|
International Crisis Group Indicts Sri Lanka for War Crimes |
 |
 |
 |
|
Wednesday, 19 May 2010 00:00 |
|
Media Release Wednesday, 19 May 2010 International Crisis Group Indicts Sri Lanka for War CrimesThe Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA), the umbrella body of the peak Tamil associations in Australia and New Zealand, is relieved by the fact that the International Crisis Group (ICG) after an year long investigations has come to the conclusion that most of the civilian deaths during the last days of the war in Sri Lanka were due to government shelling of areas that were supposed to be safe zones. In a report titled “War Crimes in Sri Lanka”, http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka/191-war-crimes-in-sri-lanka.aspx released from its head quarters in Brussels on Monday May 17th, ICG has said that evidence provides reasonable grounds to believe that the Sri Lankan security forces committed war crimes with top government and military leaders potentially responsible. ICG also has said that there is evidence of war crimes committed by the LTTE and its leaders as well, but most of them were killed and will never face justice. ICG has called for an international inquiry into alleged crimes on the grounds that there is no political will or capacity for genuine domestic investigations and because such domestic investigations would set a bad precedence to other governments adopting the Sri Lankan model of counter-insurgency in their own internal conflicts getting away with war crimes. ICG has claimed that the group possesses credible evidence that is sufficient to warrant an independent international investigation of the intentional shelling of civilians, the intentional shelling of hospitals and the intentional shelling of humanitarian operations. ICG has recommended that the Sri Lankan government should cooperate fully with international efforts to investigate alleged war crimes, including a UN-mandated international inquiry, guaranteeing free access to the conflict area and effective protection of witnesses and to provide ICRC with full access to all places of detention, including where LTTE suspects or surrendees are being held, and allow detained individuals full protections under international law. ICG has also recommended to the UN and its member states to authorise an independent international inquiry into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka during the last year of the conflict with special mention made about Australia doing its share on this matter. Sri Lanka prevents Tamils from holding remembrance and mother-nature prevents Colombo’s victory day celebrations While AFTA welcomes recommendations made by the ICG, it is distressed to learn that Sri Lanka has been preparing for a week long celebrations with a “Victory Day” celebrations scheduled for Thursday, at Galle Face Colombo, whilst using its troops to prevent the first commemoration events of Mullivaaikkaal Massacre of May 2009, observed by Tamils in Jaffna last Sunday, in Nalloor and Jaffna town in the north. Sri Lankan troops have chased away the public from observing a peaceful vigil and threatened to death the reporters covering the event. Sri Lankan troops have ransacked a Tamil political party office and searched residences of senior Tamil parliamentarians. However, even mother-nature could not bear Sri Lanka’s arrogance and the heavens opened over Colombo resulting in the postponement of the “Victory Day” celebrations. AFTA calls on the international community in general and Australian and New Zealand governments in particular to heed to the recommendations of the ICG and the way the Sri Lankan government is mishandling the reconciliation process and take appropriate action through the United Nations, to help finding a lasting peace in Sri Lanka. AFTA calls on all the free media to highlight these latest developments about war crimes in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan government’s mishandling of the reconciliation process to help the international community to positively intervene. Media Enquiries:
Sydney: Dr. Victor Rajakulendran 0402 484 209
Melbourne: Mr. Siva Sivakumar 0404 894 591
Queensland: Prof. Selva Selvanathan 0402 960 439
Auckland: Dr. Siva Vasanthan 021 023 51 007
|
|
Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 May 2010 00:15 |
|
AFTA Welcomes the Call for the Immediate Withdrawal of Sri Lankan Occupying Forces |
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, 20 April 2010 00:00 |
|
Media Release 20 April 2010 AFTA Welcomes the Call for the Immediate Withdrawal of Sri Lankan Occupying Forces from the Traditional Tamil Homeland The Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA) the umbrella organisation of the peak Tamil Associations in Australia and New Zealand welcomes the response from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Sri Lanka to the statement made by the Sri Lankan permanent representative at the UN, that the “withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territory it occupies and the relaxation of restrictions are prerequisites to obtain sustainable peace there”. TamilNet.com reported on 18 April 2010 that in its response to this statement, the TNA had called on Sri Lanka to apply the same principle locally and withdraw its armed forces from the historical and traditional homeland of the Tamils, the North and East, to eventually achieve peace in Sri Lanka. According to this report, the TNA spokesperson Suresh Premachandran had said in a statement to the press that, “The Sri Lankan permanent representative in the UN has said that the withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territory it occupies and the relaxation of restrictions are prerequisites to obtain sustainable peace. Sri Lanka government should follow the same principle by withdrawing all its occupying armed forces in the North and South which is the historical traditional homeland of the Tamils and it should restore the same situation which prevailed in the Tamil homeland before 1983.
