20th May 2011

Liberal, New Democrat officials commemorate May Genocide Remembrance

http://www.examiner.com/headlines-in-toronto/liberal-new-democrat-officials-commemorate-may-genocide-remembrance

Thousands of Canadian Tamils and public officials gathered in front of the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park in Toronto to commemorate the second annual International War Crimes Day remembrance ceremony.

Two years ago, the 30-year civil war in Sri Lanka came to an end, but the battle within the country between the Singhalese, the Tamils and the international community wages on.The international Tamil community is urging countries across the globe and the United Nations to establish an independent inquiry into the actions committed by the Sri Lankan security forces during the final days of the war.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government is denying all accusations of wrongdoing and have conducted their own inquests to investigate all of the allegations and testimony from those who were involved or were victims in the war.

The United Nations published a report from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s Panel of Experts last month, which came under high scrutiny by the Sri Lankan government and Tamil officials from around the world. “It’s [the report] is okay, but initially the figures what they have was very low – the figures where peopled died – and then later on, they came up with the true figures, but still the count will become a little more later on,” said Pipira, a Tamil official who works with various NGOs. “I feel like, and the Tamil people feel like, that the initial figure that the Sri Lankan government said was only 75,000 trapped, but that’s the amount of food and medication they sent to the people and after all, the figure has risen to 300,000 so that means that’s also part of the war crimes because the number of people in custody is higher than that.”

“Credible allegations made by the United Nations report demand nothing short of an independent, impartial and international war crimes inquiry—similar to the tribunals in Yugoslavia and Rwanda,” said the spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Tamils.  “The allegations made in the report represent a fundamental assault on the very foundation of international law designed to protect civilians during an armed conflict.”

Remembrance

On Wednesday, thousands of Canadian Tamils all dressed in black packed Queen’s Park along with several Canadian public officials, including the recently elected Tamil New Democrat Member of Parliament Rathika Sitsabaiesan.

As part of its remembrance and commemoration for the thousands of civilians who perished in the civil war, the National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT) and the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) hosted the second annual War Crimes Day ceremony in front of the Ontario Legislature.

This event included segments of song and dance, speeches from MPs and Members of Provincial Parliament, activists from non-governmental organizations and representatives from the NCCT and TGTE.

“Right now, standing here as a worker, as a Canadian, as a Muslim, I want to be Tamil with you today,” said Shaila Kabris, former Ontario NDP candidate.  “I want to be Tamil with you until we can call ourselves all equal.  Right now we’re not equal.  Right now what is happening is not equal.  Why do some people get an investigation?  Some people have a trial.  Some people go to court.  Why isn’t everyone getting that?”

Canadian officials speak out

Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament Glenn Murray started the event with a speech congratulating the efforts made by the Tamil community in Toronto.  He also awarded the NCCT with an honorary plaque.

Sitsabaiesan read out a speech from Peter Julian, NDP Member of Parliament from British Columbia, in which he apologized for not attending the event, but he noted that he was “with you in spirit” and is in “total support of your goal” of the “worthy cause” because it involves truth and justice for the nation of Sri Lanka.

“I am deeply troubled and shocked by the recent revelations by the UN panel of experts citing the Sri Lanka government and its armed forces as guilty as killing 70,000 innocent Tamil civilians in May of 2009,” wrote Julian.  “Everyone should work together to ensure the murderers are brought to justice.”

Michael Prue, NDP Member of Provincial Parliament, thanked the thousands in attendance for contributing to the understanding of Canadians of the history and crises, which he notes, persists in Sri Lanka.

“I remember all those many months and years ago walking down those streets, and there were tens of thousands of people, just like there are here today, in front of the American embassy demanding that there be a peace.  And I never saw such a disciplined and wonderful group in my entire life,” said Prue.

He further added that everyone stood in solidarity and promoted the one message to everyone in Canada, despite having the feelings of “despair” and “despondency” because of friends and relatives “suffering in Sri Lanka.

“You’re bringing the whole world’s attention here tonight.  You are standing here united as one people to ask for justice, to ask for freedom and to ask for the international community to recognize what happened years ago because the world needs to know what happened there.”

