The Government has ordered a senior United Nation’s official to leave Sri Lanka within two weeks.
James Elder, a senior official with the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), held a visa until July next year to serve in Sri Lanka. He is the first UN official carrying a UN passport with diplomatic status to be asked to leave Sri Lanka. Two week’s time has been given after he appealed from an order to leave immediately.
A UN official said no formal reason had been given for the move by the Sri Lankan government. However, Foreign Office sources, who did not wish to be identified, said the Government was concerned over repeated remarks he had made to the media about Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in particular the conditions of children in camps.
Mr. Elder is the Communications Chief at the UNICEF’s office in Sri Lanka.
Outgoing Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona said Mr. Elder, an Australian, was leaving the country since his visa had expired and he had been granted two weeks time.
“This is not an expulsion but merely the standard procedure that is carried out by the immigration authorities,” Dr. Kohona said without elaborating. Immigration Chief P. B. Abeykoon, however, confirmed that he had been instructed by the government to cancel Mr. Elder’s visa but gave no other details.
At the UNICEF headquarters in New York, senior officials expressed displeasure over the move. They are to raise the issue with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, according to reports reaching Colombo.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Sri Lanka, China are tested friends: Sri Lankan president
Rajapakse made the remarks when he met the visiting delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC), led by a member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and Party chief of China's Tianjin municipality Zhang Gaoli.
Rajapakse said the friendly relationship between the two countries has stood long test and the two countries are tested friends, adding that Sri Lanka has always firmly stood by and will never change its stance on one-China policy.
After conveying greetings of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Rajapakse, Zhang said China appreciated the Sri Lankan government's firm support for the Chinese government's stance on the issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang and human rights.
Zhang congratulated the massive achievement made by the Sri Lankan government on national reconciliation and the development of the country, adding that the Chinese government will continue to support the Sri Lankan government's efforts to defend its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Zhang also expressed his wishes of expanding cooperation between Tianjin municipality and Sri Lankan on the areas of economy, trade, tourism and education, among others.
Zhang also met Maithripala Sirisena, the general secretary of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Karu Jayasuriya, the deputy Leader of the main opposition United National Party on Friday.
The delegation, invited by Sri Lanka Freedom Party, arrived here Friday morning for a two-day good-will visit.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/05/content_11998756.htm
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Over 10,000 people have disappeared from Tamil IDP camps
A report sent by Vavuniya District Secretary S.M. Charles to the Deputy Inspector General of Police in-charge of the IDP camp area states that over 10,000 people have disappeared from the camps after surrendering to the security forces.
A census conducted on the displaced persons in the camp along with the register of names who have initially entered the camps through the security forces has revealed the disappearance of over 10,000 persons.
The security forces after claiming that these people have escaped from the camp have also launched a special investigation to apprehend them. However, sources from Vavuniya say that while most of the disappeared people have been killed, the rest are being held in a secret location.
Sources further observed that armed Tamil political parties and groups affiliated to the government during the past few months had entered the IDP camps and taken thousands of young Tamil boys and girls without entering any records in the books alleging them to have had links with the LTTE.
A census conducted on the displaced persons in the camp along with the register of names who have initially entered the camps through the security forces has revealed the disappearance of over 10,000 persons.
The security forces after claiming that these people have escaped from the camp have also launched a special investigation to apprehend them. However, sources from Vavuniya say that while most of the disappeared people have been killed, the rest are being held in a secret location.
Sources further observed that armed Tamil political parties and groups affiliated to the government during the past few months had entered the IDP camps and taken thousands of young Tamil boys and girls without entering any records in the books alleging them to have had links with the LTTE.
Losing touch with old friends
A report for the European Union into Sri Lanka’s fitness for preferential tariff treatment is unfavourable
RARELY has a government soiled its reputation as dramatically as Sri Lanka’s. In recent months President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime has won a war and lost the love of many allies.
Its alleged wartime and other abuses make a grim catalogue: thousands of Tamil civilians allegedly killed by army shelling during the rebels’ last stand; scores of Tamils disappeared; nearly 300,000 Tamil war-displaced callously interned; murder and intimidation of journalists—including J.S. Tissainayagam, sentenced to 20 years hard labour on August 31st for criticising the army’s tactics (see article).
There is not much high-minded western countries—to whom Sri Lanka once looked for aid money—can do about this. Mr Rajapaksa has found alternative friends, in China, Libya, Pakistan—and others, who recently scotched a European effort to launch a war-crimes investigation into Sri Lanka. But the Europeans do have one wrench on Mr Rajapaksa’s government: a trade concession known as “GSP Plus”. This boon, which has helped make exports to the EU the country’s biggest source of foreign exchange, worth $3.3 billion last year, is up for review. Judging by an EU-commissioned report on Sri Lanka’s compliance with its terms, which include stipulations on human rights, it can kiss the concession goodbye.
The confidential 130-page report, which has been obtained by The Economist, concludes that Sri Lanka has failed to honour important human-rights commitments, and is ineligible for GSP Plus. Widespread police torture, abductions of journalists, politicised courts and uninvestigated disappearances have all played a part in creating a state of “complete or virtually complete impunity in Sri Lanka”. The internment of the Tamil displaced, which the government claims is necessary to weed out the last Tamil Tiger rebels and to protect them from munitions left in their fields, is “a novel form of unacknowledged detention”.
A final decision on GSP Plus is not due until October. The government, which barred the report’s authors from visiting Sri Lanka, called the study “outrageous” but seems resigned to losing the trade preference: a senior official in the trade ministry, S. Ranugge, admitted: “GSP Plus is very unlikely.”
Perhaps this does not bother Mr Rajapaksa: defying the West is part of his appeal. Anyway, his minions recently secured a $2.6 billion loan from the IMF. But as an indicator of where one of Asia’s oldest democracies may be headed, it should worry Sri Lankans, and all who wish their country well.
RARELY has a government soiled its reputation as dramatically as Sri Lanka’s. In recent months President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime has won a war and lost the love of many allies.
Its alleged wartime and other abuses make a grim catalogue: thousands of Tamil civilians allegedly killed by army shelling during the rebels’ last stand; scores of Tamils disappeared; nearly 300,000 Tamil war-displaced callously interned; murder and intimidation of journalists—including J.S. Tissainayagam, sentenced to 20 years hard labour on August 31st for criticising the army’s tactics (see article).
