TNA MP Suresh Premachandran on the result of the Local Government elections

groundviews journalism For citizens

This statement on the results of the recently concluded local government elections (covered in detail by Groundviews here) was issued originally in Tamil by  Tamil National Alliance MP  Suresh Premachandran. Download PDF here. Only brief excerpts in English have been picked up by domestic and international media.
In order to stimulate wider debate over its content and points, we’ve translated Premachandran’s full statement in English. Though we’ve checked it for accuracy twice, a note from our translator is worth keeping in mind, “The meaning [of the statement] is captured though every subtle nuance and emphasis is not. The entire thing is written in free flowing passive voice Tamil which while lyrical, is difficult to translate.” We also encourage our readers to suggest better translations of key phrases and words through comments. 
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AI disappointed

Sunday, 24 July 2011 09:19 Amnesty International (AI) says it was “disappointed” with a meeting held with the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Dr. Palitha Kohona last week.
The international human rights group said that the Sri Lankan delegation, at the meeting in New York, had consistently denied that the military had committed any crimes during the war.
“Amnesty International had a different interpretation of the meeting and was, in fact, disappointed that after the Sri Lankan government expressed a desire for a more constructive dialogue, the tone of the meeting remained one of denial that any wrongdoing had occurred,” Jim McDonald, Sri Lanka Country Specialist of Amnesty International USA said.
The Head of Amnesty International, United Nations Office, Jose Luis Diaz, met with Dr. Palitha Kohona, to initiate a dialogue on issues relating to Sri Lanka, particularly those arising from the screening of the Channel-4 video.
Asked about the government response to those who feel that the events close to the end of the conflict must be thoroughly investigated in order to prevent Sri Lanka becoming a model in similar conflict situations, Ambassador Kohona had said at the meeting that Sri Lanka prides itself on being governed by the rule of law and by a long established legal tradition and had no intention of being a model for anyone else.
“Amnesty International believes that an international investigation is needed, whether or not Sri Lanka engages in domestic inquiries,” Jim McDonald said when asked if after the meeting AI felt that a domestic mechanism was enough.
He also said that Amnesty International has made a number of requests to visit Sri Lanka and reiterated that request during Jose Luis Diaz’s meeting with Ambassador Kohona last week.

(Report by Easwaran Rutnam for News Now.lk)
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PRESS RELEASE: International calls grow for end to tourism land grabs in Sri LankaJul 25, 2011

Jul 25, 2011 The Sri Lankan government and large tourism developers must stop forcibly displacing communities, destroying livelihoods, threatening food security, and wreaking havoc on the environment in the name of tourism, say Sri Lankan and international campaigning groups (i).
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The groups, including participants of a recent International Fact Finding Mission, are calling for an immediate halt to the Kalpitiya Integrated Tourism Resort Project on Sri Lanka’s western coast– the country’s largest tourism development to date (ii).
Herman Kumara of Sri Lanka’s National Fishworkers’ Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) says: “Whole communities face an imminent threat of displacement. The entire process is lacking transparency, accountability and responsiveness by the Sri Lankan government. We need a National Commission to review the plans, to listen to the concerns of the people of Kalpitiya and ensure their needs are met.”
Read full article here

Posted by Thavam