SRI LANKA: Police denied justice to the student who was fatally assaulted

ISSUES: Denial of justice; impunity; rule of law

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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Kaluthanthrige Jesus Deneicios Fernando (15), of No: 22/30, Asarappa Road, Asarappa Watte, Negombo was grievously assaulted by some hotel staff on the instigation of the hotel owner. He underwent serious surgery and remains in hospital. The Headquarters Inspector of the Negombo Headquarters Police Station will not carry out his [...]

The Tamil hit song ‘Kolaveri di’ has become a hit in India and Sri Lanka thanks to its catchy beat and words.

Now a Sri Lankan born British singer Arjun Coomaraswamy has released an English remix of the track in London and it has reached almost 2 million hits on YouTube.

The English version of ‘Kolaveri di’ has been named ‘How Could you do this to me’ and it has become one of the most viewed songs by an independent South [...]

For the first time in Jaffna, kept under the iron fist of occupying SL military, parents and relatives of the missing persons, braved SL army barriers and harassment by the occupying soldiers and riot police and staged a protest in front of Jaffna Bus stand on Wold Human Rights Day seeking global attention on the plight of those reported missing since the end of Vanni war in 2009. The SL military and police blocked the organisers from Colombo, the Civil [...]

Countries, like Britain, that are signed up to the 1951 United Nations Convention on refuges agree not to deport those claiming political asylum to their country of origin if their lives would be in jeopardy.

A recent report from the organisation Freedom from Torture indicates that, despite the war in Sri Lanka having ended over 2 years ago, in which government forces killed over 40,000 innocent civilians, torture is still rife. The report documents 35 cases of men and women who [...]

More than 70,000 Canadian Tamils paid homage to heroes at the Toronto Heroe’s Day event organized by the Canadian Tamil Remembrance Organization (CTRO) Sunday. Conducted in four sessions in a make-shift venue, emotions were high and messages were clear. Despite threats of manufactured divisions towards the event, organizers came under the banner of CTRO for the importance of a strong display of unity. The event was marked with heart-touching cultural programmes reflecting on national unity amongst Eezham Tamils, highlighting successes [...]

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Several Tamil-owned businesses across London have decorated their premises in red and yellow – the national colours of Tamil Eelam – in the run up to Remembrance Day on Sunday. Red and yellow bunting has been hung up across store fronts and on streets on which Tamil businesses are concentrated in several areas including Tooting, Harrow, Croydon and Eastham.

The Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO), which produced and distributed the bunting said there was greater demand this year, following the TYO’s introduction [...]

Act Now was recently passed a report by the group Freedom for Torture which was featured on C4 News and the Guardian. The document (copy attached) is more proof that torture is still rife in Sri Lanka. The group’s evidence is supported by the detailed forensic science reports of 35 different cases of men and women since 2009.

On Monday 7th November, a director of Act Now, Tim Martin, addressed a crowd outside 10 Downing street at a ceremony for [...]

Aaduka’lam 2011, an international dance competition hosted by the Tamil Youth Network in Munich, Germany on October 22 drew spectacular performances from Diaspora teams vying for the top prize. Staged in the Theater Leo 17, one of the city’s most prestigious venues, the event was organised by the Global Tamil Youth League, and had as its theme, ‘In pursuit of Global Peace’. The competition was won by a British team which also won best prize for technical execution, while teams [...]

Sian Evans, the singer of the recent UK number one hit ‘Louder’ and lead vocalist of the band Kosheen, has backed Act Now’s campaign calling upon the United Nation’s Human Right’s Council (UNHRC) to demand an independent investigation into allegations of war crimes in Sri Lanka.

Sian said " it’s time the UN and the International Community take action and hold those responsible of committing atrocities accountable."

The UNHRC will be meeting in October to decide upon their course of action [...]

British Tamils held a candle light vigil Saturday evening opposite the Prime Minister’s official residence, 10 Downing Street, to remember victims of Sri Lanka’s 1983 ‘Black July’ anti-Tamil pogrom. Six days of mob violence, organized by ruling politicians and abetted by Sri Lanka’s security forces, which began on July 23 that year killed over three thousand people, and emptied the capital, Colombo, of Tamils. On Saturday, a thousand British Tamils dressed in black and carrying black flags and Eelam national [...]

Charleston – USA, July 07 (TruthDive): The 24^th Tamil Convention organized by FeTNA (Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America) – the umbrella organization of North America’s Tamil Community concluded this week on July 4^th. The three-day event was attended by prominent members of Tamil community from India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and other countries. Movie artists, Politicians and other prominent personalities attended the event at the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium at Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

FeTNA conducts the Convention at different [...]

Several dozen British Tamils leafleted Saturday outside the Bristol grounds where Sri Lanka’s cricketers played a Twenty20 match against England to further raise awareness of the mass killings of civilians at the end of the war in 2009. Their efforts were assisted by critical commentary in the British press of Sri Lanka’s inclusion of all rounder Sanath Jayasuriya, who is also a parliamentarian of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ruling party, for the remaining one day matches of their tour. Ahead [...]

The Tamil Youth Organisation in Britain hosted Sunday an awareness event for ‘Eezham Thamizh identity’, with an evening of music, drama, dance and poetry. The event, named I’lantha’lir 2011, held at the Walthamstow Assembly Hall, began with the ceremonial raising of the Tamil Eelam flag outside the imposing art deco building, chosen for the quality of the acoustics which make it one of the UK’s top venues for recording classical music. The performances opened with instrumental music using traditional Tamil [...]

Tamil youth activists in Britain took their ‘Boycott Sri Lanka Cricket’ campaign to the Lords cricket grounds on Saturday, the third day of the second Sri Lanka v England test match this summer. Several dozen Tamil activists and supporters handed out leaflets to arriving spectators and cricket officials and staged a noisy demonstration opposite the famous grounds in the latest in a series of events organised by the Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO) to raise awareness of the mass killings of [...]