Sitsabaiesan, garnering a loud applause from the audience, spoke in both English and in Tamil where she said she “wanted to be one of the strong voices for those who have been marginalized” in Canada and in Sri Lanka.

Due to the UN report and media coverage, the Tamils have been vindicated and have been proven correct because everything the report stated is what the Tamil community has been saying all along for the past two years.

“The recent report from the UN panel of experts revealed to the world and revealed many of the atrocities that we all knew what was happening in the island of Sri Lanka for many, many decades,” said the newly elected NDP MP.  “The war without witnesses that has taken place on the island finally has some international media coverage because of the United Nations report.”

The MP stated that everyone is standing in solidarity for those innocent women, children and seniors who lost their lives or suffered from abuse, rape, imprisonment, involuntary disappearance and torture during the civil war.

May Remembrance

Tamils everywhere are still continuing the Tamil Genocide Remembrance Month.  This weekend, community organizations will coordinate a tree planting ceremony in Toronto to remember the strife that has plagued the lives of millions.

Next week, the blood donation campaign will carry on.

COLOMBO PAGE

Sri Lanka Opposition Leader to visit Tamil Nadu on an invitation of the new Chief Minister

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11/May20_1305867084KA.php

Sri Lanka’s major opposition United National Party (UNP) sources say that the newly elected Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalitha has invited the UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe for a tour in her state.

The invitation has been extended as the Chief Minister Jayalalitha telephoned Wickremasinghe to thank for the congratulations rendered by the latter, UNP sources say.

The duo has had a lengthy telephone dialogue, according to a party spokesman. They have discussed the situation in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka and the need for an amicable political solution with the agreement of all sections.

The spokesman further said that the Opposition Leader would soon visit Tamil Nadu on the invitation of the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister after her political victory called for the central government to declare Sri Lankan President a war criminal and impose economic sanctions against the Sri Lankan government.

DAILY MIRROR

Withdraw PTA, emergency: JVP

http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/11487-withdraw-pta-emergency-jvp.html

he Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday called for the withdrawal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the emergency regulations immediately as a measure to quell attempts by ‘international elements’ to interfere in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs.

In an interview with Daily Mirror, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said steps should be taken to release all Tamil detainees adding that though the armed separatist struggle had ended, the attempts by some neo-colonialist elements to divide this country were continuing.

“These forces have not given up their attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the country,” he said. “With the end of the war, the government should have taken steps not to leave any room for such interference by the United Nations or anyone else. It is very important to lift the state of emergency and do away with draconian laws such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act. In the post-war context, steps should be taken to release all these Tamil political detainees. Action is needed to speedily resettle all the displaced people by giving them the necessary facilities. It is all the more important to establish civil administration in those areas.”

Mr. Silva made these comments pre-empting the possibility of India asking the Sri Lankan government to do away with the State of Emergency

BBC NEWS

Sri Lanka students fight military training scheme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13461858

Student unions in Sri Lanka have objected to a new scheme under which university entrants must undergo three weeks of training in military camps.

The unions have petitioned their country’s Supreme Court to stop the programme, which begins on Sunday. Training will include physical drills and conflict management in a bid to increase mental and physical fitness.

The government has defended the initiative, which it says is about leadership skills. From Sunday, every student who has recently won a university place will have to report to a specified military or police camp. There are 28 dotted around the country.

Military influence

Each prospective student, male or female, will be schooled for three weeks in disciplines including physical drill, conflict management, and "Sri Lanka’s future and global changes". The government says carefully chosen experts will increase the students’ leadership skills and mental and physical fitness. But student organisations say they don’t think training in military camps is a positive thing. An online petition is circulating, calling the measure "despotic".

One union leader said it pointed to the military’s growing influence, with more and more officers heading government institutions. The unions have appealed against the scheme in the Supreme Court, which is to give a ruling on Friday. An ethnic Tamil student, who received a summons letter in the majority Sinhala language with no translation, expressed apprehension to BBC News. His father said he believed it was a plan to discourage Tamil and Muslim students from taking up higher education. But ethnic Sinhalese and Muslim students told the BBC they had no problems with going to the camp.

