Tamil Justice

For immediate release – 18th June 2010

AUSTRALIAN TAMILS BACK GREENS CALL FOR UN WAR CRIMES PROBE IN SRI LANKA

Tamils for Greens is urging political support for a motion to be proposed on June 21st by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young asking Australia to back calls for a United Nations investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka.

“The United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and International Crisis Group have all called for an independent investigation into war crimes. Regrettably Australia is continuing to put its trade and economic interests with Sri Lanka before human rights” said Tamils for Greens spokesperson Nathan Sri.

The motion, to be proposed on Monday, follows a damning report by the International Crisis Group which cited evidence, including video footage and testimonies from frontline soldiers, highlighting the complicity of top ranking Sri Lankan Government and military officials in atrocities carried out during its campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The report also condemned the LTTE, who were annihilated in May 2009, for its human rights abuses.

“Despite the Sri Lankan Government’s claims to the contrary, an independent inquiry into war crimes is vital in holding those responsible for the massacre of civilians. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd must start showing leadership and speak out against the injustices which last year alone, left up to 40 000 Tamils dead” said Nathan Sri.

NOTICE OF MOTION
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young
I give notice that, on Monday 21 June, I shall move:
That the Senate
(a)     Notes
i)      The recent report from the International Crisis Group on War Crimes in Sri Lanka
ii)     This report, recommends, among other things, for the United Nations to authorise an independent international inquiry into the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka during the last year of the conflict
(b)     Calls on the Australian Government, as an active member state of the United Nations, to encourage the UN to investigate the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka.
Tamils for Greens is a national advocacy group endorsing The Australian Greens party.

The group’s formation is a direct response to growing disenchantment within Australia’s Tamil community towards the Government and Coalition’s lack of concern regarding human rights violations in Sri Lanka and continued demonisation of refugees.

For more information or media interviews call Nathan Sri: 0418457837

tamilsforgreens@gmail.com -  www.twitter.com/tamilsforgreens – http://www.facebook.com/TamilsForGreens

Sri Lanka Guardian - The Sri Lankan Government Has Tarnished Its Own Image – Bruce Haigh

The Sri Lanka Government killed press freedom

China and India friendship with Sri Lanka will end in tears with the Sri Lanka losing autonomy

Sri Lankan diplomatic missions have been a partisan disgrace.

Interviewed by Nilantha Ilangamuwa

The Sri Lankan Government has tarnished its own image, without help from anyone else, Bruce Douglas Haig, former Deputy High Commissioner of Australia to Sri Lanka in 1994, said in an exclusive interview with the Sri Lanka Guardian. More

Sri Lanka News First - Government contracts Chinese firm to destroy bodies buried in Nandikadal lagoon

Diplomatic sources say that the government has permitted a Chinese firm to commence a project at the Nandikadal lagoon where Sri Lankan security forces had buried thousands of bodies of LTTE cadres during the final stages of the war last May.

The Chinese firm has been assigned to exhume the bodies and destroy them beyond recognition. More

Reuters -Japan urges world not to dictate to post-war Sri Lanka

By Ranga Sirilal

Japan on Wednesday urged the world not to dictate to Sri Lanka amid post-war reconciliation efforts and renewed calls from the West for a probe into possible war crimes.

Sri Lanka last month celebrated the first anniversary of its victory against Tamil Tiger separatists, ending 25 years of civil war, and rights groups used the occasion to push for an international war crimes investigation. More

TamilNet – Mass grave discovered in Mass grave discovered in Naachchikkudaa, Mannaar

De-mining workers of Danish De-mining Group (DDG) have discovered a mass grave in Naachchikkudaa area in Mannaar containing 75 to 100 skeletal remains while engaged in de-mining in the area, informed sources in Mannaar told TamilNet Wednesday. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) had not permitted resettlement in Naachchikkudaa earlier claiming that the area was infested with landmines and a great quantity of explosives lying buried at the height of the war had taken place in Naachchikkudaa. It is suspected that the skeletal remains discovered may have belonged to young men and women, the sources added. More

Hindustan Times – Huge civilian toll in Lanka war: Indian doc

by Sutirtho Patranobis

One year after the end of the Sri Lankan civil war, one of the Indian doctors who treated Tamil refugees during the last months of the conflict says there were “massive casualties” among the civilian population.

The Sri Lankan government has denied any targeted killing of civilians and contested figures by the United Nations that 7,000 civilians died in the final phase of the conflict.

“We were not prepared (for what we saw) when we reached the camp… the extent of injuries… long lines of people,” the doctor told HT over phone from India, speaking on condition of anonymity. more

Channel 4: Sri Lanka coverage success for Channel 4 News at Amnesty Media Awards

Channel 4 News picked up both awards it was nominated for at last night’s Amnesty Media Awards. Our Sri Lanka coverage won the TV News Coverage and Somalia journalist Jamal Osman won the Gaby Rado award for new journalists.

The Amnesty Media Awards recognise “excellence in human rights reporting and acknowledge journalism’s significant contribution to the UK public’s awareness and understanding of human rights issues”.

In the TV News Category, the team behind Channel 4 News’ Sri Lanka coverage won against stiff competition from Sky’s “Falujah Babies” report and another Channel 4 News piece – Nick Martin’s report from Ciudad Juarez on child trafficking across the US border. More

Tamil Justice: The Bachchans and Shah Rukh Khan support Tamils and the need for a war crime inquiry in SL and boycott the awards but the International Indian Film Academy still hasn’t got the hint. It’s time to listen to the actors that provide its pay check and cancel the awards and financial support of GoSL in continuing to marginalise Tamils which this ceremony will provide.

Timesonline (UK) - Stars respond to Tamil call to boycott glitzy Bollywood awards

Jeremy Page

Bollywood’s annual awards ceremony, which begins in Sri Lanka today, is supposed to be an orgy of glitz and glamour, complete with bling-laden outfits, gushing acceptance speeches and the obligatory song and dance spectaculars.

This year, however, the event has been overshadowed by the withdrawal of several stars — including the Bachchans and Shah Rukh Khan — in protest at alleged war crimes during Sri Lanka’s civil war. More

AFP also covers it here: Organisers reject S.Lanka Bollywood awards boycott

Daily Mirror – Lanka slams Israeli attack

Sri Lanka has deplored the use of force by the Israeli military on boats carrying supplies for Palestinian people in international waters off the coast of Gaza this week resulting in the loss of life and injuries to aid workers.

The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, said Sri Lanka deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries resulting from this operation noting that indiscriminate use of force to prevent the carriage of supplies for people under occupation is condemned. More

The New York Times - Justice vs. Impunity

By KOFI A. ANNAN

The establishment of the International Criminal Court followed the gravest of crimes committed in Rwanda and the former Republic of Yugoslavia. In both cases, as we know to our shame, the United Nations and international community failed to take decisive and forceful action to protect the victims.

These terrible events did however, shock the world into action. Ad-hoc tribunals were set up to bring those responsible to justice. The Rome conference in 1998 agreed to establish an International Criminal Court to help end the global culture of impunity. More