There is not much high-minded western countries—to whom Sri Lanka once looked for aid money—can do about this. Mr Rajapaksa has found alternative friends, in China, Libya, Pakistan—and others, who recently scotched a European effort to launch a war-crimes investigation into Sri Lanka. But the Europeans do have one wrench on Mr Rajapaksa’s government: a trade concession known as “GSP Plus”. This boon, which has helped make exports to the EU the country’s biggest source of foreign exchange, worth $3.3 billion last year, is up for review. Judging by an EU-commissioned report on Sri Lanka’s compliance with its terms, which include stipulations on human rights, it can kiss the concession goodbye.
The confidential 130-page report, which has been obtained by The Economist, concludes that Sri Lanka has failed to honour important human-rights commitments, and is ineligible for GSP Plus. Widespread police torture, abductions of journalists, politicised courts and uninvestigated disappearances have all played a part in creating a state of “complete or virtually complete impunity in Sri Lanka”. The internment of the Tamil displaced, which the government claims is necessary to weed out the last Tamil Tiger rebels and to protect them from munitions left in their fields, is “a novel form of unacknowledged detention”.
A final decision on GSP Plus is not due until October. The government, which barred the report’s authors from visiting Sri Lanka, called the study “outrageous” but seems resigned to losing the trade preference: a senior official in the trade ministry, S. Ranugge, admitted: “GSP Plus is very unlikely.”
Perhaps this does not bother Mr Rajapaksa: defying the West is part of his appeal. Anyway, his minions recently secured a $2.6 billion loan from the IMF. But as an indicator of where one of Asia’s oldest democracies may be headed, it should worry Sri Lankans, and all who wish their country well.
Tsunami aid still in bank account
Aid money raised by people in Falkirk for those affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami has yet to be spent, it has emerged.
Falkirk Council said £15,000, collected for victims in the Jaffna region of Sri Lanka, is still untouched and remains in a council bank account.
The authority said the outbreak of civil war in the province had left it unable to spend the cash in the area.
They have promised to seek a solution to the problem as a matter of urgency.
The money was collected by the Bairns Aid charity, a partnership between Falkirk Council and the Bairns Trust, from April 2005 for the specific purpose of building new homes in Jaffna.
Report due
When the campaign was launched, it was hoped the cash would be used to rebuild fishing villages washed away in the Boxing Day tsunami.
Among those taking part in the fund-raising effort were Falkirk Football Club, local primary schools and businesses.
A spokesman for Falkirk Council said: "A report detailing the fund will be brought to a future meeting of Falkirk Council where we will provide a full update on how the money raised locally will be used."
Nearly a quarter of a million people were killed in 13 countries hit by the tsunami, triggered by an undersea earthquake.
It is regarded as one of the deadliest natural disasters of modern times.
Falkirk Council said £15,000, collected for victims in the Jaffna region of Sri Lanka, is still untouched and remains in a council bank account.
The authority said the outbreak of civil war in the province had left it unable to spend the cash in the area.
They have promised to seek a solution to the problem as a matter of urgency.
The money was collected by the Bairns Aid charity, a partnership between Falkirk Council and the Bairns Trust, from April 2005 for the specific purpose of building new homes in Jaffna.
Report due
When the campaign was launched, it was hoped the cash would be used to rebuild fishing villages washed away in the Boxing Day tsunami.
Among those taking part in the fund-raising effort were Falkirk Football Club, local primary schools and businesses.
A spokesman for Falkirk Council said: "A report detailing the fund will be brought to a future meeting of Falkirk Council where we will provide a full update on how the money raised locally will be used."
Nearly a quarter of a million people were killed in 13 countries hit by the tsunami, triggered by an undersea earthquake.
It is regarded as one of the deadliest natural disasters of modern times.
Media Minister orders ITN and Rupavahini Chairmen to take custody of video tapes amidst Channel 4 controversy
The Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa had ordered the Chairmen of ITN and Rupavahini that all video tapes on the war scenes in the North during the final phase be immediately taken into the custody of the Chairman.
Incidentally , it was only the ITN and the Rupavahini the only two State Institutions which were permitted to cover these war scenes. This urgent order by the Minister to take into custody all tapes both telecast and not telecast has raised queries as to whether this action of the Minister has any connection with the airing of human executions in SL by men in military uniform by Channel 4 in Britain.
Incidentally , it was only the ITN and the Rupavahini the only two State Institutions which were permitted to cover these war scenes. This urgent order by the Minister to take into custody all tapes both telecast and not telecast has raised queries as to whether this action of the Minister has any connection with the airing of human executions in SL by men in military uniform by Channel 4 in Britain.
Rajapaksa rejects Western models of development
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that his country will develop its own model of economic development based on a strong agricultural sector and not follow the existing Western models in which industrial growth gets precedence.
“We must have a Sri Lankan model. I prefer it to be agriculturally based. If you can be self-sufficient in food, then the industries will come,” he told Forbes magazine on August 28.
Economic development rather than a conventional political settlement would ensure lasting peace in the island nation, which had just emerged from a 30-year armed rebellion by the Tamil minority, the President said. “Without development, there won’t be peace; we must develop the economy,” he stressed.
Reconciliation with Tamil communities in the island’s north and east, he added, meant providing basic needs to them such as electricity, water, shelter, education. “They (the Tamils) want to start their paddy fields, go back to their farms,” he said.
REJECTS WEST’S DIM VIEW: Western institutions have a dim of Rajapaksa’s Lanka. Transparency International had placed it between India and Pakistan as one of Asia’s most corrupt economies. The World Bank measured the ease of doing business around the globe and ranked Sri Lanka 102nd out of 181 countries, knocking it for its tax regime, legal system and
permit processing.
On the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom, Sri Lanka ranked 111th of 179, slammed for roadblocks to foreign investment, its financial system and opaque property laws. With scores of ministers and 10 to 15 per cent of the workforce employed by the government, Sri Lanka was one of the world’s most administered countries.
But according to Rajapaksa even during the war, the Lankan economy grew by at least six per cent each year (though the global recession was cutting that to 3.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent in 2009). Inflation is now down to 1.1 per cent, from 11 per cent four years ago, according to Central Bank figures. And he noted that per capita
“We must have a Sri Lankan model. I prefer it to be agriculturally based. If you can be self-sufficient in food, then the industries will come,” he told Forbes magazine on August 28.
Economic development rather than a conventional political settlement would ensure lasting peace in the island nation, which had just emerged from a 30-year armed rebellion by the Tamil minority, the President said. “Without development, there won’t be peace; we must develop the economy,” he stressed.
Reconciliation with Tamil communities in the island’s north and east, he added, meant providing basic needs to them such as electricity, water, shelter, education. “They (the Tamils) want to start their paddy fields, go back to their farms,” he said.
