Jeremy Page: analysis
When President Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka declared victory over the Tamil Tigers in May, he reached out to the Tamil minority that the defeated rebels had claimed to represent over 26 years of civil war.
Speaking in Tamil, as well as his native Sinhalese, he told Parliament in Colombo that the war against the Tigers was not a war against the Tamil people, and declared that everyone in Sri Lanka should live with equal rights.
Since then, however, he has done little to convince Sri Lanka’s three million Tamils — let alone the 74 million-strong diaspora — of either of those points, and has, in fact, tolerated or condoned much to persuade them that the opposite is true.
In the celebrations that followed his victory, he appeared to revel in comparisons to King Dutugemunu, a legendary Sinhalese sovereign who routed a rival Tamil monarch and unified Sri Lanka.
More than six weeks after the Tigers’ defeat, his Government still has not allowed UN staff and aid workers unfettered access to the 300,000 ethnic Tamil refugees in army-run internment camps.
Critics of the Government continue to be harassed and intimidated, the most recent example being a popular astrologer who was arrested last week after predicting that Mr Rajapaksa would lose power in September.
This week, his Government announced that it planned to add another 50,000 people to its armed forces — already at a record strength of more than 350,000, almost all Sinhalese.
In its defence, the Government says that it has set a date of August 8 for elections to representative bodies in the Vavuniya and Jaffna areas, as part of a broader plan to democratise the Tigers’ former territory.
However, if the Government continues to indulge Sinhalese nationalists, drag its feet on resettlement, harass its critics and spend public money on the military rather than reconstruction, even moderate Tamils say that the elections will be a meaningless gesture.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6626658.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093
Friday, July 3, 2009
Collection of information on Sri Lankan war victims
Collection of information to collate evidence from Sri Lankan war victims of events since 1956 to present, mainly of 2009 events is being co-ordinated all over the world by the international organisation, Centre of War Victims and Human Rights (CWVHR).
Two information collection sessions on 4th July and 11th July across all States in Australia is being co-ordinated by the Centre of War Victims and Human Rights (CWVHR) and the Australians for Human Rights of the Voiceless (AHRV).
The evidence collection is the first step towards pursuing action to bring the perpetrators to justice for war crimes. The information is being collected regarding relatives or close friends who have been killed, tortured, raped, injured, lost property, disappeared or held in concentration camps.
In Canberra, this data collection will take place at the Tamil Senior Citizens Hall at 11 Bromby Street, Isaacs on Saturday July 4th between 1 and 5pm and on Saturday July 11th between 9am and 1pm. The data in other states will also be collected on the 4th and 11th of July between 1 and 5 pm at the following data collection centres:
NSW: Homebush Boys High School, Bridge Street, Homebush.
Vic: Vermont South Community House, Karobran Drive, Vermont South
Qld: Brisbane Activist Centre, 74b Wickham St, Fortitude Valley
WA: 6, 3rd Avenue, Rossmoyn
The sensitive information will be collated in a secure database by volunteers who have taken the oath of confidentiality and in professional manner to meet international standards.
Full text of the relevant media release:
Australians for Human Rights of the voiceless
MEDIA RELEASE
The international organisation, Centre of War Victims and Human Rights (CWVHR) and the Australian organisation, Australians for Human Rights of the Voiceless (AHRV) have organised two information collection sessions in Australia to collate evidence from Sri Lankan war victims of events since 1956 to present (but mainly 2009). This initiative is being co-ordinated across all States in Australia, as well as in New Zealand, France, Switzerland, Canada, UK, USA, etc.
The sensitive information will be collated in a secure database by volunteers who have taken the oath of confidentiality and in professional manner to meet international standards. Information is collected in accordance with the Human Rights Information and Documentation System (HURIDOCS) format, which also meets UN standards.
The evidence collection is the first step towards pursuing action to bring the perpetrators to justice for war crimes. The information is being collected regarding relatives or close friends who have been killed, tortured, raped, injured, lost property, disappeared or held in concentration camps.
Over the past 50 years, the minority Tamil community in Sri Lanka have been the victims of a genocide campaign waged by the Sri Lankan government. There are many horrific stories to tell, from the systematic riots that have taken place against the Tamils since Sri Lanka’s independence from Great Britain (UK), culminating in 2009 alone resulting in 25,000 deaths, 20,000 amputees and 300,000 Tamils languishing in concentration camps with even the ICRC and UNHCR not allowed full access.
