Horror videos from Lanka - India Times Editorial

The airing of videos by a television channel in the United Kingdom, which show members of the Sri Lankan armed forces executing Tamils , shown to be stripped and shot, during the last phase of the offensive against the LTTE, is threatening to rock President Rajapaksa’s visit to the UK.

While it is reported that the videos are not verified, and as the Sri Lankan government claims the video is merely an elongated version of the clip shown last year (and which Colombo called unsubstantiated), the videos posit the need to have an institutionalised arrangement that not only looks into alleged human rights violations by the Lankan Army, but also aids and abets the wider devolution of powers that must be part of the post-offensive measures in Sri Lanka.

Indeed, there is much worry about on that count. The defeat of the LTTE must not be translated into a defeat of the legitimate political aspirations and needs of the Tamil minority.

It has been globally acknowledged that a process of political devolution, which ensures a greater role for minorities, is the only long-term solution to the ethnic strife that ravaged the island-nation for years.

On his part, President Rajapaksa has recognised the need to share power. But the hard reality is that precious little by way of progress towards that goal can be evinced.

On the contrary, there is a growing feeling that there is a concerted attempt to delay and stymie the process of that devolution and political reform. The problem also is that, riding on the success of the army and a certain Sinhala consolidation — which has definite traces of chauvinism — the Rajapaksa regime, comprising a surprisingly large number of Rajapaksas, is tightening its stranglehold on power and the institutions of the state.

This has also meant a certain amount of authoritarianism against political opponents and critics, including sections of the media and individual journalists. The videos may yet be unverified, but there is no way for Colombo to shake off allegations of wrongdoing other than setting up mechanisms to both probe rights violations and work on political devolution.

DbsJeyaraj and his Changing Stripes!

One can ponder why a person like DbsJeyaraj often overlooked among Tamil journalists considering their work involved in the Tamil or English media channels, by pro-Tamils. Many who were familiar with Dbsjeyaraj in the past know his involvement of RAW, India’s intelligence agency, during the IPKF days of Jaffna in late 80s, while he worked as a reporter for Hindu newspaper, which was nothing but a mouth-piece of Indian government. And it is all well-documented. What we do not know how far he kept his contacts with the RAW since then.

With the kind of background he has had in the past, his work often comes under scrutiny, especially from the pro-Tamils’ point of view. Because of the public scrutiny, he had trimmed down his criticism of LTTE or hardly any criticism at all, for the last decade in which time LTTE was a formidable force in SL. Ever since the military debacle of LTTE in May 2009, things had changed dramatically- so had Dbsjeyaraj’s stripes. Using the current circumstances- many people, even the pro-Tamils, are quiet sceptical of LTTE’s decisions during the peak of Wanni war in 2009 - DbsJeyaraj gradually paced his attacks against both LTTE and Tamil interests. What I cannot understand why a person like Jeyaraj who portrays himself a warrior in his articles has selective amnesia- undermining the LTTE only - while he never talks about the federal solutions, nor Tamil grievances. And the low point of his attacks comes in his latest article which stamps “Tamilnet” as a LTTE channel. So much as Tamils valued the Jaffna library, which was burned by Sinhala mobs in 1983 riots, Tamils should not lose Tamilnet that is a vital resource for them, and that should be protected at any cost against all the external powers. I do believe that most of his writings are anything but vague. And it is time for him to change his mentality of “if sabotaging LTTE endangers the Tamil interests, so be it”.

What is Project Beacon? - a Lesson for Ages!

It is a must read an article that was written by Dr. C.P.Thiagarajah on Nov 1, 2007. If Dr. T can know about these things - Project Beacon - in 3 years advance, why not LTTE hierarchy? It shows that Co-Chairs played the game to perfection with Tamils. For full article, please go to the below Link

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World Democracies Wake up: Stop Sri-Lankan Terror

By: Dr C P Thiagarajah
Courtesy: TamilCanadian - November 1, 2007


There is consensus in world opinion for a political solution based on the UN accepted ‘traditional homelands of Ethnic minorities principle’. However the co-chairs of the aid giving nations appeared to swim against the tide. If as reported in the Tamil Editors.com the involvement of the co-chairs in the 'Three Year Plan' of GSL military solution were true it would be the biggest fraud of the IC. It would be a stab in the back for the Tamil polity. The co-chairs were killing the foetus of Tamil Eelam in the womb. It was alleged that this plan code-named ‘Project Beacon’ was first presented to the Co-Chairs to the peace process in Sri Lanka, namely United States; European Union; Norway and Japan, during December 2005 in the Norwegian capital Oslo. The initiative was to have started on May Day 2006. According to the proposal, the project would be completed by May Day 2009, and an additional two years would be required thereafter for 'mopping up' operations.