REJECTS WEST’S DIM VIEW: Western institutions have a dim of Rajapaksa’s Lanka. Transparency International had placed it between India and Pakistan as one of Asia’s most corrupt economies. The World Bank measured the ease of doing business around the globe and ranked Sri Lanka 102nd out of 181 countries, knocking it for its tax regime, legal system and
permit processing.On the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom, Sri Lanka ranked 111th of 179, slammed for roadblocks to foreign investment, its financial system and opaque property laws. With scores of ministers and 10 to 15 per cent of the workforce employed by the government, Sri Lanka was one of the world’s most administered countries.
But according to Rajapaksa even during the war, the Lankan economy grew by at least six per cent each year (though the global recession was cutting that to 3.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent in 2009). Inflation is now down to 1.1 per cent, from 11 per cent four years ago, according to Central Bank figures. And he noted that per capita
At UN, Susan Rice Calls Sri Lankan Executions Disturbing, No Council Session Set, Rajapaksa No Show, HG Error
Three months after the UN Security Council held informal session about the conflict Sri Lanka, the newly released video footage depicting the Sri Lankan Army committing summary execution has not led any Council member, including the United States, to propose that the situation be discussed on the Council agenda. Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa had been scheduled to come along with a large entourage. But reportedly Karuna and others in his party were denied visa. Now, Rajapaksa will apparently not come, leaving the Prime Minister to represent the country.
Statement by Minister Cannon on Sri Lanka’s Sentencing of Journalist
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement on the sentencing of Jayaprakash Sittampalam (J.S.) Tissainayagam, a Sri Lankan journalist:
“The Government of Canada is deeply concerned by the sentencing of J.S. Tissainayagam to 20 years in prison for violating Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act.
“Canada is a strong proponent of vibrant and free media, an essential element of democratic governance in Sri Lanka and around the world. Open and informed debate remains vital to long-term reconciliation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka.
“Canada supports the advancement of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law for all countries of the world.”
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
http://w01.international.gc.ca/MinPub/Publication.aspx?lang=eng&publication_id=387522&docnum=243
“The Government of Canada is deeply concerned by the sentencing of J.S. Tissainayagam to 20 years in prison for violating Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act.
“Canada is a strong proponent of vibrant and free media, an essential element of democratic governance in Sri Lanka and around the world. Open and informed debate remains vital to long-term reconciliation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka.
“Canada supports the advancement of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law for all countries of the world.”
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
http://w01.international.gc.ca/MinPub/Publication.aspx?lang=eng&publication_id=387522&docnum=243
Monday, August 31, 2009
Health Ministry neglects regional hospitals in Jaffna
“No new appointments of medical staffers for the thirty-seven regional hospitals in Jaffna district have been made in the past twenty years,” Jaffna District Director of Public Health Service (DPHS), Dr. R. Ketheeswaran said. Only 50% of the medical staffers needed in Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH), which is administered by the Ministry of Health, have been appointed in the past, the Director said.
The 37 regional hospitals in Jaffna district which come under the administration of Public Health Service Department have been neglected by the Health Ministry where an acute shortage of medical staffers prevails for the last two decades, he further said.
This situation forces the 600,000 people of Jaffna district to seek medical treatment in JTH which is understaffed.
In most of the regional hospitals we have been forced to employ retired medical staffers, some of them over 70 years of age, Ketheeswaran said.
17 doctors are urgently needed to meet the needs of these 37 regional hospitals.
There are only 16 doctors serving in the regional hospitals while 88 doctors are needed.
Only a single Physical Health Inspector is in service when 12 are needed.
Similarly, in the posts of Registered Medical Practitioners, only 19 serve out of the 58 required.
Only 11 dispensers are in service while 28 are needed and only 2 Medical Laboratory Technicians are in service when 18 are needed.
Seven X-ray technicians are needed but only two are employed and when there is a need for 308 medical nurses only 70 are available.
While 351 Family Health Officers are needed only 141 are in service.
The reason for this acute shortage of medical staffers in the regional hospitals in Jaffna district is the disinterest shown by the Ministry of Health, Dr. Ketheeswaran said.
Government should take immediate steps appoint the needed medical staffers in the interest of the 600,000 population of Jaffna district, he added
The 37 regional hospitals in Jaffna district which come under the administration of Public Health Service Department have been neglected by the Health Ministry where an acute shortage of medical staffers prevails for the last two decades, he further said.
This situation forces the 600,000 people of Jaffna district to seek medical treatment in JTH which is understaffed.
In most of the regional hospitals we have been forced to employ retired medical staffers, some of them over 70 years of age, Ketheeswaran said.
17 doctors are urgently needed to meet the needs of these 37 regional hospitals.
There are only 16 doctors serving in the regional hospitals while 88 doctors are needed.
Only a single Physical Health Inspector is in service when 12 are needed.
Similarly, in the posts of Registered Medical Practitioners, only 19 serve out of the 58 required.
Only 11 dispensers are in service while 28 are needed and only 2 Medical Laboratory Technicians are in service when 18 are needed.
Seven X-ray technicians are needed but only two are employed and when there is a need for 308 medical nurses only 70 are available.
While 351 Family Health Officers are needed only 141 are in service.
The reason for this acute shortage of medical staffers in the regional hospitals in Jaffna district is the disinterest shown by the Ministry of Health, Dr. Ketheeswaran said.
Government should take immediate steps appoint the needed medical staffers in the interest of the 600,000 population of Jaffna district, he added
journalist abducted in white van; later released
Unknown persons arriving in a white van abducted P. Ekaneligoda, a journalist who worked as Features Editor of Siyarata, official organ of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and LankaeNews website, in Makumbura in Homagama police division in Colombo district on Thursday night, sources in Colombo said. He was subsequently released the next day.
The reason for the abduction is not known, the sources said.
Mr. P. Ekaneligoda has lodged a complaint with the Homagama police Saturday.
The reason for the abduction is not known, the sources said.
Mr. P. Ekaneligoda has lodged a complaint with the Homagama police Saturday.
Sri Lankan court imprisons journalist for 20 years
J.S. Tissainayagam, a senior journalist and Sunday Times columnist, was sentenced to twenty-year rigorous imprisonment by Colombo High Court judge Deepali Wijesundara on Monday. Mr. Tissanayagam has been indicted under the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations (ER), and was charged on three counts including printing and distributing the publication North Eastern Herald Monthly magazine.