In Canberra, this data collection will take place at the Tamil Senior Citizens Hall at 11 Bromby Street, Isaacs on:
Saturday July 4th between 1 and 5pm; and
Saturday July 11th between 9am and 1pm.
The data in other states will also be collected on the 4th and 11th of July between 1 and 5 pm at the following data collection centres:
NSW: Homebush Boys High School, Bridge Street, Homebush.
Vic: Vermont South Community House, Karobran Drive, Vermont South
Qld: Brisbane Activist Centre, 74b Wickham St, Fortitude Valley
WA: 6, 3rd Avenue, Rossmoyn
Media Enquiries in Canberra: Sam Yamunarajan, ACT Administrator on 0448 250 653
Two information collection sessions on 4th July and 11th July across all States in Australia is being co-ordinated by the Centre of War Victims and Human Rights (CWVHR) and the Australians for Human Rights of the Voiceless (AHRV).
The evidence collection is the first step towards pursuing action to bring the perpetrators to justice for war crimes. The information is being collected regarding relatives or close friends who have been killed, tortured, raped, injured, lost property, disappeared or held in concentration camps.
In Canberra, this data collection will take place at the Tamil Senior Citizens Hall at 11 Bromby Street, Isaacs on Saturday July 4th between 1 and 5pm and on Saturday July 11th between 9am and 1pm. The data in other states will also be collected on the 4th and 11th of July between 1 and 5 pm at the following data collection centres:
NSW: Homebush Boys High School, Bridge Street, Homebush.
Vic: Vermont South Community House, Karobran Drive, Vermont South
Qld: Brisbane Activist Centre, 74b Wickham St, Fortitude Valley
WA: 6, 3rd Avenue, Rossmoyn
The sensitive information will be collated in a secure database by volunteers who have taken the oath of confidentiality and in professional manner to meet international standards.
Full text of the relevant media release:
Australians for Human Rights of the voiceless
MEDIA RELEASE
The international organisation, Centre of War Victims and Human Rights (CWVHR) and the Australian organisation, Australians for Human Rights of the Voiceless (AHRV) have organised two information collection sessions in Australia to collate evidence from Sri Lankan war victims of events since 1956 to present (but mainly 2009). This initiative is being co-ordinated across all States in Australia, as well as in New Zealand, France, Switzerland, Canada, UK, USA, etc.
The sensitive information will be collated in a secure database by volunteers who have taken the oath of confidentiality and in professional manner to meet international standards. Information is collected in accordance with the Human Rights Information and Documentation System (HURIDOCS) format, which also meets UN standards.
The evidence collection is the first step towards pursuing action to bring the perpetrators to justice for war crimes. The information is being collected regarding relatives or close friends who have been killed, tortured, raped, injured, lost property, disappeared or held in concentration camps.
Over the past 50 years, the minority Tamil community in Sri Lanka have been the victims of a genocide campaign waged by the Sri Lankan government. There are many horrific stories to tell, from the systematic riots that have taken place against the Tamils since Sri Lanka’s independence from Great Britain (UK), culminating in 2009 alone resulting in 25,000 deaths, 20,000 amputees and 300,000 Tamils languishing in concentration camps with even the ICRC and UNHCR not allowed full access.
In Canberra, this data collection will take place at the Tamil Senior Citizens Hall at 11 Bromby Street, Isaacs on:
Saturday July 4th between 1 and 5pm; and
Saturday July 11th between 9am and 1pm.
The data in other states will also be collected on the 4th and 11th of July between 1 and 5 pm at the following data collection centres:
NSW: Homebush Boys High School, Bridge Street, Homebush.
Vic: Vermont South Community House, Karobran Drive, Vermont South
Qld: Brisbane Activist Centre, 74b Wickham St, Fortitude Valley
WA: 6, 3rd Avenue, Rossmoyn
Media Enquiries in Canberra: Sam Yamunarajan, ACT Administrator on 0448 250 653
Kohona: ‘Victorious soldiers could have raped every single woman’
Sri Lankan government officials are running a prostitution racket using Tamil women interned in at least one of the militarised camps for displaced people, The Australian newspaper reported Thursday. "It's been brought to the attention of senior government officials but no one seems to be doing anything about it," an aid worker, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, told the paper. In response to the accusations, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Palitha Kohona told the paper: "These (the military) are the guys who were winning the war - they could have raped every single woman on the way if they wanted to. Not one single woman was raped."
