November 22, 2024 12:30 am
Results: 77
Mawbima owner Tiran Alles and two others remanded over RADA case
Three persons including owner of the Mawbima newspaper Tiran Alles have been remanded till November 10 by the Colombo High Court, on charges of misappropriating public funds through the Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA) in 2006. MORE...
MR urges govt not to jeopardize national security over petty politics
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa today accused the government of “hastily” releasing “hard core terrorists” without regard to the nation’s security due to political pressure from certain interested quarters. MORE..
Paranagama report far worse than UN report – Rajitha
The government today said that the resolution adopted at the UN Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka would have been much more severe if the Paranagama report had been released before the session in Geneva. MORE..
Ex-LTTE political wing leader Thamilini dies of cancer
Former senior LTTE official Subramaniam Sivakamy, better known as Colonel Thamilini, has died at the age of 43, due to cancer, a source from the Maharagama cancer hospital says. Thamilini was reportedly hospitalised a few days ago and passed away this morning. MORE...
The former Chief Minister of the Eastern Province Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan has been summoned to appear at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to give a statement in connection with a murder incident. MORE..
Vaiko detained during protest against draft US resolution
MDMK general secretary Vaiko and representatives from 32 organisations were detained on Monday morning after they threatened to lay siege to the U.S. Consulate in Chennai following a rally condemning the draft U.S. resolution for a domestic investigation into the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. MORE..
Government to build 65,000 homes for war-hit families
The government has decided to take up the construction of 65,000 houses “on a priority basis” for Eelam War-hit families in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. MORE...
Sri Lanka trying to water down UNHRC resolution: HRW
Sri Lanka should not be allowed to water down a UNHRC resolution on its alleged rights violations during its civil war with the LTTE, according to a prominent rights group which said that the current draft was “counterproductive” to the reconciliation efforts of the government. MORE..
UN war crimes report soft pedals LTTE’s using human shield: G.L.
Former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Prof.G.L.Peiris has said that the report of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights on “war crimes” in Lanka has soft pedaled the LTTE’s using civilians as a human shield, when it is a war crime under international humanitarian law. MORE...
Discussing shape of domestic mechanism, not hybrid - PM
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says that a host of steps including the passing of a new constitution should be followed in order to ensure the non- recurrence of past mistakes. MORE..
SL army saved Tamil civilians, LTTE killed them, says Fonseka
Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, who commanded the Sri Lankan army during Eelam War IV, says that it was the LTTE which targeted Tamil civilians and not the Lankan armed forces. MORE...
UN members should back hybrid court in Sri Lanka - HRW
The call by the United Nations’ top human rights officer for a domestic-international hybrid court to address allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka should receive strong endorsement by members of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Human Rights Watch said today. MORE..
UN probe report handed over to govt
The UN probe report on alleged war crimes committed during the final phase of Sri Lankan military’s battle against the LTTE has been handed over to the government. MORE..
HRC’s sitting on Sri Lanka fixed on Sept 30
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A report on alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka during the Eelam War is likely to be presented on September 30 during the 30th session of the United Human Rights Council. MORE...
Murder case of Janaka Perera referred to A’pura Special High Court
Following a directive from the Chief Justice, court hearing of the case, in which an ex-LTTE carder is accused of killing 31 people including Major General Janaka Perera in 2008, will be heard at the Anuradhapura Special High Court from the next hearing. MORE...
Tamil parties turn down U.S. call for internal ‘war crimes’ probe
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Leaders representing three constituents of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) have rejected the stand of the U.S., which favoured a domestic investigation mechanism on alleged crimes during the final stages of the Eelam War. MORE...
Arrested Sri Lankans have no links with LTTE: Indian Police
Dismissing suggestion that the five Sri Lankans arrested from a city hotel have connection to a “terror group”, the Indian Police have said it has started looking for those who brought them to the city promising fake passports and help getting jobs in France. MORE...
Suspected former LTTE members arrested in India
The Special Task Force of the Indian Police have arrested five Sri Lankan nationals, allegedly former LTTE members, and two Indians from a hotel here in the city, the PTI reported today. MORE...
Six suspected LTTE operatives arrested in Kolkata
The arrest of 6 men allegedly belonging to the LTTE has left security officials in West Bengal in a spot of bother. They are verifying why these six men had come to Kolkata from Chennai. MORE..
TN police unable to obtain inputs from former LTTE cadre
K. Krishnakumar (39), the former militant of the proscribed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) arrested by the police in Ramanathapuram on July 20 turned out to be a hard nut to crack and the ‘Q’ Branch police could arrest only one person, police sources said. MORE..