Project Beacon divided LTTE administered areas as at December 2005 into three coastal sections. The basic plan was to 'softening up' of sections by means of air raids and multi-barrel rockets; diversionary 'mini-offensives' in parts of other sections, and virtual siege of the area concerned for up to twelve months if necessary.

Project Beacon warned the co-chairs that there may be 'significant' civilian casualties during 'softening up' activities and 'apparent humanitarian crises' during sieges. Consequently, it was feared that the Tamil Diaspora would take to the streets of their host nations highlighting Tamil civilian casualty and genocide. The plan provided the co-chairs with the names of key Tamil activists who may lead such mass demonstrations in some 12 countries. The plan requested that these individuals be arrested on 'charges of terrorism', thus 'giving a clear warning to the Diaspora on the consequences of demonstrating against the government of Sri Lanka'.

Sri Lankan begged that it did not have the financial capacity to procure all the arms and ammunition necessary. It requested that the Co-Chairs to indirectly play a part. They take more responsibility for civil services, in particular in southern Sri Lanka, to ensure that more government money could be siphoned off to the military activity with very little impact on the day to day lives of the Sinhala public.

The Co-Chairs unanimously agreed that the Three Year Plan was viable and 'militaristically sound'. The Co-Chairs agreed to abide by the two pre-conditions and review the plan as per necessary some three to four months following each May Day. Political observers might put two and two together and conclude that the IC’s silence over human suffering deaths and genocide in GSL Eastern war might be due to help the GSL in the project beacon.

This period Tamils would like to forget, can they?

What was in this girl's mind that time?










Everything was denied for this little kid from parents to food. Unthinkable!!!










Family had become dysfunctional, so six years old kid forced to take care of her little sister in these horrendous circumstances?




Just no words to describe this!






























































These pictures can tell 1000s of the stories. Why I posted these images is just purely getting the word out that many families need your real help. It's not the time for arguing whose fault and what. And one thing is for sure that ultimate justice maybe delayed but won't be denied down the stretch.

Sri Lankan tells of asylum death voyage

TWELVE of Pararasasingam Paheertharan's fellow travellers drowned, including brothers aged 13 and 14 employed as crew, after people-smugglers herded him and 38 other Sri Lankan Tamils on to an ill-equipped fishing boat for an ambitious journey across the Indian Ocean.

In the first interview about last November's tragedy, soon to be examined by the West Australian coroner, Paheer said the people-smugglers promised passengers they would be transferred to a bigger vessel after two or three days sailing from Negombo, on Sri Lanka's west coast.

"After 10 days travelling we realised we were deceived by them," he wrote in an email after The Australian visited him in detention on Christmas Island last week.

"After 27 days travelling, our vessel had a hole -- we tried to remove the ocean water but we couldn't control it," Paheer wrote.

He emptied two oil canisters, tied them together and hung on in big waves after the boat sank 350 nautical miles northwest of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands on November 1.

Most survivors were taken aboard the LNG Pioneer, while others were rescued by the Taiwanese fishing vessel Kuamg, which was first to respond.

The former student union activist told how he was rescued at 3am on his 32nd birthday after eight hours in the water.

All 27 survivors, including a 15-year-old boy, remain in detention on Christmas Island.

Paheer and four other survivors await a decision on their claims for asylum, while seven have received initial rejections and can ask for an independent review.

"We never forget it, every day at night we see our people, who are shouting `please help us' from the ocean," he said.

Paheer is among those asylum-seekers who typically pay up to $US10,000 ($10,700) to try to get to Australia from Indonesia or, in his case, from Sri Lanka.

