Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Researcher Lyla Mehta's in her paper presented at the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York on 6 March 2013, says
access to water and sanitation for all is central to achieving global justice for women and girls. 780 million people still lack access to drinking water, and sanitation remains seriously off track with 2.5 billion people lacking access to improved sanitation. Better access to water and sanitation facilities can reduce poverty and provide immediate health benefits for women and girls as well as better educational and economic opportunities and life chances.
India has approved a tough new law to punish sex crimes, including the death penalty for repeat offenders, after the fatal gang rape of a student in December sparked unprecedented protests over the treatment of women.
The British MPs took up the matter – “Justice for Tamils†today to debate in the main chamber of the House of Commons giving an opportunity for MPs from all parties to debate. The debate which commenced at 7.02pm was led by Lee Scott Conservative MP for Ilford north and the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Tamils. Three MPs, Lee Scott (Ilford North, Conservative), Simon Hughes (Bermondsey and Old Southwark, Liberal Democrat) and Gavin Barwell (Croydon Central, Conservative) spoke during the meeting.
Simon Danczuk (Rochdale, Labour) secured this debate today to convey the human tragedy and agony behind the murder of Khuram Shaikh, the UK national in Sri Lanka.
Simon Danczuk leading the Westminster Hall Debate on Sri Lanka today, said, the purpose of the debate was to draw attention to how the Sri Lankan justice system has failed to investigate the murder of the British tourist Khuram Shaikh and also to honour his memory. Khuram Shaikh was a well known and a valuable and committed member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RToP) ends its 4-year examination of third party complicity in Israeli violations of International Law.
The Tribunal concludes that it will support all initiatives from civil society and international organisations aimed at bringing Israel in front of the International Criminal Court. It calls for the ICC to recognise Palestinian jurisdiction and for the organisation of a special session of the United Nations General Assembly on Israeli Apartheid.
Tamil Information Centre (TIC) is delighted to find that women seeking asylum are no longer missed out of the British Government’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, and a range of improvements can now be anticipated that will benefit them. The Missed Out campaign that the TIC has been involved has proved successful.
This skilfully researched book with 341 pages with complete index focuses on how a small socio-political American elite seeks to establish control over the very basis of human survival: the provision of our daily bread. “Control the food and you control the people.â€
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has taken a lead in monitoring the levels of public awareness of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and the implementation of its recommendations. CPA has monitored the proceedings of LLRC and disseminated information to the public through its websites critically analysing shortcomings in the process.
Hundreds of Australian Tamils and supporters from Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra gathered outside the Australian parliament in Canberra today at 12 noon to protest against the continuing atrocities against the Tamil speaking people and brutal dictatorship of the Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Student protests demanding justice for war crimes in Sri Lanka gathered momentum across Tamil Nadu on Monday, with class boycotts, fasts and demonstrations being reported from various cities and towns.
The protests intensified after eight students of Loyola College here, who were on an indefinite fast since Friday, were taken into police custody in the early hours.
In January 2013 the Government issued a new circular titled Accelerated Programme on Solving Post Conflict State Lands Issues in the Northern and Eastern Provinces- Land Circular 2013/01 (herein referred to as the Circular), which is the most recent effort by the Government to address land problems in the North and East. The Circular sets out a process to be implemented over two years in order to identify and address problems relating to State land in these two provinces. The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has published a report to highlight key issues and concerns relating to this Circular and its implications if implemented.
Global Tamil Forum (GTF) a global organisation involved in international advocacy for justice, peace and security of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka held its 3rd anniversary on Wednesday, 27 February 2013 at the UK Parliament. Various international and local institutions were represented at the event. Also many political and non-political dignitaries attended the conference, including the UK Conservative Party Chairman on behalf of the Prime Minister, The senior Foreign Minister of the FCO, Deputy Prime Minister/Leader of the LibDem Party and Labour Party Leader/Opposition Leader.