The Sri Lankan military often speaks of its discipline but earlier this year it admitted there had been 50,000 deserters from its forces.

COLOMBO PAGE

Sri Lanka Supreme Court orders to postpone the leadership training program for university entrants

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11/May20_1305898843CH.php

Sri Lanka Supreme Court today directed the Attorney General to postpone the government’s proposed leadership training programme for new entrants to universities by a week.

The Court has ordered the Attorney General to inform the relevant authorities to postpone for one week mandatory leadership training program run by the Defence Ministry in military camps.

The leadership training was to be started on May 23.

A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices K. Sripavan, Chandra Ekanayaka, and Suresh Chandra has issued the directive after considering the fundamental rights petition filed by the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) and the Students for Human Rights yesterday.

The Higher Education Ministry has announced that all new entrants to universities would have to attend a newly formulated leadership training programme that would be conducted by the Defence Ministry at military camps.

Further hearing of the petition was postponed to May 24.

DAILY MIRROR

EU not seeking regime change here: Envoy

http://print.dailymirror.lk/news/front-page-news/44488.html

European Union Ambassador Bernard Savage yesterday reiterated that Sri Lanka needed to take follow-up action in line with the recommendations made by the United Nation Secretary General’s Advisory Panel Report but emphasized the EU had no intention of bringing about a regime change in Sri Lanka.

“The allegations are serious and we have taken note of the findings of the three-member panel appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Sri Lanka needs to respond to the allegations levelled in the report,” Mr. Savage told Daily Mirror yesterday.

“However, there is no truth in the suggestion that the EU is attempting to change the Sri Lankan government. I totally deny it,” Mr. Savage added.

When told that Sri Lankans and the government believed that the three-member advisory panel report was highly biased, one sided and consists of hearsay, Mr. Savage said EU had not pre-judged the report.

When asked why the EU parliament did not utter a word on the human rights violations and mass murder by NATO forces and the United States in Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, Afghanistan and elsewhere, Mr. Savage remained non committal saying it was not his job to comment on these issues.

But he said the EU had passed several resolutions on various countries over issues of human rights violations and Sri Lanka was not an exception.

Commenting on EU policy on the huge Sri Lankan Tamil population in Europe as either legal or illegal immigrants or political refugees, Mr. Savage said it was up to individual member countries to take action against those who had entered those countries illegally.

With regard to last week’s EU debate on Sri Lanka, he said the EU parliament would decide on EU policy and necessary action at the appropriate time and in line with the stance taken by member countries.

Mr. Savage said a re-assessment of the GSP+ facility as requested by European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) was up to the European Commission’s Trade Director General to decide.

He said Sri Lanka was for a long time a partner in trade and humanitarian operations of the EU, as such the EU has a positive impression on Sri Lanka, Mr. Savage said.

DECCAN HERALD

Incremental progress

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/162685/incremental-progress.html

By M K Bhadrakumar

Delhi would have advised Sri Lanka that the best means of responding to the UN report would be to expedite the national reconciliation.

If the expectation in Delhi was that assisting Colombo to win the last phase of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) two years ago would augment India’s wherewithal to push for a just settlement of the Sri Lankan Tamil problem, it was never quite realistic. The leadership of president Mahinda Rajapaksa chose to build on the nationalistic fervour following the defeat of the LTTE to consolidate his political power.

Nothing wrong here — Rajapaksa won’t be the last politician, either, to use the nationalistic card to boost democratic power. In the Sri Lankan socio-cultural milieu, the danger lies in Rajapaksa’s political indebtedness to the nationalist sentiments from which he derives mandate. Anyway, things were going splendidly well for Rajapaksa when there has been a sudden reversal of fortunes.
The report by an ‘expert panel’ appointed by the United Nations Security Council on the alleged excesses of the Sri Lankan army in the concluding phase of the war holds unpleasant downstream consequences. Colombo’s initial reaction was of indignation and anger — not unjustified, by any means — that it was being singled out in the global war on terrorism.