One Customs officer told The Australian he was astonished that so many dilapidated asylum boats made it as far as they did.

The dangers of the journey from Negombo to Christmas Island did not bother the people-smugglers who took Paheer's money, and for Paheer it seemed worth the risk.

Paheer recalled how, as a passenger who spoke good English, it was his job to radio for help at about 1am on November 1, when it became obvious the boat was in trouble.

Nine hours later, a fishing boat appeared. "We waved towards it, it came near us, we explained our situation, then the boat captain said `we informed the Australian government, they sent a ship'," Paheer said.

"Around 6.30pm we saw a ship coming towards us -- unfortunately before the ship came near us our vessel sank.

"I saw that some of us were swimming towards the ship, others shouting here and there, in front of me I saw three people sink into the ocean."

One body was recovered. Those who died included the boat's captain and his young nephews, brought to work as crew. A rescued 19-year-old arrived at Christmas Island with the other survivors last November believing his father had been rescued by another boat.

It was a police officer's duty a few days later to tell the young man his father was not coming, and was believed drowned.

Sri Lanka's traitorous politics

By Savitri Hensman -guardian.co.uk

"A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague," declared Roman statesman and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero over 2,000 years ago. Accusations of treachery still sting. But in Sri Lanka in recent decades, the term "traitor" has been flung about with wild abandon, raising questions about what loyalty people might owe to a nation and what this might mean in practice.

Last year, a civil war ended with the crushing defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but this has not brought national harmony and reconciliation. Instead, an authoritarian culture has taken hold in which disagreement with the powers that be is labelled as disloyalty to the nation. The general who led the successful military campaign against the LTTE, Sarath Fonseka, became highly critical of the current president, Mahinda Rajapakse, who with his brother Gotabhaya, the defence secretary, also claimed credit for the victory.

Fonseka unsuccessfully stood as an opposition candidate in this year's presidential elections. Some government supporters labelled him as a traitor, and he was arrested. In the runup to parliamentary elections, he is facing trial by a military court.

A political culture built on mistrust of diversity and disagreement took hold 30 years ago. The government tried to tap into fear of and rivalry towards Tamils among the Sinhalese majority. In the world view promoted by industries minister, Cyril Mathew, in his 1979 work Diabolical Conspiracy, those not Sinhalese Buddhists were particularly prone to be treacherous. In the days of British rule "a very special partiality was shown to the minorities and they were given valuable and privileged opportunities. In this crafty way the British rulers were able to obtain all the information regarding the efforts of the majority people for a united stand, from the beholden and grateful minority communities". This was a gross distortion of history, but helped to fuel suspicion and supposedly justify abuses of power. Harsh repression alienated many Tamil youth, swelling the ranks of an initially tiny militant movement fighting for a separate state.

It was not just ethnic and religious minorities who came under attack: anyone who questioned the regime risked arrest or death. After unleashing violence against Tamil civilians in 1983, the government banned much of the opposition including the main Tamil party and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), supported largely by discontented Sinhalese youth, supposedly for undermining national security.

This fuelled support for the Tamil nationalist movement as well as a JVP rebellion. Soon the JVP, too, was labelling those its leaders disapproved of as traitors and violently targeting them The LTTE also set out to stamp its authority over the Tamil people, detaining or killing "traitors" – rival Tamil nationalists, moderates and anyone suspected of being critical of its policies, which included terrorist attacks, ethnic cleansing and child conscription.

Meanwhile, human rights activists such as idealistic young opposition MP Rajapakse risked their safety to publicise the regime's injustices internationally and try to restore a less violent and divisive political culture.

Now in power, it is ironic that Rajapakse is promoting the kind of repression he once opposed so strongly, further dividing rather than reconciling Sri Lankans. Critics of the government are labelled as traitors, human rights and democracy undermined.

In any country where quasi-religious adoration of "the nation" takes hold, there is a risk this may tip over into unquestioning obedience to its leaders. Ironically, this may harm rather than protect its people and what is best in its heritage. The kind of patriotism needed by Sri Lanka and other countries today is that described by human rights defender Clarence Darrow: "True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else."

Boycott of Sri Lanka Products is Started to Bear Fruits

Suren Surendiran is a senior member of the British Tamils Forum and the official spokesperson for the Global Tamil Forum.


