Sri Lankan government voices anger as UK MPs address Tamil group

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Sri-Lankan-Tamils-Meet-British-Politicians-In-London-To-Win-Recognition-Of-New-Ethnic-Group/Article/201002415558394?lpos=World_News_Second_UK_News_Article_Teaser_Region_2&lid=ARTICLE_15558394_ The diplomatic rift between London and Colombo has widened after Gordon Brown and David Miliband met delegates from a new worldwide Tamil union despite "strong protests" from the Sri Lankan government. Miliband, the foreign secretary, used his address to the inaugural conference of the Global Tamil Forum at the Commons yesterday to urge the Sri Lankan government to embark on a "genuinely inclusive political process". He also repeated calls for an investigation into allegations that both the Sri Lankan state and the Tamil Tigers violated international humanitarian law during last year's fighting. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/25/sri-lanka-global-tamil-forum

Sri Lankan Army:Rape and Murder of Sarathambaal-File closed!

By: V.Thangavelu, President - WTCWA It comes as no surprise and everything is true to form to learn from newspaper reports that the Human Rights Commission which investigated the rape and murder of Sarathambaal Saravanabhavanantha Kurukkal has decided to close the file for lack of evidence. Likewise the CID too has thrown in the towel saying there are no suspects. Apparently to both the HRC and the CID it looks though Sarathambaal was never raped and murdered, but she simply committed suicide! Contrary to what the HRC and CID say, local residents claim that the naval ratings who raped Sarathambaal have all been transferred from the island to prevent identification, interrogation and arrest. This is a familiar and thinly disguised ploy unashamedly used by the top brasses of the armed forces to shelter perpetrators of crimes from the long arm of the law. http://tamilcanadian.com/page.php?cat=117&id=642

Hundreds need reconstructive orthopedic surgery.

Many patients who had surgery during the time of fighting between the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) that were operated on initially under emergency conditions have developed infections, particularly of the bone. The wounds, mostly caused by exploding shells and bullets, have not healed. Infections occur frequently in war wounds Dr. Inga Osmers, an MSF orthopedic surgeon, stops by a patient's bed and reviews the X-ray. An internal plate is clearly visible, attached to the bone beneath the skin. "We can see on the X-ray that the two bones are still far apart and we can see this little hole on the skin, which we call a fistula," the surgeon explains. "It is a sign of infection, a natural discharge channel. It is not very visible or striking, but underneath it, the infection has already done quite a bit of harm." Infections are very frequent in the case of war wounds, when a foreign body enters; here, most often, small shell fragments. The risks are even higher when there are many wounded patients at one time and not enough surgical resources to intervene quickly under optimal conditions. Date Published: 22/02/2010 08:21 http://www.msf.org.uk/articledetail.aspx?fId=sri_lanka_reconstructive_surgery_20100222

Nine Year Old Girl Reped by Sri Lanka Army Soldiers

A nine year old ethnic Tamil girl has been raped by three suspected Sri Lanka Army soldiers, reports say. The victim is a grade five student of Sitthandi Digili Vellei School in Madakalapu. Girl was admitted to the Mawadiwembu hospital. Army Media Spokesman Major Prasad Samarasinghe confirmed to media, that the girls' mother has been filed a complaint in police regarding the crime. Meanwhile Body of a man who protested against the rape found near in nearby lake, report said further. According to reports, a group of soldiers went to house to house and threat villagers who protested against the crime. Commodore soldiers are questioning the girl frequently victim, reports said. Published: Feb 22, 2010 22:29 GMT http://news.nidahasa.com/news.php?go=fullnews&newsid=994

where is the bomb come from jaffna roadside.Now who have bomb in Sri Lanka‏

Two children died from a blast at jaffna today. It is identified the students died at the incident are jaffna kozhumbuththurai Hindu college. The bomb which was not burse found by the children resulted the death. Reports says while the children returning the home at found the bomb which was lying on the roadside. Sri Lanka take the responsibility without telling it's LTTE.

