Relay race for genocide sanctified as ‘Good Governance’ by USA: Jude Lal

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 September 2015, 00:01 GMT]
The SLFP/UPFA, UNP, JHU and the JVP have all claimed their share in the genocidal ‘military victory’ against the Tamils. The Sinhala liberal intelligentsia describes the trend as a ‘relay race’, where each Sinhala political leader had taken turns in contributing to the victory, says Professor Jude Lal of Trinity College, Dublin, in an interview to TamilNet on Tuesday. “There is an inherent racism within the so-called project of good governance, which is based on a victor’s mentality. The agenda of the ‘good governance’ did not arise from the Sinhala society. It was part of the US-sponsored UN resolution and a facade to cover up crimes committed against the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan state,” the exiled Sinhala academic says adding that the political power of the ‘Sinhala Supremacist State’ is at its peak at the moment.
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Obama legacy of progressive moral decay

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 September 2015, 18:47 GMT]
Obama's foreign policy legacy is likely to be, not just that he presided over humanitarian and cultural disasters of epochal proportions, now with flood of refugees from Syria after US engineered instability with Iraqi invasion and later supporting ill-conceived National Opposition, and observing as passive on-lookers at the unfolding "Crime of the century" when Sinhala troops killed more than 80,000 Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka, but that Obama soothed the American people into feeling no responsibilities for the tragedies. Germany, which abstained from colluding with US, Britain, France, Turkey and Gulf states in the aggression against Assad, is now setting the moral leadership to the West, welcoming nearly one million Muslim-Syrians, and planning to integrate them as citizens of its own.
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Disabled ex-LTTE female cadre, surviving suicide attempt, speaks out

[TamilNet, Saturday, 05 September 2015, 23:09 GMT]
A former LTTE combatant, who attempted to commit suicide in July 2015 as she was unable to repay the loans taken from her relatives in order to complete the construction of their house, which the family received through the Indian Housing Scheme, told TamilNet that disabled ex-LTTE members, especially women, have been subjected to constant trauma as they were unable to sustain their livelihood. Instead of receiving monetary assistance, the disabled former fighters preferred employment opportunities, which could relieve them from discriminatory practices in the job market such as in the garment industry, the recovered mother of three told TamilNet on Saturday.
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TNA faces pressure from ITAK grassroots to reject US move on domestic mechanism

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 September 2015, 23:36 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) hierarchy is facing pressure from the grassroots of the Ilangkai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK) against the move to extend its support to domestic investigations, informed sources told TamilNet on Thursday. In an interview to TamilNet this week, Eastern Provincial Council member of the ITAK, Mr Nageswaran Kumarasamy, categorically rejected the domestic accountability mechanism, which is to be proposed by the USA, Sri Lanka and other actors in collaboration in the forthcoming sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, saying that a such mechanism lacks credibility and security in the context of the island of Sri Lanka.
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Ex-militant parties in TNA resolve to oppose US move on domestic mechanism

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 August 2015, 09:44 GMT]
Three of the ex-militant parties in the Tamil National Alliance have decided to sharply oppose the US move, informed sources within the TNA told TamilNet on Sunday. A consensus has already been achieved between the three parties (EPRLF, TELO and PLOTE) on Sunday with regards to opposing the domestic mechanism and in demanding international investigations. However, on ITAK's reluctance in making democratic decisions within the TNA, the three ex-militant parties would demand a structural solution within the TNA before considering other options, an EPRLF source told TamilNet Monday noon.
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Families of enforced disappeared Tamils decry domestic investigations

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 August 2015, 15:38 GMT]
Around 1,200 people from all the 8 districts of North-East came together at an emotional gathering on Sunday at the De La Salle Brothers School in Mannaar, remembering the enforced disappeared persons in the country of Eezham Tamils. On the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared, the families of enforced disappeared demanded independent international investigations and categorically rejected the domestic and so-called hybrid mechanisms that are currently being advocated by the USA. In the meantime, leading lawyers from Mannaar told TamilNet on Sunday that international investigations were necessary on the mass graves at the killing fields of Mannaar. On Friday, an abandoned well allegedly used by the SL military to dump slain Tamils was located 40 meters close to Maanthai Junction near Thirukkeatheesvaram temple.
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SLM Hanifa urges Tamil-speaking politicians to transcend parochial localism