According to the indictment, the veteran journalist had committed an 'offence' on two counts under the PTA and has committed 'acts of violence by inciting communal feelings by editing, printing or distributing the North Eastern Monthly magazine'.
Tissainayagam was also charged under the Emergency Regulations for collecting money for the furtherance of terrorism or specified terrorist activities.
Journalist Tissainayagam was detained on March 7, 2008 when he went to the Sri Lanka's Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) to look for his colleagues Jasikaran and Valarmathy. He was detained for almost six months without charges.
On August 25th he was charged with writing to incite 'ethnic disharmony'.
Tissainayagam was also charged under the Emergency Regulations for collecting money for the furtherance of terrorism or specified terrorist activities.
Journalist Tissainayagam was detained on March 7, 2008 when he went to the Sri Lanka's Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) to look for his colleagues Jasikaran and Valarmathy. He was detained for almost six months without charges.
On August 25th he was charged with writing to incite 'ethnic disharmony'.
Continued confinement of innocent civilians may lead to renewed conflict: British Conservatives
William Hague, the British Conservative Party MP and the Shadow Foreign Secretary on Thursday urged the Sri Lankan government to take all possible measures to prevent further suffering".
He called for UN and relief organisations to be given "full and unrestricted access to provide shelter, food, water, and medicine, and to oversee the screening process" – a call made all the more urgent by the onset of the monsoon season.
Hague also stressed the importance of the Sri Lankan government living up to its commitment to allow the people to return to their homes by the end of the year. "Their continued confinement in camps will simply sow the seeds of discontent and may lead to renewed conflict in years to come. This would be a disastrous setback for the country when peace has been so hard won."
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Video, leaked memo bedevil Moon's climate visit to Norway
International Development Minister Erik Solheim told Norway's Aftenposten Wednesday that he will discuss the details of the gruesome video showing Sri Lanka soldiers executing naked, bound men, during Ban Ki Moon's Norway visit this week. Meanwhile, the visit occurs while 'The Economist' gave Mr. Moon a failed grade in his UN performance (30%), and a leaked memo by Norway’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Mona Juul, accused Moon for being a "passive observer when thousands lost lives and were driven from their homes [in Sri Lanka]," in her mid term assessment of Ban’s tenure.
Mr. Ban will visit Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean, as part of his official visit to Norway which begins next week.The visit to the Arctic is part of the Secretary-General's ongoing efforts to push for action ahead of the global climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, where countries will implement a new greenhouse gas emissions reduction pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, UN Radio said of his visit.
Solheim commenting on the video to the Norway daily said that dozens of people have been killed or have disappeared in Sri Lanka in recent years, without any form of judicial process or verdict. And there is overwhelming evidence that structures within the state apparatus is behind many of these killings, and added that "he will not be surprised if the footage turns out to be genuine."
"United Nations must address in the investigation of possible war crimes in Sri Lanka. It's something I definitely want to do, even if the purpose of his trip is about climate and environment," Solheim told the paper.
Meanwhile, a leaked diplomatic document, stamped ‘strictly confidential,’ on 19th August, Mona Juual is likely to further add diplomatic discomfort to Ban's visit. Juul said in the memo, "the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who was refused admittance by Colombo at the height of the war, chose to accept its invitation as soon as the war was “won."" The diplomat added: "War in Sri Lanka is an example of the weak handling of the Secretary General. He was a passive observer when thousands lost lives and were driven from their homes, the diplomat further said in her mid term assessment of Ban’s tenure."
The Economist gave a paltry 2/10 for Moon's Management skills and a 3/10 for "truth to power," saying his quiet diplomacy has failed to yield tangible results.
"After Sri Lanka’s war ended, Mr Ban denied that the UN had leaked grim civilian casualty figures (indeed, some UN officials reportedly sought to suppress the toll). That obscured his other responses—such as an appeal to aid the Tamil refugees. With Sri Lanka’s government shielded by China, India and others at the Security Council and at the UN Human Rights Commission, human-rights groups had hoped Mr Ban would speak up more for the victims," the Economist cited as one of the reasons for giving Moon a failed grade.
Solheim commenting on the video to the Norway daily said that dozens of people have been killed or have disappeared in Sri Lanka in recent years, without any form of judicial process or verdict. And there is overwhelming evidence that structures within the state apparatus is behind many of these killings, and added that "he will not be surprised if the footage turns out to be genuine."
"United Nations must address in the investigation of possible war crimes in Sri Lanka. It's something I definitely want to do, even if the purpose of his trip is about climate and environment," Solheim told the paper.
Meanwhile, a leaked diplomatic document, stamped ‘strictly confidential,’ on 19th August, Mona Juual is likely to further add diplomatic discomfort to Ban's visit. Juul said in the memo, "the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who was refused admittance by Colombo at the height of the war, chose to accept its invitation as soon as the war was “won."" The diplomat added: "War in Sri Lanka is an example of the weak handling of the Secretary General. He was a passive observer when thousands lost lives and were driven from their homes, the diplomat further said in her mid term assessment of Ban’s tenure."
The Economist gave a paltry 2/10 for Moon's Management skills and a 3/10 for "truth to power," saying his quiet diplomacy has failed to yield tangible results.
"After Sri Lanka’s war ended, Mr Ban denied that the UN had leaked grim civilian casualty figures (indeed, some UN officials reportedly sought to suppress the toll). That obscured his other responses—such as an appeal to aid the Tamil refugees. With Sri Lanka’s government shielded by China, India and others at the Security Council and at the UN Human Rights Commission, human-rights groups had hoped Mr Ban would speak up more for the victims," the Economist cited as one of the reasons for giving Moon a failed grade.
Chauvinism and greed 'naked' in Sri Lanka
It was frightening to see the combined effect of naked chauvinism of Sri Lanka and naked greed of powers, writes TamilNet political commentator in Colombo responding to the video clip displayed Tuesday. “Such a trend in the establishments is a challenge to every lay human being of the civilized world. While rising up to free people in the internment camps is a spontaneous response, what is of paramount importance is independent political organisation of Tamils in order to meet the challenge of the same forces that are now coercing or enticing them to drop righteous aspirations. Tamils are not asking for other’s land or for empires. They only ask for their own land and there is nothing to get scared or to feel ashamed of. As people of classical heritage, if Tamils fail, they fail not merely their cause but an entire human civilization,” he writes commenting on current Tamil affairs.
Full text of the response from the commentator follows:
The world was shocked to see a video footage Tuesday showing the nakedness of Colombo’s genocide of Tamils. What was seen is only an iota of what has happened and what has been happening for decades in the island. But the snippet clip from the Independent Journalists of Sri Lanka has awakened the civilized world that was by design put to slumber by the so-called international media.