"It's hard to know whether it's coercive or not, but there is an average of three families living to a tent and it can be extremely difficult trying to get privacy. You can imagine the military coming in and asking for something in return for more space or more favours," the aid worker said.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Palitha Kohona described the claims as "absolute rubbish", but confirmed the government was investigating the reports, the paper said.
"These (the military) are the guys who were winning the war - they could have raped every single woman on the way if they wanted to. Not one single woman was raped," Kohona told The Australian.
"I am sure in a mass of people there may be individuals who want to make a quick buck one way or another, but you have to remember the tents are so close together you can't do anything without the entire neighbourhood knowing. If you had a racket going, thousands of people would know about it."
A UN official said yesterday many families remained separated in the camps and that men and women believed to be Tamil Tiger fighters were being removed with "no due process or proper documentation, like arrest receipts, given to parents or guardians".
"These issues are of huge concern for us," the official said. "The lack of freedom of movement is a violation of human rights under Sri Lanka's own constitution."
The restrictions have heightened tensions in the camps, including a mass protest in the Ramanathan camp in the northern town of Vavuniya on Sunday in which IDPs tried to break down barbed-wire fences separating one camp zone - and many relatives - from another.
UN Sri Lanka co-ordinator Neil Buhne said camp conditions were slowly improving, thanks to better water and sanitation facilities.
"But the main thing is people are still inside these camps and they can't go anywhere. The government has made public commitments to get 80 per cent of people back to their homes by the end of the year (after separating civilians from the fighters) but that's going to be a difficult target to meet."
Palitha T. B. Kohona, Permanent Secretary to Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Aid workers told The Australian that officials at the internally displaced people's camp in Pulmoddai, a remote northeast region, are running the prostitution ring using women kept in the camp.
"It's hard to know whether it's coercive or not, but there is an average of three families living to a tent and it can be extremely difficult trying to get privacy. You can imagine the military coming in and asking for something in return for more space or more favours," the aid worker said.
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Palitha Kohona described the claims as "absolute rubbish", but confirmed the government was investigating the reports, the paper said.
"These (the military) are the guys who were winning the war - they could have raped every single woman on the way if they wanted to. Not one single woman was raped," Kohona told The Australian.
"I am sure in a mass of people there may be individuals who want to make a quick buck one way or another, but you have to remember the tents are so close together you can't do anything without the entire neighbourhood knowing. If you had a racket going, thousands of people would know about it."
A UN official said yesterday many families remained separated in the camps and that men and women believed to be Tamil Tiger fighters were being removed with "no due process or proper documentation, like arrest receipts, given to parents or guardians".
"These issues are of huge concern for us," the official said. "The lack of freedom of movement is a violation of human rights under Sri Lanka's own constitution."
The restrictions have heightened tensions in the camps, including a mass protest in the Ramanathan camp in the northern town of Vavuniya on Sunday in which IDPs tried to break down barbed-wire fences separating one camp zone - and many relatives - from another.
UN Sri Lanka co-ordinator Neil Buhne said camp conditions were slowly improving, thanks to better water and sanitation facilities.
"But the main thing is people are still inside these camps and they can't go anywhere. The government has made public commitments to get 80 per cent of people back to their homes by the end of the year (after separating civilians from the fighters) but that's going to be a difficult target to meet."
Sri Lanka turning Manik Farm camp into permanent ‘city’ - report
Despite assuring the international community that most Tamils interned in militarized detention camps would be resettled by the end 2009, the Sri Lankan government is turning Manik Farm, the largest barbed-wire ringed site, into a permanent detention centre, The Times newspaper reported Friday. Tamil refugees are being used as forced labour, UN sources told the paper. Aid workers say the site was fast becoming Sri Lanka’s second biggest city after the capital, Colombo. Whilst Sri Lanka blames mines for preventing resettlement, foreign demining agencies say that they have been given access so far to only about 30 sq km of the former Vanni conflict zone.
Aid workers have told The Times that permanent buildings are being erected at the Manik Farm site where the UN says that 230,000 of the refugees are being held.
Refugees involved in the building had asked to be paid but the Sri Lankan government refused, the UN sources told The Times.