Tamil MPs and activists from the North-East who are in Geneva attending the UN Human Rights Council session currently underway, will be questioned and arrested on return if 'they have made statements detrimental to the unitary character of the state', said a prominent government minister to a Sinhala newspaper - Lakbima.
While the post-war context offered an opportunity for consolidating peace and reconciliation, and there have been a number of positive developments, there are increasing concerns relating to violence targeting places of worship and religious intolerance, according to a new report published by the Colombo based Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), the Research and advocacy agency focusing on governance and conflict resolution.
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) has released a Report entitled, "International Investigation Now - Systematic Ethnic Based Human Rights Violations of Tamils Escalateâ€, today, which it says is designed to highlight the need for an International Commission of Inquiry and to coincide with the current UN Human Rights Council Session and a draft Resolution released by the US.
Twelve Sri Lankan Tamils, arrested by the Kollam police on June 3 after they apprehended a human trafficking racket on a crude mechanised fishing boat at Kavanad here, were released from judicial custody on Saturday by F. Minimol, magistrate of the Judicial First Class Court-II here.
Police sources in Maduarai reported that Sri Lanka budget airline Mihin Lanka’s office in Madurai was attacked by pro Eelam Tamil activists. The Sri Lanka's state owned budget airline Mihin Lanka commenced flights to Madurai on 7 December 2012. Madurai was its 10th destination. The Airbus 321 with 212 seating capacity operating three days a week to Madurai benefits large number of relatives of Sri Lanka's Indian-origin plantation Tamils living in South India.
Mani, a 41-year-old social worker of coastal Nallavadu village in Cuddalore district, doused himself with petrol and set himself ablaze at the Collectorate complex in Cuddalore, raising slogans against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and demanding that he be tried in the International Court of Justice for alleged war crimes, police said.
In Turkey today lawyers are being locked up simply for doing their job of representing their clients. The abuse of legality has gone so far that lawyers seeking to represent imprisoned lawyers are themselves being prosecuted. At present more than 50 lawyers in Turkey are in jail, of whom the majority are former members of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan’s legal team.
The President of the British Asians Trust, Prince of Wales hosted a dinner for around 250 British Asians on 13 February 2013 at the Waterloo Chamber in Windsor Castle. The reception and dinner was hosted to thank supporters of the British Asian Trust and to mark its fifth anniversary. For the past five years, this was the fourth consecutive dinner hosted by Prince Charles to appreciate the work of British Asians.
Sri Lankan security forces have been using rape and other forms of sexual violence to torture suspected members or supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. While widespread rape in custody occurred during the armed conflict that ended in May 2009, Human Rights Watch found that politically motivated sexual violence by the military and police continues to the present.
A new report published with the support of the Sri Lanka Advocacy Network, Germany says that Repression and human rights violations in the North remained under-reported throughout 2012. This report does not provide a comprehensive account of all incidents and trends happened in 2012, nevertheless it attempts to highlight some key human rights violations facing the Tamils in the North. At the same time it has to be recognized that violations and repressions are faced by all communities across the country, such as in the East and in the plantation sector.
In November issue of the Asia Pacific Bulletin published by the East West Centre, Neil DeVotte, Associate Professor at Wake Forest University argues, one word that is increasingly mentioned when discussing contemporary Sri Lanka is “authoritarianism.†This is primarily due to President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s frittering away of citizens’ civil liberties even as he and his “First Family†arrogate power and—together with their close relatives, cronies, and supporters—govern extra-constitutionally and extrajudicially.
The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) or Buddhist Strength Force, a new hard-line Sinhalese Buddhist group has called for the abolition of the Muslim halal system of certifying foods in Sri Lanka. They also demanded shops to clear their stocks by April 2013. They have openly accused the Muslim and Christians, in particular and said that foreign “propagators of religions†should leave the country within a month.
The government is engaged in an ambitious programme to establish permanent security forces bases in the Northern and Eastern Provinces as part of a strategy to thwart any possible attempt to revive LTTE terrorism. Authoritative government officials told The Island.
