Tamils gather to remember
Also thank Canada for providing a safe haven
Make your browsing faster, safer, and easier with the new Internet Explorer® 8. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free!
"Every indicia of genocide is satisfied by the conduct of successive Sri Lankan governments, the oppression accentuated in intensity by the present government which has unleashed immense terror through its armed forces on a people in the name of suppression of terrorism. says Professor Sornarajah, Pierre Genest Visiting Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University,
Also thank Canada for providing a safe haven
please send you congratulations to Ms. Arbour , President of the International crisis Group. The head office contact is-- http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?action=form&fid=14&l=1 Thanks kana |
http://www.innercitypress.com/imfsri1chomsky072309.html
UNITED NATIONS, July 23 -- The debate on Responsibility to Protect at the UN gave rise to a surreal press conference, in which Noam Chomsky mocked the concept and his fellow professor Jean Bricmont of Belgium ridiculed former Australia foreign minister Gareth Evans as living in a "world of paper," not the world of real power.
(AP) – 50 minutes ago
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Associated Press bureau chief in Sri Lanka, who broke news of private U.N. reports outlining civilian death tolls, has been denied permission to remain in the country.
The AP's Ravi Nessman left Sri Lanka on Monday after the government declined to renew his journalist's visa.
The government denied that the decision was related to his reporting on the final throes of Sri Lanka's quarter-century civil war with the Tamil Tiger rebels. The AP reported extensively on the heavy toll the war took on civilians as government forces surged across the rebels' strongholds in the jungles of the north this year.
"We find this failure to renew Ravi's visa disturbing," said John Daniszewski, AP's senior managing editor for international news.
Aside from reports on civilian casualties, Nessman revealed first word of a government document from January outlining a plan to keep hundreds of thousands of displaced people in camps for up to three years.
Nessman received a one-year journalist visa upon arriving in Sri Lanka in July 2007, and it was renewed the following year. The government declined to renew it for a third year.
Lucien Rajakarunanayake, director of international media in the office of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, insisted the government had not ousted Nessman. He said it was standard for foreign journalists to be based in Colombo for two years.
Nessman's predecessor as AP bureau chief, Dilip Ganguly, was based in Colombo for a decade, from 1997-2007.
Both sides of Sri Lanka's civil war have been accused by media groups of attempting to manipulate coverage.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 11 Sri Lankan reporters were forced to flee the country in the past year, and Amnesty International said at least 14 Sri Lankan journalists and media workers have been killed since the beginning of 2006.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gHps2MkaTeJ5YJp_FpHDGqkzINiAD99J1M400
Gates' statement on Sri Lanka is:
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/bill-gates-says-sri-lanka-poised-greater-growth
Pl email Gates on info@gatesfoundation.org
HE NEEDS AT LEAST 1000 LETTERS TO GET NOTICED
Pl tell all your friends ....
