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A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tamil MP wants probe into alleged Sri Lankan war crimes
Toronto Sun
By Kristy Kirkup ,Parliamentary Bureau
By Kristy Kirkup ,Parliamentary Bureau
OTTAWA, ON - Canada's first elected Tamil MP wants an to see an independent inquiry into war crimes allegedly committed in her home country.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan - the newly elected NDP MP for the riding of Scarborough Rouge River - says the international community needs to support an investigation into claims of human rights violations during the final weeks of Sri Lanka's civil war.
Conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the militant Tamil Tiger organization lasted 25 years in the island nation. Clashes stopped in May 2009, when Tamil leadership was squashed by government forces.
"Sustainable peace can only be achieved if these allegations are investigated and perpetrators are brought to justice," she said. "It's time to end the culture of impunity ... Canada has always been a champion of human rights and justice. We should speak up."
Sitsabaiesan's plea for action comes as a documentary put together by Britain's Channel 4 television, called Sri Lanka's Killing Fields, hits the air for the first time.
The footage, which was screened at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in May, documents gruesome violence and abuse and made its debut on U.K. television Tuesday.
The UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings has said the documentary shows "evidence of definitive war crimes."
Sri Lankan authorities reject the authenticity of the video and say it is an attempt to discredit the government.
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By Anissa Haddadi | June 15, 2011
The documentary contained extremely violent scenes and included footage of apparent extrajudicial killing of prisoners by government forces, the aftermath of targeted shelling of civilian hospitals and the bodies of female Tamil fighters who appear to have been sexually assaulted.
As the team behind the film refused for the film to be one sided, they also reviewed atrocities carried out by the Tamil Tigers including the use of human shields and a suicide bombing in a government centre for the displaced. Full Story>>>
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LONDON, June 15, 2011
Rathika Sitsabaiesan - the newly elected NDP MP for the riding of Scarborough Rouge River - says the international community needs to support an investigation into claims of human rights violations during the final weeks of Sri Lanka's civil war.
Conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the militant Tamil Tiger organization lasted 25 years in the island nation. Clashes stopped in May 2009, when Tamil leadership was squashed by government forces.
"Sustainable peace can only be achieved if these allegations are investigated and perpetrators are brought to justice," she said. "It's time to end the culture of impunity ... Canada has always been a champion of human rights and justice. We should speak up."
Sitsabaiesan's plea for action comes as a documentary put together by Britain's Channel 4 television, called Sri Lanka's Killing Fields, hits the air for the first time.
The footage, which was screened at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in May, documents gruesome violence and abuse and made its debut on U.K. television Tuesday.
The UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings has said the documentary shows "evidence of definitive war crimes."
Sri Lankan authorities reject the authenticity of the video and say it is an attempt to discredit the government.
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Channel 4 Sri Lanka Killing Fields: Where was the International community ?
By Anissa Haddadi | June 15, 2011Britain has renewed calls for Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of war crimes after video footage apparently showing the summary execution of naked and bound prisoners was broadcast on UK television, in the documentary Sri Lanka's Killing Field.
The film, shown on Channel 4, reportedly shows "trophy videos" taken on mobile phones by Sri Lankan soldiers taking part in the military operation in 2009 to crush the Tamil Tiger insurgency and end a 25-year civil war.
The documentary contained extremely violent scenes and included footage of apparent extrajudicial killing of prisoners by government forces, the aftermath of targeted shelling of civilian hospitals and the bodies of female Tamil fighters who appear to have been sexually assaulted.As the team behind the film refused for the film to be one sided, they also reviewed atrocities carried out by the Tamil Tigers including the use of human shields and a suicide bombing in a government centre for the displaced. Full Story>>>
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LONDON, June 15, 2011Calls for probe after Channel 4 film on Sri Lanka
A Channel 4 documentary on Sri Lanka's 2009 military operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has prompted renewed calls for an independent investigation into allegations of violations of international law by both sides.
The 60-minute documentary, “Sri Lanka's Killing Fields,” screened on Tuesday showed what the channel claimed was previously unseen footage of alleged atrocities against civilians in the final weeks of the operation which ended in the defeat of the LTTE.
It depicted scenes of what purported to be extrajudicial killings. Men in military uniform were shown executing persons described as captured LTTE militants. It also showed alleged abuses carried out by the LTTE.
Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry described the footage as fabricated and said the film was intended to discredit the army.
British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said he was “shocked by the horrific scenes.”
“The recent U.N. Panel of Experts' report, this documentary and previously authenticated Channel 4 footage, constitute convincing evidence of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. The whole of the international community will expect the Sri Lankans to give a serious and full response to this evidence,” he said.
Father S.J. Emmanuel, President of the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), said it had “awakened the international community to the truths of how brutal this particular armed conflict had been.” The Forum's official spokesman Suren Surendiran called for “an international independent investigation into allegations of breaches of international law by both sides.”