Colombo is only partly responsible for crimes against Tamils.
It is the naked greed of the tzars of so-called international community banking on Sri Lankan state that was essentially responsible for this savage experiment on human civilization.
In the long history of genocide against Tamils in the island, the state always escaped scot-free in the pogroms of 1958, 1977 and 1983. The international community did nothing in the edification of the state. Tamils were always told to compromise.
Confident of its impunity, the state was ‘all naked’ in waging the genocidal war and in incarcerating Tamil people. Equally naked, the international community rationalised and abetted it.
Indian Establishment the most active partner of Colombo, China, Russia, Pakistan, and a host of others demonstrated this in a crude way in the UN human rights council. But Tamils are more worried of the sophisticated ways of the West.
India in an intimidating way and the West in an enticing way tries to do the same thing. After military abetment, now strengthening Sri Lankan state diplomatically and economically, they want the victims to reconcile, not to call ‘genocide a genocide’ and want Tamils to forget their aspiration of achieving permanent security by having their own nation state.
India and the West are also competing subtly in capturing and blunting the democratic political moves of Tamils to suit their interests. The former is active in the island and the latter in the diaspora. The main agenda, either by coercion or enticement, is to make Eezham Tamils to drop their nationalism.
They do this with full knowledge that in the context of the deep divide in the island, nothing less than the recognition of two nations only could sort out the matter.
The Australian foreign minister was very open last week.
In view of the long ‘trade relations’ of Australia with Sri Lanka and as a fellow island nation in the ‘region,’ his government is interested in seeing a united Sri Lanka and is reluctant to call for freeing the incarcerated Tamils, despite the fact that all its earlier calls for restraint were not cared by Sri Lanka.
Australia didn’t consider Indonesia as an island nation in the region when it stood for the independence of East Timor.
What implied by the Australian foreign minister is that Tamils have to accept genocide and subjugation for the sake of the economic and geopolitical interests of powers. He leaves Tamils with no choice.
Such an open show of greed by the establishments today is a challenge to the entire civilised world. Ultimately it is a war against every person of lay humanity.
Agitations to attract attention on the plight of Eezham Tamils are planned by diaspora groups in different parts of the world. Attracting the attention of whom? Not that the establishments that caused it don’t know it.
Tamils have to draw the attention of the alternative world, including alternative sections of the Sinhala nation and mobilize them against the common danger all are facing.
Of course, the issue of people in the internment camps is of grave concern and there could be no second word that all have to rise up for their freedom.
But one has to carefully note that governments that allowed genocide, incarceration and the crushing of Tamil safe guards, and the international media that silently sabotaged the Tamil cause, are now showing interest in the IDP issue only because it is essential for the Multinational Corporations (MNCs) to establish themselves in the island. At the same time, all of them meticulously continue nullifying the Tamil national question.There is no need to elaborate that their operations in collaboration with the Sri Lankan state, while keeping Tamils deprived of sovereignty to decide about their homeland, portend only danger.
The idea is to capture everything of Tamils including their spirit so that the question of political solution or handing over the land to the rightful owners doesn’t arise and the greedy ones could have their ways, making people as ‘work force’.
Therefore, what is of paramount importance is Tamils demonstrating their political will for sovereignty and telling the powers loud and clear that meaningful engagement comes only when they recognize the nation of Eezham Tamils and its absolute self-determination.
Independent political formation of Eezham Tamils, strongly anchored on their national aspiration for independence and sovereignty, is the foundation for achieving anything or engaging with anybody meaningfully.
Individuals who believe in circular ways or in the formulas of powers and think that engagement first and demands later, may do so and may be appreciated if their efforts bring in acceptable results.
But for this purpose they should not attempt to deviate the voice coming from the soul of Tamil nation. Truncating political voice is not the strategy.
It is for an independently organised polity of Eezham Tamils to decide about alliances. An ally may even be an alternative Sinhala polity but it cannot be anyone who tells Tamils to forget righteous aspirations.
Tamils are not asking for other’s land or for empires. They only ask for their own land and there is nothing to get scared or to feel ashamed of it.
The people of Tamil Nadu on their part have a duty in putting the message in strongest possible terms to Karunanidhi government and to the Establishment in New Delhi.
As people of classical heritage, if Tamils fail, they fail not merely their cause but an entire human civilization.
Full text of the response from the commentator follows:
The world was shocked to see a video footage Tuesday showing the nakedness of Colombo’s genocide of Tamils. What was seen is only an iota of what has happened and what has been happening for decades in the island. But the snippet clip from the Independent Journalists of Sri Lanka has awakened the civilized world that was by design put to slumber by the so-called international media.
Colombo is only partly responsible for crimes against Tamils.
It is the naked greed of the tzars of so-called international community banking on Sri Lankan state that was essentially responsible for this savage experiment on human civilization.
In the long history of genocide against Tamils in the island, the state always escaped scot-free in the pogroms of 1958, 1977 and 1983. The international community did nothing in the edification of the state. Tamils were always told to compromise.
Confident of its impunity, the state was ‘all naked’ in waging the genocidal war and in incarcerating Tamil people. Equally naked, the international community rationalised and abetted it.
Indian Establishment the most active partner of Colombo, China, Russia, Pakistan, and a host of others demonstrated this in a crude way in the UN human rights council. But Tamils are more worried of the sophisticated ways of the West.
India in an intimidating way and the West in an enticing way tries to do the same thing. After military abetment, now strengthening Sri Lankan state diplomatically and economically, they want the victims to reconcile, not to call ‘genocide a genocide’ and want Tamils to forget their aspiration of achieving permanent security by having their own nation state.
India and the West are also competing subtly in capturing and blunting the democratic political moves of Tamils to suit their interests. The former is active in the island and the latter in the diaspora. The main agenda, either by coercion or enticement, is to make Eezham Tamils to drop their nationalism.
They do this with full knowledge that in the context of the deep divide in the island, nothing less than the recognition of two nations only could sort out the matter.
The Australian foreign minister was very open last week.
In view of the long ‘trade relations’ of Australia with Sri Lanka and as a fellow island nation in the ‘region,’ his government is interested in seeing a united Sri Lanka and is reluctant to call for freeing the incarcerated Tamils, despite the fact that all its earlier calls for restraint were not cared by Sri Lanka.
Australia didn’t consider Indonesia as an island nation in the region when it stood for the independence of East Timor.
What implied by the Australian foreign minister is that Tamils have to accept genocide and subjugation for the sake of the economic and geopolitical interests of powers. He leaves Tamils with no choice.