http://www.liberal.ca/en/newsroom/media-releases/16035_liberals-call-for-conditions-on-any-imf-loan-to-sri-lankaLiberals call for conditions on any IMF loan to Sri Lanka |
Email box for Germany's MFA: Frank-Walter Steinmeier,
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Infoservice/service/AllgemeinesKontaktformular.jsp
EU Foreign Ministers:
1.Austria – Dr. Michael Spindelegger
http://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/foreign-ministry/foreign-ministry/der-aussenminister/kontakt-minister.html
2. Belgium - Karel De Gucht, http://www.diplomatie.be/en/contact/
3. Bulgaria - Ivailo Georgiev Kalfin,
4. Cyprus - Markos Kyprianou
5. Czech Republic - KAREL SCHWARZENBERG,
6. Denmark - Per Stig Møller,
7. Estonia – Urmas Paet
8. Finland – Alexander Stubb,
9. France - Bernard Couchner – 37, Quai d'Orsay, F - 75351 PARIS, France
10. Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier,
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Infoservice/service/AllgemeinesKontaktformular.jsp
Federal Foreign Office, Auswärtiges Amt, Werderscher Markt 1, 11013 Berlin
11. Greece - Theodora Bakoyiannis,
12. Hungary - Kinga Goncz,
13. Ireland - Micheál Martin http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=8797
14. Italy – Franco Frattini, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Piazzale della Farnesina 1, 00194 Roma
15. Latvia - Mr. Maris Riekstins,
16. Lithuania - Petras Vaitiekūnas
17. Luxembourg - Monsieur Jean Asselborn,
18, Malta - Michael Frendo,
19. Netherlands - Maxime Verhagen, http://www.minbuza.nl/en/contact,reactieformulier___publieksinformatie.html
20. Poland - Stefan Meller,
21. Portugal - Luis Amado,
22. Romania - Andrei Cioroianu,
23. Slovakia -
24. Slovenia - Dimitrij Rupel,
25. Spain - Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé,
26. Sweden - Carl Bildt, http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/7505
27. UK - David Miliband, msu.correspondence@fco.gov.uk
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles St, London SW1A 0AA, UK
MEDIA ADVISORY
Tamil Canadians on a 'Mission' to Help Patients
Local South Asian Group Launches Year-long Blood and Stem Cell Campaign
For Immediate Release
WHAT: The Tamil Canadian community is kicking-off a year-long blood and stem cell awareness campaign aimed directly at 'living' their mission, 'To encourage the spirit of multi-culturalism… and understanding with other ethnic communities.' Understanding community is at the heart of Canadian Tamil Congress' (CTC) commitment to providing over 450 units of blood during 2008. This is the largest amount of blood collected by any partner within Central Ontario region. Building on this success the CTC have committed to 1,000 blood donations (500 during the summer and 500 over the next calendar year). Knowing the need within stem cells the CTC have expanded their generosity by including the collection of 50 DNA samples for testing in hopes of providing potential stem cell donors for South Asian Canadian patients.
The campaign will be operating out of 10 mobile and two permanent blood donor clinics across the city during July and August of which certain identified clinics will offer DNA sample (buccal swab) collection opportunities. These swabs will be tested in hopes of matching any of the 15 South Asian and 14 East Indian patients currently waiting for a stem cell transplant.
To publicly launch this campaign, the CTC will join with other South Asian representatives and Canadian Blood Services with OneMatch at a clinic/swab photo opportunity.
WHO: Interviews and photo opportunities with:
· Tamil Canadian donors, including survivors of July 1983 who have built a new life in Canada
· Canadian Blood Services representative Victoria Lawson, and Canadian Tamil Congress representative Manjula Selvarajah speaking to the partnership and the value of an ethnically diverse donor base in both blood and stem cells
· Dr. Prateek Lala M.D. to speak to the need for more South Asians/East Indians to become blood and stem cell donors
· DNA sample collection (swabs)
o Donors will have the opportunity to provide DNA samples (swabbing)
WHEN: 1 pm, Tuesday July 14th, 2009
WHERE: Canadian Blood Services, 67 College Street West in Toronto, Ontario.
--30—
CONTACT:
Manjula Selvarajah, Canadian Tamil Congress
Phone: (416) 240-0078
Email: manjulas@canadiantamilcongress.com
John Bromley, ABC
Communications Manager, OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network
(416) 313-4438 Mobile: (416) 573-2172
Do your Historical Duty – Register those family members, relatives and friends who were killed, disappeared, tortured, sexually abused or displaced. ( any kind of human rights violations ( 46 in all)
Dear All,
Please take a moment to realize that we stand at a critical phase in the very existence of our community. The perpetrators who committed such heinous crimes against our kith and kin now wants to eliminate all evidences and witnesses to hide their crimes against humanity and escape themselves.
Are we going to allow that? At this juncture it's extremely important that we record all the atrocities with proper documentation, so that Justice could be seeked and the records become the resilient resolvement for our future generations.
Please take the time to convince those who have lost their relatives or friends, to come and register the information with the Centre for War Victims & Human Rights - exclusively set up to record the killings and displacements in the Vanni. These records are highly confidential and would only used as documentation for the purpose of recording, at this historical juncture of our community.