A Sri Lankan man, believed to be a senior member of terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been arrested by Malaysian police in a special raid in Kuala Lumpur, last week. MORE..
Tamils won’t benefit from discussions about past - CFD
The Crusaders for Democracy (CFD), the new political group formed by ex-Tamil Tigers, says that despite the scars and lingering legacy of the three-decade-long conflict, the war was a closed chapter in the country’s history that should not be brought up again. MORE..
Ex-Army Chief denies accusations over missing persons
The former Commander of the Sri Lankan, Army General Daya Ratnayake, says that allegations regarding disappearances of LTTE cadres who surrendered to security forces are simply made-up stories whispered by anti-Government groups. MORE..
Gammanpila invites Patali for a debate
UPFA Colombo district candidate Udaya Gammanpila on Tuesday (11) threw a challenge to former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka for a debate about an alleged deal by the former President with the LTTE during the last presidential election. MORE...
President Sirisena revamps his security ahead of polls
Maithripala Sirisena has disbanded a part of the Presidential Security Division, and replaced the elite Sri Lankan unit with a highly-trained team of commandos, it was reported. MORE...
Patali invites MR for an open discussion on alleged LTTE deal
As I possess enough evidence I would testify against the former President on his alleged deals with the defeated terrorists, and even I would like to invite him for an open discussion in this regard, former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said. MORE...
Shivajilingam writes to UN human rights chief
M K Shivajilingam, who is contesting in the upcoming parliamentary polls as an independent candidate, has asked the UNHCR for an international probe into the alleged war crimes during the conflict with the LTTE. MORE..
Former LTTE members seek self-rule for Tamils
The Crusaders for Democracy, a group of former members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), on Tuesday urged the Sri Lankan government to “honour its commitments” made in the past at the international level on the Tamil question. MORE...
Mahinda is suffering from Amnesia – Ajith P. Perera
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s only political slogan is based on racism, communalism and religious extremism, says the United National Party (UNP). MORE..
UN document leaked to undermine September’s rights report: Channel 4
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Channel 4 News has reported that a leaked UN document raises concerns over the prospects for genuine justice for the Sri Lankan victims of alleged war crimes. MORE...
Ex-LTTE man held in India while trying to flee
The Indian city police arrested a former LTTE operative while he was attempting to escape to Switzerland on a fake passport at Trichy International Airport, the Times of India reported. Police also registered a case against two more persons from Ramanathapuram and Chennai for helping him obtained the fake passport. One of them was arrested. MORE...
Conviction of ‘LTTE sympathisers’ in India set aside
The Madras High Court Bench in Madurai on Friday set aside an “illegal conviction and seven-year sentence” imposed by a trial court on three alleged LTTE sympathisers for conspiring to smuggle acetone, glycerine, formaldehyde and dicyanamide to Sri Lanka for making explosive substances and indulging in unlawful activities in 2008. MORE..
Karuna denies saying Prabhakaran was captured alive
Former Deputy Minister Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan, commonly known as Karuna Amman, today completely denied reports quoting him as saying that slain LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran was arrested and tortured by Sri Lankan troops before being killed. MORE..
Govt declares first ‘white van’ arrest a victory for the people
Minister of Home Affairs, Joseph Michael Perera, today said that the recent arrest of three army personnel in possession of a firearm in a white vehicle has finally provided authorities with a much-needed lead to investigate the controversial ‘white van’ culture which had prevailed in Sri Lanka. MORE..
Gotabaya claims white van in Mirihana belonged to LTTE
Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa says the country’s security is the foundation for development and reconciliation and that unfortunately the current leaders of Sri Lanka have given a low priority for security. MORE..
Lankan detained in India was close aide of Prabhakaran – police
One of the two Sri Lankan Tamils arrested last night along with communication gadgets and cyanide in the district of Ramanathapuram has been identified as Krishnakumar, a close associate of slain LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran, Tamil Nadu police said today. MORE..
JVP attempts to mislead voters, says Mahinda
Former President issuing a statement on Tuesday (21) charged that the JVP speakers have been trying to mislead voters by saying that there was no point in voting for the UPFA because Mahinda Rajapaksa could lose his civic rights. MORE...
Ex-LTTE cadre with 75 cyanide capsules arrested in Tamil Nadu
Indian Police have arrested a former militant of the proscribed LTTE and seized 75 cyanide capsules, 300 gm of cyanide, four Global Positioning System sets and seven mobile phones at coastal Uchipulli, Tamil Nadu. MORE...