Such an open show of greed by the establishments today is a challenge to the entire civilised world. Ultimately it is a war against every person of lay humanity.
Agitations to attract attention on the plight of Eezham Tamils are planned by diaspora groups in different parts of the world. Attracting the attention of whom? Not that the establishments that caused it don’t know it.
Tamils have to draw the attention of the alternative world, including alternative sections of the Sinhala nation and mobilize them against the common danger all are facing.
Of course, the issue of people in the internment camps is of grave concern and there could be no second word that all have to rise up for their freedom.
But one has to carefully note that governments that allowed genocide, incarceration and the crushing of Tamil safe guards, and the international media that silently sabotaged the Tamil cause, are now showing interest in the IDP issue only because it is essential for the Multinational Corporations (MNCs) to establish themselves in the island. At the same time, all of them meticulously continue nullifying the Tamil national question.There is no need to elaborate that their operations in collaboration with the Sri Lankan state, while keeping Tamils deprived of sovereignty to decide about their homeland, portend only danger.
The idea is to capture everything of Tamils including their spirit so that the question of political solution or handing over the land to the rightful owners doesn’t arise and the greedy ones could have their ways, making people as ‘work force’.
Therefore, what is of paramount importance is Tamils demonstrating their political will for sovereignty and telling the powers loud and clear that meaningful engagement comes only when they recognize the nation of Eezham Tamils and its absolute self-determination.
Independent political formation of Eezham Tamils, strongly anchored on their national aspiration for independence and sovereignty, is the foundation for achieving anything or engaging with anybody meaningfully.
Individuals who believe in circular ways or in the formulas of powers and think that engagement first and demands later, may do so and may be appreciated if their efforts bring in acceptable results.
But for this purpose they should not attempt to deviate the voice coming from the soul of Tamil nation. Truncating political voice is not the strategy.
It is for an independently organised polity of Eezham Tamils to decide about alliances. An ally may even be an alternative Sinhala polity but it cannot be anyone who tells Tamils to forget righteous aspirations.
Tamils are not asking for other’s land or for empires. They only ask for their own land and there is nothing to get scared or to feel ashamed of it.
The people of Tamil Nadu on their part have a duty in putting the message in strongest possible terms to Karunanidhi government and to the Establishment in New Delhi.
As people of classical heritage, if Tamils fail, they fail not merely their cause but an entire human civilization.
SLA blocks spouse from collecting Welikada victim's body
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials Saturday denied permission to Mrs Devendran Saro, the wife of a Welikada prisoner who died in questionable circumstances inside the maximum security prison in Boralle last week, to travel to Colombo to collect her husband's body, civil society sources in Jaffna said. The second Tamil prisoner who died under the same circumstances is yet to be identified.
The deceased, Sinnaiah Devendran, a native of Maskeliya in Up-country, was arrested after a bus bomb blast in Piliyandala. He was a garment factory worker.
Mrs. Devendran had gone to the Jaffna police to get permission to collect the body on Saturday morning but was referred to meet SLA officers to obtain permission to travel to Colombo.
Mrs Devendran than went to the SLA civil affairs office, where the SLA officers had given her an application to fill, and she submitted the form duly filled.
The SLA officers had questioned how and where her husband had died, and she had told that her husband had died in the Welikada prison.
The SLA officers then refused to issue authorization to travel, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
The body of Sinnaiah Devendran currently lies at the Police morgue, Colombo.
In 1983, 53 Tamil political prisoners were massacred inside Welikada and Magazine prisons.
In 2000, 28 Tamil detainees were killed inside the Bindunuwewa detention centre.
The deceased, Sinnaiah Devendran, a native of Maskeliya in Up-country, was arrested after a bus bomb blast in Piliyandala. He was a garment factory worker.
Mrs. Devendran had gone to the Jaffna police to get permission to collect the body on Saturday morning but was referred to meet SLA officers to obtain permission to travel to Colombo.
Mrs Devendran than went to the SLA civil affairs office, where the SLA officers had given her an application to fill, and she submitted the form duly filled.
The SLA officers had questioned how and where her husband had died, and she had told that her husband had died in the Welikada prison.
The SLA officers then refused to issue authorization to travel, civil society sources in Jaffna said.
The body of Sinnaiah Devendran currently lies at the Police morgue, Colombo.
In 1983, 53 Tamil political prisoners were massacred inside Welikada and Magazine prisons.
In 2000, 28 Tamil detainees were killed inside the Bindunuwewa detention centre.
Colombo suspends releasing Trinco internees from Menik farm
Sri Lanka authorities, without prior notice and without citing any reason, have suspended Saturday, a planned release of a group of 600 persons out of about 3,000 internally displaced persons who are residents of Trincomalee district and fled from Vanni and currently being interned in military supervised Menik Farm in Vavuniyaa to their own villages, civil sources in Vavuniyaa told media. More than 300,000 Tamil civilians are currently being held in the internment camps in Vavuniyaa.
The internees were brought from Menik Farm on Friday and were sheltered in Vavuniyaa Saivapragasa Girls Maha Vidiyayam to be sent to their villages in Trincomalee district Saturday.
But on a sudden decision taken by the civil authority on the orders of higher officials, the internees were sent back to Menik Farm internment camps.
About four hundred IDPs were sent back on Friday night. The rest IDPs were sent Saturday, sources said.
The internees were brought from Menik Farm on Friday and were sheltered in Vavuniyaa Saivapragasa Girls Maha Vidiyayam to be sent to their villages in Trincomalee district Saturday.
But on a sudden decision taken by the civil authority on the orders of higher officials, the internees were sent back to Menik Farm internment camps.
About four hundred IDPs were sent back on Friday night. The rest IDPs were sent Saturday, sources said.
Key Campaign to Unlock Sri Lankan ‘Concentration Camps’
Marking 100 days since the end of the bloody conflict in Sri Lanka and the imprisonment of over 280,000 Tamil civilians in deplorable ‘concentration camps’, British Tamils Forum launched an unprecedented “Key” campaign.
The launch event, attended by UK Parliamentarians, human rights activists, councillors and members of community organisations, was held at the Boothroyd Suite, Portcullis House in Westminster on Thursday, 27 August from 4pm.
In an effort to raise awareness of the plight of the Tamil civilians who remain incarcerated in military-run camps, the UK Tamil Diaspora launched a “continuous campaign”, vowing to take action until all the illegally detained people are freed and resettled in their own homeland.