Please do your part in this effort to record the Injustice done to our people and crime of Genocide. Please convince your neighbor, friend, relative or anyone from Vanni, to come and record towards seeking Justice, Freedom and Peace for our people on the long run.
For Registration, please call 416-628-1408 or 416-841-7458
Please visit our website: www.cwvhr.org
Thanking You,
CWVHR |
TAMIL PEOPLE STATEMENT: Wherever minorities are being persecuted we must raise our voices to protest. According to reliable sources, the Tamil people are being disenfranchised and victimized by the Sri Lanka authorities. This injustice must stop. The Tamil people must be allowed to live in peace and flourish in their homeland. - Elie Wiesel, June 30th 2009 SAMPLE FAX Sent @212 490 6006 Dear Mr. Elie Wiesel;
Re: Thank you for your strong voice on Tamils in Sri Lanka
I take this opportunity to thank you for your strong voice and comment on the Tamils' plight in Sri Lanka . I am sure, that world will take a serious note of your statement on Sri Lanka and do its utmost to bring sustainable peace to Tamils in Sri Lanka by bringing an acceptable political solution based on Tamils' Right to Self-Determination.
I also wanted to use this opportunity to bring your attention to the undemocratic and authoritarian action by the Government of Sri Lanka as Sri Lanka continue to detain men, women, children and infants in their hundreds of thousands (Close to 300,000) behind the barbed wires under heavy military presents for many months with inadequate food, medicines, and other basic essentials in 40 odd Nazi style concentration camps under improper hygiene, inadequate shelter, and a lack of water, food and medical treatment by Sri Lanka even after the war is over.
We must expose Sri Lanka for continuing to prevent aid agencies and independent journalists to these camps as many NGOs pointed out this is dire violation of international humanitarian laws.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours truly,
|
1000 KM walk to Washington
http://www.breakthesilenceusa.com/
A Global campiagn has been launched to save the Doctor's who have been imprisoned by Sri Lankan government. This campaign is supported by prominent Human Rights associations and activists. To ensure an effective campaign we seek your support (funds/donations and volunteers).. Please contact Canadian Tamil Congress and support this very important campaign/initiative . (416) 240 0078 / info@canadiantamilcongress.ca |
The Honourable Sharon Carstairs, P.C.
Room 471-S Centre Block
Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A4
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-01-voa47.cfm
Sri Lanka Urged to Probe the Murder of Tamil MPs | |
By Lisa Schlein Geneva 01 July 2009 |
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is calling on the government of Sri Lanka to mount a thorough investigation of the murders of three Members of Parliament, two of them Tamils. The IPU's Human Rights Committee, which has wrapped up its latest session, has examined cases of abuse of some 300 MPs in 29 countries.
Sharon Carstairs |
The Inter-Parliamentary Union says the Sri Lankan government no longer has any reason for not investigating the murders of the Parliamentarians now that its long-running civil war with the Tamil Tiger rebels is over.
Chair of the IPU's Human Rights Committee, Canadian Senator, Sharon Carstairs, says the government has always maintained it was unable to investigate the murders because they occurred in rebel-held territory. She says that excuse no longer exists.
She tells VOA, Tamil Parliamentarians are subject to arbitrary arrest, harassment and intimidation. She says her Committee is concerned about the situation of 12 Tamil Parliamentarians. She says they essentially have been stripped of their rights of freedom of movement and of their ability to perform their legislative duties.
She says the Tamil Parliamentarians are reluctant to leave the capital, Colombo, because their security is not guaranteed.
"So, there is great fear among the Tamil Parliamentarians," Carstairs said. "So, what we hope from Sri Lanka at this point is to get a new signal from them that Tamil Parliamentarians will have freedom of movement, they will have adequate security, they will be full participants of the government of Sri Lanka because they are duly elected Parliamentarians."
http://sen.parl.gc.ca/scarstairs/ContactUs/Contact_e.asp