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 August 2015, 10:05 GMT]
Veteran writer SLM Hanifa has warned Tamils and Muslims of the sinister motives of the incumbent UNP-SLFP regime and the exploitative global politics of the Powers. Urging the Tamil-speaking Muslims and Tamils to shed past old wounds towards building unity between all Tamil speakers, also including the Upcountry Tamils, in order to defend the larger interests of their communities, the former NEPC councillor from Batticaloa condemned the opportunistic parliamentary orientations of the Muslim politicians, who have hitherto brought political confusion among the Muslim masses through their actions that have only strengthened the Sinhala-dominated coalitions. "Like the caste system is exploited for seeking votes in Tamil Nadu, locality-oriented parochialism has emerged as a destructive factor in the electoral politics in the island, which is exploited by the UNP and the SLFP,” Mr Hanifa said.
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Competition mounts in engineering genocidal Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 August 2015, 16:07 GMT]
South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa was on a secret mission to Colombo last weekend. Mr. Tony Blair, who was the British Prime Minister during the genocidal onslaught of Eezham Tamils was in the island on a two weeks tour since 11 August. US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal and another US official are in Colombo. The section of Sinhala Buddhist elements in the mission or payroll of protecting Rajapaksa, who openly took a China line earlier this year, connected the dots to depict IC conspiracy, by linking Ramaphosa to the ICG and to a CIA mission. In response, the South African Government on Tuesday announced that Mr Ramaphosa was no longer connected to the ICG. The hectic visits and the recent Indian media scurry in claiming hold on affairs as well as 'guidance' for domestic investigation, signal only mounting competition in stabilizing the genocidal State with new local partners.
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Champoor Tamils to join hands with Muslims in opposing controversial coal power plant

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 August 2015, 23:29 GMT]
"Our resettlement was blocked 3 times within the last 8 months between the Sri Lankan Presidential Election in January till the SL Parliamentary Elections in August. We have seen the Gazette notification, legal cases in Colombo and the SL president visiting before the election and after the election. Again, Champoor has gained focus because of the much awaited OISL report in September,” Tamil activists from Champoor told TamilNet on Saturday after witnessing the much orchestrated visit by SL President Maithiripala and former SL president Chandrika Kumaratunga. In the meantime, the people of Champoor will soon to join hands with the Tamil-speaking Muslims in Moothoor in demanding annulment of the controversial coal power plant in Champoor, they further told TamilNet.
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Uprooted people in Champoor demand coordinated Tamil effort on resettlement

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 August 2015, 18:00 GMT]
While Tamil activists are set to push for a billion-rupee compensation from the Sri Lankan State for the structural destruction caused to Champoor so far, the president of the genocidal State in Colombo is visiting to Champoor on Saturday to donate 13,000 rupees per family to 25 families together with a symbolic hand-over of their lands, news sources in Trincomalee told TamilNet on Friday. Meanwhile, the resettling uprooted Tamils said they had spent 30,000 rupees each during the last weeks alone to clear the freed lands. Although there are Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) showing a keen interest in providing support, there is no co-ordinated effort to channel assistance to resettle the people, the civil sources in Trincomalee said.
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TNA secures 16 of 29 SL parliamentary seats in North-East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 August 2015, 05:50 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has secured 5 seats in the Jaffna electoral district, 4 seats in Vanni, 3 seats in Batticaloa, 1 in Trincomalee, 1 in Ampaa'rai and two seats for nominated parliamentarians according to the latest figures. In Jaffna, S. Sritharan, Mavai Senathirajah, M.A. Sumanthiran, T. Sitharthan and E. Saravanapavan have secured their seats after repeated counting of preferential votes on Tuesday while Suresh Premachandran lost his parliamentary seat. In the meantime, United National Party (UNP) led by Ranil Wickramasinghe is set to form the SL government in the South, despite a tough race with Mahinda Rajapaksa's UPFA. The UNP was leading the electoral districts in the South, particularly where Tamils and Muslims live in considerable numbers. UNP has got 106 seats in the SL parliament followed by the UPFA (95), TNA (16), JVP (06), EPPD (01) and SLMC (01).
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War-affected Women Development Society leader threatened in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 August 2015, 23:43 GMT]
47-year-old Thavapalan Piriayatharsini, who is the head of Women Development Society at Theaththaa-vaadi, a village situated near Iluppaik-kadavai in Maanthai West division of Mannnaar district, says she and her three daughters have been subjected to death threats by an unknown squad. The family has been subjected to death threats since 11 August. A group of unknown men, who came in a white van entered her house that day and warned ‘rape and death’ if she continued to give social leadership to the villagers. They were particularly angry about Piriyatharsini making demands from political parties. The threatening presence of a white van squad is still continuing, she told TamilNet on Thursday.
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Sinhala settlers claim ownership to Tamils' lands in Thiyaa-vadduvaan, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2015, 21:45 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lankan Military and Police in Batticaloa district are attempting to transfer a section of lands seized from Tamils at Koara'laip-pattu (Vaazhaich-cheani) division to Sinhala settlers, informed civil sources in Batticaloa told TamilNet. While Tamil landowners are still struggling to get released their lands, where were seized from them in 1990, Sinhalese persons have started to claim ownership to a section of lands at Thiyaavadduvaan in the division, the sources further said.
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Gajendrakumar clarifies differences in TNPF-TNA polity