“Some governments try to dodge criticism by claiming that human rights are ‘western values’. But people all over the world prove them wrong by demanding and suffering for their human rights – be they imprisoned protesters in Iran, or murdered journalists in Russia, or civilians caught up in conflicts in Sri Lanka or Gaza. We must continue to support people who demand their human rights across the world.” – David Miliband, Foreign Secretary, Statement to mark International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2009 -

Sri Lanka’s president is pressing forward with parliamentary elections on April 8, 2010 despite allegations of electoral malpractice surrounding his own presidential election victory in January, the country facing economic crisis and growing international criticisms for the State’s callous disregard for human rights, general governance and lack of political will to resolve the 62 years long conflict.

The U.S. State Department, in its Annual Report on Human Rights for 2009, has been highly critical of the Sri Lankan government. It says the government or paramilitary groups close to it were involved in summary killings and disappearances and that lawyers and journalists were harassed and victimised. It says the war-affected parts of the country saw the greatest number of political disappearances, estimated to be in the hundreds.

Britain has also named Sri Lanka a “country of concern” in the latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Report 2009. “This reflects our concern about allegations of serious conflict violations, as well as the deteriorating status of the rule of law and freedom of expression…” – United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office Annual Report on Human Rights 2009

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on March 8, 2010 expressed “concerns about the lack of progress on political reconciliation, the treatment of Internally Displaced Persons and the setting up of an accountability process in Sri Lanka”.

The prospect of a panel of experts being appointed to advise the Secretary General on accountability issues relating to Sri Lanka was not welcomed by President Rajapakse who said it was “uncalled for and unwarranted”.

Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations Sir Mark Lyall Grant has said that UK disagrees with the argument put forward by the Non-Aligned Movement and that “[Secretary General] does have a mandate through the U.N. charter to uphold human rights and humanitarian international law, and therefore he is entirely within his rights to set up a group of experts who will advise him on taking forward his concerns about some of the allegations that have been made in the recent months in Sri Lanka”. – Colombopage, 20 Mar 2010

“Sri Lanka’s government has sought an additional 39.6 billion rupees ($345 million) to fund its military, a 20 percent increase from the original defence budget despite the end of a 25-year war against Tamil Tigers in May.

“Sri Lanka has a public sector of around 6 percent of the population. Maintaining loss-making public institutions without reforms, high and unproductive subsidies, a government with over 110 Ministers and expenditures that make more political than economic sense are other factors in the deficit.” – Reuters, March 4, 2010

It is no surprise that the International Monetary Fund has delayed the third tranche of a $2.6 billion loan after Sri Lanka failed to achieve its budget deficit target to reduce deficit to 7 percent of GDP.

An IMF mission to Sri Lanka in February concluded that they were unable to “complete” its review until the pending parliamentary elections in April. It is however important to note that Sri Lanka’s last two IMF programs ended with missions that were unable to “complete reviews”, effectively staying suspended. – Lanka Business Online, 25 Feb 2010.

Despite Sri Lanka’s claims that it can overcome suspension of IMF loan, the country is already fearing the affects of the temporary suspension of General Scheme of Preference (GSP+) trade concessions due to come into effect in August 2010.

“Western countries, and groups in the Tamil Diaspora, are pressing for some kind of accountability for thousands of civilian deaths at the end of the war. Sri Lanka is adamant its soldiers did not violate international law, and that for now has cost it enhanced European Union trade preferences known as GSP+ worth $136 million a year.” – Reuters, 2 Mar 2010

Some of these above quotes and links stand as evidence that credible independent media organisations, institutions and foreign governments have highlighted facts, which I have used to illustrate my argument that the Rajapaksha regime is driving Sri Lanka into economic ruin for the sake of power at the cost of humanity itself.

It is hoped that all donors including China, Japan and India will follow precedence set by Britain and the U.S. in persuading Sri Lanka to address its human rights record.

It is against this backdrop and as part of its campaign to create worldwide awareness of the real human rights situation in Sri Lanka, the Global Tamil Forum has called for a worldwide boycott of Sri Lankan products and services – www.boycottsrilanka.com