Sri Lanka human rights improved under Sirisena: UK
The human rights situation in Sri Lanka has “improved” since Maithripala Sirisena took over presidency from Mahinda Rajapaksa, a UK government report has said. MORE..
Ten ex-LTTE members to contest election?
Crusaders for Democracy (CFD), an organization of ex-LTTE cadre and their supporters, will be putting up ten former militants in the Jaffna-Kilinochchi electoral district for the August 17 Sri Lankan parliamentary elections, the New India Express reported. MORE...
Ex-LTTE cadres to contest as independent group
Former cadres of LTTE have decided to contest the Sri Lankan parliament elections as an independent group after the main Tamil party TNA refused to field them in the August 17 polls. MORE..
Bittersweet return for Sri Lanka’s displaced Tamils - report
When Balasundaram Rasamalar finally got back her home in Sri Lanka’s battle-scarred north after years of military occupation, there was an unexpected problem. The toilet was still in the militarised zone -- where civilians are not allowed. MORE..
Former LTTE militants to contest polls as ‘Crusaders For Democracy’
Former militants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and their supporters have decided to form a political party named “Crusaders for Democracy” and seek tickets from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to contest the August 17 Sri Lankan parliamentary elections. MORE..
Ex-LTTE cadre gets 10 years RI for Maithripala assassination attempt
The former LTTE operative who was involved in an assassination attempt on President Maithripala Sirisena, when he was the Minister of Mahaweli Development in 2006, has been sentenced to 10 years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI). MORE..
Gota could lose civil rights in ‘MiG deal’ probe - Mangala
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera today welcomed the the US State Department report which had revealed the existence of the LTTE’s financial network and said that it reflected the “failure” of the former government. MORE..
LTTE financial network operated throughout 2014: US report
Despite its military defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankan government in 2009, the LTTE’s international network of sympathizers and financial support persists, the United States says. MORE..
No discussion on LTTE ban at TNA-GTF meet: Mangala
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister says that topics such as lifting the proscription of the LTTE or war crimes allegations did not feature in his recent discussion with the Global Tamil Forum and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in London. MORE..
Missing Persons panel to submit final report in August
A Sri Lankan presidential panel probing the alleged disappearances of thousands of people, including minority Tamils, during the deadly civil war will present its final report in August, an official said today. MORE..
Rajapaksa fears LTTE revival in Sri Lanka
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is mounting a political comeback, has expressed fears that the separatist Tamil Tigers could regroup and revive terrorism in the country. MORE...
Film on slain LTTE presenter banned in India
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has refused to certify ‘Porkalathil Oru Poo,’ a film based on real life story of television journalist, Isaipriya, who was allegedly killed in captivity by the Sri Lankan armed forces in the final stages of the civil war in 2009... MORE
Cannes winner stars Sri Lankan former child soldier
A Sri Lankan novelist and former child soldier stars in “Dheepan”, a French thriller which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday. MORE...
ITJP seeks info about 110 surrendered Tamil Tigers
The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) Sri Lanka, headed by South African rights activist Yasmin Sooka, has asked the Sri Lankan government to give information about the whereabouts of 110 LTTE leaders who had surrendered to the Lankan military in full public view on May 18, 2009. MORE..
UN shows no positive progress for our issue, says Wigneswaran
Chief Minister of Northern Provincial Council Justice C.V. Wigneswaran on Monday (18) condemned the international community for its delay in handling the accountability issue in Sri Lanka and failure to bring justice to the Tamil people. MORE...
War was against LTTE, not Tamils, says Mahinda
The Tri-forces had no intention to fight against the Tamil minority during the three decade armed conflict but fought to eliminate the Tamil rebel terrorists who wanted to divide the island nation, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. MORE...
New army chief a blow to justice, says HRW
Sri Lanka‘s promotion of a senior officer whose division was implicated in serious human rights abuses casts doubt on government pledges to credibly investigate alleged war crimes, Human Rights Watch said today (17). MORE...
Court bans LTTE remembrance events in Mullaitivu
The Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court today issued a stay order banning the holding if any LTTE remembrance event up to 14 days from 18 May within the Mullaitivu police area, police spokes ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said. MORE..
Five jailed in The Hague for supporting Tamil Tigers
Five Dutch nationals of Sri Lankan origin have been jailed for between 19 months and six years three months for raising money for the Tamil Tigers, which has been on the EU’s official list of terrorist organisations since 2006. MORE..
