Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

tamil nadu ruling MPs visited the island and praised colombo of the handling the war and the post war situation.

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Sri Lanka
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (David Miliband): My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development and I would like to inform the House about the Government`s ongoing active engagement in Sri Lanka following the end of the conflict almost five months ago between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka.

NO ARTICLE...JUST THE PICTURES WILL DO....I THINK!!

Report: U.N. Chief Knew of Mass Deaths in Sri Lanka
Saturday, May 30, 2009

The top aide to the United Nations Secretary-General was told more than a week ago that at least 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the Sri Lankan government`s final offensive against the Tamil Tiger rebels this month, The Times can reveal.

U.N. officials told Vijar Nambiar, Ban Ki-moon`s chief of staff, that their figures indicated a likely final death toll of more than 20,000, during a briefing in preparation for Mr. Ban`s visit to the region on May 23.

30 families wiped out in massive attack Wednesday, shelling continues
[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 February 2009, 18:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fired 32 bombs, both cluster and bunker busters and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired more than 200 artillery shells, wiping out more than 30 families along the Iranaippaalai Ananthanpuram Road where humanitarian institutions including orphanages, houses of displaced and elders were located, TamilNet correspondent in Vanni reported on Thursday. More than 180 huts were destroyed in the massive bombardment. Meanwhile, 24 civilians were killed in Puthukkudiyiruppu in SLA artillery barrage in the early hours of Thursday. 10 more civilians were killed in Ira`naippaalai, Aananthapuram and Valaignarmadam villages.

http://www.puthinam.com/full.php?2b1VoKe0dycYe0ecAA4o3b4M6D74d2f1e3cc2AmS3d434OO3a030Mt3e

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28439

260 killed, SLA shells and boxes civilians, preventing movement to safer areas
[TamilNet, Monday, 16 February 2009, 23:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery barrage has boxed Theavipuram and Va`l`lipunam villages within the old `safety zone,` trapping thousands of civilians preventing them from moving to the new `safe zone`.

srilanka army fights the ltte in the northern srilanka known as the ltte`s defacto state is almost a total failier when it come to the civilians casualties.

the aim of the war is not even clear in the minds of srilankan govt. whether they want to weaken the ltte or completely destroy the ltte or to consolidate mahinda rajapakse`s constituencies is unknown. but one thing is so sure..the FISH the gosl went for resulted in the severe humanitarian crisis which questions srilanka`s capability /capacity to wage a conventional war and the ability to fight the urban warfare.

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Wants UN Field Mission in Sri Lanka
October 30th, 2007

The Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak, issued the following statement today:

I was invited by the Government of Sri Lanka to undertake a visit to the country from 1 to 8 October 2007.

The purpose of my visit was to assess the situation of torture and ill-treatment in the country, and to strengthen

RUSSIA HELPS LANKAN WAR.... ARRANGED BY DELHI...AFTER THE TN ULTIMATUM

Russia backs Lankan war against LTTE .zeenews Reports.

Colombo, Oct 19: Pledging full military support to Sri Lanka in its war against the LTTE, Russia has endorsed the measures taken by Colombo to contain terrorism, claiming it was similar to the steps taken by Moscow to defeat Chechnya terrorists.

Diaspora Tamils launch Pongku Thamizh 2008
[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 June 2008, 13:41 GMT]
Diaspora Eezham Tamils on Saturday began rallying in support of the Eezham Tamils Right to Self-Determination in `Pongku Thamizh,` which means `Tamil Upsurge`, an annual move aimed at Tamil awakening through cultural programmes. First country to mark the move was New Zealand, where Tamils gathered at Potters Park in Auckland for two hours on Saturday between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Sea Tigers raid key SLN camp in Mannaar
[Tue, 10 Jun 2008, 22:18 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) naval wing, the Sea Tigers, launched a surprise attack on Sri Lanka Navy camp at Erukkalampiddi in Mannaar in the early hours of Wednesday, brought the installation under their control and have seized the arms and military equipments, including a radar, LTTE officials in Vanni told TamilNet. The operation was carried out by Marine Commandos, a special forces unit of the Sea Tigers. The Tigers have seized 50-caliber machine guns, 81 mm mortars, Light Machine Guns, Rocket Launchers and several other military hardware from the camp, the Tigers said.

24 SLA killed, heavy fighting in Mannaar - LTTE
[Mon, 09 Jun 2008, 07:57 GMT]
At least 24 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed and 68 wounded Within the past 48 hours at two fighting fronts in Mannaar, Tiger officials cited LTTE Operations Command in Mannaar as saying. On Monday, at least 16 SLA soldiers were killed when the SLA launched a ground movement at 5:30 a.m. at Aalangku`lam towards Vaddakka`ndal, the Tigers said. The SLA move was thwarted at 10:00 a.m. Meanwhile, at Periyamadu the SLA opened a ground operation on four fronts on Sunday. The SLA was defeated at 2 of the fronts and the fighting was continuing in two fronts.

`Sinister move` of Colombo disrupting Tamil contiguity at Kokku`laay - TNA MP
[TamilNet, Saturday, 07 June 2008, 11:14 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government`s cabinet decision on Thursday to bring Kokku`laay, the Tamil coastal village of Northern Province under the administration of the Sinhala dominated Padavi Sripura division of Eastern Province is a `sinister move, officialising the separation of the Tamil contiguity of the North and East,` said Tamil parliamentarian Selvam Adaikkalanathan on Saturday. `The International Community, especially America, Britain and India, who often harp on the theory of development in the East, before reaching a political solution, should take a serious note of what they are actually abetting in Sri Lanka,` he further said.

Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Sea Tigers naval wing launched a raid in the early hours of Thursday on the Sri Lanka Navy camp located at Chi`ruththeevu islet, close to Ma`ndaitheevu island and Jaffna city, LTTE officials in Vanni told TamilNet. At least 13 Sri Lanka Navy personnel were killed and many sailors wounded in the raid carried out by a special marine wing of the Sea Tigers, the Tiger officials said adding that they have seized weapons including a 50-caliber machine gun, a mortar, two LMGs and military equipments including a radar from the strategic SLN camp situated at the islet facing Jaffna. 3 SLN bodies were also recovered by the Tigers and they identified one sailor. Full story

Universal Periodic Review of Sri Lanka
Human Rights Watch`s Submission to the Human Rights Council
Mayl 5, 2008

Summary

Major hostilities between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) resumed in mid-2006 and in January 2008 the government formally withdrew from the ceasefire in place since 2002. Since then the fighting has claimed hundreds of civilians lives, and tens of thousands more have been displaced. Human Rights Watch has long documented serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by both parties to the conflict. We are deeply concerned that with the ceasefire`s end, abuses will intensify.

US Country Report accuses GoSL, LTTE for terrorist activities
[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 May 2008, 11:17 GMT]
Noting that in South and Central Asia, `[t]errorism remained a serious problem in the region, directly and indirectly threatening American interests and lives,` the Country Reports on Terrorism 2007, released by the US Department of State Wednesday, blamed the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers for terrorist activities saying, `[t]he LTTE reverted to targeting civilians in bus bombings and claymore mine attacks, while the government used anti-LTTE paramilitaries to terrorize citizens suspected of having ties to the Tigers.`