Aid workers said that they were able to do humanitarian work in four of six zones at Manik Farm but were barred from two others, including the mysteriously named Zone Zero.
“We’re not allowed to work in these areas,” said Rajinda Jayasinghe, the head of Relief International in Sri Lanka. “But you can see from the outside proper brick-walled buildings going up.”
The Sri Lankan overnment originally proposed holding the Tamil refugees in “welfare villages” for up to three years to check that they were not Tigers, and to clear their villages of mines.
However, after donor nations protested and Tamil MPs and activists compared the barbed wire enclosures to concentration camps, the government promised to resettle 80 per cent of the refugees by the end of this year.
Aid workers said that the new structures violated UN guidelines on temporary refugee shelters, and suggested that the government meant to hold refugees for much longer, the paper reported.
Aid groups’ concerns over the buildings grew last month when the Government proposed giving people in each tent two bags of cement to build their own floors, a leaked document obtained by The Times shows.
At a meeting on June 15, a group of NGOs providing shelter in the camps expressed “strong reservations” about the plans, according to the document.
They said that the proposed concrete flooring was too expensive, provided no protection against flooding and violated UN guidelines on temporary refugee shelters.
“The use of concrete flooring is inconsistent with temporary structures and is one of the recognised criteria of a semi-permanent structure,” the document said. “The use of concrete or screed flooring suggests a commitment by the SLA [Sri Lankan Army] to increased longevity of the IDP sites.”
While the government said it had already resettled 600 families and the army had cleared 100,000 landmines, UN officials say that those resettled are mostly the elderly and children.
Aid workers have told The Times that permanent buildings are being erected at the Manik Farm site where the UN says that 230,000 of the refugees are being held.
Refugees involved in the building had asked to be paid but the Sri Lankan government refused, the UN sources told The Times.
Aid workers said that they were able to do humanitarian work in four of six zones at Manik Farm but were barred from two others, including the mysteriously named Zone Zero.
“We’re not allowed to work in these areas,” said Rajinda Jayasinghe, the head of Relief International in Sri Lanka. “But you can see from the outside proper brick-walled buildings going up.”
The Sri Lankan overnment originally proposed holding the Tamil refugees in “welfare villages” for up to three years to check that they were not Tigers, and to clear their villages of mines.
However, after donor nations protested and Tamil MPs and activists compared the barbed wire enclosures to concentration camps, the government promised to resettle 80 per cent of the refugees by the end of this year.
Aid workers said that the new structures violated UN guidelines on temporary refugee shelters, and suggested that the government meant to hold refugees for much longer, the paper reported.
Aid groups’ concerns over the buildings grew last month when the Government proposed giving people in each tent two bags of cement to build their own floors, a leaked document obtained by The Times shows.
At a meeting on June 15, a group of NGOs providing shelter in the camps expressed “strong reservations” about the plans, according to the document.
They said that the proposed concrete flooring was too expensive, provided no protection against flooding and violated UN guidelines on temporary refugee shelters.
“The use of concrete flooring is inconsistent with temporary structures and is one of the recognised criteria of a semi-permanent structure,” the document said. “The use of concrete or screed flooring suggests a commitment by the SLA [Sri Lankan Army] to increased longevity of the IDP sites.”
While the government said it had already resettled 600 families and the army had cleared 100,000 landmines, UN officials say that those resettled are mostly the elderly and children.
Britain maintains warning against travel to Sri Lanka’s North and East
Updating its travel advisory Wednesday, Britain warned its nationals “against all travel to the north and east of Sri Lanka, and to Yala National Park and the areas around it.” The new advisory was issued with an update on new surveillance measures at Bandaranayake International Airport related to A (H1N1) Swine Flu.
A statement by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said:
“For the purpose of this travel advice we consider the north to be all areas north of the A12 road (which runs from Puttalam in the west to Trincomalee in the east) including the Jaffna peninsula. We consider the east to be the districts of Trincomalee and Batticaloa, as well as coastal areas of Ampara district east of the A25 and A27 roads . We define the areas around Yala National Park as those east of the A2 and south of the A4. See the Terrorism and Local Travel sections of this advice for more details.”
Noting that “the government of Sri Lanka's security legislation provides wide-ranging discretionary powers,” the statement urged nationals to be careful.