India unsuited to play mediator due to TN factor - Dayan
India is “structurally unsuited” to be mediator or facilitator in the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict because it is subject to the “emotional and electoral power” of one of its constituent states, namely, Tamil Nadu, argues former Sri Lankan envoy at the UN in Geneva, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka. MORE..
Naxals getting arms from Sri Lanka?
The Indian Central intelligence agencies have launched a major investigation into a “specific tip-off” that Naxals were now getting sophisticated weapons through the sea route from Sri Lanka. MORE...
Sending IPKF to Sri Lanka was high level policy failure: VK Singh
India’s Union Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd) V K Singh says that the decision to send the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka in 1987 was “a high level policy failure”. MORE..
Canadian court halts deportation of former LTTE tax collector
A federal judge has stopped the Canadian government from deporting a Sri Lankan war criminal, ruling the former member of the Tamil Tigers could be at risk if forced to return to his home country. MORE..
Government warns Tamil Tiger rebels could regroup
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New government warned on Monday that defeated Tamil Tiger rebels could regroup and orchestrate another conflict, six years after their defeat in the island’s separatist war.
Sarath Fonseka bestowed with Field Marshal title
The Government on Sunday (22) awarded the Field Marshal title to former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka for the yeoman service rendered by him, achieving the victory over terrorism. MORE...
MIA slams Oprah for ‘shutting her down’ and ‘calling her a terrorist’
American singer, M.I.A. has slammed Oprah Winfrey for shutting her down and calling her a terrorist. MORE...
Sri Lankan asylum seeker gets deportation reprieve
A Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seeker who claims to have suffered extensive torture before escaping to the UK has won a last minute reprieve just hours before he was due forcibly deported to Sri Lanka. MORE..
Sri Lanka plans to lift ‘terrorist’ ban on Tamil groups
Sri Lanka’s new government has announced plans to remove 16 groups and hundreds of Tamils from a list of “foreign terrorists” as part of reconciliation with its largest ethnic minority. MORE...
Livelihood programme for ex-LTTE cadres
Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinhge has emphasized the necessity of introducing a livelihood programme to ensure permanent source of income for ex LTTE cadres. MORE...
Ex-Sea Tiger Leader released on bail
The former leader of the LTTE Women’s Sea Tiger Wing, Jeyaganesh Murugesu Pakeerathy, who was arrested at the airport last week while attempting to leave the country for France, has been released on bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. MORE..
President Sirisena pledges war crimes inquiry
Sri Lanka hopes to set up a domestic inquiry within a month into atrocities from the civil war, President Maithripala Sirisena has told the BBC. MORE...
Government releases Tamil activists, but conspiring to arrest war heroes: NFF
Leader of New Left Front Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne said that former President’s brother and ex-Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa should be arrested if enough evidence exists in the floating armoury case. MORE...
Sri Lanka may release Tamil detainee ahead of Modi’s visit
Coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit here next week, Sri Lanka is likely to release a Tamil mother who has symbolised the fight against the alleged disappearance of Tamils during the final stages of the war against the LTTE in 2009, DNA Iindia news agency reported. MORE...
Police slaps 90-day detention on France-bound woman
Sri Lankan authorities Thursday extended by 90 days the detention of a suspected former Tamil rebel fighter arrested as she was returning to her home in France, police said. MORE...
Ex-President rejects allegations against him
Ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday (5) denied allegations that a presidential residence was being built for his excusive use in Kankesanthurei. MORE...
Spy cables reveal Sri Lanka hyped up Tamil Tiger postwar threat: Report
In the cable, dated June 9, 2010, South Africa’s State Security Agency (SSA) replied to a request for information about several cases of purported LTTE activity in South Africa, from a suspected military training camp held in May 2010 to suspicions that local Tamil organizations were raising money for the LTTE... MORE..
Ex-LTTE Women’s Sea Tiger Wing leader arrested
The former leader of the LTTE Women’s Sea Tiger Wing, Jeyaganesh Murugesu Pakeerathy, has been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake while attempting to leave the country for France. MORE..
Bid to bring ex-LTTE cadre into Tamil political mainstream
N. Vithyatharan, former editor of popular pro-LTTE Tamil dailies Sudar Oli and Uthayan, has started a movement to bring into the Tamil political mainstream, former LTTE cadre and their supporters, who are either out rightly rejected or discriminated against by existing Tamil political organizations like ITAK and TNA. MORE..
’India must be on guard against Tamil separatists’
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former defence secretary of Sri Lanka, former army officer and former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother, was largely seen as the driving force behind Sri Lanka’s Eelam War IV that decimated the Tamil Tigers and ended an intense, quarter century long civil war in the island nation in 2009. MORE...