admin | May 21st, 2013 | No Comments »
All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils in the UK has written to the Prime Minister David Cameron to review his decision to attend CHOGM 2013 in Sri Lanka; Full text of the letter is attached below:
Dear Prime Minister,
As I am sure you will understand the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGt) would like to convey their disappointment on the decision to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka. We have held meetings with the Minister to inform him of this.
The APPGt believe that Sri Lanka has failed on the fundamental values of the Commonwealth, such as Democracy, Human Rights, Tolerance, Respect and Understanding, Separation of Powers, Rule of Law, Freedom of Expression and Good Governance. On these bases, the Foreign Affairs Committee in its report in November 2012, urged you to announce your unwillingness to attend the CHOGM in Sri Lanka; this call has been echoed by many other independent organisations. We believe that if Sri Lanka is allowed to host the CHOGM 2013, it would undermine the Commonwealth founding principles and the Charter of the Commonwealth, which was signed by Her Majesty the Queen; and which the UK is committed to.
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admin | May 20th, 2013 | Comments Off
Thousands of people came together to take part in a rally through London, in remembrance of the hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians who were killed, maimed and displaced by Sri Lankan forces in Mullivaikkal in May 2009.
Leaving Marble Arch at 1pm, the crowd – from toddlers to octogenarians – braved the unseasonably cool May weather to walk to Waterloo Place, near Piccadilly Circus. With the generous co-operation of the Metropolitan Police, busy London thoroughfares such as Park Lane and Piccadilly were closed on a busy shopping day in order to let the procession pass.
At 4pm, Waterloo Place was filled by an estimated 15,000 demonstrators, waving vivid flags and banners. They were then addressed by a number of politicians and activists, who joined the crowd in expressing their still-raw grief at the massive loss of Tamil life that occurred during the Mullivaikkal massacre.
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admin | May 16th, 2013 | Comments Off
The British Tamils Forum is coordinating a rally and a meeting on Saturday 18 May 2013 (the 4th Year Remembrance of Mullivaikkal Genocidal Massacre) Saturday commencing from North Carriage Drive, Hyde Park at 1pm (Closest Station: Marble Arch) and terminating in Waterloo Place at 5pm (Closest station: Piccadilly Circus).
Tamils all over the world will ever remember that the Mullivaikkal massacre was the climax of the continuing genocide inflicted on Tamils by the Sri Lankan government since independence.
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admin | May 16th, 2013 | Comments Off
Clegg told parliament “despicable human rights violations” had taken place in Sri Lanka, but that Britain still planned to attend the Commonwealth meeting there, a stance that has drawn heavy criticism from rights groups.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said on Wednesday there would be “consequences” for Sri Lanka if its authorities did not address international concerns over human rights abuses, ahead of a Commonwealth summit scheduled to be held in Colombo in November.
Please find attached question and answers from the 16/05/2013 on the PMQ time:
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admin | May 9th, 2013 | Comments Off
The Prime Minister (PM) David Cameron’s decision to attend the summit despite the continuing call by the Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper’s Government as well as Human Rights Organisations and the Tamils around the world to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lank sets the wrong precedence. A spokesperson for the Queen, who is the head of the Commonwealth, has confirmed that it would be the first time since 1973 the head of the Commonwealth would not be present at an important summit for the group. Read More
admin | April 26th, 2013 | No Comments »
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) representatives are to meet on the 26th of April 2013. The current members of the group; Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Jamaica, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago and Vanuatu will be discussing various issues including the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013 in Sri Lanka.
CMAG should take immediate action against Sri Lanka in line with the Harare Declaration and this meeting will be crucial in upholding the fundamental values of the Commonwealth.
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admin | April 25th, 2013 | No Comments »
An urgent token demonstration has been organised outside the Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, in London as Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) will be meeting there on this Friday (26.04.2013) and Sri Lanka/CHOGM 2013 will be discussed. We also have information that Sri Lankan foreign minister G L Peiris would be attend the meeting to address the CMAG.
CMAG is a very powerful group of Foreign Ministers of nine Commonwealth Countries which is tasked with dealing with serious violations of the Commonwealth’s political values, has the power to move the venue or recommend the 54 Commonwealth Nations to act on venue change for CHOGM 2013 from Sri Lanka.
We the Tamils should use this opportunity to urge the CMAG to change the venue for CHOGM 2013 from Sri Lanka and suspend Sri Lanka from Commonwealth until the accountability, freedom and justice is given to all citizens.
Venue: Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5HX (Nearest Stations – Green Park Stn, Picadilly Stn and Trafalgar SQ Stn)
Time: 26 April 2013 (Friday), 11am – 3pm
Sri Lanka is no longer a nation which qualifies to be part of the Commonwealth. Come and join us and bring your friends and family.
admin | April 18th, 2013 | No Comments »
Despite the heavy presence of security forces, a group of armed men have fired and then torched the printing machinery of the “Uthayan” newspaper.
The sources in Jaffna said the attack was the work of Sri Lankan military intelligence under the direction of the defence secretary, Gothabaya Rajapaksa. They further said that the current regime is aiming to silence the remaining independent media and create a fearful environment among Tamil people before the forthcoming elections in the North. Read More
admin | April 14th, 2013 | No Comments »
The Independent Reports – Tamil TV presenter begs: ‘Don’t send me to Sri Lanka’
19 Tamil refugees languishing in an aluminium factory in Dubai and facing the threat of imminent deportation to a country with a known track record of persecuting those with a perceived or real link to the Tamil Tigers. Among them, a well know Tamil Journalist who worked for a Tamil Tiger television channel (National Television of Tamil Eelam, NTT), Rathimohan Lokini said, ‘she is terrified that she could be sent back and killed in Sri Lanka’. My colleagues who worked with me have been persecuted and one person, Isaipriya, was raped and killed during the war.” The exact circumstances of her death are not known but evidence has emerged indicating that the 27-year-old was probably executed by Sri Lankan troops on 18 or 19 May 2009.
Shan Sutha, from the British Tamil Forum, called on the authorities in Dubai to lift the threat of deportation: “If the United Arab Emirates authorities return the 19 Tamil refugees held in detention in Dubai, they are not only failing to protect these refugees from torture and other inhumane treatment, but also showing utter disregard to the UNHCR which, after assessing each individual case, granted refugee status to them.”
For further read: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/tamil-tv-presenter-begs-dont-send-me-to-sri-lanka-8570490.html