“There have been detentions, particularly of people of Tamil ethnicity, including foreign nationals. You should avoid wearing or carrying clothing or goods which are military or camouflaged in appearance. You should ensure that you carry some form of official identification with you at all times.”
“If you are detained, you should ask the authorities to contact the British High Commission,” the statement said.
“Commercial flights in and out of Jaffna are not suitable for tourist travel due to intense security and frequent cancellations of flights leaving the city. The A9 road, which runs east from Jaffna, is closed and there is currently no overland route from Jaffna to the south of the island.”
Amongst the general warnings about traveling about in the rest of the island, the statement noted: “Buses are generally badly maintained and bus drivers often have little or no training. Bus crashes are a regular occurrence.”
“Women, in particular, should be wary of travelling on their own in a rickshaw at night,” it also cautioned.
“Emergency medical treatment in Sri Lanka is not easily available outside main cities, and you may have to be brought to Colombo for treatment. Medical facilities are not always of a standard expected in the UK, particularly outside Colombo. Treatment in private hospitals can be expensive and the options for repatriation to the UK or neighbouring countries in an emergency are limited and very expensive,” the statement said.
A statement by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said:
“For the purpose of this travel advice we consider the north to be all areas north of the A12 road (which runs from Puttalam in the west to Trincomalee in the east) including the Jaffna peninsula. We consider the east to be the districts of Trincomalee and Batticaloa, as well as coastal areas of Ampara district east of the A25 and A27 roads . We define the areas around Yala National Park as those east of the A2 and south of the A4. See the Terrorism and Local Travel sections of this advice for more details.”
Noting that “the government of Sri Lanka's security legislation provides wide-ranging discretionary powers,” the statement urged nationals to be careful.
“There have been detentions, particularly of people of Tamil ethnicity, including foreign nationals. You should avoid wearing or carrying clothing or goods which are military or camouflaged in appearance. You should ensure that you carry some form of official identification with you at all times.”
“If you are detained, you should ask the authorities to contact the British High Commission,” the statement said.
“Commercial flights in and out of Jaffna are not suitable for tourist travel due to intense security and frequent cancellations of flights leaving the city. The A9 road, which runs east from Jaffna, is closed and there is currently no overland route from Jaffna to the south of the island.”
Amongst the general warnings about traveling about in the rest of the island, the statement noted: “Buses are generally badly maintained and bus drivers often have little or no training. Bus crashes are a regular occurrence.”
“Women, in particular, should be wary of travelling on their own in a rickshaw at night,” it also cautioned.
“Emergency medical treatment in Sri Lanka is not easily available outside main cities, and you may have to be brought to Colombo for treatment. Medical facilities are not always of a standard expected in the UK, particularly outside Colombo. Treatment in private hospitals can be expensive and the options for repatriation to the UK or neighbouring countries in an emergency are limited and very expensive,” the statement said.
5000 Vanni IDPs from internment camps moved to Anuradhapura
The Sri Lankan military has relocated nearly 5000 Tamil civilians from Vavuniyaa and Cheddiku'lam internment camps and resetteld them in pre dominant Sinhala village Tharmapuram in Anuradhapu on Tuesday and Wednesday, civil sources said. The SL military officials had told the Tamil civilians that they would be re-settled in their native villages in Ki'linochchi or Mullaiththeevu within 14 days, but the Rajapaksa government, at an all party meeting in Colombo on Thursday, said that it needed time to clear the mines before any resettlement.
The officials in Vavuniyaa said Cheddiku'lam IDP camps were overcrowded and they had to re-locate the civilians before sending them back.
At least six state-owned buses were put in service to ferry the civilians, the sources said.
Tharmapuram is situated 24 kilometres south east off Vavuniyaa along Mannaar Mathavaachchi Road.
Meanwhile, informed sources in Colombo said that the Tamil National Alliance has raised the matter with the Indian High Commission.
The officials in Vavuniyaa said Cheddiku'lam IDP camps were overcrowded and they had to re-locate the civilians before sending them back.
At least six state-owned buses were put in service to ferry the civilians, the sources said.
Tharmapuram is situated 24 kilometres south east off Vavuniyaa along Mannaar Mathavaachchi Road.
Meanwhile, informed sources in Colombo said that the Tamil National Alliance has raised the matter with the Indian High Commission.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