The safety and security of these civilians guarded by military personnel has come in to grave questioning following Channel 4’s airing of disturbing footage obtained from Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, depicting the extrajudicial execution of Tamils by government forces, underscoring international probe calls.
“Unlock the Concentration Camps in Sri Lanka” campaign slideshow presentation was followed by Siobhain McDonagh MP chairing the proceedings. Joan Ryan MP, Virendra Sharma MP, Neil Gerrard MP, Andrew Pelling MP and Cllr Pete Pattisson all participated in the launch event offering their continued support and joining international calls for an independent inquiry into all war crimes evidence.
Minister of State, Department for International Development, Gareth Thomas MP, said “there needs to be full access for UN, Media to the camps” and reiterated that the Government of Sri Lanka must “use this victory to deliver justice and perfectly legitimate aspirations of self determination to Tamils”.
Steven Pound MP voiced his concerns for the missing, the disappeared, and the murdered, highlighting that the main priorities are an “investigation into war crimes” and for Tamils to have some form of dialogue with the Sri Lankan government.
Cllr James Allie from Brent expressed great resentment at the “double standards” towards the Sri Lanka crisis, “Camps need to be cleared. Of all other places Europe has history of concentration camps. Europe knows there is no justification.”
The launch event, attended by UK Parliamentarians, human rights activists, councillors and members of community organisations, was held at the Boothroyd Suite, Portcullis House in Westminster on Thursday, 27 August from 4pm.
In an effort to raise awareness of the plight of the Tamil civilians who remain incarcerated in military-run camps, the UK Tamil Diaspora launched a “continuous campaign”, vowing to take action until all the illegally detained people are freed and resettled in their own homeland.
The safety and security of these civilians guarded by military personnel has come in to grave questioning following Channel 4’s airing of disturbing footage obtained from Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, depicting the extrajudicial execution of Tamils by government forces, underscoring international probe calls.
“Unlock the Concentration Camps in Sri Lanka” campaign slideshow presentation was followed by Siobhain McDonagh MP chairing the proceedings. Joan Ryan MP, Virendra Sharma MP, Neil Gerrard MP, Andrew Pelling MP and Cllr Pete Pattisson all participated in the launch event offering their continued support and joining international calls for an independent inquiry into all war crimes evidence.
Minister of State, Department for International Development, Gareth Thomas MP, said “there needs to be full access for UN, Media to the camps” and reiterated that the Government of Sri Lanka must “use this victory to deliver justice and perfectly legitimate aspirations of self determination to Tamils”.
Steven Pound MP voiced his concerns for the missing, the disappeared, and the murdered, highlighting that the main priorities are an “investigation into war crimes” and for Tamils to have some form of dialogue with the Sri Lankan government.
Cllr James Allie from Brent expressed great resentment at the “double standards” towards the Sri Lanka crisis, “Camps need to be cleared. Of all other places Europe has history of concentration camps. Europe knows there is no justification.”
Lanka among countries worst-hit by disappearances: RSF
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has put Sri Lanka among countries worst hit by disappearances since the year 2000. In a statement to mark the 26th International Day of the Disappeared which falls on 30 August RSF says the list of disappeared journalists is far from exhaustive.
“Whether carried out by agents of the state or local criminals bent on settling scores, the many disappearances of journalists highlights the fact that the enemies of press freedom have no hesitation in using the most cowardly and despicable methods to gag journalists. We restate our support for the families of the disappeared and we share the pain they suffer in the waiting and uncertainty about their fate”, the worldwide press freedom organisation said.
“We urge the relevant authorities to systematically take these disappearances seriously and to open the badly-needed investigations to find these missing journalists and punish those responsible. It is moreover incredible that cases of ‘enforced disappearance’ implicating agents of the state or those acting with its support can still be going on around the world. We urge countries that have signed the International Convention for the Protection of Persons from Enforced Disappearance to ratify the law as quickly as possible so that it can be put into force”, it added.
Mexico, where eight journalists have disappeared since the year 2000, is the country most affected by this plague. Mauricio Estrada Zamora, journalist on the regional daily La Opinión de Apatzingán, has been missing since 12 February 2008 in Michoacan state in the south-west of the country, an area notorious for crime and the illegal drugs trade. The management of his newspaper said that three weeks before he went missing he wrote an article that enraged an agent of the Federal Investigation Agency. Also in Michoacan, the editor of the weekly Ecos de la Cuenca, José Antonio García Apac, went missing on 20 November 2006 after he keeping an appointment after he received a phone call at 7.15pm. His son got a call from his father at 7.30pm which was interrupted by voices telling him to switch off his mobile phone and to identify himself. Nothing more has been heard of him since.
A Reporters Without Borders’ delegation that visited Mexico in July 2009 met and talked to the families of these two journalists. .
In January 2009, The International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka condemned the “culture of impunity and indifference” surrounding the disappearances of journalists in the country. Soldiers arrested Subramaniam Ramachandran, correspondent for Tamil dailies Thinakural and Valampuri, close to a military camp, Kalikai Junction, in the north of Jaffna, in the north of the country on 15 February 2007. His family has heard nothing of him since then. He had been reporting on the illegal trade in sand, implicating a businessman and members of the military. The Jaffna office of the Human Rights Commission handled the case and it was referred to the military authorities, including the commander in chief for the Jaffna region. But as lawyer Mudiyapu Remedias explained, in this type of case “everyone is afraid of challenging the army, which denied any involvement”.
Vadivel Nimalarajah, a sub-editor on the popular Tamil daily in Jaffna, Uthayan, which is highly critical of the government, has not been heard of since 17 November 2007 when, colleagues believe, he was abducted while cycling home after working overnight at the paper.
In Iran, Pirouz Davani, editor of the newspaper Pirouz, has not been seen or heard of since he left his home one day at the end of August 1998. The authorities have never shown any sign of wanting to solve the case. Those behind his disappearance have thus been ensured complete impunity. The newspaper Kar-e-Karagar reported rumours of his “execution” in its 28 November 1998 edition. Journalist Akbar Ganji, working for Sobh-e-Emrouz, confirmed these rumours at the end of November 2000 and accused the former intelligence minister and current prosecutor general, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, of involvement in the killing. No government officials have ever commented on this report. Davani’s family took their case to the UN Human Rights Commission in December 2002.
