Mannaar Bishop rejects GoSL’s Presidential commission on missing persons

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=37333

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 August 2014]
Rejecting an offer to make presentations before the GoSL’s Presidential commission on missing persons, Mannaar Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph said “Over the years many commissions such as yours have been set up and there is absolutely no shred of evidence that they have tackled impunity. Most, if not all of these commissions have provided only to be eye washers for the then Governments in power.” In a letter sent on Sunday addressed to the Chairman and Commissioners of this setup, he further expressed his concern that “the recent expansion of your mandate and the appointment of international experts to oversee the work of the commission without any clear terms of reference has been deliberately done to undermine the work of the UN OHCHR's inquiry into Sri Lanka which commenced recently.” 

SL Presidential Commission on Missing Persons visits Bishop of Mannaar Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph

The full text of Rev Fr Rayappu Joseph’s letter follows:

The Chairman and Commissioners, Presidential Commission on Missing Persons.

Dear Commissioners,

Submission Regarding My position with regard to appearing before the above Commission in Mannar

• Mannaar Bishop's position on appearing before PCMP

I am thankful for your very kind visit to me and for your personal invitation to testify before the commission during it's sittings to be held in Mannar between the 8th and 11th of August 2014.

Media groups protest against SL military’s shadow war on Eezham Tamil journalists

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=37319

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 July 2014]
Following the SL military sabotage against Tamil journalists, who were on their way to attend a workshop held in Colombo on Friday, 25 July, and against the continued threat and harassment of the involved Eezham Tamil journalists, Tamil journalists in the five districts of Northern Province came together at a protest organised by the Jaffna Press Club in Jaffna city on Thursday. Media organisations based in South also took part in the protest in Jaffna expressing their solidarity with the Eezham Tamil journalists, who are being threatened and harassed by the occupying military of the genocidal Sri Lankan State.