Tamil Justice

BBC – Monks decry Burma leader’s SL visit

Myanmar Student Monks Association (MSMA) of Sri Lanka in a statement issued on Thursday accused the generals ruling Myanmar of “actively establishing totalitarianism in the country, arresting, torturing, and killing politicians, dissidents, journalists, artists, union activists, and even Buddhist monks”.

The statement by the MSMA said that they will continue the boycott of refusing all offerings from the ruling military.

SL President

A spokesperson for MSMA told BBC Sandeshaya that the Sri Lankan president is trying to associate with “bad rulers”.

Ven. Gnanasiri said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has strained his relationship with many countries due to allegations of human rights violations in the war with Tamil Tigers.

Top penalty

Buddhist monks of Burma, boycotted the offerings from the military generals in 1990 and in 2007 against oppression by the government.

Refusal of offerings is the highest punishment that can be handed down to lay people according to Buddhist religious tradition.

The Burmese leader’s trip is the first in more than forty years.

It follows a visit to Burma by the Sri Lankan president in June. More

BBC – Workers force military to retreat

Sailors of the Sri Lankan navy sent to take over work in the Colombo port have been forced to go back by workers on trade union action.
Spokesman for the Suhada Port Workers Union Lal Bangamuwage told BBC Sandeshaya that the navy was sent to the harbour in order to stop workers from working to rule.

“The navy came to the tug boat section and forced workers to work,” he said.

Spokesman Bangamuwage said, when notified by the membership, trade union officials had to intervene to stop the navy disrupting the work to rule.

He added that the trade unions have made a complaint to the police against the western region naval commander for threatening those on trade union action.

Workers in the public sector launched a three day work to rule campaign for higher pay due to them.

State power, water, oil and port workers stopped working outside assigned duties and set working hours from Wednesday after negotiations broke down as the government refused to meet their demands.