The Tamils launched a non-violent struggle to protect their rights and identification in the face of Sinhala hegemony being imposed on Tamils who had been living in the country since historical times. State terrorism was used to quell the Tamil struggle precipitating armed struggle which was described as terrorism by successive governments of Sri Lanka. In the end just as the Israelis uprooted the Palestinians from their homeland Sri Lanka government too occupied the North and East by brutal force and evicted the Tamils from their own places, reducing them to the state of paupers. In addition, the government is engaged in obliterating Tamil identity in all spheres.
The government’s statement at the UN gives us a little hope that it will follow the same principle here in Sri Lanka too. We hope that the principle that Sri Lanka expresses internationally if practiced in Sri Lanka an agreeable solution could be reached by holding talks with TNA.”
TNA is the Tamil political party that won most number of seats from the north and east of Sri Lanka at the parliamentary elections held on 8 April 2010. AFTA appeals to the international community in general and the Australian and New Zealand governments in particular, to constructively engage with TNA to help restore normalcy in the Tamil homeland and achieve lasting peace in Sri Lanka by finding a political solution meeting the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil people.
Media Enquiries:
Sydney: Dr. Victor Rajakulendran 0402 484 209
Melbourne: Mr. Siva Sivakumar 0404 894 591
Queensland: Prof. Selva Selvanathan 0402 960 439
Auckland: Dr. Siva Vasanthan 021 023 51 007
|
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, 20 April 2010 23:14 |
|
|
Tamils remember the May 2009 massacre of 40,000 Tamils in Sri Lanka |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, 16 May 2010 00:00 |
|
Media Release 17 May 2010 Tamils remember the May 2009 massacre of 40,000 Tamils in Sri Lanka The Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA), the umbrella body of the peak Tamil associations in Australia and New Zealand, would like to bring to the attention of the International Community that the Tamils in Sri Lanka who were subject to war crimes by Government forces under the cover of eliminating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, have not received any justice even after one year. The UN Secretary General (UNSG), having waited for several months eventually announced that he was appointing a committee of experts to advise him on the need to investigate war crimes committed in Sri Lanka. However it appears that Sri Lanka has blocked this move and on 6 May 2010 announced that it would soon name a commission to assess ‘lessons learnt’ from the last stages of fighting in 2009 and recommend measures to prevent a return to conflict. But New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the move was "yet another attempt to deflect an independent international investigation" into alleged war crimes. "Every time the international community raises the issue of accountability, Sri Lanka establishes a commission that takes a long time to achieve nothing," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. The UN secretary general "should put an end to this game of smoke and mirrors and begin a process that would ensure justice for all the victims of Sri Lanka’s war," Adams said. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/10/27/sri-lanka-domestic-inquiry-abuses-smokescreen Although President Rajapaksa has received a mandate from his Sinhalese people to amend the constitution, he has not spoken about any attempts to make amendments to either reconcile with the Tamils or devolve powers to the Tamils. Instead, all his proposed amendments so far are only to extend his term in office and reducing the representation of the minorities in parliament. While the Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Tamil Diaspora mourn this week, the loss of their kith and kin in their thousands this time last year, Sri Lanka has decided to celebrate it as their week of victory over the defacto Thamil Eelam State thus further deepening ethnic divisions and making any genuine reconciliation with the Tamil people virtually impossible. Realizing the fact that the Tamils in Sri Lanka have no voice to openly express their aspirations, Tamil Diaspora has been trying hard to organize themselves in a democratic formation to raise the voice for their subjugated brethrens in their homeland. With the help of international experts they have decided to organize themselves into a novel structure called “Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam” (TGTE). One hundred and fifteen (115) members, elected democratically through an election process held in early May 2010 from the countries where Tamils from Sri Lanka live, are meeting over 17, 18 and 19 of this week at the National Constitution Centre, Independence Mall, Philadelphia, where in 1787 first steps were taken to write the constitution of America, following independence from Great Britain. These elected members will function as a constituent assembly to draft a constitution for TGTE and formulate strategies to help out the subjugated Tamils to find freedom and dignity. AFTA appeals to the international community, especially Australian and the New Zealand, to recognise TGTE as the global transnational body that reflects the legitimate aspirations of the voiceless Tamil people in Sri Lanka and engage with it constructively to explore ways to bring about a just political solution, genuine reconciliation and lasting peace in Sri Lanka. AFTA appeals to the independent media to report objectively on the lack of rule of law, mockery of democracy and the continuing brutal oppression of the Tamil people in the failed state of Sri Lanka. Media Enquiries:
Sydney: Dr. Victor Rajakulendran 0402 484 209
Melbourne: Mr. Siva Sivakumar 0404 894 591
Queensland: Prof. Selva Selvanathan 0402 960 439
Auckland: Dr. Siva Vasanthan 021 023 51 007
|
|
Last Updated on Sunday, 16 May 2010 21:55 |
|
Changes to Australia’s Immigration Processing System |
|
|
|
|
Monday, 12 April 2010 00:00 |
|
Media Release 12 April 2010 Changes to Australia’s Immigration Processing System The Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA), the umbrella body of the peak Tamil associations in Australia and New Zealand, is dismayed and deeply concerned about the announcement made by Senator Chris Evans, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship on last Friday that, Australia is suspending with immediate effect the processing of new asylum applications from refugees fleeing Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Minister has given the reasons for this decision as Sri Lanka is a country in transition after two decades of conflict, with hopes for further improvement and stabilisation in conditions and Australia wants to take into consideration the outcomes of the UNHCR's review of country situations in Sri Lanka. If these are the reasons for this change in decision, AFTA finds it difficult to understand why a suspension in processing is needed. Processing could continue with all these factors taken into consideration on an individual case basis and decisions can be taken accordingly. Even after UNHCR has declared that its official review of the security situation on the ground in Sri Lanka is only a routine review, including this also as a reason to support the suspension in the processing of new applications tantamount to pre-empting on something that may not change from the present situation. Hoping for further improvement and stabilisation in conditions in Sri Lanka and using that as a rational for the decision, conflicts with the information Amnesty International and other human rights organisations have been giving recently regarding the situation on the ground for many people in Sri Lanka. Australian government announcing this decision in the same week, when the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister appealed to the Australian government not to give asylum to Tamils in Australia as this country will become a breeding grounds for separatism in Sri Lanka, tend to give the impression that the decision taken by the Australian government is influenced to a great extent by the advice given by the alleged oppressors of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. AFTA regrets that a humanitarian issue like the fate of the Tamils fleeing Sri Lanka is being used by both Labor and Liberal Parties in Australia for their electoral politics. While AFTA appreciates all the new measures being introduced by our government strengthening a range of law enforcement measures targeting people smugglers, AFTA appeals to the leaders of both Labor and Liberal parties to take a bipartisan approach and find a “regional permanent solution” to the flow of unauthorised boat arrivals rather than using the issue for political point scoring. Media Enquiries:
Sydney: Dr. Victor Rajakulendran 0402 484 209
Melbourne: Mr. Siva Sivakumar 0404 894 591
Queensland: Prof. Selva Selvanathan 0402 960 439
Auckland: Dr. Siva Vasanthan 021 023 51 007
|
|
Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 April 2010 22:47 |
|
