Icy reception for Rajapaksa at Heathrow

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 November 2010, 22:36 GMT]
More than five hundred Tamils gathered at London’s Heathrow airport to protest as Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa landed from Colombo. As Sri Lankan Airlines flight UL509 carrying Mr. Rajapaksa, who is on a private visit, landed at about 9:50 p.m. UK time, protestors braved Britain’s unusually cold weather to call attention to his government’s war crimes. Meanwhile, a senior Norwegian expert on the conflict in Sri Lanka advised Tamil activists to concentrate on country-level legal moves, rather than waiting for any global or governmental actors to take the lead. Tamils should forge alliances with legal, alternative, and human rights groups to fight the legal battle, the expert told Norwegian Country Council representatives, who welcomed the British demonstration.
Full story >>

SL High Court to decide on using Fonseka video on white flag case

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 November 2010, 17:57 GMT]
The three member bench of the Colombo High Court Monday said that it would decide on Wednesday whether the edited video speech of Sarath Fonseka, the former commander of the Sri Lanka Army, produced by the Attorney General could be accepted as evidence against him in a case in which he is indicted with causing disrepute to the government by a giving an interview to the Sunday leader, English weekly. Sarath Fonseka in that interview had alleged that the Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had instructed the Major General Shavendra Silva not to spare any LTTE member who came holding white flags, but to shoot them all dead.
Full story >>

This is a struggle for all of us: Vikramabahu tells Heroes Day congregation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 November 2010, 12:57 GMT]
Tamils were killed by successive Sinhala chauvinistic governments and at last but not the least by the Mahinda regime. Not only Tamils but also thousands of Sinhala youth who were sent for aggression in the Tamil homeland and attack Tamils died in an alien land. The misery created among the Sinhalese will also show its reaction in future. This is a struggle for all of us. Yes, we have gone through defeat. Now we have to get up and fight to overthrow this chauvinistic military regime to have democracy in the land, said Dr. Vikramabahu Karunaratne, Secretary of the Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP), who was a star speaker at the Maaveerar (Heroes) Day gathering in London, Saturday. The event attended by more than 50, 000 diaspora Tamils paid homage to the heroes who laid down their lives fighting for the liberation of Tamil Eelam.
Full story >>

Sarath Fonseka discharged from prison hospital

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 November 2010, 07:42 GMT]
Sarath Fonseka, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and the leader of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), was discharged from the prison hospital and sent back to his cell at the Welikada Prison Saturday afternoon, according to Commissioner of Prisons Major General. V.R. Silva. He was suddenly taken ill after he returned from the inquiry in the Colombo High Court in a case in which he was charged for causing disrepute to the government by giving an interview to the Sunday Leader, English weekly published from Colombo. He was then immediately transferred to prison hospital.
Full story >>

Fonseka admitted to prison hospital

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 November 2010, 12:19 GMT]
Sarath Fonseka, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and currently serving a prison sentence of thirty months was admitted to Welikada prison hospital Tuesday night on his return from attending the “white flag” case against him in the High Court. Commissioner General of Prisons Major General (retired) V.R.de Silva told media sources that medical officers had confirmed that Fonseka was suffering from an illness.
Full story >>

Supreme Court directs Appeal Court to cease inquiry into Fonseka’s application

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 2010, 15:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Tuesday directed the Court of Appeal to cease the inquiry into the Writ Application by Sarath Fonseka over his parliamentary seat till it determines whether the Court Martial comes within the phrase ‘any court’ as defined in Article 89/d of the Constitution. The ruling was given by five member bench of the Supreme Court when it took the application of the Court of Appeal seeking a clarification whether the Court Martial that sentenced Sarath Fonseka is considered a court or not. The bench comprises Chief Justice Asoka de Silva, Justices Dr. Shirani A. Bandaranaike, Nimal Gamini Ameratunga, Saleem Marsoof and K. Sripavan.
Full story >>

Major General Shavendra Silva gives evidence in “white flag” case

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 2010, 10:39 GMT]
Major General Shavendra Silva, now posted as Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative in the United Nations Monda, gave evidence before a three-member bench of the Colombo High Court in a case in which the former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Sarath Fonseka has been charged for causing disrepute to the government by an alleged interview to the English weekly Sunday Leader. Sarath Fonseka is reported to have alleged in that interview that the Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had ordered Major General Shavendra Silva to shoot all LTTE cadres dead who come forward to surrender holding white flags.
Full story >>

Major General Shavindra Silva to give evidence in “white flag” case

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 November 2010, 04:51 GMT]
Colombo High Court Thursday issued notice on Major General Shavendra Silva to appear in court on November 15 to give evidence in the case in which the former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army has been charged for causing disrepute to the government by an alleged interview to the English weekly Sunday Leader. Sarath Fonseka is reported to have alleged in that interview that the Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse had ordered Major General Shavendra Silva to shoot all LTTE cadres dead who come forward to surrender holding white flags.
Full story >>

Tamil editor blames Colombo of deceiving uprooted civilians in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 November 2010, 18:14 GMT]
A leading journalist and the news editor of Thinakkural Tamil daily published in Jaffna, M. Vamadevan accused the Sri Lankan governments in power during the last 20 years of deceiving the uprooted people from Valikaamam North Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zones (HSZs) saying that resettlement is not possible as they are infested with land mines, witnessing before the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Committee (LLRC) Thursday in Jaffna. Promises had been given to the uprooted families that they will be soon permitted to resettle in their own places at various instances by various Sri Lanka ministers and government officials but nothing has been done to resettle them, Vamadevan told LLRC.
Full story >>