EU to cut Sri Lanka trade benefits over rights

European Union nations decided Monday to withdraw preferential trade benefits from Sri Lanka due to "significant shortcomings" on human rights issues, the EU Commission announced. The decision came after an "exhaustive investigation... identified significant shortcomings in respect of Sri Lanka's implementation of three UN human rights conventions," the commission said in a statement. The suspension of the GSP+ (Generalised System of Preferences plus) benefits will not take effect for six months "giving Sri Lanka extra time to address the problems identified," the EU executive added. http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/srilanka-trade.2ph

The United Nations have once again called for an independent international investigation over alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka.

Navi Pillai, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has told a gathering in Dublin, Ireland that her office is in a clear understanding that national investigations "have not worked so far". Speaking in Dublin, Ireland, she added that UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon is "seriously committed to getting President Rajapaksa to comply with the undertaking he gave to the Secretary General." The High Commissioner confirmed that she recently met Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe in Geneva. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2010/02/100212_war_crimes.shtml

As many as 40,000 civilians could have been killed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war, according to someone with detailed knowledge o

As many as 40,000 civilians could have been killed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war, according to someone with detailed knowledge of the conflict – the former United Nations’ spokesperson in Sri Lanka, Gordon Weiss. Mr Weiss has resigned from the UN after 14 years and returned home to Australia. He’s now free to speak openly about the situation in Sri Lanka, for the first time and does so candidly and unflinchingly in Foreign Correspondent’s return program. http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2009/s2814960.htm

Sri Lanka Says UN's Ban "Congratulates" Rajapaksa After Arrest of Fonseka

UNITED NATIONS, February 10 -- After Sri Lanka's Mahinda Rajapaksa had his electoral opponent Sarath Fonseka arrested, UN Secretary General Bank Ki-moon belatedly put in a call to Colombo. By the time the UN provided a requested read out of the call, the Rajapaksa administration had already publicly characterized it as a call of "congratulations," which followed Ban's own public statement of "relief" after the election. Mr. Ban had declined to send any UN presence to the presidential elections, and has rebuffed the recommendation by the UN's own Special Rapporteur Philip Alston that he name an investigative panel on war crimes in Sri Lanka. So what did he now discuss with Mahinda Rajapaksa? http://www.innercitypress.com/bansri1congrats021010.html

Australian MP calls for independent investigations into Sri Lanka violations

Noting that on Sri Lanka's Independence day "Tamil diaspora around the world mourn as they believe today marks the beginning of national oppression," John Murphy, Australian Member of Parliament, said in a recorded speech in the parliament on 4th February, adding, "[d]espite the Sri Lankan government’s declaration of [military] victory, the international community has expressed its grave concern that this battle will not be won and peace will not prevail until the Sri Lankan government provides essential political reform." The MP called for an independent investigation into the "reports of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Sri Lanka." http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2010/02/JMurphys_speech_on_4_Feb_2010.pdf

Tamil Bishop Thomas Savundaranayagam has visited the civil war’s final battlefield

Tamil Bishop Thomas Savundaranayagam has visited the civil war’s final battlefield for the first time since the fighting ended, and said rebuilding lives and churches in the area was an “unbearable burden” on the people there. The bishop is the first to be allowed to visit the war zone after fighting ended last May. The government still prohibits civilians, UN agencies, NGOs and the media from visiting the area. Bishop Savundaranayagam, visibly shaken by his unpublicized visit to the war zone on Jan. 29, described the chaos he found there, particularly in the Catholic fishing village of Mathalan on the east coast. “Devastation is everywhere” and threatens our people’s future, he said. http://www.ucanews.com/2010/02/05/bishop-gets-first-glimpse-of-final-battlefield

the Sri Lankan defence secretary outbursts against UN, International investigations

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan defence secretary and the brother of the SL president, in an exclusive interview given to the BBC on Tuesday has despotically opposed any international investigation on war crimes during the final stage of the war. Meanwhile, the official news website of the Rajapaksa government in its Sinhala and versions has blamed external forces for rejuvenating the claim of Tamil Eelam by backing Sarath Fonseka, citing the pattern of the results of the recent presidential elections. The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa also warned the politicians not to guide the 'innocent people' in 'wrong path', while he referred to the election participation in North and East in his Tamil version of the February 04 speech. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa became visibly despotic in his response to the question posed by BBC's Asia Today on Tuesday: http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=31142