In Gambia, "Chief" Ebrima Manneh, a journalist on the privately-owned The Daily Observer, has been missing since 7 July 2006, when he was arrested by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) for an unknown reason shortly after the closure of the African Union summit of heads of state and government which was held in the Gambian capital Banjul. The Gambian government has since then refused to reveal any information about his fate. Justice Minister, Marie Saine Firdaus, said on 6 April 2009 that the journalist had never been held in a Gambian prison. However, one week later, a police officer from Mile Two prison in Banjul, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he had seen the journalist for the last time inside the prison, in 2008, before he was taken away in the middle of the night by a police officer in plain clothes. “Chief” Ebrima Manneh has never been seen since.
On the other side of the African continent, in Eritrea, scores of journalists have been arrested since September 2001 and most of them have disappeared into the country’s jails without their families knowing where they are. The authorities in the capital Asmara have remained completely silent about their fate.
“Whether carried out by agents of the state or local criminals bent on settling scores, the many disappearances of journalists highlights the fact that the enemies of press freedom have no hesitation in using the most cowardly and despicable methods to gag journalists. We restate our support for the families of the disappeared and we share the pain they suffer in the waiting and uncertainty about their fate”, the worldwide press freedom organisation said.
“We urge the relevant authorities to systematically take these disappearances seriously and to open the badly-needed investigations to find these missing journalists and punish those responsible. It is moreover incredible that cases of ‘enforced disappearance’ implicating agents of the state or those acting with its support can still be going on around the world. We urge countries that have signed the International Convention for the Protection of Persons from Enforced Disappearance to ratify the law as quickly as possible so that it can be put into force”, it added.
Mexico, where eight journalists have disappeared since the year 2000, is the country most affected by this plague. Mauricio Estrada Zamora, journalist on the regional daily La Opinión de Apatzingán, has been missing since 12 February 2008 in Michoacan state in the south-west of the country, an area notorious for crime and the illegal drugs trade. The management of his newspaper said that three weeks before he went missing he wrote an article that enraged an agent of the Federal Investigation Agency. Also in Michoacan, the editor of the weekly Ecos de la Cuenca, José Antonio García Apac, went missing on 20 November 2006 after he keeping an appointment after he received a phone call at 7.15pm. His son got a call from his father at 7.30pm which was interrupted by voices telling him to switch off his mobile phone and to identify himself. Nothing more has been heard of him since.
A Reporters Without Borders’ delegation that visited Mexico in July 2009 met and talked to the families of these two journalists. .
In January 2009, The International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka condemned the “culture of impunity and indifference” surrounding the disappearances of journalists in the country. Soldiers arrested Subramaniam Ramachandran, correspondent for Tamil dailies Thinakural and Valampuri, close to a military camp, Kalikai Junction, in the north of Jaffna, in the north of the country on 15 February 2007. His family has heard nothing of him since then. He had been reporting on the illegal trade in sand, implicating a businessman and members of the military. The Jaffna office of the Human Rights Commission handled the case and it was referred to the military authorities, including the commander in chief for the Jaffna region. But as lawyer Mudiyapu Remedias explained, in this type of case “everyone is afraid of challenging the army, which denied any involvement”.
Vadivel Nimalarajah, a sub-editor on the popular Tamil daily in Jaffna, Uthayan, which is highly critical of the government, has not been heard of since 17 November 2007 when, colleagues believe, he was abducted while cycling home after working overnight at the paper.
In Iran, Pirouz Davani, editor of the newspaper Pirouz, has not been seen or heard of since he left his home one day at the end of August 1998. The authorities have never shown any sign of wanting to solve the case. Those behind his disappearance have thus been ensured complete impunity. The newspaper Kar-e-Karagar reported rumours of his “execution” in its 28 November 1998 edition. Journalist Akbar Ganji, working for Sobh-e-Emrouz, confirmed these rumours at the end of November 2000 and accused the former intelligence minister and current prosecutor general, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, of involvement in the killing. No government officials have ever commented on this report. Davani’s family took their case to the UN Human Rights Commission in December 2002.
In Gambia, "Chief" Ebrima Manneh, a journalist on the privately-owned The Daily Observer, has been missing since 7 July 2006, when he was arrested by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) for an unknown reason shortly after the closure of the African Union summit of heads of state and government which was held in the Gambian capital Banjul. The Gambian government has since then refused to reveal any information about his fate. Justice Minister, Marie Saine Firdaus, said on 6 April 2009 that the journalist had never been held in a Gambian prison. However, one week later, a police officer from Mile Two prison in Banjul, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he had seen the journalist for the last time inside the prison, in 2008, before he was taken away in the middle of the night by a police officer in plain clothes. “Chief” Ebrima Manneh has never been seen since.
On the other side of the African continent, in Eritrea, scores of journalists have been arrested since September 2001 and most of them have disappeared into the country’s jails without their families knowing where they are. The authorities in the capital Asmara have remained completely silent about their fate.
Liam Fox meets Mahinda Rajapakse, Sampanthan
The government of United Kingdom (UK) is seriously involved in finding a political solution to the legitimate aspirations of Tamils in Sri Lanka and the early resettlement of the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced as well as ensuring a better future for them, Mr. Liam Fox, British Conservative Party parliamentarian, is reported to have told President Mahinda Rajapakse when he met the latter on Saturday.
Liam Fox also met the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R. Sampanthan later the same day and conveyed the outcome of the talks of he had had with President Rajapakse, the sources said.
Liam Fox had told Mr.Sampanthan that he had briefed the President during his talks that the legitimate rights of Tamil people should be safeguarded and the IDPs now being held in Vavuniyaa camps should be resettled in their own villages without any delay and that UK is prepared to assist Sri Lanka in this regard.
Liam Fox assured R. Sampanthan that his party would contribute its maximum for the betterment of Tamils in Sri Lanka and it would work hard to see Tamils live with dignity if it comes to power.
Meanwhile, R. Sampanthan is said to have briefed Liam Fox and sought his assistance to exert pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka to resettle all IDPs now languishing in the internment camps in Vavuniyaa without any further delay.
Liam Fox also met the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R. Sampanthan later the same day and conveyed the outcome of the talks of he had had with President Rajapakse, the sources said.
Liam Fox had told Mr.Sampanthan that he had briefed the President during his talks that the legitimate rights of Tamil people should be safeguarded and the IDPs now being held in Vavuniyaa camps should be resettled in their own villages without any delay and that UK is prepared to assist Sri Lanka in this regard.
Liam Fox assured R. Sampanthan that his party would contribute its maximum for the betterment of Tamils in Sri Lanka and it would work hard to see Tamils live with dignity if it comes to power.
Meanwhile, R. Sampanthan is said to have briefed Liam Fox and sought his assistance to exert pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka to resettle all IDPs now languishing in the internment camps in Vavuniyaa without any further delay.
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