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Tamil prisoners on death fast
Thursday, 11 October 2007 - 11:08 AM SL Time
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Several Tamil detainees at the Welikada prison, who claimed to be political prisoners, began a fast unto death campaign yesterday demanding a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Louise Arbour to see first hand their plight and grievances.The High Commissioner arrived in the country on Tuesday to assess the human rights situation and is expected to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa today and also visit Jaffna to meet civil society leaders and rights groups.
Welikada prison sources said that 86 Tamil prisoners of cell G in ward 5 commenced the fast yesterday and several others of cells A, B, C and D are expected to extend support to the protest today brining the total number of protestors to more than one hundred.
Some 486 Tamil prisoners are at the Welikada prison, most of them among those who have been transferred from the Boossa detention camp. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which was scheduled to meet Ms. Arbour last evening, was also to raise concerns over the plight of the Welikada political detainees.
The protestors say they want the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit the prison, see the conditions they live in, impress on the Government to expedite some of their legal cases and ensure they get a fair hearing.
`They say they would either fast unto death or be rather shot to death if Ms. Arbour or at least one her representatives do not visit them,` a Welikada prison source said.
Meanwhile some of the prisoners are said to be suffering from eye-related diseases and have also been involved in frequent brawls with some of the inmates, the source added.
The UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak also visited the Welikada Prison last week and held talks with the inmates as part of his tour in the country.
Mr. Nowak was in Sri Lanka on an eight-day official visit to probe the human rights situation in the country and is expected to submit a report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on the outcome of his visit.
Meanwhile Ms. Arbour paid a courtesy call on Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday. Jyoti Sanghera, the Senior Human Rights Advisor to the UN Country Team in Colombo, Rory Mungoven, the Coordinator, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva and Fabrizio Hochschild, the Chief of Branch Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva were also present on the occasion.
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costa
Joined: Jun 2007
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 11 Oct 2007 04:26:55 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Another trick by the LTTE crooks to get sympathy from the IC |
asian35
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 11 Oct 2007 04:27:09 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Where ever it is Tamils have to fight for there rights. 2 prisoners assaulted too.Tamils r asked to forget these and live. how can you forget these kind of things. |
asian35
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11 Oct 2007 04:29:16 GMT Report for Abuse
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| What trick? being locked up for no reason. and askinging justice is a trick? |
TrueFactor
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11 Oct 2007 04:34:42 GMT Report for Abuse
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Killings and abductions increased suddenly! Tamils on fast again! All these are because of UN HR envoy's visit.
If she hasn't visited this time all these live's could have saved.
UNP-LTTE junta's are behind this terror tactics to humiliate GOSL. Isn't that obvious? |
AnuD
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 11 Oct 2007 04:37:04 GMT Report for Abuse
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Where ever it is Tamils have to fight for there rights.
why the same question is not asked when they keep on blowing people in hundreds, bus loads, train loads.
Any thing wrong in logics ?
In Sri Lanka TAMIL - SUICIDE BOMBERS and KILLERS have more rights than the peaceful citizens |
kiwikanga
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 11 Oct 2007 04:39:18 GMT Report for Abuse
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Asian35
being locked up for no reason
How do you know that? If the Govt. wants to harras all the tamils, all the tamils will be inside prisons for no reason.
Edited By - kiwikanga - 11 Oct 2007 04:40:27 GMT |
asian35
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11 Oct 2007 04:41:29 GMT Report for Abuse
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Anud
they asked for it peacefully since 58. what happened? |
asian35
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11 Oct 2007 04:43:55 GMT Report for Abuse
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| If they r ltte. y don't they prove it and lock them up. how many who were locked up were released by courts cos there was nothing . y don't they try them? |
AnuD
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11 Oct 2007 04:44:30 GMT Report for Abuse
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they asked for it peacefully since 58. what happened?
What happened
No more Sinhalas in Jaffna to be killed, So, began to kill sinhalas since 1976 in the south.
We stopped killings in 1983. then killings became blowing ups and massacres.
Any more ?.
Edited By - AnuD - 11 Oct 2007 04:45:21 GMT |
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11 Oct 2007 04:40:28 GMT