt to any further arrests under the PTA, acts of intimidation, harassment and reprisals carried out by the TID and the military
  • Repeal the repressive PTA with immediate effect



Raveendran Kajeepan (21), Alfred Piratheepan (30), Murukaiya Ashokkumar (35) and Nageswarasri Yarsan (22) from Jaffna, and the arrest and continued detention of three other youth* from Mannar, by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) between the 25th and 27th of November, 2013.

Families of the three youth in Mannaar did not want to reveal the identities of their sons for fear of reprisal. Following their arrests, Sri Lankan intelligence officers had visited the homes of those arrested in Mannaar and warned their families to not pursue any course of legal action, as this would prolong their detention.

The statement condemning the detention of 7 Tamil youths also records the incidents in Jaffna and Mannaar as follows:

The Jaffna Incident

On the 25th of November, at approximately 7pm, the four youth mentioned above had been engaged in a conversation near the Sooduvandhaan junction, on Naamagal Road, Tellippalai (approximately 30m away from their homes,). A cut-out of President Mahinda Rajapakse had been erected near this junction several months ago. Since then, the cut-out had toppled over and torn due to the number of heavy vehicles travelling along the Naamagal Road. Subsequently, some locals from the area had propped the cut-out against a nearby fence.

On the 25th of November, a passing patrol of four military personnel on bicycle, had stopped and inquired as to what the four youth were doing at the junction. Before the youth could respond, the patrol had pointed to the cut-out of the President and accused the four youth of damaging it. They had then proceeded to severely assault the youth. At this point, a crowd of locals, neighbours and relatives had gathered at the junction, where the Grama Sevaka too had arrived.

The Grama Sevaka had attempted to explain to the military personnel that the cut-out had already been damaged, and that the four youth were not responsible for its condition. He had further stated that the youth would reinstall the cut-out, if the military would stop the assault. The military personnel had agreed to the Grama Sevaka’s request. Thereafter, the crowd had borrowed hoes from a neighbouring house, and the four youth had restored the fallen cut-out to its original place.

Once the cut-out had been restored, the military personnel were seen speaking on their mobile phones. Soon after, they had assaulted the four youth again and forced the youth to remove the cut-out, whilst photographing them in the process. The military had then thrown the cut-out on to the street, further damaging it. Having then taken photographs of the damaged cut-out as well, the military had summoned the police and handed over the four youth to them.

The police had made no further inquiries, and merely handed over the youth to the TID. The four youth were then taken to the TID office in Vavuniya, and are currently being detained at the Boosa Detention Centre. They have not been produced before the Magistrate Court as yet.

Given the above details, the arrest and detention of the four Jaffna youth is clearly arbitrary and illegal. Furthermore, the unprovoked assault of the four youth by officers of the State, for no legitimate reason, amounts to torture and inhuman and degrading treatment, which is in clear violation of the International Convention Against Torture (ICAT), which Sri Lanka has acceded to in 1994.

Raveendran is a refrigeration technician, Piratheepan is a sales van driver at a business establishment, Ashokkumar assists his father in his masonry and Yarsan assists his father in his carpentry.

Mannar Incident

On 26th November, the Mannar police arrested a Tamil youth for allegedly graffiting ‘Maaveerar Naal’ on a wall in Murunkan. On the 27th, the police arrested another two Tamil youth, claiming that they were acting on information provided by the youth arrested on the previous day. All three youth are also currently being detained at Boosa. These three youth were produced before the Mannar Additional Magistrate on Friday 13th December, and have been remanded for a further 14 days. They will be produced in court next on the 27th of December.

In a separate incident, also on the 26th of November, Thiruchelvam Kristhuraja, a father of two, from Vaalkaipetrankandal, Murunkan, Mannar, was summoned to the Murunkan Police and subsequently arrested on alleged charges of being a former LTTE cadre. He was then handed over to the TID in Vavuniya, and is currently being held at the Boosa Detention Center. His family claims he is weak and ailing.