The rhetorical posturing helped the Sri Lankan leadership to rally domestic opinion, but Colombo seems to have since switched to the diplomatic track to try and finesse the situation to its advantage by constructively engaging the world powers who are influential.

Why not? Sri Lanka is a gifted country which has an extraordinary grasp of the seamless mysteries of international diplomacy. In its soft-spoken, scholarly foreign minister G L Peiris, Colombo also holds a trump card. (Despite AIDMK leader Jayalalitha’s demand that Rajapaksa should be tried for war crimes, Peiris wrote a decent letter to her, congratulating her on her magnificent election and seeking to ‘work with her’ for the welfare of the people.)

Significantly, Peiris started his odyssey with Delhi from where he has proceeded to Beijing. This isn’t surprising. From Colombo’s perspective, India’s stance is going to be very crucial, while China’s can be helpful. Indeed, China’s stance would also be influenced by the stance India takes.
Quite obviously, Peiris arrived in Delhi last week when the India-Sri Lanka relationship was somewhat piquantly poised. Colombo is keenly hoping that Delhi would take a stance that puts paid to the scandalous UN expert report. So far, Delhi has been sitting on the fence, literally dangling its feet, lost in thoughts. Indications are that Peiris who knows that politics is the art of the possible, succeeded under the circumstances in getting the Indian leadership to begin talking. And the conversation turned out to be engrossing, too.

Empathy and understanding

The fact that a joint statement has been issued after the visit clarifies that a broad convergence may have emerged. Peiris told the media that Delhi showed ‘empathy’ and ‘understanding.’ It may be short of outright support he expected over the UN report, but it is incremental progress. The joint statement underscores that the Indian leadership sought to broaden the discourse to cover the range of issues in the bilateral relationship and to set a new sense of direction in the ties within which the ruckus over the UN report can be tackled.

Colombo appears receptive — for the present, at least — to the Indian counselling more than at any time in the past two-year period since the war was won, about the imperative of a genuine national reconciliation in a spirit of give-and-take and with a long-term vision that would settle the Tamil problem. The joint statement reflects the Indian thinking and it is significant that Colombo concurs. Specifically, it must be noted that the joint statement singled out that “A devolution package, building upon the 13th Amendment, would contribute towards creating the necessary conditions for such reconciliation”.

The joint statement suggests that Delhi would have advised Peiris that the best means of responding to the UN report would be to expedite national reconciliation and to conclude a credible inquiry of its own into war excesses. However, the two countries are not holding their broader relationship hostage to the entanglement over the UN report. Which is a good thing.

The strategic ties are being enhanced, including in energy and defence. Most certainly, it is only within the matrix of deep engagement that Delhi can hope to influence Colombo optimally, in a climate of trust and confidence, to accelerate a fair settlement to the Tamil problem.
India should not be party to any big power pressure tactic toward Sri Lanka. The fact is that Delhi actively assisted — rightly or wrongly — Colombo to win the war. And Delhi couldn’t have been unaware of the brutalities of the Lankan war. India has fought more counterinsurgency wars than any other country in modern history and would know such wars are invariably very brutal. In this particular case, there is also a moral dimension insofar as Indian policies toward the LTTE were never really consistent — and, indeed, Delhi’s attitudes toward Colombo also took tragic twists and turns in the period since 1983.

At the end of the day, national reconciliation in Sri Lanka remains a very complicated process. The underlying paradox is that Sri Lanka is a genuinely functioning democracy. Rajapaksa cannot be compared to Slobodan Milosovich. Nor is the injection of geopolitics or the superimposition of the ‘new great game’ into the Sri Lankan situation desirable. India’s priority lies in ensuring regional stability.

(The writer is a former diplomat)

TAMILNET

Tamils become key ministers in Singapore

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=33972

In the new cabinet of Singapore, headed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that will be sworn in on Saturday, Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam of Jaffna origin becomes Deputy Prime Minister holding Finance, Manpower and Monetary Authority portfolios, Mr. K. Shanmugam takes over Foreign Affairs and Law, Mr Vivian Balakrishnan becomes Minister for Environment and Water Resources and Mr. S. Iswaran holding the rank of a full cabinet minister will function in the Prime Minister’s Office as Second Minister for Home, Trade and Industry. The new cabinet has two Deputy Prime Ministers, Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mr. Teo Chee Hean. General Elections took place in Singapore on 7 May.