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 August 2015, 23:37 GMT]
In an interview to TamilNet on Sunday, Tamil National Peoples Front (TNPF) leader Mr Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam clarified the differences between the TNPF polity and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) polity on the question of solutions to the national question of Eezham Tamils, amidst claims by TNA politician Mr M.A. Sumanthiran that both the TNA and the TNPF talk of the same thing. Whether Tamils like to confirm the line of guided polity taken by imperialisms of own interests over the island, or whether Tamils like to edify (if not confront) the imperialisms by passing a strong message, is the difference between voting for the TNA and voting for the TNPF, commented Tamil political observers in Jaffna.
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US, Jewish outfits in Colombo behind deceptive ‘hybrid court’, TRC advocacy

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 August 2015, 11:56 GMT]
Human Rights activists in North and East told TamilNet this week that it was USA, more than any other countries, that has been promoting the South Africa inspired Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the so-called “hybrid mechanism” for transforming the international process into a domestic process lately in the island. The Colombo-based USAID and American Jewish World Service (AJWS) have been working behind the scene to campaign among Eelam Tamils to support these mechanisms, the sources told TamilNet. In the meantime, Northern Provincial Councillor M.K. Shivajilngam, in a letter sent to UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Saturday urged the UN Rights Chief to “take measures for proper international judicial process under the auspices of the UN.”
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Lawyers in Mannaar seek external assistance on mass grave investigations

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 August 2015, 23:39 GMT]
Colombo-based Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department officer H. Ranasinghe was confronted last Wednesday by leading lawyers from Mannaar, when the case on continued exhumation of the alleged killing fields of Mannaar was taken at Mannaar Magistrate Court. Colombo's CID officers were trying to annul further investigations by sabotaging DNA based forensic investigations to judge the exact time when the victims were slain and by projecting a false claim that the skeletons belonged to a graveyard. However, Judge Aseervatham Gracian Alex Raja, after hearing the arguments from both the Colombo's Police and the lawyers representing the missing persons in Mannaar and the lawyers association in Mannaar, ordered for further excavation of another site, which is believed to be a well, where the SL military is believed to have dumped slain Tamils, 14 years ago.
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SL police makes no progress in investigations on assassination of SSO

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 August 2015, 17:29 GMT]
Two months have passed since the assassination of Social Service Officer (SSO) S. Mathisayan at Ma'ndoor in Batticaloa district. The Sinhala police of occupying Colombo has failed to produce any result in identifying and nabbing the assassins, who are believed to be politically “well-connected”, the sources close to the family of the victim, told TamilNet on Thursday. The SL police officials who were involved in the investigations have privately admitted that the killers were probably well connected to influential politicians and civil officials associated with powerful circles, the sources further said.
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Deployment of SL Intelligence operatives triggers fear among villagers in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 August 2015, 21:10 GMT]
Sri Lankan military has increased the deployment of Sinhala military intelligence troopers in Paduvaan-karai region of Batticaloa district, news sources in Kokkaddich-choalai told TamilNet on Wednesday. The sudden deployment of intelligence operatives has caused tension and fear among the public in Kokkaddichchoalai and other rural environs in Paddippazhai division of the district. The freedom of civilian movement has been severely restricted ahead of the SL Elections and the SL military has deployed a former Tamil paramilitary operative as a tactic to divide the Tamil votes, the sources further said.
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Buddhist monk, SL military step up construction of Buddhist vihara at Kokku'laay

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 August 2015, 22:31 GMT]
The occupying Sinhala military and Sri Thissapura Gunarathna Thero, the Buddhist monk, who is behind the construction of a Buddhist vihara establishment at a disputed land in Kokku'laay, which links Northern and Eastern provinces, have fenced off the area and are engaged in construction work during the nights defying the instructions of the District Secretariat of Mullaiththeevu. The monk and SL soldiers were photographed this week while they were engaged in the construction work. The area remains fenced off during the daytime to avoid focus. While the Tamil politicians were busy with the elections, the extremist monk and Sinhalese soldiers resumed the banned construction work. TamilNet has obtained photographs that document the construction taking place with the direct involvement of the monk.
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Relatives of missing persons in East to boycott SL elections

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 August 2015, 23:28 GMT]
The organisations representing the kith and kin of the missing persons in Trincomalee have resolved to boycott the Sri Lankan General Elections as politicians involved in the electoral politics have failed to deliver anything so far during the regimes of Rajapaksa and Sirisena, civil sources in Trincomalee told TamilNet on Monday.
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