Monday, February 14, 2011

Don’t fuse truth seeking with criminal justice, reconciliation: Craig Scott

Craig Scott

[Sun, 13 Feb 2011, 08:51 GMT]

In a paper published recently by Osgoode Hall Law School, York University of Canada on The Transnationalization of truth: A Meditation on Sri Lanka and Honduras, Craig Scott, Professor of Law, said “not to fuse truth-seeking processes with either criminal justice or reconciliation processes with special reference to the Sri Lanka context.” Meanwhile, commenting on the concerted efforts of some sitting and former US diplomats to save the Rajapaksa regime and the unitary character of the genocidal state of Sri Lanka, through vague solutions about which they themselves are not clear, and through continued ‘counterinsurgency approaches of ‘terrorising and tiring’ Eezham Tamils, the TamilNet political commentator in Colombo said that ‘pragmatic’ changes should first come from the US in recognizing the nation of Eezham Tamils in the island. Full story >>

TAG, SCET's legal brief asserts ICC obligated to probe Kohona on war-crimes

[Sun, 13 Feb 2011, 04:31 GMT]

Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), a US-based activist group, and Swiss Council of Eelam Tamils (SCET) said Sunday that both organizations are to jointly file a legal brief requesting the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, Netherlands, to initiate war crimes investigations leading to the issuance of an article 58 warrant of arrest of dual Australian-Sri lanka National Palitha Kohona. The legal complaint charges joint criminal enterprise liability on Kohona over the extra-judicial killings of three LTTE hors de combat surrendering by waving a white-flag to the Sri Lanka Army on or about May 18 2009. Mr Kohona is currently the Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. Full story >>

Sunday, February 13, 2011

SIGNS OF A DICTATOR

SIGNS OF A DICTATOR »

Many dictators start off liked or even beloved. With centralised power, they can get things done, from fighting wars to building infrastructure. A dictator is…
Feb 13 2011 / 2 Comments / Read More »

A fresh spate of attacks against the media By Abdul H. Azeez Two prominent journalists were subject to attack and harassment on Monday, February 7. Poovi Rahmathulla of Kattankudy was attacked outside a mosque in Kattankudy as he was waiting to meet a party of people who had requested 50 copies of his newspaper. “Someone [...]Feb 13 2011 | Posted in News | Read More »

Posted by Thavam

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Sri Lanka: The Road Ahead

February 11, 2011

Since the end of Sri Lanka's brutal twenty-six-year-old civil war in 2009, the country has largely been under the radar for Washington's policy community. This panel discussion will look at all aspects of the current situation--including geopolitics, peace building, and accountability--with a view to determining how US engagement can promote a more positive postconflict environment in Sri Lanka. [Read more]

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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Seek pragmatic changes, not focus entirely on war-crimes accountability, says Donald Camp

[Sat, 12 Feb 2011, 16:39 GMT]

Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Donald Camp, in a seminar held at the US think-tank, American Enterprise Institute, said while everyone was appalled at the events during the final stages of war, focusing entirely on accountability and prosecution will not be pragmatic, as the Rajapakse Government will not allow any investigations to take place. Instead, Camp advocates helping Rajapakse to "do the right thing." Camp, without saying how, mentioned "decentralization of powers," "co-ordinating with the UN Panel," and "reducing security presence in Jaffna," as possible actions that Rajapakse should be assisted to take to capitalize on the post war environment. Full story >>

SRI LANKA: Fighting together against unlawful acts of lawful authorities

SRI LANKA: Fighting together against unlawful acts of lawful authorities

FOR PUBLICATION AHRC-ART-014-2011
February 11, 2011
An Article by the Asian Human Rights Commission
SRI LANKA: Fighting together against unlawful acts of lawful authorities
Basil Fernando
For the last 20 years I have been living in Hong Kong. Here over 98% of the population is Chinese. I belong to the small minority which includes many other races and will try to illustrate some issues by using this experience.

