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| Sunday, 7 August 2005 |
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Focus on up-country Tamils From the Tamil Press by Thava Sajitharan A Sri Lankan Tamil youth was shot dead in Toronto, Canada last Saturday by some unidentified gunmen. Umadev Thiyagarajah (26) was the victim. He was gunned down at a vehicle park in 'Warden-Finch' junction in Toronto. Police are conducting investigations into the murder. (Thinakural (TK) - 02/08/05). It has been revealed from investigations that Visvanathan alias Ravi - a close companion of the PLOTE military in-charge Arumugan Sriskantharaja alias Peter - is the alleged culprit of Journalist Dharmaratnam Sivaram's (Taraki)'s murder. This was disclosed in the further report filed by the Colombo Criminal Investigation Department in courts yesterday. Peter has been detained on suspicion. (Sudar Oli (SOI) - 03/08/05) President Kumaratunga held a personal meeting with Ceylon Workers Congress leader Arumugan Thondaman yesterday discussing matters regarding the forthcoming presidential election. Sources close to the President's House said that the talks were mainly about gaining the support of CWC for the presidential candidate of SLFP. However, complete information on the discussions were not confided since it was a personal meeting. (SOI - 03/08/05) 'No amendments need be made in the Cease-Fire Agreement (CFA). If the Army Forces adhered to the regulations stipulated in the agreement, that would do', said the political circles of the LTTE. When asked about government's attempts to make amendments in the CFA through Norway, they further observed: According to the 18th clause of the agreement all paramilitary organisations functioning in support of the Army ought to be disarmed. Their movements also should be banned. But the government took no steps to implement this. (Virakesari (VK) - 04/08/05) 'Problems facing the 15 hundred thousand up-country Tamil people are not known to the international community. Even when the leaders of foreign countries visit Sri Lanka, they do not meet with our representatives. Today, the international community has been made aware of the struggle of the North-East people. As a result of it, they are willing to resolve the Sri Lankan national problem. 'In the present context, it is not possible for us to apprise the international community of our afflictions through another struggle. So the situation demands us to visit foreign countries and meet the Indian and Sri Lankan Tamils and others living over there and explain to them about our hardship. Therefore, my visits to foreign countries should be accepted on the grounds of social welfare', said the Up-country Peoples' Front leader P. Chandrasekaran in a special political meeting of the party held in Bogavantalawa. (VK - 04/08/05) Kandy Human Development Centre has requested the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to appoint a special committee to inquire on violations of human rights imposed against hill-country people and to take necessary steps to attract the attention of the government on this issue through their report. In a letter sent to the HRC by the above mentioned organisation, it is stated: Hill country people living in the southern part of Sri Lanka are facing various human rights violations. Particularly people living in Kalutara, Galle, Ratnapura, Deniyaya and Kegalle are undergoing multifaceted repression and oppression. (VK - 05/08/05). |
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