Tamil Justice

Green Left Weekly – Dire situation for Tamil refugees

“The IOM [International Organisation of Migration] has abandoned us and the food is being delivered by the navy”, said Kuhendrarajah. 

“Water was cut down, and food was reduced in portion. We cannot prove it, however, we strongly believe that the diarrhea and vomiting was caused by food poisoning and lack of care preparing the food. 

“A few days ago, it was really bad. Many people were suffering the symptoms of food poisoning. Many people were passing out due to the lack of energy. The fact that we only have one make-shift toilet on board made it more difficult. 

“No medicine and no emergency assistance, on top of the same food continually … did not make the situation better.” 

Kuhendrarajah said there hadn’t been any actual threats to cut off electricity but the Indonesian authorities “know that if they do not supply engine oil, or diesel for the engine, which is currently supplying the power, we would be in a very desperate situation. Some of the refugees may consider getting off the boat, as they have children. More

BBC - Sri Lanka war displaced ‘free to leave’ military camps

More than 100,000 displaced people in military-run camps in northern Sri Lanka will be allowed “free movement” from Tuesday.

Up to now, Tamils in the camps who were displaced by the war were not allowed to come and go at will.

The government says the camp-dwellers will now be free to leave after giving their details to the authorities.

But with northern Sri Lanka devastated and mined, some of the displaced will want to stay on in the camps for now.  More

ABC – Rudd plays careful hand at CHOGM

Behind the scenes, Mr Rudd has led a push to stop Sri Lanka from hosting the next summit.

Many leaders are concerned about Sri Lanka’s human rights record in the war against Tamil separatists and feared it would lead to a boycott of the next meeting.

The ABC has been told that Mr Rudd has held at least three bilateral meetings with Sri Lanka’s President and Prime Minister in Trinidad, in order to convince them to abandon their hosting plans.

UK Guardian - Commonwealth vetoes Sri Lanka bid to hold 2011 gathering

Sri Lanka has been blocked from hosting the next meeting of Commonwealth leaders in protest at Colombo’s military repression against the Tamil population earlier this year.

Australia will instead host the next biennial Commonwealth heads of government meeting in 2011 after Canberra and London joined forces to block the Sri Lankan bid.

The decision, made at the summit in Trinidad and Tobago over the weekend, is a victory for Gordon Brown and his Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd.

AAP – Australia to host 2011 CHOGM

Australia will host the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

The decision was made on Saturday at the CHOGM currently underway in Trinidad and Tobago.

Sources said an official announcement was expected to be made on Sunday.

Sri Lanka had been lobbying to host the 2011 CHOGM but it is believed it will now host the 2013 meeting.

CHOGM, a biennial summit involving 53 leaders from Commonwealth nations, traditionally discusses issues relevant largely to the Commonwealth.

CHOGM critics have questioned the summit’s relevance, including a damning report released by the British-based Royal Commonwealth Society last week that suggested the once-powerful alliance was fading.

But the importance of this year’s event reaches far beyond the former British empire.

Trinidad’s Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, invited French President Nicholas Sarkozy, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen to the CHOGM discussion table.

The global interest in this year’s CHOGM lies in its timing, as the last major gathering of leaders before the December 7-18 United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen.

Queen Elizabeth II traditionally opens the biennial event, which attracts hundreds of government officials and media representatives from around the world.

Australia has previously hosted CHOGM twice, most recently at Coolum in Queensland in 2002 (that meeting was postponed from October 2001). Melbourne hosted the CHOGM in 1981.

The first CHOGM was held in Singapore in 1971. Previously, meetings were held under the banners of Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conferences (from 1944) and Imperial Conferences.

Part 1 (Nov 14) – Cuba – ALBA Let Down Sri Lanka Tamils

Part 2 (Nov 16)  – Tamil Eelam: Historical Right to Nationhood

Part 3 (Nov 18) – Equal Rights or Self-Determination

Part 4 (Nov 20) – The Terrorists  International support for Sri Lanka racist discrimination  also reproduced on Counterpunch

Part 5 (Nov 22) – Post-War Internment Hell

Media Release – The Elders call on Sri Lankan government to protect rights of civilians displaced by conflict: donors also have a vital role to play

The Elders – a group of eminent global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela – have made a direct appeal to the President of Sri Lanka to protect the rights of civilians displaced after the government’s defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May.

Six months since the end of the war, the Elders have written to President Rajapaksa to say they are “deeply worried” about the humanitarian situation faced by the largely Tamil civilian population who fled fighting in the north of the country,  and warn that this could squander hopes for national reconciliation.

Chair of The Elders, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, signed the letter on behalf of his fellow Elders, Martti Ahtisaari, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Lakhdar Brahimi, Gro Brundtland, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Jimmy Carter, Graça Machel and Mary Robinson.

The Elders say in their letter to the President that the continued confinement of approximately 135, 000 internally displaced people is a “clear violation of international law” and that these people are being denied basic human rights, including the right to liberty and freedom of movement.

The Elders welcome the government’s announcement that those still confined in closed camps will now be given the freedom to move in and out of the camps until they are able to return to their homes. The Elders also call for humanitarian agencies to be granted the unimpeded access to the camps required to conduct critical humanitarian and human rights work such as providing health care, legal aid, and helping to reunite families. More

Some of these articles are a few days old

WSWS – A grim journey through Sri Lanka’s war zone

Counterpunch – Post-War Internment Hell for Tamils

Guardian – Former army chief to run for Sri Lankan presidency

AFP – IMF sells 10 tonnes of gold to Sri Lanka

The National – Political terrain shifts in Sri Lanka

Financial Times – A peace dividend Sri Lanka cannot squander

New York Times – Sri Lankan General Who Led Fight Against Tamils Seeks Presidency

The Associated Press - Sri Lanka’s presidential poll set for Jan. 26

AFP – ‘S.Lanka resettlement plan needed’

The Sri Lankan government has failed to make adequate welfare provision for the 136,000 Tamil civilians it plans to release from internment camps, rights activists and opposition parties said Sunday.

HRW – Sri Lanka: Free All Unlawfully Detained

As it prepares to allow the 130,000 internally displaced persons detained in camps to decide whether to stay or leave, the Sri Lankan government should ensure that no additional persons are subject to arbitrary detentions, Human Rights Watch said today.

Forbes – UN concerned at how Tamils are being returned

The U.N. humanitarian chief says Sri Lanka’s decision to release Tamil refugees confined to government camps is good news but the United Nations is concerned about how they are being returned home.

Amnesty – Sri Lanka’s promise to free displaced must be followed by concrete action

Amnesty International has welcomed the government of Sri Lanka’s promise to lift by 1 December any restrictions on movement of at least 130,000 people displaced by the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE).

ABC Radio Australia – Sri Lanka urged to move fast on Tamil reconciliation

The Sri Lankan government is being urged to allow international involvement in the nation’s reconciliation process.

ABC Stateline (20 Nov) – Tamil Community

Sky News (19 Nov)