In any country there is a formal legal system and an operational one. The Formal system consists of laws -- statutes -- customary laws -- judicial precedents and in the modern context obligations under the international law -- and an operational system, meaning the way lawful authorities implement the law. A good or functional legal system is one where the formal system and the operational system are consistent with each other. This does not mean that there are no violations of the formal system by the operational system. It means that violations are very limited and there are systems in place to correct the violations and to sanction the violators. The legal system in Hong Kong belongs to that category. It is not perfect, but there is a high degree of conformity between the law and its implementation Full Story.>>>
SRI LANKA: Fighting together against unlawful acts of lawful authorities - 2011-02-11

Posted by Thavam

Friday, February 11, 2011

Egypt's Mubarak resigns as leader

Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down as president of Egypt.

In an announcement on state TV, Vice-President Omar Suleiman said Mr Mubarak

Mr Mubarak has ruled Egypt for 30 years

had handed power to the military.
It came as thousands massed in Cairo and other Egyptian cities for an 18th day of protest to demand Mr Mubarak's resignation.
Protesters responded by cheering, waving flags, embracing and sounding car horns. "The people have brought down the regime," they chanted.
Mr Suleiman said Mr Mubarak had handed power to the high command of the armed forces.

Egypt's Mubarak resigns

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Genocidal Colombo unleashes new war on unarmed Tamils

[Wed, 09 Feb 2011, 07:49 GMT]

Sri Lanka is now waging a new genocidal war on unarmed and demographically weakened Tamils after converting their country imperceptibly into an open concentration camp. The new war is focussed on the Jaffna Peninsula. Many Tamils believe that by stressing on the negation of their independence, India and USA continue to encourage Colombo, smokescreen the current war by projecting it ‘reconciliation’ cum post-war ‘development’ and thus actually play a party to the war and genocide. All these decades India and USA competitively negotiating the national question by upholding the integrity of a fundamentally flawed state has brought in only untold misery. At least now, why shouldn’t they try in unison, a genuine reconciliation by the option of secession? Further delays will convert the island a bleeding spot of the region for ages, cautions a Jaffna university academic. Full story >>

Aung San Suu Kyi addresses World Economic Forum

Monday, February 7, 2011

South Sudan model – ‘Independent Tamil Eelam - The Final Destination’– A REVIEW

The Ground Report India

REVIEWby Vssubramaniam February 07, 2011

This piece by Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah eminently serves as an inspiring message for Eelam Tamils, one and all committed to the Tamil cause. To those Tamils dejected by the events of the last two years viewing Mullivaykkal as a defeat for the Tamils; historians teach that defeat in a battle(s) is not a defeat in a war (for the Tamils and the Tamil cause). Usha’s proven intellect is bound to correct the defeatist message that a few parley further damaging the Tamil cause. Usha’s ‘Response to D B S Jeyaraj’s pedestrian piece ‘Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Past, Present and Future’ rebuts the hypocrisy of the logic that D B S uses in his piece. Usha needs to be applauded for her polite critique that debunks this defeatist protagonist’s propaganda for the Buddhist Sinhala supremists.iaull Story>>>
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Monday, February 7, 2011

Reporter: vssubramaniam - Related News of Sri Lanka

Reporter:by Vssubramaniam

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Sri Lanka grapples with floods - Asia - Al Jazeera English.flv

Hot News-Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations

[Sun, 06 Feb 2011, 12:08 GMT]

The occupying SL military in Jaffna is directly engaged in registration of individuals and families in the Jaffna peninsula in recent times. Everyday, covering area by area, the SL military, is distributing forms to collect information and is insisting of family photographs along with children to be given to them. The activity of the SL military, reminding the Nazi practice before the Holocaust, makes terror in the minds of the people in Jaffna, said a human rights activist in Jaffna. Meanwhile, undeclared curfew is imposed in Jaffna by the SL military and police, who have almost brought the street movement of people to an end after 6:00 p.m. by harassing them through numerous checkpoints after dusk. Full story >>