Claims that could be of much interest to students of diaspora studies and contemporary politics of the establishments in South Asia were made in Indian and Sri Lankan media over the identity of the Singapore Tamils in the new cabinet.

While the Indian media preferred to apply a blanket term ‘Indian’ for all the Tamil ministers, the so-called Sri Lankans, who have all sort of diabolical meanings to that identity, wanted to apply the word ‘Sri Lankan’ to Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Both didn’t want to see Singapore Tamils as Singapore Tamils.

Because of geographical position and feasible maritime routes, people of Tamil identity had their own relationship with Singapore and Southeast Asia since very early times, going back to the dawn of the Christian Era, if not earlier.

According to many researchers, the founder of Singapore city in the 15th century and the first Sultan of Malacca, Iskandar Shah Paramesvara, was a prince from Naakappaddinam in Tamil Nadu, who embraced Islam. The early Tamils were assimilated into the Malays of the region. The very name of the identity, Malay itself (from the hill-country), is of Dravidian etymology.

Meanwhile, the demography of the modern day Chinese and Tamils in Singapore and in Malaysia is a result of the waves of migration that started in the 19th century and continued well into the 20th century.
Naakappaddinam region in Tamil Nadu and the Jaffna Peninsula played key roles in the migrations from South Asia, and hence the predominant South Asians in Singapore and Malaysia today are Tamils. Many other identities that went from former British India merged into the Tamil identity, as they were small in number.

Deservedly, Tamil has become one of the four official languages of Singapore, along with Chinese, Malay and English. Singapore Tamils have their own identity in the country thanks to the farsighted policies of Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

However, there exists a line of thinking that wishes to bring in certain imperialist patterns in the people-made diaspora identity formations. This line of thinking sees Southeast Asia a meeting ground of ‘Greater India’ and ‘Greater China.’

No wonder, Singapore Tamils complain that forces operating in liaison with New Delhi and are highly placed in the institutions of Singapore, try to imbibe them with an idea of ‘Indian-ness’ over ‘Tamil-ness,’ where as the track record of New Delhi on the issue of Tamils is well known.

The Hindu on Thursday in a news item by P S. Suryanarayana on the new cabinet in Singapore said “Key portfolios for Singapore Indians,” making Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam too an “ethnic Indian minority” in Singapore.

The Jaffna Tamils are predominantly large in number among the people who went to Singapore and Malaysia in the 19th and early 20th centuries from the island that gained the name Sri Lanka much later, only in 1972. Tamils in the island have democratically rejected the constitution that introduced that name and also their identity associated with that name and state in 1975 and 1977.
The 19th and early 20th century Tamils from this island, ever since their arrival in Singapore and Malaysia, were identifying themselves either as Jaffanese or Ceylonese, as could be seen from the names of the associations they formed at that time. The Ceylonese identity is officially recognized.
Even though the identities continue to this day, matrimonial and cultural relations at the grassroot level are fast merging them with the Tamils from Tamil Nadu, who are more in number, and thus bringing in a common Singapore Tamil identity.

But in the very recent years, forces operating for Colombo government in Singapore and Malaysia have started promoting a new ‘Sri Lankan’ identity to the affluent Tamil Jaffanese/ Ceylonese.
Even though the true face of these forces are well known in the community, through their high connections, influences, economic interests and close collaboration with Colombo’s ruling circles, they try to simulate a ‘Sri Lankan’ identity as existing among the Tamils in Singapore and Malaysia.

That’s how, while Sri Lankan government as well as the State itself is long known for committing genocide against the nation of Eezham Tamils in the island, the Singapore Tamil, Tharman Shanmugaratnam of Jaffna ancestry, on becoming Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, has become a ‘Sri Lankan’ for the Colombo-happy