Tamil Justice

Defamation and false claims have often plagued the Tamil community when bad elements within the media (often with links to the Sri Lankan government) seek to discredit genuine work done by Tamil activists. Today, a lesson was learned…

The Guardian, UK – Daily Mail and Sun pay out to Tamil hunger striker

Papers apologise to Parameswaran Subramanyam after falsely claiming he sustained himself with hamburgers during fast

A Tamil refugee who went on a 23-day hunger strike in Parliament Square last year has received an apology and almost £80,000 in damages from the Daily Mail and the Sun over false allegations that he secretly sustained himself with hamburgers. More

AFP – Tamil hunger striker wins damages for burger claims

BBC – Tamil hunger striker wins damages over burger claims

London Evening Standard – Tamil hunger striker wins damages over McDonald’s burgers claims

A historic address by Malcolm X in 1964. One could apply much of what he said to Sri Lanka today…even his recommendation of “by any means necessary” still rings loudly as Tamils once sought to fight for their rights through an armed resistance.

Malcolm X. Oxford Union Debate, Dec. 3 1964

Malcolm X. Oxford Union Debate, Dec. 3 1964 from Jason Patterson on Vimeo.

The Guardian, UK – British Tamil embarks on Sri Lanka justice walk

Gobi Sivanthan walking from London to Geneva to demand UN inquiry into possible war crimes during defeat of Tamil Tigers

A British Tamil has embarked on a two-week walk from London to Geneva to ask the UN to initiate an independent investigation into allegations that war crimes were committed when the Sri Lankan government crushed the Tamil Tigers last year. More

BBC – Lanka Tamils March to Geneva

The Hindu – U.K. Tamils hold midnight vigil outside Downing Street

LankaaNewsWeb – British Tamils Walk for Justice

Follow Sivanthan’s walk here

Toronto Sun – Tamils rally at Queen’s Park

Hundreds of Tamil-Canadians gathered at Queen’s Park Sunday afternoon to remember countrymen who were killed 27 years ago during Black July — a time when a wave of violence swept through Sri Lanka.

“During the riots that took place in July 1983, nearly 3,000 Tamils lost their lives, hundreds of thousands had to flee the country or became displaced, and millions of dollars worth of property was destroyed,” said Siva Vimal, of the National Council of Canadian Tamils. More

Digital Journal – Elected Tamil Representative discusses Black July, NCCT (video)

Digital Journal – Tamil Transnational officials speak out about crisis in Sri Lanka

Digital Journal – Toronto Tamils commemorate Black July at Queen’s Park (video)

TamilNet – Tamils sue Germany for accepting alleged war crimes commander as ambassador

In an unprecedented legal move, three diaspora Tamil organisations have decided on Friday to file a case against Germany in the European Court of Human Rights. The Switzerland Council of Eezham Tamils (SCET), the Norwegian Council of Eezham Tamils (NCET) and the US based NGO, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), are to submit an application to the European Court of Human Rights charging the German government for violating EU Rights conventions by accepting a Sri Lankan military commander, Major General Jagath Dias, an accused in the war crimes, as Sri Lanka’s diplomat to Germany. Meanwhile, German based International Human Rights Association at Bremen, while welcoming the move said that real thrust could be achieved only by exposing and suing what this general is doing in Germany, violating human rights with the tacit approval of the German government.

The case will be filed on behalf of the nearly 60,000 Eezham Tamils domiciled in Switzerland and in Norway, invoking Article 34 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. SCET and NCET are democratically elected NGOs registered in their countries. More

BBC – Sri Lanka widows ‘under stress’

A Roman Catholic priest in northern Sri Lanka has been speaking of the extreme stress suffered by the tens of thousands of war widows in the region.

…Father Mariathas said social stigma meant few widows could remarry; many were reacting to stress by taking painkilling drugs…More

Another thing to think about when sipping Sri Lankan tea

BBC – Slender chance of survival

…The clearance of tropical rainforest to make way for tea plantations has decimated and dissected its natural habitat, restricting the Horton Plains slender Loris to a series of isolated pockets covering just 1% of the land area of Sri Lanka. More

BOYCOTT SRI LANKA!

ABC – Kosovo independence not illegal: UN court

The International Court of Justice in The Hague has ruled Kosovo’s split from Serbia in 2008 did not violate international law, in a move which lends weight to Kosovo’s view of its own independence.

The court rejected Serbian claims that the move had violated its territorial integrity.

The decision may have implications for other separatist movements around the world. More

Sky News – Kosovo ‘secession’ not illegal

Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008 did not violate international law, judges at the UN’s highest court said on Thursday. More

Huffington Post – Lessons of Srebrenica: How the 15th Anniversary of Srebenica Can Guide Sri Lanka

On the 15th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre, President Obama has led the way in reminding the world that the lessons of Srebrenica must continue to guide our moral compass. He has reminded us that “the name Srebrenica has since served as a stark reminder of the need for the world to respond resolutely in the face of evil.” But more so, he has reminded us that after great atrocities, we still have a great duty to foster peace and reconciliation. No place can the duty to help pursue justice and build peace be greater than in a fractured Sri Lanka struggling to recover from war. More

Grace Williams is a member of the Tamil American Peace Initiative, a group of Tamil Americans formed to help bring lasting peace, justice, democracy, and good governance to Sri Lanka. She is a specialist in healthcare for women and children with special needs and disabilities.

IFJ – Death Threats to Journalist’s Family in Sri Lanka

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is alarmed by threats made against the safety of the family of senior Sri Lankan journalist Gamini Pushpakumara.

“We call upon the Sri Lankan police and security agencies to take immediate measures to investigate the source of the threats and to extend all necessary protection to Pushpakumara’s family,” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said.

Pushpakumara, who is an executive committee member of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA) and secretary of the program producers’ union of the state-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), was summarily dismissed from employment at SLRC after presidential elections in Sri Lanka in January. More