Appeal Court reserves order on Fonseka’s application

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 November 2010, 08:44 GMT]
The Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal Wednesday reserved its order on the Writ Application filed by Sarath Fonseka, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army seeking interim relief to enable him to attend parliament to vote on November 18, the day before the incumbent Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse takes oaths for the second term. The three-member bench of the Court of Appeal comprised Justices R. L. Ranjit Silva, A. W. A. Salam and Upali Abeyaratne heard the submission of the petitioner and the Attorney General Wednesday.
Full story >>

Three judges to decide on Fonseka attending parliament

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 November 2010, 06:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Court of Appeal President Sathya Hettige Tuesday appointed a three-member bench to hear a petition by Sarath Fonseka, the former Army Commander and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Leader seeking for an order allow him to participate in Sri Lanka parliament proceedings. The three- member bench comprising Judges Ranjit de Silva, A. W. A. Abdul Kalam and Upali Abeyaratne will commence inquiry into the petition Wednesday, legal sources said.
Full story >>

Political parties in UK condemn jailing Fonseka - Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 November 2010, 06:30 GMT]
The Only country in the world that has unseated a person who holds the post of Member of Parliament due to the ruling of a Military Tribunal is Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party(UNP), said addressing a meeting at Bopitiya in Katugampola Saturday evening. He added that during his recent visit to Europe he was told by members of ruling and opposition parties that a Member of Parliament cannot be removed from his seat by a decision of a Court Martial and a retired person from the military cannot also be punished under the military regulations.
Full story >>

Supreme Court dismisses Sarath Fonseka’s petition

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 October 2010, 10:22 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Friday dismissed the election petition filed by Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka challenging the re-election of the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential election held on January 26 this year, without trial. The five-member bench comprising Chief Justice Asoka de Silva and Justices Shirani Bandaranaike, K. Sripavan, P. A. Ratnayake and S. I. Imam upheld the preliminary objection raised by the respondents including Mahinda Rajapaksa and decided not to hear the petition as the petitioner had not been able to name the respondents in proper.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka’s judiciary divided on Court Martial inquiry against Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 October 2010, 04:50 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal Thursday referred to the Supreme Court for a constitutional interpretation whether the Court Martial is a legally bound court in respect of Article 89(d) of the Constitution. Meanwhile the two-member Bench of the Court of Appeal Justices Ranjit Silva and Upali Abeyaratne also on Thursday directed its Registrar to inform the President of the Court of Appeal Sathya Hettige to nominate a fuller bench to hold inquiry to hear the interim relief plea of Sarath Fonseka in view of the division of opinion among them on issuing an interim order.
Full story >>

Former Chief Justice demands release of Fonseka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 October 2010, 04:49 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s former Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva Monday signed a public petition demanding Sri Lanka government to release Sarath Fonseka, the former Commander of the Sri Lanka from Welikada prison where the latter is serving a jail sentence on being found guilty by the Second Court Martial for involvement in politics while serving the army. The petition is to be submitted to Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa shortly. The event of signing the petition was held at J. R. Jayawardene Centre Monday, sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

Appeal Court instructs AG to ensure Fonseka’s presence in court

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 October 2010, 04:58 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal Friday instructed the Attorney General to ensure the presence of Sarath Fonseka, former Commander of Sri Lanka Army in court when his writ application against the First Court Martial decision to strip him of the rank of General is taken up for inquiry on the next date. The Bench comprised Judges Rohini Marasinghe and Upali Abeyratne. Sarath Fonseka was not present in court Friday.
Full story >>

Fonseka vows to break out of prison to protect masses

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 October 2010, 04:55 GMT]
Sarath Fonseka, former commander of the Sri Lanka Army while leaving the Colombo High Court Friday told media persons gathered there that he along with others remanded in prison by Sri Lanka government are prepared to break out of prisons and protect the people. He has been indicted in the trial at bar of the High Court for causing disrepute to the government by giving an interview to the Sunday leader.
Full story >>

US War Crimes Unit receives list of Sri Lanka's missing Tamil surrendees

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 October 2010, 21:32 GMT]
Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), a US-based activist group, submitted to the War Crimes unit of the U.S. Department of State, a list of persons known to have surrendered to the Government of Sri Lanka forces in the final stages of the war in the first five months of 2009 and who remain missing in custody as of October 2010. The list was compiled from witness statements and interview data collected by Tamil Diaspora groups in the UK.
Full story >>

Court orders TV viewing privileges to Fonseka in prison cell

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 October 2010, 02:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has ordered the Welikada Prison administration to allow former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka to view televison programs in his prison cell. The order was made to the Prison Chief following a submission by Fonseka’s lawyer this week, Sinhala daily Dinamina said.
Full story >>

Fonseka not prepared to ask for pardon from Rajapaksa

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 October 2010, 18:14 GMT]
Sarath Fonseka, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Monday told journalists in Colombo that he would prefer to serve life imprisonment and die in prison rather than asking for a pardon from “gangsters”. Mr. Fonseka talked to journalists when he was brought to Colombo High Court Monday by prison officials from Welikada prison for making his presence in “white flag” case.
Full story >>