Attempted German bargain
Der Spiegel, a renowned German weekly news magazine, in its 23 June edition, revealed that the Sri Lanka government and the permanent representative of the government of Germany in New York agreed in February to a deal prior to the voting in U.N. General Assembly in May, where Germany would vote for Sri Lanka's re-election to the Human Rights Council, and Sri Lanka in turn will vote for German seat in the Security Council in 2010. The paper said Germany's deal with the Human Rights violator Sri Lanka was 'indelicate', despite Sri Lanka's defeat in the race. "In order to be included again in the Security Council of the United Nations, the [German] government is obviously willing to pay any price necessary," the paper said. "The deal is very fiery because Sri Lanka has aggravating accusations of violating Human Rights," Der Spiegel said. It cited Human Rights Watch's listing of 99 cases in March, that dealt with the disappearance or kidnapping of Tamil civilians, Human Rights officials and journalists with alleged involvement of the Sri Lankan forces. The German foreign office had refused to comment on the deal, according to the weekly. (TamilNet)
Four killed in bus attack
Four people were killed and 25 injured when armed men opened indiscriminate fire at a moving passenger bus in the southern town of Buttala, south-east of Colombo, Friday, July 11. The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus, belonging to Monaragala depot, was plying from Buttala to Kathirkaamam (Kataragama) and was attacked at Galge. "A group of gunmen hiding by the side of the road near Buttala raked the passing civilian bus with gunfire," news agency Associated Press quoted military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara as saying. "The bus driver sped through the ambush, only stopping when he reached safety," he said. Defence officials, who blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) for the attack, said the gunmen were hiding in the forests on either sides of the road and opened fire as the vehicle came within firing range. Military spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told media the gunmen took advantage of the fact that large swathes of the area are covered in forests. The day after the attack, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police in a joint cordon and search operation conducted along Buttala-Kathirkaamam road arrested six Tamil civilians.
Civilians wounded in air raid
At least four civilians were wounded at Vaddakkachchi on Sunday July 6 when two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a residential area twice. Maniyar Sellathamby, 67, and Rooban, 24, were among the seriously wounded in the air raid. A day later, SLAF bombers targeted Iyakkachchi village, 15 km southeast of Mukamaalai in Jaffna peninsula. A 50-year-old father of five was wounded in his stomach. Another civilian, Sellaththurai Kamal, a father of two, was wounded, on Tuesday July 8, when two SLAF bombers attacked Kugnchupparanthan and the adjacent paddy fields along Paranthan - Poonakari (Pooneryn) road. The SLAF fighter jets dropped bombs while he was watering his paddy field. Medical sources at Kilinochchi hospital said the doctors were struggling to avoid amputation of his left leg as he was badly wounded below the knee. The TamilNet correspondent who visited the attack site in Kugnchupparanthan said that the bombardment has caused extensive damage to the agricultural lands in the 5th canal. (TamilNet)
Journalists under attack
Sri Lankan journalists are facing increasing attacks over their reporting of the conflict, according to Amnesty International. Hundreds of local reporters and cameramen protested outside Rajapaksa's home earlier this month demanding an end to a spate of killings and assaults on journalists, Agence France- Presse reported. Some journalists fear a crackdown if the victory promised by the government doesn't materialize. “The media has come under very staunch criticism for expressing views which are not of the government,” said defence correspondent Iqbal Athas. “Anybody who doesn't tow the line is called a traitor. You can draw the inference on what's going to come.” A journalist and member of the British High Commission staff were assaulted in Colombo last week. The U.S. embassy condemned the attack and other recent violence against journalists. Alleged human rights violations against journalists by the government are being “blown totally out of proportion,” a government official said. The sources of such allegations are largely non-governmental agencies with LTTE sympathies, he added. (Bloomberg)
British Commission employee attacked
A British High Commission employee and a journalist were assaulted in Sri Lanka on June 30, prompting media groups to say they feared it was the latest in a series of attacks against journalists. A Sri Lankan attached to the commission and a defence journalist at the Sri Lanka Press Institute were attacked by a group in their car in the capital Colombo, witnesses said. Both were wounded but hospital workers said they were not in danger. The High Commissioner condemned the "despicable act" and urged the government to bring those responsible to justice. "We will be working with the authorities to do everything that we can, to make sure that happens," Peter Hayes said at the private hospital where they were being treated. Journalist and media rights groups say the government has done little to stop the violation of media freedom and attacks against journalists in Sri Lanka. "This is related to the suppression of media," said Sunanda Deshapriya of the Free Media Movement. "We hope the government will do something to stop this. If government can't do that, we should hold government responsible for the attack." (Mirror)
